DM5

I got into cycling in August of last year, did a metric century in February, and did the Solvang century a couple weekends ago. In the process I've lost about 35lbs, my goal is another 30-40lbs which would leave me around 205-215. I'm getting married in September and it would be great to be there by then but I realize the next few months are going to be hectic.

Cycling has truly been a life-changing endeavor as I now find myself going to the gym to take spin classes, swim, and I'm even signed up for a 10K mud run in June.

The pic below is me in June of 2011 and again in January 2012 Still have a ways to go but I'm feeling great so far!

zerogravity

I needed to be healthy again..with 2 congestive heart failure attacks, type 2 diabetes and hypertension, it was time for a change.
Here i was at 294 lbs. August 13 2010.


Here i am now! 212 lbs. March 2012.


I changed my diet and work out at the gym 5 days a week and ride 3 times a week. I have been healthy for a year and have kept the weight off.

cohophysh

Dude, you look great and I think you have bigger guns than Mr. Beanz

zerogravity

LOL I got nothin' on Mr Beanz!!!

dave5339

What a difference a year makes... From a high of 267 and now down to 192...

Then


Now


Semper Fi

hotwheels

Dave5339, you look great! Congrats on the transformation.

Neil_B

Dave5339, congratulations on your success. And its good to see a fellow TEA Partier on here.

eightlab

Such inspiration in this thread... Thank you so much!

Tom Stormcrowe

Looking good, fuish!

Hoss Cartright

I gained about ten pounds over the winter. (Half of that was 14 days in Spain in November when I got out of control eating Catalan food including cheese and lots of bread as well as drinking too much local red wine) I tried to ride as much as possible this past winter. (This is me on Christmas day when we did 28 miles)



But I'm back at it again, have ridden about 400 miles this year. Did a 30 mile ride on Saturday with the local club. I'm riding at about 14~15mph on a typical day, 9~10mph into the prairie wind and 19~20mph in calm air. Wind and hills are my downfalls.

PatekCalatrava

Wow, that is impressive and inspiring.

Jaytron

Just thought I'd post on here as motivation. I was extremely obese around this time last year, and took it upon myself to ride more for fitness. I've taken it a bit farther and am on my way to racing this year (I'm even on a team now!)

Before= May 2011, After= April 2012 (no longer a clyde).

vesteroid

Odd, that face you are making on the left is the same one I made when I paid for our bikes!

Great transformation by the way, it helps me to see such success and keep going myself.

unclebuck13

I am in absolute aww of the images and the stories that I have spent the last hour reading on here. Amazing job you guys have done I am so inspired. So long story short, I just got home from my dentist and we were talking about my struggle with my weight. I told him that I had just started riding my bike again. He went and got his photo album and holy crap....he has lost almost 150 lbs by riding his bike!

So here is my problem and questions for any or all of you, I am 6'8" and over 420 lbs. What kind of bike should I be looking at buying. Money is tight and would be a consideration, but right now I am using an older huffy that has been in the garage for years. Not too worried about it messing up but I swallow that bike up pretty nice!

I have been riding at the park by my house and I can make it one lap around which is about a mile and a half, without taking a break to catch my breath. It has only been a week, but I have been riding every day. My biggest problem right now is my lungs, I feel like I have just had an elephant on my chest while running ten miles! I get winded pretty easy, but my first day riding I could not make it a half a lap without taking a break.

Thanks for the advice and the inspiration.

jedrek

I posted in here a couple months ago, so here's an update - 35 years old, 445->320 today.


I'm 6'5" and I started at 400, so I know your pain. You can't outride a bad diet, so you'll need to handle that part, but otherwise... you just ride. You ride until you're tired and the next day you ride a little more. Right now you can do a mile and a half, but a week ago you could only do half of that. So next week you'll be up to a loop and a half, the next week, maybe 3 loops? And so on, and so forth.

If anything, consider riding a little bit more slowly. Try to do two slow loops instead of one where you're out of breath? Still, at the end of the day, you just need to ride, spin those pedals, one leg after the other. If you have an older huffy that rides and you're comfortable on it... don't worry about getting a new bike. Consider getting your current ride looked over at a bike shop or co-op if you live in a larger city, but if you have a working bike, you have all you need to ride. Maybe set a goal (weight related? number of rides? distance ridden?) for getting yourself a new bike? I told myself I'd get a new bike if I rode all year and didn't quit - I got myself two.

goldfinch

Unclebuck, I suggest starting a separate thread with your question. Sometimes this thread is missed by regular posters. Good luck!

RedCancer0

Congratulation Guys, to your transformation. i hope someday i lost weight like you guys. I'm new here in the forum, nice site.

Beachgrad05

A "before" combined with "current" thanks to PhotoJoe

Nearly 20 lbs lost

tergal

The biggest differnce i see with these photos is the first photo you looked unhappy, in the second one you look happy and you have the convadence to take the photo you self and with dam good reason .

Just remmember while you are aiming for that last 50 to look at this picture and remember you have already won.

Reed422

New to this site and to cycling. Here is Me in 2011 at my friends wedding at around 215lbs. I'm the one with 7 chins on the left.



Here is me at about 200



Here is me now 5'8 @ 178 I want to be at like 165ish I lost all the weight from running and diet but I've switched to cycling - today!


I know I look happier fat but there are just a lot more pix from fat days to choose from, don't have many new pix. I am much happier shrinking.

deeth82

DUDE, great work! Btw, automatic fist-bump for Trekbro status!

rhammons

Put this up in another weight loss forum, and figured I'd share here since this place has been such an inspiration to me over the past year. From 247lbs. to 177lbs. today. Personally, it's overwhelming looking back on this, and it just feels great.

jmccain

Very, very impressive!

alexaschwanden

^ great job on the weight loss.

JonnyHK 

Apart from me being cheeky and suggesting that you look like Tin Tin in the last photo, this is impressive stuff!