errodr

I started my journey in 2008 @ ~300 lbs. Thanks to my bicycle and a bit of determination I got down to about 150 lbs. I was riding 200+ miles per week, racing, and loving life on the road!

I got married in 2010, started a new job, sold two houses, moved to a new house and in the middle of all of that I got out of my routine. No excuse I know, but it is the truth.

Today I find myself back up at ~225 lbs. needless to say, I am not thrilled. I have decided that I will start riding again, lose the weight and stay vigilant and do my best to keep it off.

I have a few questions:

1. Has anybody else ever found themselves in this position? The road BACK to a healthy weight seems so long, I can't believe I let this happen...
2. None of my old riding clothes fit, any recommendations for loose fitting stuff that would "hide" me a bit?
3. I have a 2008 Cannondale CAAD 9, is it capable of someone of my weight?

Thanks for any help!
-Eric

goldfinch

1. Most people who lose weight end up gaining at least part of it back. You are not alone. Don't beat yourself up--just do what you can to move forward. I can easily go up in weight. I went up over the past couple of months--I am cutting out all sweets because I am too vulnerable to their lure. Whether that is a physical or psychological issue is probably too tough to tease out. Keep in mind, you are not any where near 300 pounds so catching the trend up now rather than later is good.

2. Bike shorts with athletic shorts over them?

3. Sure, but the wheels may be iffy. Others can speak to that issue.

Lazy Dog

Get one of the cheaper Pearl Izumi bibshorts in a larger size and wear the loose fitting Under Armour shirts over them. You can find tons of options on amazon.

No problem with this bike at your weight of 225. If you start breaking spokes, you might need a good set of clyde road wheels like the Williams 30x.

cartman380

I always just wear athletic shorts and a shirt. I have several breathable shirts that wicks away sweat, but I wear regular t-shirts as well. I have been there done this before and am currently in the midst of losing the weight again.

I started at ~370 lbs 10 years ago and lost the weight down to 205 lbs (I'm 6'1" and a big frame) to which a lot of family said they thought I was too skinny. Then add a marriage about 2 years ago and working 50-80 hours a week and it became easy to skip working out and I went back up to about 280 lbs, but I kept weight lifting on and off. I'm no longer married and I have been trying to get back in shape ever since. Right now I weigh about 235 lbs but I have also really upped my weight lifting so I've bulked up as well so I would say I'm about 3-4 pant sizes away from back to my waist at 205 lbs.

All I can say is while it seemed like such a long journey ahead over a year ago, I have found a great gym and a gym partner which further motivates me to go to the gym with no excuses because we goad each other if one of us doesn't go one day (unless there is a good reason).

Keep on working hard and the weight will come off eventually, just don't give up.

Chitown_Mike

I know the feeling, I lost about 40 lbs a little over a year and a half ago. My wife then had our first kid, the weather got cold so I got lazy about riding, then Thanksgiving and Christmas, and 30 of those lbs came back because they loved my middle section soooo much!

I have lost 8 lbs so far, and I know it will be a "painful" road back through the other 22 lbs, and then the other 20 I want to lose. I know I need get on a bike (because I hate running) and watch what I eat, so that's what I am going to have to do this summer!

cafzali

It sucks, but the older we get, the tougher weight management becomes because most people don't maintain the same metabolism. To really keep it off, you either have to be very vigilant about what you eat, exercise a lot, or in some cases, both. Managing all this is doable, but it takes some diligence in terms of scheduling to make sure that you get enough exercise in your ordinary routine and in terms of eating, you just have to pay attention to what you eat and try to eat several small meals a day with only really one "normal" size meal.

As far as bike clothes, you can certainly find some bike shorts that will fit you, although you may find bibs more comfortable. Buying more expensive stuff will generally lead to a better fit. As others have said, the bike will work just fine. The issue with a heavier person riding bikes isn't really the frame, it's how "stiff" the wheels are and whether they can stand up to the demands placed on them by the rider's weight and the normal stress of riding. You either have to have a higher spoke count or spokes that are made of stronger material, but lots of wheelsets you can buy direct via shops can handle what you'd put on them. I'd classify as a clyde now, although I've lost some weight recently and I run a set of DT Swiss R-1700s that aren't necessarily designed for a clyde but have proven bulletproof for me.

Chitown_Mike

Side note on bike shorts: Canari makes a pair of mountain bike cargo shorts that has a liner with padding that sits inside the shorts. They look like regular shorts just with a bike brief liner. I almost picked them up but when with a traditional lycra look.....got to show of these buns!

McCallum

1. Has anybody else ever found themselves in this position? Yes, a year or so ago I was 181-185 today I was 208! The road BACK to a healthy weight seems so long, I can't believe I let this happen... Roger that!
2. None of my old riding clothes fit, any recommendations for loose fitting stuff that would "hide" me a bit? Find what ever you got; tshirt and shorts till theold riiding stuff fits; did you keep your transition gear?
3. I have a 2008 Cannondale CAAD 9, is it capable of someone of my weight? No idea; I ride a cross/hybrid I have had for years!

PhotoJoe 

CAAD9 at your weight is no issues. Ride it like you stole it!

errodr

Thanks for all of the helpful comments and suggestions. Went for my first ride in over a year yesterday... Man am I out of shape!!!

errodr

Unfortunately I got rid of all of my transition gear. I was SURE I would never weigh that much again. I think I'll do the old t-shirt and shorts til I'm back in fighting shape.

otg 

I got rid of my clothes as soon as they felt too loose, felt like a victory to put them in the goodwill bin. I did exactly the same thing as you, went from around 250 down to 185 about 9 years ago. The weight slowly starting coming back and I slowly started replacing my clothes. One day about two years ago I decided to step on the scale and I was at 265, heaviest weight ever. (I'm 5'7", so I looked a bit like a bowling ball) I had my routine physical and thew doc wrote the words "morbidly obese" on my paperwork. That did it for me. It was harder losing the weight the second time, I'm 57 now and people tell me it gets tougher the older you get. I know Im getting a bit long winded here, but anyway, I'm at 180 now, lowest since about junior hight school. I've been able to hold fairly steady for over a year, and I'm sure it's because I got back into biking. Good luck in your journey!

InTheRain

I began my journey of weight loss back in Nov 2012. Things went well. I went from 235 to 208 in 14 weeks... then I fell off the wagon. So, 6 weeks later, I found myself at 224. I'm back on the wagon now. I'm disappointed that I let it get away from me like that, yet I'm glad that I didn't let it get away for an extended period of time. I'm surprised how quickly I lost a lot of fitness gains. For example, two months ago I could run a 5K... now I fought like crazy to run a mile without stopping. Hopefully the weight loss and the fitness level return quickly. It's really frustrating... I was only 8 lbs away from losing the "clyde" label.

The encouraging thing for those us that have lost weight is that we know how to do it. So... back on the wagon guys!

Shepp30 

Same here, I went from 270 to 198 in seven or eight months in 2010 - I rode around 3000 miles that year. Not an extreme amount of miles but a lot for a fat guy. I got back into playing much more golf and didn't ride a 1000 miles last year. Playing golf helps keep me leveled off during the summers for the most part but it doesn't create the calorie deficit that biking does. Winters are rough in Ohio - I have to find something interesting to do during the winter.

I find that I have put on 10 pounds a year since 2010, but it is coming off as we speak. I woke up, bought a new bike and frequent these forums on a daily/nightly basis. Yes my golf game is suffering a bit but I am getting my mojo back.

McCallum

Yeah; I have done this before! SO I kept all my clothes more cause I did this before and well I hoped if I kept mine I would NEVER NEED THEM AGAIN!! So far it has worked (hear the sound of hammering on a wooden surface!).

brianogilvie 

I went from 180# to about 135# in grad school, without dieting: walking was my main form of transportation, and I ran or swam 2-3 hours a week on top of that. Then I slowly started putting it back on again, after I got my first job. I maxed out somewhere over 220# in 2008, after my father died. By exercising more regularly, I was able to lose about 20 lbs., but much of it came back with a vengeance. What I finally realized was that exercise wouldn't be enough, not with my mid-40s metabolism and bad eating habits (mostly healthy food, but way too much of it).

I started off this year at 214.8. By counting calories and aiming for a 500-600 calorie daily deficit, I'm now down to around 199 and am officially no longer a Clyde. Exercise has helped (since it lets me eat more, and weight training helps maintain muscle mass), but it's that calorie deficit that has resulted in the lost weight.

One extremely useful resource I found this January is John Walker's e-book The Hacker's Diet. Once I reach my target weight, I plan to follow his advice in the chapter "Perfect Weight Forever": basically, I'll continue weighing myself daily and plot an exponentially smoothed average to keep tabs on my weight trend and nip any gain in the bud before it becomes significant.

goldfinch

I second your comment on The Hacker's Diet. He has a nice online tool for keeping a moving average of your weight. I use this tool religiously. The only error I had in using the tool was having a switch in scales when I went from motorhome to house. It turned out the scales were dramatically different. I finally compared to known accurate scale and unfortunately, the higher of my two scales was the most accurate. This threw off my weighted average, but over time it should work itself out.

marmot

It's so easy to fall off the wagon, errodr.
Skiing has been my downfall, literally. I usually lose a few pounds in the summer by biking, paddling, swimming, the gym, etc., then gain a few in the winter when good bike days are few and I skip the gym to go skiing (I love it, but it's not a great workout). It's worse this year, because a house sale, moving and renos (exhausting, but not fitness-friendly) took up my summer last year. Then I tore a muscle skiing and was off my feet for a month. I've recovered enough to use a rowing machine and a stationary bike, and hope to get back on my real bike this week. I'm 5-11, was down to 185 but I'm back in the Clyde club for now.
Fashion notes: You can get wicking workout T-shirts at Wally Mart or Target for $8 or so. They're cool, comfy and loose-fitting, and I like them better than bike jerseys even when I'm fit, trim and lovely to look at. You can also buy liner shorts for a lot less than full bike shorts, and wear them under any trousers you like. If you want mountain-bike shorts, the ones with detachable liners are easier to live with than the sewn-in kind.

krobinson103

Been there several times. When I was getting ready for our wedding I ran everyday to the point of pain and lost 15kg. Got down to 90kg. 3 years later it came back. Cycled it off again 100kg back to 90kg. It came back after our daughter was born. Got sick of it and last year dropped 30kg down to 85kg. Over winter some has come back, but since I've been exercising 3 hours every day for a solid year its not fat. You just have to keep on riding or your body will happily pack it back on. This time... no retreat. Not gaining weight again!

65Marinoni

Old Cannondale are strong with thickier tube ... the new's one with 'smartform' = not so . Take a look at what happen to my 63cm Cannondale Optimo after only 2 years of riding ( 15000km ...It’s just one of my bikes from my stable )

jaxgtr

I know they are not loose fitting shorts, but I've been using these shorts for many years and absolutely love them. Started using them when I was about 250, down to 170 and now I am back to 195. I am currently using a size large, but probably could fit a medium, but these shorts have a lot of life left, so not use changing.
They fit very close to sizing and are very comfortable, and at 225, the XL should fit you nicely as you take the journey to get back into the game.

https://garneau.com/us_en/fit-sensor...ng-bib-1058229

I also agree your bike should be fine. Back in 2007, I bought a CAAD9 when I was about 280 and rode that down to 225.

MRT2

1. Yes, I have been in this position, several times. The reality is, if you were ever overweight, you need to be vigilant or the weight will come back on. The most important thing is not to over rely on a single activity like cycling for weight management. stick to a health diet that keeps the number of calories moderate so you don't gain weight if you cut back on your cycling. The truth is, you probably won't have as much time to ride 200 miles a week as an older married man with a career as you did before. There just aren't enough hours in the day to ride, work, do chores, cook, and take care of the family. Most working people are lucky if they have time for one long ride a week, and a few short ones. That is just how it is. And it gets even more difficult if you have kids. So eat for weight loss, ride for fun, leisure and health.
2. I can relate. I have been over 300, and currently still over 250. plenty of club fit stuff out there. I have Bontrager, Twin Six, Fat Lad at the Back, Voler, and Primal. For shorts, I like Aerotech Designs. But I have some Pearl Izumi shorts that I also like. They are all pretty decent, but sometimes you have to go up in size to XXL or even 3XL. YMMV, depending on how you carry your weight. But realistically, there is no hiding your weight. Just own it and ride.
3. Don't know if your old bike will handle your weight. I would say yes, but check the wheels just in case. Low spoke count wheels have never really worked for me, so I had a set of touring wheels with 36 spokes built for me.

Dirk de Chablis

Been there, bought the Pizza. I retired from racing and got a real job, went from 125lbs to 270lbs over a winter, I hated bikes and cycling and gave away all my bikes bar one. Then after about six to seven years, during midlife crisis no. 1 decided to get back on my bike, I rode six days a week with three hours on the road before work and then did a two hour turbo session after work and in six weeks I got myself back down to 165lbs, started racing again got back to Elite level, won some more national champs medals and headed back into midlife crisis no.2 & 3. Walked away from the bike again, working 50-70hrs a week with lots of travelling and living in hotels eating rubbish food and over time I was back to 270lbs. In December I got a smart trainer and started back on the bike, I'm on it six days a week and aiming for 130 miles a week and I'm now down to 235lbs.

It can be done, I've not changed my lifestyle much, still enjoy beer, wine and cheese, other than reduce my portion size and keep a food diary of everything I eat and drink.

WonderMonkey

I think most people in this thread have lost and then gained and lost and gained, etc. We have not conquered the lifestyle changes needed to keep it off and is the reason some of us are Clydes in the first place.

1 - You know you can do it, so that's taken care of.
2 - Your life has changed, you need to carve out dedicated time to be on the bike. You may need to ensure you get to bed at a decent time and get up early to ride, or ride after everyone else has gone to bed. This will put you riding in the dark, but if you have the right setup and the right bike paths, you can do it. Commuters do it all the time.
3 - If necessary, listen to an audiobook or music while riding. NOT WHILE ON THE ROAD, and one ear only. Some will flame me for suggesting it, but you can do it if you are conscious of it and such.
4 - Get your rump in shape, your mind right, and then start to do workouts on the bike. Some increase pace on a distance shorter than you know you can go. Intervals. Etc.
5 - I haven't ready this entire thread but can you involve your spouse in riding on your Saturday rides? Go ride and end up at a brewery for a recovery drink.

shelbyfv

Given that this thread had been dead for 8 years, wonder how OP is doing now?