Weekly Plan

Missed my Sunday post for the first time in a while. Was a busy weekend - a soccer tournament for my younger son, a birthday party at the beach for my older son (= long drive for dad), and I did see POTUS (!), but that pretty much consumed Sunday. Overall, it was a busy week and I kind of drifted plan-wise, although I avoided big trouble and managed to finish the week down a pound.

One thing I did do last week was read about Drew Carey on Bruce's blog. I've known about Carey's weight loss success - in fact I blogged about him in the old Pounds Off Profile series. But reading the link on Bruce's blog led me to think about carbohydrates, which are my downfall. Carey cut pretty much everything out except fruit and vegetables. I'm not quite going there, but need to head in that direction.

Long story short, I have three goals that I'm working toward this week to keep me focused every day:

1. No carb snacks. Fruits are OK, though.
2. Get enough sleep. Go to bed when I'm tired. Get up consistently at the same time.
3. Simplify. Empty workflow. Get rid of things I no longer need. Focus on what's important and be relaxed.

Not sure if this will become a weekly installment, but I'll report back next Sunday. Have a great week everybody!

Biking 24 Miles for the Mariners Game

The new Dave Niehaus statue

Ever since I started biking again two years ago, I've wanted to bike to a Seattle Mariners baseball game. Yesterday, the family went to a 4:00 Mariners game and my wife Shannon made the suggestion that this be the game I bike to. Great idea! It was a 24 mile ride, mostly on the Interurban Trial and Green River Trail. The road riding wasn't bad, although I think I ran over roadkill at one point - ick!!! I rode cautiously in town, but still made OK time overall, arriving in two hours and fifteen minutes.

Meanwhile, Shannon drove the family to the game and texted me the location of her parking spot. I locked up the bike on the car rack and joined the game in the early innings. Since this is our last game for the season, we decided to take the kids to the Hit it Here Cafe, a restaurant overlooking Ichiro in right field. Unfortunately, the Mariner's lost to Dr. F's Texas Rangers, 7-6.

As a bonus, we got to see the statue of longtime Mariners broadcaster Dave Niehaus, which was unveiled on Friday. My oh my, it's fabulous. All who knew him say it is a remarkable likeness. What I like is that his score book (in bronze) is on the table and it is open to the game where the Mariners beat the Yankees in the 1995 playoffs on Edgar Martinez's 11th inning double, scoring Ken Griffey, Jr. with the game winning run. Dave was like everyone's grandpa in Seattle, a suburb storyteller who joined the Mariners for their inaugural season and continued through 2010 until his death in November. He will be missed, but his warm and lifelike statue is a great reminder of a wonderful broadcaster.

Here are some pictures from my ride.

As you might imagine, I got lost here

Ah, that's better...

If you're in Seattle, visit the Museum of Flight

Starbucks corporate HQ is right down the street from Safeco Field

And finally, arriving at Safeco Field, visible in the center of this picture. The structure on the upper right is the retractable roof. The Columbia Tower, where I did The Big Climb, looms in the distance.

Close to a New Low!

 A ticket from a jacket I haven't worn in nearly 10 years

I wasn't really sure what to put in my weekly Sunday post, this being the tenth anniversary of 9/11. I subscribe to many blogs that have done a nice job of remembering the pain and pride of that day, particularly several native New York bloggers I read. Just when I was thinking of skipping this post, I tried on a sport coat that has been in the back of my closet for many years...and it fit. How long has it been?  Look at the dates on the top of the ticket I found in the inner pocket. A coincidence? Probably. But what are the odds that I'd find a 10 year old ticket today?

In other news, I am now 1.4 pounds from my lowest weigh-in on the P.O.P. After treading water seemingly forever, the scale has moved in the right direction three weeks in a row and I poised to break through my P.O.P. best of 33.8 pounds lost. Mostly doing it by keeping to one or two treats a day (junk food, sweets, extra servings, etc.), exercising when I can, and, I truly believe, getting to bed earlier. More on this all soon...

Picking up Momentum

As you know, I won't post a long post until I have hit a "new low" weight. Happy to report I am now within two and a half pounds of that mark.

It's about time, as I've been on a plateau for quite some time now. The odd fit of this blog for me, and probably for most weight loss bloggers, is that the most public thing in my life is the thing that I am worst at. Just have been pondering this a little. Is that weird for you? Bottom line: I'm staying with it because the accountability helps.

Oh, you're wondering how I had a good week? Almost every day I've kept to a limit of one indulgence. That usually ends up being dessert, which it seems I can handle since I've pretty much cut out salty snacks. Will share much more in depth soon.

Looks like many of you are keeping active. Best wishes to all!