I stepped on a bathroom scale for the first time in a few years back in the middle of June and was, well, disappointed with what it said. I knew I was in pretty crappy shape and had developed a Homer Simpson gut and, most distressing of all, jowls. I've been around 225 pounds (102kg) for some years and that was bad enough but when the scale responded with 105.7kg (233 pounds) I knew I had to do something about it. So, the next day I began a conservative exercise program of fast walking 3-6 miles a day 3-4 times a week -- I found I was suffering with muscle pump in my calf, particularly the outside-front muscles. I continued the fast walking for a month to get some baseline cardio condition and then I brought my bike (Trek Madone 4.7) out of retirement and began to ride again. At first I found it difficult to ride more than a few miles before my neck muscles were aching from the strain of looking up to see but after a few weeks that issue subsided.


OK, now almost 3 months after getting back on the bike my weight is down to 201 pounds (91.1kg) and I should make the milestone of getting below 200 pounds before the end of October -- weather permitting. The temps have really turned to the cold side here in the SLC are of Utah so riding weather is getting harder to come by -- hopefully I can adjust and be able to continue riding until December when it's too cold and ice is a threat.


My pace when I first got back on the bike was barely 12mph but I'm now pretty reliably over 16mph unless the wind or other factors conspire to lower it and even then I seldom drop below 15mph average over the 20 miles or so of my ride.


The first month of fast walking didn't have much effect on my weight, maybe a couple pounds, but less than three months of riding an average of 3 times a week has knocked an average 10 pounds per month of my weight. My goal is to continue until 180-190 pounds so I'm not that far from my goal and should make that within a couple months if the weather cooperates. The next thing I need to do is work on strength and flexibility.



Brian