# 40, Fat and unfit



## adds21 (19 Mar 2009)

Three weeks ago, I got on a bike for the first time in about 20 years. I stopped smoking last year, and now I feel I've beaten that (nearly 9 months nicotine free, after 25 years smoking), I think it's about time I started losing some of the weight I put on after stopping smoking! If I'm honest, at the moment, I'm 40, fat and unfit.

So, I've been taking it really easy. For the first week I went out on the bike every evening just for a mile or so. I know a mile is pathetic, but I really am unfit, and I have to start somewhere! A couple of weeks ago I found a nice little "circuit" near my home. It's just over 3 miles, so I've done that every evening for the last two weeks. It's hilly round here and my 3 mile ride includes (what I consider to be) a pretty steep hill! 200 feet elevation in about half a mile. The first time I did it, I stopped several times just to get my breath back. Last night, I did it without stopping (albeit, pretty slowly!). Woohoo. That's a huge achievement for me, even if it sounds rubbish to more serious riders!

My average speed has been pretty slow - Just over 10mph I think, but that does include That Hill (it deserves capital letters in my book). As I live in the country, I'm going down little lanes in the pitch dark (other than my lights, obviously), so I can't even get up to much speed on the downhill bits! I'm looking forward to the longer days, although I have to admit that I quite like the fact that no one can see me puffing along in the dark!

Anyway, just thought I'd pop in here to say hello. My short term goal is to do a 10 mile ride soon... and not die doing it! I feel pretty confident I could do it on the flat now, but I think I need to keep doing my 3 mile loop, and That Hill a few more times before I'm ready for it round here. My semi-long term goal is to commute into work. It's only 5 miles each way, but the way home is all uphill. Before then I want to be doing a 10 mile ride every evening (where I can pick the route!).

The important thing is that I'm enjoying it! For me, the most enjoyable thing about cycling is being able to tow my son along (he's 4) using one of those Gator-Tail things. We both have a whale of a time when we're playing around with that. I'm hoping that, in a few months, I'll be able to start taking him out for the day on it on some of the cycle tracks around here.

So, errm. That's me! 

A.


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## allen-uk (19 Mar 2009)

Well done. It is a truism, but nonetheless accurate, that a journey of 10,000 miles starts with one step.

Me? 62, one leg, one eye, fat, unfit. Started again six months ago after 40+ years out of the saddle. First ride: 400 yards. Now: 5 miles, including what I call hills.

Conclusion: if I can do it, then anyone can!

A.


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## ACS (19 Mar 2009)

Hearty welcome from CC’s clan of salad dodgers


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## Angelfishsolo (19 Mar 2009)

Congratulations on 

1/quitting smoking 

2/starting cycling 

and 

3/beating that hill. 

Milestones like that are so important (especially in the early days). 

Stick at it and your first 10 miler will soon come and then you will be setting your sights further and further. 

Also, remember that *40 is NOT old* (I'm 38 ) and you will soon start loosing the weight. 

Out of interest what bike have you got?


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## nigelb (19 Mar 2009)

I'm 50, fat, and very unfit, started commuting to work by bike (~7 miles each way) most days. Not been doing it long, but I am already noticing a difference. My legs now ache less than they used to, and generally I feel more mobile. Weight is creeping down (very slowly, mind, but at least its not going up). My target is to get down to 14st by the end of the year (I'm 5'8", and currently a shade under 15 st).

If you're finding the lanes dark, try getting one of the tesco 3W torches, and strap it on your handlbars with a large rubber band made of old inner tube - boy do they make a lot of light for less than a tenner!

I've also found that if I back off a bit, my legs burn less, but I can keep working longer, so I may not cycle quite as fast at any moment in time as I did before,nor am I slowing down as much as I used to.

Anyway, key thing is to have fun whilst including more exercise in your daily life, well done :-)

Nige


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## Lazy-Commuter (19 Mar 2009)

Well done.  

I know just where you're coming from, being up until relatively recently 40, fat and unfit. OK, I didn't have the smoking thing prior to that and now I'm 41, a bit overweight and not too unfit, but it's close enough. 

I bought a bike - along with my wife - a little under two years ago when we realised we could no longer walk and keep up with the children if we went out for a walk with them on their bikes. Having bought it, I thought I should ride to work - about 7 miles each way.

Just like you, I started off doing a mile or two each evening, including my equivalent of your That Hill. And just like you it was a couple of weeks before I could get up it, using my lowest gear, at about 3mph average.

After a few weeks, I felt like I could do the commute so one Sunday I cycled home from a country park round the corner from where I work to be sure I could do the distance. (We'd taken the bikes there on the car for a ride out with the kids - we've got a Trail-Gator for Littlest-LC, they're great fun aren't they!?). Mrs-LC and the kids went home in the car.

Soon after, was a Bank Holiday Monday and I happened to be working, so I decided that would be my first proper to and from commute, as it didn't really matter if I was a bit late. I made it. Took me a while, but I made it.

So I gradually increased the frequency of the rides to work .. including rest days and so on in my schedule, getting quicker, finding I could more easily get up the hill.

A year and a half later, I can easily do the hill in a far higher gear, much quicker than I used to, hold a conversation at the top and barely even notice my journeys to and from work, which I do every day.

I've still got a gut, but it's smaller, and I am far fitter and healthier than I ever was.

Sorry, long post .. but I thought my experiences would mirror yours quite well, and show you what you can do. Sounds as though you've got a great plan .. little and often, gradually increasing distance and speed. It worked for me. I've still got a way to go, but it's a lot of fun doing it ..


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## summerdays (19 Mar 2009)

Welcome - its how we all start ... you seem to be progressing very well. Some hills are always HILLS, others over time can become mere inclines, and you look back and think how far you have come. 

There is a free North Somerset cycling map from the Council / Sustrans etc which you may find in a local library etc (this is part of a series covering Bristol, BANES and South Glos too).


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## adds21 (19 Mar 2009)

Thanks for all the welcomes.

I've got a Specialized Vienna. My bike knowledge is pretty much limited to Raleigh Arenas and Choppers from the 70's, but the LBS recommended it, and I have to say it seems fine to me. I use it mostly on the roads, but hopefully I'll start finding towpaths or cycle paths at the weekend.

Lazy-Comuter, Yep, sounds like I'm in the same boat as you were a couple of years ago. My wife would also like to get a bike at some point, but she's 6 months pregnant at the moment, so it's not the best time for her to start cycling (confidence-wise, more than anything else I think). 

It's really encouraging to hear stories like yours and nigelb and allen-uk et al. I think like most people, I don't expect (or even want) to get super-fit. I just want to feel generally healthier and enjoy myself. If I'm honest, I don't really mind being over-weight (I'm not massively over-wieght anyway, I think I have a BMI of 28 or something). At any rate, I'd rather be over-weight than a smoker. If I lose weight by enjoying myself cycling, then all the better.

Summerdays, thanks for the info about the cycle map for N Somerset - I picked it up the other day from a major-bike-store-that-I've-learned-shouldn't-be-mentioned-here.

Thanks again all.

A.


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## tyred (19 Mar 2009)

Hello and welcome and congratulations. You have to start somewhere and if you keep it up, you'll soon be feeling much fitter and healthier. You're doing the right thing by starting of in small steps.


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## country joe (19 Mar 2009)

Well done, im 60 and just back into cycling after 2 years
first 4 runs my behind was killing me,i started off with 10 miles
Im now doing 25, and no painful spots.


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## Lazy-Commuter (19 Mar 2009)

adds21 said:


> <snip>
> 
> Lazy-Comuter, Yep, sounds like I'm in the same boat as you were a couple of years ago. My wife would also like to get a bike at some point, but she's 6 months pregnant at the moment, so it's not the best time for her to start cycling (confidence-wise, more than anything else I think).
> 
> ...


Oh Gawd yes, she wouldn't be comfortable sat on a bike at all !!  (I bet someone comes along in a bit and says it's OK really )

The best thing is that you can go further and further as a family as the kids get older. With Littlest-LC on the Trail-Gator - although we're hoping to wean her off that this year as she'll be 6 in a few months - and now Little-LC (just turned 8) has got her legs in a bit, we can easily do the 6-7 miles each way to Grannie's house, with a stop there for tea and cake.

Our ambition for this year is to do a "tour" with them: there's a nice 11 mile route along a disused railway not too far from us. We plan to go along it one way, stop a night in Travel Inn, and then go back the next day. Hardly long distance, but the whole being out for the night with our bikes is a pretty exciting prospect for them.

Just keep plugging away and enjoying it. You can hardly help but get fitter .. my BMI is similar to yours, btw. It'd probably be lower if I didn't keep eating more to "compensate for all those calories I burn off on the bike".


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## colly (19 Mar 2009)

Welcome adds21,

It's a similar story one that will ring bells with many here, it did with me. I took up riding a bike when I was in my early 40's not having ridden since I was a teenager. Like you my first attempts at anything like a hill had me wheezing and wobbling all over the place and having to climb off and push.
It kind of spurred me on and pretty soon I was hooked.


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## magnatom (19 Mar 2009)

Excellent story, and well done! 

Keep it up and you will be planning your round the world trip in no time!


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## MacB (19 Mar 2009)

yep, good stuff adds, keep it up, it does get easier


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## Halfmanhalfbike (19 Mar 2009)

Just wanted to add my congrats along with all the others. Well Done. 10mph is really good for a ride round dark lanes. I only average 15 when I'm really pushing it

As other have said, when you look back in a few months time you won't believe how far you've progressed. I was like you 6 months ago and now I don't even notice some hills which had me feeling like my heart was about to burst out my chest before.

I actually like Hills now and actively seek them out on a ride for a bit of a challenge

Mind you, a triple helps!


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## fossyant (19 Mar 2009)

Good going - you've got some good targets there..so keep at it


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## killiekosmos (19 Mar 2009)

Welcome, adds21.

Like you I started cycling in latter years, overweight and having given up smoking. At the start a few miles were enough and hills were for walking up. Now - 7 years on - all the money saved from not smoking has gone on bikes (3) but I'm a good deal fitter, feel a lot better and have lots of fun.

I commute by bike and save money on transport and get more exercise and evenings and weekends I get out into countryside and enjoy the hills and views.

Keep it up as you'll lose weight and enjoy cycling too.


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## 4F (19 Mar 2009)

Nice one well done.


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## stoatsngroats (19 Mar 2009)

Hi A,

Me too, 3 1/2 years ago, 40, 15St, ex-smoker, black coffees and doughnuts...but my last, long ride was 62 miles, on my own, and out at 5.45 am!

I did begin my re-cycling fun because of a desire to ride the L2B, which I did in 2006....and I got the bug there and then!

So well done you, for starting, welcome to CSC, and good luck for the future, now, on your bike!


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## ianrauk (19 Mar 2009)

hi adds21, your story echoes mine very closely. Got to 40 years old a few years back, was unfit and overweight. So got a bike. Started off with a mile and half to the station and back, and that damned near killed me. But kept it up. Then worked out a 10mile loop around home which I did every saturday and sunday, then got it up to 20 miles. Then cycled to a further station 5 miles each way. Then hooked up with local cycling organisiations through the LCC. Now I am cycling minimum of 26 miles round trip commute everyday, with longer rides at weekends. So I am much fitter and over 2 and half stone lighter and absolutely love being on my bike(s)

So you are not alone mate... welcome to the club.. it only get's easier and more fun.
Perhaps as an insentive you may want to log your mileage on Cyclogs
http://www.cyclogs.org
There is a CycleChat team on there where you will find a lot of us...

All the best and keep it up..
Ian.


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## jayce (19 Mar 2009)

Keep it up and it can only get better


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## Randochap (19 Mar 2009)

I'm guessing I don't have to convince any one of the truth in the following quote I use on the front page of my website:



> _The bicycle is the noblest invention of mankind_.
> ~William Saroyan



Getting back on a bicycle, after a long absence is like rediscovering youth. It not only returns vitality to the body, it reinvigorates the mind.

Quiting smoking, of course, eliminates the poisons from your bloodstream that have hobbled physical activity and clear thinking.

Though I've been a lifelong cyclist (I'm 57), I also smoked on and off, until I quit for good 18 years ago. When I quit, I used my training log to track my progress. After 1 week, I gave myself an award in the form of a "no smoking" icon in the margin: 







... then at the end of a month, 3 months, six months and finally a year. It was like collecting medals! That helped keep the momentum.

My only long period off the bike occurred during a couple of years I suffered from undiagnosed piriformis syndrome. Luckily, I gained 20lbs. I say luckily, because had I not had that weight to sustain me, I would have wasted away to nothing during treatment for oral cancer in 2003.

I've survived two battles with the crab now, and both times it's my determination to get back on the bike that has pulled me through.

We all make bad choices in life. Of any contraption we canny apes have made, the bicycle alone is a life machine. Put in an ounce of energy and you get back a pound of joy. For those with pounds to spare, the rewards are great!


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## Davidc (19 Mar 2009)

There are a load of maps for cycle routes in Somerset (the bit south of you). You can get them through this email address: transport@somerset.gov.uk


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## soulful dog (19 Mar 2009)

This is what I love about this forum, threads like this certainly help with the motivation to keep cycling as much as you can 



adds21 said:


> I think like most people, I don't expect (or even want) to get super-fit. I just want to feel generally healthier and enjoy myself. If I lose weight by enjoying myself cycling, then all the better.



That's an excellent outlook, and there's no doubt you will feel better, healthier and once you get past just about any hill feeling like really hard work, it will get more enjoyable too - what more could you ask for! 

When I started cycling last year I probably started off at a similar fitness level as you ('probably even more unfit), and even though I'm pretty slow and don't have the desire (or energy!) to really push to get super-fit, and although I haven't really lost any weight, the difference is really noticeable. 

If you can get through those early 1-2 mile trips, and slowly build them up without chucking it as too much hard work, you can probably go on to do whatever you want with your bike.

Just make sure you don't get too fit so your wife gets left behind when she's able to get on her bike too!

Good luck adds21 and everyone else.


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## Sittingduck (19 Mar 2009)

Well done, well done (so well done I said it twice) 

Keep it up and before you know it you will be doing those commutes and 10 milers without any problems 

Regards,
SD


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## amnesia (19 Mar 2009)

Well done 

I have just turned 35 and I'm waiting for my cycle2work voucher so that I can get on my first bike since school. I fear my first ride will be rather short, but hope like you to steadily increase until I can do 20 miles as a warm up.

Well, maybe...

Just a thought... If your 3 mile loop becomes 'easy' but you don't feel up to 10 just yet, why not just do it twice ? Or once in each direction to see all the things you miss going the other way 

Good luck, and happy riding !

Daniel.


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## Banjo (19 Mar 2009)

Hi ADDS21 Im 50 unfit overweight etc recently started cycling on a secondhand Hybrid to try and regain a bit of fitness.Like you live in a hilly area. I think a 3 mile ride with some bottom gear gradients is harder than 10 miles of gentle riding so dont be put off by average speeds etc .

I have been doing short rides almost daily and after less than a month feel a lot better allready. Good luck .


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## adds21 (19 Mar 2009)

amnesia said:


> Just a thought... If your 3 mile loop becomes 'easy' but you don't feel up to 10 just yet, why not just do it twice ? Or once in each direction to see all the things you miss going the other way



It's actually quite easy for me to add a bit onto my loop by simply going down some extra lanes. This evening I decided that I'd add an extra mile, and although that included a little more uphill bits, it obviously also included some extra downhill bits too! 

So, my 3 mile loop is now a 4 mile loop. I've already planned an extension to turn it into a 5.5 mile loop, but I'm not quite ready for that yet (and won't been until the week after next, as we're off on holiday next week).

A.


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## johnr (19 Mar 2009)

That Hill comes up here whilst you're asleep... it took me 3-4 weeks to get up it when I started. For the next year or so I felt great exhilaration everytime I topped it. I was thinking about those days this afternoon as I finished off a 40 mile training ride. You'll be doing it soon.


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## Niall McL (19 Mar 2009)

If you keep at it you'll be amzed at how the weight comes off. I've been doing a 20 mile round journey commute since last May. Pretty hard to start with but now I think nothing of it. Lost about 3 stone, waist is 4 inches less and dropped from x-large tops to mediums.


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## postman (19 Mar 2009)

Start slowly and enjoy it.All good things will come eventually.


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## Cubist (20 Mar 2009)

adds21 Well done! Milestones always help, and you drive to increase your loop gradually is going to pay big dividends.


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## just4fun (20 Mar 2009)

welcome to the forums, you've made some hard choices and respect to you for that.
I hope you continue to enjoy the cycling and good luck with the baby.


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## MacB (23 Mar 2009)

adds21 said:


> It's actually quite easy for me to add a bit onto my loop by simply going down some extra lanes. This evening I decided that I'd add an extra mile, and although that included a little more uphill bits, it obviously also included some extra downhill bits too!
> 
> So, my 3 mile loop is now a 4 mile loop. I've already planned an extension to turn it into a 5.5 mile loop, but I'm not quite ready for that yet (and won't been until the week after next, as we're off on holiday next week).
> 
> A.



Excellent Adds, there seem to be a lot of us in the same sort of boat on here. I started late last year and couldn't complete the 3.5miles to the station without getting off and pushing. 42 years old, fat and unfit, but bloody determined. Got going properly in Jan and this month I've done over 400 miles and got my average speed up to 14mph, for my 40 mile round trip commute. It took me 4.5 hours the first time in Jan and now I'm under 3 hours.

Be warned though, cycle gear is addictive and so are bikes, by the end of May I should have 4 complete bikes


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## Radius (23 Mar 2009)

Nice one, and just over 10mph for someone calling themselves fat and unfit isn't bad at all, and will definitely improve very quickly!


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## vandatubes (24 Mar 2009)

Like many here over weight unfit and unhappy so I got back on the bike after 20 year lay off.Still had my Roberts I bought all those years ago and purchased a Dahon Floder for my commute to work. Suffering from Diabetes and depression I had to make a change and stumbled on this forum and something in me got switched on and I wanted to join in with the coomuters who were sharing their experience. My progress has been slow and I commute 2 a week on the Dahon to avoid injury. I want to work torwards commuting (10 mile each way) everyday come rain or shine.Boy oh Boy how I ve missed riding cycles and I wonder how its been so long?


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## Lazy-Commuter (25 Mar 2009)

Congratulations on getting back on it, vandatubes, and good luck in your aim. A good time to start with the weather (hopefully!!) improving, longer days and all that .. you'll be fully up to speed before it all goes horrible again next winter.


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## beeley1 (28 Oct 2013)

Hi guys. I have just hit the big 40 and have bought a new giant TCR C3 bike. I used to love cycling when I was younger, probably doing around a 100 miles at weekends (Im talking when I was a teenager, between then and now, I smoked too much drank too much and ate a really bad diet - now a bit overweight. Although I have now stopped smoking 2 years ago, cut down on the beer). I picked up my new bike and cycled the full 3 miles home. When I got back I felt ill, i was really dizzy (had to sit down) and my girlfriend said I had gone a funny colour! This passed in about half an hour. Is this normal, did I over do it for the first run? I have a feeling I was a bit dehydrated before I left and didnt have a drink during the run. I really want to get back into it, but a little worried. Any advice would be hugely appreciated! :-D


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## ianrauk (28 Oct 2013)

beeley1 said:


> Hi guys. I have just hit the big 40 and have bought a new giant TCR C3 bike. I used to love cycling when I was younger, probably doing around a 100 miles at weekends (Im talking when I was a teenager, between then and now, I smoked too much drank too much and ate a really bad diet - now a bit overweight. Although I have now stopped smoking 2 years ago, cut down on the beer). I picked up my new bike and cycled the full 3 miles home. When I got back I felt ill, i was really dizzy (had to sit down) and my girlfriend said I had gone a funny colour! This passed in about half an hour. Is this normal, did I over do it for the first run? I have a feeling I was a bit dehydrated before I left and didnt have a drink during the run. I really want to get back into it, but a little worried. Any advice would be hugely appreciated! :-D




Holy thread resurrection Batman...

Yes it is normal.
I did the same thing as you.. hit the big 40 (near 8 years ago), near 4 stone overweight. Bought a bike to commute to the train station which is a mile and a half away. It was alright the first journey there as it's mainly downhill. Coming home that evening however damn near killed me. My wife thought I was going to have a heart attack. I had to lie down for half hour. But I stuck at it and 8 years later...well just look at my mileage ticker below.

No one said exercise is easy. Your body takes time to adapt. And it will if you keep it up.
Good luck with your fitness and health. Your on the road to a fitter, healthier you.


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## Archie_tect (28 Oct 2013)

Fantastic!


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## HLaB (28 Oct 2013)

beeley1 said:


> Hi guys. I have just hit the big 40 and have bought a new giant TCR C3 bike. I used to love cycling when I was younger, probably doing around a 100 miles at weekends (Im talking when I was a teenager, between then and now, I smoked too much drank too much and ate a really bad diet - now a bit overweight. Although I have now stopped smoking 2 years ago, cut down on the beer). I picked up my new bike and cycled the full 3 miles home. When I got back I felt ill, i was really dizzy (had to sit down) and my girlfriend said I had gone a funny colour! This passed in about half an hour. Is this normal, did I over do it for the first run? I have a feeling I was a bit dehydrated before I left and didnt have a drink during the run. I really want to get back into it, but a little worried. Any advice would be hugely appreciated! :-D


Yip its perfectly normal on your first ride, it'll soon pass though as you get fitter


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## gelfy666 (28 Oct 2013)

hello, im just starting agn and finfing it hard...... im glad theirs other people out there also starting, this seems a friendly forum.


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## Archie_tect (28 Oct 2013)

Beeley, after just a few months doing a regular 2 then 4 then 6 mile circuit, back on my bike after a 30 year gap, No.1 son came with me... at the time he was playing football twice a week and training so thought he's accompany his old dad on a quick ride round. He was the one lying on the grass feeling faint at the top of the circuit... That was in 2009, it's incredible how quickly you adapt to the regular exercise... and it becomes something you look forward to. I'm really looking forward to cycling 100 miles in one ride sometime soon!


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## e-rider (28 Oct 2013)

unfortunately, when you start up again after a long time of smoking, boozing, and being overweight it is always going to be very difficult. A lot of people quit during this stage as it can be hard to get any enjoyment from it.
However, for those that stick with it, the rewards are huge. Within months you'll be cycling further, faster and feeling great afterwards too. Within a year or two, you'll have lost weight, you'll being entering 100 mile Sportives and will be dressed in a full lycra suit whizzing down the road at 30mph!!!
Keep going!


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## gelfy666 (28 Oct 2013)

full lycra!!!! i do spandex for metal gigs lol


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## GreigM (28 Oct 2013)

Feeling like dying after 3 miles sounds just about right, same for me when I first went out, stick with it though try and get out little and often and you will soon see gains and you will not come home feeling like death


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## Bryony (28 Oct 2013)

Well done with what you've done so far 
I'm nearly 30, fat and unfit and I also have a heart prob so it was definitely in my best interest to get fitter!
I began at my local country park it has a 2 mile Tarmac cycle track and I really struggled the first time round I even got off and walked at one point But 2 months after that I did a 25 mile charity ride it nearly killed me but I was so pleased with myself!! 
Keep up the good work and you'll be doing your 10 mile ride in no time.


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## morrisman (28 Oct 2013)

I'm 60, and was fat and unfit until I started cycling again in May - 1400 miles later in a stone lighter, much fitter but still 60. Stick with it it gets better and better


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## Shut Up Legs (28 Oct 2013)

Welcome back to cycling, @adds21 . I was 40, fat and unfit also, but now I'm 46, fit and unfat . That could be you too, in a few years, so good luck with that.


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## MarkF (28 Oct 2013)

It's like a middle aged initiation, a right of passage, my first ride at 42 was to the post office, a level ride of less than a mile. I nearly started crying at the thought of the return "journey", rang my wife to come and collect me..............I am 51 now and in better shape than when I was at 25.


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## buggi (28 Oct 2013)

well done. I remember when 5 miles was an achievement, now i don't get out of bed for less than 20 and even then i moan its not worth dirtying my kit for. One day this will be you. Keep at it, by the time the longer days come, you won't mind people seeing you huff and puff coz you'll be thin


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## adds21 (29 Oct 2013)

Wow! Thread resurrection.

Okay, I'll join in. In the 4 and a half years since I started this thread I've continued to cycle almost daily. I'm still nicotine free, and cycle to work virtually every day (and have done so for about 4 years).

I've completed a few 100 milers, but with a young family I don't get much time to cycle at the weekends, so most of my cycling is my commute (although I do occasionally stretch the morning ride out to 25 or 30 miles). If, for any reason, I have to drive to work, I miss the cycle like crazy, and am like a bear with a sore head for most of the day! I think I've cycled about 4,000 or 5,000 miles a year for the last 4 years. My resting heart rate, which was probably in the high 90's, if not higher before cycling, and when I was a smoker, is now about 45.

I now also unicycle commute 6 miles each way one day every week (Muni: mountain unicyling mostly, I drive half way and park up somewhere where I can unicyle via a wood, and along a river to work), so it's safe to say I caught, and still have, the cycling bug.

Mind you, I haven't saved much money by stopping smoking and not driving so much. My garage now contains 5 bikes, 1 tandem and 7 unicycles.

So, no longer am I 40, Fat and unfit. I'm now 44, at-the-fat-end-of-normal and fit.


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## Bryony (29 Oct 2013)

Wow what brilliant progress!


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## new-fish (26 Nov 2013)

Nice one. Well done on making a start, and prepare to get hooked


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## fimm (26 Nov 2013)

7 unicycles? Why do you need 7 unicycles??


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## icky (26 Nov 2013)

Well done , there's no shame in short rides we all started there . Stick with it and the miles will increase as the waistline decreases. Oh and your wallet will get lighter to


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## adds21 (28 Nov 2013)

fimm said:


> 7 unicycles? Why do you need 7 unicycles??



How many bikes do you have? And unicycles are half the size 

More seriously though, unicycles are a bit like bikes. Once you get into the sport you realize there's more to them than just a wheel. I've got different types for different types of riding... Road, off-road, commuting, playing ping-pong(!). And with no gearing, the only gear you have is the size of the wheel, so you obviously need different sizes of each type depending on how efficient you want to be. n+1 and all that.


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## indigomidnight (31 Jul 2014)

adds21 said:


> Three weeks ago, I got on a bike for the first time in about 20 years. I stopped smoking last year, and now I feel I've beaten that (nearly 9 months nicotine free, after 25 years smoking), I think it's about time I started losing some of the weight I put on after stopping smoking! If I'm honest, at the moment, I'm 40, fat and unfit.
> 
> So, I've been taking it really easy. For the first week I went out on the bike every evening just for a mile or so. I know a mile is pathetic, but I really am unfit, and I have to start somewhere! A couple of weeks ago I found a nice little "circuit" near my home. It's just over 3 miles, so I've done that every evening for the last two weeks. It's hilly round here and my 3 mile ride includes (what I consider to be) a pretty steep hill! 200 feet elevation in about half a mile. The first time I did it, I stopped several times just to get my breath back. Last night, I did it without stopping (albeit, pretty slowly!). Woohoo. That's a huge achievement for me, even if it sounds rubbish to more serious riders!
> 
> ...


Awsome!


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## indigomidnight (31 Jul 2014)

I pick up my bike tomorrow. Wish me luck. Great inspirational story.


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## screenman (31 Jul 2014)

indigomidnight said:


> I pick up my bike tomorrow. Wish me luck. Great inspirational story.



Well I will wish you all the luck you want, I hope you end up feeling and getting the benefits from cycling many of us do.


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## Peter Cairns (31 Jul 2014)

Good on you, like a lot have said, your story is the same for lots of us. I gave up cigs and alcohol so desperately needed an outlet and found it in cycling. No going back, only forward in ever increasing increments. Welcome to the brotherhood....and sisterhood.


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## Andy Jeffery (31 Jul 2014)

Hello Fella. Same sort of story. Don't smoke but ate and drank too much hence 18.5 stone! Appendix burst in Feb got septisimia from it and guess I'm lucky that's what the surgeon keeps telling me. Came home looked in the mirror fat now with large scar. Can't do anything about the scar but can sort the fat! Got back on a bike in May went out got knackered LOVED it. Started slow 4 miles 8 miles 10 miles. Last weekend I did a sportive 72 miles. You can do it if I can do it. Just keep peddling love don't hate the hills it's only pain. If you can feel pain you are alive! Join a friendly club that will help and meet loads of new people. Happy days enjoy!
Ps I'm now 15.12 stone. Just keep at it


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## Rosieb (2 Aug 2014)

Found your message and just wanted to say, I hope its going well. I love bikes and cycling, but am finding it hard to get motivated to get out regularly. I struggle with my breath and I dont sweat on my face so I just get redder and redder.... Not a good look. I am in the hunt for a decent but reasonably cheap bike to replace my HEAVY old mountain bike.


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## indigomidnight (2 Aug 2014)

I'm 37 very fat and decided cycling might just save my life maybe?! I'm hoping it won't be a fad. My Dad died last month massive heart attack he was youngish fit and seemed healthy. All his brothers and sisters have either died of heart related issues or are living with them and my mums had heart trouble for well; ever! 
if the alarm bells were slightly muted they are ringing loud and clear. I have to get fit!

Bye bye Cornish pasty farewell Melton Mobery its been...tasty

My goal and yes I have one, two infact (at least) is to cycle two and from work 2.6 miles each way. I know I know its tiny. To me trust me its huge!

I am getting married next year too so a trimmer me for the photos will be great too.

Recap on goals.
*get fitter*Slimmer*sexy for wedding photos*live longer*cheep travel.


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## ianrauk (2 Aug 2014)

indigomidnight said:


> I'm 37 very fat and decided cycling might just save my life maybe?! I'm hoping it won't be a fad. My Dad died last month massive heart attack he was youngish fit and seemed healthy. All his brothers and sisters have either died of heart related issues or are living with them and my mums had heart trouble for well; ever!
> if the alarm bells were slightly muted they are ringing loud and clear. I have to get fit!
> 
> Bye bye Cornish pasty farewell Melton Mobery its been...tasty
> ...




The best of luck to you.


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## Gravity Aided (3 Aug 2014)

indigomidnight said:


> I'm 37 very fat and decided cycling might just save my life maybe?! I'm hoping it won't be a fad. My Dad died last month massive heart attack he was youngish fit and seemed healthy. All his brothers and sisters have either died of heart related issues or are living with them and my mums had heart trouble for well; ever!
> if the alarm bells were slightly muted they are ringing loud and clear. I have to get fit!
> 
> Bye bye Cornish pasty farewell Melton Mobery its been...tasty
> ...


Please do not sacrifice Cornish Pasties, though. I have many of the same problems in my family, but my father showed me that if one stays active and athletic, one can beat even the odds genetic predisposition to heart and artery disease present. Good on you for getting out there and getting something done about it.


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