C_Heath

Update, thx to Edzo, Lowcel, Kevinmcdade, DannoXYZ,SandySwimmer and guitarWizard.

Feb 1st. 210 pounds
BP 140/78
RHR 80's
15.0 MPH now matter how hard I tried
HR would skyrocket at the thought of riding.

This morning...
190 pounds
BP 108/60
RHR 59
Takes 8 minutes to get my HR up to "working" zones
HR drops like a ton of bricks when I rest
16.438 MPH on my regular loop.

The entire reason I started this regimen was that my @$@!$ piece of #@$% insurance company denied my Prevacid precription that I had been taking for 5 years for GERD and Horrible acid reflux. The prevacid alowed me to load up on Ketchup, Mcdonalds and Pure mountain dew, sometimes 12 cans a day (yes, 12, thats 110 calories x12 per day) I was oblivious to what I was doing to myelf. I am now prevacid free, eat a balanced diet every day and ride every day and have lossed all the above and gain all the health benifits above as well.

Thanks to everyone above, Im not looking back and will be 175 (my goal) by 6/15/06.

Word!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

edzo

awesome dude

20lbs is significant enough to say it is working
and not some daily anomaly

!!Comatoa$ted

The funny thing is your progress almost matches mine exactly, the same weight loss during the same time period. The difference is my goal is 170 lbs by june 1.

Best of luck

C_Heath

u 2 man GO FOR IT! Those people I mentioned have been dead on. I admit, I have busted my butt and be dammed it I mess it up with eating crap. I have gotten to the point where I think to myself " man, I worked, 3 days to get that 1 pound to get me into the 180's, Aint no way Im gonna eat a rack of ribs or french fries just because I did good this week" Im actually a small person. Im one of those people who carry my weight ok I guess. I have a new riding partner, he lives in my town and our daughters are in Kindergarten together. We have been trying for a month to get together and ride. Well, tommorow is the day, 12:30 est. Hes 175, slim and looks pretty powerful, been riding about 3 years. I dont know what to expect but Im gonna blast up on some carbs and give him hell. He said he averages 17.5-18 I avg around 16.5 on a good day. Hes building a house 2 miles from me so if this works out, I will have a permanent roadie buddy. Sounds good. Have a great weekend everyone!

OH YEA !! LOOK AT My RED STAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOHOOOOO

SandySwimmer

C heath - lifestyle changes have really come through for you. Just think, the money you no longer spend on medications, you can invest into your bike. Enjoy the ride.

I'm making my plans for the week. Hoping to add some outdoor rides now that the weather is nice . . . no excuses.

Sandy

SandySwimmer

I'm making sure I log everything this week. I'm feeling pretty good. Glad the cold is over. My main goal is high energy, so I'm looking at my foods and activities in terms of the good energy they give me. I've discovered a great waffle recipe --

3 egg whites (hand blender to peaks)
2 tbsp. ground flaxseeds
1/4 cup ground oatmeal (slow-cooking kind)
dash of vanilla
dash of cinnamon

-- makes a light fluffy waffle. I put a cup of warmed blueberries (sometimes Benecol if I want a buttery taste) and a little maple syrup on it. Great way to start the day.

Also, discovered a really good tea that takes care of the coffee feeling. I add a little soy milk and stevia sweetner. It's called Roastaroma by Celestial Seasonings. For me, it tastes like those high fat/sugar drinks from Starbucks without the fat/sugar or expense.

I hope everyone is doing well. I really appreciate you sharing as much as you can. It helps me keep going.
Sandy

edzo

I ate a big fat bag of chips 2 days ago, just because I missed 'em.

my stomach hurt for a awhile. blah. I have zero desire to do that again.

compared to the last 8 years where I ate 2 bags a DAY, 5 oz of chips.

C_Heath

chips suck, Im a meat and potatoe guy. I must be holding a crapload of water this week, got to 188 and boom, she derailed! Back to 191. Sucks, been eating good too. Got my new Trek so Im gonna try to get it together and ride it hard this weekend. Mid 80's all weekend.

C_Heath

Oh yea, that guy who was "Hes 175, slim and looks pretty powerful, been riding about 3 years" is no faster than me Hes got a compact double. Im spinning and enjoying the mountains and trees etc. all the while hes up on the big ring mashing like a potato creamery. Im all over em"

I tried a little semi attack on him once to see if he would answer and he did. Kept up but didnt drop me. Im good, looks like we got a roadie buddy. Hes a great guy, gonna be 1.5 miles away neighbor kinda like so I think it will be a good Zen like deal.

SandySwimmer

C heath - sounds like you had a great ride. I'ts nice when we surprise ourselves.

edzo - chips are rough because they are so addictive while we are eating them and make us so miserable after.

I'm hoping to take a ride early in the morning. Still going and going. I do have to increase the amount of my weights at the gym since I'm not feeling fatigue anymore.

Sandy

SandySwimmer

I biked a hilly loop this morning. I enjoyed it. It's one I biked regularly back in August - October. It's 13 miles and it took me an hour, so I must have averaged 13 mph. I'm hoping to do it again tomorrow. The weather is so nice right as the sun is coming out. Saturday and Sunday means less traffic. I'm trying to bring cycling back into my regular workouts.

I have more leg muscle strength than I had in the fall, so I know the strength training is helping.

Sandy

tom987987

My first post on this thread:

Age: 19
Height: ~6 feet

Beginning weight: 225 lb (April 9)
Goal weight: 190 lb
Goal date: July 1, 2006
Total lost: 5 lb
To go: 30 lb

Beginning weight (April 9): 225 lb
Week #1 (April 15): 220 lb


First time I've lost weight in about five years! Woo hoo! This thread has been very inspiring for me and good luck to everyone!

C_Heath

Sounds good Sandy, keep digging. Tom, thats alot of weight to loose in such quick time. 2 pounds per week is the best way to go. Ive averaged between 2-3 since feb 1st. You will plateau after a while. Im currently on my first REAL plateau. I upped my miles this week to 100, stuck at 187 pounds. Today was the worst, 32 miles of windy, hot (89 degrees) hills. 1500 total feet of climbing in 2.5 hours. May sound not as steep as some guys but Im NOT a climber.

Tom, Check out Fitday.com to track your progress, a godsent for me.

Good Luck

C

SandySwimmer

Tom - Welcome

It sounds like you're off to a great start. Keep us posted.

C heath - you'll get through the plateau. I agree with your thoughts on the speed of weight loss. Mine averages out to about 3/4 of a pound per week. It's a funny trick. I have to plan and aim for the higher loss in order to achieve the steady (but lower) loss.

I just came back from the bookstore. In addition to buying the May issue Bicycling magazine, I bought a large sketchbook to give me a place to record my bike rides, my fuel, and to record notes to myself and other helpful information. It has 352 pages, so it's possible it can take me through to 2007.

I really want to do this. I have more muscle . . . lots of muscle actually and my spare tires around my middle have been reduced down to one, but I still have one . . . hoping that will be gone by summer.

When I reach the 130's (less than 20 pounds away), I'm going to splurge and buy myself some clip pedals for my bike.

Sandy

tom987987

Is this bad? I haven't really done much...just eliminated all take out food and began exercising 30 min. a day. I was a bit suprised to learn that I have lost 5 pounds already in just one week, but I hope it is not bad for my heath.

IronMac

Maybe it's water loss? Oh wait...you're a guy!

I don't know much about losing weight since I'm about 5'8" and fluctuate being 155 and 159 lbs but 5 lbs in a week sounds a bit extreme even with eliminating take-out. If you continue with your current rate of loss, then, there's a problem somewhere.

SandySwimmer

If you usually eat a lot of take-out, you're body is eliminating MSG, sodium, water, etc. You could easily show a 5 pound loss a week for the first couple of weeks. Next week it might show 3, then 2 the next week, and then 1 the following week. It will eventually slow down. Stick with your healthy plan.

I would also suggest adding strength training 2-3 days a week.

I'm on my way out the door for a beautiful sunrise bike ride.

Sandy

C_Heath

I went from stuck to the other way! I was purely stuck at 187. for Id say, 6 days, that may not seem long but it is according to my loss behaviors. So, I went off the deep end today. All Junk, All day. That has worked in the past, I sure hope it does this time. 192 as of last weigh in I was 12 pounds from my goal and now 17!!!!!!!

Im sure it will be ok. Water, soda, grease etc. is in my system. First light tommorow, back on track, usually, that sways my metabolism for the following day. Hopefully, by wednesday, Ill be back to normal and around 186-187.

man, plateaus suck

SandySwimmer

C Heath - you'll be back soon. I find I can no longer eat junk food. It makes me feel terrible and zaps my energy for days afterwards. Not worth it anymore. I need as much energy as I can for riding.

You'll need to come up with some healthier ways of dealing with plateaus. If you think about it, eventually you're going to be plateauing and maintaining for the long-haul when you reach your healthiest weight. Seeing the same number for six days isn't a bad thing, but getting frustrated and then inhaling junk food is what's going to get you.

You've been losing steadily. Perhaps you could have as your goal to maintain 186 for 2 weeks . . . to give your body and mind a chance to catch up to the loss.

Hang in there,
Sandy

C_Heath

yes, all that, but Im back to "good" foods tommorow, I feel like crap too when I eat like that.

KDB

I may as well join in on this thread, which I just discovered. I started about 2 years ago at 240 lbs. A lot of weight for a guy who is only 5' 9.5". A complete change of diet and running followed; then my knees really started to hurt, so I moved to biking last summer. I am now at 185 lbs, but fluctuate up to 190 some times. I still need to lose another 20 lbs, but as many of you have noted, the last 20 is very hard to get off.

During the winter I hit the eliptical machines for about 1 hour per day, 5 days per week. As the weather has improved, I am getting out more and more on my bike. I have a standard route that is approximately 30 miles long (I need to get a cycling computer so I can know more exactly). I manage to do the entire 30 in about 100-110 minutes (depends on wind, my mood); so I am somewhere between 15-18 mph. I am doing this 5 days per week with light rides (10 miles or so) on the 2 off days.

I am also trying to get to yoga two days per week, but my schedule makes it hard to do both a long bike ride and get the yoga classes in. I hope to get a bit better as the spring wears on. I would like to be down at least another 10 lbs by July 14th, when we go on vacation to New Hampshire. To do this I feel I need to pick up my eating habits a bit more and add some more yoga or strength training. Oh, I should mention that I turn 48 this August.

LowCel 

Welcome to the club KDB. Congratulations on your accomplishments, you are doing great! The last 10 - 20 pounds is definitely the hardest. I haven't been able to lose mine yet. I need to start getting serious about it since as of this coming Sunday I will have missed my goal.

C_Heath

Welcome KDB, Im back on track, 188 this morn

SandySwimmer

KDB - welcome. It sounds like you are on a nice healthy track. Congratulations on committing to healthy changes. Yoga and strength training both provide great balance for the body . . . especially as we lose the last of the weight.

C heath - back on track. Good for you. Doesn't it feel good?

LowCel - the healthy diet really makes the difference at this point. Don't you think?

I was able to make cardio changes at the beginning and lose weight . . . added strength training and lost a little more weight. Got on a regular sleep schedule lost some more weight. Now, the determining factor is diet. Partially it's because exercise is a necessary part of my day. I feel so much better after exercise.

I'm slowly realizing it's the same with diet. I feel so much better when I've eaten raw fruits, steamed vegetables, and whole grains. It's becoming a necessity for good energy. The trick for me is night time eating -- if I eat, I gain weight, if I don't, I lose weight. Simple as that. And because watching television is directly associated with a 'need to munch', I have cut out television and play tennis at night instead.

I'm hoping to see 139 by June 14 -- 8 weeks. And, then see 130 by July 14. I feel like healthy momentum is on my side.

Sandy
5'7"
beginning weight Feb. 21: 160 pounds
week #1 Feb. 27: 158 pounds
week #2 March 7: 159
week #3 March 13: 156
week #4 March 20: 157
week #5 March 29: 155
week #6: April 4: 157
week #8: April 19: 155
goal weight: 130
total pounds lost: 5
pounds to go: 25

C_Heath

Sandy,

My wife has started eating right and working out at Curves. I think Curves is a little bit Mickey Mouse but hey, shes actually doing it. To give you some light at the end of the tunnel. Shes been working out about a month or so. Shes only lost around 5 pounds such as you. However, It is totally unreal at the physical changes that she has undergone. Her neck looks like a tooth pick, her back and belly are totally changed, even her ankles lol are smaller.

If you watch the Biggest loser, you see all the men loosing 25 pounds in a week lol. Well, she gripes because I have lost 23 pounds and her hardly anything but I have to remind her of the inches shes lost. Keep Digging.

Well, After my benge junk food day to tilt my metabolism Im back to 187 which is my plateau. The benge didnt work like in the past. Rather thru my progress back a week. I skyrocketed to 192! In 2 days. Im sure alot of it was salt too.

187 this morning making the total 23 pounds and Im bringing out the big guns. Im not going to tell what it is this time, but I sure will if it works. Im 12 pounds away from my goal weight of 175 by June 17th 2006. Surely to goodness I can make that~! Ive come this far, no turning back now.

Heres my Fitday.com tracker for anyone reading this for the first time........

https://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJ...?Owner=NCBiker

Have a great week everyone!

Chris