Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.JoelS
04-26-09, 07:43 PM
Date: 4/26/08
What a year it’s been! A year ago tomorrow (4/27/08) I got on the scale for the first time in many years and was jolted to see a number that I didn’t expect. 205 pounds. Wow. I’d gotten heavy. My waist was up to 40 inches too. Not good for someone only 5’7”. In addition, I’d been suffering from sleep apnia and snoring. When I saw that number I decided to do something about it.
This wasn’t just one of those off-the-cuff type decisions. This was a deep down to the core type of decision. I immediately started to calculate the calories that I was eating. I dusted off my bike and took it out for a ride. It wasn’t much of a ride at 9.9 miles with an avg speed of 13.8 mph. But it exhausted me.
I cut back on the amount of food I was eating. I increased the amount of veggies and decreased the amount of meat. Stopped the nightly ice cream. Stopped the nightly nightcap. And started riding more. In May I got out for 10 rides and covered 207 miles. My average speed came up too. My weight started to drop as well. I cut back to 1750 calories a day.
Six months later I was down to 167 pounds and rode nearly 500 miles in October. I even completed a century. That’s quite a change in just six months!
Skip to today. 81 miles, near on 6000 feet of climbing. I’ve been averaging over 500 miles a month since January. Over that year I covered 5642 miles. My weight has been stable since the end of December at 144, give or take a pound. My waist measures 28 1/4 inches. The sleep apnia is gone. The snoring is gone.
It’s been a long journey (ok, maybe not that long compared to others), but I am still careful about what I eat and I really enjoy riding. I’m hoping to do over 6000 miles in calendar year 2009. And I expect to get in some more centuries as well. I really want to improve as a climber.
Unfortunately, I’ve lost my favorite excuse. I’m no longer a new rider.
What a year it’s been! A year ago tomorrow (4/27/08) I got on the scale for the first time in many years and was jolted to see a number that I didn’t expect. 205 pounds. Wow. I’d gotten heavy. My waist was up to 40 inches too. Not good for someone only 5’7”. In addition, I’d been suffering from sleep apnia and snoring. When I saw that number I decided to do something about it.
This wasn’t just one of those off-the-cuff type decisions. This was a deep down to the core type of decision. I immediately started to calculate the calories that I was eating. I dusted off my bike and took it out for a ride. It wasn’t much of a ride at 9.9 miles with an avg speed of 13.8 mph. But it exhausted me.
I cut back on the amount of food I was eating. I increased the amount of veggies and decreased the amount of meat. Stopped the nightly ice cream. Stopped the nightly nightcap. And started riding more. In May I got out for 10 rides and covered 207 miles. My average speed came up too. My weight started to drop as well. I cut back to 1750 calories a day.
Six months later I was down to 167 pounds and rode nearly 500 miles in October. I even completed a century. That’s quite a change in just six months!
Skip to today. 81 miles, near on 6000 feet of climbing. I’ve been averaging over 500 miles a month since January. Over that year I covered 5642 miles. My weight has been stable since the end of December at 144, give or take a pound. My waist measures 28 1/4 inches. The sleep apnia is gone. The snoring is gone.
It’s been a long journey (ok, maybe not that long compared to others), but I am still careful about what I eat and I really enjoy riding. I’m hoping to do over 6000 miles in calendar year 2009. And I expect to get in some more centuries as well. I really want to improve as a climber.
Unfortunately, I’ve lost my favorite excuse. I’m no longer a new rider.