Hallelujah! I'm sooooo happy for you! Now you can not only justify your new bike... You can UPGRADE! Good idea about the sig. line, as you can see I took your suggestion. C-Ya' :D

Back on a bike for the first time in a long time...I put in right at 6 miles (5.96) I'm really glad that I got that done. It was alot for me considering how big I am and my first day back on my bike, but I enjoyed it. I might need someone to help me out of bed in the morning. :)

LOL

Man, we have all been there at one time or another! Good on ya for taking the first step!

Went to the doctor yesterday for what I thought was asthma (luckily it was just lung irritation from some smoke I had to ride through two days ago) and my blood pressure was down to 110/78 and the pulse was down to 64 beats per minute. These are the best numbers I have ever seen! Also, got a "Whoa! You've lost a ton of weight, and look fantastic!" from her as well!

Happy, Happy Day!!

Ah yes, and congrats Bob!!!!!!!!!

Kat

PWRDbyTRD, Baby steps dude. Don't try to do more than you can enjoy. If cycling becomes tortuous, then what motivation do you have to get back on the bike? When you ride, just enjoy it! When you're tired, stop. Before too long, the rides will get longer, and you will be smaller. One day you'll look in the mirror just after finishing a century, and there will be some skinny dude lookin' back at you... "Wow, when did that happen?" You'll be askin' yourself.

Kat, you are an inspiration! Keep it up! And congrats on blowin' the Dr.s mind.

bahahah I moved my saddle up about 2 inches, tilted it back a bit and put in 6 miles this morning on my way to work. I'm a little tender, but it will take a bit to get used to! I am happily enjoying my bike and the fact that I'm saving close to 400/month in just car bills.

You ROCK Kat! Keep going girl!

Hey, I noticed you joined Bikejournal! WAY COOL. I expect to see those miles adding up soon!

Bob


Good deal! Remember, your seat height is very important to the health of your knees! 2 inches sounds like a HUGE change. I hope it is more comfortable. I still have 3 cars. The wife drives one, the other two pretty much just sit until I need them for work. Oh, I still say that is the best looking Kona I have ever seen! :D

Bob

Hello, fellow Healthy People! I just got home from 14.9 miles with my "Mini-Me" in his trailer. Rode for 1:35:17 for an avg. of 9.3 mph. Maxed out at 18.4 mph. Not too shabby with the whole kit weighing around 100 pounds. I can almost hear the FAT melting away... Hummm? Sounds like a skillet full of bacon! Bwaaa Haaa Haaa! :D

2nd day riding to work...is it normal wanting to suck down 60 ounces of water in an hour?

Yes. Especially since you are still very early on in your progress. It also sounds like you may have not been hydrated properly prior to your ride.

It would be helpful to know how far and the type of terrain your commute is. Also the temperature will have an effect.

Remember, drink plenty of water throughout the day, your body needs it.

Umm my ride totals about 4 miles...2 miles then a 1 hour bus ride, then 2 more miles. It's paved mostly...little bit of gravel kicked over from the passing cars...rolling hills...Tennessee doesn't know what flat land is...so I bust my butt up a hill then roll down another one only to bust my butt up another one.

Yep, sounds like you need to drink more. Your dehydrated. Drink even when your not thirsty.

Do a search in the T&N forum, there is a ton if information regarding hydration issues and techniques.

Alrighty. What's funny is when I go somewhere to eat...the idea of coke is almost sickening...all I want is water.

I think this is common. Since I started riding, I started drinking almost exclusively water and sports beverages. Most everything else doesn't seem to sit well. I also drink obscene amounts of water and was initially concerned about this, but it turned out that I just need that much water.

In my limited experience, it's hard to get too much water, so if in doubt, keep drinking, because dehydration is a serious threat.

edit:
As for the distance: When I started my first rides were about 6 miles also. At first I thought I would die after 6 miles. I could barely climb a flight of stairs after getting home. Now, I can do ten times the distance easily, and do it again the next day and still climb the stairs. :) So if you stick with it, and your endurance will go up and up and up.

Congratulations on minding your weight. To reduce discouragement, I want to say that when starting an exercise program we ought to recognize that the scale may not reflect the changes the body is undergoing. Increased exercise builds lean muscle mass. Lean muscle weighs more than the body's stored fat. It is likely that something as simple as noticing our clothes fitting differently is our first indication of our increased health. Supporting lean muscle through exercise and "proper diet"
can be a long term process, especially when eating processed and cooked food which has lost it's natural enzyme, vitamin and mineral content.

should I take vitamins?

ok, Ive been watching this thread for a while now. I am officially able to enter in here and heres why. I am not as proud as I want to be because I will tell you all that I have lost weight with cycling but I have a problem now.

Anyhow, Im 31 years old, 5 foot 9.5 inches. Ex smoker since july 04'. I weighed in at 220 pounds on july 30th of this year after a beach Vacation. Immediately after the vacation I started eating better and riding my wifes elliptical. I started loosing weight 5 pounds, then 7 then 10 pounds. I went to my LBS and purchased an 05' Trek 1000. I have owned 3 other new MB's and this was my first road bike. Almost 500 miles later, I weigh in a just a tick over 200 pounds. My cholesteral has dropped 16 points to 172 my HDL is better as well as my LDL and triglicerides. My resting heart rate has dropped from 68 to 55 with a low of 50 but is currently back up to 60. I feel and look better.

BUT!

I am so freaking stuck on 200 pounds that I am getting really frustrated at this. It seems the more I ride, the more stuck I get. I am taking in 1500-2000 calories a day and on my ride days which can be 15 miles to 30 miles, I take in around 2500.

Now, I know everyone is different, but why have I become stuck? Has my body gotten use to the cycling? Am I not taking in enough calories? My goal is a lean mean 165 pounds by August 5 2005. I thnk it can be done but I know its gonna be hard.

I live in the mountains if NC and tonight is the first night I can truly say that summer is GONE. Its COLD outside. Anyhow, I purchased and trainer and I am commited to working out all winter long. I will not stop riding because I know it helps me and I look and feel better.

Please, if anyone has any idea how I can become "unstuck" and get under 200 pounds and continue the weight loss, please feel free to post here or email me. I have 35 pounds to loose and After the first 20 pounds just melted off, I figure "hey 35 more will be easy" well, its not and I am battling hard to keep from gaining.

Thanks in advance !
Chris

Chris, I am sorry to say I personally can't offer a suggestion... But,I can offer support! I too am comitted to loosing a large amount of weight by 08/05/05!

You're dehydrated. The rule of thumb for water intake for us big folks is this: take your weight in pounds, divide in half - the resulting number is the ounces per day of water you need to maintain a hydrated balance. The number will freak you out, but it is unlikely to lead to hyponatremia (water intoxication/poisoning) if you spread it out during the day. If you drink it in 2 or 3 big sessions, you may really mess yourself up.[This equation comes from multiple nutritionists I've consulted, as well as the medical panel for Weight Watchers USA, which had this printed in the meeting materials for a while as well as publishing it in the magazine. It is not Internet quackwash.] Add 8 ounces for every 30 minutes where you're exercising and breaking a significant sweat.

Oddly enough, drinking more water will help you lose weight faster. Metabolism becomes much more efficient when you're hydrated, you've got higher blood volume to shuttle wastes out, and your joints will be better lubricated so working out won't hurt as much.

Increase your water intake slowly so your kidneys and urinary tract get used to the load, though. Nothing says "worker with a medical problem" like a guy who's guzzling water and trotting off to the can every 15 minutes!

Hey Chris! I've heard some people who have gotten stuck at a weight have started lifting weights twice a week. It builds up muscle and it can be a good way to 'shock' your body with something new. Just a thought! Good luck, and congratulations on quitting smoking. :)

-GS

I'm 6'1" and was pretty skinny at 170lbs. I got mono, couldn't eat for two months and wound up at 145lbs. I probably lost a lot of fat, but I also lost a lot of muscle. My arms torso and legs barely existed. I got back on the bike after recovering and my weight's been fluctuating between 155-160lbs. I'm starting to train harder though, so I suspect I'll drop back down to 150lbs. It would be nice if I had any kind of upper body strength : )

I took in about 100 ounces or close to it while riding yesterday. I was riding for about 2.5 hours. I got home and I was so hyped about having ridden home from the mall. Anyways, i plan on riding somewhere today...I'm getting used to my clipless pedals....only lame part is I'm hungry all the time. I try to locate fruit and healthy munchable foods :)

You're doing great! It can be really hard to find reliable snackables if you're out and about. I try to keep an energy bar in my bag - a kind that I don't like enough to eat because it's tasty, but one that's not so nasty that I would buy junk food rather than eat it. For me, that's Clif Bars or Luna bars in non-favorite flavors )

everyone likes those clif bars don't they? Some guy came into the LBS and seriously bought like 30 of them.