Weigh In: Cults & Weird Cycling

196.2-->192.8-->191.6

Well, alright, I'm happy the line is still heading down. Last month's drop was large, and I was afraid it might have just been water weight or something. But now it's a month later and I'm still down, so 1.2 lbs is fine by me.

I think this past and next month will be the peak of my biking season, and October it'll start to taper. Improvements are taking root: juicing five days a week, started a regular AM weekday ride (see next segment), lifting heavier and longer. Switched my weekly quarter pounder to a weekly Subway soy burger thing. Room for improvement:

• Need to snuff out the compulsive over-eating on the weekends.
• Need to start honestly recording and measuring at least one weekend day to start.
• Maybe start tapering off the nightly Frito/Cheeto habit into something a bit more healthy. Any suggestions? Bring back beef jerky? 
• Vary the lunches up a bit. Falafel/soup is a good one, need more.
• Start cooking more & freezing. First up: a large batch of chicken stock, as base for a number of soups: chicken noodle (with shirataki), bacony split pea, hearty lentil & mushroom, and when the season is here, butternut squash/pumpkin...

At 161.5, my BMI will be considered "normal", almost exactly 30 lbs to go. Compliments from friends I haven't seen a while are starting to come with a slight edge of the double-take -- I may look weird because the picture they have of me may now be a little different than what as. If I'm weird now, I'll be downright frightening in another 30. Perhaps I should refine my goal to a benchmark other than that dumb BMI scale.

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Four weeks in a row, I surprise Coney Island around 4:30-5am, and every time, it continues to not really care.

I've been posting selfies on Facebook from my weekly pre-dawn bike rides, and my wife has implied that she (and perhaps some people she knows who are also on Facebook) thinks it's a bit weird. Well, it never occurred to me, but given this fresh perspective....I agree, I guess it is kinda weird. So what?

Three months ago I went from spending a few years being a stay at home dad with a little work from home to working in an office, 40+ hours a week. My main two concerns in regards to my health were 

1. is my eating going to suffer? 
2. where will I find the time to ride my bike? 

(Of course there were more important questions, like

1. How will this effect my marriage? 
2. Will my kids be cool with me not being around them 40+ hours a week less? 
3. What will happen to my habitual weekly 20 hours of TV watching? 

but this ain't that kinda blog.)

Well, my eating has been helped by being forced to preplan more and be more regimented. My biking, however, has not been as easy to integrate. To ride 100-150 miles in one day, you need to both prepare by taking it easy the day before, get up super early and be out and away from the world until the end of the day. I've decided for the sake of being a part of my family and my children's lives, I will only do this kind of ride every other week (and come the cold season, none at all) but it's just....not enough. I've been waking up around 4am some days to lift weights 2x a week before everyone gets up, some peaceful quiet time to focus on what some would consider vanity. 

I've found that I can wake up just one hour earlier, and bang out around 30 miles on the bike and be home before anyone is up. This serves two masters.

• It scratches the itch of not getting in a long weekend ride, without costing me family time.
• It makes me go faster and train harder. When it's dark and I'm tired, I want to get it done fast so I can have some time to shower and start my day. Remember, I'm trying to do a century ride in October 6th for charity at a minimum of 13mph....

Growing up as one of the only Jews in my 'hood in Staten Island, I was automatically "weird". I think the culture has come around to embracing us "weirdos" and "nerds" into the mainstream, but it's still jarring all these years later when I have that label applied to me. I've never really cared if other people regarded what I do or like as weird, but I find myself forced to care because I love my wife and don't want these seemingly strange habits to bum her out. So why explain that to her, when I can rant about it to the entire internet?! Is that weird?

Y'all won't be callin' me weird WHEN AHM ALL BUFF!!

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I'm not a big shopper, but I'm starting to suspect my colder-weather gear is going to need some revision. Though I do not wear denim jeans (they're the uniform of the damned,) I've been wearing standard-issue Levi denim jackets since high school. I liked them then because despite the ugliness of the 70s and 80s, this jacket was pretty much the same since the 1930s. It fit well with my mod/ska/skin aesthetic through the 80s, 90s and 00s.

The last jacket I bought was sometime in the early 00s when I started to expand, and I got an XL so I could close it, but the arms were so long I had to have them shortened. There were a few years I couldn't wear it because it was too tight. Well, now it swims on me. Due to my wifey hating this jacket (probably due to Boston hesher/metal connotations) I decided to order the same jacket....in black corduroy. Size large.

I got it in the mail, tried it on, and....it swum on me. The sleeves were the right length, but the middle was loose and hanging. Looking at the tags, I noticed, "relaxed fit". I guess the Levis people has seen how fat people are getting, and they altered the classic fitted-style of their "trucker" jacket and updated it for the fat-asses we have become...well, the fat ass who was last shopping for a jacket 10 years ago. Uggg. The downside of changing your body shape is you now have to go to some brick n' mortar stores to try some stuff on. (Though I'll bring my phone and compare prices with the internet on the spot....)

Note: it's Friday afternoon, just took my lunch break to do a rare round of clothes shopping, and was shocked to find I needed to replace my old XL Fred Perry track jacket with an M. And since Edie broke my new belt, I had finally had to give up the one from last October, whose last loop was starting to get loose. According to Old Navy, the belt that is just right on it's first loop is an S! Damn. Whut up.

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Just another 12 step meeting. Nothing to see here. Move along!

After reading and writing about the "blood type diet" last week, I started thinking about cults. The BTD people defended their plan as the end-all be-all, an answer to all modern ailments due to today's food system, and any science that contradicts it is to be scorned, derided and ignored. 

The week before, I wrote about 12 Step and food addiction, and even went to some meetings. While it seemed harmless enough, upon reflection I see that it could have some serious cult-like aspects that have caused me pause. Any system or "program" that indulges in groupthink, groupspeak, looks to dominate all your time and offers itself as an answer for which all other answers must be excluded is, well, culty. I like the slogan, "Come for what works, leave behind what does not" but at the same time, there are subtle suggestions that accepting a higher power that is not God will inevitably someday lead an addict to relapse.

However, I do NOT like the slogan, "You can't be too dumb for the program to work, but you can be too intelligent" and "Keep it simple, stupid" -- this sounds like a strain of anti-intellectualism that discourages questioning. As an addict of food, I want to know WHY, because if I know why, I think if it doesn't resolve the addiction, it'll demystify it, make it more human-sized, and  make it a lot easier to get a handle on. The 12 Step approach says it's about keeping addiction under control and manageable, but it also seems to be about subjugating the individual to the group/higher power/God. I detect a potential bait-and-switch, a hallmark of a cult.

I don't want this blog to be dedicated to the debate of the validity of addiction and 12 step, so I'll leave it at that. I know if I was trying to go at Scientology, there would be hell to pay, and have no wish to upset any 12 Steppers.

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WEEKLY AVERAGE: 2472

Again, the average busted the budget, but still feel good. Fact that I lost weight despite busting the budget pretty  much this whole month makes me think I'm doing it right.

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MONDAY COUNT:2335

A good eating day, good start to the week.

AM SNACK: 6am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 8am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/ginger/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10am, fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 310 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, falafel, split pea soup, health salad, 620 cal
Salt-free Tabachnik soup is deeeesgusting, tasted like wet plasterboard. A proper mix-in of salt made it taste like delicious soup should. Must suck to be on a salt-free diet.

PM SNACK: 4 pm, momma salad, hummus, 180 cal

PM SNACK: 5:15pm, poppa salad with miso tahini, 100 cal

DINNER: 8:45pm, shirataki noodles with shrimp, mushrooms, butter and dried herbs, side of asparagus, 765 cal

EVENING SNACK: 9pm, Frito's, 300 cal

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TUESDAY COUNT: 2475

AM SNACK: 4:30am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 7:15am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/ginger/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am, steel cut oatmeal, 350 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, sauteed chicken breast, madras lentils, steamed string beans, 790 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, momma salad, homemade babaganoush, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 5:15pm, poppa salad with miso tahini, 100 cal

DINNER: 8pm, grilled pork tenderloin, roasted brussel sprouts, quinoa, 625 cal

EVENING SNACK: 8:15pm, Cheetos, 300 cal

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BIKE CREDIT: 815 cal
WEDNESDAY COUNT:2885

Had an accident on the morning ride and got banged up a bit.  Worst result was I was too tired and achey to cook at dinner time and did some freezer fishin'. Due to crappy dinner and a dish of cheetos, sugar cravings got bad, indulged in more chips but it didn't do it. Peanuts finally put the beast to rest, and I was glad I didn't give in to eating chocolate.

AM SNACK: 3:15am, iced green tea, caffeinated granola bar, 395 cal

BREAKFAST: 7:15am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/ginger/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 9:45am, fage whole yogurt with agave, vanilla and almonds, 310 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, grilled pork tenderloin, roasted brussel sprouts, quinoa, sofrito black beans, 725 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, momma salad, homemade babaganoush, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 5:15pm, poppa salad with miso tahini, 100 cal

DINNER: 7:30pm, Stouffer's French Bread pizzas, 860 cal

EVENING SNACK: 8:15pm, Cheetos, 300 cal

EVENING SNACK: 8:30pm, Fritos, 300 cal

EVENING SNACK: 8:45pm, handful of peanuts, +/- 400 cal

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THURSDAY COUNT: 2195

Got home too late to eat chips, just wanted to get to bed.

AM SNACK: 4:30am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 6:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/ginger/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 10am, steel cut oatmeal, 350 cal

LUNCH: 1pm, grilled pork tenderloin, roasted brussel sprouts, quinoa, 625 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, momma salad, homemade babaganoush, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 5:15pm, poppa salad with homemade Italian dressing, 150 cal

DINNER: 7:45pm, Subway 6" veggie burger sub, chips, diet coke, 760

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FRIDAY COUNT: 2470+

Skipped lifting and woke up at the decadent time of 5am. I didn't get to bed until 11pm, and I found my forearms were oddly sore from the bike tumble I took on Wednesday morning (on top of the bruised hip and the ouchy elbow) So while I think putting myself through a challenge is a good thing, easing up a little and letting myself heal is equally kind.

Rather than pretending it didn't exist, I'm recording a Friday night binge here. Didn't measure, so it's being indicated with a "+". Baby steps...

AM SNACK: 5:30am, iced green tea, 0 cal

BREAKFAST: 6:45am, apple/beet/celery/carrot/ginger/cayenne/cucumber juice, 160 cal

BREAKFAST 2: 8:15am, fruit smoothie, 410 cal

LUNCH: 12:15pm, almond butter & grape jelly on whole wheat, kimchi, 520 cal
Got really hungry, couldn't wait until 1.

PM SNACK: 3pm, momma salad, homemade babaganoush, 150 cal

PM SNACK: 4pm, 2 apples, 70 cal

DINNER: 6pm, slice of pizza, beef patty, french fries, +/- 800

EVENING SNACK: 8:15pm, Cheetos, 300 cal

BINGE: 9-11pm, nutella & pretzels, digestive cookies, peanut m&ms, etc

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WEEKEND REPORT
SATURDAY

BREAKFAST: 8am, a pancake, bacon, corn muffine, hashbrowns, diet coke

LUNCH: 2pm, mini chocolate babka

DINNER: 6pm, half a pastrami sandwich, half an order of fries, pickles

SUNDAY
Road 108 miles, ate rationally and controlled, due to having to maximize the ability of my body to digest while performing. Rode up Bear Mountain without walking the bike even a bit. Was surprised how drained I was by the time I got back to Manhattan, had to subway it for the last leg. Ate a lot but felt right.