Training & Nutrition - Weight Loss Club

I might as well chime in with my story. Almost 1 year ago I weighed 242 lbs (110 kg) @ 5'7" (170cm) tall. At 38 years old, I knew I was looking at diabetes and a whole host of other health problems if I didn't do something. I went to my doctor for a complete physical. Man was I screwed up. All my blood work was either in the red or damn close. My blood pressure was borderline high and my EKG looked like crap so my doc sent me in for a stress test to make sure my ticker was OK. It took me two weeks to get in to see the cardiologist and It was a really scary and depressing wait to find out if I had done any permanent damage to my heart. Well, my stress test turned out OK, although obviously I was way out of shape. During my two week wait, I decided that my body was going down the toilet and I didn't need just a diet. I needed an entire lifestyle change. I decided I was going to stop blaming my weight on my genes, my thyroid, my metabolism and every other lame excuse you think up when you're fat. I decided to take responsibility for my own condition.

I gave up all the crap I had been putting in my body. All the sodas, all the sweets, all the burgers and frys and ice cream and BS I was putting into myself on a daily basis. I went on a sensible diet and started eating the things which would start doing me some good. I started on an exercise program. At first it was very difficult naturally. I could only do short periods of time on the stationary bike at low resistance settings. However, I started doing a bit of research and learned about training by heart rate as far as the aerobic zone, anaerobic zone, etc. I started training in different parts of the aerobic zone and doing intervals once or twice per week. I started making big improvements in my fitness. By the time I made it up to 1 hour sessions on my endurance training days, sitting on the stationary bike soaked in my own sweat while watching the soap operas the frustrated housewives had set the TVs to. I bought myself a bike and started riding. After a few months I bought a better bike and kept riding even more.

Now I'm down to 173lbs (78kg) and I feel incredible. I had a checkup and I've made a complete turnaround with my health. My blood pressure is 90/70. My cholesterol is 140. All of my other blood parameters were in the normal range. I'd like to lose another 20 lbs and I know I'll get there, but I'm not in any hurry. I've never really been in a hurry about my weight loss. My main goal was to improve my health and change my lifestyle. My weight loss and improvements in my appearance are just a nice byproduct of the whole experience. My ultimate goal is just to continue with my lifestyle for the rest of my life.

Wow, that is a VERY impressive story! Good for you!

I have always wondered what my blood cholesterol is like but my Dr. has always said I was too young to be concerned with that yet. Hmmm. Well, I lost a half pound this week and am now at 136 lbs. I am pretty amazed at that considering some of the binging I have been doing this summer. It makes me wonder what I might have lost! Oh well I'd rather have some weight loss while eating yummy treats than just being really thin.

I have 1 week of cycling left before I will have a month off to take care of some immigration issues and see some U2 concerts. I will be going home and doing a lot of partying, and I have the worst self control of anyone in the world!!! I sure hope I don't lose all my fitness and turn into a blob, because I want to resume my cycling again in late September.

Wow, that is a VERY impressive story! Good for you!

I have always wondered what my blood cholesterol is like but my Dr. has always said I was too young to be concerned with that yet. Hmmm. Well, I lost a half pound this week and am now at 136 lbs. I am pretty amazed at that considering some of the binging I have been doing this summer. It makes me wonder what I might have lost! Oh well I'd rather have some weight loss while eating yummy treats than just being really thin.

I have 1 week of cycling left before I will have a month off to take care of some immigration issues and see some U2 concerts. I will be going home and doing a lot of partying, and I have the worst self control of anyone in the world!!! I sure hope I don't lose all my fitness and turn into a blob, because I want to resume my cycling again in late September.
Whaaaa?!?!? I was 15 years old when I had mine checked at the Mayo Clinic. It wasn't sooo high.....only 290!!! :eek: Now I doubt yours would be that high but it really is never too early to check it.

Well I have a physical on Sept 13, I will ask her to test it out. I am really curious!

Well I have a physical on Sept 13, I will ask her to test it out. I am really curious!

What I suggest is you go in about a week before your physical and have your blood drawn and tested. You will need to stop eating by at least 10pm of the night before you get your blood drawn. That way you'll have the results of your blood work available during your physical and you can discuss the results with your doctor.

Good idea! I have to get blood taken a week early anyway (for immigration stuff) so I might as well do that while I'm at it.

My wife announced this morning that she has lost ten pounds since she started. I'm so proud of her! I knew she could do this if she wanted to; she quit smoking years ago, and I figure that has to be much harder. I never started smoking cigarettes mostly because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to quit.
:D :D :D
(No, I'm not going to tell you her weight!)

Way to go Mrs. Gwinn! Keep it up, You'll feel so much better. I know that of which I speak... I once weighed 308 pounds. I'm no skinny minnie, but I am plugging away, and treating this as a whole lifestyle change. I feel so much better than I did, and it makes me look forward to how wonderful I'll feel after I hit my goal weight of 180 pounds.
Peace, Ritz.

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :D

I've spent days reading through all 49 pages of this thread. It's been fun, sad, encouraging and discouraging. Here's my tale. I was never really thin my whole life, solid and fit. I'm 5'4" female, 43 years old, smoker and 25 lbs overweight. I've been a tom boy all my life. Love sports and have been active in all kinds of sports. I've done weight training for the past 20 years. About a year and a half ago my contract ended on my job. I was out of work way too long. My relatioinship blew up and before I knew it I was fat again, looking for a place to live and generally going through a bad time.
My problem has never been eating tons of food, its usually the wrong foods or not eating at all. I'm not into fst foods, cakes and candy don't excite me. I love breads, but I know I have to watch it. I've been on more diets in my life than I can count. I've read all the books. But it really comes down to finding out what's right for your body.

I've been biking on and off for years, but only recently have I been taking it more seriously. I used to go out and do 5-8 miles and tht would be it. I now starting to build up endurance. I'm up to 25 miles and feeling great. I'm spending a fortune getting my bike just right. Now it's trying to find good places to ride. I usually bike solo, but went on one group ride and surprised myself that I was cycling steady at 18mph.

Anyway, I'm ready to cry. I've using Fitday for 3 weeks, cycling 6 days, having lost an ounce. Approx 1500-1700 cal/day. 60/30/10.
B: 1 cup oatmeal, slice of cheese
s: peach of 10 triscuits
L: PB&J sandwich
S: smoothie (homemade) milk, banana, strawberries
D: egg beaters, or 4 oz meat, salad, baked potato.
I use "I can't believe it not Butter" liquid on potato, Sweet & Low in oatmeal
Bike about 1-2 hours a day. Plan on commuting in fall (I'm in Arizona- way too hot in day)
Am I eating to little, too much. I just need to vent.

Thank you for this website

I know how totally annoying it is when you try really hard and nothing happens. FWIW, it took me over a month to "jump start" my weight loss, I think your body is waiting to see how serious you are! LOL!

I don't think there's anything that wrong with your diet, but if I were you I'd eat more veggies (with your sandwich for example), more fruit (I'm a fruit fanatic, but it's very good for you), and I wouldn't even bother with fake butter/sweetener. I use the real thing but in small amounts. Make sure you eat something during your ride too, if you are going longer than an hour.

Hang in there, give it a few weeks, you'll make progress. :)

A lot of things to catch up on:

DFW — Yours is a very encouraging story. It's great to hear what can happen when you persevere. It would be good for me to go back and read your message occasionally, when I need a reminder.

Mrs. Gwinn — Way cool about the 10lb loss! I think I missed a message somewhere up the thread about what exactly you're doing differently — possibly just eating better or has Mr. Gwinn gotten you out on a bike, too?

AMA — Hang in there and don't give up. It sometimes take a bit of time to get started. Also, like juf2m said, go for more veggies. And, though you may do this already, for a week or so, log every single thing you eat or drink. If you're not used to doing it, it can be enlightening (as in, "Holy, crap, I ate THAT much??!?")

Juf2m — You must have to do that "leave for 30 days" thing? Maybe, while home, you can find a rental bike to keep you occupied.

Me, I've dropped about 1.5 this week. That's good as it means I've started losing again after too much travel and too many room-service meals. If I could stay off the road, I'd end up much thinner, I think.

Hello everyone! Haven't posted in a while. I'm 5'10"ish, and weighed in last week at 168 pounds -- too heavy for a woman my height. I've been trying all year to lose weight and haven't been successful at it -- in fact I've gained 5 pounds since January. So on Monday I joined Weight Watchers. I'll let you all know how it goes!

Hi Everyone.
I have a problem and hope i can get some good advice to where i may be going wrong. Sorry its a bit lengthy but i need to explain.

I have been using my mountain bike on a "Simulator" since June 05, combined with going for lengthy 3-6 mile walks every other sunday.
On the bike, I started off doing 5 - 10 mins continuous everyday, increasing it to 20 + mins....then someone said try working out every other day, to give your muscles time to relax which i did, but i have not lost a thing?

I'm still the same weight? ie 13 stone 3 lbs. I feel better in my self since but don't understand why its made no difference to my weight?... when it should?

I have cut out all meat and alcohol anyway since April as i think i may have some problem trying to digest my food, i have been a vegetarian for years before that, and i think my weight gain mabe combined with foods that i can't get rid of. (I suffer with IBS).
I have a very healthy diet and love all my vegtables.I try to drink plenty of water all day long. I may even go some days without having lunch only a peice of fruit or cereal for breakfast, and just have a normal healthy dinners in the evening.

The foods i eat are as follows:

All veg white/brown bread pittas crackers (jacobs) cheese Nuts
pasta - home made stir frys rice white wine or odd glass of beer Beans eggs fruit - fresh and dried UHT milk tea 2-4 a day coffee 1 cup cup of soups fish - all tpyes quorn salad cream light mayonaise - light ketchup brown sauce pickle
Olive Oil Cereal

Please help mabe you can see something i cant?????
Thanks
Ginge... age 31 5ft4 x

are you saying you ride for only 20 minutes? How much do you weigh? How fast do you go? The problem may be you're not exercising enough. 3-6 miles walks are good exerecise but they aren't going to make you lose a noticeable amount of weight. Also, not eating is not good for weight loss. Your body slows down it's own metabolism when you don't eat, meaning you start to burn less calories. Always eat at least 3 meals a day. They can be small but always eat three times a day.

A new personal best today!! 30.1 miles. :)

(last 30-45 minutes, the temp on bike computer was reporting 99F)

Way to go King Termite! I got in 32.4 myself, and the radio said it was 108 degrees with the heat index figured in! I hope you drank plenty of water, I know I was guzzling like a camel, from my camel-back no less! Peace, Ritz.

Be careful, it's hot out there! WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :D

Just thought I should post since I weighed myself today at the request of a special someone. I last weighed myself in May and was 203# fully clothed and shoed... damn nails really sting the hooves.

Well, today I weighed in at about 187 (about cuz it's not as accurate as a doctor's scale). That's about 4#/month... and I didn't even really notice it, other than my clothes getting loose.

Biggest factor has to be going for fastfood at lunch about 10x/month to 2x/month.

I'd still like to lose ~15 more pounds to about 170.

Good job Lord Opie! I would love to be at 187 right now. I'm currently holding steady at 282 pounds. Little by little.

Way to go King Termite! I got in 32.4 myself, and the radio said it was 108 degrees with the heat index figured in! I hope you drank plenty of water, I know I was guzzling like a camel, from my camel-back no less! Peace, Ritz.
Thanks! :)

yeah....that 99F was the real temp....it was over 100 for sure with heat index.

I just ordered a 100 oz camel pack. :)

Ginger, I'm not sure what a stone translates to in terms of pounds or kilograms, but the heavier you are, the easier you want to take the exercise and the more severe you can get away with making your diet. Even so, yours does seem extreme. My wife is 5'10" and started out at 272 pounds. She was 260 yesterday. She doesn't exercise nearly as much as I do (yet) but she's watching her food. Quite honestly, she doesn't do anything draconian. Like you, she has some food issues--hers are severe allergies to milk in any form and all artificial sweeteners, plus she has a mild version of IBS that won't let her eat oily or greasy foods without paying a price.

Right now, I'd say she eats between 1400-1600 calories per day. We both eat a ton of fruit and vegetables now, which helps a lot. She even had about half a funnel cake at the town fair Friday without feeling too bad about it, since she'd passed up the cake at work. She's my hero! She doesn't get to cheat with artificial sweeteners like I do. I spent Friday night and Saturday making lemon shake-ups to benefit our ambulance squad at the town fair, and I was making one with Splenda for myself about once an hour. ;) She couldn't have that, so she had ONE regular shake-up and gave up the calories elsewhere. She's strong like bull.

Now for the horn-tooting--I have officially lost 100 pounds! 295.5 lbs. yesterday morning, down from 396 on June 1st, 2004. I actually wore my old coaching shirt to the town fair, since it has the school colors. I could not wear that shirt comfortably four years ago when I was coaching middle-school basketball in this town. Four years ago! That's approximately a sixth of my life. More importantly, that's taking me back almost to my college years, which means I'm approaching the best shape of my life. I ran into my uncle at the fair Friday, and he did a double-take when he saw me. He's seen me since I started dieting, but always wearing my "newer" clothes--my fat clothes, which are now quite tent-like and bunched up around the the belt line. He hadn't seen me wearing a shirt that fit. He blurted out "You've shed half yourself right off, haven't you?"

The sad part is that I have not. When I get to 200 lbs, I will literally have lost half my bodyweight. How weird am I going to feel then?

Don, losing 100 is just amazing! It sounds like you and your wife are absolutely doing it the right way — by making a lifestyle change rather than just "dieting." Congratulations!

I just ran into a customer yesterday whom I've known for years. She's always been heavy with quite a large butt but she's nowhere near 300 lbs. She informed me that she's having gastric bypass surgery next week because dieting just doesn't work.
I kinda went,"oh, wow..."
Wasn't sure how to react to that. It's hard for me to believe that she has really tried to lose weight with much real effort but I guess docs won't do that surgery unless it makes sense for the patient. Pretty drastic measuure. I know another guy who would clearly be a candidate if he hadn't already had a heart attack.
CPW

I just ran into a customer yesterday whom I've known for years. She's always been heavy with quite a large butt but she's nowhere near 300 lbs. She informed me that she's having gastric bypass surgery next week because dieting just doesn't work.
I kinda went,"oh, wow..."
Wasn't sure how to react to that. It's hard for me to believe that she has really tried to lose weight with much real effort but I guess docs won't do that surgery unless it makes sense for the patient. Pretty drastic measuure. I know another guy who would clearly be a candidate if he hadn't already had a heart attack.
CPWunfortunately this isn't always the case.

I just ran into a customer yesterday whom I've known for years. She's always been heavy with quite a large butt but she's nowhere near 300 lbs. She informed me that she's having gastric bypass surgery next week because dieting just doesn't work.
I kinda went,"oh, wow..."
Wasn't sure how to react to that. It's hard for me to believe that she has really tried to lose weight with much real effort but I guess docs won't do that surgery unless it makes sense for the patient. Pretty drastic measuure. I know another guy who would clearly be a candidate if he hadn't already had a heart attack.
CPW
I hate that surgery....and unfortunately there are doctors who will do it on almost anybody who wants it. For the record that surgery is the primary reason I don't have a mother anymore. She never recovered from it and died in ICU after a grueling 6 week struggle. She never truly even regained concioiusness in that 6 weeks.

Wel another pound down! Im at 161 now, and I started at 183. Pretty sweet aint it! It was funny last sumemr I said I would commit to getting in shape, never happened. Now of course I didnt have kilimanjaro to train for, and I wasnt an avid cyclist. ITs sweet. I also have 33$ to spend on my self as a gift, if i lose more then it goes up! :D

Don, 100 pounds is awesome! Keep up the good work, and continue to be an inspiration. We are all proud of you! Hi565, you go boyeeee! I think the last time I was 161 pounds I was in junior high school!

That's amazing, Hi565. I probably wasn't in the 160's when I was a freshman in high school.

The surgery creeps me out. One of the biggest spurs for me was going to have my hernia checked and having the surgeon give me pamphlets for their bariatric program. I just hadn't thought of myself as being so fat that people would think I needed surgery to fix it. I thought of myself as "a big guy." I knew I carried a lot of fat, but I figured I was big and strong. But there's just not much difference between a very strong 200-pounder and a very strong 400-pounder where it counts, truth be told.
On the other hand, I have a good friend in one of my shooting groups, great guy, history teacher, works part time in a gun shop and leads a WWII re-enactor's group. But he weighed over 500 lbs. the year before last on a MUCH smaller frame than mine. He was huge and appeared to be approaching total roundness. He had the surgery.
Now he has a lot of loose skin around his midsection that still gives him a pudgy appearance, but he's getting there, and he's a shadow of his former self. His heart numbers are all better, and he doesn't use a C-Pap to breathe at night anymore. His life was literally coming to an end before the surgery.
Yes, maybe he could have done without, but who knows? He knew the risks and he chose to take them. But I don't think I could do it. I don't think I'll have to. I feel like the things I'm doing now, I can do for as long as my health holds out. And once you did it, you could never undo that fact. You could never go back and make it so that you didn't give up and take the easy way out.
That's for people who don't absolutely need it, though. I don't think I absolutely needed it. I needed what Magnuson said in Heft on Wheels: I needed to have my ass kicked.

I swam in the lake with my sons yesterday, and it was fantastic. I can really feel the difference, and it's not just the weight lost. My endurance is way up and I don't have the aerobic death swimming used to give me.

I love dropping in here every once in a while just to keep myself motivated. I figure it's about time to introduce myself and share my tale.

Ever since high school I've been a bit chubby. When I went to college it got a little out of control. The Summer before my senior year I was up to 218 pounds (at 5'11"). My father is well over 300 pounds, so I knew I had to get a handle on things. I went on a diet and dropped down to 185 pounds. When I got back to school my old habits returned and I went back up to 210 again.

I hit the diet again and returned to 185. Even at 185 I wanted to lose more weight but I just couldn't. My diet consisted of eating no junk and hitting the gym 3x a week after work. The problem? I love junk and I hate the gym. 185 became 190. 190 became 195. 195 became 205.

In May I decided to try riding my bike to work. It's a 12 mile ride, and I just wanted to prove to myself I could do it. It was never meant to be a means to weightloss, but I quickly realized it could be. Since that day I have driven my car to work two, maybe three times. For the first 2-3 months I was just biking and making tiny changes to my diet. This was sufficient to get me back down to 185. Ah 185 - always my nemesis.

I tried to put a tighter grip on my diet. But I was still weighing in at 185. After reading this thread again a little over a week ago I made two changes that have helped me shatter the 185 pound barrier. First, I signed up for an account at FitnessJournal.org. It's the best $20 I've ever spent. I log my miles. I log my food. Everything. The miles are easy - I love logging that stuff. But logging my food keeps me honest. The second major change was not eating anything after 8:00PM. Sure, I've already broken this rule once or twice, but it's a good guidline. I weighed in this morning at 181 pounds.

My goal is to get to 175 and then re-evaluate where I am. My Tanita digital scale is going to arrive this week. I'm excited because I'll be able to measure body fat and get more accurate weight measurements, but I'm a bit apprehensive because I feel like it might way me a couple of pounds heavier than my cheap-o analog scale does. Who knows, maybe it will have the opposite effect! Either way, I just hae to remind myself that I've still lost the same ammount of weight either way. We'll see I guess...

175 By October 17th is the goal. Now that I'm by the 185lb plateau, it should be a cinch! I hope to arrive ahead of schedule!

Hi everyone…
Well I figured I should post my latest run at my weight goal… it's not pretty. I spoke too soon when I'd said I was ready to start again. I work for a state agency and we are finely into the interim. No more crazy hours and eating whatever you can find if you have time to find something. Today I start at 274 lbs. A bit of a shocker when I found out that I gained 10 pounds over the last month. But looking back I have not shown any restraint if at all. So, today I rode my bike in for work and I brought my lunch. Rome wasn't built in a day.

That's right! Rome was not built in a day. I'm at 285 and reading the South Beach book. I suppose to have any real effect I'll have to actually do what it says. I need to buy some very different grocerys first, so it'll have to wait at least 'til payday. I'll keep Y'all posted. Anyone use this eating plan yet? It sounds doable. Peace, Ritz.

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :D

I haven't given up yet!
Don, that's great, 100lbs. I'm still trying for 5 lbs. It's been 3 weeks and nothing. You sound like your having a great time in your life. The benefits to getting physically isn't just losing weight, it's how great it makes you feel about life.

Since I've read all the past posts I feel like I know you guys. I think I've become a little addicted to this site. I can't wait for the next post.

Good Luck to all!

Don, 100 pounds is awesome! Keep up the good work, and continue to be an inspiration. We are all proud of you! Hi565, you go boyeeee! I think the last time I was 161 pounds I was in junior high school!

thanks, its been huge for me. Ive always been the "fat" kid or the kid who ahd the extra weight. Now im not toned (well my legs are starting to lol) but i need to start hitting up the sit ups and I think that will change in no time
That's amazing, Hi565. I probably wasn't in the 160's when I was a freshman in high school. thanks.

AMA,Welcome aboard! Make yourself at home. Peace, Ritz.

Hey, wasn't I just 262 pounds the other day? (A couple of months ago.)

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :D

That's right! Rome was not built in a day. I'm at 285 and reading the South Beach book. I suppose to have any real effect I'll have to actually do what it says.
Do yourself a big favor. Forget about southbeach or Atkins or any "diets". They don't really work and most (those two in particular) can even be dangerous.

Pick up "Eat To Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.
http://www.drfuhrman.com

It's not really a "diet" but a change of lifestyle just to start eating the right way so that not only do you lose weight (and fairly rapidly), but you do so safely and permenantly. He has some articles on his website that explain why Atkins and Southbeach are dangerous (at least at high level) and more info in the book. But its not just about losing weight, but about eating to prevent heart disease, cancer, etc....

It really is the "real deal". I'm not trying to bash what you chose (Southbeach), its just that I believe what this guy has written and it can actually be dangerous.

The Atkins Cancer Revolution
http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/article2.aspx


South Beach Diet -- The Latest Wave in Unsafe Diet Books
http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/article3.aspx

Thanks K.T. I know that what you are saying is only to help me. I found what Dr, Fuhrman had to say to be very interesting. At this point I'm kind of leary of all those "Diets" too. I haven't actually implemented the South Beach plan yet, I'm still reading the book, so worst case scenerio...I'm out the six bucks it cost. I guess I just need to use my noodle and eat healthy foods, and get some excercise. Less refined stuff, and more of the things God made. I doubt that HE would steer me wrong. I suppose we are all looking for someone to spell it out for us, when indeed, all we need to do is enlist a little common sense. Thanks Bud! Peace, Ritz.

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :D

I guess I just need to use my noodle and eat healthy foods, and get some excercise. Less refined stuff, and more of the things God made. I doubt that HE would steer me wrong. I suppose we are all looking for someone to spell it out for us, when indeed, all we need to do is enlist a little common sense. Thanks Bud! Peace, Ritz.

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :D

That's EXACTLY what the book is all about ...and he (Dr. Fuhrman) does spell it all out for you. It's funny.....I find myself really getting my EYES OPENED, but at the same time, most of the stuff he's saying is common sense stuff we "really" knew all along.

Just wanted to report that my wife has hit 259.
:D

Don, please pass along a "You go, girl!" :)

I stepped on the scale this morning and am down another 2 lbs. to 241. Damn, I wish winter wasn't looming just over the horizon!

I'm a scale addict… and I'm trying not to step on the scales but once a week. But so far so good this week… I rode 40 miles and have eaten pretty well. This weekend is going to be hard… going out of town for a wedding… wish me luck. Have a good weekend everyone.

Just wanted to report that my wife has hit 259.
:D
Way to go, Mrs. Gwinn!!! :)


I finally hit the 330 mark the other day. I don't know why the even (10's) numbers are milestones, but it feels so good to get down to the next one. :D

279 Today! More to follow. Keep up the good work all! Peace, Ritz.

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :D

Way to go, Mrs. Gwinn!!! :)


I finally hit the 330 mark the other day. I don't know why the even (10's) numbers are milestones, but it feels so good to get down to the next one. :D

I've noticed that as well. It always seems to be my next goal. Congrats everyone on your successes!!!

WAY TO GO MRS. GWINN! How inspiring! My wife just hit 250lbs yesterday! She is now down 13lbs this year! WHOO HOO!
---
Well, I turned 39 on August 24. One of my promises to myself is that I'd get more active here on this thread again. It has helped myself and so many others over the years.

There are so many new screen names that I am not familiar with. If nobody minds, I'd like to re-introduce myself to everyone and give a little history. (If you do mind, just post such and I will remove this post)
---
I've never been very physically active. Back in Jr. High and High school I was not allowed to play football due to bad knees. I think that doctor's decision back then set the tone in my life for many years.

Time warp to 2002. My wife had been diagnosed with diabetes. 6 months later, she convinces me to get myself checked out. Sure enough. I was diagnosed with diabetes as well. I weighed in at 340#s. Smoked 2 packs of cigarettes a day. Drank a 12 pack of Coca-Cola a day. Had a job that kept me sitting at a desk. The shock of the diagnosis was profound. I changed my eating habits. Making healthy choices.
Fade into 2003. Summer. I get out the old mountain bike. Start riding the local trails with or kids. Rode 5 miles! WhooHoo! Start riding it to work now and then. Gradually built up to riding almost daily with the kids over the summer. Actually looked forward to riding after work. What great family time! By the end of summer 2003, I was down to 260#s. I spend fall and early winter reading BikeForums. Learning all that I can about bike commuting. About the health benefits of cycling. All I can get my hands on! Started scouring the thrift stores for an old bike to use for winter commuting. BINGO! Found a couple. Set them up with racks and panniers. Spend the rest of winter commuting on days that were not to cold and snowy.
Spring into 2004. As the weather warms I get more days of bike commuting to work. By mid spring I am riding to work daily. 13 mile round trip. I am really digging riding my bike. Found an old 10 speed and begin riding longer and more serious miles. Ride my first century on that old 10 speed. Got much more involved with the great people at Bike Journal.com (http://www.bikejournal.com). Attended BikeJournal.com's FIRST UNION in Oklahoma. An experience that changed my life. I am now completely hooked on cycling. My weight was now down to 215#s. In October I purchased my first modern road bike. I ended 2004 with 2705 total miles. I got a bit laxed over the winter of 2004-2005. Gained back 15#s topping out at 230#s.
Dawn of 2005. Disappointed in the weight gain I purchased a trainer. Begin riding in doors. Drop the weight back down to 220#s pretty quickly. Riding pretty steady over this spring and summer. Still hanging right at 220#s. Stalled. Stuck. Nearly 3000 miles under my belt for this year so far. Still stalled. Stuck. I recently began resistance training again. I am looking at taking up some light running as a cross training tool. My body has become efficient at cycling. Need to through something new at it to get the weight loss moving again. Even with the additional weight I am a much better cyclist than at the end of last year. Average speeds are way up. I can now pull a paceline at over 20MPH. Muscles are becoming more defined. Still have this darn gut. I recently purchased a set of rollers for use this winter. Also some cycle training DVDs. I have committed to riding the Tripe ByPass in Colorado next year. (big step outside of my comfort zone)
Now comes today. August 27, 2005. Today I will ride for 20 miles. Today is the day I break 3000 miles for this year. My goal for this year is 4500 miles. Today is the day I try to reconnect with everyone on this thread. I need to refocus on the weight loss. I need to rededicate myself to the end game. I need you. I will achieve my mileage goal for the year. My weight loss goal is already blown. This is my attempt to gain the perspective needed to achieve my new adjusted weight goal for 2005. 195#s by the end of the year.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/N7CZinMT/2000MILEeffect.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/zinrider/Cycling/Picture006.jpg
I hope that by sharing my story it may help some of you out with the quest you are in. For me, the sharing helps me to remember where I have been. To remember that all is possible.

Thanks to everyone for helping each other out. Sticking together. Sorry for the long post.

Zin

Zin - Glad to have you back. I'm one of the new people here who in the last few months rediscovered cycling, a sport that I used to participate heavily in years ago. When I first hit the road again this year, it was a definite "Ah ha!!" moment ... I'd been spending my exercise time walking or on the treadmill, and was bored to tears. When I finally hopped on the bike again (taking my mountain bike out on the road), it was like a revelation. Wow. Exercise didn't have to be boring, and it didn't really require me to load the rack onto the car and drive the bike to a trail. All I needed to do was hop on the bike and ride out of the driveway. Duh. It's not like I'd never done this before. I used to road ride all the time but fell out of it 10 or 12 years ago.

And so I've been riding my mtn bike on the road and shopping for a road bike. Actually, I just found and bought a road bike off eBay. It should be here midweek. It's a 2004 Cannondale R500 with Shimano 105 components all around. With luck, it will turn out to be what I'm expecting. (If not, it goes right back on eBay, and I go back to shopping.)

Anyhow, I'm 47 and currently at 241, about 10 lbs down from my starting point at the beginning of July.

Congrats to all that have lost some lbs. Zin, your doing so well. As I said before the benefits to biking isn't just getting fit and losing weight. Now your spending more time with your family and enjoying it. Sometimes I concentrate so much on my heart rate, my cadence, my speed I forget what I really need. I need to be out there where it's peaceful (at least at 4:00am), and watch the sun rise knowing half the world is missing out on such an incredible site.

OK, enogh of the mushy stuff. All my good wishes to all of you doesn't stop from thinking I'm going to quit the dieting thing. Over one month now and no change. I'm waiting for the pants to get bigger and the scale to move...nothing. Fitday is great it tell me my lifestyle cals. are 2500, I cycle and burn 700-1000 cals-= 3200 cal. I've been eating (very healthy, never at junk food) 1700 cal= 1500 cal deficit. I thought that was too much so two days ago I upper eating cals to 1900. Guess what, I gained 2 pounds.

OK, got that off my chest. Thank you all for being here. I need to just read your posts and I get encouraged.

Hi Zin....a great idea. Maybe we should all introduce (or re-introduce) ourselves as there are so many new faces here.



I am one of the new faces as well. My name is Chris (but most people call me KT). I liked to cycle a "little bit" back in college, but it didn't last long as my "route" over the school was so packed with cars I'd be sick with exhaust fumes. Then I moved out away from "right next to campus" and rode my bike for fun a little bit out and about the area. I thought it was a nice neighborhood, until 1 week later my bike is stolen.



Ok...that was about 10-12 years ago, fast forward to 2004. I had always missed riding the bike and had many times "thought" about getting into biking and more serious than I had been. But all I had done all that time was "think" about it. Then a friend of mine around late 2003 (just after my mom died after gastric bypass surgery) asked me if I wanted to rent bikes and ride on the trail (Pinellas trail) on Saturday. I thought that sounded like fun, so said "sure".



We get the bikes and I'm having trouble staying with her because she's soooooo slow. I literally was nearly falling over by trying to go at her speed. She finally told me to go on ahead, I didn't have to wait for her. So I took off. My "first ride" in 10 years took me 14 miles. I was so excited.....waaaaay exceeded my expectations, especially for a 350# guy. When I got back she really enjoyed it too, though she only had gone 4 miles and was vomiting now (LOL).



We both decided we wanted to buy bikes and "get into cycling". Some preliminary research (consumer reports) told us that we really needed to get "good bikes" from a bike shop and not from x-Mart. So we both looked (I went through at least 15 bike shops trying bikes). Ironically, we both ended up with the same bike, Trek Navigator 300 (comfort).



I first started riding on my own and did not get very far then....was never going more than 5 or 6 miles. Then I moved over to "this side" of the area and started riding with friends from work. I got into the routine of riding nearly every weekend, but that was it....only once per week. It really wasn't much helping me lose any weight.



That went on for about 1 1/2 years, until early this summer. My friend that had bought the bike stopped riding after about 3 rides. At one point (probably early this year) I'd guess I was even up to around 370#.



Then around March, same friend decided she was going to California for vacation with another friend of hers. Her friend, who was into biking a little, wanted to do this 20 mile tour guided bike ride from vineyard to vineyard. She wanted to do the ride and asked me if I could ride with her to help her get back into "riding shape".



That was the catalyst to get me going. In order to help her, I started riding with her about 3 or 4 times a week and have been doing so ever since. She has since done her ride and now riding much less again, but I am still going 3 to 4 times per week. The more I went, the more the need was driven and I was working on my speed and distance. Last weekend I set a new personal best with 30 miles. :)



I have a new riding partner, which now gives me 3 (2 "occasional" and 1 "regular) riding partners. If all goes well I try to ride at least twice during weekdays (around 15-20 miles each), and at least once or twice on weekend (Sat is long ride and Sun, if go, a reovery ride).



I got down to around 350# a month or two ago. Then from another post in here, I started reading "Eat To Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. It's a wonderful book. It's not a diet but just straight up nutrition which teaches you how to eat right. So I've really got my diet going 100x better in the last month or two and have now dropped to about 330#. I'll turn 35 next month....would be nice to hit 320# for my birthday. :)

All right, fine, I give up. I will read Eat to Live.

I fixed up my wife's old Murray MTB today using the upgraded tires, saddle, etc. from my old Huffy. I took it for a ride around the block to make sure everything was tight and right, and I couldn't believe how bad it felt! But it'll be enough for her to try riding for awhile, and then I think she'll end up on a hybrid or a fitness bike. I don't think she'll want a road bike, but then I didn't think I wanted one, either. I bought a better computer for mine, so I'll put the old one on hers, and we'll see if she gets nerdy about mileage and speed.

Whoa, wait a minute, Don — Just how bad was that Murray given that moving parts from your Huffy was an upgrade? I mean, we've seen the picture of the Huffy.... :D

I am new to the forum. Lots of inspiring posts on this thread. That's great. I am also new to cycling. I bought a Trek 1000c this past year. I started riding about a week ago . . . I put on 70 miles. I used to be a long-distance runner . . . lots of marathons and injuries that came with that.

What first attracted me to cycling is there is an 85 year old man in my spinning class who does century rides every weekend. He said he was sendentary and out of shape until he was in his 60's. He is in great shape now (like Jack Lalane) and no injuries. I love that. I love that outside of the sucking wind that I do on hills, I feel really good after the rides.

I lost 30 pounds a few years ago and have kept it off. I still have 20 to go. I'm hoping cycling and counting healthy calories will take me there by 2006.

Keep up the great work. A body in motion is a beautiful thing
Sandy

Welcome aboard Sandy, and welcome back Zin, it's good to see you here again my friend. 278 pounds today! Peace, Ritz.

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :D