258 - It's a Wonderful Life

257.8 lbs (116.9 kg)

If someone says "it bears repeating," that means it's worth saying again. "It's a Wonderful Life!"

The journey towards health and happiness continues, unceasingly. Yesterday was a special treat since today is my new roommate's birthday, so she and I went to Lost Creek State Park near Anaconda. It's officially closed until the beginning of May (http://stateparks.mt.gov/lost-creek/) but you can park your car at the locked gate and hike or ski or snowshoe in the mile-and-a-half to where the waterfall is at. That's what we did.

At the frozen waterfall in Lost Creek State Park
near Anaconda, MT

It's a gradual incline most of the way on a pretty straight path. What surprised me a little bit was just how steep the slope was going in. I didn't really notice until we were leaving. That's why it took us 58 minutes to snowshoe the 1.4 miles in but only 46 minutes (it felt like longer!) to come back out. Apparently, there are 25 campsites in the park, including some that are very close to the waterfall, which was frozen yesterday (well, it was only 14 ℉, -10 ℃). Double layers of pants and gloves, and extra layers of shirts were called for.

It's a two-hour drive to here from Missoula but would certainly be worth it when the warmer weather gets here.

Next "weekend" (my current work schedule gives me two consecutive days off on Thursdays and Fridays) I'm going to stay in a cabin at the Garnet ghost town (http://www.garnetghosttown.net) 20 miles northwest of Drummond, MT. In the winter it's another place that has to be reached by foot (skiing or snowshoeing) or by snowmobile. The road from Bearmouth is shorter (I think it's about 5 miles) but steeper and with spectacular views. The Garnet Range road from Greenough (on MT-200) involves a 10-mile hike, which seems a bit daunting now, given how sore my thigh muscles are after yesterday's comparatively short jaunt.

I'm so grateful to be in a place that feels like "home". I'm enjoying my job (although I could always use more pay). I'm enjoying the location of my new apartment (fairly central in Missoula and within easy walking distance of most things for me). I'm enjoying the setup of my new place, with its own washer and dryer, and small wooden deck that faces the westward setting sun in the evening. I'm enjoying the presence of my new roommate who shares many of my ideas on diet and enjoys cooking as much as I do. I love being among such a diverse group of people, and the fact that most people here in Missoula don't care too much how you dress or who you associate with. I love that there are so many cool things to do in town. I'm looking forward to fulfilling my ambitious plans for the next year or two. It really is a wonderful life!

259 - Enjoying cooking again

258.6 lbs (117.3 kg)

My first two weeks of living in my own apartment in Missoula have been a joyous feast of healthy home cooking. I twice made some un-potato salad (with small pieces of steamed cauliflower instead of potatoes), chicken Waldorf salad (with apples, grapes, celery and walnuts), a root vegetable beef stew (with rutabaga, turnips and parsnips). Today's lunch was BLT (with bacon and tomato on a Romaine lettuce leaf spread with mashed avocado). A few days ago I made Philly cheesesteak sandwiches with a sweet potato skin (innards scraped out) replacing the hoagie roll. It has been fun thinking of creative and tasty ways to replace the added sugar and wheat products from traditional recipes.

When I stepped on the scales this morning I had lost another fifth of a pound.

261 - Another fantastic week

260.6 lbs (118.2 kg) today

It's been another fantastic week for me. I completed my first full week at my new job, got myself moved into a new apartment, helped my new roommate move her stuff in. Our new place is beginning to look like "home" now, and will only improve with time.

With some careful eating and a little bit of intermittent fasting, I managed to get my weight down to 260.6 lb this morning, down three pounds in the past week. For the first time in six weeks, I've been able to cook for myself which has been great.

It feels like the second half of a long journey, which started in June 2015, is beginning now. Everything is in place for an assault on the summit of the mountain. The real mountain climb (to Mount Hood in Oregon) won't happen for another year or two, and there will be many smaller, less technical peaks to be bagged on the way there. I expect this present leg of the journey to reach its conclusion at the end of 2018.

Missoula winter market every
Saturday morning from 9 am to 1 pm

This morning I went to the Missoula Valley Winter Market at the Senior Center on S Higgins St. There were some really interesting vendors there selling fresh eggs (including some duck and turkey eggs!), potatoes, onions and garlic, baked goods and jams, and other fantastic goodies. We ended up with a few tasty morsels.

My lunch today was especially enjoyable. As I reflected with gratitude upon the events of the past few weeks, and upon the friendships that had been created and strengthened, I was enjoying a scrumptious plate of shrimp with a spinach salad that had some bell peppers, carrots, celery, tomatoes, cucumber, nuts and seeds with Annie's Goddess dressing – a creamy tahini and lemon concoction with chives and parsley. The flavors were divine.

264 - The journey continues

Today was a great day. I finally got to move into my own apartment again.

After moving to Missoula at the end of January, and living in a friend's basement for a week (thanks, Julie!) while I started a new job (technically a transfer, really, to a different grocery store but still part of the same group) I moved most of my "stuff" out of the temporary storage location not far away and into my new place. I had to buy a whole new pantry full of food (new vegetables, new condiments, new salad dressings, new protein sources - eggs and oily fish).

The only substantial thing missing for me in my apartment was a bed since I gave away the last mattress that I owned when I left Helena about 16 months ago. I have a new mattress arriving on Thursday or Friday (i.e. in a week from now).

More than halfway towards
losing the gains of 2017

When I stepped on the scales this morning I weighed in at 263.8 lbs. Thankfully, I'm WAY down from my recent high (just before Christmas) of 288 lbs. With my new work schedule (4.00 pm to midnight, five consecutive evenings a week) I've found that I'm more easily able to do the intermittent fasting thing that I've been wanting to do. I can now happily skip breakfast altogether on some days and not eat my first meal until 1 o'clock or so. My regular dinner break is at 7.00 pm. I can usually manage without having another substantial meal before going to bed between 12.30 and 1.00 am. It's a LOT easier to resist the temptations of eating carbs when carbs barely enter the apartment. For the first time in five or six weeks, I have access to a full kitchen again with all my own pots and pans and knives and other tools. Tomorrow morning I'm going to see what fresh produce is available at the Missoula Valley Winter Market.

263.8 lbs

Even if I didn't have bathroom weighing scales, I'd be able to tell that I'm losing weight again because my new pants (the ones I had to buy because the other ones couldn't accommodate my growing girth) and my old jeans are both feeling really baggy now, and I'll soon have to tighten my belt to the third hole (currently comfortably using the second hole, and the holes appear to be about an inch apart). I'll soon have to go and get another new pair of pants. The next huge milestone for me, in terms of clothing, will be when I have to swap my 2XL work shirts for just an XL size.

As part of the process of moving house, and with it all of my worldly goods, I rediscovered some old coats that I had kept but not worn in a while. Some were comically too large. I shall be disposing of them soon. I still want to go out one day to a campground somewhere and record a video of the ceremonial burning of my old 5XL clown pants. I'm NEVER going back to that size again.

265 - First day in my new job

Approx. 12 lbs lost in January (so far)

Well, it's the same job that I was doing before, Customer Service Supervisor in a large grocery store, just in a different city - Missoula. My work schedule is more regular now. I'll be working from 4.00 pm until midnight, Saturday through Wednesday, with Thursdays and Fridays off. Nice!

The chart on the left shows how I dropped from about 277 lbs at the beginning of the year to 265 lbs this morning, with a couple of little (pizza-induced) blips along the way. Seriously, I've learned that for me, on a low carb diet, pizza is as bad as eating pure sugar. As soon as I get into a place where I can do it, I want to learn how to make a really good cauliflower-based pizza crust.

It'll be interesting to see what effect the increased amount of walking will have because I'm temporarily living a lot further away from my workplace (2.7 miles) than before (1.2 miles) and there is a 135 ft elevation change now.

Fantastic trails and recreation areas really close to town

Also, once my housing situation is resolved and I have easier access to all of my gear, I'm looking forward to exploring the recreation areas nearby; Pattee Canyon, Blue Mountain and Rattlesnake, as well as the South Hills and the downtown Riverfront.

There are lots of exciting changes and opportunities coming my way soon. I hope you can join me for them, either in person or by following the blog.

The future is looking bright

I moved back to my "home" city of Missoula yesterday. The only thing I wasn't able to bring with me immediately, because of the icy roads and cold temperatures, was my motorbike. At least "Red" is safely tucked up in a warm garage now until I can go and retrieve her in a few weeks time.

I was telling a friend earlier today that it feels really good to be back in Missoula, even though I don't have my own place to live yet. My "stuff" is still in storage and I'm living "out of a suitcase", in a manner of speaking. But that's okay (for a couple of weeks anyway). I know that I'll find somewhere suitable very soon, and then the next stage of my journey can begin.

Along the way (while I was in Belgrade), I was able to make a few new friends and share the address of my website and blog with them. They will be my accountability partners as I strive towards my target weight of 178 lbs (80.7 kg). Just as important, I want to tone and shape my body and build up the musculature.

So, I'm in a new city (in the sense that I just moved), a new job (in the sense that my co-workers are all new to me - it's the same job title, just a different location). I'll have a new house or apartment soon. It's a new start, and the future is looking bright. 

265 - getting fresh

As I was looking at the website of a popular online shopping company last night, it occurred to me that I really couldn't use most of their food offerings. My cupboards will contain a few standbys for emergencies, sure, but the bulk of the food I'll be preparing and eating will be fresh produce. Fortunately for me, I work in a grocery store and have easy access to some good quality produce, including some exotic things like dragon fruit, jackfruit and kiwano melons (and everyday things like nopales, a.k.a. cactus paddles).

265.2 lbs (120.3 kg) this morning

You've seen and heard it be said elsewhere, I'm sure, that you should shop the perimeter of your grocery store, not the center aisles, because those contain all the packaged "convenience" foods that are full of artificial additives and preservatives and unpronounceable ingredients.

Food writer and journalist Michael Pollan says in his book "Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual": "Processed food products dominate the center aisles of the store, while the cases of mostly fresh food—produce, meat and fish, dairy—line the walls. If you keep to the edges of the store you’ll be much more likely to wind up with real food in your shopping cart."

This morning I tipped the scales at 265 lbs. I had to buy myself a new belt yesterday because the old one was literally hanging together by a single thread and was incapable of doing its job of holding my pants up. It's only a cheap Chinese belt because at the moment that's all I can afford (since I'm saving up to move house again) but I will allow myself something nice-looking once I'm more settled.

I spent the day thinking about food and cooking

With just a few days to go until I move 😃, I had a day off work today and I spent a large part of it thinking about food. As the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates said, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food". I also spent more than an hour on the phone with my daughter talking about her diet. She has been a vegan for quite a while now and has enjoyed excellent health as a result.

As I contemplated what kinds of foods I would be buying, preparing and eating in the near future (and also which ones I would be avoiding altogether) I came up with this list, almost a manifesto (in no particular order): spinach, mustard greens, collard greens, lettuce (not iceberg), kale, artichokes, asparagus, avocado, zucchini, chard, kohlrabi, tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, cabbage (red, green and white), cucumber, fennel, okra, green beans, turnips, rutabaga (swede), carrots (particularly purple ones, not baby ones), snow peas, Brussels sprouts, jicama, radishes. Also, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, nuts and seeds, lots of garlic and mushrooms.

Keen nutritionists will notice that these foods are largely low carb, high in vitamins and minerals, and have a low glycemic index. The list specifically doesn't include potatoes, corn or peas and avoids most fruits. Not that I'm opposed to things like apples, grapefruits, strawberries, cherries, plums, dried apricots or pears. I would just eat them in very small quantities. I would use citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and limes as garnishes and freshly-squeezed for a little bit of juice, but will definitely NOT be drinking orange juice or other fruit juices by the glass.

There will also be plenty of red (chili) pepper, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, and ginger.

My list of things to avoid includes: refined sugar in any form, wheat and corn in its many forms (therefore, very little bread and no breakfast cereal), processed foods, rice and pasta and (for ethical/moral reasons more than nutritional ones) any products made by Nestlé ** or Kraft Foods ***.

I'll be looking to substitute zucchini noodles and spaghetti squash for wheat-based pasta; making "bread" and "pizza crust" with cauliflower instead of wheat; using rutabaga and turnips instead of potatoes in potato salads and French fries. I'll be adding nutritional yeast to some dishes that normally require cheese, and checking out Lighlife's Fakin' Bacon and Smart Ground products as well as Field Roast's vegan sausages, deli slices and Chao slices.

I don't think I'm ready to go full-bore vegan just yet because I want to still have eggs and fish and real cheese and yogurt from time to time, just a lot less than in my past. 

I've been thinking about adding a Recipes section to the main ERGOOB website (http://www.ergoob.org) where I can include step-by-step photo and video directions on how to make and adapt recipes so that they are "healthier". As I experiment, I'll post the results in this blog first, but I'd like to have a repository of tried and tested, tasty, healthy dishes that are easy to prepare and fun to share.


** Including brands such as Nescafe and Nesquick, Carnation, Haagen-Dazs, Buitoni, Maggi, CoffeeMate, and Cheerios.
*** Including brands such Grey Poupon, Gevalia, Planters, Jell-O, Maxwell House, Oscar Mayer, Velveeta, Kool-Aid, Philadelphia cream cheese and Claussen pickles.

267 - A good weekend in Missoula

267.2 lbs (121.2 kg) this morning

I spent a couple of days last weekend visiting my new home city (my "spiritual home") of Missoula, prior to moving back there permanently on January 25th. I was very careful about eating a low carb diet, opting for green salads most of the time. It paid off. At this morning's weigh-in, I was three pounds lower than at any time in the past few months.

One good discovery that I made was a new chain of fast-casual Brazilian restaurants called Five on Black (http://www.fiveonblack.com) with two locations in Missoula, one in Bozeman, plus one each in Denver and Boulder. You get to pick a base, a protein, a side, a sauce and a topping (hence the Five) in whatever combination you like. I opted for mixed greens of Romaine lettuce and spinach, with oven roasted beets, jicama and sweet potatoes, accompanied by steamed collard greens covered in a fantastic spicy coconut sauce, topped with a chimichurri verde (with cilantro, parsley, minced garlic, oregano and chili pepper flakes). For me, it had the perfect amount of 'heat' and was very tasty.

270 - a stunningly good start to the new year

I did finally dig out my bathroom scales yesterday and was delighted to learn that my "gut" feeling was correct.

I've managed to get down to 270 lbs (122.5 kg), a loss of twelve pounds in a week and a half and 18 lbs lower than my recent high of 288 lbs (about three weeks ago). I'm very happy about that.

"Success begets success" goes the phrase and so I plan to continue what I have been doing (eating fewer carbs and less overall) at least until I get myself settled into a new home and a new job in Missoula. Then it will be time to re-evaluate.

282 - gained nearly 40 lbs in the past year - and will lose the final 100 lbs this coming year, you just watch me!

Looking back a year at my first blog post of 2017 (a year when I posted only eight times altogether, versus 107 blog posts in 2016) I see I weighed 243 lbs. Events at the end of 2017 were a bit chaotic but the last "official" weigh-in had me at 282 lbs. My ultimate goal is to reach 178 lbs by the end of this year. Based on past performance (losing about ten pounds a month) I think it's totally possible.

My friends who are familiar with my story know that I am currently in the process of moving back from Belgrade to my "spiritual home" of Missoula. I am already feeling more optimistic about the future, and about regaining 100% control of my diet and exercise. Sadly, my bathroom scales are packed away at the bottom of a cardboard box. It'll be another three weeks before they see the light of day again. In the meantime, I am sticking more closely to my former low carb diet and avoiding (as much as possible) sugar and wheat and corn. My new pants (the ones I had to grudgingly buy from the "Big & Tall" [a.k.a. fat people's] store a couple of weeks ago) feel like they're a bit loose now.

I'm looking forward to plenty of four-season hiking in the Missoula area on Mount Sentinal and Mount Jumbo, the Rattlesnake trails, Pattee Canyon, the Riverfront trail and the Blue Mountain trails. As the warmer weather returns, I'll be taking my motorbike with me on backpacking trips further afield. I'll also be scouting out sections of the ACA Lewis & Clark route (Highway 12) from Lewiston, Idaho, back to Missoula, in preparation for my 600-mile bicycle ride from Portland, Ore., in 2019. I'll be taking my camera(s) with me a lot more this year too.

I anticipate that there will be more opportunities for me to share the details of my progress and more news and photos in 2018 than in the year before. I'll be doing a lot more reading about the evils of added sugar and the virtues of a heavily plant-based (more vegetarian) diet. With so much of our body's energy expenditure (70%) going towards maintaining our basal metabolic rate, the marginal amount of extra energy burned through vigorous exercise is so small as to make extra exercise far less important than diet in our quest to lose weight. Exercise does have many other positive benefits though - it's just that it doesn't directly affect weight loss so much ("Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym!")

Reaffirming long-term goals and desires

I feel like it has been far too long since I updated my blog and website, and too long since I let my friends and followers know about the progress I am making on my journey. I deliberately didn't say weight-loss journey just now because, in the meantime, it has become about my life's journey too. As I once again start sharing some of my past successes and future goals with new friends and acquaintances, I am beginning to get excited about what the future has in store for me.

June 2015 was the watershed moment. 2016 was a year of tremendous physical progress. 2017 was a year of fun and adventures. 2018 is going to be a most excellent combination of physical progress and fun and adventure.

I am absolutely determined to reach my desired target weight of 178 lbs (80.7 kg). Based on what I was able to lose before and knowing how difficult it is, I'm thinking now that a realistic date to achieve this is probably in the spring of 2019, by which time I will be 52 years old. Along the way, I am still pursuing these major accomplishments:

Passing within 5 miles of Mount Hood (at Government
Camp) while on my summer vacation, August 2017

• Hiking 100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in southern Oregon to Crater Lake in a week.
• Riding my (pedal) bicycle 600 miles from Portland back to Montana (wherever I happen to be living at the time - probably Missoula). Should take about two weeks. 
• Climbing to the 11,250-foot high summit of Mount Hood in Oregon.
  

My plan is to share my story and use it to inspire others to achieve similar results. 

Enjoying riding my Honda Rebel 500

To do this, I am going to continue with the earlier activities which I enjoy: walking, hiking, backpacking, cycling, snowshoeing, swimming. Along the way, there will be some new activities (which I've previously mentioned in this blog): boxing, T'ai Chi, and dancing. In addition, there will be some time for non-fitness-related hobbies: photography, motorcycle riding, astronomy, watercolor painting, joining a trivia quiz team and (a new one for me) improv comedy. 

I recently read the term "Renaissance Man", and while I can't aspire to be as great as Leonardo Da Vinci or even a modern one like Brian May, Viggo Mortensen or Steve Martin, I can try to be good at a number of different things and above all have some fun doing them. If any of my friends want to join me, you are welcome. 

Endorphins - 271 lbs

"There is a close interaction between food, mood, and stress." Not my words but I agree 100% with the sentiment. Chronic stress can lead to increased consumption of "rewarding" foods (high in fat and sugar) leading to weight gain and further stress. Endorphins (a name contracted from "endogenous morphine") play a key role in this. The biochemistry is complex, so I will leave you to research it for yourself. Now, if only there were an easy way to break the vicious cycle, right?

One way is to remove the source of stress, of course, which is often easier said than done.

Another way is to do more aerobic exercise, since that triggers the release of endorphins. So, now that I have hit 271 lbs (gasp, shock, horror!) it's time to get back on the wagon. I sense that there will be some important changes taking place in the next few months which will lead to a renewed push towards my goal of being 178 pounds.

Bouncing back up - oh no! - 263 lbs

I'm going to blame it on my new work schedule (closing shifts which end at midnight) following a promotion. I've gained about 25 lbs since the beginning of the year 😱 .

Up from 238 to 263 lbs since January

So now, far from intermittent fasting, I'm finding that I'm hungry enough to eat four meals a day. And I'm not as strict as I need to be about eating low carb. Portion sizes are also a problem for me again.

I guess if it were easy to lose weight there'd be very few fat people around, right? I have to remember the words of Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon computer science professor who died of pancreatic cancer in 2008: "... The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough."

I need to remind myself of how good it felt when I was able to buy new clothing that was size XL - not XXXXXL. I want to experience what it's like to wear a Large with NO Xs, maybe even a Medium. I have a white button up shirt that will only fit me when I'm down to 230 lbs. I want to wear that shirt before the winter kicks in.

Next week I'm off on vacation for nine days. There are lots of activities planned as I head to the Oregon coast via Seattle. I'm going to enjoy myself without overindulging.

Turning the ship around - 249 (again)

Like a hulking great oil tanker in the Gulf of Mexico, making a slow and steady about-turn, I've had about three weeks of concerted effort to get myself back on track in terms of losing weight.

Broke through the 250 lb barrier again

After bouncing between 250 lbs and 260 lbs for a while, I weighed in at 249.6 lbs (113.2 kg) this morning. I'm sure it helps that we're at the perfect time of year to make headway: seasonal salad ingredients (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, onions) are plentiful and cheap. The long, light days and the warmer weather enable people to enjoy the outdoors more. Opportunities for walking, hiking, backpacking, cycling and so forth abound.

Last week I did another hike up to Lava Lake and stayed overnight. It was on a Wednesday (i.e. not a holiday or a weekend) so there weren't many other people up there (nor even any bears or mountain lions or goats). The solitude and peacefulness did allow me to think and ponder about big goals for the coming years. I REALLY want to conquer my "unfinished business" on the Pacific Crest Trail in southern Oregon and finally get to see Crater Lake in person, so that will be happening in 2018 - probably in late June.

257 - Low carb is definitely the way to go, and IF works too

Before I start, the obligatory disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my own thoughts and experiences. I am not a doctor or a dietician so please do your own research and consult the appropriate professionals before making any changes to your diet.

Eighteen months ago on this blog (http://blog.ergoob.org/2015/11/extra-days-off-lead-to-excessive.html) I wrote about some of the things I'd been reading about recently. As I was looking back to find references to "intermittent fasting" (IF), I came across the list again. Here it is, words unchanged, only in a slightly different order to reflect the importance (in my humble opinion) of these things to weight loss:

1. low carb diets, high in fats (like Paleo), with or without grains and gluten
2. the merits of intermittent fasting versus eating multiple smaller meals each day
3. the importance of fiber in our diet
4. the value of fermented food and drinks (pickles, sauerkraut, kefir)
5. how the human gut is the second brain

Based on my recent experiences, I'm utterly and completely convinced that we humans don't need nearly as many carbs as experts say we do. 

There are three macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates and fat. While there are essential proteins (amino acids) and essential fats (linoleic and alpha-linolenic used to build omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids) there's no such thing as an "essential carb". 

The process of gluconeogenesis produces all the glucose that the body needs. It happens in all of us, especially overnight, which is why some diabetics wake up with blood sugar levels higher than when they went to bed. Low carb diets use this fact to derive needed energy from stored fat. 

Whether you fast for 16 out of 24 hours a day (eating all your food in the remaining 8-hour window) or choose to fast (500-600 calories only) for two whole days out of 7 (the 5:2 diet), you are creating the conditions your body needs to burn fat. If you have an hour to spare and are interested, check out the BBC documentary from five years ago called "Eat, Fast and Live Longer" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihhj_VSKiTs. It's very interesting. 

Where has the time gone? - 255 :(

So many of my friends have been asking me, "Where are you?", and, "How are you doing?" It's been a while (more than three months) since my last blog post.

A lot has happened in the past few months. After leaving Helena last Septmeber, and quitting my secure state government job, I had moved to eastern Montana for a few weeks. Narrowly avoiding a disaster out there, I was in Missoula (my spiritual home) for a few months. I am now living and working in Belgrade (near Bozeman), Montana. As in Sidney, I'm working in a low-paid but a low-stress retail job. I'm very happy not to have to deal with computer software from companies I intensely dislike (Microsoft, Adobe, Apple - yuck!) I do miss some of the people I used to work with.

My weight loss progress had stalled temporarily (see the chart below):

From 320 to 236 and up to 255 lbs again...

My diet has changed a bit from before. At the moment it's not all low carb like it was for the previous 18 months (but it's still mostly vegetables and protein). I still struggle from time to time with portion control (hard to resist when the food tastes so good!)

In terms of exercise, I wish that I had embraced the Montana snow and cold weather better than I did last winter. Despite my best intentions, I just can't say that I love the freezing temperatures. I did go snowshoeing a couple of times, and I now have the gear to be able to go again in November/December when the next lot of heavy snow inevitably comes again.

I have been hiking a bit; to Lava Lake near Big Sky and Drinking Horse mountain outside Bozeman, as well as some of the Blue Mountain trails just south of Missoula. I'm looking forward to being able to go backpacking and camping in the next month or two, and I still haven't given up on the idea of hiking a significant part of the Pacific Crest Trail near Crater Lake in Oregon (maybe in 2018).

Where I'm living now, we have the Bridger Mountains to the northeast, the Tobacco Root Mountains to the southwest, the Big Belt Mountains and Horseshoe Hills to the northwest, the Hyalite Peaks of the northern Gallatin Range to the south and the Spanish Peaks of the northern Madison Range to the southwest. The opportunities for climbing and hiking in some of the most picturesque mountains in Montana are limited only by time and the weather.

I'm still cycling, a litte bit but not as much as I'd like to. I haven't found a good place to learn T'ai Chi yet or to start boxing.

At the same time, I am regaining my interest in photography, thanks to my sister. I'm also trying to get back into watercolor painting, reading and writing - some creative endevors that are relaxing and stimulate my mind.

So, my friends, that's the quick version of what I've been up to these past three or four months. If any of you are up for a three to ten-mile hike some time in central or western Montana, let me know. If the nighttime temperature is above the low-40s Fahrenheit, I'd be up for an overnight backpacking hike too. My days off work are typically Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Where are the photos?

I keep meaning to post photos from my recent excursions, and then I forget. Also, I've been asked if I'll post "before and after" photos of when I first started on this journey and now. So, without further ado:

Snowshoeing in Hyalite Canyon
near Bozeman, MT - New Year's Eve 2016

I'd never been snowshoeing before. In the past I've always intensely disliked the snow, but this season I'm learning to embrace it. I'm looking forward to giving it another go soon.

Hiking near Lake McDonald in GNP - early Dec 2016

No snowshoes for this one, but I was very glad to have been wearing my ice traction cleats.


And, now, a couple of before-and-after shots:

31 months and 188 pounds difference

Looking and feeling so much better now, but aware that I still have a few months to go until I reach my goal.

I'm NEVER going back to the 'old' me!

243 - My 'marker' for the start of 2017

This is going to be the year of breakthroughs and more victories. After a fantastic New Year's Eve weekend, 2017 has started with a bang.

243.0 lbs (110.2 kg)

Two key words for this year: "Mindfulness" and "Purposefully". The ongoing changes; the low carb diet and the increased exercise and activity regimens will continue. New activities will be added. New partners in the journey of life will join me (well, one anyway!)

And, that brings up the third new key word for the year: "Inspirer", one who inspires others. Having surpassed the halfway point of my own metamorphosis or transformation, I feel like I want to inspire others to make positive changes in their lives. I want others to feel the benefits of losing weight, eating nutritious meals prepared mindfully and with love. Wouldn't it be great to HAVE TO buy new clothes because the old ones are far too big and baggy? That was my position a few months ago, and I'm there again now. I can tell you, when you've had to wear clown pants (sweatpants with a 60" waist) for so long, to fit into a 40" waist fashionable pair is a FANTASTIC feeling!

Here's the important thing: IF I CAN DO IT, SO CAN ANYONE if they are motivated enough. Honestly, I'm not Superman. I don't have a red cape and a big 'S' on my chest. I'm just a 50 year old guy who is willing to do what it takes to reach my goal.

238 - under two hundred and forty

Another quick one today:

238.6 lbs (108.2 kg)

238.6 pounds. I'm going to look into the role of coffee drinking in weight loss. I've noticed that I'm drinking a lot of coffee lately, which coincides with my rapid losses. But, "correlation does not imply causation" is a phrase often used in statistics. More later...