JohnKScott

Congrats Dave. Nice work!

I am happily stalled at 170 lbs right now. Would still like to lose maybe another 10. But I'm not at all unhappy where I'm at. Looking to find motivation to really hit it and trim off a little more before I start hammering hard on cycling form again (sounds more impressive than it will actually be ).

jays35

Thanks! I need to loose about 20 - 25 lbs to meet my goal.

Ricardo

Any before-after pics?

Moskau

It's inspiring to read the posts here. Great work guys.

I've been fighting myself this entire autumn and I've been swinging between 183 and 186 lbs. 175 is my current goal and eventually I want to be 160-165 or so. Things been frustrating to say the least. I did so well this summer and now I've been fighting myself since August to not inflate again. Food, exercise, the works. I've reached the conclusion that I just cannot touch chocolate. If I start I can't stop. That's a pit I keep falling into. It's difficult to deal with when I'm not the only one who buys groceries in my home.

It's however not all bad. I'm finally able to look at pictures of my entire body and not feel ashamed. My body is beginning to shape up and look tighter! I spend more time in the gym now that winter is here and I can feel I'm getting stronger. I also try ride my bike when I catch daylight (it gets dark around 5 in the afternoon these days).

I just wish I'd break my plateu, I kinda get the feeling I don't have enough willpower but at the same time realise I may be too hard on myself, I'm 30lbs down already. I'm also really dreading christmas season, I don't trust myself.

Ricardo

LOL! Same here. It takes a while but you will overcome chocolate addiction.

Meepers

HMMMM. Well it has been a few years sense my big loss, but the weight seems to be coming back. time to gain that self control again. Here is my story in a nutshell.
back in about 2002 I was pushing about 215. I put on the freshman 40. I got really sick of myself and dug out my old POS Mtn bike. bent back rim and all I got on that thing every day. I started to see a difference after only a week of hardcore dieting and riding, I dropped 10 lbs. mostly water weight though, it slowed down a lot after that first week. I started to ride more and more trails with a friend, so I bought a Fuji Nevada, it was cheap, but I was in school and I needed something better (I still have it, and love that bike). after about 5 months I lost about 50 or 60 lbs. but by the end of the summer I was at 132 pounds.
Sadly I took it to far, I looked like I was dyeing and people actually asked me if I had cancer, I am not lying. so I took to the weights and put some muscles on. now I am lazy and barley ride, so I bought a new bike and I am about to start all over again, this time from 175. got to lose about 20-25 and I’ll be happy.

my secret was no secret. I kind of did the Atkins thing before it was the Atkins. I kept my carbs low, and no junk food. I allowed myself one bad meal every 2 weeks (some times once a week). I rode minimum 75-80 miles a week, school and working full time made it difficult. no soda, my caffeine came from lots of coffee. It was hard to not eat French fries, I love French fries. But the part that is killing me now..... Beer. I love beer. I am in a beer club and I drink a lot of different beer. Back when I started working out I didn't drink at all, then I moved to State College (Penn State) and that changed. But I only drank liquor, not good for you but still better than beer. Then I used my BMX bike to get around campus.

My day (for 2 years before PSU Main) went something like this: get up around 8 a.m. do pushup, sit-ups, lift some free weights (and I am not going to lie, I was young and in college this didn’t happen every day, I mostly just did pushups in the morning). Grab a shower and an apple or banana. Took off to class for a few hours. I would grab a salad for lunch go to class again then head to work. Work from around 2 or 3 in the afternoon until 8, some times from 12-8 depending on the day of the week and the semester. Get home about 8:15, do more pushups, sit-ups, and free weights (after work I did do this every day). In the summer I would hop on my bike and take off, in the winter I would toss it on my trainer and ride for as long as I could take it. on the weekends I would get up about 7 or 8 and go for rides with my friend, we would normally go at least 22 miles, with a break in the middle to swim at the damn. When I got out of class early or didn’t have work I would get on the bike as soon as I could get home. I was stoked when I would go to the beach without a shirt on and not be embarrassed.
When I got down to main it was a little different. I rode my bike to class, and when I wasn’t riding I was walking everywhere. I only drove my car to get groceries and to go home for the weekend. So I worked out less, but the weight stayed off.


any who, now I am lazy and have a desk job so I am getting pudgy. I am a little more muscular now, I worked a few manual labor jobs so that stayed with me, but for the past few months I have been solely at a desk. I guess I got reliant on working my but off at work every day. But once my new bike gets here I will be ready to ride the road. I went with a fixed gear so I have no choice but to not stop pedaling. I will try and keep a chart of my progress, if Fed Ex ever delivers my bike!
P.S. the thing that helps me the best with my trainer is video games. Riding and not getting anywhere is boring as hell, and it is hard to watch TV or as movie, they get slow, but video games seem to be great. I zone out and don’t even realize it have been on my bike for over an hour. So far GTA4 is the best. Tons of things to do, so it never gets boarding. But I would much rather be on the street.

sherbornpeddler

Same here, I see a relationship between bike miles, chocolate, wine and weight.
Theoretically if I stop chocolate and wine I will loose weight; I don't know for sure.
I rode fewer days last month, hammered some big rides and boosted my appetite, increased a little muscle bulk and created a few ripples on my weight plateau.

This bio-chemical equilibrium dictator brought in winter weight gain to counter my new resolve. If I can lower the plateau now to 182 the spring battle to 175 is mine!

rgtft

Sorry, no pics. Though my kids were making fun of me (in a nice way) saying how my bike jersey used to stick out (big gut) -- sad but it used to be true.

JohnKScott

I had the same issue. If I started on a chocolate munch I just kept stuffing it in my face. I really controlled my diet over the last year and didn't eat nearly as much chocolate of any kind. Just a little here and there. Strangely, when dessert time comes around, given a choice, I've become more interested in fruit desserts. Cobbler, Pie, Strawberry Shortcake. Yum. They still aren't great, but...

Even more interesting, I still have some chocolate cake or something from time to time. But if I eat more than just a little it makes my stomach feel a tad upset. Don't really like that feeling, so I don't eat that much anymore.

metalchef87

Seemed to have leveled off at 170...but I am happy with that, lost 80 lbs since jan 1st

lennyk

Major milestone today down to 179lbs
was at a 180-183 plateau for a long long time, but wasn't really trying though
last month I decided to make a little push for it
cut out rice and reduced night carbs portions

if I can reach 175 I will be happy, dont want to go much lower as it would require major clothing expense

QuickDraw

I'm 6'2" my highest weight was 199.9 about a month ago, with my first kid on the way I'm motivated to get in better shape. My goal is to be somewhere between 170-175. To date I've dropped 10 pounds and I'm well on my way. I'm just more conscious of what I'm eating, I've cut out fast food and soft drinks. eating more whole grains and just better quality of food. thanks for all the good info on this subforum. hopefully I can contribute in some small way.

metalchef87

In one year exactly...I have lost 83...I am at 167, but it seems to fluctuate between 167-170 on a daily basis...so I think I have reached my spot.

jasandalb

Well, I just ventured over to this side of the BF and thought I would say HEY!
I have been back and forth with my weight ALOT. At my heaviest I was 225lbs. Today, I am at 204lbs, 5'10....but not happy. I spent the majority of my life playing sports....everything but riding. 5 years ago, my wonderful son was born and after sitting on the couch, and being lazy for the first 3 yrs of his life, I decided it was time to change (plus, who doesnt want to be the hot dad...and my wife was getting pissed at me just sitting around). So, I started running......and like Forest Gump...I KEPT running. So much so that I tore my knees apart. That's where biking comes in....it wasnt until last year that I got serious with biking. Well, if you looked at me you wouldnt figure me for a biker. I have a large frame and it shows. My goal is to drop 50lbs this year. 20 by april, in time for my first triathalon. So, I guess I am introducing myself to you all, saying "Hey" and letting you know that I'll be around here for a while.

Thanks

youcoming

I'll post my adveture here. Three years ago today I decided it was enough. I had just recovered from an emergency strangulated hernia operation, I was hospitalized for 4 days. Doctors told me loose 50lbs or it would always be a problem. At the time I was 305lbs plus smoked 2 packs a day and in Canada we have 25 in our packs. So I started off walking then jogging, after two half marathons my right leg went numb from the knee down. So I had to give it up but I was down to 195lbs and looked and felt great. Well then I fell off, I blame it on various things, wife was having severe pain issues, and mental after her mother passed away, ran into financial troubles due to loss of wifes income ,which also added to her mental stability. After we got thru the tough times and were somewhat back to normal I looked in the mirror and didn't like it, stepped on the scales and almost fell over, 250lbs. I thought what can I do to get rid of this, well I joined a gym with visions of glory. I quickly realized only people in good shape do any good at a gym but I stuck with it and took off 10lbs over a period of time. One thing I noticed was a group of people riding bikes going by the club on a regular basis, I saw people of all gender, race , fitness levels, and age groups. Well this all appealed to me, anyone can do it it's great to see guys in their 70's on the bike it gives one something to look forward to. Plus it reminde dme how much I love cycling. Even thou I had not rode in years I alway remembered how much I loved my bikes. (My Dad had got me a Puegot when I was 13 and man I could make that thing fly, I was king of the road in my small farming town. I would ride by myself for hours just for something to do and get away from the cows).This was two years ago in April, I bought a hybrid thinking it would be just right for me. Well three weeks later I was on a roadbike. Today I feel great I have a lifelong passion, although regret my years of poor lifestyle but live and learn. I'm currently at 230lbs and am working at getting down to 200lbs again. I've been invited to ride with the LBS club and will actually be kitted out well minus bike and my goal is to help as much as I can and do my duty. To do this I want to become a better climber although I'm suprisinly good on the hills as is but 30lbs less would be better. Oh yeah I 've also got a new bike lined up for th eday I hit 200. Sorry for the long post but it's nice to tell stories.

JohnKScott

Nice story ^^^

JohnKScott

Still hanging in at 170. Fluctuates between 170-172. I probably will hang at this weight for the cycling season and work on increasing my speed/power an try to shed that last 10 or so pounds next fall. Unless it slowly peels off as a result of my training regimen anyway...

reedpride

wow great thread. Just discovered these forums.

currently weigh 230, and the new years resolution is to get under 200 and maintain it. Ideally I would like to be 180 (when I used to swim) and another part of the new year goal is to do my first century and triathlon when the season rolls around. Another good thing is if I get below 200 my better half will buy me a new bike

andydreisch

1998: 240 lbs
1999: 230 lbs
2000: 220 lbs
2001 - 2009: 215-to-220 lbs

Bike-commuting has kept me basically at the same weight for more than 8 years. Even now, in my late 40s, I have little trouble maintaining the same weight. And I'm a big eater. And I eat steadily all through the holidays, etc. Sure I could stand to lose more weight but life is too short.

Andy

KasbeKZ

well i'm going to get started here and weigh in at 230. i took a couple years off riding when i got my license and got pretty obsessed with cars for a while (i restored 2), and now the cars are getting too expensive so i'm back to riding. road riding now, as opposed to mountain biking. so since i'm about 50-60 lbs over my ideal weight, i think it will go fast. it already has started to.

so i'll check back in in a few weeks and report how much i've knocked off of 230. 175-180 is the goal

obersts001

So I need to update myself - mostly because posting allows me to keep myself honest and check back later.

I never made the 170 goal. I was down to as low as a wake-up weight of 175 (173 right after rides when I needed water) but then two vacations threw me off my pace. Now after a sedentary autumn and Christmas season I'm back up to 182. I've taken up running - started at 2 miles in early November, up to 4.5 miles that I ran yesterday. I still want that 170!

QuickDraw

Small Update, I'm down another 5 lbs, 10lbs to go till i meet my goal of 175. so far I've lost a total of 15 lbs, the hardest thing for me, is having some drinks on the weekends. Anyways my goal seems small compared to the work some of you have done. but I will say that I feel much more comfortable at this weight, and I'm having noticeably less back pain these days.

one of my new favorite things to eat is a fiber one bar. anyone else love these things? that's usually my daily breakfast now. I never use to eat anything for breakfast, and now I see how important breakfast truly is. even if it's something small.

michaeldmanthey

Here is some easy eating habit changes that you can make. DO NOT EAT after 7:30 pm. Try to get a easy 15 minute workout in before eating breakfast. To keep up nutrition I drink Odwalla Superfood everyday in the morning and believe it or not I use Carnation Instant breakfast as my recovery drink.

Jperez18

I went off to school weighing it at around 190...came back after my first year and weighed 230. I put myself on a diet, hit the weight room and ran as much as i could and dropped down to 185 in about 3 months time. I then started building more muscle and am currently at 200 with about 14% body fat. I started stationery cycling a few months ago and have seen improvement in leg definition and i am about to buy my first road bike and hopefully shed some more lbs with that going....I of course used the miracle of sports science to help me lose the weight but i'm so glad i realized it before I got too big! It is possible to lose weight and eat well. I eat all sorts of great stuff all the time. it's just knowing what to eat and when to eat it and how much of it to eat.

td.tony

well, i started biking about 3 months ago, and i think i've lost about 5-10lbs. im currently fluctuating around 165-170lbs. I use to be around 170-175lbs.
The biggest change ive made since i began cycling is to see food in terms of fuel for the body, instead of just good tasting things to fill my hungry stomach. Even though its hard not to eat french fries, when i think about how much fat and how many calories it has, it makes it a lot easier to stay away from them. So, basically im beginning to change my diet for good, and not just going ON a "diet" for a little while and going back to my old eating habits. i really do need to get out and bike more though...