Back to the grind

Monday afternoon now - crashing back down to Earth after a much-needed 4 day weekend. Thanksgiving break was a good time; full of loads of friends, food and family. Thanks to my dinner party last Saturday, my fridge is crammed with all kinds of good food that will, most likely, go straight to my thighs; this point bringing me to what seems to be the hot topic in conversations and blogs of late - the winter weight gain.

This year I am determined to win the battle of the bulge, and triumph over my body's natural urge to pack on the blubber and hibernate. What killed me last winter was stopping bike commuting to work, but maintaining my usual eating habits. I do have to say that what I consume is actually pretty good for me (all natural and cooked from scratch in healthy ways), but that I lose when I eat at inappropriate hours and in epic proportions. This year I intend to bike straight through the winter, and to avoid the constant snacking that seems to accompany the first snow fall.

So, in light of all this, to all my readers, and all my friends, I issue the challenge: Fat Race 2007/8. We've done this before, but not very successfully; this year I would love to make it work. The very basic rules are that you 1) weigh in at the beginning, 2) track your weight throughout, and 3) hand in a final weight at the deadline. Pretty basic. For those who are more ambitious, food and exercise logs can be created and shared, but that's entirely up to the contestant. I think there should be some sort of incentive at the end, so I'll take a page from fatcyclist's own competition and propose that all participants an entry fee into a pot that will be split among the two top losers. If you're reading this and are interested, give me a heads up in the comments section, and we'll get the ball rolling; otherwise, it's time to harass my friends in need!