Did you know Buffalo Bill's grave is at the top of Lookout Mountain?

I finally went to Buffalo Bill’s grave.

I have lived in Colorado pretty much my entire life and I have never been to Buffalo Bill’s grave. Well, I went there today and I didn’t even know I was going there. I got there on my bike. Since I am now officially in training for the Triple Bypass I need to start training on hills and Lookout Mountain is a good one. I drove to Sloan’s Lake then rode from there to Buffalo Bill’s grave and back. It was a total of 34.13 miles. It took me three hours and thirty minutes. Yes, that is a slow ride – my average speed was 9.7 miles per hour. But let us not forget that I am trying to shed some extra weight. Hauling my big fat butt up over 3,000 vertical feet is not that easy. I’m glad I did it at all.

I started out at 5348 feet and got up to 7356 feet. Most of the vertical was miles 12 through 17. The best thing about trudging up that steep hill is being able to come down it. I love that part. I took some Gu and Sport Beans with me which I think helped. The hard part about putting in a ride like that is balancing the nutrition that is needed but still keep on a weight loss formula. I am the type of person who will give myself permission to eat everything in sight because I had a hard work out and burned a lot of calories. I should know better by now – that just derails all my efforts. I sort of fell into that trap again for dinner but I did make some good choices. One thing I always do is concentrate on the bad choices and don’t give myself credit for the good choices. I think it is important to give ourselves kudos when we do something right. I think it comes down to my perfectionism in that if the entire meal isn’t perfect then the whole meal is a bust.

So, let’s break down the meal. First off I should have checked to see if the restaurant had a web site and if yes, did it have nutritional information for the food it serves. If I had checked beforehand I would have known that Ted’s Montana Grill not only has a web site but it has a great breakdown of all the nutritional information. Preplanning restaurant meals is getting a lot easier with the internet and that is one diet tip that really works. Looking at the menu beforehand and committing to the order can save a lot of second guessing and calories. Alas, I didn’t look at the menu before I went to dinner so I didn’t do as well as I could have but I am going to take this a positive step because I did look at the menu after dinner and realized (again) how important it is to preplan. The one good thing that I did was substitute French Fries with Roasted Asparagus. French Fries are 300 calories, 30 grams of carbohydrates and 18 grams of fat. The Asparagus is 60 calories, 3 grams of carbohydrates and 5 grams of fat. Adding that up, I saved 240 calories. Good thing too because the cheeseburger was pretty hefty. I ordered a beef burger with American cheese, Bacon and Mushrooms on an Oatie Wheat Bun. The bun. Classic dieter’s mistake that I have learned a thousand times and I should know better by now. Things that sound healthier usually are not. I ordered the Oatie Wheat bun thinking it would have more fiber than the regular sourdough roll but I was wrong. The sourdough roll has 2 grams of fiber and the healthier sounding Oatie Wheat bun has 1 gram of fiber. The other lesson I learned that I didn’t even think about was the butter. The buns are toasted with butter. Next time I order any kind of sandwich at a restaurant I will make sure to ask that it not be toasted with butter. So, the regular sourdough roll plain is 150 calories, 30 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fat (as opposed to 8 with butter). The Oatie Wheat Bun with butter is 280 calories, 36 grams of carbohydrates and 13 grams of fat. The beef I ate was 10 ounces with 480 calories and 39 grams of fat. I could have had 8 ounces of Bison for 340 calories and 20 grams of fat and it has three more grams of protein. Even better yet I could have had 7 ounces of chicken for 260 calories and 9 grams of fat. I felt like something heartier than chicken so, had I thought about it I would have gone with the Bison. And seeing as I did visit Buffalo Bill’s grave earlier, it would seem appropriate to eat a buffalo. Lastly, the toppings I chose were nearly the worst I could have had. I ordered American cheese, bacon and mushrooms for 300 calories and 24 grams of fat. If I just eliminated the bacon I would have had 150 calories and 14 grams of fat. My total meal was 1,120 calories. Had I checked the menu beforehand I could have saved 440 calories and still enjoyed the meal just as much. Thankfully I burned a lot of calories on my ride so I was still at a deficit by the end of the day but this is a typical example of how I must be aware of what I am putting in my mouth. It was a really good reminder to me that I can make better choices and still feel satisfied.

Five full days with no television.