There's always a story isn't there, and I'm not sure there's any real purpose to this thread except maybe some support.
If you look at the stats under my avatar, you'll note that I've been a member for some time and have posted once or twice - some of you might even remember me.
Ten years ago, I rode lots and was a good weight. Cripes, five years ago, I rode lots and was a good weight. How things have changed. The real damage was done last year when I fell into a massive emotional hole. For some time, I've been eating rather too well, drinking with undue enthusiasm (never a rolling drunk fortunately) but last year, I basically stopped riding as much - I think I covered about 800 km, most of them in the first few months of the year. As a result, I'm now massively overweight (as opposed to "my jeans don't fit anymore").

But now I'm back on the bike. The bike shown below to be honest.

The more observant will note that I'm riding a Brooks saddle so my title is more or less accurate. You might also note that she's fixed gear. Lovely bike.

I've been driving to work then going for a ride - I'm currently doing a 20km (12.5 miles) loop with an average speed of around 22 km/hr (14 mph).

I'm 16 km from work so the obvious move is to commute, indeed, five years ago, I commuted every day. Why not now? Well, there's this ruddy great big hill in the middle, about 3.5km with an average of over 6% but one long stretch at 8% and a shorter stretch over 10% - I've never managed that hill in one hit on a fixed gear. Sod's Law being in operation, its uphill on the way home and the weather patterns guarantee there's always a head wind on the way home, all year round.

Again, there's an obvious solution - ride a bike with gears. I actually started doing that early this year, riding my beloved old Europa, a bike I bought new in the 1980s and have updated periodically since. I managed that twice before the frame gave up and she's now just hanging in my lounge room, never to ride again. Talk about losing an old friend. Buy another bike? Sorry, I don't have the money, I can't even scrape enough together to get another frame though, as Baldrick (from Black Adder) would say, I have a cunning plan, that cannot fail (except it is). I'll get there, I have to, but in the mean time, my only choice is to keep riding the fixed gear. I may even start commuting and just accept that I'll have to tackle parts of that hill using the 24 inch gear (two feet).

So that's where I am.
Overweight... but determined to do something about it before I develop health problems.
Drinking too much... but determined to turn that around.
Bike challenged, despite loving the only bike I currently own... but with plans to get another frame to take the components from the dear old Europa.

Oh, I should add that I am still not emotionally strong and while the meds help, there are no magic bullets with this ****.

I think you have a plan and should stick with it rather than start something that'll only end up discouraging you. Continue driving to work and ride there as you're doing, maybe increasing the size of the loop, or at peak supper hours doing a 2nd or longer ride after work, before it gets dark.

Maybe as you recover some of your old speed, or unload some ballast, you can revisit commuting a few times a week (there's n o rule that says either commute every day or never), or look for a longer ride that goes around the hill.

So, don't make big plans and mentally obligate yourself. Just ride when you can and if you feel like it, and as you get into the swing, maybe the mood will brighten also.

I'd love to increase the morning loop, but I'm getting up too darned early as it is. The main point of the loop was to establish the routine. Funny, I'm more likely to stop doing something when it starts feeling like 'training'.

Because I live in the hills, I can't go out of my driveway without being on some sort of slope. Fortunately, I'm not far from a good bike path that runs over rolling country with lots of short, sharp climbs. I'll start riding that on the weekends. Hit them hard and it'll be like riding intervals. I've even got an outdoor velodrome near work and my ratbag son (physical trainer) had me riding intervals on that, which made a big difference to strength and accelerated weight loss (muscles burn more energy than fat) but by cripes it's boring.

Now that I think of it, I used to ride a much longer route home which had the advantage of less severe slopes. I used to ride that on the fixed gear. I'd forgotten about it because it was closed for a long time while they built a new freeway. I'll have to investigate, it should be open again though it was still closed a year after they finished the freeway (yes, our government departments are like yours in this respect).

To be honest, my biggest problem is between my ears. I suspect I'm not the only one here with that problem.

Hey, here's a "voice" from the past!

I don't really have anything to offer, but welcome back!

We all go through crappy times in our lives. Some of self-inflicted, some of it not. You'll get through it, in no small part due to cycling.

One suggestion if you haven't already: See if you can get to the local tip shop and see what old bikes are being thrown out. You might luck across an old Shogun, or Malvern Star, or even an MTB such as a Stumpjumper that might fit you, and might have components still functional enough for you to upgrade as you can afford it. My own fixed gear was built up from a Shogun frame from a tip in country Victoria and I still love riding it a decade later.

The tips here all expect too much money from bikes. Stupid but I guess people pay it. We've got a not for profit group here that builds up bikes for refugees, plus offering a workshop to use and parts you can buy. When I get a bit of cash, I'll get down there and see if I can pick up a frame, the components on the Europa are all less than seven years old and still in good nick.

I went through a similar period, but probably not as difficult what you're experiencing. Enjoy your time on the bike, and you'll start finding reasons to get on it.

Welcome back! I bike commute 9 miles in Colorado Springs which is nothing but hills, and I have learned which streets and routes present the most and least elevation changes. Sometimes moving over a few streets will give me a longer incline, but easier overall than the shorter steeper street. I don't know if you have options, but hopefully you do.

Did my 20km loop this morning, it's essentially a rectangle. I copped a stiff headwind on THREE out of the four sides! Now how does that work?

In the US we can often pick up a decent steel frame for under $100 and often under $50. You already have a full kit of parts for a geared bike. I don't know if to buy one is a financial hardship or not for you, but that's what I would suggest.

Plus, having returned to cycling several times in the past 20 years (I'm now 63), I've always done my re-start gingerly, without pretending I'm training or thinking "wtf! I used to go up this hill at 13 mph!" I doubt I've maxed my training, but I have avoided pulled tendons and the like. It doesn't hurt that I've done yoga pretty steadily for the past 7 years, it tends to maintain an overall tone, though it doesn't necessarily keep the fat off nor maintain the aerobic capability.

Assuming you have acquired a decent arsenal of bike lore and knowledge I'd also assume you can manage from that point on, at near-zero added cost.

Just some thoughts to share!

Good to see you back, been wondering what happened to the Bugga, among other people!

I'm just about to head off to see if I can get a frame. As you say, I've got a full kit of components though there'll be the usual addition of cables and brake blocks and other stuff, just to make it expensive anyway. Funny how the little things add up isn't it. It'll be fun building another bike, having been able to do it in ages.

As for the dangers of going too hard too early, man do I know that one. I seem psychologically tuned to underestimate my progress and push too hard, but that can almost certainly be said of most if not all people. I've dropped out for short periods over the last few years and it's been mainly coming back and pushing too hard that's nailed the coffin lid back down each time, so I'm used to it and have been pleased this year to see me taking it quietly if that's what the body wants. Of course, 'quietly' on a fixed gear is a bit of a misnomer sometimes because riding slower means pedaling slower which can mean higher pressures on the pedals (depending on the circumstances) which means it's not actually taking it quietly at all. One of the things I love about fixed gear is the inability to hide... but it's also one of the drawbacks. This is where having a good geared bike for those 'lazy' days or extreme days or recovery days is a plus (besides, I enjoy both sides of cycling).

I've got a pretty good idea of what I 'should' be doing and how to do it, my son is a physical fitness professional so I can draw on his knowledge (and that's actually made a big difference at times), my big problem is that I'm just a typically daft human being who only does the correct thing accidentally or under protest.

Diet, that's another issue. Now that I'm living on my own (plus two cats but they don't count), cooking has become a chore. I'm working on changing that (wot, take-away food ain't good for you? Who'd have thunk it?) but unfortunately, most recipes you come across require too much work, too many ingredients and too many techniques. A bit of meat and a salad is good, but not every night. Still, I learned to fry salmon properly the other night which is a bonus.

A couple of cooking hints for you... a prerequisite is a microwave, along with a fridge with a freezer.

Use frozen vegetables from the supermarket. You don't have to prepare them, you don't run the risk of having to throw them out because they have gone off, and you can portion control very easily.

Then while in the supermarket, look out for things like the LaZuppa ready-to-heat soups in a packet, along with the cheap single-serve ready-to-heat rice packets. Use a large Pyrex bowl, combine a soup, rice and vegetables, microwave for around 15 minutes, and you have a tasty dinner without much effort and almost no waste. Toss in a small can of chicken if you want additional protein.

We also combine vegetables with some of the ready-to-eat single meal trays in the freezer section of the supermarket. Read the nutritional information on the back (including calorie count)... the best we have found is the "On the Menu" brand; don't consider the Weight Watcher rubbish, as the calorie counts are often higher than the other stuff next door in the freeezer.

Breakfast for me is always a bowl of porridge. I work in a physically intensive job, so I need the energy release constantly across the morning. And make sandwiches for lunch, an eat reasonable quantities of fruit.

And needless to say, keep off the alcohol as much as you can...

Plus, if you do feel the need for takeaway, try Subway first, then maybe Zambreros is you want somethilng like a bit of Mexican spice. We moved away from Hungry Jacks and Maccas and KFC quite a long time ago, and now they all taste yuck.

Using the above strategies, I have a cupboard full of pots and pans that I use only occasionally, but the glass bowls get a workout with the microwave. We're fortunate in Australia that there is awareness of the nutritional information on packaging, and that in itself has allowed us to lose quite a large amount of weight (despite the doubters when they read packaged frozen meals). And our food bills are quite reasonable.

So, after a bout of dreadful (okay, merely cold and wet) weather, a massive dose of the flu combined with another bout of depression (I'm bipolar, regular depression is just part of the deal and yes, the pills do work), and my riding's gone out the window... and my weight's gone up (because sensible eating suffered).

The beauty of keeping a cycling log is that you can see how much you've done
The thing about keeping a cycling log is that you can see how much you haven't done
I'm aware of the arguments against the things, but I'm also a numbers nerd so the log satisfies an inner psychosis.

In the meantime, I'm probably as fit as I wasn't when I started this thread. At least I should pick up the pieces fairly quickly... provided the rain stays away.

Keep riding and keep logging those miles. If data keeps you sane get it done. I deal with PTSD and riding helps me focus on my days and having to deal with curve balls. Someone told me that outside of combat, dealing with the VA is the second worst experience of your life ( I tend to agree). For some reason the traffic keeps me focused even when weird debris on the side of the road makes me want to see it explode.

I only recently started riding again and I have forgotten how much I loved it.

Easy! It's because you were fortunate. Otherwise the wind direction shift would have been averse on all four legs.

Nah, if it'd been a head wind on all four legs, I've have simply thought I was having a bad day, the one good leg just rubbed it in.

Excellent advice, IMHO.

Best of luck and health to you.
Best regards

Thank you for posting. I haven't much advice to offer, just want to applaud your persistence.

It helps me to know that not everyone here is a class 'A' rider, that there are many average folks just trying to keep what we got, and maybe a little bit more. If it's not obvious, that's me as well.

I put in only a few hundred miles last year, not much different the year before. This year, my strategy is to start earlier than I did last year (done), increase my weekly mileage by a decent margin (so far so good), and go a bit further into the fall than I did last year.

My wife doesn't understand why I must track my mileage and time, but I like to look at the overall stats. I do have to watch against my own worst enemy: me. In that I can get over-focused on longer, faster, more, and lose sight of what I most want and need: happy and healthy.

Should I ever managed to make it to your land, I would love to ride with you, but you might have to slow down a bit for me!

That's cool cobber. I know a great bakery and if it appears to be a bit far, well, we'll just bung the bikes in the car then drive to a place where we can ride, arrive suitably sweaty and not actually upset our bun munching ability.

Europa-glad you're showing renewed interest and posting again. That strongly suggests there is enough desire and willingness to move ahead in the right ,direction. Small steps will lead to big results. Just keep pedaling but avoid it becoming work.......a thought, do you have areas you haven't ridden to in a while? What has helped me occasionally is "exploring" on my bike. I get excited and motivated to ride to an area I haven't been to before or haven't been to in a long time. Hey, it's all a mind game but you know that all too well.

Thanks. I guess there's nothing wrong with only taking small steps though there's this inner voice that calls for more.

I'm a great explorer. On my morning rides, I'll ride a standard route for a while but then get bored and start to do different things.