Originally Posted by patentcad

Well not really. I DID lose a maximum of 46 lbs. this year after a five year bout with back pain/surgery/pain pills and not cycling. Went from 208 lbs in March to as low as 162 in October 2005. But it didn't take 8 weeks and it wasn't easy or fast. Lots of riding.

If you're trying to lose weight here's a few words of perspective from somebody who has done it. And I'm convinced it's the only way you can do it effectively:

• Whatever your specific weight loss goal may be - 20, 30, 40lbs - forget it. You can't wrap your head around losing 30 pounds and you can't do it in a day or two.

• You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows and you don't need a scale to know if you're getting thinner. Your pants and the mirror will tell you most of what you need to know. Put the scale in the closet.

• You're not going on a diet. Diets don't work, not really. You're altering your lifestyle. Your diet, your exercise, your thinking. Find an effective lifestyle and the weight will come off. Not as fast as you want it to perhaps, but it will happen.

Like recovery from drugs or alcohol, it's a day at a time. Period. You can't alter your body TODAY but you can eat differently and go for a bike ride, can't you? That's what I did just about every day for 6 months or so. When I DID get on the scale I'd get frustrated when 200+ miles of weekly riding and eating right had the scale frozen @ 180 lbs. for WEEKS. That's when I stopped weighing myself. What was the point? I was changing my lifestyle for a number of reasons, and weight loss wasn't the biggest one. I figured I'd lose some more weight, but I really let it go.

And of course, Voila, one day the AM weigh-in said '162'. But at that point I didn't care anymore. I looked good, felt great, etc. My wife is going to Jenny Craig to lose 25 lbs. or so. When I gave her this perspective the first day - it seemed to help. Two weeks later she's doing fine - and is 6lbs. lighter. She's walking every day - and seems to realize it's about a new approach to living. I'm hoping to get her back out on the bike this Spring.

I'm not 162 now. I'm 171. But that's just winter weight gain (some of it water weight I'm sure) from the Holidays and not riding so much. It will come off. I have no control over that my scale tells me in the AM. But I can focus on my diet and ride my bike. Which is what I'm doing in anticipation of the upcoming riding season. I live in NY. They'll be racing in Central Park in 6 weeks : ).

Again, it's not a 'diet'. It's a different way of living. Hopefully. That's the idea. I've been doing it for the better part of a year now. One day at a time. Why post this on a bike forum? I presume many of you are interested in fitness and maybe in losing weight. And that's how it worked for me. It's about getting an understanding of the difference between what you're powerless over - and what you CAN control.

I bust people here for being 'weenies' but it's really all in fun. I'm the biggest friggin weenie of them all, and don't think I don't know it.