well done, hickeydog. maybe, i should stop tying :)

my checkin for the week...173. i'm still skeptical about hitting 160 two months from now, but hopefully by the end of the year i'll be there.

hope everyone else is on the path.

Hello everyone...I am brand new (again) to riding a bike and bought it for losing weight and for overall fitness (age: 54). Just to get started, I purchased a Trek Pure Sport. Since buying my bike last Tuesday, I have ridden 10 miles every day, except today. Please tell me I have made the right choice as cycling for weight loss! I am so impressed with your stories, I pray that it will do the same for me. Thanks in advance for the support!!

Thought I'd check in.

9/3 - 237 lbs.
9/18 - 233 lbs.
9/24 - 230 lbs.

I've changed my diet to healthy small meals and I've been trying to hit the mountain bike trails before work. I even squeezed in a weekend ride on Saturday. My goal is to lose 2 pounds a week. So far so good.

Counting the calories
 

I started cycling in May 2006, and initially lost about 30 lbs through about November. I stayed at that weight until August 2007, when I finally started paying attention to the calories I was eating.

At first, I used the cycling as an excuse to eat more. "I'll just burn it off; that's just 10 more miles on the bike." But I wanted to lose more for a mountain ride coming up (3 gap / 6 gap).

I've lost about 20 lbs since the beginning of August, just because I'm aware of the calories in the food I'm eating. I use fitday.com to track mine, but many options work. I just had to see how bad I was eating to change my behavior. Now I'll just see how low it drops, as I think I've changed my whole attitude about food. I'm not hungry anymore (I was initially). I just eat the right food, or less of the bad stuff. I've dropped from size 38 pants to size 32! Any my life insurance rating went from standard to "super preferred." Saves money, looks better, climbs hills faster, and LOTS more.

I weigh myself daily, but do "official" weigh-ins on Mondays where I write down my weight and bodyfat in a little notebook. I weigh in at the same point in my morning routine for consistency. The BF number always varies wildly, but when I track it week-by-week, I see it going down slightly overall.

Daily weigh-ins are merely to satisfy my curiosity.

9/3 - 166.2 lbs
9/10 - 165.6 lbs
9/17 - 163.3 lbs
9/24 - 161.8 lbs

I would love to be sub-160 by my birthday - Oct 3 - doable but tough. I have to *really*watch the diet and not slip up.

just checking in because in part im doing very well to the point where i question how healthy this is.

9/12 273.4
9/15 274
9/17 275 (broke down and than started counting calories)
9/21 270.6
9/25 266.6

so right now ive been eating close to 1800 cals a day sometimes over but thats my norm
to keep my weight it says i should be eating about 3100 so there alone is a deficit of 1300 cals not including my cycling or gym visits.

i guess my biggest fear is im just losing lean muscle but my rides have only gone longer as i ride more so im doubting that.

anyways im only 20 and 6'2 so i did expect to burn this.

Today's weight, 223. 3 lbs down from last week, and my Tanita is now measuring my body fat at 27%, down from last week's 29%.

weekly checkin. down to 171.8 this morning. going in the right direction, so no complaints. glad to be back in normal bmi range, though i'm not sure that really means anything. i'll be happy when i hit something close to 23.

after reading about the accuracy (or lack thereof) of tanita scales on other threads, i haven't used the bodyfat feature on mine.

hope everyone's fighting the fight.

Wingman weekly update:
9/23 200.5
9/30 196.5

Started riding again after some time off. In Jan 07 weighed 195. Riding 4-5 days per week 35-60 miles each ride. I now weigh 165. Might hit 155 by next year.

my weekly update: I'm at 220, down from last week's 223. I've got 5 more to go for the 20 lb challenge.

9/3 - 166.2 lbs
9/10 - 165.6 lbs
9/17 - 163.3 lbs
9/24 - 161.8 lbs
10/1 - 161.8 lbs

I seem to have stalled, so I stepped up the effort a bit. I count calories on fitday, work out (lifting) on Sun and Th, and ride on MWS and either Tue or Fri. On lift days I added a sprint workout to kick up the activity level while keeping daily cal. ~1800 @ roughly 40-30-30. We shall see.

Weight loss - Weight Watchers & Cycling
 

I hit 301 lbs the weekend after Thanksgiving 2006. I said enough was enough! I joined Weight Watchers, started walking, then riding my mountain bike, then back to my road bike. I have lost 81 lbs since November. I had gone most of the last ten years with very little cycling. Cycling has provided me with mental stress release I need, the inspriration as my riding has improved, and the long term goal setting opportunities to keep focused through the last year. I rode the Hott N Hell Hundred in August and the MS 150 last month. Targeting the Oklahoma Centennial Century in a few weeks. Weight Watchers has been a big part of this process, too. I've learned to eat properly, learned to recognize why I overeat, gained the weekly accountability at weigh ins and meetings and gained much support from fellow members.

I would encourage all cyclists looking to loose weight to get on some type of healthy, well designed, proven eating and nutrition program. It has worked for me. I have 20-25 more pounds to go. Looking to hit it before I turn 50 in March!

Tony

9/3 - 237 lbs.
9/18 - 233 lbs.
9/24 - 230 lbs.
10/1 - 227.5 lbs.
10/8 - 224.5 lbs.

9/10 - 165.6 lbs
9/17 - 163.3 lbs
9/24 - 161.8 lbs
10/1 - 161.8 lbs
10/8 - 161.0 lbs

looks like i'm stalled for a bit. i'm at 170 now. barely on pace to make that 160 by thanksgiving. still, its 11 lbs lighter than peak weight this summer.

My weekly update: I'm at 217, down from last week's 220. I've only got 2 more lbs to go for the 20 lb challenge. I think I'm going to consider it a 30 lb challenge, and shoot for 205 by thanksgiving. Probably won't get there, but I'm seeing how close I can get.

168 this morning. Getting there, slowly but surely.

New to the forums just saw the thread....down 60 lbs from 297 since last December. Would like to get in on the 20 by thanksgiving, but that may be a bit aggressive for me arriving at this late date....However, hoping that the cycling will start the fat to burning again. Dropped the weight so far by lifting and running....pounding the pavement started getting painful so I am hoping the bike takes the impact off the joints and gets the fires burning again.

My Weekly Update: Not the best week. I'm down to 216 from last week's 217. A few days ago I was at 213.5, but I skipped a few bike days due to weather, and my weight went up pretty rapidly. I'll be back on the bike today, so hopefully I'll be better off next week. I'd hoped to be reporting that I had my 20 lbs done today, but right now, I'm at 19 lbs down.

9/3 - 237 lbs.
9/18 - 233 lbs.
9/24 - 230 lbs.
10/1 - 227.5 lbs.
10/8 - 224.5 lbs.
10/18 - 220 lbs.

17 lbs down, 45 lbs to go.

I only have 3 more lbs to lose to achieve the Thanksgiving Challenge. Like linuxelf, I think I am going to shoot for 30 lbs by Thanksgiving.

I just found this thread!!!

Here's my story...

I'm 34, male, Seattle WA (where I've lived since I was 6 months old). I bought a Trek 7.3fx just this past May. At the time I weighed around 210. I stand 5'10 and have been slim my entire life, except for the past 2 years. I was depressed because I couldn't find a way to deal with the stress of work and of everyday life. I was drinking a six pack of beer every night to self medicate.

I bought the Trek and began commuting 25 miles round trip, 5 days a week. On the weekends I would ride 30-60 miles. I hurt at first, everything from my ***** to my legs. I'm a gifted athlete who excelled in baseball and soccer and have NEVER felt the pain that I felt the morning after a 60 mile ride. I have this issue with still thinking that I'm 18 and can do it all....HA!

I quit drinking beer. I cut down on the pasta and red meat. I began eating breakfast on a daily basis for the first time in my life. I drank a lot of water. Lifestyle changes...

In August I purchased a Cannondale CAAD8 road bike and I don't think I'll ever look back. I can now ride 75-century w/o any issues whatsoever. Currently I weigh about 170lbs and am LOVING every minute of it. I have $1000 Brooks Bros. suits that don't fit anymore, and I'm as happy as can be!!!!!! I can step away from the ego based lifestyle and move into one that is centered around self worth.

Cycling has changed my life forever. Not only do I feel and look great, I've found a fun way to de-stress after a tough day. I'm 18 again, and I see NO reason why I should ever feel different again.

My weekly update: I've officially passed the 20 lb mark, and am going for 30. This morning the scale read 212, down 4 lbs from last week's 216. Total weight lost so far is 23 lbs. I upped my Tue/Thu rides from 10 miles to 12 miles, and I upped my Sat/Sun rides from 12 miles to 15. The extra time on the bike (just a few more minutes per ride) really seems to be helping. I got my dad back into cycling a few weeks ago, and he's been giving me regular updates on his progress. We had originally planned to ride the 30 mile course in Habitat for Humanity's Bike To Build in May, but now he wants to ride the 62 mile course instead. The way I'm feeling now, I believe in 7 months, the 62 mile course should be no problem.

Weighed in at 166 this morning. I was 181 first week of september so thats 18 lbs gone so far. Not riding as much as I would like to, but still getting in a decent amount of activity. If I hit 165 the morning of 11/01, I should be able to 161 by thanksgiving.

I'm hoping to get one of those city bikes (old english 3-speed or fixed gear) once i hit my target of 155.

As for now, I have a hybrid (Bianchi Boardwalk). Anybody have any suggestions for decking it out for the winter?

9/3 - 237 lbs.
9/18 - 233 lbs.
9/24 - 230 lbs.
10/1 - 227.5 lbs.
10/8 - 224.5 lbs.
10/18 - 220 lbs.
10/26 - 218 lbs.