Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - It's been a long road...

Well, I've been wanting a bike now for pretty near 15 years. Always had an excuse, I remembered the golry days of riding the bike the the ball field, playing a game in the sandlot and biking home. But it was mostly nostalgic, so I'd get a pizza instead. Last year, I got more serious, found this forum and realized that at 391 (at the time) that it wasn't impossible for me to get a bike, so I started shopping around and found a couple that I really liked. My wife was in and actualy helped me talk to some of the sales people (I live in Korea, and am not fluent in Korean). Now came the kick in the nuts, I lost a major contract so my wife got paranoid and asked me to wait a while. I understood and though I had found the bike I wanted, I also wanted her to have peace of mind. So I put off buying the bike. I still started to control my weight and I lost about 45lbs. But I have recently gained 12lbs back and I realize to get any further I need the exercise. I recalibrated my eating, stopped the gain before it got out of control, luckily this time! Now, my business is in full swing again, I am back on the health kick and (Drum roll please....) My bike is being put together at my LBS. Giant XTC SE. Got some money down so there is no turning back. It'll be up for the week-end! I can't wait.
Oh yeah, I'll be starting at 367lbs, 6'0... My goal is to be sub 300 by August!
I'll keep you posted,

See you in the rice paddy's!

Eric...

Hi Eric,

First congrats on the wieght loss so far, and bonus congrats on the new bike! We will need pics when you get it.

Where are you at in Korea? I've spent some time there, mostly in Chen Hei, Seoul, and Pusan. You have some great mountains to ride. Too bad the roads are 3 feet wide and people drive 200 KPH on them, lol.

Sweet! A Korea posting. Man, I love the Internet.

Anyway...Yes! Get a bike and don't look back.

As far as cash goes: Always remember that the cost of healthcare will far outweigh that of a bike.

Trust me, you will begin to feel your health improve from day 1. And long before day 1000, you will never understand why you haven't been doing this bike riding thing all along.

congrats

Alright Eric, way to go! Great work with your weight loss and even better work on making progress towards a better lifestyle.

We demand pictures when you get her home!

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Hopefully, that translates into "congratulations on your new bike."

Welcome to the group and keep us posted on your progress.

Thta's exactly what it translated into (and I didn't need my wife to help me figure that one out! hee hee). Thanks for the well wishes, and the welcomes. I pick my ride up on Friday, just before class so I'll probably hit the pavement (not literally, I hope) Friday evening. And hoping to, if my butt is not too sore, to go for a ride adround the rice paddys near my home early Saturday morning. As on of my passions is photography, I will be posting photos.
I am a bit of a work-a-holic so I inted to do most of my riding early morning 5 am'ish or late in the evening 10 pm'ish. My goal is to get out for anout an hour at least at one of these times, and hopefully both of these times.

Congrats on the bike!

Remember: The first week or so will be tough, take it slow.

If you are riding at 5AM/10PM you will want to invest in some good lighting.

...you will never understand why you haven't been doing this bike riding thing all along.

Couldn't agree more! I use my bike mainly for commuting and can't understand why I've never done it before. Commuting by bike just makes perfect sense.

Take it slow and you'll be in it for the long haul, go too quick and you can be put off by the aches. One tip, when I started commuting I was hungry all the time and ate much more than I needed to, after a couple of months I eased off the food and the weight started to fall off.

Good luck.

Yeah, I got the lights thrown in with the bike. Those first few miles I suppose will be the toughest. I went for a drive to buy some bread tonight (my wife likes bread from this particular bakery, so I go for a drive once a week, it's a 17Km detour) So I was checking the mileage out to see when 10K would hit and I was like, ok... This seems a little far. But my goal is to be buying that bread on my bike before the end of the summer. Oh yeah, and be sub 300. Doing the low carb thing, it works a charm and if done right, it's quite a healthy lifestyle.

Thta's exactly what it translated into (and I didn't need my wife to help me figure that one out! hee hee). Thanks for the well wishes, and the welcomes. I pick my ride up on Friday, just before class so I'll probably hit the pavement (not literally, I hope) Friday evening. And hoping to, if my butt is not too sore, to go for a ride adround the rice paddys near my home early Saturday morning. As on of my passions is photography, I will be posting photos.
I am a bit of a work-a-holic so I inted to do most of my riding early morning 5 am'ish or late in the evening 10 pm'ish. My goal is to get out for anout an hour at least at one of these times, and hopefully both of these times.



Hey there!:cool: Have fun on the bike!! Sounds like a great plan..except for the workaholic part. Remember - you can't take it with you when you go - So perahps part of the weight loss will be a healthy lifestyle - too - so you may be able to ride more and work less??? Just a thought. Also hopefully your wife will want to ride too! As she sees you getting skinny and sexy - she may just need a bike as well.

Have fun!

Riding a bike over 10k to get bread would deffinetly cut down on many peoples carb intake! Congrats on the bike, weight loss, and decision to improve your health! Take it easy the first week or two. You want to WANT to ride, not dread the pain. The slower start up will allow your body to adjust and for you to feel the benefits. Thats when you become hooked. Then its off to the rodeo! :thumb:

That's why I give myself to the end of summer to go on the bread runs. However, I think there will be a shorter route through the rice padys. I have the mental map in my head, now, just to see if I can find the route! I love navigating by instinct, be it walking in a new city, driving cross country or now riding my new bike. Mind you I sometimes get a bit off track,,, But never lost.

I'm never Lost, I'm exploring! :)

Real men don"t get lost or ask for directions :O) congrats on the new bike now pedal your arse off :)

There are lots of different low carb diets out there. I've tried as couple... the one that seems to be working for me is the primal nutrition diet espoused by Mark Sisson ( do a web search)... lots of veggies, nuts, berries and assorted protein combined with moderate intensity workouts, and the occasional hard workout, the way a hunter-gatherer would have lived. Worth checking out.

That's why I give myself to the end of summer to go on the bread runs. However, I think there will be a shorter route through the rice padys. I have the mental map in my head, now, just to see if I can find the route! I love navigating by instinct, be it walking in a new city, driving cross country or now riding my new bike. Mind you I sometimes get a bit off track,,, But never lost.

You may find a compass a good thing to have, an orienteering compass and well marked local map, some people like GPS for this, I prefer the compass, a compass never has the batteries die just as you discover the sun rising in the West :twitchy: