Out of shape, over weight, but trying...

[Paul Burke]

Hello.

Just got back into cycling after 25 years away... I have put on about 5 stone in the last 10 years... and I am embaressed when I see myself in a large mirror.

Anyway, I bought a 2nd hand MTB a couple of weeks ago, and this past week I have been on it in short bursts doing 2-3 miles per day/every other day (I am quite unfit)...

Moving forwards to Thursday this week and I cycled 8 miles... legs felt like jelly and that was enough for me, I had regular stops but still, it was progress.

Today I stepped it up a bit, I just got back from a 13 mile trip (again with breaks) and I feel like I have been beaten up by 5 football hooligans...

So far I have not lost a single pound in weight... which surprises me a little.

My long term goal is to ride similar distances as I did today but with fewer stops and so on... and then ultimately to buy a road bike and take it from there.

Pedalling feels so hard currently... my bike isn't light, and then theres my weight on top of that, then my lack of fitness... its a grind that's for sure, but I love every single second of it.

Not sure why I posted this, maybe I am looking for some morale support, words of encouragement, or just general advice from similar people who have (are) experienced the same thing.

 

[Citius]

The cycling will get you fitter, but weight loss really does start in the kitchen. Get a regular regime going for both and you should start to see some results, but don't expect the weight to just fall off purely through cycling.

 

[Paul Burke]

Yea I am still eating the same things as I used to, I decided if I stopped that then I would crave them more, I have just reduced the amount of times I have them in the same week... my biggest weakness's if I ma honest with my self are chips, crisps and cheese...

Only had cheese once in the last week, same for the crisps and chips twice, which I know sounds a lot still, but its less than usual, then add in the cycling too...

I need to be more disciplined in the kitchen that's for sure... I am trying to eat breakfast now, I never always did this.

Ps: I believe in total honesty, this is the only way to change things.

Pps: When I stopped smoking the weight piled on... I never really recovered from that, combined with a bad knee (which is now fine) that kept me from walking for almost a year due a major golf strained accident.

 

[JtB]

Well done. My personal philosophy on weight loss is find something you enjoy doing like cycling and focus on enjoying it. If you are eating sensibly you should start to feel and look better and then the weight loss will follow in it's own good time.

Regarding the bike, I HATE riding a mountain bike on the road. It's too heavy, the gearing is wrong, the geometry is wrong and the tyres stick to the road like glue. Riding a mountain bike on the road is all pain and no gain.

 

[BrynCP]

I lost around 4 stone in a year, it's possible if you want it.

I started on a hybrid, but in a similar style, small rides and I needed breaks. Almost without noticing I did the same length ride on the same route and didn't need to stop any more, then the rides just got longer. It hurt at times too. After 6 months, when I found I enjoyed it and had lost some weight, I bought a road bike.

I combined this with a better diet, I didn't cut any particular food group out, but ate less of it. As I began to enjoy the rides more, I found myself naturally eating less, as counter intuitive as it may sound, and I think that's because I didn't want to undo the work I had put in that day. In the first 2 months I lost about 1 stone. I wouldn't worry about seeing nothing immediately, it takes time.

As your rides get longer you will need to eat during the ride probably. I always took food with me on rides when they got to 25 miles+ because I needed it then, I don't know, but I only ate if I felt I needed it; as time went on, like the breaks, I found I could do 30 miles without any food during the ride.

 

[Apollonius]

As people above have said, the only way to lose weight is to eat less. Sadly, that is just about the beginning and the end of it. Exercise will boost your metabolism, sure, but smaller portions and less beer is the only way.

 

[13 rider]

Progress will be slow but steady on the fitness front .don't push it to hard to start with just go at a steady pace . cycling only will not be a magical weigh loss programme but any exercise is better than none. Just keep at it . well done for getting out

 

[arch684]

You have made a start and that's great but as others have said diet and cycling will work for you.good luck with both

 

[i hate hills]

Big up yourself for getting out there and having the bottle to want to change. As been said already diet and exercise will help you get results. All the best and i hope you get the outcome you are looking for.

 

[windyrider]

Spend sometime on getting the diet right and exercise regularly and you will get there.
Good on you for taking on the responsibility of your own self.
I did and lost 30 kilos over an extended period, from a 36 to 28 inch waist and feel great.

Best of Luck with your journey.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Well done for getting back on the bike, take it steady at first and build up slowly, beware of over doing it, if you feel you need a couple of days off take them, the rest is as important as the effort, the trick is to get the balance right.

 

[Cuchilo]

Well done on getting started . I would just go and get a road bike now but each to their own .
They way I read your posts was you wanted to lose weight but you have added a meal ( breakfast ) to your day .

 

[Drago]

It's a lifestyle thing, so don't get too hung up on the numbers. You've made the first step and started out in the worderfully awesome world of cycling.

Keep the exercise going now you've start, tidy up your food intake, and (this is most important) stick with it. You WILL get there!!!

One tip. Avoid the scales, fitness isn't that simple. Once a week stand in front of a mirror in your Y fronts and take a photo. Over a period of a couple of months you will start to see a difference, even if the scales are miserly with their numbers.

Good luck.

 

[jnrmczip]

Go to a gym see a personal trainer not the kind that wants to beast you for an hour the kind that wants to teach you how to eat properly for your goals. They will give you specific targets to eat for example so many grams of protein, cars, fibre and fats after they find out how much you are going to train be it either weights or cycling. Download the my fitness pal app where you can track everything you eat by entering how much of what you eat and that does the sums. There is a tab on the app that shows you totals. And as long as you keep those totals to what you have been told by the instructor you will see the weight fall off. P's you can eat what you want even cake it's the macros system I'm sure they call it. Anyhow it worked for me and I'm getting to near where I want to be.

 

[jnrmczip]

P's the way the system works means you can still eat everything you like and don't restrict yourself to foods you don't which causes you to fail. Technically it's a diet but not a diet that makes you crave things you like by not being able to eat them. It also helps you become more aware of what you are eating because you get to know what's in everything. It also helps to plan a week worth of meals at a time do the shop for what you need prepare the food the day before and take it with you to work and so on.