Forecast Last Updated at Friday, November 20, 2009 at 5:36PM

Pleasant Through Saturday; Yucky Sunday

Clear skies overnight along with calm winds will produce some typical fall chill. High clouds will flow in from the southwest ahead of our next Low pressure that will bring us rain again Sunday. The yuck factor has been well advertised this week so hopefully you have planned your outdoor stuff tomorrow. We are watching the trends on next front's fronts but they both look rather dry with some better cold air than recent weeks. The table may be setting for more significant cold the first week of December.

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Friday Hi: 64 Lo: 38 Nice end to the workweek but chilly by morning; NW wind light

Saturday Hi: 58 Lo: 42 Partly cloudy daytime; Seasonal temperatures; Thickening clouds late with some late-night rain; Light NE wind

Sunday Hi: 46 Lo: 44 Cloudy & raw with periods of rain & drizzle; NE wind around 10 mph

Monday Hi: 57 Lo: 39 Cloudy with some leftover AM drizzle or light rain; Perhaps some afternoon brightening skies

Tuesday Hi: 61 Lo: 41 Scattered clouds; Pleasant

Further Out

Wednesday - Partly cloudy; A bit cooler; High in the upper 50s; Low near 40 degrees
Thursday - Scattered clouds; Cooler for Thanksgiving; Feeling more like the holidays; High in the lower 50s; Low in the lower 30s

Forecast Discussion

High pressure is here for the next 36-hours or so with some nice weather. Saturday will be the better of the two weekend days for anything outdoor-oriented. Low pressure organizing in the Gulf of Mexico will send high clouds streaming into the state on Saturday, with rain arriving late Saturday night. Sunday will be rainy and chilly.

Slow clearing will commence during Monday as temperatures moderate. A couple of cold fronts will pass through the area next week; One will come through Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, with another one expected Wednesday night or Thursday morning. At this point in time, both should be pretty much rain-free as they will be moisture-starved. The main effect will be to bring colder weather for Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday.

Announcements

Ray's Weight Loss Keys

A few days ago, I mentioned that I was running the Asheville Marathon and that I had lost 75 pounds since the beginning of 2009. My next goal is to run the Charlotte Marathon in December. Countless emails have come in saying congratulations and asking how I did it. (Thanks for all those emails!!) So, here's the gist of my advice to others based on my experience.

• Decide to do it. (The most important tip of all.) When I say "decide to do it", make it a "whatever it takes, stick with it, will not waver from the path regardless" decision.
• Log what you eat. I use the calorie counter at everydayhealth.com. You have to sign up but it's free. (But I have a group of my ASU students working on a similar tool specifically designed for our area.)
• Realize that food is fuel. Treat food like you would gas for your car. "I need x number of calories today so that's how much fuel I'll put in." We would not put dirt in the car's gas tank because we are happy, sad, bored, excited, etc. or because everyone else was doing it. Why do we do that with our bodies? So eat for fuel not for social, craving, or emotional reasons.
• If you log what you eat, you'll learn to maximize volume of food for calories consumed. I targeted 1400-1500 calories a day and NEVER got hungry because I ate lots of volume and often. In general to maximize volume, one will eat lots of fruit, green vegetables, complex carbs, and protein (I ate lots of chicken, fish and pork, limited amounts of beef because of a gout problem.) Also, to maximize volume for calories consumed, drink little (preferably no) alcohol--a glass of red wine or light beer once in a long while, but you probably will not lose any weight on days you drink that. Finally, by logging foods, I realized that I was not getting enough fiber. My weight loss increased when I started getting more fiber.
• Eat 5-6 times a day. If you eat BEFORE getting hungry, you don't eat as much. Plus eating more often keeps our metabolism up. (Our bodies are built for "grazing".)
• Start exercising. Do what you can sustain for 30 minutes. 30 minutes non-stop is the key. Then gradually increase the intensity as you get in better shape--there's a fine line between pushing yourself and overdoing it.
  
  Err on the conservative side and gradually increase the intensity. But again... do what you can sustain for 30 minutes. When I started exercising (about 3 weeks after starting the diet on January 8), I could not run more than a half mile, but I did what I could. Last weekend, I ran a half marathon in 1 hr 50 min 47 sec. Slow and steady and persistent does win the race! Running is not for everyone but I enjoy it. Walking, running, cycling (I have a stationary bike at home now.), swimming, hiking, etc.; any of these will do.

The reward is HUGE!!!!! I feel like I'm 30 again--no exaggeration. My total cholesterol went from 190 to 144. Good cholesterol went from 20something to 49. Triglycerides are in the 40s. Blood pressure is 116/65 and resting pulse rate is 54. Feel like "I could kill a bear." In May, my doctor said "Ray, you have done a total body reset. I'm taking you off all meds and see what happens." I had a check-up two weeks ago--all still good. Dr. Harter literally did not recognize me at first.

No food tastes as good as being healthy feels!

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