'Won' my first Diet Bet

That was not too painful. I put in $25.00 for my first DietBet 28 days ago, cut down on the snacking and drinks a little bit, and exercised more (mountain biking and regular 3 times+ per week at the gym) and voila:  down 8 pounds from 189 to 181.  Got back $44 and change.  Will lend it to someone on Kiva and have already entered another DietBet starting today; the bet is $30.00.  My 'late afternoon' weight will likely be around 183, so will probably have to lose another 8 pounds - to 175 - to 'win' this one. It could get a little more challenging this time around.



First night ride on the Terry Hershey trail last night - that was fun! A perfect cloudless night with not a breeze, and remarkably quiet - all the better to hear the tires rumbling across the asphalt. Makes you feel fast even if you're not. I guess you could say I am 'almost' a biker now - just need the spandex and technicolor dream shirt. Not!

BTW for about $120.00 the Lumina 650 by NiteRider delivers a nice bright light which makes it a breeze - and very safe - to ride at night.  I had no difficulty seeing the trail and it produces enough light even on the medium or low setting to pick up anything of significance.  Easy to mount on the bike and easy to recharge from a computer.  Very light too.  

Trader Joe's in the neighborhood

First time visit to the new Trader Joe's on Voss, yesterday. So much better than the Trader Joe's on Shepherd with lots of space, wide aisles, friendly and helpful employees, great selection of stuff that you can't get anywhere else. Quinoa and black bean tortilla chips with fresh salsa, anyone? And items like real wild rice, almonds and Trader Giotto's Olive Oil for a whole lot less than at 'Whole Paycheck'.  I also like the tricolor quinoa, veggie burgers, organic tempeh, canned soup, excellent value table wine and I am sure that I will be finding some new stuff in future.  Just a great little shop for vegans and vegetarians.  Yes they sell meat and other stuff too but the pre-prepared food section is just bursting with non-meat items, as is the meat-alternative section (tofu, tempeh, no-meat sausage etc).

When we couldn't find some item a store employee escorted us around the store to two different areas personally, and the checkout process was quick and painless.  No stupid card needed for discounts, and best of all they don't try to 'force' you to check out yourself, one of my pet peeves.  So sayonara Randalls and Kroger, with a Trader Joe's less than 4 miles from my house, you are fresh out of a long-time customer.

DietBest progress:  Down just one more pound to 181, very close to goal!  Will have to be extra-diligent this week to maintain at 181 in order to get my $25 back.  Which I will likely use to enter another DietBet right away! 

Dropping some elbees

A combination of 'no S diet' and increase in working out and mountain biking did the trick this last week: down a total of 6 pounds for the first 14 days on the DietBet.  Need to shed another 3 lbs over the next two weeks to get my money back.  Definitely do-able unless I fall into a big pile of donuts or a bacon and cheeseburger trap.  :-)

Really enjoying the mountain biking as a sub for running.  Still hopeful that in time I will be able to resume running, as plantar issues seem to be receding every so slowly.

Drove by a guy yesterday who had crashed into a metal retaining barrier on the trail, seemed to have badly hurt his shoulder.  Indirectly this was caused by a vandal who had knocked down a trail sign (warning of sharp S curve and steep downhill).  What a shame.  Even so the bikers need to take it easy on this mixed-use trail.  There is no need for excessive speeding and certainly not around blind corners.

This week my goal is to post 5 consecutive Green days on 'No S', could not get beyond 2 last week.