redneckwes

July '00 age 23, 305-310lbs. big fat land monster.

Jan '06 280 lbs, 6'1" age 28 no riding since I got a car.

Aug '06 260 lbs (Stopped eating garbage whan I could avoid it) Riding a Columbia Roadster. Bought a battered Schwinn continential.

Aug '07 218lbs Ride whatever I can get my hands on, currently on an ancient steel Trek I got in trade from another forum member. Don't let anything stop you from getting a road bike.

Goal. 195,I've been fat my entire life, the bike is the only thing that ever worked for me.

Get a bike, ride lots, don't eat crap.. live better.

fprintf

Not much of a story to tell here and no pictures... but I'll tell it anyway.

19 years ago when I graduated college I used to weigh 155 lbs at 6'0". Some at the time called me skinny.

20 years later I was 195 pounds, still looking pretty slim but carrying a bit of a paunch. I really started packing on the weight when I got married, had kids and life's activities didn't seem to make room for cycling.

For my 40th birthday this June my wife bought me a Trek 1500, the most expensive piece of exercise equiptment we have ever purchased. I started riding on June 13th and I think I have 500 - 600 miles on the bike so far. Just this morning saw 179.5 lbs, the first time under 180 in years and I was reasonably well hydrated. My goal is to get to 165 lbs by the end of September, which may require changing my eating habits since I have been chowing down the past two months.

Good luck! I second the opinions to look on craigslist - there are deals to be found providing you know what to look for. Avoiding the guys who thing their 15 year old Trek is worth almost as much as they paid for it all that time ago is key!

DataJunkie

+1 or +1000000000000

I would add that calorie counting is a good way to support this. I resisted and resisted. Finally gave in and have watched the pounds slowly start coming off again. Eating healthy does not do any good if you eat 5000 calories a day such as I did. Turns out my healthy eating wasn't that healthy at all.

orcanova

^ Very well said, Twobikes...in a world of nonsensical information about diet, you summed up the common truths very well.

The Zone diet, and you don't have to stick to it but look at it as a guideline, calls for lots of fruit and vegetables, a portioned amount of lean meat (the size of your palm, they say) and cutting back or eliminating hard core simple sugars like white breads, etc.

The premise of that is intaking carbs that are lower in the glycemic index, for a more steady absorption of carbs, will keep your insulin and blood sugar levels stable. High insulin levels are the number one predictor of heart disease.

Obviously with endurance sports like cycling simple sugars are sometimes needed, but the point is to manage them sensibly.

Its amazing how good a hamburger or turkeyburger tastes without the bun, and before you know it you've eliminated one of the primary things that keeps your weight from decreasing.

I am not so strict about my diet right now because I am OK with my weight, but there is no doubt that grazing is better than gorging, and grazing sensibly is even healthier for your heart, your weight, and your longevity.

I don't know much about nutrition, but what I have learned has helped me a lot.

grossi

hahaha

the_drain

i haven't lost any weight, i just have a lower center of gravity now :-)

Cateye

Bike more, eat less.....works every time.

Vapor1

If riding on the MTB is slow, miserable and not fun, I'm not sure why you want to throw down hard-earned cash on an already tight budget to get a road bike. I bought my first adult bike in late May, an entry level, super-heavy MTB with knobbies. I thought it was a blast, but realized it could be better (commute-wise) by reading all the good info here, so I bought some good road tires and just started cranking regularly and slowly have become faster. Quite frankly, I started at 200 and I weighed in at 192 this week which was a lot less than what I hoped for, but I've been eating anything and everything and am still losing about .5#/week. Plus, my body shape has changed dramatically. I echo the calorie counting suggestions and diet recommendations.

I hear the money issue and suggest you just stick with the clunky MTB until you get your degree, and as a graduation present to yourself, buy a good bike. In the meantime, keep upgrading your motor until you do get the new bike.

If I had it to do all over again, I would have started out on CL and buying a used dumper to find out what I really wanted when I did decide to spend serious coin on a bike. Plus, I would have learned a few wrenching pointers along the way.

PS Even with the knobbies, inflate those puppies as much as they're rated and check them frequently. That makes a big difference.

DocJ

Lost everything in Katrina.
Stumbled upon wife's emails to her new "friend."
Got divorced after ten years of marriage.

But hey, I lost 30 pounds in the process. Thank you stress and anxiety.

cyclinfool

Many moons ago - when I was 19 I weighed 235 (5' 11'' tall) and it was March of my freshman year in college. The all you can eat dinning hall was doing a number on me. I got on my raliegh grand prix (old 10 spd) and started riding 30 miles a day - 15 after lunch and 15 after dinner. Every day except when it rained. I stopped eating the ice cream and breads - just meat and veggies and lots of water. I went home in June weighing 165. I have never been able to loose weight like that since. I am quite a bit older. I had a bad accident 7 years ago that did not allow me to exercise for 6 months - I gained 25 lbs. When I started to ride again the weight did not come off. This time I had to start counting calories - I am on the NIH dash diet. Been loosing 1/2 lb/wk for the past year - almost all the weight is off now, maybe another month to go. Riding 150 miles/wk.

Good luck - being young helps a lot.

deanp

In May of 2006 I started riding again and weighed just just over three hundred pounds, I'm 6'3". Now I am in the 240's and ride about 100 miles a week. I have not made any major diet modifications. Mostly I try and eat a little less and cut back on the sweets, ice cream is my great vice.

Getting a road bike late last summer made the transition for me easier and faster. Like you, I was riding some MTB thing, but with a road bike the reward is so much greater. You want to go faster and farther every time. The effort is so much easier. Look for a good used bike to save a little money.

2cyl

In early April I got a phone call that one of my best friends was getting married and I was in the wedding. I started riding, running, and quit refined sugar. Suffice it to say I had to make a late alteration to my tux! With a new son, and 25 lbs off my frame I am feeling the best I ever have. Good luck!

epix1718

June 2003 (age 18) - 425lb+ was Denied for gastric bypass surgery so I said I could do with out it!



March 2006 (Age 21) - 211lb

permanentjaun

Wow, CONGRATS man! Why were you denied surgery? Since you lost it yourself did you still have to have surgery to remove excess skin or did that work itself away naturally? Did you get on a bike when you were 400+ lbs or did you have to use other methods to lose the initial pounds before getting on a bike?

epix1718

Was denied because at the time my insurance company flat out rejected everyone. I have not had surgery to more excess skin,but in reality its not too bad, being young does help plus lifting weights helped a lot too. Some day if I get down to like 180 and if insurance will cover it I wouldn't mind having a tuck.. or when I am done with college taking a trip to Mexico/India and having it done.

When I was heavy I rode a gym recumbent exercise bike and swam/lifted, then moved on to my Specialized Roubaix that my dad gave me. But mainly I ride a mountain bike.

redneckwes

Wow...dude. that is just flat awesome. Way to go!

bruin11

I went from 186 lbs on 4/21/07 to 154 lbs 8/18/07. I did it on a combination of diet (I actually did weightwatchers with my wife) and lots of riding. 3 days a week of commuting 13 miles one way and then 25 - 35 miles on the way home and then 40 -50 mile rides on the weekends. One by product of all the riding and weight loss is i am having my best season ever and loving it.

epix1718

Thanks, I've always like bikes a lot and its fun exercise to do anyways

bpohl

Wow, man. That is great. You look fantastic! As someone who has been where you are, albeit your story is a little more extreme than mine, I can totally appreciate what you must have put into that. I remember buying my first bike at Target at 340 lbs. and not being able to make it around the block. I never dreamed that I'd be able to walk out my front door and ride 100 miles in 5 hours. You and I prove that it's possible to lose, as long as you have the never say die attitude and the mental toughness to make it happen. You rock, man! Very, very inspiring.