Courtesy of the 30th president of the United States... Cash in that change without a fee! I grew up riding a bicycle. It's probably the one thing that kept my weight somewhat in check before I started high school. Once I became an adult and too heavy to ride a bike anymore, I would hear about these century rides. "I could never do that," I would tell myself.  "That's for skinny people." Well, I am here to tell you: I did it. I am now a skinny person. I rode 100 miles on Thanksgiving Day, 2014.  Here was the route: 100 miles, straight up U.S. 52.  For those of you that don't live in South Carolina, that is a 4-lane highway. For the first 60 miles or so, from Moncks Corner to Lake City, I experienced a strong headwind. At times, I was pedaling uphill, into the wind at about 5 miles an hour. By the time I stopped and took a break, my energy was gone and I thought about quitting. But then the little voice in my head started talking to me:  There is no giving up.  

You've ridden 60 miles, You will ride the other 40 today. There will be no disappointment.  You will follow through on this ride.  Nothing stands in the way. And with that, I wolfed down another 1,000 calories and got back on the bike and resumed pedaling.  Moving Cross Country SongsI had not eaten enough on the ride up to that point, so miles 60-80 were absolutely brutal.  18 Inch Wheels Tires EbayBut I kept riding and stopped a few times to eat.  Where To Buy Curtains In ParisI took another break at the 80 mile point, Florence, SC.  Again, I thought about quitting.  But then I thought back to all those times I had struggled.  Like the time I finished a 10K race at over 400 pounds and I thought my knees were going to explode.

Get back on the bike and finish the ride. I got back in the saddle and pedaled like my life depended on it.  And I made it.  Here is a picture of me at the finish, at the 100 mile point about 7 miles north of Darlington, SC: So there it is...my first century ride!  I am not a prideful person, but on this one...I rode 100 miles.  To do it again and do it faster.  How about a double-century ride? Anybody in the Charleston, SC area up for a ride?  Drop me a line. In the 4 1/2 years I have spent losing nearly 400 pounds and keeping it off through diet and exercise (no pills, no surgery, no diets,) there are many foods I have stopped eating.  One of those is ice cream.  Oh sure, I could eat ice cream.  Measure the calories and put it in my food journal and so forth.  But what good is 1 serving of ice cream? I would just want more and more.  So I gave up and just figured I would never have ice cream again. My friends, I have discovered the best thing since ice cream.  

It is a product called Arctic Zero and if you haven't tried it, you are cheating yourself.  This is the answer to the prayers of those watching their calories everywhere.  Go ahead...eat the whole pint! It is only 150 calories for the whole thing.  That's right...only 150 calories.  My record in one day is 4 pints.  That's right, I have eaten an entire 1/2 gallon of Arctic Zero in a day. Other benefits of Arctic Zero: Natural flavors do not contain MSG or HVP Sweetened with organic cane sugar and monk fruit 8g of fiber per pint! Low in calories (150 calories per pint) High in protein (12 grams per pint) There are 10 flavors of Arctic Zero and I have tried them all.  First, before you run out and buy Arctic Zero, you need to know a few things about it.  It is very important to set your expectations about what it is and what it is not. Arctic Zero is not ice cream. Arctic Zero is only 150 calories per pint, which is about a third of the calories of sugar-free, fat-free frozen yogurt.  

Arctic Zero tastes more like a frozen protein shake, or ice milk.  Don't go into this expecting Ben and Jerry's or Haagen Dazs.  Nor should you...it's only 150 FREAKING CALORIES! You can not eat it right out of the freezer.  The name of the game with Arctic Zero is texture, texture, texture.  For it to be right, it needs to sit and soften at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes (depending on how hard it was frozen and the temperature of the room.)  What I do when I buy Arctic Zero at Whole Foods is microwave it for 30 seconds.  This produces the same effect.  It's all about the texture and you want your Arctic Zero to be as creamy as possible. Check the freshness date.  You want the "Enjoy By" date on your Arctic Zero to be more than a year away.  If it isn't, put that Arctic Zero back.   Check for evidence of "temperature abuse."  If the Arctic Zero has been thawed and re-frozen, it is going to not be very good. Squeeze the sides...do you hear a crunching sound?  

If so, there is ice inside and you don't want that one.  Is the Arctic Zero covered in ice?  You don't want that either.  And most of all, look under the lip of the lid.  Do you see any melted Arctic Zero seeping out?  If you do, put it back.  It's been temperature abused. Now that we have that out of the way, let's get on with the review.  As I said before, there are 10 flavors of Arctic Zero, all available in pints.  (Arctic Zero also makes 85-calorie, chocolate-dipped bars.  Those are not available in my area and are not part of this review.)  By the way, did I mention these pints are 150 calories for THE WHOLE THING?  Just want to get that in there.  My review Arctic Zero arrived the other day, shipped from California to South Carolina packed in dry ice.  The Arctic Zero was frozen hard as a rock when it arrived.It will arrive safe and sound. Here's a rundown of the flavors, along with my review: Me at Whole Foods assembling my "Neapolitan" Arctic Zero

There are dissenting voices on the Internet questioning whether or not the 150 calorie claim on Arctic Zero is actually honest.  I am here to tell you it is.  How do I know?  Because I track my calories carefully and I have eaten so much Arctic Zero that if it was off by very much, I would have gained weight.  Arctic Zero has also had their product tested at independent laboratories and found the Nutrition Facts label to be correct.  I believe them and you should too. More information: Arctic Zero OnlineHe lives in Charleston, SC.  You can find him on Facebook and Twitter. Watch his videos covering his journey on YouTube. Bananas get a bad rap. For some reason, it has become popular to criticize the banana as being high in sugar and high in calories. Yes, bananas do have a higher calorie and higher sugar content than some fruits. But let's not lose our minds here. Bananas are delicious and nutritious. I have had people warn me that bananas were going to make me fat.

To illustrate how this is pure nonsense, I have made the following graphic to compare the poor banana with common junk food millions of people eat on a daily basis. Feel free to share this with your family and friends! Today I continued to train for my first Century Ride (riding 100 miles on a bicycle.) I was able to achieve 72 miles before I ran out of daylight. As I was being driven back home after I stopped, It all hit me. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that 5 years ago when I weighed almost 600 pounds that I would one day ride my bicycle 72 miles in a single day. No matter what anyone tells you, you can do anything you put your mind to. 1 Year (365 days) What I like about your book: "I had a thought. When my parents brought me home from the hospital a newborn baby. I weighed 6 pounds and 10 ounces. Now they were taking me back to the hospital, 37 years later, and I weighed over 500 pounds. Boy, I really screwed up. What had I done? I have been given a good life and I wasted it."

What keeps me going: What keeps me going? I just know I’m not going back to what I was. I know I’m staying on the path I’m on. Every time I think about not exercising or going through the drive-through on my way home from somewhere, I think about being at a crossroads. One sign says "death" and the other says "life." Which road would you take? But when people ask what my motivation is, I really don’t know what to tell them. I just tell them I made a decision and I’m not going back. All I can tell anyone reading this who is overweight and unhappy is you can change your life. Believe me, if I read this 2 years ago, I would have rolled my eyes and eaten another Twinkie. But, it’s the truth. You just have to make a decision. You have to decide that you are changing and not going back.  I think people make the mistake of saying I need to lose a set number of pounds. I don’t agree with that. You need to look at it as I need to change for the rest of my life (and start doing it) and then the pounds will start coming off.