For those following along my journeys…some may wonder what my physical fitness…and my struggles to achieve it…has to do with a motorcycle blog…
The truth is…everything…at least for this motorcycle blog. Faithful readers will know that my writings are not a “I went here and did that” travelogue. I’ve always struggled to convey in my writings…not just what I did…but…how I felt…the motivations and drives behind the man and machine. These are the important things, and frankly, the most difficult to convey.
Those are not easily separated into neat little boxes…and it’s difficult to describe to the reader in a meaningful way what it is that drives me…when I’m not entirely sure myself.
What I do…and why…and how I felt about it…is not confined in any concrete way to JUST my motorcycle.
Passion as principle. It has it’s advantages…it also has it’s costs.
Oh hey…I should note for the deliberately obtuse that may be reading along…I am NOT (surprise) a doctor. In fact, I’m rather well known for being skeptical of more than a couple claims and guidelines the medical community puts out. I’ve been known to tell doctors…in rather plain language…to “bugger off” on occasion…particularly since I’ve had more than one that seems to think that what I’ve done here…can’t BE done…is unrealistic…and doomed to failure. You sure ya don’t want these (expensive) pills? Or surgery maybe?
You also may find contradictory opinions or statements from me amongst the postings. This is because my knowledge, experience…and in particular…my feelings on this issue are growing…and changing. These posts are written at the time of the incident/failure/accomplishment and are seldom edited later (except for obvious typos).
As a young man, growing up in an “economically challenged” (means “poor”) environment, hard work was often my only currency. Construction/electrical and farm-field work…as well as many, many night hours taking whatever job I could get, traded a bunch of my health (and more than a little of my soul) to make my way and eventually progress in this world.
A young, healthy, hard-working man can sustain a work output burning 900-1100 calories an hour most of the day. I did so…for months at a time. Thirty-six hour shifts were not uncommon…
I learned to eat cheap, calorie-rich, easy to make/carry foods. My work required consumption of better than 8000 calories a day just to maintain my weight and be capable of doing the hard work necessary to survive.
Injuries (some serious) accumulated in a lifetime of hard work (and occasional play) also began to take their toll…
Then, as many hard working people do…I “progressed”…putting myself through college and eventually landing what was mostly a desk job.
Those eating habits don’t just magically vanish…but I still worked hard…just a different sort. THINGS had to be done…stress. Study. Put in massive hours…and try as I might…those things never seemed to include worrying about myself.
Wasn’t a habit, ya see. Essentially, everything but me was on the list of things to do or worry about…but my own well-being never was. I simply went to sleep.
It’s the only thing in my life I’ve ever truly failed at…utterly and completely.
One day I woke up and decided I had to do something. It is…bar none…the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
That story is here (newest posts at the top).
Thanks for following along.
Mine…
One of those mornings it hits me *hard*. Something like 7 years ago I was a dead man walking…well north of 427 pounds. Every blood marker there is, kidney, lipids, liver, “off the charts” bad. Blood sugar had gone over … Continue reading
Listen…this is important…
Spawned by a conversation with a “demotivated” person that’s been following my fitness quest: No, I am not a success…and no, you are not a failure. This is NOT an “all or nothing” quest. I am not success or failure. … Continue reading
The Man in the Mirror
A quick video from my trainer on my journey (so far). I do need to thank Rowelett Transformation Center and my trainers not just for teaching me how, but for teaching me that I could. Main lessons learned? –Life, not … Continue reading
A post/surgery fitness update…
For those following this fitness journey of mine…I owe you an update! I originally started blogging this stuff for a couple reasons…heh…partly because it’s become habit for me to blog stuff to help organize my thoughts, and later, because some … Continue reading
Reflection?
I celebrated a birthday yesterday. It marks an interesting day…as 5 years ago my health was such that there was no way I was going to make it to this day. I changed that. The passing of time…usually marked by … Continue reading
Mostly Human
Sitting here in my recliner…casting music vids at the “wall ‘O boob tube”…taking a much needed rest day. Sleep is still tough…work has been at its most challenging, and recovery from this surgery takes a LOT out of you. I … Continue reading
My current look….
11/21/19: When ya think, “I’ve got this…” and then your brain spends an eternity in the night replaying every failure, every bad decision, every serious pain…and telling ya, “You think so?” Continue reading
Groan….
So, just over a week ago I had skin removal surgery. Hard work can only do so much…and I did it. Having lost 210+ pounds, achieved sub 15% body fat, added some muscle, beat diabetes, tuned up my cardio-vascular system … Continue reading
Motivation Won’t Do It…
9/5/19: There’s nothing default, minimum, or easy about the transformation I’ve undertaken. Continue reading
17.2
In a weird head-space at the moment… I’ve been battling my weight literally my entire life…battling it WRONG…but battling it…and of course, loosing. On this journey, this time, I’ve learned how to do it…RIGHT…and I’ve done it. It boils down … Continue reading
Listen, and Understand!
“Listen, and understand! That Terminator is out there! It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop… ever, until you are dead!” –Kyle Reese (The … Continue reading
Tempus Fugit
Folks think I’m kidding when I say I’ve not been this low of a weight or body-fat % in my adult life… Not kidding though. I’m that guy with hair on the right…and 16 or 17 years old in this … Continue reading
The Impossible Feat
8/6/19: Listen hard, listen well.
I have a story to tell.
This is not the beginning though…
…no…not the beginning at all…
…see, this story begins in Hell. Continue reading
I did what to the who now?
7/30/19: You did it. Continue reading
Penance?
So…yeah…the next part of my fitness journey involves a whole lot of pain, a wheelbarrow full of money, some risk, and weeks of no physical activity… I debated even posting regarding it…but I’ve been pretty serious about sharing my journey … Continue reading
Broke 20%
Weigh-in at my trainer’s yesterday… I’ve broken the 20% body fat barrier. This is a number I’ve never been before…and for those of you keeping track…puts me in the “normal/fit” category…especially for an old fart… Not bad for an ex-427 … Continue reading
The 35 inch waist…and the Fat Man in the Mirror
7/11/2019: And I listened. And it stung. Continue reading
The fat man in the mirror…
6/2/19: That dude and I…are going to have to come to terms someday… Continue reading
Game-changer
5/26/19: A HUNDRED million people in the US have T2 diabetes or pre-diabetes…it will kill hundreds of thousands this year…and YOU can fix it! Continue reading
The Fat Man in the Mirror
5/27/19: Have I mentioned the fat man in the mirror lately? Continue reading
The Zone
5/2/2019: A barbell taught me this…but it applies to absolutely everything. Continue reading
100%…what does that even mean?
5/1/2019: I stare. And wonder. And curse. And then I do the work anyway. Continue reading
What the when now?
1/20/19: And so the term was coined. I’m pretty sure there’s a question regarding my sanity in there somewhere. Continue reading
Goals. I have ’em.
1/10/19: The trick is…whether I ever stepped foot on this path or not…easy was never in the cards. Continue reading
To “thing” or not to “thing”? That isn’t the question.
12/5/18: Coffee interruptions. Dangerous things. Continue reading
Mourn or Curse?
12/4/18: All I could feel was an overwhelming sadness…and a little relief he didn’t just stop breathing or burst into flames. Continue reading
Firm stuff.
10/13/18: It was a moment. Continue reading
A lack of will?
9/23/2018: “I want a physically fit, middle aged male that is up on how exercise impacts all the other numbers, hormone balancing, and can discuss nutrition and supplements in a meaningful manner.”
“NONE of those are criteria we can EVEN search on.” Continue reading
Not an Alien…
It happens a lot lately…somebody that’s not seen me in a while will inevitably say, “Wow! You look great! How’d you do it?” It’s an awkward question. I’m not sure I look great…and I’ve got a ways to go yet. … Continue reading
Two years of leg day?
8/13/18: I’ve aligned all the factors I can to get the best result possible.
…and sometimes that just has to do. Continue reading
I thought so too…
8/6/18: Cute young thing stops with her hands on her hips, strikes a pose, and says, “Well shit. I thought you wuz something.” Continue reading
Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong…
07/9/2018: What else have you been taught…what else do you KNOW…that is completely wrong? Continue reading
Contested
5/21/18: My brain has 100 reasons, in an endless litany parading though my head, on why I shouldn’t be here. Continue reading
The deep darkside of a body transformation….
02/24/2018: I have *two* pair of jeans…and *six* shirts (4 of which I just bought) that I can wear…out of my entire closet. Continue reading
The tough part of tough.
2/9/2018: Paying anything to roll the dice just one more time… Continue reading
On developing new habits…
1/30/2018: “But,” says I to the cats, “I can’t work out in formal wear!” Continue reading
Mis-firings…
1/23/2018: Great. Cheating on my diet, naked, with no icing and no flavor. Continue reading
I…live!
1/22/2018: If I’m gonna be miserable and in pain, I may as well be getting paid for it. Continue reading
The Long Burn and the Short Fuse
1/12/2018: And why…do I so intently feel that I’m running out of time? Continue reading
On setbacks and insecurities…
1/9/2018: What’s a rider that can’t ride? Continue reading
My year…in an image.
01/02/2018: Stand with me and shake a fist at 2018 and yell, “Bring it on!” Continue reading
A picture is worth a thousand…bucks…
12/27/17: One lesson that was consistently meted out working my way up from the dregs of poverty, is that life is expensive. One of the most widely accepted currencies used to advance it…is pain. Continue reading
On choices…and costs.
12/23/17: “What kind of dangerous things?”
“Hard work, women, and motorcycles.” Continue reading
Goals…
12/18/17: A few years back me looking to lose 18-20 pounds would be like tossing a deck chair off the bow of the Titanic. Continue reading
I did what now?
12/14/17: Head games. You’d think of all the things I’ve mastered (or at least gotten good at) over the years…what’s going on in my own head would be one of ’em.
Continue reading
There were six…
11/19/17: Suffice it to say…”O-stupid-thirty” is seldom seen by reasonable people. Continue reading
Just a moment while the judges calculate the scores….
10/30/17: Translation: I went *splat*. Continue reading
Mandatory overdose…
10/27/17: This latest round of tests yields a rather dramatic result… Continue reading
Side effects…
10/11/17: I don’t think I can get ’em to cut it down another FIFTEEN inches… Continue reading
I can’t?
10/7/17: There was a lesson in that deadlift…
…and I ain’t just talking about weights. Continue reading
Round numbers…
10/1/17: I think I’m doing it right. Continue reading
Non-negotiable.
9/25/17: My “out of kilter”…has gone on for more than 35 years. Literally everything and everyone has been higher on the list than my health. Time to change things, yes? But HOW? Continue reading
Gonna lead with that, are ya?
9/25/17: That’s a hell of a world view… Continue reading
Grilled beast…
9/23/17:
“I’ll have the grilled chicken please.”
“Ya want that deep fried hon?” Continue reading
*blinks*
9/22/27: Yeah, I know the numbers. Intimately. But still…every now and then they jump out at ya in some new manner. Continue reading
Shout it from the rooftops! The math works!
9/19/17: Hell no. Told ya. I’m an engineer. Math turns me on…this causes my wife to look at me oddly at times… Continue reading
Countdown…
9/18/17: And then my company pulls a Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream truck into our parking lot…handing out free ice cream to employees. Continue reading
Forgive the somewhat narcissistic selfie…
9/15/17: I’d claim I’m winning…but I do not recognize either of the men in this picture. Continue reading
Those Moments…
7/15/17: Padding silently across the carpet, eyes well adjusted to the night, I catch a glimpse of motion and turn to face it. A most dangerous thing stands there facing me. THE most dangerous thing in fact. The only thing I’ve faced that has the power to ultimately destroy me and everything I’ve worked for. And it can do it so easily that it’s frightening to ponder. Continue reading
I wasn’t up to it…but…yanno…the plane!
6/2/17: …and a crack appears on the dotted line. Continue reading
Learning…things…
5/1/17: It is easily possible for one man to eat $100 worth of strawberries in a month. In moderation. Sigh. Continue reading
At least I can still make her laugh…
4/7/17: She looks at me a bit wide-eyed and says, “Wow. What exactly are you shooting for?” Continue reading
Losing it…
3/23/17: Six weeks ago today I announced (on my Facebook feed I think), that I’d had enough…and no matter what it took…sacrificing job, friend, or family obligations, I was going to tackle my fitness. Continue reading
Diminshed
10/20/15: …and those other things in your life are jealous taskmasters. Work, family, friends, your health, life’s goals…well…they are not so forgiving of your shift of attention. Continue reading
A little project (me)
10/28/14: Oh look. Work’s bringing free donuts in for us again. Continue reading
