Ursa Minor

Hi Guys,

I just registered after lurking for a couple of weeks. I love this forum.
It fits me so perfectly. Im 61 and last May 2011 I discovered I had the beginnings of diabetes. My blood sugar was 160 to 190 all day long for 3 days running. At the time
I weighed 352 and drank a lot (about 10 beers a day) with no exercise. Very miserable
basically just waiting to die.

The blood sugar thing scared me so I switched to low glycemic index foods for a week.
That helped a little but the blood sugar remained high 140 to 180. So I quit drinking
and ordered a stationary recumbent bike. After it arrived I started riding on the low setting 5 mins a day every other day because I was very worried about injuring my
tendons and not being able to ride.

Very quickly the weight started to come off and my blood sugar returned to normal
over the course of a month or two; at the same time I increased my riding in small increments. In August I ordered a terratrike rover and it arrived in Sept. I thought it would be the answer to all my problems but I forgot to include the weight factor.
Any slight incline had me really straining. But I persevered and gradually build up my distance while still using the stationary bike as warm up for walking and riding outdoors.

Now its Nov 2011 and I weigh 275 and I'm excited to be alive! Yippeee!

Reading this forum has made a big difference to me; the success stories of people like me and the incredible recoveries convinced me that I can also get to normal weight
(which would be about 170 for me I'm 5'8") and most importantly ride a regular bike again. So this week I dusted off my Rivendell Romulus and started riding again - what a treat.

Thanks again to all of you for sharing your stories and for making this site.

Charlie

CraigB

Welcome, Charlie, and congrats on the great beginning! Keep up the good work!

10 Wheels

Hi Charlie,

Welcome to Bike Forums.

Great intro.

Keep it going.

CJ C

welcome to your new addiction!!!

psalm

Hey Charlie, love the user name, Ursa Minor. Keep it up and you won't be a bear for much longer. To think, you will provide just as much motivation to others here, that you have received from others here.

Daspydyr 

Good to have you around. I got into biking for health reasons as well. Got my blood pressure and weight into much healthier ranges. Now i feel like a kid again and remember why I enjoyed my stingray and 10 speed so much.

Ursa Minor

This means the world to me. Its hard to describe how much better I feel
since i started biking again.

Allen55

Dude...thank you for posting your story! Its people like you who keep people like me motivated! You have come a LONG way in a short time. AWESOME. You are the epitome of rule #5!

goldfinch

Welcome! I also started losing weight and getting fit as an "older" person and now I feel younger than I have in years.

Ursa Major, Ursa Minor,
Venus and Orion.
I can name a dozen more
If I were really trying.

jethro56 

Welcome! Great first post. 2 years + on my journey. I didn't find this forum until I'd been at it for a year. Though I was kinda a freak as my loss was similar to your's. (425-280 first year now 225) I'm still a freak but it has nothing to do with weightloss.

I'd love to hear stories of how this has changed your life. It helps keeping it fresh to relive the battle.

Neil_B

Welcome!