Keep up the good work...

I have lost another 2 lbs. Right now I am at 197. Still a while to get to sub 190 but the process is working. My transgressions of late have been offset by additional exercise. I did a 10 mile ride combined with a 30 minute run day before yesterday. Last night it was a 3.5 mile run combined with a 2.2 mile hike. SO far I've tried to stay on track but without the extra miles, I would have been set back. So now the weekend comes with company here. I probably won't get in the same amount of running as usual. Joe won't be here till late tonight so I can do my usual run. Bev wants a bike ride to the end of Oden's Mill Road. Maybe Saturday there will be time for a trip to the gym.

Ramblings....

I suppose my mind set is producing some effect. I am down to 199 on my scale. I kept this diary in part to record some of my thinking or some of my mindset to help me when I found myself gaining weight and unable to jump start a new weight program. This time the idea of constantly reminding myself if the present action helped or hindered my progress has prevailed. Yesterday I did get careless and ate too many slices of pizza followed by cookies. But I added up the number of calories over and added to my evening run to compensate. Can't do that all the time but good to know I had the strength to do it.

No word from the principle parties for my overnight backpack. Paul is in. Everyone else is a maybe or no. No word from many of the folks. Barry, Mitch, Emory, and Andy are all maybes. No word from Kirk. Perry is a no.

My additional running last night made my knee a little sore. I think it was the incline more than the time. I did 50 minutes but the first half was at 4% grade. Tonight I'll do a conventional amount. That will put me over 100 miles for this year. Soon bike riding will be back. Maybe Saturday morning.

Let it snow...

This weekend has been a lot of fun. A 2 inch snow made for great snowball fights, snow-fort building, and snowmen. David and Max played with Bev and I most of Friday evening and Saturday morning out in the fresh snow. Now we have a forecast for 2 more inches by morning. What an unusual winter. We went for so long with  very mild winter. In fact, I think that is what favored my bike riding for a long time. The combination of drought with mild winter made for lots of riding time. More than there perhaps normally would be. But lately the weather has curtailed my riding. I see from my posts from years past that this is the time for colder weather and most February's have been cold and riding hasn't been as abundant as other months. But the norm is for this cold spell to end by next week, and riding weather to resume. But for now, one more day of snow fun would be lovely for the boys.

Getting in the right frame of mind...

I found myself fallen off my wagon, lying in the road lately. I started out pretty good in December and looked forward to getting to my ideal body weight by April. But cold weather has ensued and a combination of lack of exercise with huge carb craving has set me back. As of this weekend I have decided to question every thing I put in my body. The question is, "Does this help me get to my goal?" And if the answer is no, I have to put it down. I think that I'll have to get my pda out and keep up with calories again, but I am so craving sweet and carbs that I am having to discipline myself quite a bit. I don't want to deprive myself, I just want to improve my  midsection.

Planning for a little hike

Today, I mailed off an invitation to Kirk for the backpack trip that has become an annual event for me. Last year, the forecast of rain and snow kept us off the mountain. This year, I am hoping to do the section above Cheaha. I've hiked all the intervening trail. I am hoping to knock off another section and keep that up until I've hiked all the way to the AT in Georgia. Perhaps then I can continue my trek and make my way up to Tennessee. But I am not worried about that. If Mitch and Kirk come down and do this hike with me, that will be big. Right now a couple of my local hiking companions are "in". So I can look forward to getting out amongst the trees and stones. We'll see if the weather cooperates.

S.A.D.

Life sucks! I've been wondering what has been wrong with me. NO energy. Huge appetite. Weight gain. Pessimistic. My candle of human kindness, put out. All the things that used to bring me pleasure seem absurd and joyless. I can't count how many times I've wanted to pack my backpack and just walk away and keep on walking. Work is monotonous and  I can't seem to get enough sleep. I've been trying to exercise but I find I don't have the energy to keep myself going. I have barely had enough energy to do the little runs I do at night. Then I have to sleep all I can. I've been dreaming and waking up at night. The weather stays cold enough to prevent riding my bike but I don't seem to have the enthusiasm I once had for it. I was almost ready to go see a doctor when I thought about SAD.

Symptoms of SAD may consist of: difficulty waking up in the morning, tendency to oversleep as well as to overeat, and especially a craving for carbohydrates, which leads to weight gain. Other symptoms include a lack of energy, difficulty concentrating on completing tasks, and withdrawal from friends, family, and social activities. All of this leads to the depression, pessimism, and lack of pleasure which characterize a person suffering from this disorder.

I know very little about seasonal affective disorder but I believe I must have it! The treatment calls for 30 minutes exposure to sunlight daily. I think I need the maximum dose but that may take until August to pull off. 7 days on Navarre Beach should do it.

Coccoon

The movie Cocoon is one I really loved It evoked the same sense of introspection that must come with the inevitable sense of ending that all older folks must endure. There too is the wistful belief that some kind of technology may come along and save us from our demise. In this case friendly aliens arrive to spare the heroes from their impending doom. For others, they must play the hand they've been dealt. And with time there is the hope that our knowledge may improve our life spans. Right now we live with the benefit of the generations before who have made advances that have improved our own. We, in turn, may contribute to the knowledge base that extends the life of generations to come. And of course our actions may produce an opposite effect. The other thing about the movie that was particularly moving to me was the relationship between the Grandfather (Wilford Brimley) and his Grandson who was named David. Especially in light of the courageous action of the boy, I didn't believe I could leave him to behind even if the prize was some kind of eternal life. And now, I have my own "David" and I absolutely know that I could not leave him behind.