Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - New Guy.

Well 2011 finds me at about 300 pounds, 37 (almost 38) years old, and at 5'9" incredibly out of shape.

I've decided to take control of this. I started low carbing 4 days ago and have already lost some weight, not sure how much, no scale. Today will be my first day to go out and walk, shooting for 20 minutes to start and planning to ramp up from there. I will hit the Bowflex after a couple of "warm up" weeks walking for some strength training... assuming the walking doesn't kill me first.

When I get down to 250... assuming I feel "fit" enough for it, I'm treating myself to a Janis Coda Sport! I even found a "local" dealer, only an hour or so away.

I stumbled across this site, remembered how much I used to enjoy just going for a long ride on my bike as a kid, and was incredibly inspired by some of you folks here!

I'll fade into the relm of lurkers now and learn all I can from ya'll. I might pipe in now and then to let you know how the weight loss is going, and of course to post pics of my slimmer self and my new bike when 250 pounds is a reality!

careful with low-carb dieting and exercise... You can eat low-carb most of the time, but be sure to get some complex carbohydrates in your body about an hour before any sort of intense exercise. When you start cycling, you also need to take in carbs on your longer rides or you WILL bonk and you will regret it severely.

careful with low-carb dieting and exercise... You can eat low-carb most of the time, but be sure to get some complex carbohydrates in your body about an hour before any sort of intense exercise. When you start cycling, you also need to take in carbs on your longer rides or you WILL bonk and you will regret it severely.

Thanks, I will keep that in mind. I plan to increase the carbs as my exercise workload increases :)

Impressive weight loss by the way bassjones, do you feel a lot better 80 pounds lighter?

Oh I see you are a fellow bass player as well! Now I KNOW you are a cool guy :)

Welcome into the C & A world. Walking is good exercise. You don't need fancy clothes or shoes. Pretty much anything will do to begin with. Keep a journal. Looking back at how you were, and how you've improved is motivating.
Good Luck.

Thanks skilsaw, I've heard a lot about the journal thing, I might try that.

Why wait until you're 250?

Welcome DaveInLa. Many of the really big people here started with walking. I still keep it as part of my routine. No need to just lurk. As others will comfirm I don't know very much about bikes. Doesn't stop me from contributing.

Why wait until you're 250?

It's not so much 250, I just feel like I am too far out of shape right now to get on a bike!

Welcome DaveInLa. Many of the really big people here started with walking. I still keep it as part of my routine. No need to just lurk. As others will comfirm I don't know very much about bikes. Doesn't stop me from contributing.

lol, well I'm afraid that it would be dangerous for me to contribute too much right now, somebody could get hurt!

Guys I just noticed something... 4 days into my diet and I'm not really craving anything but a GOOD BEER, or two, or three! I guess my saving grace there is that my roommate drinks swill, and has turned his nose up when I offered him quality beer in the past lol. I'm afraid that if I had something decent beer wise in the fridge, I'd drink it!

Oh well, I keep telling myself that as my weight drops and my physical activity picks up, I will be able to gradually up my carb intake a bit, and enjoy the occasional beer :)

It's not so much 250, I just feel like I am too far out of shape right now to get on a bike!

When I got back on a bike a couple of years ago, I was damn near 315lbs, I did about a 15 minute ride, damn near killed me. I bought a CAAD8 in Oct of last year at about 295lbs. Last weekend I was practicing doing intervals, only got a short 10 mile ride in. Week before that did close to 30 miles. Weighed myself this morning and the scale said 269.

Keep lurking, read old threads, you will find plenty of inspiration from people who were in better shape then you, people who were in worse shape then you, and people who are in the same shape as you.

If you want a bike, get a bike and ride it. Don't wait until you're "in shape" enough, it will get you in shape.

Oh and BTW, I'll be 41 this August.

It's not so much 250, I just feel like I am too far out of shape right now to get on a bike!

There were enough folks here at the 300lb level, we gave them their own title, Uberclyde. The thing to remember is, it's not where you start, it's where you end up. Walking is a good start, equipment is minimal, just regular clothes and a pair of comfortable shoes. Low carb diets are perfect for people who think flipping the channel on the remote is exercise. It's not ideal for a person who want an activity program, because activity burns calories, and you need to eat enough calories to keep control of the deficit. A commonly quoted rate for healthy weight loss is 2lbs per week, that means you need to keep your calories consumed about 1000 per day below what your burning. Realize that just living burns some...

You mentioned in another response that you don't want to contribute much right now, that's okay, your at the time to ask questions and bask in the knowledge of others, there is lots of time to contribute later :D

Thanks, I will keep that in mind. I plan to increase the carbs as my exercise workload increases :)

Impressive weight loss by the way bassjones, do you feel a lot better 80 pounds lighter?

Oh I see you are a fellow bass player as well! Now I KNOW you are a cool guy :)

I feel a lot better, but I've got a long ways to go! I started with walking and a very restricted calorie diet. I was losing too fast for a while and increased my calorie intake. I adjusted too much and have gained about 15 lbs back, but now I'm readjusting again trying to find a good middle ground. Winter's rough on weight management around here, especially since my bike is still on layaway and I can't afford a gym membership. Swimming is another exercise you should look into. Low joint impact, total body workout, burns a crap load of calories too.

Yes, I play bass too :) I'm a total junkie. Right now I play a fretted 7 and a fretless 6 through a MarkBass SA450 and a custom LowDownSound 3-way cabinet that weighs 42 lbs and puts out 500 watts of ridiculously clean sound. Best rig I've ever used. I play mostly funk, R&B, gospel, jazz and in groove based jam bands.

There were enough folks here at the 300lb level, we gave them their own title, Uberclyde. The thing to remember is, it's not where you start, it's where you end up. Walking is a good start, equipment is minimal, just regular clothes and a pair of comfortable shoes. Low carb diets are perfect for people who think flipping the channel on the remote is exercise. It's not ideal for a person who want an activity program, because activity burns calories, and you need to eat enough calories to keep control of the deficit. A commonly quoted rate for healthy weight loss is 2lbs per week, that means you need to keep your calories consumed about 1000 per day below what your burning. Realize that just living burns some...

You mentioned in another response that you don't want to contribute much right now, that's okay, your at the time to ask questions and bask in the knowledge of others, there is lots of time to contribute later :D
Here's how I got started:

I've never been over 200 but a few years ago I ballooned up to 190 from 168 after being the same weight for over 25 years. My wife had been nagging me to get moving for about 3-4 years before that because I started putting on weight after I turned 50. By age 55 I was getting up to 190.

I got sent out for a full cardio workup by my doctor. If you are badly out of shape or if there is a history of heart disease in the family or if as in my case you are over 50, get it done.

I started off getting a gym membership and never used it. My wife bugged me some more and I put on more weight. By that point I thought I'd better start finding something to do.

Cycling and cross country skiing have always been my favorite sports.I did a lot of in my teens and early twenties. So finding something that I loved was easy for me. I'd already done a century when I was 16. (My wife likes to remind me that that was over 40 years ago).

I've had my weight blow up on me before back in my 20's and I eventually lost most of it at the 2 pound a week rate. Now that I'm over 50 my metabolism is slower and I knew that it's going to take me longer.

Walking is a great start. I started doing that and started working my way up.

Start a half an hour and keep a diary as you work your way up. I got a cheap pedometer and tracked for how long and how far each time. Once I started doing longer and longer walks, one thing I did was to go to a place that sold running gear and got a really good pair of shoes for walking.

Now I try to do 10K at a fast pace.

I also started mixing walking in with cycling. Cycling gets the heart rate up and your respiratory system working hard. The first time I started climbing hills on the bike I would completely bonk. I knew that was about to happen and every time I saw another hill I just figured.. well.. ok one at a time.

Winter comes.. One of my boys is a freestyle downhill skier, the kind that skis on twiptip skis (tips at both ends) and does the jumps, the spins, the helicopter turns etc. My wife knew that I used to cross country ski so she bought me a season trail pass at the same place. The skis that hadn't seen snow in 30 years got back on the snow again. (I've since bought 2 new pairs of skis). I started doing 2k, then 4, then 6, then 10 while trying to get my technique back. This is the second season now and I'm getting in about 15-20K over a couple of days on the weekend.By the end of year 1 I've taken off 10 pounds.

By the spring of year 2 I started cycling again this time more seriously. The first 5-10 miles were a breeze. I started ramping it up with rides from 45-60 minutes 4 times a week trying to put in at least 10-15K during the week and 40-50km rides on the weekend time permitting. I would have liked to have done more but the time wasn't there and what I really needed a road bike. I've always been a roadie and the hybrid wasn't something that I wanted to train on. Don't get me wrong, it's a great bike for touring and for getting started. For anybody getting started, I'd recommend a hybrid.

As I started ramping up, I went to clipless pedals. Much better.. More mileage still but I wasn't satisfied that I was tracking myself properly. I bought a bike computer that also measure cadence and found that I wasn't doing too badly but I could do better. I started logging in my rides and started using a spreadsheet. By the fall I'm doing at 75+ miles a week.

I'm down to 180 now and I'd like to take off another 10 but I've found that I've put on more muscle. Don't get discouraged if you find that your weight loss starts to taper off and that you may actually start gaining a bit,

When riding they say the best way to eat up the calories is to go on long easy rides. I find that I tend to eat a lot less when I've been spending more time in the saddle. Long easy rides can be really enjoyable and won't put a strain on your system initially. To do those I decided that it was time to go back to my first love and get back on a road bike.

One thing that I do is to eat some carbs (like a bagel) a couple of hours before I go out. Then I'll go out for a workout BEFORE I eat. I find that I'll tend to eat a lot less over the day when I do that. If I don't, then there's nothing in the tank and I'll bonk. I also make sure that I eat something appropriate for recovery.

By the end of the fall I decided that it was time for a real road bike. Around the start of last fall my wife bought a GPS heart rate monitor for herself. She suggested that I get one because I was turning 57 and I was going through some intensive workouts.

It's really useful gizmo because it helps me with pacing myself. I never thought that I'd ever get one but once I started using it while skiing I'll never go riding or skiing without it.

By December the 2011's came in and went out I got a 2011 Specialized SL2 Roubaix Comp last month. The Robaix cost me 6 times more than the hybrid but I knew that once I get on it and hit the road I'll never look back. I simply love riding road bikes.

When I told my wife what I wanted to buy she said "Oh. a real bike.. OK, I thought they cost about $7000-9000.." It makes me think I could have bought an S-Works SL3.

The full carbon bike is the biggest expense I've made but I consider it a really worthwhile investement.

The ski equipment cost me about $750 for skis, boots and poles for my classic style ski gear. The other pair are freestyle skate cross country skis and cost me a bit more.

I've got maybe another few more weeks of skiing left and I can't wait to get back on the bike. I'm really looking forward to getting those last 10 pounds off.

Swim, walk, row.

If any of you live where there's enough snow, learn to cross country ski go to a place that will rent you equipment, take a lesson or two and get the best full body workout you'll ever get. It'll cost about $25 at a lot of places to rent skis, boots and poles for an afternoon and about $15-20 for a trail pass for the day. I buy a season pass for $200 and I go 1-2 times every weekend for about 10-12 weeks so the equipment pays for itself after about 2 years or less.

The best thing about all of this is that there's no reason why you can't have fun while you lose weight and get yourself into shape.

Good luck

Thank you for the warm welcome and advice guys, it's truly appreciated. I love this place.

bassjones, you should try one of the Sansamp VT pedals with that Markbass, the VT pedal with a LMII KILLS :) I think it would with that head too! I had actually considered a Low Down Sound 8x10, but I sure don't need anything that big anymore lol. I am cabless right now, but I had an SWR Henry the 8x8 that was amazing, loved that cab.

alanknm, the doctor advice is a great idea, I am really out of shape and my dad died young after suffering from heart disease for many years... unfortunately I have severe anxiety disorder and doctors, doctors offices, hospitals, etc. are my biggest trigger. I simply can't do it. If there is something wrong I'll find out when I keel over walking or biking I guess. I'd prefer that to a trip to the Dr., let alone a trip where I'd likely find out that there are some issues.

Headed out now for a walk, gonna shoot for 20 or 30 minutes.

Thanks again for the warm welcome guys :)

Whew that brisk 20 minute walk felt like a marathon! I hope this gets better lol.

It gets better... When I started I did a mile in about 30 minutes. Currently I do 3-5, 5 days a week at a 15 minute mile pace.

The best thing about all of this is that there's no reason why you can't have fun while you lose weight and get yourself into shape.
x 2

my $0.02 :)

First and foremost, don't be hard on yourself and set attainable goals. Keep things in perspective and know that it is a process and a lifestyle change.

Try for two 10/15 minute walks a day, 4-5 times / week, for example. You don't want it to be work, meaning, you have to make it attainable and reasonably comfortable for you to want to continue. It's just a natural response.

Soon enough you will on your own, increase the time.

Good Luck

Whew that brisk 20 minute walk felt like a marathon! I hope this gets better lol.

When I started I was 400 pounds and couldn't walk a city block without stopping.

20 months and 150 some pounds later I rode a century (100 mile ride in a day.)

Yes, it does get better.

When I started I was 400 pounds and couldn't walk a city block without stopping.

20 months and 150 some pounds later I rode a century (100 mile ride in a day.)

Yes, it does get better.

You guys are incredibly inspirational!

You guys are incredibly inspirational!

No, DaveInLa, YOU are inspirational. Every time a person chooses to turn around his life, that reminds me of everything I've done over the past five years of weight loss.

Like this:

"My exercise routine currently consists
of recumbant bike for the cardio part daily and weights to build up
muscle three times a week. Unfortunately, I have knee pain so taking
long walks is not practical. I'm trying to add in little things as well
such as parking further away from the entrance to work, taking stairs,
etc. I am managing 10-12 minutes on the bike for now - I probably could
do more but I find siting on the bike very uncomfortable. I know I need
to do more, so I keep trying to stay in the saddle longer."

That was me five years ago. January 11, 2006.

Thanks for the memory.

No, DaveInLa, YOU are inspirational. Every time a person chooses to turn around his life, that reminds me of everything I've done over the past five years of weight loss.

Like this:

"My exercise routine currently consists
of recumbant bike for the cardio part daily and weights to build up
muscle three times a week. Unfortunately, I have knee pain so taking
long walks is not practical. I'm trying to add in little things as well
such as parking further away from the entrance to work, taking stairs,
etc. I am managing 10-12 minutes on the bike for now - I probably could
do more but I find siting on the bike very uncomfortable. I know I need
to do more, so I keep trying to stay in the saddle longer."

That was me five years ago. January 11, 2006.

Thanks for the memory.

Thank you sir :) It's good to know that other folks struggled just like me.

GO FOR IT, DAVE! Way to go, grabbing your life and making it your own! (No, I'm not being sarky, I'm serious, I'm glad for you)

I've said for a while now that "I could lose a little..." maybe a bowling ball's worth -- nothing like the goal you set for yourself. Somehow, though, I think you'll get to your goal before I do mine. Hey, HOW BOUT I ROOT FOR YA?!?

Remember, when you do get that bike -- cycling is #2 on the list of all-around healthiest exercises; swimming is 1st,and I always say 'nobody ever drowned from getting a leg cramp on a bike'!

My best to you, man.

GO FOR IT, DAVE! Way to go, grabbing your life and making it your own! (No, I'm not being sarky, I'm serious, I'm glad for you)

I've said for a while now that "I could lose a little..." maybe a bowling ball's worth -- nothing like the goal you set for yourself. Somehow, though, I think you'll get to your goal before I do mine. Hey, HOW BOUT I ROOT FOR YA?!?

Remember, when you do get that bike -- cycling is #2 on the list of all-around healthiest exercises; swimming is 1st,and I always say 'nobody ever drowned from getting a leg cramp on a bike'!

My best to you, man.

How about we root for each other?

lol if you guys had ever seen me swim, you wouldn't even bring swimming up!

Thank you sir :) It's good to know that other folks struggled just like me.

Here are some success stories to look up.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/688583-Year-1-Done.-Looking-ahead-to-2011...

http://journalstar.com/news/local/article_f98937f5-5ac1-5b2f-937c-2c1367ef5cef.html

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/371043-Belated-Ride-Report-A-Century-Timeline

How about we root for each other?


I think that's pretty much how this forum works, DaveInLa.

Here are some success stories to look up.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/688583-Year-1-Done.-Looking-ahead-to-2011...

http://journalstar.com/news/local/article_f98937f5-5ac1-5b2f-937c-2c1367ef5cef.html

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/371043-Belated-Ride-Report-A-Century-Timeline

Awesome stuff, all of them!

DaveInLa:

First let me make an assumption that may not fit you but will fit someone out there reading this. I'm going to assume that this isn't the first time you've tried to lose the weight. Diet commercials for the most part try to sell you on the belief that there's a secret to losing weight. There isn't any secret. If you eat less than you burn off you will lose weight. So what's true about each time you've tried and have not been successful? For one reason or another you've quit trying. For me it was that I set myself up for failure by setting an unrealistic timetable to achieve the goals. This time I tried something different. I told myself I'm going to give myself two years to achieve my goal. If I didn't achieve the goal in two years ,I'd give it two more years. Originally it was to lose 200 lbs. As you can see by my signature I've lost 201 lbs. I've only been at it for 19 months.

The reason I've been able to keep at it and not quit is I've focused on forming habits and not so many miles, so much time or so fast. The successes have been each time I've done something. Just doing something is a success. Only eating what I've planned on eating is a success. Resting when I've need rest is a success. Feeling successful is what keeps me going. Eating right and moderate exercise are now habits for me.

The reason I'm posting this is I read earlier that you went out and walked for 20 minutes and felt like you had ran a marathon. If feeling like you had ran a marathon is a good feeling then good for you. If you're thinking I did 20 minutes yesterday,I've got to do 25 minutes today then I'm concerned. Try to hold yourself back to where you're thinking I did so much yesterday and felt really great afterwards. Maybe I could do just a little bit more today.

DaveInLa:

First let me make an assumption that may not fit you but will fit someone out there reading this. I'm going to assume that this isn't the first time you've tried to lose the weight. Diet commercials for the most part try to sell you on the belief that there's a secret to losing weight. There isn't any secret. If you eat less than you burn off you will lose weight. So what's true about each time you've tried and have not been successful? For one reason or another you've quit trying. For me it was that I set myself up for failure by setting an unrealistic timetable to achieve the goals. This time I tried something different. I told myself I'm going to give myself two years to achieve my goal. If I didn't achieve the goal in two years ,I'd give it two more years. Originally it was to lose 200 lbs. As you can see by my signature I've lost 201 lbs. I've only been at it for 19 months.

The reason I've been able to keep at it and not quit is I've focused on forming habits and not so many miles, so much time or so fast. The successes have been each time I've done something. Just doing something is a success. Only eating what I've planned on eating is a success. Resting when I've need rest is a success. Feeling successful is what keeps me going. Eating right and moderate exercise are now habits for me.

The reason I'm posting this is I read earlier that you went out and walked for 20 minutes and felt like you had ran a marathon. If feeling like you had ran a marathon is a good feeling then good for you. If you're thinking I did 20 minutes yesterday,I've got to do 25 minutes today then I'm concerned. Try to hold yourself back to where you're thinking I did so much yesterday and felt really great afterwards. Maybe I could do just a little bit more today.

Just to add to this, don't advance until your ready and plan for off days.

You walked 20 minutes yesterday, don't plan any today, then plan 20 again tomorrow. Stay at the 20 until you can do it comfortably, then try 25, you want to be just past the edge between easy and hard, that is your pushing yourself, but just a little. Off days, are the days you recover, lots of people plan it like this, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday. You will notice that there are two back to back and the rest have off days between. The longest day or the hardest workout is the first day of the double, so if back to back days are Friday and Saturday then the hardest day is Friday. If the back to back days are Saturday, Sunday the hardest day is Saturday, this makes the following day a recovery day.

There are two methods of advancing the workout, in cycling, it's common to have short days and long days, for example my normal week is 25km on Tuesday, 25km on Thursday, longer on Saturday and 25km recovery on Sunday. The Saturday distance increases by 5km every other week. This is the pushing myself, but not too hard. By having enough off days, life doesn't get in the way of the workout. For example this week I had Saturday plans to go to a car show in Toronto, so the long day was Thursday and there was a Friday recovery ride, car show trip got cancelled due to the fact the highway off the peninsula is closed due to excessive snow squalls limiting visibility. Means I get the day off though and back on schedule tomorrow.

Just to add to this, don't advance until your ready and plan for off days.

You walked 20 minutes yesterday, don't plan any today, then plan 20 again tomorrow. Stay at the 20 until you can do it comfortably, then try 25, you want to be just past the edge between easy and hard, that is your pushing yourself, but just a little. Off days, are the days you recover, lots of people plan it like this, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday. You will notice that there are two back to back and the rest have off days between. The longest day or the hardest workout is the first day of the double, so if back to back days are Friday and Saturday then the hardest day is Friday. If the back to back days are Saturday, Sunday the hardest day is Saturday, this makes the following day a recovery day.

There are two methods of advancing the workout, in cycling, it's common to have short days and long days, for example my normal week is 25km on Tuesday, 25km on Thursday, longer on Saturday and 25km recovery on Sunday. The Saturday distance increases by 5km every other week. This is the pushing myself, but not too hard. By having enough off days, life doesn't get in the way of the workout. For example this week I had Saturday plans to go to a car show in Toronto, so the long day was Thursday and there was a Friday recovery ride, car show trip got cancelled due to the fact the highway off the peninsula is closed due to excessive snow squalls limiting visibility. Means I get the day off though and back on schedule tomorrow.

+2 to that.. the hardest part when getting started is to push yourself just that little bit the first time. Then after, you think.. well I've done and it wasn't that bad (as you feel like you're about to drop and the sweat is pouring out of you and everything seems to hurt). It's never easy getting started but once you get started you find that success builds on success.

Anybody can set a goal. Getting there is the hard part and getting there by little bits and eventually by bigger chunks can be really satisfying. It remnds me of the childrens book "The Little Engine That Could".:)

Getting out on your bike or on foot is a great way to meet new people and see things in ways that you hadn't seen before. I've met a lot of people in my training rides and walks all doing the same things and trying to reach similar goals.It helps to stop and talk and trade information. When I'm out skiing it's the same, we all try to help each other.

First off welcome DaveInLa!

Contribute where you think you can. You don't have to talk about bikes, you can share with us your struggles and hopefully we can help.

There is no need to wait for a bike. Get one and start going. Just ride how far you feel you can go.

Good Luck and Welcome.

Thanks for all the kind words and suggestions guys.

I was sweaty and winded enough last night that my roommate, and his friend, both pre-30 years old and in pretty good shape, thought that I had jogged lol.

I'm a bit sore today., but less sore than I thought I might be. I'm going to shoot for 15 minutes walking tonite, if I feel up to it I'll go a bit longer. I figure I'll move it up 5 additional minutes a week until I'm able to go an hour. I'm going to push myself, but I don't want to kill myself in the process, or set myself up for failure. I figure adding 5 minutes a week is a reasonable goal, that would give me over 2 months to ramp up to 1 hour walks. Honestly, I think I will be walking an hour long before that, but if not that's cool. As long as I'm moving, I'm winning!

Welcome, Dave. Good for you for making this decision to change your life. I made a stab at it myself when I was in my late 20s and early 30s, but couldn't stick with it, and found myself at a miserable 304.5 pounds in my early 50s. I've been working hard at it since then, and wished to God I'd had what it took to have turned myself around permanently back in my early years. It would have made life so different, and in many ways much better (if for no other reason than I would have had skin that was capable of "rebounding" from my fat days - something I don't think it will ever do now).

As far as exercise and eating plans go, I'll second everything that's been said here - walking is a terrific way to get started, but don't let any ill-conceived notions about whether you "belong" on a bike until you reach a certain weight keep you from getting out there and having fun. Nobody cares what you look like or how well or far you can ride when you start out. And even if they did, you're doing this for yourself and not them, so who cares what they think? And again, be careful with cutting carbs. Eliminating them is dangerous, particularly when you get to the point where you're eating to fuel your physical activities and not just for weight loss.

Anyway, we're happy as heck to have you here, and the best of luck.

As long as I'm moving, I'm winning!

More reading:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/677600-Mobility-Three-Weeks-in-Westsylvania

I'm 280 and LOVE my Jamis Coda Sport. My LBS is about an hour away too! :eek:

Don't be surprised if your fitness increases a lot faster than you expect (especially if you stay on track.) Your cardio will increase quickly and make you want to harder and faster, but your muscles and bones take longer for the same gains.

Don't be afraid of getting your bike now. Try a lot of different models and buy the one you love. That's how I got the Coda. I wanted the Coda when I started looking, rode it second, and nothing else felt as good.

Have fun, enjoy life, make smart choices, and be very careful with the low carb stuff. "Ride Your Way Lean" by Selene Yeager (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Ride-Your-Way-Lean/Selene-Yeager/e/9781605294063)(a book I highly recommend) suggests that you get 50-55 percent of your daily calories from carbohydrates in unrefined forms (veggies, fruit, whole grains, beans, etc.)

Don't forget to join us on the "Biggest Loser Thread." Lot's of motivation there!!

More reading:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/677600-Mobility-Three-Weeks-in-Westsylvania

More awesomeness and a beautiful trip. Maybe I'll do something like that one day!

In fact, I'm going to make it a goal... I want to ride the 16 mile tour road at the Vicksburg National Military Park before winter this year. I used to do it as a kid on a Hutch BMX bike, why not!

+2 to that.. the hardest part when getting started is to push yourself just that little bit the first time. Then after, you think.. well I've done and it wasn't that bad (as you feel like you're about to drop and the sweat is pouring out of you and everything seems to hurt). It's never easy getting started but once you get started you find that success builds on success.

Anybody can set a goal. Getting there is the hard part and getting there by little bits and eventually by bigger chunks can be really satisfying. It remnds me of the childrens book "The Little Engine That Could".:)

Getting out on your bike or on foot is a great way to meet new people and see things in ways that you hadn't seen before. I've met a lot of people in my training rides and walks all doing the same things and trying to reach similar goals.It helps to stop and talk and trade information. When I'm out skiing it's the same, we all try to help each other.

The concept of goals comes in 2 parts, goals and milestones. Goals are long term and can be quite large, milestones are small goals that can be achieved quickly. So for the OP for example walking an hour a day, by the end of the year would be a goal, walking for 25 minutes by the end of next week, is a milestone, because milestones can accumulate into goals. Once you achieve the milestone, you head for the next one. Until you get to the point that the next milestone is the goal.

When I returned to cycling, I didn't have a bicycle, so I walked as training to return to riding. Once I had a bicycle, I stopped the walking regimen, although some people do both...

The concept of goals comes in 2 parts, goals and milestones. Goals are long term and can be quite large, milestones are small goals that can be achieved quickly. So for the OP for example walking an hour a day, by the end of the year would be a goal, walking for 25 minutes by the end of next week, is a milestone, because milestones can accumulate into goals. Once you achieve the milestone, you head for the next one. Until you get to the point that the next milestone is the goal.

When I returned to cycling, I didn't have a bicycle, so I walked as training to return to riding. Once I had a bicycle, I stopped the walking regimen, although some people do both...

I've learned to mix it up especially towards the fall before the snow falls and it stops being safe to ride. The other benefit to walking is that walking is good for maintaining bone mass and density especially if you are over 50.

The concept of goals comes in 2 parts, goals and milestones. Goals are long term and can be quite large, milestones are small goals that can be achieved quickly. So for the OP for example walking an hour a day, by the end of the year would be a goal, walking for 25 minutes by the end of next week, is a milestone, because milestones can accumulate into goals. Once you achieve the milestone, you head for the next one. Until you get to the point that the next milestone is the goal.

When I returned to cycling, I didn't have a bicycle, so I walked as training to return to riding. Once I had a bicycle, I stopped the walking regimen, although some people do both...

I need to set bigger goals then, and change the status of my goals to milestones! Thanks for that viewpoint!

More awesomeness and a beautiful trip. Maybe I'll do something like that one day!

In fact, I'm going to make it a goal... I want to ride the 16 mile tour road at the Vicksburg National Military Park before winter this year. I used to do it as a kid on a Hutch BMX bike, why not!

An admirable goal. However, don't be surprised if you surpass it before winter.

I need to set bigger goals then, and change the status of my goals to milestones! Thanks for that viewpoint!

Yes, my goal this year is the beat the longest distance for that month since I started riding in 2007, some were easy like January, goal was 69 and I ended the month with 400, February goal was 83, and I am currently at 285, some months like August will be a lot harder, 477.... Of course next year I will need something else as a goal, may not use goals at all, other then to stay riding as much as I can.... I turn 50 this year, it's all downhill from here :D