1st day today

[cirian75]

I have gotten a tad over weight in the last few years.

So something has to be done

diet has been looked at and there is now a plan that has started today

Beer is now restricted to Saturday night only


But, exercise, yeah, I've kinda not been doing any for 6 years.


So I have bought a bike

https://twitter.com/cirian75/status/60505051102541...

only paid £130 for it

Have given it a service a new tyres

riding gear inc brain bucket bought.

Strava installed on phone

Bathroom scales bought last night "eppp, how heavy "


plan today is a little 3 mile circuit too see where I am.


Any advice before 15.00 ?

[whatleytom]

Go further than 3 miles

I joke, good effort on getting started and best of luck.

I was near 110kg several years ago and managed to get down to 75kg at the lowest, just through sensible eating and quite a bit of exercise. Just remember it won't happen overnight, and in reality it'll take a good few weeks of keeping at it to see an outwardly noticable difference. Be careful weighing yourself regularly too as your weight will fluctuate quite a bit daily depending on hyrdration among other things.

Edited by whatleytom on Friday 12th June 08:59

[S10GTA]

Don't do too much too soon, you'll get fed up and despondent. Start small, work your way up.

[tobinen]

3 miles will be fine. Just go at a steady pace, don't pick a high gear and enjoy.

[anonymous-user]

Padded shorts or you'll probably not make the first mile.

Lot's of success stories on here for cycling and weight loss, myself included (6+ stone).

Enjoy

[cirian75]

CoinSl0t said:

Padded shorts or you'll probably not make the first mile.

Lot's of success stories on here for cycling and weight loss, myself included (6+ stone).

Enjoy

already got



completely miffed I washed and charity bagged all my MTB gear about 3 years ago.

I've had to start all over again.

[cirian75]

whatleytom said:

Go further than 3 miles

I joke, good effort on getting started and best of luck.

I was near 110kg several years ago and managed to get down to 75kg at the lowest, just through sensible eating and quite a bit of exercise. Just remember it won't happen overnight, and in reality it'll take a good few weeks of keeping at it to see an outwardly noticable difference. Be careful weighing yourself regularly too as your weight will fluctuate quite a bit daily depending on hyrdration among other things.

Edited by whatleytom on Friday 12th June 08:59

weigh day is to be Fridays, after work just before my ride.

[cirian75]

I have help, my best mate is a Team GB's cycling team member OH.

[RGambo]

cirian75 said:

whatleytom said:

Go further than 3 miles

I joke, good effort on getting started and best of luck.

I was near 110kg several years ago and managed to get down to 75kg at the lowest, just through sensible eating and quite a bit of exercise. Just remember it won't happen overnight, and in reality it'll take a good few weeks of keeping at it to see an outwardly noticable difference. Be careful weighing yourself regularly too as your weight will fluctuate quite a bit daily depending on hyrdration among other things.

Edited by whatleytom on Friday 12th June 08:59

weigh day is to be Fridays, after work just before my ride.

good for you. cycling is a great way to loose the excess. my weight loss is not as impressive as some on here , but I got down to 85kgs from 105kgs. As has been said, little at first, condition your body to it and just keep increasing the mileage steadily.

[TwistingMyMelon]

Agree with above:

• Don't do too much too soon, work up the miles gently so you don't burn out
• Wear decent Lycra padded shorts, you can wear them under other shorts if you want
• Stay well hydrated, that includes before and after
• Never push up hills, always ride, stop if you are struggling.
• Carry a pump/allen keys and tyre levers
• Ensure your bike is properly fitted, loads of people start out with the saddle too low.
• Enjoy it!!

You will probably put on weight before you lose it (muscle growth/ water retention etc..)

I'd naturally be a little chubby, as per rest of the mails in my family. But I'm really light and thin, even though I indulge in whatever I want to eat. Just through cycling 80-150 miles a week keeps me slim. If I stop and eat less I will put on 1.5 stones in a month!

Edited by TwistingMyMelon on Friday 12th June 09:52

[numtumfutunch]

Well done for taking the initiative and good luck

I was in your position not that long ago, as in previously active 20 something morphed into fat lethargic 30 something

Cycling is a great way to get fit, meet mates and have some private "me" time - not necessarily all at the same time

It will hurt to start with so be patient

[Equilibrium25]

Good luck and enjoy it.

You'll probably find your distance increases quite rapidly and you will find it relatively easy to judge how much extra you can do. Stretching an out-and-back route by a mile or two at the 'far end' is a good way to do it.

Going back to when I started out in 2011, after 20+ years off the bike and weighing 110kg or more, I had one or two 5 mile or so rides looping my estate as a practice/test. By then I had a Garmin and my first four proper rides out in the country lanes went like this:

Tuesday: 11.84 miles/46 mins
Thursday: 15.29 miles/59 mins
Sunday: 20.45 miles/78 mins
Tuesday: 22 miles/83 mins

I was reasonably cardio-fit before starting, having intermittently (too intermittently, clearly!) used an indoor bike for the previous few years.

[yellowjack]

One of my main reasons for cycling is to help with weight loss, or maintaining my current weight at least, whilst allowing me to pretty much eat what the hell I want. I'd happily cycle a hundred miles a day if it meant I didn't have to give up cake, and sugar in my tea and coffee. I can't think of anything less desirable than "going on a diet", which I'd probably have to do if I didn't get out on the bike so much...

Good luck with the weight loss, and happy riding!

You mention having had a bike in the past, so I reckon that, before you know it, you'll be stretching your rides well beyond 3 miles. Even for a novice, three miles isn't really a big deal. Keep us updated though. If you keep at it I forecast 20 milers within a month or so...

[pembo]

Pick the gear you think you should be in and go one or two clicks easier. Riding in an easier gear will put less strain on muscles being used for the first time and the spinning will be good cardio.

When riding with my mum last week I tried to explain it by saying 'if you go for a walk along the road you can keep going for hours, if you go for a walk in a muggy bog you will be shattered in minutes. Why use a gear that feels like a bog when you can take it easy and get there in the same time'. She told me it was too complicated changing gear all the time :/

[cirian75]

yellowjack said:

One of my main reasons for cycling is to help with weight loss, or maintaining my current weight at least, whilst allowing me to pretty much eat what the hell I want. I'd happily cycle a hundred miles a day if it meant I didn't have to give up cake, and sugar in my tea and coffee. I can't think of anything less desirable than "going on a diet", which I'd probably have to do if I didn't get out on the bike so much...

Good luck with the weight loss, and happy riding!

You mention having had a bike in the past, so I reckon that, before you know it, you'll be stretching your rides well beyond 3 miles. Even for a novice, three miles isn't really a big deal. Keep us updated though. If you keep at it I forecast 20 milers within a month or so...

About 6 years ago I used to ride my trek 4500 a lot, bashed around delemere, tockholes, Edgworth and derwent a lot

[cirian75]

My old bike, she was a beauty










Ending up selling her, had moved house and had zero space at the new place, and was unable to store elsewhere

[j00pY]

Cycling is a gateway drug. You'll be up to your eyeballs in lyrca, KMs, strava, tubs, clinchers, cadence etc before you know it.

You will look back at your first ride and laugh as you prepare for another 100+ mile ride that you won't think twice about the distance.

enjoy it

[Daveyraveygravey]

To add to the kit list - take a spare, preferably new, inner tube too. It's so much quicker and easier just putting a new one in than trying to find and fix a hole, you can save that pleasure for when you get home. (If you buy 5 inner tubes at a time they come down to about 2 or 3 quid a piece rather than a fiver). If you are unlucky enough to puncture, ALWAYS check the tyre. Riding to work yesterday, I had a puncture. Because I was going to be late, I nearly didn't bother checking the tube, but I found this "little" beauty, and it didn't take long! (Sometimes checking the tyre can take an age and you are not sure if the microscopic flint/thorn is the one that did the damage.)

[AC43]

cirian75 said:

My old bike, she was a beauty



Ending up selling her, had moved house and had zero space at the new place, and was unable to store elsewhere

Great bike, what a shame.

If you want to burn more calories per mile then heavy MTB's on fat tyres or even knobblies actually make a lot of sense.

[AmiableChimp]

cirian75 said:

plan today is a little 3 mile circuit too see where I am.

Back where you started?

Best of luck mate, enjoy it!