Hey, I just found this forum and thought I'd do a quick introduction.

I just started riding again (since I was a kid) and am trying to commute to work at least 4 times a week (I have to have a car the 5th day). It's not a long commute at 3.5 miles each way, but it's enough to keep me moving for 40 minutes a day. And with living in California with gas at $2.69/gallon, it's helping out in other ways.

I'm not really tracking my weight right now, but do now that last month I weighed in at 220 pounds at the doc's office. Right now my main concern is getting some cardio work in -- my pulse and blood pressure aren't in danger zones, but I can seem them from here.

I'd already been making changes in my diet over the past year -- more fruits, less bread; more home cooked, less through-a-window.

So I have no idea if I've lost weight over the past month or so. I do know I enjoy my trip into work more and I'm in a better mood when I get home (work gets lost in the ride through a nice neighborhood). I know that I feel less "guilty" when I eat that nice meal on the weekend.

And I'm hoping that the Fresno summers won't wreak havoc with the fun that my commute is now. Any tips on hot weather riding (we're talking 100+ afternoons on a regular basis)?

And, good luck to everyone out there! Any change can be daunting, but almost all change can be good.

Jennifer