RWBlue01

Who’s lost 40#s or more and kept it off?

I want to hear your story.

Added:
How did you lose your weight? Diet? Which diet? Just riding? How many miles a week?

bbeasley

I've lost 60 lbs to date. Started at 252 three years ago, currently 191. I'm just 5'7" so on the BMI scale I've went from the low end of morbidly obese to right at over weight. You'll find many folks here who've done it much faster than I did. I wasn't trying to lose it so slow it's just the way it worked out.

Best advice I got here: "You can't out exercise a bad diet".

Cyril 

Me.
Started in 2003 (?) at 235 lbs.
Now I'm 175 lbs.
I eat sensibly save for my time on the bike.
Then I eat whatever my heart desires.
I do randonnuering events.

gforeman 

Lost 125 lbs in 2001. Shortly after I put about 25 lbs back on, even my wife said I looked bad, but I have maintained since then. I bicycled 4600 miles last year, it keeps me in line :-)

Before and after.

Jarrett2

67lbs in last 4 months. I don't think that counts as keeping it off though.

Lose It app + racquetball + biking 100 miles a week is what is doing it.

I'm stealing from another member for this quote:

Eat less to lose weight
Exercise for fitness
Sleep for strength

1242Vintage

Summer of 2009 weighed in at 250 lbs. That summer i dusted off the old and long neglected roadbike from the garage and in the next 12 months dropped 65 lbs. I'm 5'11", 49 y.o.

I gained 5 back from my low of 185 and now my weight seems to fluctuate around 190.

No secret to losing and sustaining the loss. Daily exercise (most days I bike to work), cut out soda and fast food, well-rounded diet & portion control, and go visit the doc every once in a while to see how I'm doing.

I also changed jobs. My old job required lots of travel. I was out of town almost every week. I found it really hard to eat right while on the road. Then I moved to a new job that required very little travel. Being at home really helped me control diet and made it much easier to exercise.

Feeling great and enjoying the slimmer me and new level of fitness. Did a century earlier this month with an epic amount of climbing and started racing cyclocross last year.

I'm averaging 250 miles a week on the bike, most of it commute mileage.

Gravity Aided

Weighed 400 in 2006, 325 today, but 6'5", I need to lose another 60. Bar end shifters for the Schwinn Passage, free cranks and seatpost on my Viscount aerospace, lose 60 lbs. I think the last one may be the easiest, and require the least patience and willpower.

IAMAMRA

Well still working on loosing but have been going about a year now steady. started at about 450 and down to about #300 .

RWBlue01

I should have said this in the original post.


How did you lose your weight? Diet? Which diet? Just riding? How many miles a week?

islandseas

I started back at Weight Watchers in July/Aug of 2010 and to date have lost just over 70lbs. I added the bike in 2011 which helped. I decided that I would eat "real food" as opposed to living on rabbit food. I wanted to be able to eat the same when I reached my goal. It's slower this way I think and I think age has something to do with it too as when I was 19 and first reached my goal to get my lifetime at Weight Watchers it was way easier than today at 59. Of course I had considerably less to lose then also.

I ride about 100km most weeks and try to ride at least four days a week. Hope this helps.

All I can say is stay the distance and keep track of your foods...quantities and types.

Karen

DanWho

Last year on valentines day I had according to the doctor not a heart attack but just close to one (none of the heart muscle died)(also get the irony of the date). I weighed in at 377 when I went to the hospital. I just weighed myself and came in at 303 this morning so 74 and at least 100 more to go. I have been eating better but still allow myself the occasional treat.

I stay away from high fructose corn syrup like the plague, considering it is in lots of foods now that has gotten difficult sometimes but I read ingredients listings like a hawk. I got a couple cliff bars today because I have heard so many here talking about them, and I read the entire ingredients just to make sure. As far as miles per day or week, I don't keep an eye on it anymore,

I would say maybe 75 per week but it is all small putting around town and no long trips, I doubt that I have done more than 3-4 miles at any one time in keeping with what the doc says I can do.

Im hoping the doc will clear me for more miles next visit but for right now I'm supposed to stay where I am on distance. The last check up blood pressure was normal so she cut my bp meds in half and my resting heart rate was 62, she liked that.

bigfred 

Starting in Aug 2011 at 300lbs lost approx 50 over the following year and have remained more or less steady since at around 250lbs (which at 6'5" puts me right on the overweight/obese bmi line). My wife and I lost the weight together by implementing a calorie counting scheme that saw us adjust what and how much we were eating as well as increasing our exercise quantity. Nothing fancy, 2400 calories/day for me and 1800/day for her. Lots more chopping of fresh fruit and produce. Greater control (measured quantities) over our carbohydrate intake (many rice/pasta/breads). Elimination of a few menu items that simply weren't worth the calories (home made pizza's). In general we're healthier and happier. And, I've begun in the last month or so an effort to loose some additional weight for an event in November with the goal of being sub 110kg.

Bill Kapaun

I weighed almost 300 in the early 90's.
Went to light beer- 270
Went to no beer- 235
I still bounce between 215-235 Fall/Spring. I basically ride off 20 lbs. during the Summer.
I haven't really ridden any off so far this Summer because I've been "rehabbing" from my broken leg, but somehow I feel stronger than I have in years. If my knee would quit swelling up when I stat logging some serious miles..........

jsigone

when I got my roadie superbowl weekend of 2005 I was 248 @ 6'2. I didn't know any better, my coworkers invited me for their saturday ride....which was 56 miles!!! That day hurt but also set the bar, if I can do that on day ONE why not do it every weekend? I rode at lunch 3x time week plus my 60+ weekend ride. I did that same route w/ those guys a month later and I was near the front of the group most of the way. About 3 months later and still eating what I wanted, I got down to 195. Lowest I gotten down to was 184 when I was heavy into racing and longer rides. But MTB injuries keeps me off the bike for too long. Currently at 204lbs and hope to lose a bit more, I'm getting tired of getting dropped by my buddies and trying to adjust some eating habits to help. I lost 4lbs in the past 2 weeks.

JimF22003

Down 300 pounds for over ten years now. Started the process with bariatric surgery. Kept it up with (mostly) eating right and doing lots and lots of riding.

CommuteCommando

In 1990 I hit a high of 235 (5'10), then became one of those older guys going back to college, at 35. I went on the Jenny Craig program and got to 180 before the start of classes. Yea me. I did it, I can stop now.

Ten years later I hit an all time high of 305. I don't blame Jenny. In fact I learned some valuable things. That program is very structured, and that structure is what worked for me at the time. I made up my mind to loose in 2008 and in the last five years went from 295 to 260, back to 275. Then down to 245 and stalled there for almost a year. Down to 225, back to 235, now down to 215.

I am following what is called the Mediterranean diet. That is a balanced, lower calorie diet that emphasizes reduction of saturated fats, replacing them with Omega 3 fats, fish twice a week, and lots of vegetables.

I use a diet tracking site. Started with Weight Watchers online, then discovered Fat Secret-just as good and free. Now use Training Peaks, the free version is better than FatSecret. I got the premium version which still costs half of what WW costs.

Lets say I am keeping it off. I still have fifty to go, and would like to go faster, and could on my own, but have family that is less than supportive.

I'm going riding.



2007 at my dad's 80th birthday party (I'm on the left, he's on the right)



Me at 225, finishing my first Metric C 6/1/13.

IAMAMRA

Weight Watchers and bike riding/gym is what really worked great for me. I go to the actual meeting and find the accountability helpful.

mr645

Went from 235 to 190 so far.

Eat smaller portions, eat better, 100% give up soda, fast food, cut way down on fats and such.

Yr 1 I joined a gym and hired a trainer, after a year I stopped with the trainer

Yr 2 got bored just going to the gym to work out, started playing racquetball a couple of hours a week.

a few months ago I got tired of the racquetball and bought a road bike and ride 3 times per week now.

Eat less, excersise more, lose weight

goldfinch

I was obese but lost all my excess weight by December 2011. Have kept off more than 40 pounds but have crept up some in the past few months. Holding stable now but I am going to work on dropping the excess this fall, after biking season. Even though I gained a few pounds my BMI is in the normal range and I am not overweight.

I find that no matter what I want to eat more than I can. What works best for me is to stay away from sweets and keep myself busy. The most dangerous thing for me is sitting around in the evening without anything to do but cruise the internet. I also have to count calories as I have no internal sense as to when I have eaten my allotment for the day.

the puma

In July 2011 I was 41 years old, 6'3 and about 280-285. I saw pictures of myself at a wedding and about crapped myself.

I attended a vigorous week long work certification class shortly after that and dropped 10 pounds in a week, then dropped another 10 or so by being careful about what I ate. In March 2012 I was about 265 and started using the LoseIt app, keeping to 1800-2000 calories per day. I did Krav Maga with a little crossfit once a week. My body stabilized in the late fall of 2012 and I quit counting calories. I weighed 220 pounds. I went from a 42" waist to a 36" waist and had to buy an entire new wardrobe. I had been wearing XXL clothes since about 1994, so nothing fit. Nothing.

I've put on about 6 pounds in the last 7 months because I eat a bit more and sometimes indulge in garbage, but look and feel the same. In a perfect world, I would lose another 10-15 pounds, but truth be told, I just don't have the energy and dedication to do it now (I have twin 1st grade boys that run me ragged, both emotionally and physically, as well as a 5th grade girl...ugh). I'm pleased with how I look most of the time and I'm a lot healthier. If I find the motivation, I may try to lose more, but eating healthy food in moderate portions is the key for me so I can maintain my current weight/health without much attention.

Cliffs Notes: counting calories and moderate exercise, 285 to 220 in 9 months.

PS: first post here, and I'm not one to "introduce" myself. I started mountain biking in high school in the late '80s, and haven't been on a bike much for the past 15-20 years, but I'm biking again. My new road bike arrives tomorrow and thus begins my road cycling life.

Bluish Green

I'm down 60 pounds and keeping it off. What has worked for me is a lifestyle change where I gave up my car for bicycle commuting, plus I eliminated bad foods.

Exercise:
Bicycle Commuting - 6 miles each way, every work day, no matter what weather. Guaranteed regular miles, no excuses, no options (although I actually love doing it).

Better Foods:
Completely eliminated the bad stuff (zero, not even a little)
- fast food
- prepackaged snacks (chips, and essentially anything that comes in a plastic pouch)
- beer, fruit juices, sugary drinks
- sweets
Added in for a healthy change - better foods
- homemade granola (almonds, oats, sunflower seeds, no refined sugar)
- real fruit

For me personally, complete substitution (bicycle for car, real foods for processed crap) is doable, repeatable, simple, and effective. Others here on the C&A forum do well with portion control and moderation. Moderation is not effective for my personality type, substitution is. Find what will work for you and is repeatable, and do it!

Rootman

2011 I weighed ~400 lbs, got weight loss surgery and am now 210 lbs. Went from a couch potato to fairly fit. Ride about 100 - 150 miles a week and swim when weather doesn't allow riding.

digibud

From 285 to 205. I don't think either diet or exercise can help. Both are needed. An hour of exercise is lost by half of an extra hamburger or an order of fries. I rode about 4500mi last year, mostly in summer but I did a spinning class 4 times a week through most of the winter. I did no special diet but I cut back on red meat considerably, ate far fewer fatty foods and tried to snack on fruits and salads. I had no structure other than paying attention to what I ate and working at eating more fruits and veggies and far fewer fats and greasy food. Any I got a heart rate monitor and used it. Nearly all my rides are "training" rides. I don't cruise around at 8mph thinking I'm getting good exercise. I'm slow for a competitor, but I'm a 60yr old clyde so it's not realistic for me to expect to compete with young, strong kids 50 yrs old .
In spite of all this, after about 2-3 yrs of working at loosing weight (and succeeding) I found I have coronary artery disease from all my years of the typical american diet so now I'm a strict vegan. Loathe it. But now my diet is very restricted in terms of fats so it's hard to imagine I'll ever put the weight on again unless I go back to eating meat. I'll do that the minute I get the news I have cancer and just a year to live. At that point I'm eating burgers, doing smack, smoking anything I can inhale that makes me smile and throwing my helmet away .
Congrats to all the success stories and good luck to everyone in this difficult endeavor.

Darth Lefty 

In college, I was pushing 270. This in spite of walking or biking to all my classes and up four flights of stairs several times a day a the dorm. College cafeterias are the best/worst.

In grad school, at 250 or so, I decided to try Protein Power, which is in the same vein as Atkins. At the same time, was jogging to the student gym every day and doing the circuit training. Got down to 207 before assaulting a friend and taking his donut.

I was around 215-225 for the last 12 years or so. Most of this time I was weightlifting, occasional cardio exercise, but not dieting. I probably had a lower body fat than I do now at a lower weight.

About three years ago, my cardio performance started going downhill and I got chest pain going uphill. I was diagnosed with a hereditary form of enlarged heart (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). No more weightlifting or HIIT. Weight stayed the same but traded muscle for flab.

I recently got under 200 for the first time in my life due to diet... I have some blood sugar interactions with my heart meds that make me feel like crap and so I tried a diet with no white carbs. That knocked out sugar, baked goods, pasta, potatoes, and rice. I started eating a lot of nuts.

I fell off the wagon about two months ago after a bout of food poisoning. Back up to 208.

drorgo

I am 53 and 6ft, 1.5 years ago was 240. Lost the first 30 in 6 months and 10 more over the last year. I am 200 right now looking to get to 185 to 190. I run 3 to 4 times a week about 15 to 20 miles total and have a trainer I go to on Mondays and Fridays at the gym. I just got a new bike with a rake to ride to the store and the gym rather than driving ( this week about 23mi). I have not used any formal published diet. Just eliminated the junk food and began cooking at home almost every night for my wife and I. If I gave up the occasional beer the last of the weight would most likely come off faster, but I am happy with the progress I am making.

Bob W