cycle4health

Hi there. I've been lurking on these boards for quite some time! I've always enjoyed cycling and it is huge in the family. However, I've never been quite as serious as the rest of the family about it. Now that my brother is moving in with me, and now that I am 276 pounds at 6'2, I think it's time I take advantage of having his bike available to me. However, I am so embarrassed at how big I've become and honestly, it is more vanity reasons then as to health problems at this point. But with vanity comes health in regards to cycling to achieve it! My plan is to lose 2 pounds a week. He has a trainer that I'll use and also has some dvd's for bad weather. He also has a heart rate monitor/computer gizmo for mileage. I'm hoping those will help me get started and as I lose weight, gain confidence... I'll eventually be okay with going out into the world on the bike. Plus I'm kind of nervous about being an unexperienced rider on small country roads. Does anyone have any experience about losing weight using a trainer and instructional work out dvds? Did they work?

TrojanHorse

I think you'll find that some people have great success with trainers and others don't. I personally hate them but I love hitting the streets. YMMV.

There are two main aspects to losing weight - exercise & diet.. Embrace 'em both, measure everything you eat and don't lie to yourself and you'll get where you want to go. There seem to be a bunch of fellas on this board from your area, they can probably point out appropriate places for you to ride outside.

Good luck and welcome to the board!

cycle4health

Thank you! I just plan on eating healthy items when I feel hungry. That's worked in the past so hopefully it'll work this time too. I don't really gain weight eating terribly.. I have gained weight due to inactivity. Every time I start moving, I lose. But working a night shift as well as a part time second job, moving gets lower and lower on the priority scale. I'm hoping since I have availability to do it at home, that'll help keep me moving along and losing the tonnage.

TrojanHorse

Seriously - count what you eat. And weigh it. At least for a month or two, its instrumental in figuring out what you really need to get by on.

Exercise plenty too, but don't eat to "cover" your exercise, if that makes sense.

goldfinch

I wouldn't want to mess with what works for you, but the upside of keeping track of what you eat is as Trojan says, it teaches you how much you need to lose weight and later on, maintain weight. This can help you get through inactive times because, as you say, life intervenes and the extent you can be active changes. That said, people who are active are more likely to keep weight off that they lose.

I think the biggest problem with exercising on a trainer is boredom. Maybe the dvds will help. Right now I am biking on small country roads, some paved some gravel. It is nice because there isn't much traffic. I went out yesterday with my Athena niece. She has started riding in the city and was having a hard time with learning bike skills in the city traffic. She visited me here in the boonies and had a great relaxing time, with her getting into more of a rhythm and learning shifting technique. Time goes quickly when you exercise outside. I would give it a try if at all possible.

Mark Stone

Good morning cycle4health and welcome to the forums! There's a lot of support here from people who have been or are in your situation, so take your shoes off and welcome.

Personally, I think trainers are too boring. They work for weight loss, of course, but the fact is that five minutes on a trainer seems like an hour - and an hour out on the roads seems like 5 minutes. Others may view it differently, and there are activities to pass the time while on the trainer, like watching tv or reading. As far as food, the people that have posted so far in this thread are correct - measure and keep track of what you eat. For me, when I started 6 months ago, when I started tracking I became amazed about the amount of food I had been inhaling previously. We always try to fool ourselves I guess - we look at that triple whopper from BK and think "Heck, that ain't much . . ."

CJ C

you cant out-train bad eating habits. I am the poster child for this. people are amazed that i am still big with all the exercising i do. but the dont see all the crap/garbage i eat. When i eat good and keep it in check i lose weight, when i dont, i gain it back.

wish you all the luck. this is a great place for tips, help, and motivation.

cycle4health

Thank you guys for all the tips. I've bought a small notepad and will write down what I eat through the day. A friend told me about myfitnesspal and it looks like a pretty neat app. I typed in what my goal was and it calculated the calories. We will see how well it goes! My worry is that because I put low activity level, that the calories will be to low to compensate for the cycling. I have a daily allowance of 1670 calories to lose 2 lbs a week without accounting for exercise. Thank you all for the warm welcome as well. I've always been more successful when I had somewhere to go for support.

goldfinch

At your height and weight I would lean towards an 1800 calorie goal. With exercise.

MyFitnessPal and other programs, like MyPlate are great for tracking food calories.

fietsbob

a lot of trainer hours for a couple hundred calories burned..
Now if they had a setting that resembled
trying to ride a bike across a sand dune, that would be a harder effort .
[probably sell as well as promoting buying a Bubonic rat]

1speedJam1982

I hear you man. I have had the same weight problem my whole life. I started at 324 and have worked real hard, Im now down to 250. they have all given you great advice. just do what you enjoy to lose weight wether it be bikes or whatever. As long as you like what your doing it will be so much easier to lose the weight. I love to ride so its what I do. JUST KEEP PEDDALING

Mithrandir

I've got some good things to say, and some bad things to say. I'll start with the bad so we can get them out of the way.

Using his bike is probably not an ideal situation. Chances are it was fit to him, and bike fits are rather unique to each person. If you are significantly differently sized from him you could potentially hurt yourself if you don't re-fit it for yourself. The problem gets worse if you plan on switching with him, because even if you do fit it to yourself, you will need to constantly adjust things back and forth if you each use it often. I think it might be a better idea to get a bike of your own, that is unless he doesn't plan on riding it. The good news is that 275 pounds isn't big enough to need any really special bike, probably any mountain bike or metal road bike will do.

Second; it's great that you want to lose weight, but I would recommend against any hard goal like 2lb/week. The body does what the body wants to do, and if it doesn't want to lose 2 pounds for a few weeks in a row, you may end up being discouraged. Just pedal on and let the weight come off at its own pace.


Now the good. Don't be afraid of biking out in the real world. In my experience there are people who will make fun of you, but there will be a lot more who think you're awesome, and will tell you so. It's a great feeling and I encourage outdoor riding as it is 10x more fun than indoor. Indoor gets boring really fast.

Get out there and do it. It's awesome and fun.

Mark Stone

This is good advice. My weight loss has been at a rate of about 1.2 pounds per week, and I couldn't be happier. I think it's healthier to lose more slowly, also, and people that lose weight gradually tend to keep it off. Thanks Mithrandir, good point.

contango 

Depending on where you're starting from I'd say bad eating habits will simply change where you level out.

I started cycling weighing 280-290 with poor eating habits. Now my eating habits are better but still not all that great and I'm struggling to get below 230. My fitness is good and still improving.

I don't doubt that better eating habits will get me below 230, but without the exercise I'd still be floating closer to 300.

goldfinch

When I was fat my only bad eating habit was too much eating.

CJ C

Both together are the key, i was just pointing out that exercising alone will just make you more fit but not really loose that much weight.

Yes one can loose weight just exercising alone, but its all about where the person is at the starting point is what will determine the affects of either

jyossarian

Have you thought about riding your (bro's) bike to work? Saves money and it's free exercise.

cycle4health

The only problem is.. that I can't afford a bike at this time. His is the option. And I don't want to stall weight loss. As he is moving in, I will be able to eventually save enough money. But honestly, it could be worse. It could be a horrible bike from walmart. Considering we are only an inch different in height.. I don't see it being that big of an issue. Especially if I'm on a trainer. It's just something to get started on until I have the funds to purchase my own. Also then, I'd feel more comfortable going out on roads since he is experienced and would be able to go with me and show me the ropes.

I've thought about riding to work, but it is 19 miles one way.. and through the East side of Indy aka ghetto. Coming home wouldn't be a problem as I work nights.. but riding into work would be scary. I start work at 11pm.. and I just don't feel safe.

bassjones

That's too long of a commute for a beginning cyclist anyway...

buckwheat987

good luck and all the best to success...work you way into it so you dont burn out quickly.

MVclyde

I'm probably weird, but I love working out on a trainer. I typically do 45-90 minutes. I watch movies or regular TV, but I also do Spinervals DVDs. They are really good workouts....much like a spinning class at the gym. No question that riding outside is better and more interesting, but the trainer is a great workout. Good luck!! If you're experience is like mine, the weight will melt off as you ride more and more.

Ntw25

Cannot recommend this site enough. I have lost over 40lbs using it every day for tracking my food and exercise. It is free to use and, like this site, has a great support network. My username on there is the same as here, send me a friend request if you decide to join.

I bought a bike last week (Giant Rincon XL), it is in the shop being tuned-up, can't wait to get out on it.

Looking forward to be able to contribute more to the forum as I start to move.