Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - introduction

hi every one im patrick im 41 years old, 248lbs, i have type 2 diabetes and graves disease, i been riding a 10 year old 18 speed mountain bike that a dear old friend gave me weeks before he died that was 5 years ago, i parked it in storage and havent touched it until this month, on the 1st of july went for a physical had blood work and all the works the new doc said i would be in reasonably good shape if i was 65 yo, i was taking 2000MG of metforum and 20 MG of glyburide a day for diabetes, the doc scared me that day, i recently switched my pcp to him because i wasnt satisfied with the old dr who like prescribing more drugs, he explained how the drugs removed the sugar from the blood stream and instead of being deposed of as waste is redistributed into the fat cells, which is why alot of diabetics have hell losing weight, neadless to say i quit taking my meds, started drinking water by the gallons and last tuesday got my big ass on that bike, the first day i made it 3 blocks my legs was on fire, and i couldnt catch my breath, made it home, went out again that evening, been going out 2 or 3 times a day since, here it is 6 days later im averaging 4 miles a day at 8.6 mph, heres the strange part, my blood sugar usually between 130 to 190 sometimes more with meds, this last week they running between 77 to 106 without meds, trust me im not skipping any meals! also on july 1st i weighed in at 265, today im 248 thats almost a pound a day, im hoping i can maintain the motovation to keep on keeping on, my lung power seems to improve with ever ride, i mostly ride flat terrain, but every ride i try to get a slight hill just to check my progress and everytime it gets a little easier, im kicking my own ass for not trying this years ago, i didnt think id like biking but it turns out im having the time of my life right now, cant wait to build the endurance to do some long rides, well i know this was kinda long, and probably more info than anyone here needed to know, but it was a introduction, and i wanted everyone to know where i started, where im at now and where i think im going with it lol

Wow! Welcome to the Forum. Keep up the good work. Hopefully the goal is to rid yourself of that diabetes. If you keep riding, you should in no time!

Welcome to the heard! Very nice work, keep it up!




PS: May I suggest paragraphs? :)

Welcome Patrick! Congrats on your weight loss and the descision to ride. You will find that as you ride, you will rapidly get stronger and ride further. Just don't try to do too much too fast and get injured.

Again, welcome!!

Awesome. My story is kinda, sorta, a little bit like yours. Glad you saw the light.

I went from over 300 to a hair under 190 now.

John

Welcome to the herd! I am in remission from Type II Diabetes, controlled by diet and exercise. I was on insulin because my sugars were unmanageable before I got my butt on a bike. :D

lol im sorry about the paragraphs. im not very well educated when it comes to writing

hey tom if you have any advice or suggestions on dealing with diabetes im listening, i hope to be diabetes free before to long

Patrick,
Congratulations on your weight loss, low blood sugars and starting to exercise.:thumb: I just wanted to offer a word of caution. Don't expect that rate of weight loss to continue. 1 to 2 lbs. per week of sustained weight loss is a good goal to shoot for. Faster than that and you will be losing protein and putting your health at risk.
Oh, and don't apologize about your writing skills. It sounded fine to me. I understood you completely.
Kate

Hello, and welcome to the forum:)

thanks kate, yea i been expecting the weight loss to level off here pretty quick, then im gonna have to start working for it, after dinner a friend came by and went for a quick ride, i been averaging about 4 miles a day, we just got done doing 7.2 i now realize a better seat is in my near future lol

Wow, awesome.

Welcome to the forum!

Hey, we may not live close, but when I pick up my bike this Wednesday and am riding it I'll think about you, if you do the same we will have ridden together in spirit!

I figure since we're both at that beginning phase it makes sense.

I am a "glass half full" kind of guy.

Congrats on how you done so far, and remember to keep an optimistic eye on that half full glass, I just know we can top it off.

RD

Welcome G-Man!

You're off to a great start. It only gets better.

Welcome to the herd! Congratulations for starting to deal with your health issues.
Biking is a life saver and fun for me. I hope it will maintain its lure for you.
Don't overdue! My tendency is to start with a vengeance and then peter out. Get into a routine that is doable for life. Just my 2 cents

Welcome!

Patrick,

I will warn you now, start saving *grin*. While your current bike has sentimental attachment you are going to eventually want a newer faster road bike, especially if you are riding on the roads as I believe you are. I have been cycling since february and that along with sensible eating have allowed me to drop 54lbs to get to 255lbs. When I started out It took me 2-3 hours to do 10 miles now a quick ride for me is 20 miles and it takes me about 1hr 20 mins (I ave about 15 - 16mph just now) Longest distance done is 62 miles and average ride is 30 miles.

Before I forget welcome to the boards and I hope you enjoy your journey on bike forums airlines *LOL*

Steve

hey tom if you have any advice or suggestions on dealing with diabetes im listening, i hope to be diabetes free before to long

Just track your diet and sugars, and keep things in balance. The fact is, your skeletal long muscles will uptake sugar without insulin during physical activity. Any ncrease in activity is gong to change things for the positive. Are you taking insulin or orals only or both in combination? If you are taking insulin, you will need to keep close track of your sugars under exercise at first until you learn how the exercise affects you. Be sure you keep your Dr in the loop as to your new activity level as well, as you WILL be adjusting your medications.

Also, being diabetic, either type I or II, you ill want to cary some glucose tabs in case of a bad low. We diabetics can bonk more easily than a person with a normal endocrine system, and if you ever bonk badly, you'll learn it's just plain not pleasant at all.

Welcome and congratulations of the decision to make 'life style" changes.

+1 to what Tom indicated in his reply about dealing with diabetes. I am type 2, 55 yrs and now down to 260#. A change in my mindset about food, micro nutrients, portions, and frequency to refuel, has improved my endurance and energy levels. This mind set change also help to lower my fasting sugar levels by 20 points. (I learned that my body handles diet soda, by producing more insulin, this spikes my fasting level as well.)

I would keep your new doctor in the loop and advice him you have dropped your meds, not a wise move, but seems to work for you.

Keep up the good efforts, and find other forms of movement excerise to compliment biking, and work other muscle groups. Yoga or Tai Chi are low impact workouts that you may find relaxing as well as providing good results. These work and help maintain lean muscle tissue, the muscle that burns the most calories.

lol im sorry about the paragraphs. im not very well educated when it comes to writing

Writing is a muscle. The more you work it, the stronger it becomes.

Oh, and by the way, welcome!

Are you taking insulin or orals only or both in combination?

no no insulin just orals,

OK, that makes management easier. Yoy will still need to test ore frequently initially to learn how your body reacts under exercise stress as far as long term sugar management. Also you will need to be aware of your general trends as your activity increases for your Dr anyway so you can adjust your medication dosages accordingly.

Still carry Gu tabs, as well, because you can have lows still.

thanks for the advice really appreciate it, i do have a question to ask, i been averaging 4 miles a day for a week, yesterday i did my 4 miles, went to work when i got off a friend came by went for a quick ride, our quick ride ended up over 7 miles got home after 1am, woke up feeling great blood sugar was 107, i was thinking today, theres a small community 8 miles east of here called rattlesnake knob, mostly flat with some very gentle slopes, and 1 good size hill halfway there, the climb up it is only about a mile or so, is it to soon to try this trip or should i keep riding more for a while

nevermind i answered my own question, i did a 7 mile ride with a slight head wind that alone told me i still have aways to go, not to mention i think i need to change out my knobbies for road slicks

It is great you found the answer to your previous question, it is difficult to provide such an answer with out knowing all the details and not sound deflating.

Also, remember when setting out for a destination, regardless of distance. You must return, so the ride distance is actually doubled. 8 mile trip can be a 16 mile ride.

Then again, if you can do several 4 milers down the road you could at such a trip as 4 shorter riders. Taking breaks or rest stops during rides is often part of the fun and great times to take photo ops and observe the scenery.

Keep up the good work and yes smoother tread tires will reduce some of the work those knobby style tires cause, and may improve the ride.

nevermind i answered my own question, i did a 7 mile ride with a slight head wind that alone told me i still have aways to go, not to mention i think i need to change out my knobbies for road slicks

+1 on the slicks -- good idea.

Not trying to put a damper on your enthusiasm but:
A greater "hazard" is the 'out and back' ride where you start with a tailwind. You feel great cruising easily along with the wind at your back. Then you realize that you may have gone a bit too far and must fight the headwind on the return leg.

You know your own limits. Pushing too much, too fast can lead to injury > no riding> all progress lost. As someone much wiser than me once said, "Discretion is the better part of valor."

You're doing great, you'll be surprised at how fast your ability and edurance will improve.

thanks for the encouragement, like i said i figured out i wasnt ready yet, but i have decided rattlesnake knob is number 1 on my places to ride to list, hopefully soon? lol

thanks for the encouragement, like i said i figured out i wasnt ready yet, but i have decided rattlesnake knob is number 1 on my places to ride to list, hopefully soon? lol

Dude, I don't do snakes. Even if it was right around the corner, "Rattlesnake Knob" would be at the bottom of my list!!!

thanks for the encouragement, like i said i figured out i wasnt ready yet, but i have decided rattlesnake knob is number 1 on my places to ride to list, hopefully soon? lol

Where is this? In North Carolina... :eek: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Rattlesnake+Knob&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=48.287373,79.013672&ie=UTF8&ll=35.388986,-83.401822&spn=0.195643,0.308647&t=h&z=12&iwloc=A

It looks to be far from anywhere. I would also suggest making certain the bike is fit for the ride as well. The worst thing is to head some where and have a flat, broken chain, spoke break...

Bike maintenance is as important to your well being as monitoring your fasting levels.;)

rattlesnake knob is a small community (population 6 or 7 people) between hobbs new mexico and seminole texas really all it is is a few houses and a fuel stop, its not on a map that i ever seen

rattlesnake knob is a small community (population 6 or 7 people) between hobbs new mexico and seminole texas really all it is is a few houses and a fuel stop, its not on a map that i ever seen
Then all the more reason to make certain the bike is in good condition and a bag packed with extra tube, frame pump, tire levers, emergency tools, water and some energy type foods. Cell phone is also good idea, if coverage is available.

Then make it an adventure. Keep the tires down and the skin on your bones. Helmet is also good idea.

thanks for the encouragement, like i said i figured out i wasnt ready yet, but i have decided rattlesnake knob is number 1 on my places to ride to list, hopefully soon? lol


I think you will knock this ride out sooner than you think. Make sure you plan it for a day when you don't have anything else planned so you don't have to rush. You don't have to go fast, just keep the pedals spinnin and you'll get there. Before too long it will be your daily ride before work. I started out the same way, first wondering if I could make it to a town about 7 miles away (I do that loop the long way most days now for 20 miles), then to Decatur 15 miles away to meet my wife for lunch, then 40 miles to Fort Worth where I work, then I got nuts and loaded my bike with camping gear and rode to the Red River one weekend, and then a week long ride to Corpus with a few other inmates. I am running out of goals though, I may need more vacation time to go any further.

thanks for the advice really appreciate it, i do have a question to ask, i been averaging 4 miles a day for a week, yesterday i did my 4 miles, went to work when i got off a friend came by went for a quick ride, our quick ride ended up over 7 miles got home after 1am, woke up feeling great blood sugar was 107, i was thinking today, theres a small community 8 miles east of here called rattlesnake knob, mostly flat with some very gentle slopes, and 1 good size hill halfway there, the climb up it is only about a mile or so, is it to soon to try this trip or should i keep riding more for a while

The typical rule, take your total weekly riding, you can typically after a few weeks do that amount in a single ride, but that's really pushing it. For example if a rider rides an average of 100 miles a week, they can typically do a 100 mile ride, but that is going to be the absolute limit. You can typically increase you weekly distance as follows:

Under 10 miles per week, by 20%-40%
10 - 50 miles per week, 10-20%
50 to 100 miles per week, by 5%-10%
over 100 miles per week, by 0-5%

So for example if you ride 4 miles each on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 7 miles on Saturday that's a total of 19 miles, so you could increase the weekly total by up to 20% or 22.8 miles the next week. So maybe you go 6 miles each on Tuesday and Thursday and 10 miles on Saturday (total of 22) then you can again increase up to 20%, or 26.4 miles. So maybe you go 6 miles each on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and 8 miles on Saturday.

There are a couple of reasons why I put ranges on this, the typical average increase is about 10%, although when your totals are smaller, you can typically increase by more, safely. As distance increases, it becomes impractical to increase by big amounts, if you go 200 miles in a week, increasing by 10% can mean another 2 hours in the saddle, then life starts getting in the way.:eek:

Now as for your diabetes meds, you need to take your meds, and keep track of your sugars, with testing after meals and exercise to try and keep them in balance at the lower end of the normal range (5-7 on the Canadian scale, 90-120 on the American scale) . Your doctor should be sending you for an HbA1c blood test every 3 months and then using the results to determine your medication levels, if your on the low side say in the 90's then, they can reduce medication, if it's on the high side, they can increase medication. Not doing this test on a regular basis, is very dangerous in that you can end up with too much or too little medication.

thanks wogster, at the moment im not on any meds, usually the first test of the day, early mornings were around 160 fasting, since i started riding the bike nightly its now low to high 70's, last couple of weeks my highs havent been much over 100, where before they were much higher,
i do carry meds just in case along with lots of water and a couple of snacks, if i ride alone im usually within crawling distance from the house, and if i ride the trails im with at least one friend, first week was riding about 4 miles a night at 6 mph, 2nd week 7 miles a night averaging 8 mph, last night bumped it up to 10 miles (by accident) still ave 8 mph, may have to postpone my ride tonight due to severe lightning, not to mention being pretty sore, found new trails last night with alot more high and lows and for the first time my hamstrings and glutes got a serious workout as well as a much better cardio workout, where they wasnt riding on flat pavement, cant wait to get back there again!