himespau 

Best of luck. Sticking with it is key.

dexter9326

Weighed in today. Down another pound to 254.8. I've now lost 20.2 pounds since I started. Slow, but steady progress. I guess I shouldn't complain.

I have not ridden in a week as my home improvement project has taken all of my time. I'm going to try to get out Saturday and/or Sunday. Saturday morning is looking okay. Partly sunny and upper 60s. Riding season is winding down around here, so I need to seize the opportunities that are left.

BeachBum63

I will be interested to hear your thoughts on the program. I started back two weeks ago and I am over the top anal about tracking. The first week, I was down 4.4 pounds and then this week I was up .8 pounds. The wife and I tried it last year (had been very successful on the program back in 2006, but work travel helped the weight creep back up) and she was losing at twice the rate I was losing. The new points allotment for us uber clydes works out to nearly 3000 calories a day, based on my calculation last year. I am going to start tracking on SparkPeople's web site as well so that I can track calories. We will see how it goes.

himespau 

Bad week, up two pounds.

dexter9326

Thought long and hard before returning to post here, but perhaps this is the type of motivation I need. Totally embarrassed to be back in this condition. Last year I started at 275 and by October was down to 254.8. Then came a long and hard winter with little activity and a very delayed start to my cycling season.

Took my first ride of the year today. Felt good to be back out on the bike. It hit 60 degrees here today - but there's plenty of snow on the ground as we had been getting blasted until this past Sunday. This year, I start my riding season at 271.2. I gained almost all of my weight back so I'm almost starting from scratch.

But start again I will. Setting a 4 pound weight loss goal for April - and a 100 mile total. 7 miles down today.

himespau 

Best of luck. I've been stationary more or less since Thanksgiving and it's sapping my motivation to track as often as I should (I do the online only WW).

Cycle Babble

dexter9326,
Take it one day at a time.

I have been working at losing weight for the last 5 years. I will more than likely break the record for the slowest weight loss ever. The first few years I went through the summer with great success only to find myself gaining it all back during the winter months. I had the most difficult time with the dreaded holiday seasons (holiday seasons to me were like an alcoholic going to the bar....food everywhere!!). The issue I still have is I really love food and my wife is a great cook. Put the two together and BAM! unstoppable weight gain.
However, the last few years have been better to me. My wife and I changed our life style and are focusing on a better diet. Watching what I eat has become more of a lifestyle change. I joined a gym to get me through the winter months, and of course my increased bike riding has taken me from a high of 280 pounds down to 254 pounds today. The changes I am seeing are not happening over night, but are and hopefully will come off slowly in years. The added bonus is I love biking and I feel great after going out on rides. While I still love to eat foods....especially good foods, I have learned to eat in moderation.

On a final note: Stick with it. As an ex-smoker for seven years, I made multiple attempts to quit before I found success with that as well and I can say with certainty...eventually it will come to you.

Good luck to you and your goals.
John S

Mark Stone

Well it's two years and two months since I posted the OP. I think with riding alone, from July of 2011 thru January 2012 when I started this thread, I probably lost 25 pounds. But I wasn't using a scale, I was just riding! My wife and I joined WW and my first weigh-in was 275. We stayed on the program for a year, and I lost an additional 45 pounds tracking. We used the on-line Weight Watchers. So there I am, at 230, with a 70 pound weight loss. We've maintained our weight loss for the year since then, but left Weight Watchers early 2013.

My conclusion is that Weight Watchers is a powerful tool that works, but it takes discipline and dedication. I think the most important motivation was that my wife and I did it together, which felt great and gave us a lot of accountability. I have 70 pounds of weight loss in about 17 months, and have maintained it for a year.

TheRealBobCat

Congrats to you!
I did my own weight loss program a couple of years ago for financial reasons and personal reasons!
I counted calories in and calculated calories out; understanding that 1# = 3500 Kcal and calculating my BMR.
If I could burn more calories than I take in I should and did go from 190# to 160#!
Not really counting cals now, just watching the scale and stay under 170# but like someone else said the holidays are hard!
I gained some back; around 170# now, = or -, but I try to keep burning calories in the winter; spinner bike and youtube, wheel exerciser, weights ($10 for 100#, barbell and 2 dumbells at a church rummage sale and a total gym for $25 at a moving sale); I like to use my inversion table for some exercises too! I put a few videos of "The Home Gym: Tips " on youtube
Now I really need to stop smoking cigs; I've done it b4 but picked it up again. Currently I'm at 2-4 cigs/day. It's hard to quit when someone else in the house is smoking!

Keep the Roll Going!

amishboy51

Congrats, from a fellow WWer, both on the loss and on your maintenance.

I agree that WW is a tool and that you still need discipline; without it, you wouldn't be able to follow a weight-loss program that made you eat ice cream every day! My weight loss has been slower than yours (about 50+ pounds over two years), but I hope to join you in reaching goal.

dexter9326

Checking in with an update. Only rode twice so far this year - 15 miles total. We actually had snow falling here yesterday - but it was 34 degrees and did not stick. Starting today and into this weekend looks good for riding so I will be out at some point again.

So I concentrated on my diet and ended up losing 3.6 pounds. Down to 267.6. That's a good start with a lot more work to go.

dexter9326

Thanks for the encouragement. That's one of the reasons I decided to post again. It helps to hear from others in the same boat.

islandseas

Hi Dexter
Keep up the good work. Like John S. that posted above I have lost weight very slowly. Since August 2010 (when I rejoined WW) till now I have lost just over 75lbs. Definitely not fast. I decided that I would eat real food (foods I would continue to eat once I reached my goal). I am just 2.5lbs away from my goal now and it is still slow. I ride as much as I can and spin one day a week. Whatever I can fit into my week. I figure something is better than nothing. Just do what you can and add more when you can. My WW leader has a great philosophy …. she says to not think of the changes as a DIET ….a diet is just the type of foods you eat. Think of this as a lifestyle change….and it becomes easier. I track most days and I have a journal every ride. I like to go back and see how I've progressed from month to month.

Karen

Mark Stone

Good post, and great advice.

Velocivixen

I usually post over in the Classic & Vintage Forum, but wanted to post on this topic. I joined Weight Watcher's in 2008 weighing 238.6 pounds and mid-'40's. I lost 106 lbs in 15 months and have kept it off for over four years. It helped me focus on moderate and healthful eating and encouraged me to move more. Riding my bike is one thing I do to keep myself moving.

Anyway, success is not about perfection, but about persistence.

dexter9326

Back with my weekly update. I tracked all week and never went over my daily total. Plus, I rode 6 times - a couple of the days in 25-30mph winds - for a total of 71 miles. End result - down 1 pound to 266.6. Definitely underwhelmed underwhelmed - to say the least. Not giving up though.

It was snowing yesterday and today so no riding. I could use a recovery day anyways. Better weather ahead starting tomorrow - upper 50s until next week.

dexter9326

Back with my weekly update. I realized last year that I lose weight incredibly slowly but gain it back in a heartbeat. Since my last post, I rode 4 times for a total 43 miles. The big problem this week was Easter Sunday - which in my family is a big meal day - including lots of wine. I guess taking that into consideration, I should be happy that I dropped 0.6 pounds and am down to 266.

I will note that during the week I met my goal of 100 miles for April. That despite some crappy weather and thanks to some riding pants and gloves I bought last fall. I needed them yesterday as it was sunny and 49 degrees. At any rate, I raised my April goal to 150 miles and stand now at 129. Should be doable, but we're expecting rain and temps in the upper 40s to low 50s every day until May 1 except Sunday and Monday.

chefisaac

Down .6 pounds

Total lost 121.2 pounds.

1loosemoose

I started WW a week ago but never weighed in when I started. I had been walking and riding a couple weeks before I started WW and I'm down 10.5 pounds from the last time I weighed in. I hate weighing in as it can be a bit of a bummer. I found out last week I'm diabetic and they gave me oral meds and are rechecking my A1C in three months. I've decided to not take the meds and now I have 3 months to turn things around or I will be taking the meds.
I'm 6'4" tall and weigh 271 now and my goal weight is 210. I think the weight loss goal and staying off of meds for the diabetes are very doable.

Keep up the good work everyone!

islandseas

Way to go chef.. I'm off for a knitting retreat this weekend on the mainland and hope to find a meeting Saturday morning to weigh in. I have my snacks and fruit packed to keep away from goodies they provide.

Karen

dexter9326

'moose

In the same boat as you. I have some pre-diabetic blood sugar levels and I'm trying to avoid the meds through diet and exercise. It's a tough battle. I come to this board and post my weights to document my efforts - and get some inspiration from success stories, all the while doing my favorite form of exercise - cycling. There are plenty of inspiring stories to read and encouragement from board members to be had. Just look in this thread.

I wish I had not fallen off the wagon 5 months ago - but i did. I stopped posting and stopped being accountable for what I am eating and doing. I wish you the best and also urge you to post regularly. It helped me lose almost 20 pounds last cycling season and I'm here to try to do it again. Best of luck to you and me!

1loosemoose

Thanks Dexter, I weighed this morning and I'm down to 268.6 . That puts me at about 14 pounds down total. WW is helping me track so I don't over do it and that's a big help. My brother turned me on to intermittent fasting which basically means I skip breakfast and eat my points at lunch and dinner. I didn't think I could skip breakfast but its been pretty easy and I feel great!
I was pretty skeptical of this approach but after doing some reading online I figured I would give it a try. It seems to be working great and I'm happy with the progress so far.

I will keep posting as well dexter, hopefully we will both stay on track.

amishboy51

I don't understand; if you're eating all your daily points, why does it matter whether you eat them throughout the day or only at lunch and dinner?

1loosemoose

Google intermittent fasting to see the ins and outs. I've read a bit on it and my brother has been doing it for over a year and he's had great results. Supposedly it also helps level out blood sugar and he's also lost close to 20 pounds doing this alone. He's probably only 10 pounds over his ideal weight but it seems to be helping me with losing weight as well.
Wish I could help you more but google it so I don't mislead you.

Good luck!

Mariner Fan

I just joined last week. Think I'll watch this thread to keep in touch with your stories. Very encouraging!