There is no finish line

Why so Serious ?

2012-01-30T16:16:00.000-05:00

Weight : 213,2 lbs
Loss: -5,8 lbs

Looks like the calorie counting thing is helping. It’s been 10 days now and it’s going well. It really takes all the guesswork out of my approach to weightloss. As a result, I got a nice weigh-in this morning. Still, I don’t see myself counting calories over extended periods of time. We'll see where this goes.

2012 is an important year for me in the fitness and weightloss aspect. My Wife and I are planning a 15 day bike trip in the French Alps. We are going to travel through all the major “cols” between Lac Léman and Nice. Without exaggerating, it is the biggest physical challenge I ever set my body up against so far in my life. So, this “Vacation” will require some preparation. The more prepared I am, the less I’ll suffer and the more I’ll enjoy this thing.

I have started exercising and eating right to lose weight, in June 2007 (The Reform). Since then, I have only been in Onederland (sub-200 lbs) for a few weeks in the summer of 2009. I have set my mind on being in Onederland in every one of those five years and I’ve come up short 80% of the time.

Recapping 2011

2012-01-23T11:28:00.005-05:00

Weight : 214,6 lbs
Loss: -4,4 lbs

New thing i’m trying : Calorie Counting on fatsecret.com. I don’t really have a diet, but I’m gonna give calorie counting a try. Takes a whole 2-3 minutes to log every meal. It’s pretty brutal, because you feel like you are making sacrifices and the website tells you honestly that you are eating pretty much what you expend every day !

Recapping 2011
Overall, 2011 was nowhere near as bad as 2010 for weightloss :

Q1 (Jan-Feb-March) : I started the year with steam blowing. 222 lbs was the heaviest i`d been in over three years and was psyched for losing. I had a very good control on nutrition and I exercised plenty. I started getting my legs conditioned for running again and I started X-Country skiing which I enjoyed a lot. In late March I was about 10 lbs lighters and things were rolling.

Q2 (April-May-June) : Had a horrendous spring. Weather was very cold and rainy, after a long winter and a spring that never seems to get going it`s very tough on motivation. Misery loves company, a very nasty cold/flu brought me down for the first weeks of April. Followed shortly by another injury : neck sprain crippled me bad. So a big share of this quarter was squandered and I had didn’t lose any weight.

Q3 (July-Aug-Sept) : Healthy again, I lost another 5 lbs in this quarter. I went for a long backcountry hiking trip with my wife and for a weeklong bike trip in the hills of Cape Breton in July. In August and September, I ran quite a lot. I discovered Adidas micoach, and found running the program really fun. Unfortunately, Duck Hunting season was about to begin, and my last run in 2011 took place on Sept. 26th !!!

Q4 (Oct-Nov-Dec) : I did an half-assed effort to limit the damages and, up until mid-November, i believed i was maintaining pretty well. That was all an illusion, I was not exercising, I was losing muscle mass and gaining fatty mass. The landslide started in mid-November and by Dec. 22nd i was standing at 219 lbs. Duck Hunting season was really great and I enjoyed it very much.

I must stress one point : I did not workout during Q4 of 2011. I lost fitness and gained weight during those three months. I learn one important lesson from all of this, losing weight and maintining weightloss is deeply connected with how i can establish a daily routine in my life.

Update coming right up !

2012-01-19T15:16:00.000-05:00

Weight : 215,2 lbs
Loss: -3,8 lbs

On Jan. 2nd, i was standing at 219 lbs. So very close to where i was exactly one year before (222 lbs). I remember vowing to One-derland and staying under before the year's end. I managed to get down to 206 lbs in August and then the long waterfowl hunting season wreaked havoc on my weight yet again.

Disappointed, but still, very motivated.

Will write back soon with detailed accounts of 2011 ... and with the reason why i'm not declaring any goals for 2012.

The good loss !

2011-07-05T14:51:00.000-04:00

Weight : 207,2 lbs
Loss: -14,8 lbs

The past two weeks have been crazy. I went backcountry hiking with the wife for 5 days from June 24th to June 28th. We carried our heavy backpacks over peaks and valleys during that time and walked 7 to 9 hours each days. How is that for a workout ? It was my wife’s 1st experience of long distance hiking and she enjoyed it. I’m really proud of her for completing the challenge. It was my 8th time hiking that trail, and it was really perfect for weightloss. We had superb weather and all of the viewpoints were clear of fog most of the time. There was still a lot of snow left in the trail and we encountered the Caribou herd on Mt. Jacques-Cartier on our final day, standing 50ft. from the trail as we passed them.

Then, last friday, we went biking with our oldest daughter for three days, camping in villages as we went along. We had a great time and I had another great opportunity at weightloss.

So, I was very happy to lose more than 4 lbs in 2 weeks. The efforts were put in and I reaped the rewards. Bringing me closer to my objective : OneDerLand.

In two week, i’m leaving for a 7-day bike trip on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, more weightloss expected there.

a long hiatus ?

2011-06-13T11:55:00.000-04:00

Weight : 211,4 lbs
Loss: -10,6 lbs

It’s been 7 weeks since my last post. In that last post i was committing to having three solid weeks. Not to make any excuses, but guess what happened : I got injured. I had a pretty bad neck sprain in January 2009. The same exact injury repeated in late April, this time though, it came back gradually and worsened for a week before I was completely crippled. Forget about working out or doing anything else but laying on you back for 3 weeks.

This time, i learned a valuable lesson and followed my wife’s advice to go and see her physical therapist for a couple of sessions ($$$). Well, it was money well invested because she helped ease the pain and also found that the root cause is my posture and gave me some exercise to straighten my neck.

Overall, i spent 5 weeks being sedentary because of this neck thing. As a consequence, i gained back 2-3 lbs. Now, since early June, I managed to lose back those lbs and get back on track. I’m getting my biking and running legs back in proper condition.

I spent a couple of hours this morning doing a summary of the past 5 years of my life. Of course, my two daughters are definitely the highest notes. This new active lifestyle also brought a lot of quality in my life. But, 2010 was definitely a step back from 2007 through 2009. I gained some weight and did not exercise as much as I should have.

I’m working hard to make 2011 better than 2010. I have already surpassed my running mileage of last year. I have a 6-day mountain hiking and backpacking trip scheduled for late June and a 7-day bike trip scheduled for mid-July in Nova Scotia. Gotta stay active.

Lost my steam

2011-04-18T07:08:00.000-04:00

Goshdarnit, i'm still at the same weight i was 4 weeks ago. I have completely squandered the last weeks of March and first weeks of April. I am a bit pisssed at myself.

Diet was half-assed, no real efforts to lose weight. Exercise was pretty much the same, nothing to write home about. Yeah, i caught this flu a couple weeks ago, but it's gone now and i'm not working ay harder. Yeah, the weather has been awful, cold and windy, we even got 3 inch of snow yesterday.

Well, it's changing this morning. I'm going to have three back-to-back solid weeks, even if it kills me.

Scratched for the game

2011-03-30T09:20:00.003-04:00

Weight : 211,0 lbs
Loss: -11,0 lbs

I have been stricken with a cold since march 13th. These past days have been the worse. A cold usually last 3-4 days in my case and I rarely get more than one or two each year. Last week, things were improving and by Wednesday, it was nearly gone. But then, job induced stress caused me to lose much sleep on Wednesday through Saturday nights and my immune system took the hit.

The consequences are that I have not worked out since Saturday because I feel like sheet. Good thing I kept the diet tight though as i am still losing. I don’t think I’ll make my March weight objective, but give me the time to get back on my feet and I’ll be in the 200’s in no time.

March has been pretty rough for us French Canadians. For the first half of the month, we got a ton of snow and rain; and for the second half, we got biting cold temps. This is the worst time of the year for outdoor exercises if you ask me : Can’t bike, too cold and the streets are still icy. Can’t XC-Ski, the snow has turned into ice. Can’t ice skate, all the rinks are now closed and running outside is dreadful because of the weather and the mental drag of having to dress like an eskimo for a simple run for the past 4 months.

Once spring and my immune system both catch up, I’m sure that my outlook will be more positive, ahah. Still, the 211.0 on the scale felt good inside this morning.

Another week goes by

2011-03-15T11:15:00.001-04:00

Weight : 212,5 lbs
Loss: -9,5 lbs

Very happy about that number i got on the scale this morning. Last week was great food and workout wise, but the scale was not budging. I did not workout this weekend, my body needed the break. This morning, I was happily surprised to see a lbs had disappeared over the weekend. Afterwards, i went for a run in the crisp morning air as the sun was rising and it was magical.

I did XC-Ski twice last week, and also had to shovel the 4 ft. of snow I had lying on my roof (what a great workout). Tomorrow the Men’s Health 52 day spring challenge is starting. Spring is just around the corner and I’ll be road biking in no time !

Newfound love for XC skiing

2011-03-07T09:36:00.001-05:00

Weight : 213,6 lbs
Loss: -8,4 lbs

I have not been really focused on weightloss and managing my food intake lately. The result is that I have not lost much weight because I was half-assing the diet. Last week was different though, I got my motivation and focus back and started losing again.

Last week, I went Cross-country skiing. I have had a couple of previous experiences with this sport in this past; all of them were pretty bad. I remember making an oath I’d never find myself XC skiing again the last time I tried (10 years ago). I gave the sport another chance last Thursday after my wife insisted. The rental skis and boots were pretty decent. And, guess what, I really enjoyed it. It’s a pretty solid workout. So much, I think I’ll go back this week, maybe even twice.

Too bad winter is coming to a close; i won’t be able to ski much before spring. Then again, even though I love winter sports, spring will be a welcome change and hopefully it comes sooner than later.

I need to be at 212 lbs early next week. The ski will help, and, I have to keep the eating tight. Gotta keep my eyes on the sub 210 lbs in March objective.

Steady !

2011-02-22T10:21:00.003-05:00

Weight : 215,2 lbs
Loss: -6,8 lbs

I could say i hit a plateau, but, truth is i did not try so hard last week. I took the week off from running to prevent injuries. In addition to that, i did eat a little bit too much on some days.

But, with the extra time i had last week, i spent some time with wife alone, no kids. Even if love the kids so much, spending some time together is a rare treat. We celebrated St-Valentine as a whole family monday night, then we got a babysitter on Thursday night and went ice skating followed by a cup of hot chocolate and finally we spent the weekend together in Montreal while my parents babysat the kids.

This week, i'm back to running. I've dug back my old running program i had tinkered back in 2008 and i'm starting all over doing that. The program is really personalized and its feels great to start again.

I'm gonna tighten the eating a bit this week and try to get in the 213's early next week.

Solid Game

2011-02-09T09:24:00.002-05:00

Weight : 214,8 lbs
Loss: -7,2 lbs

I did not do so bad on SuperBowl night.
- 2 light beers
- 1 small slice of pizza
- 1 hot dog
- Chips with guacamole
- Small piece of cake with vanilla and raspberry icing.

I weighed in at 217 lbs Monday morning and I knew it was mostly Sodium weight. Sure enough, i weighed in at 214,8 lbs this morning. Another small battle won.

Apart from running 4 times a week, lifting weights 2-3 times a week and going for a brisk walk 1-2 times a week, since early January i have rediscovered ice skating. I’ll spend 2-3 nights at the local exterior rink. I think it may be an important contributor to weight loss because it stresses different muscles that have not been used in a while; you constantly have to be in balance so you cannot take it easy and since I’m not really that good on ice skates, well I have to overcompensate with effort. I’m winded and sweating all the time when skating, my back is hurting from the lack of conditioning to this exercise and I’m really enjoying myself.

I’m on my sixth week since rebooting on Jan. 3rd 2011. So far, i have been able to stick to the diet, to stay dedicated to the workouts and to remain injury free. Right now, I have things planned right up until the end of June. I’m shooting for a relentless 6 straight months of focused weightloss. I’m a bit intimidated when i think about it because I’ll have to sustain another 20 weeks of this. One week at a time !

Contract Fulfilled

2011-02-03T11:37:00.002-05:00

Weight : 215,8 lbs
Loss: -6,2 lbs

Well, I honestly did not think i could make the sub 216 this week when I set it as an objective last week.

Hard work paid off. I followed my diet principles and my workout schedule rigorously. I did not cheat and I'm on par with the 52 day challenge.

The next challenge is to stay under 216 til next Monday. That's all for now folks.

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Still Losing

2011-01-26T11:06:00.002-05:00

Weight : 217,4 lbs
Loss : -4,6 lbs

Last week was not so bad after all. I side-stepped a bit from my plan but, not by much. The beginning of this week is marred by me not being able to get proper snooze time.

My food intake is proper and the key has been to stop and think before I eat every time i sit down at the table. I need to leave the table still feeling a little bit hungry. Then, that hungry feeling wears off over the next hour or so.

Dare i commit to 216.0 lbs before the end of next week ?

Back on track

2011-01-17T11:00:00.015-05:00

Weight : 219,0 lbs
Loss : -3,0 lbs

I have been at or under 219 lbs since last Friday. So, this is no fluke. This weekend was not so good, foodwise, but a short break felt good after two weeks of privation.

This morning I’m back on track and I challenge myself to the same dedication of the previous weeks. I’ll be on my own Wednesday through Friday; my wife will be out of town. I’ll have to care for my baby daughters on my own and will not have much spare time to focus on proper nutrition and exercise. This will add an extra level of difficulty to this challenge, but, i can do this if I plan strategically.

So, here is my plan for the next 5 days :

Monday : AM Run
Monday : PM Resistance training
Monday : Night 60 min. walk
Monday : Normal Breakfast
Monday : Normal Lunch
Monday : Light Dinner

Tuesday : Night 60 min. walk
Tuesday : Normal Breakfast
Tuesday : Normal Lunch
Tuesday : Light Dinner

Wednesday : AM Run
Wednesday : PM Resistance Training
Wednesday : Normal Breakfast
Wednesday : Normal Lunch
Wednesday : Light Dinner

Thursday : Night 60 min. walk
Thursday : Normal Breakfast
Thursday : Normal Lunch
Thursday : Light Dinner

Friday : AM Run
Friday : PM Resistance training
Friday : Normal Breakfast
Friday : Normal Lunch
Friday : Light Dinner

Saturday : AM Run
Saturday : Normal Breakfast
Saturday : Normal Lunch
Saturday : Light Dinner

I’ll keep this updated as the week goes by. I’ll keep myself accountable. The underlying goal is to lose 1-2 lbs this week again.

EDIT : Had a cheese omelette with hash brown and a PB spread on saturday morning. It was really good. I deserved this one break. Making up for it, i'm going ice skating this afternoon, hopefully it warms up a bit cause it was -31c ( minus 24f) this morning here.

Water weight : I don’t think so

2011-01-11T10:43:00.004-05:00

Weight : 220,2 lbs
Loss : -1,8 lbs

Most people associate the initial onset of weightloss with water loss. This is true for low-carb diets as you initially deplete glycogen stores, you also lose the water weight stored in glycogen.

I think this does not apply here. I don’t fast and I don’t have a low-carb diet. My wife cooks healthy meals, last night for instance she sautéd chicken with veggies accompanied with a small portion of rice. I had one serving after drinking a large glass of water. I also had some crackers with salsa and fresh celeries just before the meal and a regular yogurt for dessert.

I scored a perfect 10 in my book with that meal.
- I drank water before and during the meal to feel fuller
- I had plenty of vegetables and fiber again to feel fuller after the meal
- I ate a sensible portion. I did not have second helping or a big dessert afterwards

This kind of meal is exactly how i’ve been eating for the past 7 days. And I feel that thanks to this steady discipline, I’m on top of things right now. I’m having some results, nearly 2 lbs lost. Managing my appetite is the key.

On the exercise front, here is what I do :
- Resistance training 3x week
- Run 4x week
- 60 min. walk 2x week
- Ice skating 3x week

In the past two years, I have been ridden with many sports injuries:
- Plantar fasciitis
- Neck sprain
- Hip stress fracture
- Grade 2 ankle sprain
- Achilles tear

Trying to stay injury free now even though I still feel remnants of each those injuries every once in a while.

Maintenance doesn’t work

2011-01-10T14:01:00.000-05:00

Weight : 221,2 lbs
Loss : -0,8 lbs

On this humorous note, I publicly announce that I’m back in the game for 2011. I can’t help but feel like 2010 was a failure for me. This blog always felt like a diary to me and since nobody reads it anymore, it will definitely stay that way.

Recapping 2010 :
Q1 (Jan-Feb-March) : Fresh off the birth of my second child, i started the year at 210 lbs. and started training again seriously in February. I managed to get down to 205 lbs before sustaining a significant Achilles tear on March 30th.

Q2 (April-May-June) : Nursing my Achilles, i had to lay off running and gained back 2-3 lbs before I stopped blogging in May. By the end of June, i was not doing any efforts to lose weight anymore and was just happy to maintain around 210 lbs.

Q3 (July-Aug-Sept) : I spend the summer months staying at home to care for my youngest child and was not really motivated to lose weight or workout seriously. My Achilles was still giving me hard time and i ran minimally but biked somewhat more. I was at 212 lbs when duck hunting season opened in September. I stopped weighing in around that time, the batteries died in the scale and i didnt replace them until Jan. 2nd 2011.

Q4 (Oct-Nov-Dec) : Ah, hunting season … 3 months of short nights sleep, bad eating habits and near total absence of self-discipline. It was a great season, had many incredible experiences, but, on the weightloss front, I think I gained steadily 2-3 lbs each month. I felt my clothes gradually become snugger and I knew deep inside that I was gaining.

I weighed in at 222 lbs on Jan. 3rd 2011.

I registered in the Men’s Health 52 Day Challenge (52DC) on Jan. 5th and doing great so far. I am resolved to lose weight again. I’d like to lose 22 lbs before my 35th b’day in late July. I will keep this blog updated for as long as I stay motivated

The Diet Mantra

2010-05-10T12:07:00.001-04:00

Weight : 207,0 lbs
Loss in 2010 : 3,0 lbs

I’m back to where I was weight-wise on March 10th 2010. This simply confirms that I wasted the whole of April with my Achilles. I’m not going to bring myself down about this. I just have got to get back to work.

This past week went pretty well. I can slow jog now, and it feels really good to run again, albeit slowly ! One thing that has changed since March is that i resistance train a whole lot more than before. I do mostly upper body workouts though as i want to save the strength in legs for biking and running.

Last week I was talking about coming up with a new diet plan. Well, it’s not entirely true. Apart from a couple of conscientious cheats here and there, the biggest problem i have with food is volume, not quality. I don’t eat much fried foods, super fats or super sweets. After 4 years of lifestyle change, i tend to make good food choices and thanks to my wife, we eat mostly whole foods at home; the problem is that I eat too much of it. So, I devised a way to control my intake with a simple mantra I will have to repeat each time I sit down to eat. It’s a simple phrase that I will repeat in my head before each meal to be mindful about it. It goes like this :

Focus on P. F. L.

P is for Portion
F is for Fiber
L is for Liquid

Portion means, that i need to control the sizes of the portions. A fist sized portion of carbs and another fist sized portion of protein is enough for me.

Fiber means that i should eat as much natural fiber as i can. Either fruits or vegetables, both are great ways to fill up without going into caloric overload

Liquid means that I should drink a large glass of water before i begin eating, or have a bowl of soup. It fills you up and leaves less space for the rest of the meal, therefore preventing overeating.

This Diet Mantra has not begun clinical testing yet and it usefulness remains unproven for now. Use at your own risk. I’m gonna begin using it today and see how it goes. I’ll keep you posted on the results.

What's Up !

2010-05-06T10:10:00.001-04:00

Weight : 207,8 lbs
Loss in 2010 : 2,2 lbs

Geez, it’s been a while since I’ve updated around here !

Last blog, i was talking about going easy on my Achilles. Well, i pretty much had to quit running and playing Ultimate altogether for the next 4 months. Doc says it’s partially torn. I have been resting since early April. I can bike though, so, that’s good. But i just started going for long walks again. It’s going to be a couple more weeks before I can start to slow jog. So, without being able to resort to my crazy workout schedule, i was doomed to gain some weight. I gained about 2 lbs in April.

I was stricken by a weird flu virus this week. Headaches, neck pain, cramps and nausea since Sunday night. It’s wearing off slowly now, but it was really weird. On the health front again, I did consult a physical therapist about my year old hip injury that always seemed on the verge of flaring back and with a simple stretching exercise, that problem is now a thing of the past.

I completed the Gold Award in the Advanced Performance Presidential Champions Program in early April as expected. My medal is proudly displayed on my wall hanger in my basement. The forced rest of April allowed me to complete the landscaping project I had going on in my backyard. All the major renovation projects we had planned since buying the house in July are now completed and we have a restful summer ahead of us.

I’m thinking of coming up with a new diet plan to lose some weight. I’ll keep you updated on that. Now, come on RipX, get you blog going again !

Quick Note !

2010-03-25T14:52:00.003-04:00

Day : 54 (week 8)
Weight : 205,6 lbs
Loss : -4,4 lbs

I have been doing the Men's Health 52 days challenge since March 17th. Dang, it's effin working !

And here i am standing with a completed weigh objective for March !
Time to go ride my bike !

Repent for your sins !

2010-03-23T13:09:00.001-04:00

Day : 51 (week 8)
Weight : 207,4 lbs
Loss : -2,6 lbs

My weight shot up last week after all the bad eating. It is starting to come back to normal now. I ate pretty good food all week but i could have kept the portions a little tighter.

I have had a left achilles tendonitis since last September, thanks to suddenly your body to intense sports (Ultimate) without properly warming up. It has gotten worse since January and now that i have wise'nd up, i have been doing daily rehab exercises and ice treatement since early March. I also had to stop running but i can't sacrifice my weekly Ultimate game. So, with those rehab exercises i try to minimize the symptoms until the end of the Frisbee season in early May. I hope it holds up til then or else, i might pull a "Beckham".

Oh, and in 10 days or so, i should have completed the Gold medal in the Advanced Performance Presidential Champions Program. I'm at 98% completion ! It will have taken me 46 weeks to complete it. I can't wait to finish it and order my award !

Living dangerously !

2010-03-15T10:33:00.003-04:00

Day : 43 (week 7)
Weight : 206,6 lbs
Loss : -3,4 lbs

I was really surprised by the weigh-in this morning. The week was hectic and i could not focus properly on food this weekend. Looking back i cheated:

- Wednesday night (Burger and Nachos)
- Saturday morning (McD`s Deluxe breakfast with pancakes)
- Saturday afternoon (McD’s burger)
- Sunday morning (Fried Eggs with ham)
- Sunday afternoon (KFC wrap)
- Sunday night (Rotisserie Chicken)

As bad as all of this looks, i was able to manage the portions and i end up with a loss for this week. Yet, it is dangerous living like this and i know it.

I purchased that touring bicycle i was talking about last week. It’s a 2008 Rocky Mountain Sherpa 30. I'm super happy and it complements nicely my carbon race bike. I have yet to tune the bike to my taste though. I’m thinking of replacing the stem, the handlebars, the saddle and probably install some bar-end shifters instead of the current STI levers.

I also purchased a treadmill to install in my recently improved basement. My 2 month old daughter is way too small to run outside in the stroller. Here is a picture :

That's more like it !

2010-03-10T08:42:00.002-05:00

Day : 38 (week 6)
Weight : 207,0 lbs
Loss : -3,0 lbs

207 lbs this morning. I ate normally yesterday ... go figure !

Angry Dad

2010-03-09T08:55:00.001-05:00

Day : 37 (week 6)
Weight : 209,0 lbs
Loss : -1,0 lbs

Well, i’m not the kind of guy who feels sorry for himself. But, it’s really hard this time around. I’m going in the wrong direction for not apparent reason. My diet has been really good for three weeks in a row and i’m working out really hard.

Week 5 summary:
2 Runs
2 Weight workouts
3 Spinning
2 Rowing
4 out of 5 Perfect eating days

Apparently there is such a thing as not eating enough. As crazy as it sounds, i’m starting to have some guesses. Then again, when i think about it, i’m not hungry all the time. I may simply be underestimating my daily caloric input. Anyway, this feel like a tough grind. I gotta stay motivated even though i have almost nothing to show for the hard work of the past 5 weeks.

On a lighter note, i’m shopping for a used touring bicycle. I already have a carbon race bike and i’m thinking of retiring my old hybrid bike for something lighter and faster for daily errands, commute and as a backup road bike. I’m going to see a guy that sells one tonight.

One for the ages !

2010-03-01T10:33:00.001-05:00

Day : 29 (week 5)
Weight : 208,0 lbs
Loss : -2,0 lbs

No loss this week. I had a very good week and a great Ultimate game last night. I also went to a Sports Bar Saturday night for wings, pizza and beer. Oh well, at least i had a great time. I also suspect i am retaining water from last night’s game.

Here is my week 4 summary:
3/3 Runs
2/2 Weight workouts
2/2 Spinning
2/2 Rowing
4/5 Perfect eating days

Does anybody have any doubt that Hockey is Canada’s game now ? Ahahah, sorry for the smack talking, it was a great game, thanks neighbours. I literally drenched in the Olympic games for the past two weeks. Thank god for CTV, TSN & Sportsnet : live HD TV coverage of almost every event. 14 gold medals by Canada in the games, WOW! Now i can’t wait to watch the Tour and the World Cup this summer.

I have had Achilles tendonitis in my left foot for many weeks now. It is not getting any better nor is it getting any worse. But, before it becomes a chronic problem, i am going to do some physical therapy exercises to strengthen the tendon and i may stop running altogether until it gets better. I hope i can keep playing Ultimate even though it’s possibly the greatest reason why i have the problem in the first place. I’ll start doing the exercises and see how things develops.

Momentum

2010-02-22T10:51:00.004-05:00

Day : 22
Weight : 208,0 lbs
Loss : -2,0 lbs

Looking back on last week. I had 4 perfect eating days and the other three were not too shabby either. I did two spinning sessions, i ran a 5k, i did two 30min. sessions on the indoor rower at the gym and i played Ultimate last night. I really love the indoor rower, it’s refreshing and allows me to build core and upper body endurance.

We are releasing our 5th waterfowl hunting DVD and were doing screening events in Montreal and Quebec City this weekend. We had very good attendance and it was a great experience. Things were so hectic on Friday and Saturday that i had very little to eat on those days which is not so bad when you’re trying to lose weight. Here is a preview of the film. It is definitely our best one so far!

So, i had a great week and it seems i got my momentum going now. I know how hard it is to flip the motivation switch on. You cannot stay 100% motivated over long periods of time. Last fall was definitely a break and it allowed me to recharge the batteries. I needed that break and i’m glad i did not gain too much weight over the season. But, i feel that in order to lose weight you definitely need to bring your “A” game. You have to be dedicated and motivated to keep chipping at it for as long as you need to reach your objectives. You need to set goals and have the courage to keep yourself accountable for making those goals. You have to focus on those objectives everyday and make it a priority.

Over here, we are having the mildest winter in the books, low snowfalls and high temperatures. The past two winters were really crazy and i feel like we deserved this break. Running outside is definitely not as bad as ususal this winter.

Lots to say !

2010-02-15T09:46:00.001-05:00

Day : 15
Weight : 209,0 lbs
Loss : -1,0 lbs

I gained two lbs over SuperBowl weekend excesses … but, i managed to make up for my mistakes. I ran twice last week, i did two spinning sessions and i played Ultimate last night (what a blast !!!). There is still plenty of room for improvement in my diet though.

Injury report : The rib is feeling better, i can cardio workout as much as i want now. The ankle was doing great until i twisted it badly again last night, landing on someone’s shoe during the game. I took a series off and got back in the game afterwards. It is a bit sore this morning, but i’ll be fine. Thank god i was wearing my ASO ankle braces. I got them in December and they are wonderful. Without theses braces i feel like i would be back in crutches this morning.

I have been tallying points in the “Advanced Performance Presidential Champions program” since May 15th 2009. So far, i have 140,000 points and i am 87% of the way toward the goal of 160,000 for a gold award. I am pretty certain that i will get that gold before next May.

Last spring i was training for a half-marathon when i injured my hip pretty bad. The nagging hip pain that i had on and off since then is not much of an issue anymore. Ever since i started taking fish oil in January, it pretty much disappeared. I know i am not immune to stress injuries if i run too much, but the half-marathon goal is still very alive. In order to prevent injuries i will wait until i am 10-15 lbs lighter before i attempt the program again. My goal is to race a 10k in June and then train for the Half on August 29th.

Above all, my primary goal for 2010 is weightloss. I am taking another shot at the 180’s. This time, i have a very strong wildcard in my deck: I will be on parental leave from May 31st to Sept. 13th. I will have all the time that i want to run and bike to my heart’s content for the whole summer season. I will spend some quality time with my wife and daughters, plus, i get to train as much as i want. This is really an ideal scenario for me and i just can’t wait.

10-4

2010-02-03T10:20:00.004-05:00

Weight : 210,0 lbs

- DGE, please report weigh-in, over
- Weight is Two, One, Zero, over
- Say again, over
- I say again, Two, One, Zero, over
- 10-4, out !

I read you loud and clear, scale !
210 lbs means it's time to take affirmative action.

My second daughter, Maria, was born on Dec. 29th 2009. She is doing great. She is a bit on the smallish side for a 38 weeks baby at 4 lbs and 14 oz. We feel like we are dodging bullets with every pregnancy. So, this will definitely be our last baby.

Not to make any excuses, but i sprained my ankle pretty bad playing Ultimate on Dec. 20th. Spent a whole week on crutches and another two weeks using a cane. I started playing Ultimate again two weeks ago and ended up breaking a rib. So for the past 5 weeks all the exercise i did sums up to two hours of Ultimate frisbee and that's it. It's been 10 days since i broke a rib and yesterday was the worst so far, i coughed twice in the morning and the pain carried on all day.

I am cursed with gaining weight every time i become sedentary for a little while. And with two major injuries back to back, i simply could not exercise at all.

Now, 2010 is well underway and it's time to refocus on weightloss. I need to set some new objectives for the year and get to work.

I took some painkillers this morning and i feel ok. So, i brought my gym bag to work and i'll hit the gym at lunch.

Sleep mode - On ?!?

2009-12-19T04:16:00.006-05:00

Weight : 202,8 lbs

Honestly, i have to say i'm pretty content of that number up there. Hunting season is almost over and the damages are not as bad as i expected them to be. I gained 5-6 lbs from my lowest of low in 2009. All the exercise i did over the past 6-7 weeks consisted of duck hunting and ultimate frisbee once a week and that's it. Diet has been pretty good from a maintenance standpoint and considering i'm on the road half the time.

Here are the highlights of the past weeks :

- Early November, did some great Goldeneye Hunts in Quebec, sorry no pictures, but have some great footage for our DVD. On the other hand, i purchased a lot of furniture for the house. A new master bedroom set and some leather couches for new family room i'm building in the basement. It was very expensive, but my wife is happy and i kinda owe it to her for being away all season, you know !

- Mid November, We were in Ohio for some Bluebill Hunting on Lake Erie. It had been 10 years since i last hunted bluebills as they are so scarce over here. We had a blast, great filming and good times with friends over there. From a conservation standpoint, i have to admit that the USA are miles ahead of us Canadians and i applaud the 2 bird limit per hunter on Bluebills that they have in place.

- Late November, broke my back lifting my daughter, couldn't move for two days after that.

- Early December, We tried very hard to capture some Snow Goose Hunting footage but ultimately failed. The Snows are very very hard to hunt this year.

- Early December, I caught a very lively Stomach Flu (Gastroenteritis). Lots of action if you know what i mean.

- Mid December, My wife is 37 weeks pregnant, baby due to arrive on Jan 5th. We had some contractions last night but it calmed down. So, you can imagine that i am not making the 4-day trip to Niagara for Bufflehead Hunting. Hopefully, my partners will get some great films.

I want to try to capture some Coyote Hunting footage, as a bonus on our DVD. I'll try to get that done during Holiday season, before baby arrives. Our DVD is set to release on February 19th. We have until mid January to put the finishing touch on it.

After the baby arrives, i'll try to salvage some time and get back into running.

It is just not possible !

2009-10-28T13:25:00.005-04:00

Weight : 200,2 lbs.

It's simply impossible for me to lose weight during hunting season. It is simply impossible to focus on it or settle in a routine. Anyway, i'm not doing so bad. My weight is pretty stable. I got my H1N1 flu shot this morning. My girlfriend is now 30 weeks pregnant and the outlook is good.

Here are this weekend's hunts in Ontario :

Another amazing experience !

2009-10-15T10:32:00.001-04:00

Weight : 200,4 lbs

There, i finally did it, i was able to climb back in the 200’s.

As a sidenote, i have been hunting SeaDucks in saltwater this past week. It was my first experience hunting these species and i had the best of time. Just got home and leaving again for 3 days snow goose hunting. Then, next week i’ll be gone for all week, Canada Goose hunting in Ontario. After that, things will settle down a bit hopefully.

Barely !

2009-10-07T11:00:00.006-04:00

Weight : 199,6 lbs

Ahaha, i'm clinging to my last fringe of hope of staying under 200 lbs. I'm cool with this for now. Fall is just crazy as usual. Here is what is happening in my world :

Last sunday i brought two good friends along for their first ever Canada Goose hunt. Good time was enjoyed by all, and we bagged a couple of Mallard Drakes as a bonus !

I blogged this spring about participating in the President's Challenge. Well, i'm proud to report that i'm now up to 110,000 pts. and only 50,000 pts away from the gold award. I expect to get that award in early 2010. This is for the "Advanced Performance Presidential Champions program", the highest category of the program. A solid accomplishment for which i'll be very proud.

Finally, i was enrolled by a friend in a Ultimate Frisbee league. We have had a couple of practices and last Sunday was my first game ever. What a blast. It's a good thing that i'm in tip-top shape, because it is very very intense physically. Probably as intense as it gets. I was completely drained after the game but very proud of being able to keep up with the 20 y.o kids who were running non-stop. Playing this game will definitely provide the motivation that i lack to lose some weight.

Life on the road Kage !

2009-09-28T10:24:00.003-04:00

Weight : 198,6 lbs.

I have been on the road for 8 straight days. I have not worked out since Sept. 19th. I try to make lemonade with sleep deprivation (avg. 4 hours nights) and bad foods. Meanwhile we are making great footage of Canada and Snow Geese.

This must be what maintenance feels like !

2009-09-14T09:55:00.005-04:00

Days : I stopped counting !!
Weight : 196,6 lbs

Check out our season opener results ! I'm on the far right in the picture !

Well, i'm doing great. I feel like i have not been doing any efforts to lose weight in the last six weeks. I feel like i slacked off. BUT, i did not really gain any significant weight either. I still exercise. I eat well most of the time and when i cheat, i skip meals or eat lightly the next day because i'm not hungry. All in all, i think my body has adjusted very well to my new size !

Every fall, when hunting season begins, it gets so crazy that i never have the time to think about sensible eating. I do exercise 3-4 times each week (running and weights) but, i am never in the a stable environnement where i can maintain patterns and routines for my diet. I won't try to fit the square block in the round hole.

So, for this season, i'll just remain mindful about what i eat and step on the scale a few times each week so that i stay on track and remain under 200 lbs until the holidays. Our second child is due around Jan. 4th. !!!

p.s : I think Collinsworth is doing a splendid job on Sunday nights with Al Michaels. I like him even better than Madden.

bleh ...

2009-08-25T08:36:00.001-04:00

Day : 219 (Week 32)
Weight : 195,6 lbs
Lbs. lost : 20,0 of 30 lbs

Last week was not that good. I ran only once and biked twice. Food was not great either. I’m still fumbling around trying to re-focus and find some motivation to get my ass in gear.

On the bright side, while i did not lose weight, i also did not gain any. So, i’ll settle with that.

The trip to Manitoba will probably be cancelled. Harvests are going to be 2-3 weeks late (They too had a really bad summer) and we can’t postpone. So we’ll try to find another way to get some great duck hunting footage later this season.

Holding still

2009-08-19T08:22:00.002-04:00

Day : 213 (Week 31)
Weight : 196,0 lbs
Lbs. lost : 19,6 of 30 lbs

I’m happy with not gaining this week. Last week was not great by any means. I exercised a lot, but i also had a lot to eat. The Grand Tour drained me much more than i expected. All week, i felt drained. So, even though i biked and ran many times last week, the intensity was not there. Mentally it was also very hard to drag my ass off and feel glued to the street.

This week i feel much better, i am back at 80-90% of energy level. I had a great run last night. I am going for a long bike ride (3-4 hrs.) this afternoon and, after dinner, i have a clay shooting session at the range to sharpen the shotgun skill just in time for waterfowl hunting season. Speaking of hunting season, in order to capture some great duck hunting footage for this year’s DestinationX DVD, we are leaving for a 10-day Manitoba duck hunting trip on Sept. 4th. I think we are going to have an awesome time in the prairies and i can’t wait to go !

I had a blast !

2009-08-10T06:00:00.002-04:00

Day : 204 (Week 30)
Weight : 195,6 lbs – New Low !
Lbs. lost : 19,4 of 30 lbs

Well, i’m back from the Grand Tour. I did not lose nearly as much weight as I expected and I know why : I ate a lot of food. So, starting today, I have to break this pattern of over-eating, because i am not pedaling all day.

I biked 744k over 7 days with plenty of hillclimbs. The weather was nearly perfect all week except for a Thunderstom, one afternoon, and, I was already safely inside my tent when it hit. I had a great time along with the 1600 other participants.

So, that’s it for my report !

All signs point to DOWN !

2009-07-27T10:22:00.007-04:00

Day : 190 (Week 28)
Weight : 196,0 lbs – New low !
Lbs. lost in 2009 : 19,0 of 30 lbs

Fair warning : i have lots to talk about. First of all, today is my 33rd bday. I wanted to be at 195,8 lbs or lighter today. I missed it by .2 lbs !!! I know i could easily have fasted yesterday or skipped breakfast this morning and eventually i would have seen the 195’s on my scale today. I never pretended of losing weight that i lost artificially and therefore, i must report that i failed my objective. But, i’m so close that it feels more like a victory than a failure to me.

I’m leaving for the Tour next Friday, and you won’t hear from me until i return around Aug 10th, i expect to be around 192 lbs by then. 729km in 7 days with plenty of hill climbs is good for weightloss. I am hoping for a rapid improvement in weather ! May, June and July have been the coldest AND wettest in recorded history here. Simply Awful.

I’m not luckiest man with weather on my vacations : Last year’s Grand tour was marked by 6 days under the rain, my bike trip in Virginia in May was dry for only 2 days out of 7 and it rained non-stop while i hiked for 6 days in Gaspésie in late June. At least, i’m losing weight, and that’s enough to keep me on the right side of sanity.

196,0 lbs this morning is a benchmark weight for me because i now have lost 50 lbs since my highest ever, 246lbs, recorded in March 2006. 196,0 lbs is also the lowest i have been in at least 12 years. Just for the record i have been under 200 lbs only a couple of times since my teens :

- Summer 1992 (188 lbs) – age 16
- Summer 1995 (205 lbs) – age 18
- Summer 1997 (197 lbs) – age 21
- Summer 1998 (201 lbs) – age 22
- Summer 1999 (197 lbs) – age 23
- January 2002 (226 lbs) – age 25
- Summer 2002 (197 lbs) – age 26
- March 2006 (246 lbs) – age 29

You can see the pattern, i packed on weight during my college years with bad eating and low exercise. These failed weightloss experiments nonetheless taught me that if i try to lose the weight too fast, i burn myself out mentally and eventually gain it all back. This time, i am reaping the benefits of patience and perseverance of maintaining the lifestyle over a three year period. I can feel i have changed definitely and no longer fear my previous lifestyle creeping back. That flame has definitely been put out !

I want to get to 185 lbs, that’s my high school weight (188 lbs) and a little padding (-3 lbs). 11 lbs to go, it shall be attained this Fall.

Quick Update

2009-07-20T07:22:00.003-04:00

Day : 182 (Week 27)
Weight : 196,4 lbs – New Low !
Lbs. lost : 18,6 of 30 lbs

Had a good week with food and was consistent with exercise. Things paid off and I was rewarded with a much unexpected new low. Last night, I celebrated my 33rd birthday with my family, a full week in advance because I’ll be away next weekend.

In last week’s post i mentioned that my first objective was to get to 195 for july 27th. If I can string together another week like that, I should do just fine.

I’m really getting bothered by the awful weather we have been getting here, for he past three months. I think it rained every day or so since May 1st. It is really starting to affect my biked mileage objectives.

New Low !!!

2009-07-06T11:06:00.002-04:00

Day : 169 (Week 25)
Weight : 197,8 lbs - New Low !
Lbs. lost : 17,2 of 30 lbs

My weight came down a bit more since i returned from my trip. My feet and ankles have healed fast. I went for a run this morning. It went well and the hip did not bother me at all.

In the mirror this morning, i feel my gut has gotten much smaller, in fact, i feel it’s the smallest it’s ever been in 10 years. It is really motivating to have some noticeable results. I purchased some new clothes this spring and fitted them a little tight. Now, they are all a little loose.

Reflecting on my objectives, i want :
- To be at 195 lbs for my 33rd birthday on July 27th
- To be at 192 lbs when i return from Grand Tour on August 9th
- To be at 187 lbs on Sept. 20th for RipX’s birthday

That’s going to take a steady control on the diet. I’ve got my work cut out for me !

Told you so !

2009-07-03T08:49:00.002-04:00

Day : 166 (Week 24)
Weight : 199,0 lbs - New Low !
Lbs. lost : 16 of 30 lbs

I returned from the mountains last night. I was not able to wait a couple of days to weigh-in. Drumroll please for my entrance in ONEDERLAND. It’s been 7 years since the last time i was under 200 lbs.

Let me tell you about this trek … it was tough. I had to deal with constant rain, wet and blistered feet, long exhausting climbs, grueling descents, sleep deprivation, hunger and the near total absence of comfort for 6 days. I hiked a total of 105km, climbed and descended an average of 2000 ft each day.

RipX, here a couple of pictures you requested:

The view from Mt. Albert summit :

The view from Mt. Jacques-Cartier summit :

Nah, just kidding, the mountains were engulfed in fog or rain pretty much 100% of the trek. And, i never take pictures or carry a camera. That’s just me, I don’t need it, the pictures are in my mind.

So, my June goal is complete. That's great. But, i can't afford to spend a week in the mountains every time i need to lose weight. Since April, i was not able to lose weight on a daily basis. If i want to make my July goal of 195 lbs, i'll have to be more strict in the diet department. So simple, yet, so hard to do. I think i'll give it a shot for a couple of weeks and see where it takes me.

Hey ... on parle de moi ici !

2009-07-03T08:46:00.002-04:00

Voici le lien vers l'article de Chrisian Pouliot du magazine SDV Mag :

http://www.sdvmag.com/david-genest-motivation-au-quotidien/

Merci Vieux !

Leaving for the mountains soon !

2009-06-23T13:11:00.003-04:00

Day : 156 (Week 23)
Weight : 201,4 lbs
Lbs. lost : 13,6 of 30 lbs

I had an average week. Food was not great and i did not exercise as much as i used too. I did not want to run and risk injuring my hip only a couple of days before my Hiking trip. Yet, the weight is not creeping up. So, i’ll settle with that.

I spent Saturday sitting in a classroom in order to obtain a restricted weapons permit and, on Sunday i spent 12 hours painting my buddy’s new house walls and ceiling. Tomorrow is a holiday and i’ll go for a long bike ride.

Next week, i’ll be hiking for 6 days in Gaspesie National Park. I’ll be self-sufficient for 6 days, carrying clothes, food and shelter over a 100k trail which visits most of the mountain tops of the region. I have completed the trail two times already, in 1998 and 1999, it's pretty tough. Ten years later, i’ll see if things have changed much over there.

I’m leaving Saturday and will not post until i get back on July 4th. I’ll probably let my muscles rest for a couple of days after that and weigh-in on Monday or Thursday July 6-7th..

EDIT: Look at how nice the weather is going to be :

grrrrrrr !

Graduation Day

2009-06-15T12:48:00.002-04:00

Day : 148 (Week 22)
Weight : 202 lbs
Lbs. lost : 13 of 30 lbs

I was nearly perfect with food this week. My diet remained balanced everyday. The weight is holding steady in the 201-202 lbs range.

I went for a 130k ride in Parc de la Mauricie on Saturday. The ride had 4000ft of elevation changes. No huge climbs, just a roller coaster with the absence of any flat portion whatsoever. It was a great training, very tough on the legs. I should have finished it in about 5 hours flat, but i broke a spoke 25k from the end and it took me 2 hours to ride the last portion on a broken front wheel. Apart from that i had a blast.

On Sunday, my wife was officially receiving her Ph.D certificate and there was this big ceremony; long and boring but i was very proud of her. Here is a picture of us on this joyful day.

Making adjustments (warning: It’s a long one !)

2009-06-09T11:21:00.004-04:00

Day : 142 (Week 21)
Weight : 201,6 lbs
Lbs. lost : 13,4 of 30 lbs

As you can see, my weight this morning is the same as two weeks ago. While it seems to have remained stable, it was the contrary entirely. I suspect my weight two weeks ago to have been artificially low because every weigh in that followed were 1-2 lbs higher than that. Then i fell in the trap of the unexpected low weigh-in. Instead of building on my successes, i went nuts on bad food for three days. On Friday the 29th, there was a business lunch with ribs, fries and beer followed the same day by a steak dinner with wine; on Saturday : a dinner with cheese fries, burgers and ice cream; and then on Sunday : a Pizza dinner to top off the worst week of 2009 food wise, for me so far.

When a weight loss blogger is silent, it’s usually because he’s been bad. So, i did not blog about my failure last week. Monday June 1st greeted my with a bad weigh-in and i was back in the familiar terrain of the 204’s and 205’s. It was time to refocus.

So this past week, i was great with food, i consumed mostly good things without excesses and without restraint either. The notion of balance is important to me, because being too drastic with food runs a high risk of leaving me vulnerable to a strong shift in the other direction after a while, with catastrophic results. I know because this is the reason i failed to sustain weighloss in the past and ended up regaining everything after trying to maintain for a couple of months, in 1997, 1999 and 2002.

Things are different this time, i have kept up a healthy lifestyle of diet and exercise for two years and i intend to extend this streak well into the 2050’s. Even though there is still plenty of room for my performances to improve, I am currently in the best shape of my life, beyond my high school or College years. This time around, i understand the value and enjoy being in shape. There are many facets and small details to it, but mostly it’s about experiencing life to its fullest, pure and simple.

Here is a quick snapshot of the past two years for me (Slowly but surely)
June 9th 2007 : 235 lbs
June 9th 2008 : 210 lbs
June 9th 2009 : 201 lbs

I have been biking a lot this past week. It is the main reason why i was able to erase the errors in my diet described above. Just this weekend i did the Jay Peak loop in back to back days with my girlfriend. She is pregnant and took it easy on the climbs but she completed it nonetheless and i’m very proud of her. Here is the graph of the climb :

I feel like my hip has completely healed now. I’ll be able to start running again, but no more than three times a week and sometime less than that. The focus is placed on biking this summer. I’d like to be around 194 lbs by the time i leave for the 7-day Grand Tour bike ride in August. I would be a full 15 lbs lighter than when i left for the same event last year.

You may notice on the right that i have adjusted my objective for 2009 :

- The mileage goals had to be adjusted because of my hip fracture, less running, more biking. And, the Half-Marathon goal is scratched until i’m in the 180’s and can sustain the weekly mileage without risking another injury.

- I have delayed my objective of being under 200 lbs from April to May because of my hip, but now i feel like i can’t delay it any further than June. There is now a sense of urgency about making it to Onederland, less talk … more action.

Talking about action, in only a couple of weeks, i’m leaving for a 6 day hiking trip in the Appalachian Mountains. Carrying my backpack over big mountains and being self-sufficient for nearly a week should also have a certain impact of my fat reserves.

Knocking on Heaven’s door !

2009-05-27T10:52:00.001-04:00

Day : 129 (Week 19)
Weight : 201,6 lbs
Lbs. lost : 13,4 of 20 lbs

My hip has flared back up this morning. I think i slept in an awkward position. I had to cancel the run i had scheduled. Having not weighed in in over a week, i was very happy with the weigh in this morning. So i’m making progress towards OneDerland. If i don’t make it in May as planned, it’ll be in early June. That’s fine with me. I can settle with that.

I just registered in the President’s Challenge. I figured with all the training i’m doing, i can aim for the Gold Award (80,000 pts) before the end of the year.

Heavy rain for the next three days here, i hope it clears for the weekend so that i can bike to my heart’s content on Saturday and Sunday.

Checking in

2009-05-19T09:52:00.000-04:00

Day : 121 (Week 18)
Weight : 203,6 lbs
Lbs. lost : 11,4 of 20 lbs

I rode my bike only once last week and i don’t expect to ride again until Thursday. It’s not from a lack of motivation. The weather is just awful: windy, rainy, numbingly cold or a combination of the three. Overall the month of May has been pretty bad, the weather AND the weightloss.

I am still progressing, but injuries are really slowing me down. The hip is barely holding up and i feel like i am going to drag that injury for a couple of months. I spent the weekend landscaping my yard and this morning my right ankle feels like i pulled it somewhat but i don’t how.

Once again, i think my best option for weightloss is still to keep my diet in check. The only consolation is that i still have all summer to get to where i want to be weight wise.

Virginia is for lovers !

2009-05-11T08:50:00.001-04:00

Day : 113 (Week 17)
Weight : 204,4 lbs
Lbs. lost : 10,6 of 20 lbs

The trip in Virginia was awesome. We have had heavy rain for 2 days, but the 6 others were nice. I biked 500k in 6 days including a day on the very gruelling Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. The park starts with a 36k climb to Hogback mountain. A very nice climb !

Now, with such efforts, i should have some weightloss to show for ! During the trip, i felt like i ate normally without much excess but, my weight did not change. I feel much stronger on my bike though. I did eat more than usual, but that is to be expected when you burn 2000-3000 kcals on the bike each day.

Now, what i need to do, is cut some more in my diet. I eat well, but my portions are probably too generous, i’ll try cutting for a couple of weeks and see if it works.

During the trip, my wife tested positive for pregnancy ! We have a second baby on the way ! Yay !

I went for an easy jog the morning. It was my first run since the hip injury on April 14th. I still feel some numbness in the hip, but no pain. My plan is to run 3 times a week until fall. No more and no less.

CYA

The solution is worse than the problem !

2009-04-27T13:06:00.001-04:00

Day : 099 (Week 15)
Weight : 204,6 lbs
Lbs. lost : 10,4 of 20 lbs

I spent some good time on my bike this weekend, i watched my diet and the anti-inflammatory meds caused me diarrhoea for 3 days straight. Thanks to all that, i scored my lowest weigh-in in 2009.

So, i just quit taking the meds because the solution is worse than the problem now.

In 5 days, i’m leaving for the Blue Ridge, Virginia, for an 8-day bike tour. It’s going to be awesome and i am confident that the hip will hold up just fine. If i can remain disciplined with the food i can shoot for a solid 2-3 lbs loss which should take me right on to Onderland`s doorstep.

Today i also placed the reservation for a 5 nights / 6 days backcountry hiking trip in the Appalachian mountains in Gaspesie. I did 2/3 of this hike a couple of years ago and lost 4-5 lbs in the process. You have to carry everything in and out of that trail (Food & Waste), so you end up carrying a good 40-50 lbs on your shoulders over high-mountain passes and valley floors. I’ll be travelling there alone; it’s a region i know very well. I see it as some quiet time with myself, but also as a great way to lose weight !

Shopping Time !

2009-04-24T13:01:00.001-04:00

Day : 096 (Week 14)
Weight : 205,6 lbs
Lbs. lost : 9,4 of 20 lbs

Wow, spending an entire week resting on my butt is a tad depressing. I am quite certain it is not a stress fracture as i have not heard from the doc since last Friday. I am taking the meds religiously and doing some stretching. I don’t really feel any pain at all anymore, but i have a vague feeling and the hip needs a break for a good while. I have decided i would forego runs and long walks for at least 3-4 weeks. In order to prepare for my bike tour in May, i am going to start biking again progressively starting this weekend. From what i’ve read biking and swimming are my best options here.

So, i had some extra time this weekend and went shopping for some clothes that don’t feel baggy. Last time i did this, i was 40 lbs heavier. I wound up with :
- 2 light shirts
- 2 wicking t-shirts
- 2 wicking polos
- 1 pair of jeans (34’s !!!)

It feels good to have a new wardrobe. The biking should feel extra good this weekend.

Delayed once more !

2009-04-17T09:55:00.002-04:00

Day : 089 (Week 13)
Weight : 206,0 lbs
Lbs. lost : 9,0 of 20 lbs

It’s been a while since I posted. I have been doing a lot of overtime in the past weeks at my job and I had to sacrifice the blogosphere for a couple of days.

I have been trying very hard to get some weightloss results lately, but it feels like I’m running around in circles. This usually does not affect me. But, I got injured pretty bad yesterday and this one will seriously delay my efforts for at least a couple of weeks.

I have had this mild pain on and off in the front of my hip for the past 6-8 weeks or so. It never got any worse so I just ignored it. Well last night after 25 steps I got a very sharp pain for 3-4 steps at exactly the same spot. So, I just quit running and walked back home. Over the night it got so stiff and painful that I can’t stand on my feet this morning. Trying to find a good sports doctor available on short notice is pretty tough.

I got this bike trip in Virginia in two weeks which cost me 1000$ and don’t want to waste that, so I’ll just get this hip thing cured as fast as possible. No running, no biking, no walking, no nothing until I can see a specialist. It sounds like a stress fracture to me, and if it is, it's going to be many weeks before i run again !

So, I expect weightloss to be pretty nil while i recover !

Bummer

Nothing to worry about !

2009-04-08T07:31:00.001-04:00

Day : 080 (Week 12)
Weight : 205,6 lbs
Lbs. lost : 9,4 of 20 lbs

Well ... 205,6 lbs on the scale this morning. Let's see if i can make it to the 204's before next week then !

A step back

2009-04-07T12:30:00.001-04:00

Day : 079 (Week 12)
Weight : 207 lbs
Lbs. lost : 8,0 of 20 lbs

I am trying to lose the weight gained over a disastrous weekend. Just getting back in the 205's before Saturday is going to be a challenge. I had a copious amount of cheese fries on Friday night, Pizza on saturday night and a Burger, fries and chicken wings on Sunday. Pretty bad !

And then, i could not train very hard, i have been stricken with a bad cold since last Thursday. Today is the first day where it is not so bad. I am going to go for a run tonight.

The weather is another story; it's been pouring badly for 6 days straight here. Ah well, i have my work cut out for me for the next weeks. Easter treats are now officially prohibited for me.

Feeling Fresh

2009-04-02T10:56:00.002-04:00

Day : 074 (Week 11)
Weight : 205,8 lbs
Lbs. lost : 9,2 of 20 lbs

The number on the scale this morning was a good morale booster. I am surprised that i keep losing weight steadily even though i cannot exercise as much as i wished. It amazes me that i could lose nearly 10 lbs on a heavy winter diet and some running. That means that my diet is pretty good. Now, with biking season nearly upon us, i will have another powerful tool for chipping away the last lbs. Tanita tells me i’m at 23% BF, i want to be around 15% at the end of the summer.

I biked my first few clicks this past weekend. Weather was unusually mild and with plenty of clothes i could manage a 90 minutes ride on my clumsy old iron bike.

I am getting an nice tax return this year, so i decided to invest in my health. I’m going purchase my ticket for the 7-day Grand Tour this August and probably get a pair of hiking boots.

So, with a refreshed morale and focus, i’m motivated to keep going and get more results.

Work in progress

2009-03-26T15:08:00.001-04:00

Day : 067 (Week 10)
Weight : 206,6 lbs
Lbs. lost : 8,4 of 20 lbs

Alright, after a couple of weeks where the weight came off even though the diet wasn’t great, i nailed a perfect week (food & workouts). But, the weight stopped coming off. Ten straight perfect days without a single lbs lost, but i just kept chugging along. Then all of a sudden, BAM, 2 lbs disappeared overnight.

You may notice that i altered my day and week count at the beginning of my posts. I subtracted the first weeks of 2009 where i was just trying to get my ass in gear and not doing any real progress.

I really don’t have much time to blog this week, so i’ll leave you at that adding that this week is just as good as the last and i’m doing all i can to reach my March goal (205 lbs).

CYA next week.

Can i talk about the weather for a moment?

2009-03-16T09:43:00.000-04:00

Day : 057 (Week 9)
Weight : 208,2 lbs
Lbs. lost : 6,8 of 20 lbs

This past week had a lot of ups and downs. The workouts were awesome, but i had many bad meals. Just yesterday, i had pizza for lunch: big, greasy pizza, with my mom, dad, kid and wife. Later in the afternoon, i had an easy 10k planned. The weather was superb and i suspect the pizza acted as rocket fuel because, i kept upping the pace without feeling fatigued throughout the run. I finished with a 9 min per mile pace which is pretty awesome for me. This is faster than my 10k race i did last August. Today, i feel good and ready to run again. Things are looking great for the Half-Marathon in May.

So that’s the story of the week, a few bad meals followed by great workouts to make up for them.

And now, the Weather :

Feb. and March have been pretty unusual, around here. Pretty mild temperatures (just below freezing) with some rain and very little snow is what we’ve been having for the past weeks. Thanks for going easy on us mother nature.

But, it was still winter with icy streets and biting wind. I can’t wait to run without having to dress like an Eskimo. In all honesty, it’s getting tougher and tougher to mentally fight those hard conditions day in and day out. Now that the sun is getting warmer, those really hard winter weeks are nearly over. Oh, how glorious will it be, when i can run on asphalt, in the early morning hours, without freezing my ass and wearing shorts instead of tights. Only a couple more weeks …

And, for weightloss, winter is the toughest for me also, because it imposes some limits on the activities i can do, making nutrition even more critical. In 3-4 weeks, i’ll be able to ride my bike and literally melt the fat off.

Winter Be Gone !

2009-03-10T11:23:00.001-04:00

Day : 086 (Week 13)
Weight : 208,6 lbs
Lbs. lost : 6,4 of 20 lbs

Last week was not so good. I got some good workouts in, but the diet was sub-par. The result is that i got to see some scary numbers on the scale during the weekend (211 lbs). I consider that last week was a kind of mental break from the intense dieting of February. But now, i’ll get back in super-focused mode for the rest of the month so that i can meet my March goal.

Starting on the right foot, my diet yesterday was perfect. And, i got a new low in 2009 on the scale this morning, so that’s all good. Half-Marathon training is still going as planned and i keep feeling stronger every week.

Looking back on the first 12 weeks of this new weightloss cycle :

- It took me the first 4 weeks to get the momentum going ie: getting my eating under control and getting motivated to workout hard. In those first 4 weeks, i actually gained weight.

- Weeks 5 to 8 started with a neck injury but then, i got really into it and managed to lose back the weight i had gained since day 1. I finished week 8 at 0 lbs net lost over 8 weeks, but i had the momentum going.

- In weeks 8 to 12, i followed my recipe and finally started getting some results.

In another 4 weeks, i should be back to where i was when i started slacking off in 2008, around 204 lbs. And, dare i hope for OneDerLand (sub 200 lbs) in April ? That would be great !

March Madness

2009-03-02T10:38:00.001-05:00

Day : 078 (Week 12)
Weight : 209,2 lbs
Lbs. lost : 5,8 of 20 lbs

Here comes March. I consider February a success. I really want to get down to 204 lbs in March which is the lowest weight i consistently maintained in 2008. Therefore, i’ll be back to where i was when i slacked off in October 2008 and everything onward will be pure profit.

One thing that comes to mind very often these days is that “This is the thing that i want the most in my life”. It’s becoming my mantra and its bordering obsession. I don’t want a Ferrari or a summer house in Florida. I want to lose weight. I already have a lot of great things (Great Family, Great Job, Great House, Great Friends, Great Parents …) and i simply want to add that one item to the list for the reasons i listed recently.

So, every time i workout and every time i sit down to eat, i guide my actions by asking myself: “What do i want the most?”

Well Well Well, Would you look at that ?

2009-02-23T09:01:00.001-05:00

Day : 071 (Week 11)
Weight : 210,2 lbs
Lbs. lost : 4,8 of 20 lbs

I think all the hard work and food sacrifices of the past weeks are paying off right now. Last week was pretty good, but far from perfect. I felt really weak on Thursday and Friday. I interpreted this as signals from my body asking for a break. So, i ate more food than usual on those days and skipped Friday’s workout. This may have been a trap from my body trying to fool me but, in retrospect, it was a good decision to ease off because i feel much better today and the weight is still coming off consistently.

This week is going to be tough because i start the week off with a 30 hour shift and then 3x8 hours shifts on wed-thu-fri. I’ll find the time to workout through all that ... Priorities !!!

Two years ago, i weighed 246 lbs.
Exactly one year ago, i weighed 230 lbs.
Today i weigh 210 lbs

I like to take things slow and consistent, that’s not bad nonetheless and i’m getting closer and closer to my ultimate goal.

Focus

2009-02-16T10:17:00.000-05:00

Day : 064 (Week 10)
Weight : 212,2 lbs
Lbs. lost : 2,8 of 20 lbs

Another great week in the books for me. That’s a loss of about 3 lbs in 3 weeks now. I feel like i am on top of this now. Another 2 lbs and i’ll have met my February objective.

I like to remind myself, from time to time, of why am i doing this and here is my list of reasons :

- Foremost, i want to there for my family. I want to add 20 years to my life so that i can be around my wife and kid longer. They are the most important things in my life and i recognize that they deserve a fit daddy, not a fat one. My wife is supporting me so hard through this and i want her to be proud me.

- It once came to a point where i did not recognize the person i saw in the mirror. The image i have is not what i want to project. I no longer want to deal with the sour taste of defeat. This is a promise i made to myself.

- I want to perform at my full potential. I want to run and bike faster. Instead of shaving ounces off my bike, i can improve tenfold simply by losing weight. I like to visualize that i am running with a 5 Gallon Water Cooler Bottle (40 lbs) strapped to my back and i imagine what running without that extra weight would do for me.

- I want to humble some peoples around me who have doubted me or who would have preferred that I remain the way i was so that they can better deal with their own self image.

I progressively emptied half of that 5 gallon water bottle over the past two years. I firmly intend to squeeze the last drops out in the next months.

Opportunities

2009-02-09T09:09:00.001-05:00

Day : 057 (Week 9)
Weight : 213,0 lbs
Lbs. lost : 2,0 of 20 lbs

Okay, i had a super good week. I had 5 perfect eating days. And, i mean not just good, but perfect. The other two were good also, so i did not spoil all my efforts with bad eating. Half-Marathon training is also going very good. The program is pretty much at beginner’s level, so i added a fifth running day each week to make it slightly tougher.

Even though my running is improving tangibly, i definitely need to be 15-20 lbs lighter by race day. I consider each meal and each workout as opportunities to be lighter, stronger and faster in May. I could not sum it up any simpler than that.

My goal this week is to see 212 on the scale at some point, and keep it there!

It never gets easier ... you just go faster !

2009-02-02T10:05:00.004-05:00

Day : 050 (Week 8)
Weight : 214,0 lbs
Lbs. lost : 1,0 of 30 lbs

Guys, with my neck injured, i had to lay on my back for nearly an entire week. That’s not really good for weightloss. Now, couple that with boredom-induced eating and you have a recipe for disaster. Last Monday, when i got back on my feet, the scale showed 217 lbs (gulp) … i had gained 3-4 lbs in a week.

All that was left for me to do, was pull up my sleeve and get to work. It was awesome to be back on my feet and working out. I managed to lose most of the weight back by Sunday, but, i had one more hurdle to face: the SuperBowl party that was taking place at my house last night. I avoided the temptations and ate really well, and the result is that this morning’s weigh-in is even better than yesterday’s.

Another thing that made me feel great this morning was that I realized that I am running my easy paced 5k training runs a whole 3 minutes faster than my first 5k race 18 months ago, after 3 months of training, where I was going all out and weighed about the same. I definitely feel more like a seasonned runner now and losing weight is going to improve my times even more.

One last thing, i watched a couple of shows of “The Biggest Loser” last week and became instantly hooked. I know reality shows are really far from reality, but i take it for what it is and i find it’s really motivating me. I am not a TV kinda guy, i don’t follow any others shows like 24, Lost or Prison Break, but, i really digged this one and i am now going back through the previous seasons.

Here is my week 7 summary:
5/4 runs
3/2 weight workouts
1/2 spinning
3/5 perfect eating days

Half marathon training is going according to plan !

Ouch

2009-01-22T19:09:00.002-05:00

Just my luck ...

I severely pulled a neck / upperback muscle while doing my chinups last Tuesday. I have been in bed most of the time ever since. I can bear the weight of my head for only a few minutes at a time !

It seems i'll be stricken for at least a few more days !

Sigh

Hail to the chief

2009-01-20T10:09:00.002-05:00

Day : 037 (Week 6)
Weight : 213,4 lbs
Lbs. lost : 1,6 of 30 lbs

Here is my week 5 summary :
3/3 running days
2/2 weight workouts
1/2 spinning, swim or snowshoe
5/5 perfect eating days

Still working out strong and improving my diet every day. I’m chipping away at the weight to lose. I have upped my perfect eating days requirement from 4 to 5.

A couple of crazy ideas have been swimming around in my head for a few days now. And, the more i think about them, the more i like those ideas. Overall, it’s a series of personal challenges that would bring me to the best shape of my life during the summer of 2009. They are not goals, but a series of events that i would have to prepare for.

Here is what i have in mind :

- May 2nd : a 7-day bike Tour of the Blue Ridge, Virginia
- May 24th : Ottawa Half-Marathon (*I have some doubts about this one)
- Early July : 7 day backcountry hike in Gaspesie
- August 1st : The Grand Tour (7 day bike trip in Quebec)
- August 30th : Quebec Half-Marathon

I’m pretty much set on those except for the May 24th Half-Marathon. I’m afraid a bit because i’m not sure if i can make it because it leaves me with only 18 weeks to go from nearly nothing to half-marathon. What i plan to do is start the half-marathon training program this week and see how it goes for a few weeks before deciding. Now, if i commit to this one, i HAVE to be at 195 lbs or lower in late May.

There is a Gym in the Hospital where i work with an indoor running track. With my indoor bike broken and the biting cold of last week, i subscribed to the Gym for 8 weeks. Just enough to make it through the worst of winter. I had never been in a gym for 7-8 years, it is much better than running in -30 celsius weather. But it’s not going to keep me from running outside when the weather is milder.

Finally, over the weekend, i have completed my part (mostly the music) in the production of this year’s waterfowl hunting DVD that we produce. I think i worked for roughly 100 hours in the past month on this thing. Now that it is finally over, i can focus even more time and energy on this weightloss thing.

Runaway Train

2009-01-14T11:00:00.000-05:00

Day : 031 (Week 5)
Weight : 214,6 lbs
Lbs. lost : 0,4 of 30 lbs

Here is my week 4 summary :
3/3 running days
1/2 weight workouts
1/2 spinning, swim or snowshoe
4/4 perfect eating days

Okay, this is the first week in nearly three months that my weight is not higher than the previous week. The freight train has finally stopped. I have seen some nice numbers on the scale on Monday and Tuesday (213’s) but not this morning. It’s bound to come back down in the next days if i keep making the right choices.

I can attest that i am still super motivated. Every day i am more and more conscious of what i eat and my eating is getting better and better. I am pretty certain that eating is THE most critical factor for me and that if i keep cutting calories i could start losing some weight pretty fast and meet my January objective.

I missed a few workouts last week, but i don’t feel too bad about it. I actually broke my exercise bike from overuse and without the money to replace it, my options are now more limited. My running form is slowly coming back to what it was last summer and my weight workout was somewhat easy last night. All good signs that point to an increase in my fitness, so, i’ll have to increase my weights and running distances.

Gotta go !

A new High !

2009-01-06T11:13:00.003-05:00

Day : 023 (Week 4)
Weight : 214,8 lbs (new high)
Lbs. lost : 0,2 of 30 lbs

Here is my week 3 summary :
2/3 running days
1/2 weight workouts
2/2 spinning, swim or snowshoe
4/4 perfect eating days

Week 3 saw me miss a couple of workouts and also have a cataclysmic New Year’s Eve. I was knocked out for two days straight after that and it completely threw off my workout schedule. I also made many bad food choices in those 3 days and i am rewarded with a new High since mid-april 2008.

All is not lost, let’s not despair. In fact, I have been perfect this week so far and as far as motivation is concerned, super psycho Dave is back. That’s a good sign, because motivation has always been the key for me. I had a hard time getting back on track for the past 3 months with the crazy hunting schedule. But now, I am focusing on my sub 210 lbs January objective and it’s all downhill from here !

Avoiding most pitfalls !

2008-12-30T11:32:00.003-05:00

Day : 016 (Week 3)
Weight : 212,2 lbs
Lbs. lost : 17,8 of 45 lbs

Here is my week 2 summary :
3/3 running days
2/2 weight workouts
2/2 spinning, swim or snowshoe
5/4 perfect eating days

So week 2 was very good. I had two days of bad eating (Christmas parties). Even though, i consider them bad, i did not go overboard and thus limited the damages. Now that Christmas time is over, i can avoid those bad days that waste my efforts and start getting some results.

The program stays the same for week 3

I have been good !

2008-12-24T09:08:00.002-05:00

Day : 010 (Week 2)
Weight : 211,2 lbs
Lbs. lost : 18,8 of 45 lbs

Here is my week 1 summary :
2/3 running days
1/2 weight workouts
3/2 spinning, swim or snowshoe
1/4 perfect eating days

So, I missed a few workouts and was not very good on the eating. But, week 2 is looking great so far, I am on schedule. It’s not easy getting the momentum going, but I feel that things are moving the right way again and the next weeks look promising.

Week 2 so far :
2/3 running days
1/2 weight workouts
1/2 spinning, swim or snowshoe
2/4 perfect eating days

Have a merry Christmas. I promise I’ll be good tonight !

Here we go !

2008-12-18T10:31:00.003-05:00

Day : 004 (Week 1)
Weight : 211,8 lbs
Lbs. lost : 18,2 of 45 lbs

Hunting season is now pretty much over and i could now spare the time to reflect upon the year to come.

Maintaining is tough isn’t it ? It seems like i either lose or gain weight. In this instance i choose to lose instead of gaining. Therefore i’m setting myself up for success and establishing a new routine. 2007 and 2008 saw me complete two cycles of lifestyle change and allowed me to lose 36 net lbs to this day since March 2007. My goal is to complete another 32 week cycle which will bring me below 185 lbs (my ideal goal weight) in July 2009, just in time for my 33rd b’day. The 32 week cycle will be divided in four 8 week phases.

During each week of phase 1 (Week 1 through 8) i have to complete :
3x running days
2x weight workouts
2x spinning, swim or snowshoe
4x perfect eating days

Phase 1 will bring me to early February at weight below 205 lbs. which is where i left off in September 2008.

I took the time to sketch up what my objectives for 2009 were. They are right there on the right column for all to see.

Mulligan

2008-12-16T15:14:00.002-05:00

Day : 002
Weight : 211,2 lbs
Lbs. lost : 18,8 of 45 lbs

Yeah, i started last week super well but i crashed and burned on Friday and Saturday. Can i have a do-over starting this Monday instead? So far this week, my food choices have been pretty good.

I went for a run this morning in the biting cold and it felt great anyway. I really love to run even in the winter. The best pattern for me has always been to workout in the morning. The later in the day it gets, the more likely i’ll skip my workout. I got into a groove this spring where i’d get up and run almost every morning no matter what. Now, more and more , i am often forced to skip my morning workouts because my wife works at 06h15 am and i have to take care of my baby daughter. This has many times wrecked my plans for morning workouts and i was not able to motivate myself to workout after a day at the office. I guess if i really want to workout in the morning i have to go to bed around 20h00 and get up at 04h00. If i really want this, i can do it !

But, working out is only 25% of the battle, and pretty much the easiest for me to fight. Food is the other 75% and every day i try to improve my diet by making small improvements daily. I see working out as probably the best tool for maintaining a healthy weight, but in order to lose weight, diet is the key. This fall, both my diet and workouts were bad and it caused me to gain 5-6 lbs in only 8-9 weeks. The signs could not be any clearer. Getting back to blogging regularly will also help immensely. I feel like i turned the train around these past days and i'm back in the game.

One final word, Many many thanks to RipX for keeping me focused on the game, without you i could be on the downward slide back to 250 lbs. You are playing an important part in my health Dude !

Accountability

2008-12-08T09:24:00.003-05:00

Day : 001
Weight : 210,2 lbs
Lbs. lost : 0 of 25 lbs

Blogging for weightloss is all about accountability. It’s the name of the game. Blogging worked really well for me in 2008 up until October. Now, i gained back some weight from being lazy and making bad food choices.

I went for a run on Saturday night and it felt so good. I feel i’m not far from jumping back on the wagon and being psycho-motivated like i used to be. I just need to find a way to get that little extra push. Until then, i will commit to working out and eating wisely. Ironically, i had bacon and eggs this morning, so, it’s pretty easy to say on a full stomach !

Basically, i tried half-assing weighloss for the past two months and it doesn’t work. The break is over, i hope i enjoyed it while it lasted. Now that i talked the talk, i gotta walk the walk !

Accountability !

p.s : Heres a recent pic from a gig i played on Friday. Rock & Roll sti !

A very unique experience !

2008-11-21T10:25:00.002-05:00

Day : 271
Weight : 204,6 lbs
Lbs. lost : 25,4 of 45 lbs

I have realized that trying to workout and lose weight during hunting season is hopeless. My schedule is just crazy. I have slept 3 hours each night since November 14th. I only ate 1 meal per day in that period and i also hunted a lot of Geese. A lot !

I guess i’ll start running again next week unless we have to go hunting again.

If i can manage not to gain any weight before the end of hunting season on Dec. 26th, 2008 will be a success for me. I’ll get back in my weightloss routine in January and work hard to make my goal weight.

This week was really special for me. I got to hunt with Fred Zink and his crew. This guy IS the waterfowl industry. He’s the leader in waterfowl DVD’s, calls and gear. He is an awesome hunter and was also accompanied by Field Hudnall, World Goose calling Champion ’04. You can imagine how we felt hunting with these guys for 3 days. Beforehand, i spent 3 days scouting the birds in my region to find some great hunting spots. The hunts we awesome and everyone had a blast. Our crew and their crew filmed each hunts for our respective upcoming DVD’s. Fred and his team had many many good words about us. It’s actually hard to receive so many compliments from hunting greats such as these guys. It was quite a unique experience and i’m still dazed about it !

Hunting season isn't quite over yet !

2008-11-04T09:31:00.001-05:00

Day : 253 (week 36)
Weight : 204,8 lbs
Lbs. lost : 25,2 of 45 lbs

Week 35 was good. I maintain the same objectives. Deer season opened Saturday morning at 7am. We hunt in a pair of blinds on either flanks of a mountain covered with forest. At 07h25 i heard my buddy fire his gun. First deer of the season for us. By the time we had the animal gutted and prepped, it was 11am. Hauling that beast over the mountain was quite an exercise let me you ! I’m going back with my dad next weekend to try and get a deer of my own.

Week 36 so far :
- Run 2/3
- Weight workout 1/2
- Perfect eating days 3/4

Week 35 update

2008-10-31T08:52:00.003-04:00

- Run 3/3
- Weight workout 2/2
- Perfect eating days 3/4

I also had a great snow goose hunt on Wednesday at l'Iles aux Grues with my good friend Christian !

Extra Extra ... David is making progress !

2008-10-28T08:02:00.005-04:00

Day : 246 (week 35)
Weight : 204,2 lbs
Lbs. lost : 25,8 of 45 lbs

Even with two days of hunting this weekend i am short on exercising for week 34. The weigh-in is not so bad though, i’m getting some results. I am making a revision of the program after two weeks, i will deduce the swim session but, there are no more “hunting exceptions”. Therefore, i must cram my exercises in the weekdays, which is totally doable.

I am also revising my overall goal for 2008. I have a very conservative objective of making it to “Onederland” and being sub-200 lbs before the end of the year. In normal circumstances, that would be very easy for me to do, but, given my current schedule and level of motivation, it’s not a gimme.

Week 35 so far :
- Run 2/3
- Weight workout 1/2
- Perfect eating days 1/4

Week 34 Tally

2008-10-22T06:30:00.004-04:00

Sunday edit:

- Run 2/3
- Weight workout 1/2
- Swim 0/1
- Perfect eating days 4/4

* Hunting on saturday and sunday morning !

Keep on Keeping on !

2008-10-21T08:18:00.002-04:00

Day : 240 (week 34)
Weight : 206,8 lbs
Lbs. lost : 23,2 of 45 lbs

Less than stellar weigh-in this morning ! Nevertheless i reached my objectives last week and i will keep the same objectives for another two weeks before i change anything. I’m thinking that results are always delayed by days or even weeks. So, i’m getting what i deserve from bad behaviour in the past weeks.

Had a not so good hunt on saturday night then a great geese hunt on Sunday Morning. It was frigid at -4 celsius before sunrise. At 7:35 AM the first flocks of birds appeared in the sky and by 7:55 AM we had bagged our limits of Canada Geese. 20 minutes to make the limits for 5 hunters (25 birds). A good time was had by all !

Same objectives this week !
- Run 1/3
- Weight workout 0/2
- Swim 0/1
- Perfect eating days 1/4

Week 33 so far ...

2008-10-16T07:18:00.003-04:00

Not so bad !

Sunday Edit :

- Run 3/3
- Weight workout 1/2
- Swim 0/1
- Perfect eating days 4/4

Substitute the swim and the weight workout for two hunts last night and this morning. Weigh-in coming on Monday or Tuesday at the latest.

Cruising and NOT losing !

2008-10-14T10:00:00.001-04:00

Day : 233 (week 33)
Weight : 204,0 lbs
Lbs. lost : 26 of 45 lbs

I had not realized it had been two weeks since my last update, thanks for keeping me honest RipX. In two weeks, all i did was run twice, including this morning. OUCH !

I just returned from a 3-day road trip to Washington D.C. I was at the Hockey game on Sunday night (CHI@WAS) and at the Football game on Sunday (STL@WAS). Both were great games. Oh, and i also shot myself in the foot a few times, making bad choices at almost every meal.

Time to right what is wrong and return to the winning recipe. This week, i am going to :

- Run x3
- Weight workout x2
- Swim x1
- Perfect eating days x4

One exception is that i will allow myself to substitute a workout (Run, Weight or Swim) for each times i go hunting this week.

I will report at the end of the week.

Hot Dang !

2008-10-01T14:06:00.001-04:00

Day : 220 (week 30)
Weight : 200,8 lbs !!!
Lbs. lost : 29,2 of 45 lbs

I had not weighed in more than a week. I expected to probably have gained a couple with all the crap i eat while hunting. Looks like all this waterfowl hunting is making me lose weight. A very nice weigh in this morning for me and i don’t feel like i had to work for it.

My bike is stored for the winter now. I still run a couple of times a week. I realised, while running Sunday, that i really enjoy running. I enjoy it more than biking. I don’t get mentally tired of running compared to biking on those last rides of the season. It was time for a break for me.

Scratch that one off the list !

2008-09-26T08:46:00.000-04:00

Day : 215 (week 30)
Weight : ? lbs
Lbs. lost : ? of 45 lbs

Yesterday, the weather was very mild for this time of year and i decided i would take the afternoon off to complete another major goal of mine for 2008. I biked 92k in superb weather and completed my objective of riding 3500k this year. Here is to feeling great about that !

Guess who can’t wait to go hunting tomorrow morning ?
CYA

What a weekend

2008-09-22T09:40:00.002-04:00

Day : 211 (week 30)
Weight : 203,6 lbs
Lbs. lost : 26,4 of 45 lbs

I am back from the most awesome hunting experience in my life so far. We picked off 180 geese (Canada’s & Greater Snow’s) in 3 days with 3 leg bands to boot. I got my first leg band ever. We filmed really superb images and it’s going to look awesome on the next DVD. Another factor is that since we are filming, we only shoot birds that come in really close and who are in the cameras angles. Without those limitations, we could have shot many more birds. I know 180 is more than enough, it’s just to show you how successful our decoying and calling technique has become over the years.

Waterfowl hunting is very strenuous and i’m pretty certain that i lost some weight. I’m already looking forward to hunting some more in the next weeks. The season is only beginning and we have many great hunts already.

Here is a good mugshot from last weekend:

Hey Guys !

2008-09-18T10:15:00.001-04:00

Day : 207 (week 29)
Weight : 202,6 lbs
Lbs. lost : 27,4 of 45 lbs

Ran a few clicks this week and biked once this week. I’m leaving for a 3 days hunting trip tonight. My mind is really in maintenance mode these days. I’m not pleased with that, but i’m still making the right food choices and my weight is stable or slightly down at times.

My mind is really more in hunting mode now. I’ll just leave it at this for now and see if i wrecked the ship on Monday or if everything is still fine.

Take 'em !

2008-09-15T08:40:00.003-04:00

Day : 204 (week 29)
Weight : 204,2 lbs
Lbs. lost : 25,8 of 45 lbs

Not paying much attention to what i eat, but i end up not regretting much of anything. That tells me i’m making good choices instinctively. Weight is slowly starting to come back down after “hell week” two weeks ago.

I went biking twice last week, hit the weights once, did not run a single km due to a ankle injury, but, i spent the weekend hunting and carrying fire wood (lots and lots of it). I am certain those two count as workouts.

We started filming the new Hunting DVD on Saturday, and i had a great time in Ontario hunting Canada Geese. The conditions were tough because, without a steady wind, the birds were coming in from all directions and were very hard to catch on camera.

Here is a picture of me from Saturday, carrying blind material :

Running on fumes !

2008-09-12T08:40:00.003-04:00

Day : 201 (week 28)
Weight : 204,6 lbs
Lbs. lost : 25,4 of 45 lbs

Alright, i ran a lot last week. I also worked hard in the woods during the weekend. Then on Sunday afternoon, on the long walk back out of the woods in injured my right ankle quite a bit. It has swollen and hurt enough to warn me of not trying to run on it. I may try to run on it later today. I did bike 120k in the past two days. Eating has been pretty liberal in past two weeks and it shows on the scale.

Waterfowl hunting season has started this week! It will be very hard to stay focused on my weight loss routine. It’s mostly because hunting season is a very crazy time, always on the go, barely no time to train and eating in very bad places. It’s not the hunting season regimen that made me fat though. In fact, i usually lost 10-15 lbs every fall because of how crazy it is. So, all in all, i’m not very much worried.

The most important thing of all, is that i MUST stay focused and not repeat the mistakes of October 2007, where i quit training altogether during hunting season and ended up gaining 25 lbs in the winter.

Burnt to a crisp or Bloddy as hell ?

2008-09-05T09:38:00.008-04:00

Day : 194 (week 27)
Weight : 204,2 lbs
Lbs. lost : 25,8 of 45 lbs

7k run this morning

I am completely burned out! I was giving a rock concert on Wednesday night. Drank many beers, had many slices of pizza and skipped every workout on Wednesday and Thursday. I completely let loose like a raving lunatic. It was a much needed mental break. But, i am now up 2-3 lbs in 3 days.

Oh, well, i ran this morning and it felt great, i want to run and bike all weekend to lose that weight back again, fast.

One more thing, i saw a couple of recent pictures of me yesterday, the mental image i have of myself is much fatter than what i look like in those pics. I barely recognize myself. Here’s to feeling good about that, but remaining hungry for more and keeping my ultimate goal focused in my sight. Here are the best ones :

Time out !

2008-09-02T09:05:00.001-04:00

Day : 191 (week 27)
Weight : 201,6 lbs
Lbs. lost : 28,4 of 45 lbs

6k run this morning

The 3-day weekend was fabulous and the weather, fantastic. I had a very busy weekend and did not expect to lose weight over the weekend. I ate some good and some bad stuff, had a couple of beers and spent a lot of time with many good friends. I worked hard on Sunday and Monday doing a lot of hunting-related stuff. So, i did not workout or paid any attention to diet, but i managed to lose a couple of pounds since last week. Most of it must be the hard biking i did Thursday and Friday which paid off only a couple of days later. I did not weigh in over the weekend; i was away for three days and therefore was quite surprised by the weigh-in this morning.

Finally, a Huge congratulations to J-P, Sylvie’s boyfriend, for finishing Ironman Louisville this weekend. He finished 135th overall out of 1975 participants with a time of 11:05 minutes. This is most impressive i must say. J-P you are an inspiration to us all.

Pull !

2008-08-28T08:36:00.002-04:00

Day : 185 (week 26)
Weight : 203,2 lbs
Lbs. lost : 26,8 of 45 lbs

Edit : Biked 95km this afternoon !

I planned to go for a run this morning, but i had insomnia during parts of the night and i slept until 6:15 am to compensate for the 2+ hours i was awake last night. With my girlfriend leaving at 6:45 for work, and my baby daughter to care for, i had to cancel the run and make way for Plan B: skipping work this afternoon and go for a long bike ride.

I no longer feel sore anymore, and my weight has gone back down to last week’s lowest. My cold is slowly retreating also, but it’s still there.

Completely out of the subject, i shot 100 clay pigeons last night to sharpen my shotgun skills before hunting season begins. I was not as bad as i expected since i have not shot a shell since last year, but, i plan to go shoot 2 or 3 more times in the following weeks so that my shooting becomes an instinct as it once was. My right shoulder is sore this morning, but not from exercising.

If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six hours sharpening my axe – Abraham Lincoln

2008-08-27T08:31:00.002-04:00

Day : 185 (week 26)
Weight : 204,2 lbs
Lbs. lost : 25,8 of 45 lbs

I thought the Quote in the title was superb, it has nothing much to do with my ramblings today though !

I still walked like an old lady yesterday and going down a staircase was awful. Nonetheless, i went for an easy 4k run this morning. I was sore, but not so bad, and i felt really great afterwards. Staircases are still a problem but i don’t feel like my legs are going to bend backwards when i walk anymore.

Looking back on my race Sunday, i still feel like this was one of the great days of my life… don’t worry i’ll get down from the clouds soon and stop bothering you with that !

Whether You Think You Can or Can't, You're Right - Henry Ford

2008-08-25T06:18:00.004-04:00

Day : 183 (week 26)
Weight : 205,0 lbs
Lbs. lost : 25,0 of 45 lbs

10k race yesterday

Weigh-in did not bother me this morning. I ate a lot of food this weekend, before and after the race. It was all good stuff, nothing greasy or excessively sugary. I should be back to my normal weight in a couple of days.

I ran a great race. Finished the 10k in 59.16 (chip time). This is what 6 months of hard work trickle to. It’s a big chip off my shoulder and I feel very proud. If I can improve as much in the next year as I did in the past 6 months, i could run a 50 min. 10k. Wow!

So, i award myself a fine gold medal for reaching my 2008 running time goals !

The race in itself was very tough. I feel like a marathoner this morning. I can barely walk and staircases are to be avoided whenever it’s possible. But, as sore as i am physically I can say to myself that this is what I had to do to reach my objective.

I left the starting lines nearly three minutes after the gun. My first two split were 5:23 and 5:41 for kilometers 1 and 2. That was a bit too fast and left me hurting for the rest of the race. But, I did not want to start too slow and have to catch up the clock. I doubted myself many time during the run. At the last kilometer, i estimated I had 6 minutes to finish if I wanted to be under 1:00:00. My splits were getting slower and slower, up to 6:17. So I knew I had to finish strong or, the goal would slip from under my feet. I ran the last kilometer in 5:30

Another accomplishment is that today marks the end of the first 6 months since I started this transformation, February 25th 2008! In four weeks i have a 105k bike race, but after that my objectives will be to:

- Lose weight (1 lb per week avg.)
- Maintain running condition (3x / week)
- Practice freestyle swimming (3x / week)
- Enjoy the waterfowl hunting season !

2008-08-22T08:17:00.001-04:00

Day : 180 (week 25)
Weight : 203,0 lbs
Lbs. lost : 27,0 of 45 lbs

Wow, another nice dip on the scale this morning. It should even be a little lower tomorrow as i am still retaining water from my ride yesterday. This is pretty much the only positive for me today though. My cold is even worse than yesterday and has taken hold off my bronchi since last night. I am coughing like a madman. I have cancelled my run this morning and i am a bit anxious about my run on Sunday. I have no idea how my lungs are going to be then. I remain optimist nonetheless.

You are your own mountain to climb

2008-08-21T17:49:00.003-04:00

Day : 179 (week 25)
Weight : 204,6 lbs
Lbs. lost : 25,4 of 45 lbs

7k slow run last night (tapering) – 96k bike ride today

My cold is worsening now with fever and extra green stuff. It did not stop me from running or biking but i feel much diminished. I hope this clears in time for my run Sunday.

As you can see, i have passed the 3,000k total biking this year with my ride today. I expect to end the year around 3,500k. I will pass another milestone on Sunday as i run beyond 500k this year. My run total for the year in December should be around 700 or 800k. This is really a watermark year for me, as I never have exercised so much in a year, ever. I thought last year was good, but this year is awesome so far (even with the pitiful weather).

Two old friends of mine have made the same comments regarding my weightloss in two different occasions in the last month or so. They said that i’m “the same old David doing, the yoyo once more”. One said it to me directly, the other said it to someone while my girlfriend was around and she mentioned it back to me. I’m quite shocked by such comments coming from very good friends. Anyway, thanks for fuelling my motivation tank guys; i feed off that kind of negative stuff for the extra ooomph when i train. I know these comments were not meant to hurt, but they stung a little !

So, for the record, I’ll trace an history of my weight. I will concede that, yes, it has fluctuated more than a few times over the past 10 years. But every time i lost weight, it was never through starvation, but through a lot of exercise and sensible eating (the right way).

So, as depressing as this graph is, i am affirming that is the last time i’m climbing this mountain. I already feel much different than before and i avoid the pitfalls almost unconsciously now. I know I’m there yet, but i have a much better toolkit to prevent most blunders now.

Gameplan !

2008-08-20T08:59:00.002-04:00

Day : 178 (week 25)
Weight : 204,6 lbs
Lbs. lost : 25,4 of 45 lbs

8k slow run last night (Beginning the taper to my 10k Sunday)

I found a good way to determine exactly what running pace i should hold to attain my goal Sunday : running a 10k under 60 min. It does not involve using a GPS watch. It’s simple really … pain tells me if i’m running fast enough or not. If the pain is mild and tolerable, i’m not running fast enough. If the pain is unbearable, i may be running slightly too fast. There is no way i can hold a pace slow enough to have a conversation but fast enough to make the 10k under 60 min. This is a race, so no conversation ! Alright, maybe some internal conversations will be tolerated, but that’s it ! :-)

As you can probably tell from this, it will not be a walk in the park for me. Success and failure are both very possible outcomes. If i fail, it will only tell me to try harder. I do not dread failure, i am actually afraid of success. I fear that if i succeed, i will take it too easy after the race and become complacent. I have to be mindful of that possibility and take appropriate actions in case it happens.

As a parting thought, i wonder if one can watch a Rocky movie and not feel 100% motivated afterwards. It pretty much kicks my ass into gear every time i watch one !

I thought this was pretty good :

Keeping it all together !

2008-08-19T08:23:00.001-04:00

Day : 177 (week 25)
Weight : 204,4 lbs
Lbs. lost : 25,6 of 45 lbs

I went to see a Rock show on Saturday night and got completely totalled. I spent all Sunday morning in a zombie state. I don’t do this very often and i usually don’t enjoy it that much. I went with a few friends, the shows was not really good, and i drank a bit much. Those late night smashdowns now leave me feeling empty and tired mentally. I was kind of a reminded why i prefer to got to bed at 10pm and drink in moderation. Sorry if i sound bitter, but i overdosed on the “smoky bar until last call” lifestyle 5 years ago as a rock musician and my baby daughter would never let me sleep past 7am anyway!

I have been sick since Sunday with a sore throat and leaky nose. I have not run since Saturday because i’m sick, but also because i’m tapering for my Sunday 10k. I will hopefully find the strength to go for a run before dinner tonight.

Of all the excesses of the weekend, my weight has remained the same, so there is some positive in all this.

Make it fast !

2008-08-16T15:06:00.001-04:00

Day : 174 (week 24)
Weight : ?
Lbs. lost : ?

62k bike ride this morning followed by a 7k run

This morning’s ride is dubbed by many as a leg-breaker. For those in the vicinity of Quebec I’m talking about “Les Équerres”. Well let me tell you that I felt it was nothing compared to the hills in the Townships we faced during Grand Tour. So much, that right after I got back, I put my running shoes on, for a swift 40 min run. The transition to running was not as hard as I expected. This is a sign of good things to come !

I wanted to talk a little bit about my ride yesterday. It’s a 95k “benchmark” ride that features about 50% hills and 50% flats. The last time I rode it was May 17th. I averaged a speed of 23.1 kph on it back then and thought it was quite good considering the difficulty of the circuit. Well, I was quite shocked yesterday to discover I had ridden the exact same ride in almost identical conditions at an average speed of 27.6 kph. That’s a Whopper of an improvement as i would have been impressed with 26 kph. I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day after that. Let me say that again ... to me, this is HUUUGE !

Gotta go !

hey, maybe i can !

2008-08-15T10:00:00.003-04:00

Day : 173 (week 24)
Weight : 204,4 lbs
Lbs. lost : 25,6 of 45 lbs

8,0k tempo run yesterday
EDIT : I also went for a very swift 95k bike ride this afternoon (more on that later)

I have crunched some training numbers yesterday. For the past 16 weeks, since mid-April, i have totalled 140 cumulative hours of biking and running. This means that i averaged nearly 9 hours per week. If you take into account that i had three very slow weeks in July, following my heart surgery. I’m kind of impressed by that number. I’m planning for 12 hour weeks next year and this sustains the notion that it would be very realist to do.

During my run yesterday, i ran a 10k tempo just slightly faster than 60 min. for a duration of 35 minutes. This means that there is some possibility that i can run the 10k under 60 min on August 24th. I have prepared for 24 weeks to reach that goal, and it is the first time i realize that i can actually make it. It is going to be very tough, but it is not impossible and even if i miss it, i will have tried my best and i’ll just keep working harder.

Overall i ran the total 8k yesterday in 48 minutes (including warm up and cool down). When i was 16, i ran an 8k in high school in 52 minutes and hated every minute of it. I was 185lbs back then, but i was not a runner and i was badly prepared. Here is to beating your high school times … 16 years later!

And now, time for some personal, motivational, mind games:

I know where i used to be. I know i never want to go back there. I am still crawling my way out of that hell, but i’m getting there, slowly but surely. I have had to work and keep on working on the things that i never used to be good at, running for instance. The willingness to work, on the disciplines that i have never been naturally gifted in, has hardened my mind in the sense that i do not fear pain, i welcome it. I am slowly catching up to some of the naturals who have had a significant headstart over me in their disciplines, but have never put in the effort to go beyond their natural strength. I was never given this kind of gift, but i am willing to work very hard to attain that. This, i feel, makes me stronger mentally. Ultimately, this is not a race against anyone, but against myself. My arch-rival is on the inside, and i think i have him cornered in the cables now.

Messieurs les importants …

2008-08-13T08:15:00.001-04:00

Day : 171 (week 24)
Weight : 204,8 lbs
Lbs. lost : 25,2 of 45 lbs

30k easy bike ride last night

Last year i weighed 217 lbs on this date on my old scale. I was then down 14lbs in 10 weeks. On my old scale i weighed 198 lbs yesterday, that makes me a nice 19 lbs lighter a year later.

I envy rich peoples and here is why. If i was rich, i could afford to work fewer hours in a week and use the time to train even more. I could go for long runs or long bike rides during weekdays. I could afford a second road bike and have a backup in case i have mechanical issues. I could afford gas and hotel to go ride in all corners of my Province anytime i wanted. I could spend my vacations on biking trips in the Rockies, the Alps and the Pyrenees. I could afford training camps in the spring of each year. I could even go ride in the south for a couple of weeks each year, during the winter, to maintain my riding form year round.

Now, where is all this whining taking us? I ride through rich neighbourhoods sometimes to reach my training areas. I see their Ferraris and their big houses. I don’t envy those and probably that most of these peoples have worked very hard and made a lot of sacrifices to make it there. I hope they are happy, but, i’m certain that some of them have sacrificed or compromised their health to make it there. A good health or athletic performances cannot be purchased. You have to squirt for it, just like the rest of us. And that is something i have that some of them wished they had. That is something so precious to me and i would not trade it for any of the things i listed earlier. This thought gives me closure and peace of mind at the sight of an arrogant BMW driver.

I pretty much have the same feelings towards the kids in the tricked out Honda Civic subculture. There are no OEM parts that will make you stronger, just good ole hard work. You may let your car define who you are, but the strength i have inside defines me in much more substantial manner.

All of this may sound like i have a superiority complex. It is true that i have a lot of confidence in myself but i also have a lot of respect for everyone else around me. I prefer to phrase it this way: I have a very strong belief that i’m doing what’s best for me!

Beyond the finish line ...

2008-08-12T09:45:00.007-04:00

Day : 170 (week 24)
Weight : 204,8 lbs
Lbs. lost : 25,2 of 45 lbs

9,5k run this morning – weight training last night

Do you like that picture ? It is one of the very nice hills i had to climb on Grand Tour. I thought it was cool to show it off a bit. 17% grade climb.

The scale was generous once again this morning. I was very hungry most of the day yesterday, but i ate small portions and only good foods, no cheating and i hung on. I felt it was the good faint hungry feeling when your losing weight but your metabolism is still revving.

I had to cut my run short this morning in order to get to the John with a strong case of runner’s trots. I stepped on the scale after that and i was at 202,0 lbs, 198 lbs on my old scale. I know i can get to 201 lbs (true weight) before the end of August by keeping this up.

Billy’s recent blog addresses some important questions, at least they are the thoughts that pop into my mind when i read the blog, and i wanted to blog about this for quite a while. I wanted to wait until i was much closer to my ultimate goal, but while we are on the subject, here we go.

Billy says that he doesn’t want to shoot for the six pack abs anymore but just wants to be a normal fit guy. I think that is perfectly reasonable and it brings some balance to the weightloss lifestyle. Basically it means that he feels he got where he wanted to be, he’s satisfied and now just wants to stay there and not fall back into the old patterns that made him his former self.

He makes the point that weight is just a number and that in itself is not an end. I cannot agree more. We use weight as a measure of progress, and getting to where we want to be is tough, but once we get there, what do we want to do with that number? What do you want to do with your new self? The only answer i have is “Keep going forward, for the rest of your life”. Keeping the weight off is going forward ! Keeping the weight off for a year or more is “beating the odds” since the National Institute of Health predicts a 98% chance of failure at keeping the weight off for a year. Being in the 2% that succeeds is quite a feat in itself and i think that Billy is honourable is stating that he wants to ease off a bit, maintain and enjoy life a little as his new self.

To me, keeping going forward, beyond my finish line is not just maintaining. This journey has made me discover the newfound pleasure of running and biking long distances. I truly enjoy it immensely and i cherish every minute i get to run or bike. I can also say that it is not the case for weight trainining which i do as a necessity but do not enjoy the least. So for me, the first objectives beyond the finish line will be :

- To run faster and further, i am shooting for a half-marathon next year and possibly a marathon after that.

- To bike faster also. My recent experiences with swift riders have taught that me that my potential is still mostly untapped, especially on hill climbs, where my excess weight is keeping me from performing at my best.

- I want to participate in Triathlons. Sprints, Olympics and Half-IM distances. The key word here is “participate”. Even at race weight, i don’t dream to be a contender and finishing with a respectable time would be more than enough satisfaction for me.

All my life i have done things out of the ordinary, i experienced things uncommon for the average Joe. Losing weight is not aesthetics for me, losing weight is the only way i can run faster and accomplish what i want to accomplish.

If you wish, i can list in a future blog all of the “out of the ordinary” stuff i have done in my life so far.

Week 24 already !

2008-08-11T09:16:00.001-04:00

Day : 169 (week 24)
Weight : 205,2 lbs
Lbs. lost : 24,8 of 45 lbs

Rest day for me today. I am getting back in my day to day routine and focusing on eating wisely and consciously. I am very happy with the weigh-ins i’m getting and i should reach the July objective very soon. Time is short, but, i can still make my August objective. Losing 2 or 3 lbs would really help my chances of running the 10k under 60 minutes on Aug. 24th.

Just to top off the Grand Tour subject, a buddy rider just sent me the climbing stats of the week. 8238m. total climbed in 7 days. That’s a couple hundred meters short of a K2 from MSL !

2000 people can't be wrong !

2008-08-10T16:26:00.002-04:00

Day : 168 (week 23)
Weight : 205,4 lbs
Lbs. lost : 24,6 of 45 lbs

8,5k run this morning – 37k bike ride this pm with BB carrier in tow

I had an even lower weign-in this morning. It felt awesome and i celebrated it by going for an intense 8,5k run this morning. I also had some time with my baby daughter this pm so i went for low intensity bike ride, pulling her in the baby carrier (which is very tough btw !). I’m happy to report that I have no joint or muscle pains following The Grand Tour and it was good to get back on running after 9 days off. I definitely felt my running was stronger this morning. I attribute this to the improved vO2 max, the weight lost, the leg muscle mass gained and the increased mental toughness over the 7 day Grand Tour. I am so doing it again next year, bad weather or not ! Some people call it a great mid-season training camp, I can only agree with them.

To give you an idea of the size of the event, here is all the tents i could fit on camera, this covers about 1/5 of the size of the campsite, 2000 persons in all :

Back from a tough week

2008-08-09T07:51:00.002-04:00

Day : 167 (week 23)
Weight : 206 lbs
Lbs. lost : 24 of 45 lbs

660k bike ride last week

I just returned last night from The Grand Tour. I biked 660k (412 miles) in 7 days. The weather was absolutely awful. We have had pouring rain on 6 of those 7 days and many parts of the course had to be cancelled because of flooding or road repairs. It was tough, but i made it through and i take pride in the fact that it was a tough one. There were a lot of abandons, i’d say over 20% missed at least one day’s ride. I did not do all the mileage as initially planned, but i rode all the regular rides and a couple of the optional ones.

As i expected, i really did not enjoy myself much, mostly because of the weather. The sand and rain really took their toll on my bike also and I had to improvise some solutions along the way in the last two days.

The course was much more hilly than i expected. Everyday featured more than 1000m of climbing and two of those were around 1700m. They say hills make you stronger, well, i definitely feel stronger.

I took a good look at myself in the mirror this morning and it definitely shows that i worked hard this week. I was very happy with my weigh-in and I feel I should be even a little lighter in the coming days with the soreness wearing off.

Well, gotta go, i have a long day of bike repairs ahead of me.