Weight Loss - Sandwhiches, and my Bike
While I haven’t quite hit my next goal, I am definitely well on the way.
The last time I had a blood test, my bad cholesterol was high, and my good cholesterol was low, so I’ve been adding green vegetables to my diet, lowering my fat intake, and eating more vegetables in general. I’ve also been trying to get some exercise in where I can.
One of the ways I’ve been keeping myself full and satisfied, is that any time I haven’t had time to prepare lunch for myself, and so go out for lunch as a break from work, I head to subway. Yes, I know their commercials are rather corny.
I may seem like I am “falling for the hype” but I honestly like their sandwiches, they are low in fat, and I can get 1-2 meals depending on how hungry I am for about six dollars.
It’s actually becoming a bit of a custom for me, as I did this with my last job as well while I was trying to loose weight, and it does work for me. I just find a nearby sub shop I like, and then just make myself a regular customer.
Like many places I go, I quickly become recognized there. I usually give my order in a prompt to semi-prompt manner, and by the time I’m done with the vegetable section, there is more vegetable than everything else in the sandwich put together. One of the ladies that works there is rather fond of me.
I have also begun getting stares at my sandwich from other customers. Little kids give it the ‘why on earth’ look, while guys normally give it the “My gosh. THAT is a sandwich!” look.
I basically get a salad crammed into some whole grain bread. While this is probably more food than I need, this is the healthiest way I have found to simply feel very full and very satisfied in a way that makes my very veins feel happy. And I’m still loosing weight, in a satisfied way.
Heh. I should probably do adds for subway.
As for the exercise, some time in the next week, hopefully on Sunday, I will be fetching one of my last possessions from my Mom’s house, the high quality bike my Dad got me a few years ago for my Birthday. This isn’t a department store bike, this is a Raleigh SC40, designed both for road and trail. I intend to use it both for recreation, and for going to relatively nearby stores to shop.
When my Dad bought me the bike, it didn’t have any accessories at all, not even a kick stand, even though the legally required reflectors were on it. I’ve currently got it fairly well tricked out, in my opinion, even though it has a way to go. The first two accessories were the basics, of course. I got the said kickstand, and a watter bottle holder.
Following that, I upgraded the fore and rear reflectors to actually be a head and tail light, so that I can do night biking if necessary. Recently, I added a light duty rack for the rear of the bike, and got a side bag to hang off of the duty rack. I also bought a light tool kit for fixing the bike in case I break a chain or pop a tire on a ride. It’s rather light, and mounts under my seat. It even came with the tools I needed to install the other accessories on my bike. I also bought a small hand pump so that I can re-fill the tires with air after patching them. It mounts on the left side of the bike frame, it’s plastic holding unit has two eyelets that slip under the water bottle holder. Finally, I got a light plastic fender, to help fend off any mud that comes with a ride in, or after a rain.
I still need to get the bike chain, or maybe a hard lock if I can figure out how to lock it sensibly. I’m also considering getting a better kick stand, as I have never really been happy with the one I have now. I’m also debating on if I want to add a second water bottle holder, or if I want to buy a camel back.
For those that don’t know, a camel back is basically a water bag that you wear like a backpack. It lets you carry way more water on a long ride, and I’ve actually met someone who claims that his saved his life when he took a tumble over the front of his bike when doing a mountain trail, and smacked back-first into a tree. They also have air channels in the back to keep it from trapping your sweat on your back.
On the other hand, it’s way more expensive than getting a second watter bottle mount, and I do have plenty of water bottles. I participate as a family member for my father’s corporate team at a yearly bike rally in the area, and they give out free water bottles and other promotional material to anyone that finishes the race. I also have one for registering my healthy activities with my University’s health department, before I graduated.
Once I get used to biking to the local stores, I’ll be heading to the grocery store, and hauling back my week’s groceries. This will have the double benefit of reducing the amount of food I bring home with me, so I spend less on buying food that would just spoil, and I’ll also be burning calories getting it, and increasing my stamina and my leg strength. I’ll also be saving money on gas. After I get used to that, it’s on to biking to work, where they’ve recently put in a bike rack.
August 5th, 2007 at 12:52 am
Mmmm subway. I like the ’subway melt’. On one of the specialty breads, depending on what they have. Swiss cheese if possible, random choice if not. Touch of mayo, various greens, honey mustard. Not the healthiest item on the menu but still better than you can get most places and I’m drooling.
No comment on the bike thing. I’ve never been able to balance on one of those things. I decided long long ago that if it had less than four wheels, I was perfectly content to walk.
August 6th, 2007 at 3:24 pm
Subway subs are good stuff. A salad on a whole grain bun with some meat is a great meal.
August 18th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Good reportage for you and for Subway. The regimen of excercise and thoughtful diet always pays dividends. Sounds like your bike is becoming quite accessorized!
September 8th, 2007 at 11:26 am
Yes indeed it is, and I have actually used all of those accessories except for the mini-pump. I hope to make more time for biking in the near future as well.