Motivation tips?
11-05-11, 10:52 AM
#1
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Motivation tips?
how do you keep your long-term motivation?
it's easy to watch the biggest loser and get pumped up, diet hard-core for a couple weeks, but what about after a couple months? You've had good success, friends say you look great, they say relax and have a treat. but you're not even close to your goal weight. it's been months, and you're just not there yet. dammit. so tired of eating special foods. among all the other things in life you can't believe you STILL have to worry about this other thing, and keep working and working. now it's getting cold, not fun to go biking in the cold. how...HOW do you keep up the fight??
thx.
it's easy to watch the biggest loser and get pumped up, diet hard-core for a couple weeks, but what about after a couple months? You've had good success, friends say you look great, they say relax and have a treat. but you're not even close to your goal weight. it's been months, and you're just not there yet. dammit. so tired of eating special foods. among all the other things in life you can't believe you STILL have to worry about this other thing, and keep working and working. now it's getting cold, not fun to go biking in the cold. how...HOW do you keep up the fight??
thx.
11-05-11, 11:15 AM
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Make it a life change, not a diet. If you always eat healthy and low calories, it won't be a diet.
11-05-11, 11:32 AM
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i agree. try to make it into a life change though itll be hard. and you dont have to erase something totally but moderation is key. myself im switching over to oatmeal with just a little butter for flavor and taste and salads with the occasional(i mean not more than once a week at best) not so good for me food but when i have that food i will go for a 5+ mile ride. so i still have my temptations but i will limit them instead of trying to go cold turkey.
11-05-11, 11:45 AM
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Stop watching that show. The people are killing themselves in unsafe ways. 90% of the "weight" they lose is due to dehydrating themselves. Every single person on that show re-gains the weight almost immediately.
It gives a completely unrealistic method of losing weight, and it's only a matter of time before one of them dies on the show. Furthermore, it will only demotivate normal people, because they think they should be losing weight that fast, and then become disillusioned when they cannot. It's trash. Don't watch it.
Temporary diets don't work, and never will. You weigh what you weigh because your body has achieved an equilibrium with your current diet and activity level. When you diet temporarily, your body will lose weight, but when you go back on your original diet, you will gain all of that weight back again. You must permanently alter your diet; it's the only way to lose weight and keep it off.
Patience. As I said before, shows like Biggest Loser give an unrealistic impression of weight loss. They make you feel like you should be able to lose 20 pounds a week. You can't. At most you should shoot for 2 pounds a week, and even that is very difficult to do. Your body will plateau, as well. You'll be stuck at a certain weight for months. But eventually, it'll go down again, as long as you keep fighting. After all, you didn't add all of that weight in only a few months, right? It took years to add that weight. It may take years to take it all off as well. I've got 150 pounds to go, and I estimate I'll be there in maybe 2 years... possibly 3. Just take it one step at a time. Celebrate every 5 pounds. It's easy for me to say "oh, woe is me, I still have to lose 150 pounds! This sucks!". But it makes me feel better to say "holy ****, I lost 106 pounds!". Patience.
Don't eat special foods. Eat normal foods. Just eat less of them. Stop eating before you are full; there is a lag between the time when you become full and the time when your body says you're full.
Biking is fun in the cold! You get to make fun of all your thinner friends for being wussies!
But ok, if it's not your cup of tea, why not take up nordic skiing instead? Learn to embrace the cold. It happens every year, and you're never going to lose weight and keep it off permanently if you decide it's not worth it to exercise in winter.
Personally, my long term motivation is bicycling at this point. My previous motivations were:
1) being able to fit in restaurant booths (now possible!)
2) being able to fly on a plane without requiring 2 seats (now possible!)
3) being able to fly on a plane without needing an extension seat belt (now possible!)
4) getting below a 50" waist (now at 48!)
Now they are:
1) Getting below a 40" waist
2) Being able to wear 2x shirts (Was 6x, now 4x)
3) Being able to bike faster and further than ever before (current best average speed for 20 mile course, 16mph; current best distance; 103 miles)
4) Being able to hammer the pedals without my legs flopping my giant belly around
I used to bike to lose weight. Now I lose weight to bike.
It gives a completely unrealistic method of losing weight, and it's only a matter of time before one of them dies on the show. Furthermore, it will only demotivate normal people, because they think they should be losing weight that fast, and then become disillusioned when they cannot. It's trash. Don't watch it.
, diet hard-core for a couple weeks,
but what about after a couple months? You've had good success, friends say you look great, they say relax and have a treat. but you're not even close to your goal weight. it's been months, and you're just not there yet.
dammit. so tired of eating special foods.
among all the other things in life you can't believe you STILL have to worry about this other thing, and keep working and working. now it's getting cold, not fun to go biking in the cold. how...HOW do you keep up the fight??
But ok, if it's not your cup of tea, why not take up nordic skiing instead? Learn to embrace the cold. It happens every year, and you're never going to lose weight and keep it off permanently if you decide it's not worth it to exercise in winter.
Personally, my long term motivation is bicycling at this point. My previous motivations were:
1) being able to fit in restaurant booths (now possible!)
2) being able to fly on a plane without requiring 2 seats (now possible!)
3) being able to fly on a plane without needing an extension seat belt (now possible!)
4) getting below a 50" waist (now at 48!)
Now they are:
1) Getting below a 40" waist
2) Being able to wear 2x shirts (Was 6x, now 4x)
3) Being able to bike faster and further than ever before (current best average speed for 20 mile course, 16mph; current best distance; 103 miles)
4) Being able to hammer the pedals without my legs flopping my giant belly around
I used to bike to lose weight. Now I lose weight to bike.
Last edited by Mithrandir; 11-05-11 at 11:49 AM.
11-05-11, 02:08 PM
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Motivation for me is a few things:
1) Biggest Loser and Heavy: Both are great. I know some people bash them (no offense Mith.... but I do disagree) but for me, it is more that they can do it. Some do regain it and some dont and to be frank, there is a lot we dont see behind the show. But any rate, it still motivates me. I know I am not going to lose 10 pounds in a week and thats ok. Again, it is a reality show, a better one then most.
2) People on this forum. They have amazing stories. And that motivates me
3) Understanding how to cook: taking advantage of all the cooking techniques like grilling, sauting, broiling, poaching, stewing, and braising. Also understanding whats in season and how to manipulate it so I love to eat it. Being able to buy and cook FRESH carrots versus store carrots.
4) making it a life change. Do I get tired of it? No. Do I still binge every once and a while.
I know excersise is not my problem.... I know cooking is not my problem but I do know temptation to sugar is and also portion control. So I know there is a happy medium around somewhere.
I also know that the more tools you have in your tool box, the "easier" it is. I work with a dietician. She is amazing and really cheap. She lives in CA and I live on the east coast. We talk once a week or so and she is sooo cheap. If you want her info, let me know and I can hook you both up.
I also use the Bodybugg. IT is amazing and tells you so much.
1) Biggest Loser and Heavy: Both are great. I know some people bash them (no offense Mith.... but I do disagree) but for me, it is more that they can do it. Some do regain it and some dont and to be frank, there is a lot we dont see behind the show. But any rate, it still motivates me. I know I am not going to lose 10 pounds in a week and thats ok. Again, it is a reality show, a better one then most.
2) People on this forum. They have amazing stories. And that motivates me
3) Understanding how to cook: taking advantage of all the cooking techniques like grilling, sauting, broiling, poaching, stewing, and braising. Also understanding whats in season and how to manipulate it so I love to eat it. Being able to buy and cook FRESH carrots versus store carrots.
4) making it a life change. Do I get tired of it? No. Do I still binge every once and a while.
I know excersise is not my problem.... I know cooking is not my problem but I do know temptation to sugar is and also portion control. So I know there is a happy medium around somewhere.
I also know that the more tools you have in your tool box, the "easier" it is. I work with a dietician. She is amazing and really cheap. She lives in CA and I live on the east coast. We talk once a week or so and she is sooo cheap. If you want her info, let me know and I can hook you both up.
I also use the Bodybugg. IT is amazing and tells you so much.
11-05-11, 03:17 PM
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Motivation for me is a few things:
1) Biggest Loser and Heavy: Both are great. I know some people bash them (no offense Mith.... but I do disagree) but for me, it is more that they can do it. Some do regain it and some dont and to be frank, there is a lot we dont see behind the show. But any rate, it still motivates me. I know I am not going to lose 10 pounds in a week and thats ok. Again, it is a reality show, a better one then most.
1) Biggest Loser and Heavy: Both are great. I know some people bash them (no offense Mith.... but I do disagree) but for me, it is more that they can do it. Some do regain it and some dont and to be frank, there is a lot we dont see behind the show. But any rate, it still motivates me. I know I am not going to lose 10 pounds in a week and thats ok. Again, it is a reality show, a better one then most.
https://www.livescience.com/9820-bigg...h-experts.html
And then there's the exercise program. Contestants work out five to six hours a day, eating strictly supervised diets. They routinely drop double-digit pounds each week. The contestant who loses the smallest percentage of body weight can be sent home.
In reality, said physician Robert Kushner, the clinical director of the Northwestern University Comprehensive Center on Obesity, a safe rate of weight loss is about one to two pounds per week.
"I think a lot of people can feel quite defeated that they're losing weight in what we would call a recommended amount, but they would have been voted off the show immediately," Kushner told LiveScience. "So the message, to me, is just all wrong."
So is the science. Losing weight rapidly can be risky, according to Virginia Tech professor of human nutrition, foods and exercise Janet Walberg Rankin. Patients who lose weight quickly run the risk of gallstones, mineral deficiencies, loss of muscle tissue and reduced bone density
In reality, said physician Robert Kushner, the clinical director of the Northwestern University Comprehensive Center on Obesity, a safe rate of weight loss is about one to two pounds per week.
"I think a lot of people can feel quite defeated that they're losing weight in what we would call a recommended amount, but they would have been voted off the show immediately," Kushner told LiveScience. "So the message, to me, is just all wrong."
So is the science. Losing weight rapidly can be risky, according to Virginia Tech professor of human nutrition, foods and exercise Janet Walberg Rankin. Patients who lose weight quickly run the risk of gallstones, mineral deficiencies, loss of muscle tissue and reduced bone density
Ryan C. Benson, who lost 122 of his 330-pound starting weight, will be absent. Mr. Benson is now back above 300 pounds but he thinks he has been shunned by the show because he publicly admitted that he dropped some of the weight by fasting and dehydrating himself to the point that he was urinating blood.
...
Medical professionals generally advise against losing more than about two pounds a week. Rapid weight loss can cause many medical problems, including a weakening of the heart muscle, irregular heartbeat and dangerous reductions in potassium and electrolytes.
“I’m waiting for the first person to have a heart attack,” said Dr. Charles Burant, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System director of the Michigan Metabolomics and Obesity Center.
“I have had some patients who want to do the same thing, and I counsel them against it,” Dr. Burant said. “I think the show is so exploitative. They are taking poor people who have severe weight problems whose real focus is trying to win the quarter-million dollars.”
...
Some contestants have claimed that dangerous weight loss techniques were common among contestants. Kai Hibbard, who lost 118 pounds and finished as the runner-up in Season 3, has written on her MySpace blog and elsewhere that she and other contestants would drink as little water as possible in the 24 hours before a weigh-in. When the cameras were off, she said, contestants would work out in as much clothing as possible.
Ms. Hibbard, who weighed 144 pounds at the show’s finale, wrote that she added 31 pounds in two weeks, most of it simply by drinking water. That experience is not isolated. Including Mr. Benson, the winners of the first four seasons of the show each have added at least 20 percent to their weight at the end of the show.
...
Medical professionals generally advise against losing more than about two pounds a week. Rapid weight loss can cause many medical problems, including a weakening of the heart muscle, irregular heartbeat and dangerous reductions in potassium and electrolytes.
“I’m waiting for the first person to have a heart attack,” said Dr. Charles Burant, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System director of the Michigan Metabolomics and Obesity Center.
“I have had some patients who want to do the same thing, and I counsel them against it,” Dr. Burant said. “I think the show is so exploitative. They are taking poor people who have severe weight problems whose real focus is trying to win the quarter-million dollars.”
...
Some contestants have claimed that dangerous weight loss techniques were common among contestants. Kai Hibbard, who lost 118 pounds and finished as the runner-up in Season 3, has written on her MySpace blog and elsewhere that she and other contestants would drink as little water as possible in the 24 hours before a weigh-in. When the cameras were off, she said, contestants would work out in as much clothing as possible.
Ms. Hibbard, who weighed 144 pounds at the show’s finale, wrote that she added 31 pounds in two weeks, most of it simply by drinking water. That experience is not isolated. Including Mr. Benson, the winners of the first four seasons of the show each have added at least 20 percent to their weight at the end of the show.
Getting contestants to talk openly about the environment of the program is difficult. Shortly after a reporter started contacting former contestants to interview them about their experiences, a talent producer on the series sent an e-mail message to many former contestants reminding them that "serious consequences" could ensue if they ever talked to a reporter without the show's permission.
The show scares me. It's not realistic in any way.
11-05-11, 03:29 PM
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Best advice I can give is to remember what you're fighting for, and keep with it! That's what keeps me going, although I'm more at the point where I'm just trying to keep off the weight I've lost.
As others have said, it's a permanent change you're making here, if you want to keep the weight off. Keep up the good fight and you'll get there!
.
.
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As others have said, it's a permanent change you're making here, if you want to keep the weight off. Keep up the good fight and you'll get there!
.
.
.
11-05-11, 06:24 PM
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mith: it does sadden me to read this but perhaps there is more to it then the negative responses. I look at like this: yes there is some that will say negative about it and there are some that say positive about it. They have run somewhere like 13 seasons in the US and more abroad so if it really was a big issue, I would like to think that they would stop the show. Perhaps I am in a dream world and if so, thats ok. 
I still look at it as a motivator. Not for radical things but rather the transformation of the people. I know they do not starve themselves. I know some of the chefs that work for the show. Yes, they do eat lean.
Again, I look at it as a motivator. I know in reality that losing that weight in a short amount of time is not what will work for me nor can I spend 6 houirs a day at the gym. But it does motivate me to see people do what they didnt think they could.
just my opinion.
I still look at it as a motivator. Not for radical things but rather the transformation of the people. I know they do not starve themselves. I know some of the chefs that work for the show. Yes, they do eat lean.
Again, I look at it as a motivator. I know in reality that losing that weight in a short amount of time is not what will work for me nor can I spend 6 houirs a day at the gym. But it does motivate me to see people do what they didnt think they could.
just my opinion.
11-05-11, 09:39 PM
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Be real.
Adopt it as a lifestyle.
Make friends with people with similar goals.
Buy clothes before you fit in them.
I've personally had great luck with eliminating gluten, grains, rice, and beans from my diet. Almost nothing processed. I did this when I hit a wall at 200lbs (down from 340) - I'm now almost 185 (6ft tall).
Cut small things out.
Never drink calories (eliminated all sugared beverages, always).
Embrace playing outside. . . have fun.
Remember you can't stop after a while - you have to live it.
Adopt it as a lifestyle.
Make friends with people with similar goals.
Buy clothes before you fit in them.
I've personally had great luck with eliminating gluten, grains, rice, and beans from my diet. Almost nothing processed. I did this when I hit a wall at 200lbs (down from 340) - I'm now almost 185 (6ft tall).
Cut small things out.
Never drink calories (eliminated all sugared beverages, always).
Embrace playing outside. . . have fun.
Remember you can't stop after a while - you have to live it.
11-05-11, 10:32 PM
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I sympathize with your motivational problem. I've had a weight problem my whole life and been on many diets.
They usually ran the same course: lose 30 pounds over 2 or 3 months then plateau and gain it all back. Somehow
when i discovered i had diabetes it all changed. I switched to low glycemic foods quit drinking and started exercising.
The weird part is I havent been hungry or feeling deprived. I measure my food and eat 3 times a day have a piece of fruit and
drink 8 ounces of cranberry juice (no added sugar or anything). Lost 76 pounds so far and god willing Ill get to normal weight.
Good luck to you.
Charlie
They usually ran the same course: lose 30 pounds over 2 or 3 months then plateau and gain it all back. Somehow
when i discovered i had diabetes it all changed. I switched to low glycemic foods quit drinking and started exercising.
The weird part is I havent been hungry or feeling deprived. I measure my food and eat 3 times a day have a piece of fruit and
drink 8 ounces of cranberry juice (no added sugar or anything). Lost 76 pounds so far and god willing Ill get to normal weight.
Good luck to you.
Charlie
11-05-11, 10:57 PM
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For me, motivation is all about goal setting and being very specific about those goals. If you have gotten to the point that you are somewhat satisfied with where you are in some aspects, it's to set some new and clearly specified goals. Its much harder to train unless you are actually training for something. Set new goals. Buy some cold weather riding gear so that you feel guilty if you don't get some use out of it. Fortunately for me I live in a city with mild winters and my cold weather gear is mostly leg and arm warmers. I have an indoor trainer for the rainy days. I have some specific distance/speed/strength goals set along with associated time frames that I expect to attain them. If I miss them or hit them early i'll analyze and adjust and re-set as necessary. Process never changes, just the goals. For me getting out the door is the hardest part. It's all fun after that. Just stick with it.
11-06-11, 08:07 AM
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It gives a completely unrealistic method of losing weight, and it's only a matter of time before one of them dies on the show. Furthermore, it will only demotivate normal people, because they think they should be losing weight that fast, and then become disillusioned when they cannot. It's trash. Don't watch it.
11-07-11, 12:17 AM
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Very true. I've been maintaining 6'2" between 165-170lbs for a few years (since I started running/riding regularly), even though I still have dessert once in a while. Going cold turkey with food never worked for me. Have "some" of the junk food you crave, just have SMALL portions.
11-07-11, 12:20 AM
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Temporary diets don't work, and never will. You weigh what you weigh because your body has achieved an equilibrium with your current diet and activity level. When you diet temporarily, your body will lose weight, but when you go back on your original diet, you will gain all of that weight back again. You must permanently alter your diet; it's the only way to lose weight and keep it off.
11-07-11, 12:21 AM
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OT, but do any of you ever watch Hoarders? I end up cleaning and throwing all sorts of unneeded stuff out hours after watching.
11-07-11, 01:27 AM
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For motivation I just have to look in the mirror. If I don't think I look good how can I expect my wife to.
11-07-11, 07:23 AM
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Motivation for me is directly tied to my goals. My main goal is to live a healthy life and be able to play with my kids and ultimately grandkids. "Health" for me is defined by how I feel - such as, do I get winded while playing in the back yard? My weight isn't a good goal, so I don't focus on it.
To achieve my goal of being able to play, I have carrot and stick motivators that work for me. The carrot is to sign up for an organized bike ride that I know I have to train for in order to finish. This will keep me "training" when I don't feel like it, because I committed to ride this ride. It helps to tell lots of people that I signed up for the ride, then its much harder to back out.
The stick, short term motivation, go to the mall or Walmart and look at some people that I never want to become.
To achieve my goal of being able to play, I have carrot and stick motivators that work for me. The carrot is to sign up for an organized bike ride that I know I have to train for in order to finish. This will keep me "training" when I don't feel like it, because I committed to ride this ride. It helps to tell lots of people that I signed up for the ride, then its much harder to back out.
The stick, short term motivation, go to the mall or Walmart and look at some people that I never want to become.
11-07-11, 09:06 PM
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try setting short term goals that arent too difficult to accomplish. like ride 10 miles at one ride, lose 5 pounds in a month, ride 3 miles a day twice a day, etc. they dont have to be huge goals but steady goals to help you along to your main goal. and going to the mall is fine too. go early and walk around inside it just for a change of pace now and then. oh and if can swim too if you like swimming. very low impact and even if just walking in the water after a ride feels good and is a great workout 
11-09-11, 08:23 PM
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how do you keep your long-term motivation?
it's easy to watch the biggest loser and get pumped up, diet hard-core for a couple weeks, but what about after a couple months? You've had good success, friends say you look great, they say relax and have a treat. but you're not even close to your goal weight. it's been months, and you're just not there yet. dammit. so tired of eating special foods. among all the other things in life you can't believe you STILL have to worry about this other thing, and keep working and working. now it's getting cold, not fun to go biking in the cold. how...HOW do you keep up the fight??
thx.
it's easy to watch the biggest loser and get pumped up, diet hard-core for a couple weeks, but what about after a couple months? You've had good success, friends say you look great, they say relax and have a treat. but you're not even close to your goal weight. it's been months, and you're just not there yet. dammit. so tired of eating special foods. among all the other things in life you can't believe you STILL have to worry about this other thing, and keep working and working. now it's getting cold, not fun to go biking in the cold. how...HOW do you keep up the fight??
thx.
11-10-11, 06:21 AM
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I've been on a crusade to lose 50 lbs I gained a couple of years ago. For me it has been a matter of regaining my old habits, but using a calorie counter program helps. As long as I maintain a calorie deficit each day, the weight keep s coming off slowly. That's all I want.
Marc
Marc
11-10-11, 02:42 PM
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Every pound you lose or gain makes it easier or harder to get up the hill. Not just the next hill you face, but every hill you climb for the rest of your life. That's all the motivation I need.
11-10-11, 02:50 PM
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I haven't read everything above, but for me it was a decision I made and I followed it through. I was probably getting on for morbidly obese, now i'm just obese (only just!).
Everytime I went past a mirror, it took a while for my torso to follow my gut. I finally decided that wasn't what I wanted.
I made it a lifestyle change. LOG EVERYTHING THAT GOES IN YOUR MOUTH! I used livestrong. After I had lost some weight I mixed it up by quitting smoking (for the fifth and last time). That was in February. In March I started riding. I have slowly started jogging also in the last month. I have been at 200lb for the past few months. I got despondent and started eating a bit more. When I hit 210lb I realised I was going the wrong way again. Back at 200lb and I will get to 190. If I get more fine, but I will hit 190. Then i'll just be overweight.
I'm 5'8", from UK living in Texas. When I moved over I was a skinny little runt... Not any more...
Everytime I went past a mirror, it took a while for my torso to follow my gut. I finally decided that wasn't what I wanted.
I made it a lifestyle change. LOG EVERYTHING THAT GOES IN YOUR MOUTH! I used livestrong. After I had lost some weight I mixed it up by quitting smoking (for the fifth and last time). That was in February. In March I started riding. I have slowly started jogging also in the last month. I have been at 200lb for the past few months. I got despondent and started eating a bit more. When I hit 210lb I realised I was going the wrong way again. Back at 200lb and I will get to 190. If I get more fine, but I will hit 190. Then i'll just be overweight.
I'm 5'8", from UK living in Texas. When I moved over I was a skinny little runt... Not any more...
11-10-11, 07:58 PM
#23
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Los Alamos, NM
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Bikes: Fuji Cross Comp, BMC SR02, Surly Krampas
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The first step for me was getting back on the bike. That helped peel pounds at first, and the increase in fitness was noticeable almost every day (I have always marveled at cycling for that - improvement in running takes me forever). Second step was no more beer, unless I rode my bike to the beer locale - so the round trip took care of that pint or two. No eats with the beer, tho, unless really lite or I would get to see it again on the hill.
Third step was realizing that it really is "calories in - calories out." Nothing special, just numbers. But with a twist: Quantity = weight gain/loss, but Quality of Calories = health. That understanding has helped me get past my plateau I hit and stuck at about 8 weeks after losing 25 pounds. Now I feel back on track, because I am looking at food differently. No special foods, no crappy foods, just eat reasonably and healthy. Sounds simple, isn't really, but by focusing on eating healthy I feel empowered.
And another little twist - I try to be 90% good every day. That's less dangerous than good all but one meal or day a week - I can eat a bajillion calories (washed down with gallons of good IPA) if I give myself a meal or a day off, so I get to be 10% bad on any day if I want to. That seems to help some.
But mostly, I realized that I am 53, on the shorter end of the trail (unless I live to be 107), and I don't have all that many years left to get looking and feeling good and enjoying it. So, thanks to the bike and some retraining of my thinking, I'm down 30, with 5 to go to be a Clyde alumnus, and 25 more to go to be where I should be.
Third step was realizing that it really is "calories in - calories out." Nothing special, just numbers. But with a twist: Quantity = weight gain/loss, but Quality of Calories = health. That understanding has helped me get past my plateau I hit and stuck at about 8 weeks after losing 25 pounds. Now I feel back on track, because I am looking at food differently. No special foods, no crappy foods, just eat reasonably and healthy. Sounds simple, isn't really, but by focusing on eating healthy I feel empowered.
And another little twist - I try to be 90% good every day. That's less dangerous than good all but one meal or day a week - I can eat a bajillion calories (washed down with gallons of good IPA) if I give myself a meal or a day off, so I get to be 10% bad on any day if I want to. That seems to help some.
But mostly, I realized that I am 53, on the shorter end of the trail (unless I live to be 107), and I don't have all that many years left to get looking and feeling good and enjoying it. So, thanks to the bike and some retraining of my thinking, I'm down 30, with 5 to go to be a Clyde alumnus, and 25 more to go to be where I should be.
11-10-11, 11:53 PM
#24
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: In Oregon looking for more hills to ride
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Bikes: 2016 Niner RLT Steel, 2015 GT Grade Carbon 105, 2014 NS Bikes Eccentric, 2013 Norco Sight Killer B-1
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I guess everyone motivation is different, you need to find what works for you. For me, it was seeing the effects of not taking care of myself, and ending up in the hospital. I have to much to live for to not take care of myself. I am an older father who wants to see my kids grow up, and the Lord willing, grand kids. I have been under 200 pounds for well over a year now by keeping my meals reasonable, and working out 3 to 5 times a week. The wife has mixed emotions about all the time I spend doing it, but it beats the alternative of not doing it.
11-11-11, 04:12 PM
#25
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Location: No. CA
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My motivation was simple. Summer of 2009 while on vacation my wife took a very unflattering profile picture when we were swimming at the local swimming hole. I didn't realize until I saw that photo how much extra weight I was carrying. The cause of that extra weight was a job that took me on the road and out of town and away from home 5 days a week. Little exercise and eating out every meal during my travels packed on the pounds. It wasn't healthy. That was the tipping point.
Got home from that vacation and dusted off the bike from the garage and started riding. Also changed jobs and the only travel I do now is my daily bike ride from home to office and back.
Dropped 65 lbs since that picture was taken and have been sitting at 185 lbs for about the last year.
Got home from that vacation and dusted off the bike from the garage and started riding. Also changed jobs and the only travel I do now is my daily bike ride from home to office and back.
Dropped 65 lbs since that picture was taken and have been sitting at 185 lbs for about the last year.
