pgray007 Member

While a bit late to the party, I’m hoping to get back on the wagon and make a good year even better: Weight:210 (down from 238 at the start of the year) Goal by 12/31/19: 198 Favorite Calorie Burning Activity: Running and cycling long distances Biggest Challenge to meeting your Goals: Had a minor cycling spill that broke…

Echo most of the stuff said so far. You can get lights that plug into USB to recharge so you just plug them into your computer at work if you work a desk job and never worry about dead batteries. Also if you wear pants, they make little reflective Velcro strips that snug your pant legs up so your right pant doesn’t get…

This is some of the "sneering," the assumption that big nasty dudes that look like the monopoly guy from the board game are sitting on the 500th floor of a tower in Manhattan, polishing their monocoles and grinning evil grins looking at a PowerPoint slide titled "How to kill off all the unwashed rubes with sugar and salt."…

So to report back, I've started drinking whole milk and Nestle Quick (hey, it's cheap and easy to find) and it seems to work as well as "chalky white" (aka Hammer Recoverrite) at about 1/4th the cost per glass. I still take Chalky on the road with me since water is easier to procure than milk in a hotel in another country…

I'll have to try the chocolate milk thing, and any excuse for a beer is a good one. There's a good chance it's a placebo effect, but I do find getting something more than water into my system right after a hard workout or longer than 1 hour workout seems to help in the ~60 minute window and the next day. If I just drink…

Beats are not that good. It’s like $4 for the headphones and $196 for the feeling of coolness you get by a vague association with Dr. Dre.

Hate me Now - Nas When will they shoot - Ice Cube Powerless - Nelly Furtado Express Yoself - NWA It’s Tricky - Run DMC We Like to Party - Vengaboys

Ditto on Mr. B's reply, although there are occasionally "blips" in how these two talk to each other. For a couple weeks in Jan I wasn't getting entries in the news feed for Garmin workouts, even if the exercise showed up in the diary. There was another multi-week "blip" in the last 24 months where nothing was going from…

I was dead against indoor riding, but have really started to enjoy it with all the "smart trainer" options. I strap my roadie onto a Wahoo KICKR (there are a bunch of others) and use Zwift, Sufferfest, or TrainerRoad. You get a GREAT workout since all the conditions are controlled and you can really kick your butt with…

Mini goal - get back below 225 lbs so my favorite cycling jersey fits. I won't let myself wear it above 225. Maxi goal - back to 195 lbs. Haven't weighed that since junior in high school and I'm now 40.

Enter a 5K race. If you have fun, enter a 10K a few mo the down the line and increase your distance no more than 10% each week. Once done with C25K focus on building that base until you can comfortably do 6 miles or so. I started with C25K about 8 years ago after 30 years of despising running. Now I regularly do HMs and am…

I'd recommend taking a camping trip or two, even if "car camping," since camping is as "science" unto itself, and this will give you an idea if you want to do a camping-oriented trip or stick with hotels. I'd also recommend the site "crazyguyonabike.com" it looks like a party from 1999 but hs great cycle touring content,…

I've been running for about 9 years since doing C25K (no apps, just downloaded a spreadsheet from somewhere). I detested running for most of my life, but C25K showed me I could actually do it by starting slow, and it's now an inseparable part of my life. My weight has fluctuated a bit since running, but I'm currently in…

I would get headaches and generally feel poor after hard workouts (mostly cardio, cycling and running), and started drinking a recovery drink within 20 minutes of finishing and that seems to help a bit. There are a whole bunch of different ones but it's essentially easily-digestible protein and carbs.

I love the French/Italian tradition of an afternoon coffee. I used to snack around 2-4pm and instead have a nice big cup 'o joe and it fills me up at a cost of 2 calories. I've also started doing a lot of mental visualization, particularly during exercise. When I'm doing a hard workout and feel like quitting I visualize…

I've had the same problem in about a 20-30 lb range since high school (I'm now pushing 40). Looking back, the reason is very simple: I stopped logging and watching my weight trends. You've probably seen all the threads that just a few extra calories can easily be a couple lbs a month, and then you're up 20 in a year…

So from a practical perspective, how does his affect someone who has lost weight, or don't we yet understand the impacts?

I tend to "eat back" 50% or less of what I burn through exercise. I'm training for some endurance events, so a ~1500 calorie burn is not uncommon for me (as measured via a Garmin HRM). However, when I "eat back" all the calories, I usually gain weight. My theory is that I'm losing electrolytes, so I crave salty foods…

Here's another vote for HappyScale. If you're into gadgets you can get a wifi scale (I use the FitBit brand one) and every AM my weight gets automatically updated to MFP, Garmin Connect and Happy Scale. Personally I find weighing daily lets you focus on the trend rather than random events. If I'm up a pound or two one…

Get outside as soon as you can. It may be humbling initially, but better that happens in training versus the first hill in your race crushing you. I had the same treadmill thoughts as you when I started, and didn't want to look "silly" outside but running outside is so much more enjoyable. Also at the race tell someone…

I think HR is somewhat an individual thing. My RHR first thing in the morning is 37 or so, and I'm far from an Ironman (maybe a Tin Man).

In the winter, don't forget to wear a blinky light and headlamp, so the groggy drivers out on the road see you! I have a petzel headlamp that I really like that charges via USB so it's always ready to go.

One thing I'd recommend is once you find a pair of shoes you like, order 2-3 pairs online. Each year the manufactures "tweak" their shoes, and sometimes make major changes, so that Model X you love today may feel horrible next year.

Also, don't scoff at "car camping" your first few times out to get a feel for setting up the tent, etc. Most places have state or national parks with a "primitive" camping area (aka no RVs running generators all night) where you can setup and still be close to your car if you have to bail. When ready, don't skimp on your…

Definitely check out REI or AMC for some "intro" courses and start with some weekend day hikes. You'll get a feel for critical items like boots, managing clothes for the variety of weather you'll encounter, etc. Work you way up to 8-12 hour day hikes in varying terrain and you can try cooking, etc., on the trail to get a…

Some thoughts. These aren't male/female specific and I can't speak for the latter, but this should be a good start: 1) NO COTTON. Get a good pair of cycling shorts (Perl Izumi is the common brand). Check out Sierra Trading Post for good deals on last years model, etc. You should be spending ~$50 for a good pair. If you can…

I have a Fenix 3. Handle is the same as MFP.

The theory I've always heard is that you can race at 2X your "comfortable" training distance. So if you can do ~6 miles 3-5X per week, you can push it to a half. That doesn't mean you'll run it well, just that you can do it without undue stress.

This is good advice. I also think I probably need to be more consistent with immediate post-workout nutrition based on some of the reading that was recommended. As a reforming fatty I'm still struggling to get my head around eating during and post-workout. It just seems sacrilegious.

The 10k steps is apparently a somewhat arbitrary number that originated with a government study in Japan. That said, I like my tracker since it buzzes if I've been on my butt too long. I get up and walk around if I'm on a conference call at home, or stroll around the office for 5 minutes that I would have otherwise spent…