kache_98

Hey guys,

I've been MIA for a couple of years now for a lot of reasons. Recession hit me really hard a couple of years ago. Lost my job, my fiance and a couple of other trivial things. It was very hard for me to adapt to my new income and situation, and because of that I have a horrible depression that still lasts to this day.

Needless to say, the first thing that suffered was my nutrition. I started binge eating, binge drinking and stopped cycling completely. Now I'm bigger than I was before I first started cycling the first time.

I've been able to work with my binge eating and binge drinking but I'm having a hard time getting back that discipline with cycling. I commute for a week or so, then I just stop cycling for months. It feels like everyday I'm fighting with myself, trying to convince me that is good for me and that I need to do it. I lose this internal fight almost everyday. When I started cycling this wasn't the case. The first time I rode the bike I was hooked, almost to an obsessive way.

So my question is, any of you guys have gained the weight back? How do you managed to motivate yourself to do the hard work all over again? How do you beat that little demon inside of your head telling you to be sedentary?

Tom Stormcrowe

First off. don't beat yourself up.


Second, remember, just start back with short rides and rediscover the fun, and then use that as a tool.

contango 

Not so much gained the weight back, I dropped from 280 to 240 and now stick stubbornly at 240, it seems either I've gotten too comfortable doing what I do on the bike and don't burn so many calories any more, or I need to cut back a little further on the tasty things.

Personally I ride because I enjoy it. I like the feeling of the wind in my face, I like to get out and enjoy the views, I like to just take off once in a while and see where I end up. What got me into cycling and got me fit without me even realising it was happening was geocaching (www.geocaching.com if you're interested). Basically I found a load near home on foot, then needed to strike out further but didn't want to take the car so I bought a bike. Then as I found caches near home I had to strike out further and further to find them, which built up my endurance. When I started I thought of 10 miles as quite a trek, but one day I found myself 10 miles from home so figured I'd just have to suck it up and deal with it, so I did. Then before I knew it I was making a 10-15 mile loop just for fun, and so it went.

jethro56 

My first take on your post is that you have an "all or nothing" approach to getting fit. It doesn't have to be a sufferfest. Before I started my journey 2 1/2 years ago. I spent some time thinking about why I'd failed in the past. A pattern emerged. My goals where too shortsighted. I was thinking in days and weeks instead of months and years. A typical "fitness assault" would last about 3 months and then something would happen (relationship failure, injury, time demanding work ect...) and I'd quit. This time I tried a new approach. 1.) No new girlfriends 2.) Work was now a second priority. I'd turn down any contracts that would take more than 20 hours/week. 3.) I'd limit myself to 20 minutes of walking 3 times a week for the first 6 months. I'd also not attempt to diet the first 6 months. No weighing in.

So Aug 1 2009 I began. Somewhere above 425#. Going to the Y Mon-Wed-Fri. First thing after I got up.This is the number 1 thing to do. All else is a lower priority. You have to walk in. You have to start walking. You don't have to walk 20 minutes but you don't ever exceed 20 minutes. The first couple of weeks were hard as I worked up to 20 minutes. I think the first day I did 8 minutes. I was that far out of shape. Even after I did a whole mile in 20 minutes some days I'd just show up and walk a few minutes and say "I'm just not into it today" and leave, Showing up was a success. After a few months I really looked forward to going in and doing my walk. I felt better leaving the Y than when I entered. I'd formed my first good habit.

Six months finally came and I was able to add a few more goals. I decided to walk 20 minutes/day 6 days a week and work on my bad eating habits. No more fast food ect... A month later I was eating 1800 C a day and walking 20 minutes/day. I then added some elliptical machine work to the walking 3 days a week. Slowly but surely at the end of year one I was walking for 40 minutes and 20 minute elliptical workouts 6 days a week. Some days I had a "Just not into it" day but I showed up. Showing up was a success in and of itself. Sept 2010 came and I was thinking that Jogging was the next step but it was too much of a jump for my bad knees. I decided that a bicycling was a good compromise and bought a Trek 7300 Hybrid. A whole new level of fitness opened up for me as time went on. I was hooked big-time.

3700 miles last year. Down 200# Possibly in the best shape of my life at age 55

Hill-Pumper

First off, you are making the right step by coming back to the forum. Surrounding yourself with people in the same boat always helps. As mentioned above, don't push things, just ride for fun and ease back into things. Whatever you do, don't give up on yourself. We all have our ups and down, and we are here to help you with the downs as well as celebrate your ups when they come around.

Yo Spiff

I think Jethro had a good point that the "all or nothing" approach can burn you out. It makes it seem too big a job. You have to break it down. I've dropped from a high of 286 last February to around 220-something at the moment. My focus has actually been on several things other than my weight. Losing the weight has been the gravy on top of fixing some other issues. It did feel good toward the end of the summer, when several coworkers commented on how much I'd lost, without my saying a thing about my efforts. Oh, and I don't own a scale. Obsessing over daily weight isn't any good for my mental health. I can judge my progress by belt notches. I use the scale at the gym now and then, and I get weighed anytime I go to the doctor.

Blood pressure has been the biggest thing. It's actually gotten to be a bit of a game to get it down. I started out averaging somewhere around 165/105 first thing in the morning, now I'm seeing readings around 125/85. Often lower during the day, and especially following a ride. Working on blood sugar as well, as I have been diagnosed as mildly diabetic and I really don't want to have to shoot insulin. Trying to modify my eating habits overnight didn't work, but over time I started learning what better choices I could make that I still found palatable. Used some healthy and portion controlled snacks for a time. I eventually realized I wasn't craving the sweets anymore when I had a cup of of sugar free candy in my desk and work it went untouched for 6 months.

The other motivator has been simply to want to ride my bike further and not get dropped leaving the parking lot on club rides. I'd like to get back to where a 40-50 mile ride is no big deal. That goal is within sight, as I'm routinely doing 25-30 now.

Just keep it to conquering one small challenge at a time and the big one will be whittled down.

drmweaver2

My story isn't as long as others but I agree with most of what's been said already.
I tend to be OCD about life at times - jump WAAAY into something/some new interest, get neck deep into it, 24/7 focus on it, and then often burn out on it and get depressed about having done so. Food issues then tend to weigh in and a depression/exuberance/OCD cycle begins again.

The key to moving out of a dpressive part of my psyche, as was said in other words already, is simply to get out the door. It doesn't have to be for huge distance or massive accomplishments. But I do have to "get out the door" - without that, nothing else follows.

For me to start climbing out of a depressive state, any activity involving/after getting out the door works. Then, associating two different things makes getting out the door easier to do more frequently for me - for instance, riding to the store, walking to the post office, talking a snack/piece of fruit to the river levee a couple blocks away to eat rather than just vegging in front of the TV with it. Eventually, the ball begins rolling more easily and I come up with more reasons to move, to ride, to do something.

Anyway, small steps at first. The rest will come.

Someone once told me to think about the weather -->> if I didn't like gray, fog days, remember that it always eventually burns off to reveal a beautiful sky. Weather changes day to day; climate is long term. Think about the "climate" I want my life to be in.

goldfinch

Some very excellent posts here. I just have a couple of little things to add. Most likely people who were on this forum and gained their weight back aren't on this forum anymore. But there certainly are people here who went through gain and loss cycles. You are here now, it is a new day and you can turn things around. In small steps, as Jethro and drmweaver say.

If you are not doing something for the depression I would consider it. SSRI's can be effective for chronic depression. It is worth looking at if you haven't already.

Is there something other than cycling that you love to do but is somewhat active? I started getting active and losing weight not by cycling but by going out birding. I'd spend the morning outside, sometimes walking, more like strolling, and sometimes sitting, but outside and moving around far more than I would have inside. Plus, food wasn't available so I wasn't eating when I was birding. I loved it and lost weight. Walking turn out to be difficult for me because of my back, which limited the amount of walking I could do. So I started riding a bike. And rode more and more and between age 56 and 57 I lost a third of my weight and no longer am overweight. And my back doesn't bother me either.

Rodimus_Prime

I'm up to 225 right now after being as low as 210 at the end of the season. I would love to ride but its too darn cold out. I cannot motivate myself to go to the gym so I'm trying to keep things under control limiting my calories, I'm down 10lbs since xmas. I have little doubt that I'll make good strides once the weather is better. Unlike many years ago I love my time on the bike. 4-5 hours its very peaceful to me, just me the road and the bike. I also find that I drop about 1lb per 10 miles so its good motivation to go out and put in a big ride a few times a week.

kache_98

Thank you all for the replies and great advice. Although I did binge today, I've commuted 2 days in a row in the bike and I'm feeling a little more motivated. Your replies definitely helped.


This describes EXACTLY what happens to me.

thestoutdog

Welcome back, we've missed you. Not that you are paying attention, it's time to knuckle down and ride more/ eat less! Seriously, we're here to help.

kache_98

TYVM

Weekly update: 5 bike commutes + a 30 mi ride yesterday that felt awesome. I haven't lost weight, but I definitely feel a lot better about myself. Thank you guys, it may seem as something little, but all your replies helped me get the snowball rolling.