Zin

Hi Don!

Thanks for your kind words! One of the main reasons I post on this thread is to possibly help others who are struggling with their weight, diabetes, or both. I'm very happy to hear its been a help.

Fitday is a pretty good tool. I have not seen the software. I'm almost always next to a computer it seems. Fitday gets easier to use as you go over time. Would you mind posting a comparison between the software and the web site? I've been looking at getting either the Fitday software or the WeightWare that a BF member writes. A friend of mine uses the WeightWare and swears by it. It is a bit more costly, however.

Sounds like you have had some great results so far! Keep at it and keep posting your UPs and downs on this thread. We have a great bunch of folks here who are VERY supportive and understanding.

I was going to post this and saw your post. So, I'll just tag it into this post instead of a new one.

It is difficult for me to see the changes in my body over time. To this day, when I look in the mirror I still see the 340# with the big stomach. So, I use photographs to measure the physical changes. I took a shot in March of last year. Then again shortly after my birthday in August 24, 2004. I have now added a shot from around my birthday this year. I don't see as much change as I would have liked. However, I do see much more muscle definition and some slimming in my face. I guess as I get closer to my "goal" weight the changes may not be as drastic as when I had such a long way to go. So, with no further delay, I give you the comparison image: (be kind)

donhaller 

Zin,

The software from FitDay is very similiar if not the same as the online web-application. However, I think it is somewhat more robust in the ability to provide reports based on your data. I also find the local app to be somewhat faster. When I get some more seat time with it, I will post some more reports.

Don

Dwayne

New member here, but I'd like to chime in as well.

I was a consistent ~215 pounds the past two years, and I thought I was in pretty good shape. I ride religiously and enjoy lifting weights at the gym. Over the winter the benchpress goes up to 300lb (comes down a bit over the summer since I ride a lot more), but I've always been focused on being a well-rounded athlete rather than specializing in any one thing. I've been riding for 12 years now, and I'm only 24 (started riding while I lived in Germany).

Around May I decided to take it up a notch and really start watching what I eat. I signed up on FitDay and started using that. It was an eye-opener. A lot of times I would think, "hey, I've eaten well all day, I can have a treat," only to log everything into FitDay later and find out it ended up being a 4-5K calorie day. Since then, I still eat what I want, though sweets are more in moderation. I've been extremely good about keeping daily calories to 2600 and under and eating healthy foods. I haven't had soda in the past few years (can't stand the stuff anymore, used to love it, tastes nasty now), but I love chocolate.

I started to do more road biking, although I use my Trek hardtail with 1.25" slicks for that (still looking for a roadbike). Bought a Cannondale Prophet to replace the tired SuperV, so a lot more trail riding now, too. I also try to commute to work when I can, too (26 mile round trip), a few days out of the week usually.

Fast forward to September. I'd have people who I haven't seen for a while at the gym comment on my weight loss, friends comment. Weight-wise I'm down to 185 now, and not a single person believes me when I tell them I lost 30 pounds (they ask "where?!?"). I thought I had a decent physique at the beginning of the year, but I leaned out a bit. I'll include a picture just for *****s and giggles.

The downside? I can't race clydesdale anymore. I took 3rd in the clydesdale class in my last race (still weighed 210 back in early july) and 4th in sport in the hillclimb race the next day(a clyde that can climb is rare, but exists).

I'm extremely impressed by some of the people I've read about in this thread, and I want to give out a big kudos to everyone who has come closer pound-by-pound to achieving their goal.

Dwayne

Zin

Thanks, Don. I look forward to your eval on FidayPC.

Dwayne! Dude, you look GREAT! I'd like to know how many miles a week you normally ride. Also a little more detail on the weights. Not so much on the exercises themselves, but more so the schedule. How many days a week you lift/ride and the duration of the lifting session. I've been VERY lax on my lifting over the summer. I'm afraid it shows in my photo of the year. I'm working on getting back into the swing of things for winter. Thanks.

EDIT: Do you know what your estimated BF% was when each photo was taken? I've found the scale can lie like crazy, but the BF% is a much better mechanism to measure progress.

Don Gwinn

Man, Dwayne looks amazing. I am not just exaggerating when I say this: I literally cannot imagine what I would look like at that bodyfat level. I'm not even sure what my face would look like.
Incredible.

Oh yeah, and I was 287.2 this morning. If I'm 288 or lower for one more day, I'll change my signature to 288. I haven't been riding at all since the century, but I did commute today. Time to head for home now!

Az B

Some interesting stories!

Last year about this time I decided 220 was a little much. I'm a skinny guy hiding in a fat man's body. At age 45, it's mostly gut. So I started riding. I hadn't ridden regularly since about 84-85, and I was very out of shape. (I used to ride a lot and even race a bit back in the day) So I started with short 9-10 mile rides a couple times a week at a fairly brisk pace... 15mph is brisk for an old, out of shape fat guy! Then winter hit and the riding stopped. I got a little more serious this year, cranking out at least 3 15 mile rides over hilly terrain as fast as I could manage comfortably.

By June I was up to about 100 miles a week average and had started going on some longer, 40-50 mile rides occasionally.

July was a solid 100 miles per week minimum and a 55-60 mile ride pretty much every weekend.

August I got serious. Averaged about 125 miles a week and did 2 centuries. I was slow, but I got 'em done.

And now my milestone. I weighed in a couple days ago and I'm 199. Finally below 200! Woo hoo!

My ultimate goal is about 185, but at this point it's just numbers. I feel better, I can eat like a horse and still lose a couple pounds a month, my cholesterol is down so that I don't have to take medication, and my blood pressure is 94/40. My doctor says that my health is very good and to keep doing what I'm doing.

No problem, riding is fun.

Good luck to the rest of you guys!

Az

cycleprincess

Found my "fat" jeans over the summer and took some pics. These jeans used to be tight on me!

Ritz

Two pair of pants for the price of one! Awesome job Princess! Peace, Ritz.

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM

cycleprincess

It's so funny you mention Tour De Pants...I just got back (well...August) from a bike ride in Possum Kingdom called Tour De Pants!!

Puppypaws

CyclePrincess and Dwayne...awesome photos!

I'm stuck at 178...but I know why....not enough cycling! Just getting started in my new job with a long commute and havent found my routine yet. Will keep working on it.

Zin

Great work Az & CP!

Hey, does anyone else use a trainer or rollers when you can't ride outside? I'm thinking of setting up a challenge for indoor miles for the fall/winter. Anyone interested?

bransom

Hey, Zin, I'm starting to think about rollers/trainers/something for winter. I've got an old windtrainer thing but want to look into some of the more modern units.

DerekU2

Hey all - checking in again! I weighed in this morning at 168.8 (from 205 on 5/2). When i tell friends I'm tring to drop a few more pounds, they ask if I'm kidding. That's a great feeling, of course, but at the same time when I look in the mirror I can still see a good deal of loose skin and fat around my stomach. Not sure how much more I'll have to drop before that disappears. 160? 155? 150? Wow - I can't believe I'm in a position to think I could weigh 160!

As for rollers and trainers -- rollers seem like they'd require impecible balance, no? I live in an apartment - on the second floor - so I'm worried that rollers or trainers will create too much noise for the people below. Anyone know if this is the case? Also, are trainers/rollers clean when operated indoors?

crawfman

I also will be moving to an apartment on the second floor and my dad mentioned that a trainer might make too much noise. So an answer to this question would be great for me as well.

Wes

Az B

When I lived in an apartment, I put the bike and trainer out on the porch. I never had any complaints about it. It felt better to be out in the cold anyway.

Az

Zin

Air and magnetic trainers can make a bit of noise. Fluid trainers are very quiet. My new rollers are nearly completely silent. I have an air trainer and the new rollers. They are both clean. I also have an "exercise equipment" mat that I put the trainer on. Its basically a big rubber mat.

The rollers do require you to balance. I don't consider my balance all that great. Rollers will make you a better cyclist by improving your balance. I find it a much more interesting experience than being on the trainer. I still ride the rollers in a doorway or in the hallway just in case. I have crashed a few times on the rollers. No damage except my ego in this admission. 30 minutes on the rollers and my quads are burning! It is a very good workout!

Hope this helps.

So, anyone interested in what I call, "Trainer Wars" this winter?

Palsdude

I am realitively new here, bought a Trek 7200FX and put my Ultra Clyde body on it for my first bike ride in over 30 years a couple days ago. I did not think it would ever end LOL went 6 miles and plan on doing it agian tomorrow. I just wanted to say, there are lots of inspirational stories here and I hope to be one soon.

I lift weights, but have never really liked cardio, but rode bikes everywhere in Jr high and high school. I am hoping I found my key to weight loss.

Those of you that are riding for weightloss, do you just hit it hard and watch the heart rate, or do you do High Intensity Intervals or what?

After I get these lungs working more efficiently I am all about weight loss....ummmm actually I am all about FAT loss.

Thanks in advance for your comments and responses.

Zin

WELCOME PALSDUDE!

When I started back on the bike 3 years ago, My first ride was 5 miles! I was so jazzed!

My advice to you is to start out slow. But be consistent. Rest when your body says rest. Long slow rides are the best for weight loss. I do wear a HRM much of the time. I keep my HR in the aerobic zone for the ride.

This year I have been concentrating on climbing and improving my overall speed. I can now climb better and am able to pull a paceline at over 20MPH. This has not meshed well with trying to loose weight. My weight has remained pretty stable and and recently gone up a little. So, stick to those long slow rides in your aerobic HR and enjoy!

Another thing that will help in weight loss is to journal your food intake. I use FitDay.com. This will help you to track the calories you consume vs. the calories you are burning. That is one of the keys to weight loss. I also track my rides on BikeJournal.com. I find tracking my rides and miles is a good way to keep an eye on my routine.

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask any question you may think of. You are among friends.

WonkerJaw

I've had a horrible time getting started but I have a little bit of good news today. I'm down 3 pounds to 271. My only saving grace is that I'm still riding. Plus, I've been drinking water like a fish. So if anyone else is having a tough time… every little thing helps out in the long run. Keep at it!

cycleprincess

Yeah I hear you with the 3 pounds bit!! Ever since loosing the initial nearly 100 pounds, I've been stuck!! I started at darn near 300 pounds, maybe more since I quit weighing. And that took the better part of two years. Then, for more then a year I have been stuck, and in fact started gaining a little back. My friend joined Weight Watchers, and so I started going with her. It's been 3 pounds so far, in three weeks. But I am happy with a pound a week. Especially since I have been allowing myself one day a week to eat essentially what I want.

I don't want any part of a "lifestyle change" that says I can't go down to the Chinese buffett every once in a while, or have pizza or whatever! So, yeah if I would cut out that I would probably loose at a quicker rate...but I DON'T WANNA!! Besides...slow and steady, I can maintain that. I'd like to loose around 25 or 30 pounds more.

notanymore

Hi, all --

I'm new to the board. I came straight over here because really I'm trying to figure out an answer to my dilemma.

I'm 28-year-old woman who is 5'7" and weighs 275 pounds. I've started out with diet and exercise, but I just started school, and really would like to not be driving as much as I am (I'm sure you've seen quite the uptick in new members since the gas prices went through the roof). School's not far from me, and I would walk, but biking sounds like fun and a lot quicker.

Is there a bike that can handle my current Venus-of-Willendorf frame? I don't even know where to begin.

Powerful Pete

Hey notanymore, you might also want to post this on the commuting forum... FWIW I suspect that most decent bikes will not have a problem handling your weight, as long as you do not go for stupid light components. Your choice of bike will have a lot to do with what is comfortable and with what you choose to spend on your ride. Good luck and happy riding!

Ritz

Notanymore, I began riding a Sun EZ-1 SC CLWB Recumbent at three hundred and eight pounds, I'm still on it today, and believe it or not, it's still holding up fine! Peace, Ritz.

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM

juf2m

Hi guys!

It has been a loooooooong time since I have posted. Life has been crazy. After the covered bridges metric in August, I went to northern Canada to my cottage on an island in the middle of nowhere. Then I went to Toronto to take care of some immigration related stuff, and to see U2, my alltime fave band live 4 times. Bono pulled me up on stage to dance with him! *faint*

Then I had to go to Montreal for my consulate interview, and finally I had my move from Toronto to MD in a huge Uhaul truck. I am still swamped with boxes and unpacking.

It has therefore been well over a month since I have so much as looked at a bicycle. I am pleased to report that despite partying and red wine, I have lost 2 more lbs, I am now at 134, 4lbs from my goal. Basically 135 was my first goal, so I'm not even really on a diet anymore, but anything I might lose is gravy. On the bad side though...I'm sure my muscles have shrunk down to nothingness.

I am supposed to ride a bit today, or at least this weekend...but I am actually nervous and afraid of getting back on the bike! Have you ever heard of anything so silly?

Az B

Nothing to it, it's like riding a bicycle. So much so, that it is riding a bicycle.

You know it's easy or they would never have come up with that trite saying. Just get on it and pedal a couple of time... it'll take care of the rest.

Az