So far so good

Part way through Day 2 of the Bicycle Australia Magazine diet and I'm feeling surprisingly good. Sure, it's been challenging at times but I've been able to handle it with relative ease so far.

I've been keeping a food diary using Calorie King and was shocked to discover the diet so far works out to a paltry 1300 calories per day, which isn't anywhere near enough for someone my size, particularly if I'm active. However, the first week is deliberately meant to be a bit mean on the calories as part of a detoxing process and it does pick up as it goes along. In the meantime with probably around 2000+ calories being burned by my exercise program I'm creating a deficit of 700 - 1000 calories a day.

This could be a problem. A deficit of around 500 a day is generally recommended for optimum weight loss, so I'll have to be wary of any dizziness or extreme fatigue and top up the snacks a little if I'm not coping. In the meantime I feel good and I'm not even particularly hungry so I'll stick with it.

My weigh-in yesterday morning was disappointing just as I expected but not too bad. I'm about 4 kilograms up on my "normal" weight (well the weight I've been lingering around for the last 2 years anyway) which won't take long to lose. Actually, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it was gone by next weigh-in. That in itself is also slightly troubling because my past experience has shown me that I find it very easy to lose weight when I'm above my "normal" weight but very difficult once I drop below it. However, I'm hoping that this time will be different and whatever has been happening in the past was either co-incidence or inadequate sleep, nutrition or water, all of which I'm paying careful attention to this time.

Oh, I got a new bike too! It's a single speed road bike. I've been keeping my eye out for one at the right price and this one came up for just $200 with niceties such as Shimano R560 wheels.

I've got plans for different wheels & leather saddle etc fixie hipster style eventually but it rides really well as is so I'll be clocking a few miles up before I change anything and then just change stuff as I go (or as funds allow).

The first change might have to be the handle bars. The drop bars it has now are probably the better choice in the long run but for now I'm still too fat to be totally comfortable in them and I also keep trying to grab brake levers where none exist because I spend so much time mountain biking. A set of riser bars & brake levers might be on the cards very soon I think. :)