Jtgyk

I've been resisting the 3rd car thing (although we have 3 drivers in the family).
I've found that the daughter needing the car for work removes the obstacles to cycling to work...especially when the weather is less than ideal. (c'mon 3 miles is nothin'...there's only so wet you can get, etd.)

Now, if I could only get showers for work...

bdinger

You know, once you get into the habit of riding to work for a couple years, it gets to the point where driving is the thing that seems weird. That's what I finally got to, and went "well okay.. then why the heck do I still own three cars for two drivers?" For me that became because I kept the car at work for work errands, and the truck at home for home errands with the van for the wife + kids/family trips. So of course I did some numbers and realized what the REAL costs for keeping the car at work were, and that was a great excuse to get rid of the car here - and the excuse to drive here.

Of course I'm a big fan of Dave Ramsey, and then I did some dirty numbers work on which vehicle to keep - the truck or the car, or to sell both and "upgrade". In the end I realized that while I'll be taking a 50% hit on the truck compared to what I paid for it, insurance plus fuel for it for a year (and my insurance is CHEAP) still are costing me around $1,000/yr. Which is, you know, dumb just because I have an odd emotional attachment to it, and because I don't want to take a "hit" when really I already am taking quite a hit every month. Realizing that even with the work that my car is due for, it's still going to be significantly less than what I paid for it, and that the only real reason I want a newer car is for appearance - sanity has kicked in.

Remember folks, seriously, smart people don't give a damn what you drive - they care about what you are. I work with plenty of "rich" people, and they drive much less flashy cars than most of the, well, poseurs. They don't wear the flashy clothes, and they don't have the flashy "things". All that crap is for is to make up for what's lacking inside most of America, and it's just wrong. You know another word denial spells? Denali. For the longest time after I got this job I was hung up on not riding my bike to work to appear to be that guy, or a weirdo, or whatever. You know what? It's gained me more respect than I had when I was driving.

But that doesn't matter. What matters is that for once I'm starting to get happy. My life is coming under control, I'm riding my bike a lot every day no matter what Mother Nature does, and I'm loving life. Everyone should do the same.

bdinger

Well, it worked last week. Tracking calories (Range of 2500-2800 S-W (was waaay too high), 2100-2500 W-F) and riding 16 miles/day commuting in the brutal cold has paid off. Today's weigh in was at 385.25, a solid 8.25 pound loss for the week.

My average calories were 2581/day, which I think is way too high - this week I'm dumping my range down to 2000-2300 to see how it goes. Only problem is, of course, it's cold and my body thinks it needs to be a big fat hibernating bear. After every ride the past couple days where it's been in the 20s or lower, it seems I'm absolutely starving.

Neil_B

Hydration. Cold weather is at least as dehydrating as hot.

Mazama

Hi, Bdinger. Welcome back.

Tom Stormcrowe

Hey Ben, great to see you, and of course, this place is like family. You can always come back, and always get either the kind word you need, or the spur you need. Just keep coming back.

flip18436572

Try working outside in this weather. I come home from wokring outside in this and feel like I need twenty bowls of hot chili to get me warming up. By the time I feel warm enough to do anything it is really time for me to go to bed, so I don't run, ride or swim. That leaves me with the weekends to swim, bike and run. That and I eat too much during the week because I am tired and cold. I wish I could eat a lot of warm fruits and veggies, but that is not me right now.

billydonn

I had noticed your absence and wondered what was up. Welcome back!

Brando_T.

Hey dude, welcome back, congrats on the 8 lb loss.

I'm Dave P, who has been commenting on your blog over the last little while. Good to see you here.

bdinger

Dave P, glad to see you again! It's good to be back.

This week has been something else. Crazy cold temps, snow, ice and no studded tires have left me looking for exercise. Took a nice outdoor hike in the snow last night - but tonight it's already below zero, far too cold. Studded tires are enroute, but man.. so much snow. A 5am trip to the gym before work is in order tomorrow, so I'm not going to spend much time on this.

Go figure, I finally get a shower at work, and no good excuse to use it! haha.