rykoala

Hi all, I just had to share my excitement. Last Monday I was at 320lbs. I started a routine of morning exersize, biking to/from work (the cyclocommuting I've been doing for almost 3 years) and good eating. Today I weighed in at 315lbs! Not bad for a week of work, I must say

I blogged all of it and am updating it daily (except for Sundays).

https://notasfat.blogspot.com

Take care everyone!

Turboem1

great job! keep it up

jaxgtr

congrats. I have been bouncing around between 315 and 320 for about 2 weeks now. I hope it is just the holiday excesses that I tried to avoid, but wasn't always successful in doing.

jaxgtr

Just read some of your blog, just remember It's never good to starve yourself. Your body assumes that you not getting anymore food and basically clamps down on the calorie burning process and conserves what it has. When you have a bad day, just chalk it up as a learning experience and do better he next day. Work out a little more and before you know it, poof, the extra calories are gone.

Also remember, you don't have to deprive yourself of the forbidden fruit, but don't eat it every day. I typically eat spinich salad with some other veggies and some roasted turkey for lunch. Can't get enough if it, but once every 2 or 3 weeks I will have a burger and fries from the building eatery. Your body will get in a rut with food just like it does with exercize, every now and again you have to change it up and kick start the metabolism.

rykoala

Hey jaxgtr, don't worry. Those comments about starving myself were dripping in sarcasm. I know better

Thanks for all the great comments. I really appreciate the encouragement.

jaxgtr

Well you never know, a good friend of mine died that way and she was not that much over weight. She figured she would just cut back and miss a meal and she missed two and then it worked it's way into one or more of the eating dis-orders. She was a mess. Her family, mainly her sisters, are all thin and 1 is a model in Europe. She always had to work so hard to lose weight and called herself the "fat black sheep" of the family.

Hambone

I've talked about it before, Weight Watchers almost makes it easy.

It is a little weird sitting in a room with a bunch of women but if you do the program, you loose weight. If you do the program and ride a bike, you loose it faster!

e0richt

I lost about 35 lbs using weight watchers... kind of got away from the meetings but I do still follow the
program... I finally saw 309.6 on the scale today which I haven't seen for quite a few years...

Hambone

I find the meetings force me to be honest about what I am doing and confront my behaviour.

rykoala

Thanks for the comments once more. I can't afford the time or the money for a diet program like weight watchers. I don't have the patience for being told what to eat based on a numbers system. What I am doing works for me and has worked in the past (I dropped 40lbs doing it a couple of years ago). I know that many have had great success with it though, and its all about whatever works for *you*.

I am excitedly waiting until next Monday for another weigh in. I can't wait to get below 300lbs!

capecodcowboy

I was at 335lbs Last January with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type one diabetic on a insulin pump. I could not ride 4 miles with out feeling like death was at my door! I had gastric by-pass On January 11th 2006 and now at 226lbs I ride 80-90 miles on Saturdays with no problem (I do need a real road bike as my hybrid and I are no longer on speaking terms) Bottom line I gained and lost so much weight over the years that the yo-yo effect was taking it's toll! My Doctor told me I would not live to see Fifty! (I am Forty something!)As far as surgery is concerned I would not change a thing and would do surgery again in a heart beat. The life and health that I have reclaimed can not Adequately be described by my meager writing! Bottom line do what ever you have to do (in a controlled, safe and healthy manner) so you can be healthy and live life to the fullest! Carpie Diem!

Tom Stormcrowe

There seems to be a growing community of fellow bariatric cyclists! Cool! Drop by my blog, capecodcowboy!
https://theamazingshrinkingman.blogspot.com is one of the mirrors of it. I went from 581 to 219 so far!

capecodcowboy

Good for you! Like the Blog and I too will be riding The Tour De Cure! (in MA)

mattyknacks

Great work. I am with you dude! I just got down to 310 myself, so I know how happy you are!
Keep up the good work!

Matty in Brooklyn

rykoala

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. Today I weighed in at 312lbs! I am very happy. I was originally making my goal to be below 300 before the end of January but I don't think I'll make that. I do think I'll be below 300 soon however. So far, 8lbs lost in two weeks. I will update with a weigh in next Monday. Take care all!

Tom Stormcrowe

For what it's worth, an 8 lb/month loss is a sustainable loss rate healthwise, and you're actually a bit ahead of the curve. Of course, initial loss rates are faster, but as long as you do 7 or 8 pounds a month, you'
ll be doing fine!

mattyknacks

Congrats man!!! I am right with you. I am around 310/312 depending on the time of day. Rock on!!

Matty in Brooklyn

actarheel

Bottom line - eat less, exercise more. Great job!

Johnny_Bravo

Congrats!!!! Keep up your effort and your rewards will follow. Most of all, keep it fun and enjoy your journey. - JB

Hambone

My goal is 1.5#/wk

That puts me at 75 pounds less hambone next Dec 31.

jaxgtr

I'm down 10 pounds since Jan 1. I must really have been eating bad over the holidays. I'm working to be down to 300 by the end of February.

lasteagle83

I'm glad I found this forum......and to see I'm not the only big 'un out there who wants to ride a bike!

A lot has changed in the 25 years since I last spun a sprocket - back then, I had my choice of my Huffy Thunder Road or my Sears Free Spirit 10-speed. Both of those are long departed, rest their souls, and this old soul is now looking to pick up riding again. Like some of you I've noticed, I'm also type II diabetic, with a good dash of hypertension thrown in just to make life interesting. I have started about 8 weeks ago losing weight (diet and walking), and have lost about 35 so far (currently at 340). Walking on a treadmill, though, is boring; and I'm blessed to live in a city (Roswell, Ga) that has a fantastic bike park at the back door to my subdivision, little over 1/2 mile away.

Now, I've seen on here some of the smaller Clydes (in the 200s) and their choice of bikes, but what about us larger Beer horses? The bike manufacturers won't answer my questions (liability concerns, no doubt), so what have you all found to be GENERAL things to look for that are less likely to break, bend, or scream when the tonnage is applied? :-)

Thanks in advance to all,
lasteagle83

Tom Stormcrowe

Several answers come to mind, and I'll address then individually:
1) The bike: I resumed riding at over 400 pounds body weight. I am now 219. I rode a Royce Union Mountainbike then, because I bought in to the fallacy the bike would bend because I was too heavy. A bike frame is pretty solid! The primary component failure is the wheels. The key to Clyde riding is strong wheels and the type of tires/ Heavier riders require bulletproof wheels. I have been and currently run a 40 spoke rear and 36 spoke front wheel on my bikes (Except my racing bike, it's 36/36). You may prefer a more upright riding position, which also allows for a bit5 wider saddle when you start off. Look at perhaps a 1990's mountainbike frame, as that will also be adaptable to touring or commuting if that turns out how your interests run. Avoid suspension, it just sucks up your pedal stroke power (unless you are going to be riding offroad in heavy terrain, however, I still ride rigid, even offroad). This makes for simplicity and fewer parts to break.

Look at my Blog, the Amazing Shrinking Man, in my profile here or I also linked it. Start from the beginning and I have a lot of information for you there. Welcome to the forum, by the way and welcome back to cycling!