Miele Man

Hi there.

I was at a new doctor's office yesterday and saw a new doctor. I haven't been to a doctor in a number of years now. I had some good and bad news. The good news is that my blood pressure has come down at least 40 points to 150 and my resting heart rate is good too. the bad news is that with my change in eating habits and cutting out a lot of junk and processed food my weight has dropped to 190 pounds. That means I'm no longer a Clyde. It also looks good for yet more weight loss as the doctor gave me the green light to rider harder and to ride steeper hills. YIPPEE!

Cheers

eja_ bottecchia

Congrats. That is an awesome achievement.

Many years ago I went from 240 to 185 and I’ve kept the weight off.

Like you, I feel a heck of a lot better.

Keep it up!

zjrog

At 6'1", I'll always be a Clyde! Congrats brother! Always good when the doc says to do more, and you can!

I'm on my way down too. 134 pounds down so far. 200 used to be a pipe dream. But now, at 244? Crazy to think it's even possible!

cyclist2000

I am also forever a clyde, I am 6'-3".

bobwysiwyg

Miele Man; congratulations! Working on same goal, only 8 more pounds to go... Even if it's just for a day.

NomarsGirl

Good for you! I'm not sure I will ever get out of Athena range but I'm well below Clyde now.

Cougrrcj

At 5'8" and 99.5Kg (219.7 lb) three years ago. THAT was a real wake-up call. lost 20 pounds so far at 198.8 as of last weekend. Next year's goal is 180. Ultimate goal is to be under 160.

Eat less junk, ride more!!!

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.

zjrog

@nkfrench I get it. I chose VSG gastric sleeve surgery. Almost a year ago had that surgery. I've lost 113 pounds since then. 135 from my heaviest. No more BP meds. A year ago my BP was 152/85 at 93 heart rate. Just a few days ago, 95/58 @ 69... No more excess fluid around my heart or lungs. I can BREATHE... And yes, it is tough to move that extra weight. On the bike, off the bike. Just walking... But now? Much better, easier. I still have some weight to lose. 20, maybe more. But right now? I'm good...

Congrats...It's not an easy way to go. But it is really an excellent tool to get to where we CAN work the rest on our own...

tallbikeman

So many inspirational stories. I started at 282lbs in March of this year and am at 244lbs now. Blood pressure was out of control and the doctor gave me more medication. Weight loss has lowered my pressure and recently had a 127/80 which is a lot lower than before. I lost weight about 10 yrs ago and reached 220lbs. However my BMI was still in the overweight area. I know I will be less than 220lbs but don't know where my good BMI range is so this is a journey of discovery. I'm going to see the doctor later this month and see if I can ditch a couple of these blood pressure medications. Ride every day and my average is above 10 miles a day 7 days a week. My average speed has gone up as I lose weight and am doing 12mph rides. This includes restroom stops and the small hills I have on my rides. I am so inspired by the weight loss/control stories and these help me carry on in my quest to lose all this weight. Thanks

Toadmeister

Sorry for your loss...





I'll be Clydesdale my whole life unless I get cancer that eats me from the inside. The smallest adult size I ever was as a high school kid was 6'4" 205# and I was thin as I can ever possibly be. As an adult I don't see it possible for me to get below 220# because I have to enjoy life drink beer sometimes... I'm currently 260# and plan to get to 240# before spring. This is usually my heavy time of year with hunting season

Mad Honk 

Miele Man,
Nice job on the reduction. Two years ago I was at over 220# and now at 190#. BP is down to a controlled 130/85 and a mild dose of glucose controls have helped immensely. Retiring from a high stress job helped a lot. Friends have asked me what retirement has done for me,and my answer is always the same "I wake up and don't have homicidal thoughts anymore" stressful jobs will do that to you and I am living proof.
Finally on the bikes again and can't be happier. Smiles, MH

UKFan4Sure

I'm down from 234 to 208. I was 205 but have slipped a bit. Being 58 is a pain in the .... I can smell a brownie and gain a pound. I can run 3 miles and lose an ounce.

UKFan4Sure

I hear you, Brother! I retired (at 56) nearly 2 years ago. I get bored at times, and money does get tight(er), but I wouldn't change a thing. I found myself just hating people more and more every day I worked. And, I never gave 100% at anything there any more. All of the back-stabbing, I was done.

Mad Honk 

UK fan,
As an IU grad, and 35 year employee, and even an assistant coach there, you know my affiliation. But you are lucky, My niece was a scholarship soccer player at UK !
The biggest thing I see in management is the lack of common sense. I sometimes say they have a special test they give to see if the have a low enough IQ to do the job. I created a job for myself in post university life that is rewarding and pays very well. And allows me to participate here as a volunteer helping those less fortunate than me. A good example is the thread about refurbishing a Trek by a guy I am sure is a recovering addict, went from homelessness to a subsidized housing and uses walking and biking to get around. A few on the thread have ridiculed him but they know nothing about the problems of addiction and recovery. I laud his trying to get better and even asking here for help. Sometimes just freeing yourself from the burdens of the management mentality is a relief. I know it was for me. "Keep on truckin'" as mister natural would say. Smiles, MH

tallbikeman

I worked for the government and found that managers almost always came from the college graduate pool, usually just graduated, and put to work over functions that they almost always didn't understand. Many of these managers then would hide their lack of knowledge by minimizing the skill sets of the workers they oversaw and of course minimizing their accomplishments. Taking all the credit for themselves. This happened over and over in my technical career. Managements blunders would lead to failure and a private sector consultant would be hired to tell them what was wrong. Then they would proclaim the solution to all under them but not mention the real source of their knowledge. This often times failed also and they might have to take idea's from their staff. Heaven forbid. Luckily they could always hide that from upper management. At 62 I was worn out and had a nice retirement package which I took. I think I forestalled an early death by retiring at that age. I've always ridden bicycle but I get to do more now.

NomarsGirl

Almost ot of athena territory. Didn't think it was possible since I'm pretty tall

bobwysiwyg

Wow, I can identify with this, even the numbers (except the age thing, got a few years on you). Excessive holiday grazing proved a setback.