So, at Christmas this year, Dad & I agreed to challenge each other to lose 50 pounds.  We're each armed with the best technology:

If you would like to find out more about the books, videos and CDs that I reference on these pages, you can do so here through an arrangement we have with Amazon.com.  These references will take you to Amazon.com's stacks and you can find out more about the source of the book, video or CD, reviews from readers, viewers & listeners as well as availability and links to other books, videos or CDs with similar titles, subjects and authors.  You can also leave your comments on each of the works!

• Rick's Arsenal:

  A heart zone training plan -- workouts based on appropriate heart rate for set time periods.

  • The basis for my plan is Heart Zone Training, Sally Edwards, 1996.  Edwards book describes the benefit of using heart rate to plan workouts.  Forget about running or riding X times a week at X pace for Y minutes.  Now, workout at a specified heart rate for the right amount of time.   This is better because you don't over or under work yourself.
  • Polar XTrainer Plus heart rate monitor.  This HRM is also a bike computer, so each workout on the road bike can be analyzed by:
  • UltraCoach HRM Training Software.   UltraCoach takes the heart rate information provided by the HRM and develops appropriate workouts
  • My road bike for warm days and our LifeCycle 5500 HR for cold days.
  • Nutrition information from DietWatch.
  • Weight Tracking by Weight Commander.
• Curt's Arsenal:

  Dad's strategy is apparently a secret.  He's always been in good physical shape, so I presume that most of his success will come from a change in diet and possibly a change in workout strategy.

Here is the tally.  As you can see from the results below, we have both been having much success.  My strategy of bike riding 30 minutes a day (at least), keeping calories down to 2500 per day, and not drinking (yow!) has given me excellent results.   I've lost 37 pounds from my high of 255, so only 18 to go for this contest.   In reality, I probably need to get to 192, so we'll see how it goes from there.