nkfrench 

I bit the bullet after a lifetime of yo-yo’ing (heaviest 292# at 5’5”) and had gastric bypass one year ago. I have had spectacular results with no complications.

I was 231# at surgery after a pre-op diet and the previous 6 months of nutrition education. I am no longer an Athena cyclist. I now weigh ~133# and between the weightloss and the ability to ride more, I’m riding the best in my life. I lost a tremendous amount of muscle mass but am putting it back on after getting myself to maintenance mode.

I don’t think non-Clydes/non-Athenas could possibly realize how difficult riding and particularly hills can be when carrying over 150# of dead weight.

Last year, I was barely achieving a 10mph average on a 15-mile ride and couldn’t tolerate heat nor much more time on the saddle. At the beginning of this summer I was only in the 11mph range despite losing a lot of pounds. Today I just finished a 32 miler @ 15mph.

While I had no co-morbidities at BMI > 40, I did have joint and back pain. I couldn’t walk very long due to foot, knee, back pain. My support group peers who did have high b/p, cardiac issues, type 2 diabetes have experienced dramatic improvements and often can discontinue meds.