# 19 stone heavy needing encouragment



## Simba1off (2 Jul 2011)

I'm looking for some advice really!
I'm 48yrs old and 19 stone and want to take up cycling. I have purchased a bike a Hybrid with the intention of going out for a couple of hours through the week. I planned on taking it easy trying to ease myself into cycling and have been out a couple of times. The problem is that I don't go very far around the block about a mile if that. Whilst out riding I find my legs burn and my hands hurt constantly changing position whilst riding and return home taking up to half an hour to recover. I don't want to give up, I see all these cyclist out on the roads cycling like theres no tomorrow with hardley a dop of sweat and heres me a hundred yards down the road with my head in the brushes throwing up. I look at the bike and my heart sinks but I still get on it. When I was young I used to do between 30 and 40 miles cycle rides no problem, then again I was young and alot fitter then!
Do I need to set myself goals and work to a routine?
What food and drink should I take on a ride with me?
Anybody been through this and come through it?
Mark


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## Adasta (2 Jul 2011)

[media]
]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTmcWQV-JNc[/media]


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## Sittingduck (2 Jul 2011)

RE: the leg-burn, where does it hurt, above the knee at the front? Hamstrings, calves or what? Might be that a slight tweak to saddle height can assist this but we need to know more first


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## Hacienda71 (2 Jul 2011)

It becomes easier but like everything it is practice and your body growing used to using the muscle groups that are required for cycling. When I started cycling again I did 6 miles and was shattered, now a few years on I suppose I am one of those people you see making it look easy. I regularly cycle 50 or 60 miles and go up into the local hills to push myself to the limit. It just takes time. Stick at it you will get there and the rewards are worth it.


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## waggoner (2 Jul 2011)

Stick with it simba,you'll soon build up,,when i first got back on a bike a few months ago i rode to work. All slighly uphill all the way, only 2 1/2 miles, but i was a ball of sweat,,feeling really sick and when i got off the bike i thought my legs had turned to jelly,, i nearly fell over  . Took me hours to feel right again!! Now its no problem,,knocked about 5 minutes off the time too!!
I've done some long'ish rides since,( well to me they are..lol),,,so stick with it...... by the way,,we ain't far apart in age /weight wise,,,, 43 and 18 stone..

Good luck.


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## coffeejo (2 Jul 2011)

Go to your local bike shop and get yourself some cycle gloves, and while you're there, ask them to take a look at you on the bike and see what they say re: position and height of saddle and handlebars.

And ditto what everyone else says - give yourself time and lots of practice. It will come.


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## The Jogger (2 Jul 2011)

Don't try to ride fast, ride so you are not too breathless if at all. Easy pace is the best to start with and won't you off. At the minute it is more about increasing distance and not speed. IMO


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## rowan 46 (2 Jul 2011)

I found those ergonomic grips helped a bit with the hand and wrist pain, you might try a little change in saddle position to get some of the weight off them and have you sitting a little more upright. I have been riding for quite a while and have recently put on weight due to illness and not cycling as much. The extra weight I am carrying makes cycling a little less comfortable. as you get fitter the cycling will get more comfortable


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## chillyuk (2 Jul 2011)

I've returned to cycling about 2 years ago after a long (20 year) layoff. I was 19 stone. A couple of miles was all I could manage. Presently at 18 stone I haven't lost a lot of weight, but I have other health reasons for that, but I now go out and regularly ride 30 odd miles either on a road bike or a hybrid depending on my mood. I did a 40 mile charity ride a couple of weeks ago, so it can be done. Just stay with it, don't try and do too much and you will be surprised how quickly you improve. You may find some bar ends helpful to give your hands different positions which might help the discomfort.


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## Norm (2 Jul 2011)

The Jogger said:


> Don't try to ride fast, ride so you are not too breathless if at all. Easy pace is the best to start with and won't you off. At the minute it is more about increasing distance and not speed. IMO


I think that this is the most important advice to newbies. If you are riding so hard that you can't talk, you are riding too hard.

Oh, I should open with me being 47 and 19 stone, riding again for about 2 years and I can now happily do 60-odd miles a day. I commute 20 miles to work and back more often than not, I ride 4 miles into town whenever I can get an excuse ("You need a new light bulb, darling? Back in an hour..."  ) and I can't understand why so few people that I know have the same love of cycling. Losing weight wasn't my focus, I'm more worried about how fit am rather than how fat I am, and I'm loving it.

Where are you, Simba? See if you can find a riding buddy or even someone to go and meet, say in a nearby town to give you a focus for your ride. Sort out a local loop, just something that's a couple of miles long, nothing strenuous, keep it enjoyable and relatively easy but time yourself. Ride it every other day for two weeks without timing yourself, then do it against the clock again. You will be amazed at the progress.


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## MacB (2 Jul 2011)

rowan 46 said:


> I found those ergonomic grips helped a bit with the hand and wrist pain, you might try a little change in saddle position to get some of the weight off them and have you sitting a little more upright. I have been riding for quite a while and have recently put on weight due to illness and not cycling as much. *The extra weight I am carrying makes cycling a little less comfortable. as you get fitter the cycling will get more comfortable
> *



The highlighted bit is very valid, it can get a lot easier very quickly, it can also be easy to backslide  

I started at about 18 stone 2.5 years ago, initially I couldn't get to the train station, 3.5 miles, in one go and had to get the second train due to sweating so much. Within 6 months I was able to commute to and from work, 20 miles each way, 5 days a week and I could ride over 100 miles in a day, I was coming close to 1000 miles per month. I also managed to get down to a low of 14 stone, was getting fitter and faster, sleeping better, eating better, etc, etc.

Then I was made redundant and started working from home, plus some bad luck with injury, non cycling related. Went up to 18.5 stone and did very few miles for a long period. Now trying to get back to where I was, thankfully I don't seem to have to start as far down on the cycling tree, but it's a struggle. I just keep reminding myself how much fun I had when I could do a long social ride and hold a decent pace while looking around and enjoying myself.

Currently 44 and 18 stone...hope to be under 15 stone by September...for a large amount of weight loss I reckon I average out to about 1lb per 100 miles cycled...more initially of course then it flattens out.

Good advice from others on sorting out your bike position, you may be surprised by how high your saddle needs to be.


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## gb155 (2 Jul 2011)

Adasta said:


> [media]
> ]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTmcWQV-JNc[/media]




Im touched, but this one's better 

Also,OP, AMAZING Things can be achieved on a bicycle, trust me, I know, all you need, to to want it enough

http://theamazing39stonecyclist.wordpress.com/



[media]
]View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwvIhTlxd_U[/media]


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## Simba1off (3 Jul 2011)

Hi
Thanks to the members for all the encouragment and advice!
I will continue to ride my bike and plan on taking advantage of the good weather this fine Sunday morning.
I wish everyone well and will keep you all updated on my experience in the saddle.
Regards.


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## Fab Foodie (3 Jul 2011)

Hi Simba 1 off
Echo all the above, most of all take it easy and try and make it enjoyable. If yoiu can get out on the bike 3 times a week just for short pootles, the ability soon builds, that's what's so nice about man's greatest invention.

Bike set-up helps a lot in terms of comfort and efficiency, this should help a bit with the comfort:

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

Most starters have their saddles too low and too far forward.

Couple other things that might help, firstly finding a cycling buddy is a real help in the earlys stages and secondly, setting a goal for motivation, like a late summer charity ride, 25 miles or so would not be an unachieveable goal by September. Cycle improvement happens kind of exponentially, once you've conquered 5 milkes, 10 is much easier, once you've done that 20 comes quickly, then 50 etc. The extra miles are just practice and over say 20-30 miles you need to think a little more about eating on the move.

Oh, get cycle shorts and gloves!


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## teletext45 (4 Jul 2011)

I'm quite fortunate to only weigh 10 stone, but when is tarted cycling i was tired out after just a couple of miles. As mentioned above, find a buddy i find riding with somone gives a good distraction to to any pain you may be experiencing. Secondly when it comes to riding plan a specific route, dont ride aimlessly. If you plan a route you get the sense of achievement when you've completed it. finally, have you considered interval training using a heart rate monitor? Thats somthing i do and you do see benefits. 

hope this helps 
andy


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## Simba1off (4 Jul 2011)

Well folks
Went for a ride yesterday Sunday and most say it was the best yet!
Must have been all the postive encouragment that you all gave me!!!!!!!!!!
Took my time made sure I had plenty of fluid before senting off did five miles furthest I've done in one ride. I must admit that I throughly enjoyed the ride must have been the postitive mind set before going, normally cringe at the thought.
Today feeling slightly sore in the legs but it doesn't compare to the sorness in my crotch!!!
Decided to go for ride today but felt tired alot sooner than yesterday but still not too bad.
Question, should I continue to ride each day? My reason being is that I'll harden up quicker and get used to lossening my muscels etc.
Or should I rest let my body recover then go riding again?
Any advice would be welcome.
Thanks
Mark


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## MacB (4 Jul 2011)

I'd ride every day, but make every 3rd day nice and gentle, oh and sort out position on bike to minimise crotch problems. A big guy, sweating a lot and getting saddle sores isn't pleasant, it won't take Einstein to figure out how I know this


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## smokeysmoo (4 Jul 2011)

Rest is crucial. You need to let your body recover or you risk causing damage. Don't let that put you off for a second though, it's the same with any form of excercise, your body just needs time to re-cuperate.
Perhaps aim to ride every other day until your not getting any pains and then increase things from there.

+1 for the whole bike fitting thing though, a badly set up bike can have dire consequences over time.

Good luck, keep going, and you'll be amazed at what you can acheive


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## FetterSteve (4 Jul 2011)

Well done Mark for marking the start.

I'm 49 and have lost 1/2 stone bringing me down to the same as you.
I started off in Feb doing a 3 mile circuit and was absolutely wiped and now look forward to 20 milers and feel fine afterwards. My longest rideto date is 56 miles and to be honest it was my butt that was more painful than my legs. Took me 3 weeks to recover mind!! (joking)

Keep at it and you will soon rack up the miles but don't fall in to the same trap as me and rush out and buy a totally inappropriate bike as you are enjoying yourself so much ( Giant Defy anyone?) Give it a bit of time to see what kind of riding you want to do and get something suitable.

All the best


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## gb155 (4 Jul 2011)

Well done mate

Keep it up


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## Simba1off (6 Jul 2011)

Hi all,
Again thanks for the encouragement, I really do appreciate it  
Mark


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## Banjo (6 Jul 2011)

I find that I need to have easy days in between hard days and probably better to have a couple of complete rest days each week as well to allow muscles to recover properly, if you overdoe it you will be constantly tired and wont enjoy it.

If you can fit panniers on your bike use it for trips to the shops etc etc, all the little journeys like that add up over a week .

One thing I discovered is that cycling really does make you hungry so I try to time my rides so I finish just before one of my regular meal times to avoid snacking after a ride,

Good Luck


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## chillyuk (6 Jul 2011)

I am trying to persuade my nearest and dearest to buy me one of these for my birthday:

Cycling shirt


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## Simba1off (6 Jul 2011)

Hi
Thanks again for the encouragment  
Mark


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## Sara_H (6 Jul 2011)

The Jogger said:


> Don't try to ride fast, ride so you are not too breathless if at all. Easy pace is the best to start with and won't you off. At the minute it is more about increasing distance and not speed. IMO



Ditto this advice, for years I've been trying to cycle fast and pushing myself hard.

This last few months I really slowed down my pace and suddenly I'm cycling up hills that I've had to get off and push before (and fairly comfortably too)

Just take it at your own pace and it will come together.


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## citybabe (8 Jul 2011)

Give yourself time. Set out at an easy pace and just do what you can do.

You'll soon start to realise that you've managed to do a little more each time.

Enjoying being out on your bike is the main thing


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## Simba1off (11 Jul 2011)

I went for a ride today, took it easy ended up doing 11 miles!
Not as tired as I thought I would be though. Can't do more than 20mph down hill and average speed was 8 mph. Must concentrate more as I nearly ran myself off the road eyeing up a nice looking girl, will I ever learn!!!!!
End up eating like a horse when I got back home.
Thanks for the support!
Mark


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## MacB (11 Jul 2011)

Simba1off said:


> I went for a ride today, took it easy ended up doing 11 miles!
> Not as tired as I thought I would be though. Can't do more than 20mph down hill and average speed was 8 mph. Must concentrate more as I nearly ran myself off the road eyeing up a nice looking girl, will I ever learn!!!!!
> End up eating like a horse when I get back home.
> Thanks for the support!
> Mark




great stuff Mark, be warned that's a very similar start to me, though you managed further, it wasn't too long before I did my first 100 miler


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## Hip Priest (11 Jul 2011)

You're making great progress. I'm a newbie too, and my route is up to 12.5 miles now. Whoever said cycling makes you hungry is spot on. I ride about 60 miles per week now and I'm so hungry I find I want to eat constantly.


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## e-rider (11 Jul 2011)

I'm a bit younger than you but I weigh 18.5 stone at the moment (although I am 6'2") and often ride 100 miles in a session.

Assuming that you have the bike set correctly for your size and you have no underlying injury/problems it's simply a case of building up slowly and getting fitter as the months go by. When I was unfit, I didn't enjoy cycling that much but now I can't get enough. The fitter you get the more you will enjoy exercising.


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## Simba1off (12 Jul 2011)

A question:-
The tires on my hybrid are designed for trails plus road use. Seeing that I can only manage between 7-8mph as an average would this increase with my fitness or would I have to change my tires to slicks to get up to a decent speed?
Also is there anywhere on the net that covers diet control for cyclist as I wish to change what I eat , Burger King is too near to where I work, and I'm rubbish at knowing what I should be eating to benefit me getting fitter.
Thanks
Mark


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## calibanzwei (12 Jul 2011)

Speed will increase with fitness, but I wouldn't worry to much about speed for now - focus on increasing your continuous effort (distance/cadence) and fitness/speed will follow 

I've been doing this about a year now and can keep a continuous 18mph on my hybrid tyres, so don't worry too much about slicks.

As for food...
...don't skip breakfast. Eat something with slow release carbs - most on here suggest porridge.
...increase fruit and veg intake, not to heavy on the meat and carbs.
...decrease processed foods.
...eat smaller portions, but have 4-5 portions throughout the day
...not be surprised if appetite increases with regular exercise - eat more of the good stuff 

EDIT: I'm 16.5 stone and 6'1" and I love my food


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## Simba1off (12 Jul 2011)

Thanks for the info!
Nice to see someone else from Warrington.
Mark


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## calibanzwei (12 Jul 2011)

Hehe, we'll have to start our own sub-forum soon - I've seen a few of us sign up recently... wave to Datura on her Viking, me on my Dawes and my mate Pete (Melonfish)...


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## Hip Priest (12 Jul 2011)

I'm from Warrington too, though I no longer live there. Can I join?


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## calibanzwei (12 Jul 2011)

Sure - I'll start getting the t-shirts printed


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## Cosmicned (12 Jul 2011)

*Very heartwarming* to read all the encouragement on here - I'm 52 & 5'11" and weighed nearly 17 stone last September- I started cycling 12-15 miles a day to and from work & for the first few weeks thought I'd need an Iron Lung when I got there  - now down to 15 stone and weight still falling nice and steadily - eating better & finding any excuse to go out on the bike - just got a nice road bike too now & coping with 30 - 40 milers at the weekends... stick with it - it does get alot easier - going to work now I barely break sweat... *BIG TIP* - pack your own lunch - much cheaper/healthier & you can hopefully avoid the dreaded Burger King bloat out...


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