How many hours are there in a day?

Yup.  It's a huge cliché, but it's true.  There aren't enough hours in the day.  My fall schedule is in full swing and it feels like I don't even have time to blink, much less exercise.

I teach private lessons on band instruments at a music store in a suburb of Minneapolis, where I live and work.  When a student rents a band instrument from this music store, they have the option to pay an additional five dollars and receive a month of weekly private instruction from one of the lesson teachers like myself.  $1.25 a lesson is one heck of a bargain.  After the month of essentially free lessons is over, the students have the option of staying on with their instructor for whatever the instructor charges.

Giving lessons to paying students is the highlight of my week.  The money is good, they work hard, and I get to guide them toward musical success.  The trouble is in order to get paying students, I have to take on a lot of rental students.  A lot.  Last year I took on 8 rentals and ended up with two paying students.  So taking that into consideration, I made myself available for a total of 18 time slots this Fall.  Oh boy.  It's fun working with all the kids, but it's tough being gone from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm twice a week with an additional 3 hour commitment on Saturday.  I'm also in choir and jazz at church.  Why do I let myself get so busy?

Sleep deprivation seems to be a natural side-effect of this lifestyle.  I'm tired all the time.  Tired when I wake up.  Tired when I go to work.  Tired when I go to bed.  Tired when I sleep (okay, maybe not that one).  Tired when I eat.  Tired when I eat.  Tired when I eat.  Notice a trend?  A couple weeks ago I wrote about how I eat like a zombie when I'm tired.  It's so true.

I just can't make myself care about my weight when I'm tired.  I don't know how the bloggers with kids out there do it.  I really don't.  You people are amazing.

I'm also really looking hard for time to exercise.  I get a good workout on Mondays and Wednesdays with my bicycle commute, and I usually get a good, long ride in on Fridays, but I'm struggling to exercise at all on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

So for someone who has never had the best luck with time management, how do I keep going?  How do I get exercise in my jam-packed days?  How do I stay focused?  How do I succeed?  If there were 30 hours in a day would I still be complaining about lack of time?

When I figure it out, I'll let you know.

Weigh-In Results

For the first time in three weeks, I have the means to get my scale reading onto the computer box.  I still have two broken computers, but at least I have something I can blog on now.

The results tonight aren't pretty.

Not cool, scale.  Not cool.  Gain of 1.6 pounds this week.  I've been discouraged lately, but I expected a gain this week.  Ugh.  I'm going to get back on track.  It's going to happen.  It has to happen.  I biked to work today and I'll do it again on Wednesday.  I know you've heard it before but I need to say it.  I'm going to lose 100 pounds.  I'm going to live a long and healthy life.  I'm going to get my ass in gear.

Feeling Fat

I feel fat.  I feel like I'm neglecting my blog.  I feel tired. 

Some days I feel like I'm on top of the world.  I've come more than half way toward losing 100 pounds.  I'm rocking clothes that I wouldn't have come anywhere near fitting into a year ago.  I feel healthier.  I'm more active doing things like going to the gym and biking to work.  Going up stairs and walking quickly are immeasurably easier.  I look better too.  I'm definitely moving toward my goal.

But days like today are hard.  I feel like I'm neglecting my body and my blog and resting on my laurels.  I feel soggy.  I feel like I have so far to go and I'm frustrated.  I know I hit a standstill because of my own laziness and I don't like it.  I want to be motivated like I was in the beginning.  I'm disorganized.  I'm tired and overwhelmed.  I need a boost and I don't know where it's going to come from.

Where do you get your inspiration when you're feeling drained?

Quick weigh-in

I was busy tonight so I have to give you a very quick update.

Every computer I've touched lately has malfunctioned in some serious way so I'm blogging from my phone.
I weighed in tonight at 245. It's a gain but I was expecting one. See my last post for details.

I got a new (used) bike. It's a Hosteler from not this decade. The thing set me back $25. It works pretty well though. All the gears work, the wheels are almost entirely unbent, and the frame is solid. I do need to tighten the brakes and raise the seat a few inches.

It's now bed time for Bonzo (and for me too). I do have a picture of this week's weigh-in, but you'll have to wait for me to blog from a proper computer for that one.

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Rambling (with some zombies in the mix)

Note: Since I haven't posted in almost a week this blog entry contains far more rambling than normal.  Sorry.

Hey Andrew, where did you go?

Good question.  I hate dropping off the radar like that but I was feeling pretty worn down this last week.  I had some kind of bug that left me with a sore throat and the desire to sleep all the time.  I was essentially a zombie all last week.

What is the one thing zombies do?  They eat.  Usually brains, but they'll settle for other body parts as well but that's not my point.  My point is the singular ambition of a zombie is to eat.  So when I was running on fumes this past week, I did not put good things in my body.  I tried to make good choices, but more often than not, I made a poor decision.  I'd probably say more in quantity than quality.  You know, an extra helping of brains here and there.

I've got a sneaking suspicion that I'll pay for it on the scale this week and I'm mostly okay with that.  I could make excuses about being sick, but I'm not going to.  I neglected my blog, my diet, and exercise this week and that's going to show up on the scale.

On another note, I went on a pretty awesome bike ride yesterday.  I biked the southern-most part of the Grand Rounds trail.  I managed to bike the wrong direction on a one way bike trail, got in some guy's picture of a waterfall, and rode past two idiot teenagers smoking pot.  Let's make this clear.  I don't think they're idiots because they were smoking pot, I think they're idiots because they were doing it in a fairly high traffic, brightly lit park at 4 in the afternoon.  I know I don't have that many readers, and these particular gentlemen probably aren't in my demographic, but I'd like to address them directly for a moment.  Don't you guys have a parent's basement or at least a grouping of trees you can go get high in?  A park bench next to a paved walking/biking trail with only some mowed grass in between you and the nearest street is not the smartest place to toke up.  Next time try to find somewhere less obvious like... anywhere else.

Alright, now that I'm done solving the problems of today's youth, I can get back to the blog.  I'm beginning to realize how awesome the city of Minneapolis is to bike in.  Unless you're on a freeway, you can't get in or out of the city without going through or very near (over or under usually) a city park and major bike trail.  It's pretty spectacular.

I just bought some new headphones for exercise since one of my cats ate my old pair.  In honor of my new, awesome purchase I need your advice on some pump-up music.  I am seriously clueless when it comes to pop music (and I'm a music teacher).  So what music inspires you to turn it up a notch?

One last confession before I go.  I effed up 30 days of biking.  I was too sick to go for a bike ride one day and on top of it, it was raining.  So do I need a note from my doctor or meteorologist?

Quick Weigh-In

I'm a little strapped for time tonight seeing as I want to get to bed in short order.  My card reader is otherwise occupied with my sister-in-law's senior pictures so I can't bring you photographic evidence tonight.

I'll put the picture up later, but for now, you'll have to believe me that I weighed 242.6 when I weighed myself today.  I'm actually a little irked at the scale.  I weighed 242.2 when I got home from work but didn't want to take a picture until after I got back from my bike ride.  When I got back from biking 11 miles, I had somehow gained .4 pounds.  I don't get it.  The first reading must have been inaccurate.

That's all from me tonight.  I'll bring you a picture and get more in-depth tomorrow.

The Weekend and Biking

I was doing a really good job of watching my intake and staying within my limit this week.  Until the weekend.  I should have kept track but I didn't.  My fault.  I snack more when I don't keep track.  I eat larger portions when I don't keep track.  I eat out of the garbage when I don't keep track.  Okay, maybe that last one isn't true. 

Lesson from this weekend:  I need to log my calories ON THE WEEKEND too.  It's harder, but it needs to happen.  I should probably blog more on the weekends too.

I've been keeping up with my 30 Days of Biking.  Although I only biked about a mile today I still got on my bike.  Other days I'm biking upwards of 20 miles.  I'm hoping to get my stamina up so by early October I'll be able to survive the Grand Rounds, 50 miles of bike trails around the city of Minneapolis.  I've invited my brother, Erick, to come down some weekend to ride the trails with me.

I'm learning a lot about cycling and lusting after a new (used) road bike.  I've been keeping an eye on Craigslist and I'm hoping to pull the trigger soon on buying something.  I have an idea about how much I'd like to spend, but I don't know how much of a project bike I want.  Then again, I've only been biking for about a month.

The bike I have now is fine.  I just want something that is better designed for the kind of biking I'm doing.  Should I stick with what I have or should I take the plunge and get a new (used) bike?

Giveaway Winner!

Wow, 133 entries for the giveaway!  That's amazing!  Thanks everyone who entered.  It was really fun to get this many comments on my blog (116).  As of writing this, I have no idea who the winner is.  I'm going over to random.org right now to generate a number between 1 and 133.  So hang on just a minute.

Alright.  Now I just need to count to 39 in my comments section.

And the winner is (drum roll) Erika.

Congrats Erika, please email me your contact information (I just need your email address) so i can get you your gift certificate. 

Thanks everyone for entering.  Tomorrow I'll go back to complaining how fat I am (and a few Non-Scale Victories to boot).

Busy Busy Busy

This week I have been Busy with a capital B and that rhymes with T and that stands for trouble.  Harold hill (or at least my strange paraphrasing of the song "Trouble" from The Music Man) got it right on that count.  Being overly busy can really get in the way of attempts to lose weight. 

Today, for instance, we bought a car.  On the way we stopped and had Dairy Queen.  I know we could have done better, but DQ was there and we didn't have time do do much else.  Did I go over on my calories today?  You bet I did.  600 calories over what I wanted.  I'm still confident because I know how much I went over.  I also know that I biked to work and back today, burning somewhere in the ballpark of 550-800 calories (depending on which exercise calculator I use).  If I had it to do over, I'd probably go to a different restaurant but it's in the past now.  It's up to me to make good decisions in the future.  Not to agonize over a meal that's already been eaten.  I was plenty upset with my lack of self control when I weighed 313 pounds.  It took time, but I learned that self-hating didn't get me anywhere I wanted to be.  Hard work and good choices did.

So what have I done to keep focused even though I've been busy this week?  I've been using Calorie Counter by fatsecret.com on my Android phone to keep track of my calories.  It's much easier than hauling my languorous posterior to a computer and punching all the information in.  Here's the QR code if you're tech savvy.

The bicycle commute has really helped too.  Sure I add 20 extra minutes to my commute, but I add 80 extra minutes of cardio a day.  That's a big win in my book.  It's like going to the bank and handing the teller a $20 bill and them giving you $80 back as change.  My only complaint is if it gets any colder my ears may fall off.

Weigh-in Results

It's Labor Day, and, more importantly, Monday.  That means it's time for another weigh-in.  But first, don't forget about my $50 giveaway if you haven't entered yet, get on that.  I'll declare a winner on Friday so stay tuned.

244.5 down from 244.8.  Pfff... .3 pounds lost.  Oh well.  I'm hoping to see my calorie counting rewarded next Monday, but the scale was not on my side today.  I've only been counting calories for a couple days anyway.  Hopefully by this time next week I'll be able to post a more substantial loss, but .3 pounds is still something.  Julie Mead wins with her guess of 243.  She was off by 1.5 pounds, but she's still the closest.

I went for a pretty nice bike ride today on day 6 of 30 Days of Biking.  I did a nice 10 mile loop around a few lakes near my apartment.  Click here to see it on a map. 

Here's to a strong showing this week.

5k at the gym

Shortly after my last post, I made my way (by bicycle, of course) to the gym. I wasn't planning on doing much but when I stepped on the treadmill, the 5k button seemedto be taunting me. I set the machine to 4mph and 45 minutes later I was finished running 5k! Now I know I can run a 5k.  Here's what I looked like afterward.

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Day 3 and Improved Eating

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out my $50 giveaway. 

If you're a long-term reader of my blog, you are probably sick of hearing about my inability to count calories.  It's really amazing that I've been able to lose as much weight as I have without counting calories, but lately I've come to the realization that I won't lose much more weight without counting.  It seems I fail every time I try but that's changing right now.  I've always tried to log calories as I eat them, but today I have a plan.  I wrote down everything I'm going to eat today and so far I've stuck to it pretty well.  I allotted myself 2400 calories for today and it's cut out a lot of snacking.  I still get to have a bunch of almonds and a Weight Watchers ice cream bar tonight.  I do have to reign in the subconscious snacking (I've had to put back a handful of almonds three times today).  I'm really hoping this will help do some serious damage come Monday's weigh-in. 

It's day 3 of 30 Days of Biking and my thighs are burning with the fire of a thousand suns.  I'm excited at the challenge, but I can tell I'm not in the best biking shape.  Hopefully, that will all change before the end of the month.  Today I think I'll just be biking to the gym to get a nice arm-workout in.  Maybe I'll do some treadmill stuff if my legs are cooperating. 

Here are some pics from the 30 days of biking kick-off ride.  Enjoy!

Don't forget to enter in my $50 giveaway and check back in next Friday to see if you won!

Giveaway!!!

Hi, if you're new here, feel free to check out some of my older posts.  I've lost 50 pounds in the last 9 months and won't stop til I've lost 100 pounds!  Good luck with the giveaway!

I'm happy to announce a partnership with CSN Stores to bring you a $50 giveaway.  That's right, $50 off your online order!  If you order something $50 or less, it's free!  You could get some Corelle dishes, though you may want to opt for something a little more fitness related.  They've got a lot of cool fitness equipment. 

So here's how it works.  Do one of the things below, and I'll enter you in a drawing using random.org.  I'll announce the winner after the contest is over and if you win, you can email me with your contact info.  I just need your email address so I can get you the code for $50 off your order.  The contest will end next Thursday, September 9th at midnight.  I'll probably announce the winner the next day.

Here's what you need to do to enter (you can do just one thing or all five if you want):
1) Leave a comment.  Say anything you want to say.  Maybe a favorite post, or what's helped you to lose weight, etc.  You can even just say hi!  You can leave as many comments as you want, but I'll only count the first one toward the giveaway. - 1 entry

2) Leave a comment telling me what you would buy from CSN Stores with the $50 you win. Again, just one entry here will count. - 1 entry

3) Post a link to this giveaway on your blog.  Leave a link for me in the comments section so I can see the entry. - 2 entries

4) Tweet this giveaway.  You can just copy and paste from below.  - 2 entries

@100_Pounds is giving away a $50 gift certificate to CSN Stores.  Check it out here:http://bit.ly/aJ9EEu #100lbsgiveaway

5) Share the link for this post on Facebook. - 2 entries

That's it.  All you need to do.  I'll announce the winner next Friday.

Good luck!

30 Days of Biking

It's September!  That means 30 Days of Biking kicks off today.  In honor of this event, which is worldwide in the respect that you can participate from anywhere, I'm bringing you a short guest post by one of the founders and organizers of 30 Days of Biking, Zachariah Schaap.

Zach on today's 30 Days of Biking kick-off ride.

30 Days of Biking is the challenge to ride your bike somewhere, everyday, for thirty days! Admittedly, many people who participated in round one noted their life had been permanently changed. A change that filled their life with more energy, a greater sense of community and mountains of fun.

Personally, 30 Days of Biking has changed my life. There's just something about it—biking—that makes a person want to be active and enjoy life. Not only while on a bicycle, but in all aspects of life.

We at 30 Days of Biking urge you to try this challenge, and see what it does for you... to you. You may be surprise; you will be happy.

Join the challenge! Careful, though, it'll change your life.

If you'd like to know more about 30 Days of Biking, follow this link to a Minneapolis Star Tribune article about 30 Days of Biking.  Or you can go straight to 30daysofbiking.com and sign up.  If you want to follow on twitter, you can use the hash-tag #30daysofbiking or follow @30daysofbiking.

30 Days of Biking is my challenge for the month of September.  Will you join me?