I'm 33, short and overweight. I've been overweight all of my life, and have had ups and downs with being active. Last year my doctor told me that I was pre-diabetic. I'd also stopped having periods some years back due to being overweight.
My journey in weight loss came about for 2 different reasons: 1) I'd like to have a baby in the near future and 2) being on a bike made me feel like a kid again! Now the baby thing had been on my mind for a year or so... but the bike- that was something new to me. My partner had bought a bike for me off of Craigslist, a nice gently used 3 speed cruiser to bum around town.
I started casually riding my bike to breakfast or for ice cream. I thought to myself- hey - go bike for your food! And although a bike can sure give you a work out, it didn't feel like running when you can barely catch your breath, and it didn't feel methodical like being in a gym lifting weights. So biking was fun, and it made me WANT to eat better.
I started tracking my rides and was amazed at what I'd found... The miles were racking up quickly!! I would print out a calendar and track the mileage I rode each day. I found myself wanting to ride more and more. I found myself google mapping new trails and paths. I was so excited to take a biking "adventure".
After I started riding, even within the first week, I could FEEL myself losing weight. So I thought to myself, ok- you're going to start a new diet, the "you can feel it" diet... Because its true.. We can FEEL ourselves gaining or losing weight, in our clothes, at our desk at work, during our exercise, and almost every aspect of life. The confidence I gained by feeling more fit, eating right and losing even a little bit of weight was BIG! And the more progress I'd "free" gave me more motivation!
I've been riding with great success for about 6 weeks (until I had a bout with pneumonia on week 7). Having to take time off allowed me to start this blog and document my journey. Here's a couple of key milestones during my adventure:
-3/8/13: Start of my journey- first day I got on a bike
-3/28/13: Started tracking calorie intake using MyFitnessPal
-3/31/13: Rode 130 miles in March and lost my first 10 pounds
-4/11/13: Purchased new hybrid bike (Trek Neko S)
-4/21/13: Total mileage = 325 mi
-4/24/13: Lost my first 20 pounds
And here are some of the rules I live by:
-Bike whenever the weather permits
-Bike for your food
-Bike to meet your friends
-Bike as a social event, or find a local meetup group
-Bike solo and push yourself
-Keep track of your workouts/miles on a calendar- you'll be shocked at how fast they add up!
-Bike at least 10% more mileage each week than the last.
-Vary your workouts: ride short and long distances, take casual and fast rides (I usually do casual rides with friends and fast rides solo). Do 30, 60, 90 and 120 minute rides, all with varying speeds and intensities.
-Count calories and estimate high. Always estimating high ensures you're not cheating yourself. If you go over one day, don't beat yourself up... Your week calories will likely balance out if you start doing longer rides.
-Realize you need to EAT to fuel your rides.. Don't cut yourself too short or you won't FEEL like riding!
-Eat small to moderate meals and 2 small snacks a day. If you eat out, split the meal with someone or take 1/2 home. After doing this for about a week or two, I was shocked... I would feel hungry every ~4 hours and would eat just enough to satisfy myself.
-Do not deny yourself any kind of food. If you want a candy bar have one. Just keep count of your calories and exercise!
Starting is always the hardest... When I first started biking, my butt hurt so bad I thought I'd fractured my tail bone! Those sit bones will hurt for 2 weeks and then it'll go away and not be so bad.
You WILL hurt almost everyday from doing more and more mileage/time on your bike! Success does not come without its pain!
These apps may come in handy:
MyFitnessPal - calorie counter
Google Maps (bike path) - will help you find new routes
MapMyRide - mileage tracker (via GPS or manually), route finder
Moves (iphone) - pedometer, mileage tracker
Pandora - To fuel your workout! They have great workout stations!
Me at the start of my journey (3/9/13)
NOW GO FIND YOUR ADVENTURE!!!
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