nerys

my MS 150 page
https://ms150.nerys.com

if I did it right ms150.nerys.com should forward to that once the DNS update propagates :-)

I am tired of being fat. I am over 400 pounds. I don't even know what I weigh since I can't find a scale that will accurately weigh me. I think I am around 421 since I had one of those 25cent scales say 421 and then change to high.

not sure if I am 421 or higher than 421 and I maxed the machine. soon as I find two identical analog scales I will find out airplane style :-)

I am sick and tired of being fat. I am sick and tired of everything that goes along with being fat.

I want.. I need to do something about it so I am going to ride myself to weight loss no matter what it takes.

I found a wonderful Day 6 bicycles Dream 21 on craigslist for $430 and the seller was WONDERFUL in that he was willing to take payments since I did not have $430 :-)

I got it. rode it a couple miles to test it out loved it.

tonight was my first "ride" I went 9 miles. 4.5 miles down the road to elwood from work in egg harbor city and back. slightly hilly (small ascent and then descent rather gentle and mild a good first run I think)

I am going to log my rides as often as I can here with strava updates and video updates (when I get home connection is too slow to upload 1.3gig of video :-) I am a techno gadget freak so there will be lots of "tech" here if I have anything to say about it :-)

I will take some pictures of my fat ass and my new ride tomorrow in day light :-)



I really hope I can stick with this. I really hope I can get results I really hope I don't break the bike.

I am changing the way I eat what I eat. Permanently. no diets. Just do it right for life.

I am hoping that being public about it here will also help to motivate me and keep me going.

when I read threads of other ultra fat guys "DOING IT" every day I can't help but be inspired. I hope I don't let you guys down and that I don't let myself down.

Tonights ride felt good. you gain new respect for "distances" on a bike thats for sure :-) I remember seeing the light at elwood and thinking almost their and 12 minutes later still not their yet. wow.

I don't think I overdid it. I think it was a good distance. I was wiped but not exhausted. it felt good. Very good.

I need to work on the seat. its a nice wide 17" seat with no nose my problem is actually the other end.

the backrest is wonderful ZERO back pain but my butt hurts and I think its because my butt is so large it wants to push into that gap between the bottom and the back rest.



Here is a drawing. it feels to my butt like its doing whats in the drawing. I either need a much "deeper" seat OR I need to add a frame or rigging where i drew the dotted line and add padding so its more like a unibody regular one piece seat so my entire butt has the support it needs.

it hurts after a while. not enough to make me stop but enough to be uncomfortable. my instinct is to lift up to relieve the pressure once in a while but I can't do that I will probably break the crank if I try that too much or too long.

So I am going to look into filling that space in to provide more support.

I mounted my phone flashlight and camera. (will take pics tomorrow) got rid of the headlight radio unit it came with. way too big too dim too old tech for me and annoyingly large. anyone want it? make me an offer :-) hehe



I will custom mount my monster bt speaker so i can listen to my mp3's or my podcasts :-) and no wires to tangle up.

going to get a proper mount for the phone later and move the speedo up higher near the hand grips (too hard to see)

I also want to light this mother up. Ordered a 1200lumen P7 for the nose and a pair of solar charged red emitters for the rear.

will leave the dry cell flashlight on as a backup in case the big light pukes. (will have that in a few weeks coming from china)

I think I might add a second cell mount and use a droid as my cycle computer instead of the little cycle computer dedicated units. they are just too darned tiny and the largest I could find was a 2" screen. I have one of those panoramic units coming though that I scored for $10 we shall see how that one looks.

Gonna add a second camera mount looking at me maybe. we shall see. (I like camera's I strap them to everything)

also going to look into trying to beef up the bike to handle my mass better. I just can't afford to have it break on me. that would hard core suck.

at least till I can afford a samson or a Sun HD trike.

Gonna get me one of those stroller trailers and convert it into a shopping cart so when I have to hit the grocery store I have one more excuse to ride instead of drive. more calories burned!

I am excited about getting back into cycling. at a kid it was a passion of mine. I really hope I can make this work!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXUWGqwc6rc

My Strava page
https://www.strava.com/athletes/nerys

My page at myfitnesspal
https://www.myfitnesspal.com/nerys72



https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...one-Fix-Myself

nerys

Another oddity I recall now. my TOES getting numb. not all of them this one then that one as I pedaled. not sure if its my shoes (clogs) or just whatever. did not hurt or concern me just "odd" feeling :-) might even be related to the butt pain/numbness from the seat.

Mark Stone

Usually I overlook loooooong posts (because I'm lazy!) but this one I read. It looks like you've reached a turning point in your life, and you've made decisions that, although they may be challenging, may save your life. A big Thumbs Up to you and although we can only lend emotional support and advice from time to time, we're with you! Don't give up! We can do this!!

indyfabz

Did you ride the backroads or stay on U.S. 30? Look for the City-to-Shore passing through that way on the 29th & 30th.

goldfinch

That is a really good distance for a first ride. If you continue to have comfort problems after you get used to the bike you might go into a bike shop and pay them to help fit the bike to you. Or, experiment a bit yourself. I don't know how much flexibility there is in setup on a crank forward bike like your's. Does the seat back adjust up and down or forward and back?

I suggest using shoes with good stiff soles but which stay more stable on your feet than clogs. You can buy mountain bike shoes that are made to take cleats but not put the cleats on them. But you should be able to find street shoes that will work. My favorite biking shoes on my hybrid are a pair of hiking shoes.

Good riding and keep up with the reports!

kikbot

Congrats to you for wanting to change and already starting.

To me that is the single most important goal you can achieve. I made the same choice about a month ago and it doesn't feel like a diet because that is the way I eat now. I eat more than my fair share of veggies and fruit. I also try to limit meat to 4 oz a day, usually for dinner. It can be tough sometimes especially living 40 years eating the wrong way, so there times that I have white flour bread instead of whole grain or a diet soda instead of water. Anytime you slip up don't beat yourself up and keep moving forward. You know what you need to do and you have the support of everyone here who has either been there or is in a similar situation. Good luck and keep us posted.

LiamSkymom

That was an awesome first ride. Way to go. I think goldfinch is correct about the shoes - they can definitely be a contributing factor to the numbness. The new position may also have something to do with it. Keep it up. You can do it. I recommitted myself (again) to eating properly and more exercise. You can do it but it must be done for yourself.

magohn

Welcome!

Sounds like you have things setup nicely. I too am a gadget geek and by far the best geek gadget I own is the Garmin 705 GPS bike computer. Its a very cool gadget that tracks EVERYTHING on your rides.

Post pics of your ride when you can. Also, dont be dis-heartend when the newbie passion wanes in about a month. The trick is to setup a schedule of riding that isnt too much for you. Once it becomes a chore, MANY people disappear. I always recommend weekly 2-3 short (5 mile) local rides and one longer ride at weekends. its worked for me for two years. Now if I could just fix my diet.

nerys

thank you all. I hope to not disappoint and hope to pay it forward and help others who follow behind me as well.

I went straight down 30 and back. wanted to keep it uber simple with a simple goal on a road I was familiar with. The first 500ft is tight but after that its nice wide smooth shoulder the whole way.

Now that you say it like that the shoes make perfect sense. my feet can "move around a lot" in the clogs duh a rigid sole should eliminate that. I will look into a pair of shoes this weekend (I don't actually own too many "regular" shows :-)

Once I have the time and cash I plan to stop by my local shop (pro pedals on 30) and have them give the bike a thorough going over etc..

Yes I know the MS150 is coming through next weekend. I really wanted to do the MS150 (I have done it in the past as a Ham Radio Volunteer) alas I did not get this bike in time :-( plus I don't think I am in the shape to do something like that in a timely manner :-) at 10mph it would take me 8 hours with no stops ! :-) and I doubt I could sustain that.

Anthony on the other hand is doing it for a second time! I will be dropping him off and taking his girlfriend (my sister) down to ocean city to meet up with him. I may stop at the wine barrel on 30 and get some pictures/video.

next year if this bike holds up "I WILL" do the ms150 myself. its one of my major goals.

I was massively inspired by that dress and heels wearing 80+ year old chinese lady on the fixie who does it. Most impressive.

I actually got last nights video uploading. started it last night its 98% done now (over 8 hours) but the computer had nothing better to do last night so why not (slow connection at work) if it does not fail I will put it in the first post when its done.

magohn

I usually convert my bike videos to theDIVX format. It will take a 1GB file and reduce it to 100mb with little to no quality loss. Sure helps with the upload times.

https://www.divx.com/ - its free.

nerys

I have one heck of a divx/xvid collection at home (about 15TB (yes T) of drives). alas these vids are borderline quality as it is recompression will just make it works and take time of its own. at home this uploading is not a problem 5mb up. just at work :-) I did it mostly to see if it could even sustain a connection that long :-)

its online at the end of the first post. shows as 480 I assume in time the 720 option will appear.

magohn

Yep. I see 720 as an option. Just curious, what kind of light are you using on the front? I love the MagiShine light I have and I see Amazon has a 'copy' of the light for $38. Seems to be a good buy if you need stronger lights. Though I realize lights dont usually show how well they light when in a video.

https://www.amazon.com/Lumen-Bicycle-.../dp/B006QQX3C4

SeanBlader

Beat my first ride by 50%, nice job! I rode home from the bike shop, my sit bones hurt for the first 2 weeks, but I forced myself to get out and ride at least a few miles every day for those two weeks. Now it's not too bad at all.

That's going to make a next level difference too. Without changing my diet and just adding riding into my day, first in the afternoons, now into commuting to work 12.7 miles each way, over 5 weeks I dropped 12 pounds! I did on the scale. To be fair I only started off at 205 with a destination goal of 165, but I imagine having to move more mass around and with the dietary changes you'll drop weight a little faster.

I hope you can settle into a routine with riding that you enjoy, I know coming from being a car modder it's hard to stop wanting to do stuff to "improve" your ride, but at some point you just gotta trade mods for use. If at some point you feel like you need to mod... just get on the bike and ride!

I will second the person who said the novelty wears off. I'm exactly 6 weeks into my riding and the alarm went off this morning and I was really really having second thoughts about sleeping another half hour and driving. Then I figured I wasn't going to fall asleep, so I just got up and on the bike. Damn it's cold that first mile. 55 degrees I can handle but Google said it was 52 this morning and it's just enough to make a difference... I think looking forward to being on the scale again this Saturday morning is really what makes me want to ride. But that's my meter now, I only get on the scale Saturday mornings first thing after I wake up. It will be a good motivator to follow that up with a longer ride on the bike. I still have to break my single ride record of 29 miles. I'm thinking Saturday I want to try and get to 35 or 40 even, fun! But only after it's not super cold outside.

OOOH!! And DON'T for gods sake expect to get on the scale every few hours and see a difference. I have a friend who jumps on the scale almost hourly and can't figure out why his weight will go up 2 lbs right after a meal, and then another 2 lbs two hours later. I'm like "dude, don't look at the scale!"

Keep at it Nerys, we'll be looking forward to your results and posts and everything. And don't ignore any weird feelings, that's your body warning you about bad things!

nerys

my light it just a cheapy 3watt flash light (or maybe a 1 watt)

I have one of those shine knock off's (p7 based) coming from china :-)

Daspydyr 

It was encouraging reading your report. The body will soon catch up with what your mind is asking it to do. I bet that this time next year you can post some before and after pictures. Keep on moving dude. Just keep it up.

Spanky58ggpt

Good for you! I am on my second round of "getting fit and losing weight" via the bike. I let weather and job stresses take me away from it the first time. Recommitted this time a few months ago and used Bike MS as a motivator. I knew that my current physical limitations and my bike would make the 150 mile goal difficult at best so I elected to do the 50 mile option each day. The Bike MS Historic New Bern ride (NC) had 30, 50, 75, and 100 mile routes available each day. My son (I am 51) agreed to ride with me and it was a blast. If not this year, set it as a long term goal to do it next year. A friend of ours also rode and we got together after each day's ride. I can remember several years ago when he was over 300 lbs. He rode 100 miles each day! In fairness he has been doing it for several years now, still a clyde but continuing to move his weight down. You'll be amazed at what a great motivator it can be. All that being said, I lost about 10 pounds during the training phase and got my butt used to doing 50 miles at a time. Great support from family and friends, great info on this forum and I certainly could not forget my friend who runs the local bike shop and gave great encouragement, advice and support.

What I learned - shoes make a big difference. The more rigid the sole the better power transfer to the pedals and less numbness. Shorts/bibs may look funky on my big butt, regardless the best thing I bought were cycling bibs/shorts with good padding. My experience has been that what I eat is important but how often, how long, and how hard I exercise have been more helpful in weight loss. It can be done.

Chitown_Mike

Congrats on the decision to better yourself! I lost 40 lbs earlier this year, no by cycling tho, but by eating right and body weight exercises. Now that I am back on a bike and riding as much as I can I am noticing a "thinning" of my body, haven't lost much weight but I can see the body fat going away.

And awesome job on setting a long term goal! Write it down, put the date for the MS150 on it, and put it somewhere you CAN'T ignore it (my personal favorite place.....the fridge door).

And the novelty will wear off, my wife and I just introduced our little boy to the world 3 weeks ago, and I have my first century on Sunday. I am using my work commute this week as part of some short training rides (so I go hard) and getting up 30 minutes earlier to change the baby, get dressed to ride in 40-50* weather, and deal with Chicago construction traffic isn't my idea of fun. But by the time I am a mile or so in, and definitely when I get to work, I am 150% happy I did ride despite the lack of sleep, cold, and traffic.

You have everything in you to make this happen, get in shape, get healthy, and get on with a long life. One thing I learned from the C&A part of BF is there are some great success stories out there, but there will always be a better one and why not me? (or insert "you" in there, interchangeability at it's finest)

And if I am ever that far out on route 30, I will be sure to look you up for a ride around town!

clarkbre

OP: You mentioned you were a tech guy and you're starting to eat healthier...

If you're anything like me and have an android or Iphone, look into downloading the Myfitnesspal app. I don't normally promote things like this, but it is the simplest and most effective way to track your eating, exercise, and weightloss.

About a year ago I was at 221 and dropped to 180 just by changing my eating habits. I fell off the wagon and gained 31 pounds back. I am now in the process of re-losing the weight I lost a year ago. This time, I have started cycling.

At this point, I can't wait to get out of work to go for a ride. If you do it for a few weeks, it will become a good habit that you won't want to break.

Also, if you do sign up for Myfitnesspal, you can add me and others as contacts to help share in your triumphs.

nerys

damn thats a big app. 15mb !! :-) downloading now will be sure to try it out - ALWAYS love suggestions from people who have actually used what they suggested. almost always superior to "web site top 10" stuff :-)

adrien

Awesome, and welcome.

Cycling is a wonderful thing. As a sometimes-luddite (I believe you need to put the doodads away and think every so often), cycling has been a great escape for me.

I lost about 40-45 pounds, mostly through diet. The key is both what you eat and the quantity, with the latter being WAY more important. If you hold to 2,000 a day, plus about 50% replacement of what you burn cycling (that was my formula), your body will change on a nice glide slope. I've been at it for 18 months, and it's to the point that people hardly recognize me. And I lost way less than you might.

BTW, out of curiosity, what sort of age are you? There are great stories here of folks of all ages making great changes. And you've tripped over probably the best site on the web for good information and support.

nerys

I am 36.

adrien

Perfect. I'm 42, and feel better than ever.

In addition to the weight, the biggest bonus for me has been stamina. In my professional life, for example, I can be sharp and productive much longer now that I am fitter.

Keep us in the loop on your progress.

deftone

+ 1 on the myfitnesspal app. It really helps me out. Plus it tracks your walks/runs/cycles so you know your distance etc. It has a huge database of food, so you can input what you had, and how much of it you had, and get a really accurate breakdown of your food intake.

I sound like a sales rep

nerys

Rode again tonight. not as far around 6 miles total. did a 3 mile loop around EHC (good ride think I will use this route from now on nicer safer more fun just do it 3 times to get 9 miles if I want.

when I got back we decided to order chinese for dinner so I said hey I will go get it on the bike. realized when I got their I was getting food for 4 people gonna be a tough carry so ran over to family dollar while order was being made and got one of those clothes basket things with the big rope handle. perfect, food inside, over the handlebars. (gonna have to get a rack for this sucker)

only got partial video (the 3 mile loop just skip to 6-7 minutes to see anything very dark for this camera)

the other video was corrupted (not sure why) also goofed strava (thought I restarted but think I repaused it) but it is what it is :-) it was fun and felt good.

I broke the seat tonight (just as I finished up at least) it seems the seat has a metal plate and this plate is smaller than the seat.

the seat has a stiff substrate (not sure if its particle board or plastic or wood or what) and its the base of the seat that the metal bracket screws into and then the cushion over that and the envelope or skin of the seat.

the substrate snapped where it overlaps the metal bracket (pressure point) kind of makes sense that is the focus point of the force of my fat butt on the seat.

I will take it apart tomorrow and see if I can reinforce it. at the minimum I can just cut a thicker piece of wood the size of the seat and screw through it so it will hold my weight. might "extend" the backside a bit and add more cushioning to help the backside of my butt

https://app.strava.com/rides/22634796

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CriQCkfIqN4

I am at work and simply have not had a change to get picture of me my bike etc.. yet. I will try to do that tomorrow when I fix the seat if time allows.

nerys

Got some pictures











Got to find someone to take my picture :-) no tripod handy :-)

I broke the seat last night. it appears to be some sort of resin base embedded in the foam. should be pretty easy to fix and beef it up