Training & Nutrition - Weight Loss Club

Just found out today that I have dropped approximately 10 pounds in a month. And I wasn't even trying :eek: That just made my day right there.

well done, hickeydog. maybe, i should stop tying :)

my checkin for the week...173. i'm still skeptical about hitting 160 two months from now, but hopefully by the end of the year i'll be there.

hope everyone else is on the path.

Hello everyone...I am brand new (again) to riding a bike and bought it for losing weight and for overall fitness (age: 54). Just to get started, I purchased a Trek Pure Sport. Since buying my bike last Tuesday, I have ridden 10 miles every day, except today. Please tell me I have made the right choice as cycling for weight loss! I am so impressed with your stories, I pray that it will do the same for me. Thanks in advance for the support!!

Thought I'd check in.

9/3 - 237 lbs.
9/18 - 233 lbs.
9/24 - 230 lbs.

I've changed my diet to healthy small meals and I've been trying to hit the mountain bike trails before work. I even squeezed in a weekend ride on Saturday. My goal is to lose 2 pounds a week. So far so good.

I started cycling in May 2006, and initially lost about 30 lbs through about November. I stayed at that weight until August 2007, when I finally started paying attention to the calories I was eating.

At first, I used the cycling as an excuse to eat more. "I'll just burn it off; that's just 10 more miles on the bike." But I wanted to lose more for a mountain ride coming up (3 gap / 6 gap).

I've lost about 20 lbs since the beginning of August, just because I'm aware of the calories in the food I'm eating. I use fitday.com to track mine, but many options work. I just had to see how bad I was eating to change my behavior. Now I'll just see how low it drops, as I think I've changed my whole attitude about food. I'm not hungry anymore (I was initially). I just eat the right food, or less of the bad stuff. I've dropped from size 38 pants to size 32! Any my life insurance rating went from standard to "super preferred." Saves money, looks better, climbs hills faster, and LOTS more.

I weigh myself daily, but do "official" weigh-ins on Mondays where I write down my weight and bodyfat in a little notebook. I weigh in at the same point in my morning routine for consistency. The BF number always varies wildly, but when I track it week-by-week, I see it going down slightly overall.

Daily weigh-ins are merely to satisfy my curiosity.

9/3 - 166.2 lbs
9/10 - 165.6 lbs
9/17 - 163.3 lbs
9/24 - 161.8 lbs

I would love to be sub-160 by my birthday - Oct 3 - doable but tough. I have to *really*watch the diet and not slip up.

just checking in because in part im doing very well to the point where i question how healthy this is.

9/12 273.4
9/15 274
9/17 275 (broke down and than started counting calories)
9/21 270.6
9/25 266.6

so right now ive been eating close to 1800 cals a day sometimes over but thats my norm
to keep my weight it says i should be eating about 3100 so there alone is a deficit of 1300 cals not including my cycling or gym visits.

i guess my biggest fear is im just losing lean muscle but my rides have only gone longer as i ride more so im doubting that.

anyways im only 20 and 6'2 so i did expect to burn this.

Today's weight, 223. 3 lbs down from last week, and my Tanita is now measuring my body fat at 27%, down from last week's 29%.

weekly checkin. down to 171.8 this morning. going in the right direction, so no complaints. glad to be back in normal bmi range, though i'm not sure that really means anything. i'll be happy when i hit something close to 23.

after reading about the accuracy (or lack thereof) of tanita scales on other threads, i haven't used the bodyfat feature on mine.

hope everyone's fighting the fight.

Wingman weekly update:
9/23 200.5
9/30 196.5

Started riding again after some time off. In Jan 07 weighed 195. Riding 4-5 days per week 35-60 miles each ride. I now weigh 165. Might hit 155 by next year.

my weekly update: I'm at 220, down from last week's 223. I've got 5 more to go for the 20 lb challenge.

9/3 - 166.2 lbs
9/10 - 165.6 lbs
9/17 - 163.3 lbs
9/24 - 161.8 lbs
10/1 - 161.8 lbs

I seem to have stalled, so I stepped up the effort a bit. I count calories on fitday, work out (lifting) on Sun and Th, and ride on MWS and either Tue or Fri. On lift days I added a sprint workout to kick up the activity level while keeping daily cal. ~1800 @ roughly 40-30-30. We shall see.

I hit 301 lbs the weekend after Thanksgiving 2006. I said enough was enough! I joined Weight Watchers, started walking, then riding my mountain bike, then back to my road bike. I have lost 81 lbs since November. I had gone most of the last ten years with very little cycling. Cycling has provided me with mental stress release I need, the inspriration as my riding has improved, and the long term goal setting opportunities to keep focused through the last year. I rode the Hott N Hell Hundred in August and the MS 150 last month. Targeting the Oklahoma Centennial Century in a few weeks. Weight Watchers has been a big part of this process, too. I've learned to eat properly, learned to recognize why I overeat, gained the weekly accountability at weigh ins and meetings and gained much support from fellow members.

I would encourage all cyclists looking to loose weight to get on some type of healthy, well designed, proven eating and nutrition program. It has worked for me. I have 20-25 more pounds to go. Looking to hit it before I turn 50 in March!

Tony

9/3 - 237 lbs.
9/18 - 233 lbs.
9/24 - 230 lbs.
10/1 - 227.5 lbs.
10/8 - 224.5 lbs.

9/10 - 165.6 lbs
9/17 - 163.3 lbs
9/24 - 161.8 lbs
10/1 - 161.8 lbs
10/8 - 161.0 lbs

looks like i'm stalled for a bit. i'm at 170 now. barely on pace to make that 160 by thanksgiving. still, its 11 lbs lighter than peak weight this summer.

My weekly update: I'm at 217, down from last week's 220. I've only got 2 more lbs to go for the 20 lb challenge. I think I'm going to consider it a 30 lb challenge, and shoot for 205 by thanksgiving. Probably won't get there, but I'm seeing how close I can get.

168 this morning. Getting there, slowly but surely.

New to the forums just saw the thread....down 60 lbs from 297 since last December. Would like to get in on the 20 by thanksgiving, but that may be a bit aggressive for me arriving at this late date....However, hoping that the cycling will start the fat to burning again. Dropped the weight so far by lifting and running....pounding the pavement started getting painful so I am hoping the bike takes the impact off the joints and gets the fires burning again.

My Weekly Update: Not the best week. I'm down to 216 from last week's 217. A few days ago I was at 213.5, but I skipped a few bike days due to weather, and my weight went up pretty rapidly. I'll be back on the bike today, so hopefully I'll be better off next week. I'd hoped to be reporting that I had my 20 lbs done today, but right now, I'm at 19 lbs down.

9/3 - 237 lbs.
9/18 - 233 lbs.
9/24 - 230 lbs.
10/1 - 227.5 lbs.
10/8 - 224.5 lbs.
10/18 - 220 lbs.

17 lbs down, 45 lbs to go.

I only have 3 more lbs to lose to achieve the Thanksgiving Challenge. Like linuxelf, I think I am going to shoot for 30 lbs by Thanksgiving.

I just found this thread!!!

Here's my story...

I'm 34, male, Seattle WA (where I've lived since I was 6 months old). I bought a Trek 7.3fx just this past May. At the time I weighed around 210. I stand 5'10 and have been slim my entire life, except for the past 2 years. I was depressed because I couldn't find a way to deal with the stress of work and of everyday life. I was drinking a six pack of beer every night to self medicate.

I bought the Trek and began commuting 25 miles round trip, 5 days a week. On the weekends I would ride 30-60 miles. I hurt at first, everything from my ***** to my legs. I'm a gifted athlete who excelled in baseball and soccer and have NEVER felt the pain that I felt the morning after a 60 mile ride. I have this issue with still thinking that I'm 18 and can do it all....HA!

I quit drinking beer. I cut down on the pasta and red meat. I began eating breakfast on a daily basis for the first time in my life. I drank a lot of water. Lifestyle changes...

In August I purchased a Cannondale CAAD8 road bike and I don't think I'll ever look back. I can now ride 75-century w/o any issues whatsoever. Currently I weigh about 170lbs and am LOVING every minute of it. I have $1000 Brooks Bros. suits that don't fit anymore, and I'm as happy as can be!!!!!! I can step away from the ego based lifestyle and move into one that is centered around self worth.

Cycling has changed my life forever. Not only do I feel and look great, I've found a fun way to de-stress after a tough day. I'm 18 again, and I see NO reason why I should ever feel different again.

My weekly update: I've officially passed the 20 lb mark, and am going for 30. This morning the scale read 212, down 4 lbs from last week's 216. Total weight lost so far is 23 lbs. I upped my Tue/Thu rides from 10 miles to 12 miles, and I upped my Sat/Sun rides from 12 miles to 15. The extra time on the bike (just a few more minutes per ride) really seems to be helping. I got my dad back into cycling a few weeks ago, and he's been giving me regular updates on his progress. We had originally planned to ride the 30 mile course in Habitat for Humanity's Bike To Build in May, but now he wants to ride the 62 mile course instead. The way I'm feeling now, I believe in 7 months, the 62 mile course should be no problem.

Weighed in at 166 this morning. I was 181 first week of september so thats 18 lbs gone so far. Not riding as much as I would like to, but still getting in a decent amount of activity. If I hit 165 the morning of 11/01, I should be able to 161 by thanksgiving.

I'm hoping to get one of those city bikes (old english 3-speed or fixed gear) once i hit my target of 155.

As for now, I have a hybrid (Bianchi Boardwalk). Anybody have any suggestions for decking it out for the winter?

9/3 - 237 lbs.
9/18 - 233 lbs.
9/24 - 230 lbs.
10/1 - 227.5 lbs.
10/8 - 224.5 lbs.
10/18 - 220 lbs.
10/26 - 218 lbs.

Nice job everyone !!
It's harder to keep the weight off from my experience, lost 40# and gained it all back in less then a year.
I'll shoot for 10# by thanksgiving.

10/28 - 195#

9/24 - 161.8 lbs
...
10/29 - 158.2 lbs

Slowly but surely...

Weekly Update: Somehow, I didn't manage to lose weight. This morning's reading was 212, same as last Wednesday. On Monday I was down to 210. I'm not concerned, though. My weight has been oscillating 3-5 pounds, with a general downward trend. Last week's 212 was near the low point in the wave, today's 212 is near the high point. My Tanita is measuring my body fat percentage as 24, down from the 25 last week. I know that this isn't very accurate, but I think that its moving downward is an indication that good things are happening. In addition, I've upped my rides again. I did 17 miles yesterday averaging 17mph (just trying to see how far I could go in 1hr), and over the weekend I did two 20 mile rides averaging 16mph.

10/28 - 195#
11/04 - 194#

I really need to eat less junkfood if I want to hit my target of 10pounds... only 20 days left.

Biking was perfect for me, at the start of freshman year i was weighing just barely 200 lbs. (i am 6'5") and, as most do i gained the freshman 15, and more. mid-way though sophmore year i was weighing in at 265 and drinking pretty much every night.
i dont know what sparked it, but i started riding again after a year and a half absence and lost the pounds like it was my job, coming back after long weeknight and weekend rides the last thing i wanted to do was drink. it took about 5 months, but i lost all the weight and was left with all lean muscle.


gotta love the pedal bike! :)

Weekly Update: My slump is over, and I'm back on track again. Dropped another 3lbs this week, from 212 to 209. 4 more lbs to reach 30 by thanksgiving. I'd love to be below 200 for my physical on the 30th, but that's rather ambitious.

I upped my weekend ride to 25 miles, and that was a bit too much for me at this stage. My legs were sore for three days, and I ended up skipping my Sunday ride because of it. I'm dropping it back down to 20 for a few more weeks until I feel better about it. Last thing I want is some sort of injury that'd prevent me from being able to ride.

10/28 - 195lbs
11/04 - 194lbs
11/11 - 193lbs

Weekly update:

Last week 209lbs
This week 207lbs

2 more lbs by Thanksgiving to reach the 30 lb goal.

At my November physical in 2005 I weighed in at my highest weight ever: 206 lbs. My doctor wrote "obese" on my chart and I was very motivated by that. I'm 5' 9" and I looked pretty overweight. At last year's physical I weighed in at 196 lbs. The doctor wrote down "overweight" on the chart. I go in next week and I weigh 180 lbs after a very active year. I think anywhere from 170 to 175 lbs would be ideal for my body size.

Bicycling steadily all year since April has led to the dramatic loss. I'm pretty pysched about it.

Bicycling steadily all year since April has led to the dramatic loss. I'm pretty pysched about it.

As you should be! That's a great change. Do you have before/after photos?

I don't have any pictures really because I do a post once in a while at work when it's slow. At home I have dial up and I hardly ever get online.

Thanks for the encouragement. I think it took a good two months of steady bicycling to get my metabolism up to the level where I started losing weekly. After that I noticed, and others noticed, a big difference. One of my sons was teasing me about a picture we have of me working on our treehouse with my gut sticking out.

It's nice to fit into 32" jeans again. I never want to go back.

Been awhile since I checked in...
anyway, I am pleased with my progress so far.

10/8 - 161.0 lbs
...
11/12 - 154.1 lbs

My long-term goal is 137. My short-term goal, for next Monday, is 153.

10/29 227.5
11/5 221.4
11/12 219.3

I've started commuting by bike 2 times a week, plus some errands. Any days I was not on the bike I was in the gym. In fact some days I rode the bike was also in the gym. Two days a week with a personal trainer. My wife signed me up with her personal trainer, and we joined a "Biggest Loser" type contest at the gym. Nice to see the weight starting to come off. I'm only 5'7" so 220 pounds is a LOT for a guy my size.

Hi all,
Haven't updated for a while. This morning, weighed in at 163.4. As suspected earlier, thanksgiving comes a couple of weeks too early to hit that 20 lb boundary.

If I'm at my final goal of 150-155 by mid Feb next year, I shall be a happy person!

w00t. I've done it. This morning the scale read 204.5. That's 30.5 lbs down, and just in time for Thanksgiving!

New to this forum and new to this particular post. Some very encouraging stories on here - excellent work! I have lost approximately 30 pounds thus far (about two years worth of working at it). My weight is 210, however, my goal is 165. It is a long way off but completely achievable. I stick mostly to whole foods and avoid packaged foods like the plague. So, with that said i am going to jump into the fray here:

11-21-2007
Weight: 210 lbs
Goal: 165 lbs

Will keep checking back in to give and get updates.

Cool thread! I loved reading the success stories and even some of the struggles.

Ok...I was as much as 250 at one point 15 years ago. I lost some. Put some back on. Lost a little more etc. Here is my current journey since April, 2007 when I started cycling and tracking my weight...

4/30/07 - 220 lbs
5/31/07 - 220 lbs
6/30/07 - 215 lbs
7/31/07 - 210 lbs
8/31/07 - 208 lbs
9/30/07 - 205 lbs
10/31/07 - 204 lbs
11/30/07 - 200 lbs

I was stuck at 205 for a while and really started watching my calorie intake in mid-October and it made a difference.

My tentative goal is to be down to 170 lbs by 6/30/2008. Although, I'm 5'10" and have a reasonably muscular build (I'm definitely not a twig). I may reevaluate when I get closer to what seems to feel like a healthy weight to settle into. I'm not trying to do this overnight. I'm thinking about a pound a week average or 4-5 lbs per month. I think by next week I'll be out of the Clydesdale category and I don't ever want to see it again. I may have a little celebration for that (although the Clydes on this site are extremely nice and have assured me that I won't be kicked out of the club just because there is less of me :D). I'll try to remember to keep updating my info at the end of each month!

Awesome John - keep it up, great inspiration.

Awesome John - keep it up, great inspiration.

Thanks. Looks like you've made some good progress as well. Keep it up!! I'll be cheering for you

It's funny, it has gotten less about losing weight now. In a sense I don't so much care about it except that I want to be fitter and be able to climb hills better. Much better. I think 30 pounds less of me will help with that immensely :D. Then I'll start worrying about trimming weight off the bike, which just may mean getting a new bike for a start :D.

I've never has a real weight problem. I have to be very careful 'tho because my whole family is overweight. Max weight was 130 when I was in college eating all that dorm food. Lowest weight was 105 around 8 or 9 years ago. I am 5'4 1/2". I can't carry a lot of weight. I have been called "chubby" at 120.
1/1/2007: 115.6; Body fat 13.7 %
1/2/2008: 112.8; Body fat 10.1 %

I have been weight training consistently for 30 years now. Started working with a Russian cycling coach a month ago and have to weigh in 3 times a week before and after each session. All that gets recorded. That keeps me very focused. I don't want to evoke his wrath. :eek:

i started riding again since the summer of 06 and have basically been commuting to work as many days as the weather allows. this includes not wussing out when it's 30 degrees out - layers and layers of clothing. i have no idea of the amount of weight i've lost, but i do know i've gone from a size 14 womens to a size 10 womens. so i am guessing 10-15 pounds? my ideal size would be an 8. more important than weight though i've gained muscle and lost fat. i feel great and confident about my body, but also i've really gotten into riding. my dad (an avid cyclist out in colorado) even went so far as to help me purchase my specialized dolce last year and for christmas this year he gave me spd pedals and shoes! <3

Slow & steady with the weight loss. I started riding again last year after 15 years off, and was about 15 lbs over my old racing weight. I've now lost about 30 lbs total and am at the weight I should have been back when I was racing ! I should have lost weight way back then - maybe I would have done better.

I'm no expert on this, but here's what I did:

1) Cut back a bit here & there on the junk food. 2 cookies instead of 3, smaller bowl of ice-cream, 1 brownie instead of 2. I don't see any reason to cut out all the fun stuff

2) Drink more water. I started drinking water with a dash of lemon at home & work. I realized that sometimes when I was thirsty, I would eat something instead of drinking. Try various drinks to see what you like. Orange juice with seltzer, seltzer & other fruit juices. Most fruit juices are VERY sweet & sugary ... I cut them to at least 50% water if not more.

3) Get used to the feeling of slight hunger. Sometimes, I won't eat quite enough to satisfy my hunger pangs. Dampen them yes, but not completely fill myself up. Then, when I feel a bit hungry, recognize that the feeling is the feeling of you losing weight. Then go get a big low-cal drink instead.

4) Tighten your belt a notch .... that will discourage you from pigging out if it's tight already.

5) Don't deprive yourself too much. I try to cut back during the week, then cut myself some slack on the weekends. I think going "cold-turkey" and being too ascetic will backfire after a while. I'm close to my target now, and want to hold it for a while.

6) Lots of fresh fruit. Fill up on healthy stuff first, then when the junk food comes out, you'll already be full.

7) Keep the junk food out of the house to start with.

8) Brush your teeth right after dinner - dissuades you from eating more because your teeth are nice & clean.

12/20 - 155 lbs
1/18 - 141 lbs..

AHHHHHHH, it's all upper body muscle though. Now that's tough weight loss.

I feel the need to put my story up here too. I'm pretty new to these forums. I'm only 18 years old, It's hard to find people my age to ride with, not a very popular sport with us young teenage hoolagins. Any who, I have been trying to get into good shape for a while now, I played varsity lacrosse, which got me into running. That season I lost 35 pounds. Then I put it all back on in the winter, I eventually got into road biking after watching You me and Dupree...weird, I know. I lost weight, but not like I wanted to. Over the winter I have been running and or using the indoor bike trainer every day. I've lost weight and I feel awesome. I'm really looking forward to the spring to get back out there and tackle some of them hills that kicked my butt in the past.