Forecast Last Updated at Wednesday, November 4, 2009 at 6:57PM

Nighttime Sprinkles; Chilly Thursday

A front is passing through the High Country and the overnight clouds lingering into Thursday are the final weather hurdle we have to leap this week. A few sprinkles are possible and perhaps even a flurry up top but by and large precipitation here is a non-issue. The air will be not as cool in the morning but colder in the afternoon. Sun returns for Friday and stays for the weekend along with moderating daytime temps coming out of chilly morning lows.

We have a new weather station reporting--Linville Ridge. Many thanks go to Mike Broome and Natalie Watson for their help in making this happen. We'll have some awesome webcams from there soon. Don't forget the Wendys Boone Street Cam and the relatively new Green Valley weather station. Do you get the impression that we are growing in spite of the economy? We have averaged over 4 million page views per month for the last four months--and this is the slow season!

Wednesday Hi: 57 Lo: 37 Mostly Cloudy; A few sprinkles or light showers; Maybe a snowflake up top late tonight; Winds becoming NW 10-20 late

Thursday Hi: 46 Lo: 32 Mostly cloudy & chilly with some early sprinkles; A few mountaintop flurries; Becoming mostly clear overnight; NW wind 10-20 mph gusting over 30 mph

Friday Hi: 52 Lo: 30 Clear skies but cool; NW wind around 10 mph becoming light

Saturday Hi: 59 Lo: 36 Sunny with a milder afternoon

Sunday Hi: 64 Lo: 39 Plenty of sunshine; Milder still

Further Out

Monday - Sunshine giving way to more late-day cloudiness; Maybe some nighttime rainfall; High in the lower 60s; Low in the lower 40s
Tuesday - Cloudy with some rain; High in the lower 50s; Low in the lower 40s

Forecast Discussion

A cold front will be passing through the mountains tonight and there may be a passing light shower or sprinkle. With colder air arriving late, a few snow flurries are possible up top.

Early sprinkles or flurries will taper off by early afternoon, but a chilly day is ahead for Thursday as highs stay in the 40s (even some 30s on the mountaintops). Friday will still be cool, but sunny. Temperatures will begin a steady moderating trend this weekend, with above-normal temperatures by Sunday.

The next chance for rain holds off until Monday night or Tuesday.

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 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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