Riding...Riding....Riding....

I'm really enjoying riding! I really am, when I got home from work tonight, the rain of the past few days was done and I decided to get on my bike and go for a ride. Now, even though it is MAY, someone forgot to tell mother nature and it is frigging cold out there. None the less, I bundled up, long sleeved shirt, under a short sleeved shirt with a jacket on top, long pants, my helmet and off I went. It was exhilirating. I'm loving it. I went down our horseshoe to the right, turned right onto Old Yale road, turned right onto Whatcom road, right onto South Parallel Road, Left onto Old Yale Road, and around Delair park, turned right back onto Old Yale road and finally turned right onto the second half of our horseshoe.

I don't actually know how long I was gone. I didn't look at the time when I left, I do know that the Canucks game had just gone into the first between period segment and when I got back they were about 5 minutes or so into the 2nd period.

I DO know that I worked my buns off. I did have to get off the bike at one point and push it up one of the hills. I just plum ran out of steam! The wind was in my face and I was pedaling for all I was worth but I didn't seem to get anywhere. So, I got off, and walked my bike to the top of the first hill. Got back on at the flat portion, built up my speed and made it up the rest of the hill, including the hill leading up to our complex.

I couldn't beleive how hard it was. Bike riding used to be so easy! At the Gym I can get on a stationary bike and go for a half an hour, or forty five minutes. However, in the real world, on a real road, with REAL hills, and REAL wind blowing in your face, it is so much more difficult.

Here I sit 4 hours later and my legs are still throbbing and are all jello feeling. I know that I was huffing and puffing when I got home, I was sweating up a storm when I got home as well. The next bike ride, I'm going to wear my heart rate monitor so that I can see just how intense my ride really is!

Cheese...

that delectable, delicious milk product that calls to me from far and wide. Here I am....look how tasty I am....smell how good I smell? I admit, I have a love affair with cheese. Cheese is my downfall. It really and truly is. You know those blocks of cheese that you can get at Costco, the 1kg bricks that you think should last a couple of weeks at least. I can eat one of those in a week. Really! Truly! If I buy one of them, I can guarantee you that I will be having cheese with everything. I try to be good and get the light cheese, but still I still woof that thing back as though it was going out of style. Chop off a piece here, chop off a piece there, a nibble here a nibble there and before I knew it the brick was done and I'm saying to myself, where did all the cheese go??? When I rededicated myself to my weight loss regime, I said no more cheese. No matter what, I could not have it in the house. One serving is three points. Three! That's a baked a potato! I was really and truly missing my cheese, I always ask for cheese when I go to Subway, which isn't all that often, but it would give me my cheese fix now and then. I then substituted by eating cottage cheese. NOT THE SAME AT ALL!!!! Let me tell you, as a cheese connoisseur there is no mistaking cottage cheese for regular cheese!

Then, two weeks ago, at my WW meeting I heard about Laughing Cow cheese. Have you heard of this cheese? It comes in a pre packaged servings, and two wedges of this glorious cheese is only 1 point! Two wedges! 1 point!!!! Happy day! I now have my cheese fix. I really and truly do, it isn't the same as Cheddar, or Swiss or Havarti, but it really does give me my cheese fix. As I type this I'm having my evening snack of rice crackers and cheese. Very yummy, very satisfying. And best of all...I get to eat cheese again!

I didn't get online last night but I did make myself go to the gym last night and tonight. Hopefully I'll get over this head cold soon and will back up to full speed again. For now though here is my activity accountability charts for yesterday and today.

Date 28-Dec
Activity Cardio at gym
Duration 35min 34 sec
Time in Zone 36min 16 sec
Avg Heart Rate 127
Max Heart Rate 138
Calories 448

Date 29-Dec
Activity Cardio weights
Duration 1 hr 2min 6 sec
Time in Zone 55min, 50 sec
Avg Heart Rate 129
Max Heart Rate 151
Calories 826

Hard work pays off!!

It really and truly does. I worked hard at my program this week, I measured everything, I tracked everything, I took care to order food the way I really needed it to be. I dedicated my self at the gym and I worked hard at the gym, and it paid off. It really and truly did.

I was down 5 pounds this week!!! FIVE POUNDS!!!! YEAH!!! I feel so good, in 7 weeks I have lost 19.8 pounds. That's nothing to sneeze at I gauran darn tee you! I feel great about it.

Did I want to go to the gym every day that I did, no I didn't. Did I want to eat how I did, not really but I stuck to my plan and it worked. It really and truly worked. I am so happy!!!

I worked most of the day and came home early so that I could get my cookies baked for the cookie exchange I'm going to tonight. I baked low fat peppermint macaroons. They are only 1 point per cookie so I feel good about taking them. All in all, as far as cookies go, they are a pretty reasonble choice.

Once the cookies were out of the oven, the sun was still up so I leashed up Angus and off we went for our long walk around the block, the 2.5km walk, we did it in under a half hour, considering how many times the dog stopped to sniff or leave his scent I think we made pretty good time. Again, I didn't have to huff and puff my way up the hill. That feels so darn good!

I've also added up all of my time at the gym and put together my weekly activity accountability chart. The first week of being accountable for my activity and I think I did really great.

Here they are:
Date Dec 5th
Activity Dog walk
Duration 28min 45 sec
Time in Zone 27min 41sec
Avg Heart Rate 135
Max Heart Rate 150
Calories 260

Date Week Nov 29-Dec 5
Activity various
Duration 5hr 30min 55sec
Time in Zone 5hr 10min 19sec
Avg Heart Rate 135
Max Heart Rate 152 avg
Calories 3466

A pretty good calorie burn, and I'm not totally sure if the calories are acurate or not. I would love to be able to find a heart rate monitor similar to the MIO, but also lets me track my average heart rate, max heart rate and time, just as my polar heart rate monitor does.

If anyone knows of a brand that they use, please post a comment and let me know.

Have a great day! Katie:-)