Snow over black mountain

It has been raining for a week non stop. You can probably guess what this kind of weather can do to the emotional stability of someone who loves to bike... I don't think it's very typical for this area in this time of year. Usually the rain stops after a couple of days and then comes back. Or maybe it is typical and it's just that I never cared enough to notice it before...

The worst thing about this weather is that it forces me to go the gym more often, which is not really my favorite place. Going there sweating with a bunch of other guys (and girls if i'm lucky), with not much of a ventilation system, just to keep up with my running shape and lift some weights, is something I can deal with once a week. However, three times a week is just too much, especially when my bikes are staring at me from the corner of my garage, begging me to take them outside for a ride...

While I do have my complaints about this constant rain (spoiled Californian, that's what I am) I have to admit that this winter-like weather has it's hidden gems. One of them which I discovered a few weeks ago.

It was a rainy week, similar to this one but when Sunday came I woke up to a perfect sunny morning. I immediately got on the bikes, and started pedaling towards Montebello road. For those of you who are not familiar with the area, Montebello road, is one of the nastiest yet most beautiful climbs there are around here. It's about 2000 feet of climb along 5 miles, 7% grade in average, and the most intoxicating feeling of accomplishment and amazing views when you reach the top. Definitely worth the pain.

Typical view from Montebello road

On the way to Montebello , I met two friends, bikoholics like me, and together we started the climb. Our plan was to return through the beautiful Stevens Canyon which is a combination of single trails and fire road descending through a natural forest, cross a water pass, and then get back home.

About 2/3 of the way up, we noticed some white spots... several feet further the spots got clearer. Snow!
Now let me set the record straight for those of you who are not from around here - snow is usually something you drive about 4 hours to see. Definitely not something you usually stumble upon so close to home.

As we kept climbing the snow got deeper and deeper

Alex and I on my first snow ride

And finally at the peak:

Once we were done admiring the sight, there was still a minor issue of getting back home. After a week of constant rain the ground was all soaked with water and so were we. Somehow we got down to that small water crossing we planned to get to, only now it looked more like the "Amazonas" river... despite my fear that I would fall and get all wet which might have been a good idea considering the fact that I was covered with mud, we all managed to cross it successfully and get home safely.

This is me crossing the Amazonas

Let me tell you, there's nothing like coming back from a wet, freezing, muddy ride, and getting into a steaming hot shower. Well, not before I had to undress in the garage, leave all my muddy riding cloths there, and cleaning myself from any mud leftovers (yes, it was 40 degrees fahrenheit in the garage... but trust me, my lovely can be very persuading when mud is involved).

That was THE BEST RIDE EVER! a living proof that a crazy weather can be a wonderful experience for mountain bikers. I keep smiling this big stupid smile every time I look at the pictures we took. yes... we only took about 200 of them...

Moms group with a twist*

Quite some time ago I realized that there's more to this life than just looking for what you can get out of it. Let me risk in sounding corny by saying that I actually started thinking of doing something that would fall in the category of giving (well, the girls scout cookies that I keep buying from our neighbor's kid also count for something, no?) for a change.

Throughout my own journey of loosing weight I was surrounded by people who helped me, people who gave me quite a lot, sometimes without even knowing that they did. There was that friend who shared the "how to get in shape" secretes with me and motivated me to move pass my fridge, there were the guys who invited me to their mountain bike group, one who even loaned me my first bikes, without knowing me. Not to mention the huge support I keep getting from my good friend Alex who is my bicycle guru. I am not sure I would be where I am today without their giving.

Getting Ready

Anyway, a little over a week ago I came back from a bike ride and decided to share my philosophical thoughts with my lovely wife. After taking my temperature and almost calling 911 on me (apparently she was not used to me having philosophical thoughts or any thoughts whatsoever) she actually came up with a great idea: "Why won't you start a biking group that you can guide and mentor?" She immediately suggested that it should be a women's group (her included of-course). "Maybe I'll finally understand what is there about biking that causes you to come home with that stupid smile on your face every time ..."

I hesitated at first, but soon I realized that it would be great to share the joy I find in riding with others, and if they end up falling in love with biking like I did, my place in heaven is guaranteed (with a pair of "specialized" bikes waiting there just for me). Motivated to do some good (and also knowing that my lovely rarely takes "no" for an answer) I decided to go for it.

After the big climb

I was still very skeptical about who would like to join such a group. The lovely, who often functions as the "brain" in our family, quickly put together an email and sent to all her female friends. Within less then a week, 7 brave women signed up on my blog. The ride was on and there was no way back (well, actually there was since signing up did not mean anything and they could change their mind anytime they wanted... but it sounds more dramatic this way, no?)

A few days before the first ride, everything was arranged. I selected the appropriate area for the ride and I rode it 4 times to make sure I was familiar with all the trails. The last thing I wanted was to get lost (while in charge of 7 women, lovely included!). So on a Sunny afternoon we all met at Arastradero Preserve, Palo Alto CA to have our first group ride!

Single trail

* Credit to Marit (one of the brave) for the post name.

Believe it or not, I enjoyed that ride tremendously. The girls were awesome! The ride wasn't easy at all. I am not even sure if I could make it as my first ride, but they didn't give up, they rode and climbed, walked the bikes when it was too hard, but then immediately jumped back and pedaled the minute they could. The views were incredible, the moral was great, and we did it: over 6 miles, close to 700 feet elevation gain. did I say incredible?!

Although it was hard work and I'm sure they were all exhausted after the ride it was great fun too. How wonderful is that- to have a full serious workout while enjoying great company, beautiful nature and even some laughs along the way.

I am SO waiting for our next ride...

Eat to live or live to eat?

If you didn't guess by now, let me tell you: I like food and even more I like to eat it! Judging by my old pictures "like" is an understatement. "Madly in love" would be a better definition.
So with this mad love for food, how the hell did I loose 90 pounds? you might ask...
Well... my eating habits were and still are an issue.
I usually eat more than I really need (and it's still less than I would really want, trust me) but today I am fortunate enough to have my biking and my workout routine that helps me get rid of all these excess calories. However that wasn't always the case. There were times when I wasn't exercising that much and still managed to lose quite a bit of weight. I had no choice but to watch my diet...

I decided to look back at my diet to find what helped me along the way in terms of eating habits and food. I was able to come up with a few rules which I'd like to share.

RULE #1, EAT EVERYTHING BUT BE AWARE

Being the food lover I am, I never had any intention to stay away from it (apparently It had no intention to stay away from me either). I would not be parted from my Haagen-Dazs, you hear?!
Since I wanted to have a relative freedom in what I eat and still lose weight I had to decide on some restrictions to my diet. In order for the restrictions to stick they had to be the kind that I could live with. Something like, "Never eat desert again" would not hold for long in my case not even a minute. To be completely honest, I decided not to deprive myself from things that I love to eat. Did anyone say ice-cream??.
The key for me was portions sizes. Just watching how much I ate and designating my portions ahead to eliminate endless refills. If I wanted to eat ice-cream for example (did I mention that's my all time favorite?) I would decide how much I would eat of it (measuring and counting calories of course) and would stick to it. This way I could eat one or two scoops instead of gobbling up the entire container as I used to do before. I guess it's not a lot different from Weight Watchers or other weight loss programs that are available these days, but I was more of a DIY than a "let's all hug and support each other" kind of guy.


RULE #2, MOUTH CLOSED AFTER DINNER
Once upon a time...I used to sit in front of the TV at nights and eat. and eat. and eat. Fruit, snacks, whatever I could consider a TV style food and would be available in our kitchen.
You can see the "chubby" consequences in the picture bellow (and the chubby one I am referring to is not the sweet baby, which happens to be my daughter) :

When I started getting serious about losing weight I realized that I needed to stop that night snacking habit. My lovely wife came to the rescue with all the health-related information needed to support my decision (and a very angry look each time I got near the kitchen after 7pm). Tea/coffee were allowed and with time this became sufficient. Having no food after dinner enabled me to feel lighter when I was going to bed and especially when I woke up in the morning. For someone who weighed 260 pounds, feeling light, even for a few hours, was definitely a big deal.

RULE #3, FIND A WONDERFUL SPOUSE
Well, you can probably manage without, but it's not as fun...
As soon as my lovely wife realized that I was finally serious about losing weight, she immediately joined the battle. She planned my daily menu, made my dinners lighter, and started to base most of the meals on vegetables, lots of them, and in so many variations. It was amazing to discover how many different dishes could be created out of vegetables. I am still impressed with my wife's ability to be so creative with broccoli and green beans (in cooking!). Yes, I know that vegetables do not sound tempting (well, maybe if you cover them with mountains of melted cheese or cream, but that would kinda miss the point, right?) but surprisingly, everything that came out of my lovely's hands and kitchen was so yummy, and best of all - I could eat almost as much as I wanted of it.

The lovely wife's support was not only in her cooking but also in encouraging me every step along the way. I would lose half a pound and she would cheer for me as if I climbed mount Everest. I would complain that I was still fat, and she would remind me again and again (and again) what a long way I've gone. I would reach for the chocolate bar hiding in the back of our pantry and she would appear out of no where, tackling me like a professional football player, shoving a carrot in my hand. Not sure I could have done it without her...


SUMMARY

What keeps working for me is that I eat whatever I like, (including ice cream, cakes, chocolate etc...) BUT I pay attention to quantities. I am AWARE of what I eat and manage portions accordingly. I am generous with the veggies and more strict with the ice cream. If once I would eat 4 scoops preferably with chocolate chips, peanuts and cookies inside, ho and don't forget the cream on top, today I'll just settle for one scoop of Vanilla ice cream. Yes, it's not the same but if I would want "the same" it would mean my old measurements too, don't you think?
Now, don't get me wrong. I am still human and I might loosen my own rules from time to time but I go back to them whenever I notice that I have gained some weight. Yes, you read correctly occasionally I still gain a pound or two (or four). After all, fat guy or not, I still love food and even more, I love to eat it...