mycoatl

...and I need to get on my bike rain or shine.

No more of this occasional commuting crap. I'm in law school so I sit on my ass all day long, and it'll only get worse when I'm an attorney. I need to get more active, drop 50 pounds and get my cholesterol in order (holy freeky triglycerides, Batman!).

Anyone else on this forum get the "wake up call" and get serious about commuting?

Any good motivating stories about changing your body, health, and life?

DataJunkie

Hitting 200lbs did it for me.
I'm 5'10" with a thin build. That was way too heavy for me.

I do not want my child to sit around the house doing nothing. Rather than being a hypocrite, I decided to lead by example. Not that a toddler needs help being active....

rule

Sure...lots of us. Go for it!

ahpook

search the forum for 'weight loss' -- there have been some darn good threads w/ sound nutritional and exercise advice, plus a few downright inspirational stories.

short answer: go for it.

ctoddrun

My "wake up call" came a year ago, when my then 18 month-old daughter mistook a fat guy on a treadmill on TV for her "Daddy!!!" Ouch! At the time I was somewhere north of 280, at 5'10". Didn't wait for the stuff the Dr. checks to get out of whack, though I'm sure it was just a matter of time.

Down 68 pounds since then (doing weight watchers, exercising) and working on the last 20-ish to a goal of 195. The commuting thing is something I've wanted to do for years, and the weight was one of the biggest obstacles. Now that I'm lighter (and fitter) than I've been since I was 14, I'm enjoying myself more when I do anything physical. I turned to commuting as a way to get some additional exercise - I was having trouble finding time to run/work out frequently enough. Now, no problema - 2 40 - 60 minute workouts every day I ride.

I can't count the GREAT things about being the "new me," but here's a few. They may or may not be motivating to you, but they are motivating to me to keep the weight off:

- Activity is FUN, not just tiring
- When I look down at my pants before I put them on, my brain says "Those will never fit - they're too small!" And then they do, and I smile.
- For the first time in 20 years, I can wear clothes that don't have one or more "X's" on the size tag!
- When I wrestle with my kids, I don't wish I hadn't
- Running into old friends I haven't seen in months/years yields comments I only dreamed of
- Running into people I haven't seen in years and don't want to see is easy - they don't recognize me (helps that I shaved my head halfway through this process...)
- I have become much like the person I always wanted to be: active, unable to sit still for hours in front of the TV, assertive in life in general. There are many non-physical things I aspire to change, but my outlook on those things has improved dramatically since I've been able to see so much change in the one thing that I truly thought was unbeatable.
- my knees don't pop and ache all the time

Enough... You CAN do this.

Map tester

My phrase for this is when people get "the sentence": either start exercising or die. I seen some people drop a lot a weight. I started riding when the dr. told me I needed to exercise or I was going to be a diabetic. Wakeup call for sure! I want to be around to ride with my son when he gets old.

huhenio

I dropped 20% of my bodyweight -fat and muscle - while cyclocommuting.

Diet stayed with no sugars other than gatorade, no significant carbs other than 2 slices of pizza 3 times a week.

Not unreasonable crazy diets, more riding does the trick.

DataJunkie

I've used cycling as my main method of loosing weight. Secondary was a change in my diet due to a horrible stomach.
I wonder if anyone else has experienced this:
cycling --> weightloss --> more cycling --> new sports or outdoor activities
I've started with cycling but plan on moving forward with other forms of exercise like swimming, maybe running, and perhaps a few team sports. This year I will start hiking and camping with the family. When I was a kid I hiked 20 miles each weekend. Plus, how can one not camp or hike living in colorado?

Maybe cycling is a gateway sport\activity for me. he he

I will always love cycling but variety is the spice of life.

pinkrobe

Cycling is a gateway drug - er, activity. I slacked off on biking for a while, but then I got back into it, riding every day, etc. Around the same time I started working out at a gym, and the combination is providing major benefits. In six months I've gone from having saggy man-boobs to having something resembling pecs. No abs yet, but they're coming along. I've even caught my wife "feeling me up" when I give her a hug. It's a good feeling - literally! Cycling has allowed me to snowboard harder, with less knee pain at the end of the day. My knees are shot for anything involving running, but I will try to do some day hikes this summer, maybe even an overnight excursion.

In conclusion, ride more, lose weight, gain muscle, try other sports. You will be happier, and you'll live to enjoy it.

aadhils

I graduated from kickboxing to cycling. Now I don't kickbox anymore...

mycoatl

Thanks for the ecouragement. Per ahpook's advice, I searched the forums for "weight loss" and found the nutrition and training forum--I hadn't been over there before. Wow! If anyone else needs some motivation, there's a sticky at the top with 60+ pages of weight loss war stories.

Map tester, I like your phrase--"the sentence" seems about right. I'm hoping for time served (in the prison of my overweight body) and parole (conditions: no beer, no food after 9pm, lots of veggies and stay away from my willpower kryptonite--pizza).

chuckfox

I think you'll find that cycling combined with some quite reasonable dietary changes will peel the weight off. My wake up call was a body weight of 210lbs. I'm just 5'10". That was 4 years and 40 lbs ago. I still need more dietary discipline, but cycling to work everyday has done wonders for my health.

Jarery

I coughed myself awake from smoking.
Looked in the mirror at my 5'10" body and 195 lb gut and I didnt need a doctor to tell me.

Now i dont smoke, eat better, cycle 50k a day rain or shine, can drop kick a mule, and have abs that piss off people 20 years my junior.

As for alternate sports, i also kayak and im a skydiving instructor. Yes I like wind in my face

cc_rider

For me, weight control is a side benefit.
Knees problems forced me to give up fencing and dancing semi-professionally. Gained 20 pounds and even had to walk with a cane for a while.
I used cycling to strengthen my knees and get my mobility back, losing the 20 pounds in the process.

kf5nd

cycling > weight loss > more visibility with the hotties

squeakywheel

I'm living in ignorant bliss. Actually, I'm just assuming I have all those issues with blood preasure and chloresterol. My current diet is "no deserts or sugars, and please please please try not to over eat." I'm only 15 lbs over where I was when I didn't mind taking off my shirt at the beach. But, I can feel the body metabolism slowing. It's embarassing when I eat more than my teen age sons.

Edit: I'm still going with my last doctor report. I had to have a physical when I was living in Japan 5 years ago. They mailed me the results (translated into English).

You have no chance of heart disease.
You have no chance of stroke.
You have no chance of cancer
...etc.

Now if I can just stay away from the kryptonite.

jeff-o

I haven't been to the doctor in years (hey, I'm only 23) but I want to make sure that when I do, I get nothing but good news.

d2create

If you REALLY want motivation for weight loss... check out www.johnstonefitness.com
The forums are great but you have to check out John Stone's remarkable transformation. Just a regular dude that wanted to shed a few pounds.

NoRacer

My "wake-up call" happened when I turned 40. I didn't need a doctor to tell me that I was fat--200 pounds @ 67 inches tall. So, I started walking, then running, then a mix of cycling and running. I got down to 145 pounds and have kept it off for 8 years so far.

Here's a before and after (200 vs. 155 pounds):



Here's from last year (145 pounds):

cerewa

I'm a law student too. Good to see I'm not the only one at bikeforums.

There are a couple other all-weather bike commuters at my school and a whole bunch of fair-weather bike commuters. As physically inactive and time-consuming as being a law student is, it's sure good to get one's exercise and transportation done all at once.

meradi

Hey mycoatl,

I'm in law school too, about to graduate! Anyway I've gained maybe 20-25 pounds since starting law school. Not sure if it's the desk-work or the increased beer consumption that's to blame. Riding to school helps, and on weekends. Though it can really be tough to find time to ride, early mornings work. Commuting with the laptop on panniers was interesting, I ended up riding my bike right over my computer. Still works!
It's always fun to pull up next to your prof who also rides a bike to school!
Good luck

Jarery

Noracer, huge difference !!

You look alot healthier...and happier

chicbicyclist

I've always thought that utility/commuter cycling is one of those no-nonsense way to lsoe weight, or maintain your current one. You don't need that "motivation" thing just because you think its healthy for you(it is), you have to do it because you need it, to get somewhere be it work, school, the grocery store. You won't have to think something that can fit into your schdule because this is your transporation to accomplish that schedule of yours.

buzzman

I've been a serious cyclist since age 15 and it has definitely kept me trim but my wife, who cycled occasionally before we were married slowly gained weight in the first 10 years of our marriage going from 121 lbs to 185lbs. She was miserable about it. And way more troubling to me than the change in her looks was to see her so unhappy, lacking confidence and the health effects. After several fad diets she finally gave up the sugars, cut back on the carbs, found a healthy way of eating and bought a bicycle and started commuting 16 miles round trip per day. She's lost between 55 and 60 lbs and has kept it off for years now and looks great. I've got to say though it wasn't until she rode that bike every day that the weight really started to disappear. She loves her bike and it completely improved her quality of life. The bike is a lean mean fat burnin' machine.

NoRacer

Thanks, Jarery!

When I finally went to the doctor for a check-up at age 44 (don't recommend, but last checkup was probably when I was about 25 years old), all of my numbers were great. Good genetics has a great deal to do with this, but good genes can be undermined by bad lifestyle choices. Getting fit was one of the best lifestyle choices I've made in the past 25 years.

It snowballs. You start getting fitter, then you want to start eating better (better choices). You lose weight and fitness increases. You notice that you can do things that you never imagined you could do. For me, it was running 5k, 10k, half-marathon and marathon road races and doing unsupported century rides.