starting again

[Ringfeder3]

For the last eight or so years, I have let myself go. I am overweight, lethargic and frustrated. I have been a keen cyclist before that for many years and I would dearly love to regain some control of my health.

Here are some facts and figures:
Male
Age: 42
Weight: 118 kgs
Height: 188 cm

My diet is poor and although I do not smoke nor drink alocohol, I consume a fair amount of Coke and snack foods. I find that I lack strength and even the slightest exertion leaves me short of breath. To compound matters, I am a shift worker with no pattern to my rostering and I spend the majority of my working day driving.

I need to lose weight and gain fitness but I am unsure where to start. I'd very much love to incorporate my interest in (road) cycling as well.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated....

[The Womble]

Im 37, 1kg less and 3"shorter (height for those who have dirty filthy minds(apple and Mulger Bill )) and have had the sane issues. Im undergoing tests next week for Crohn's Disease as well. Im guessing you drive trucks?
Can I suggest that making any kind of start is a start.kill the soft drink habbit ASAP as it plays havoc with everything else you try to do to brgin with.
The best way to get back on the bike is to buy an indoor trainer. Dont blow the bank on one just yet, but itll start getting the legs abd but over the shock and can be a handy thing on crap weather days as well. Itll also help you get the miles up with your changing hours AND... get used to the bike like I had to after nearly 20 years. Car parks and such are good for getting balance and control back again, and I reckon that "its just like riding a bicycle" was phrased by someone who never rode one
I used to ride on 18mm tyres but Id have no chance of that again just yet.
Let us know how youre going champ!

[The Womble]

...and get used to my typo's on this piece of crap iPhone

[hannos]

My diet is poor and although I do not smoke nor drink alocohol, I consume a fair amount of Coke and snack foods. I
I need to lose weight and gain fitness but I am unsure where to start. I'd very much love to incorporate my interest in (road) cycling as well.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated....

As womble mentioned, Diet is the first thing to change. Make your own snack foods, ie cut up some celery or carrots into sticks or get a bag of beans and munch on those if you feel you need a snack.
Drink water instead of soft drinks. Personally, I dislike water and tend to drink weak cordial instead.

Then, as womble mentioned, you just have to get out there and ride.

[robbiejuve]

Diet comes first in every weight loss regime. It’s also the easiest way to lower your calories.

You replace a can of coke and you save 250 calories, that’s a pretty easy thing to do considering you have alternatives that taste just as good (pepsi max / coke zero). For you to burn 250 calories with exercise requires considerably more effort.

Foods with sugar replacements aren’t the best solution, there is plenty of debate over how unhealthy some of those artificial sweeteners are but drastic changes are extremely difficult to stick with. You go from your current diet to carrots, celery and water and you will probably be sitting here reading this post next week with a bag of chips and a coke by your side.

I find calorie counting websites like calorie king are very good to keep your motivated to hit your daily calories and they also educate you in whats bad and what’s good.

If the diet is right, the weight loss is taken care, which means the cycling is a bonus and you can do whatever you find enjoyable rather than having to get on the bike for the sake of burning calories.

[jules21]

My diet is poor and although I do not smoke nor drink alocohol, I consume a fair amount of Coke and snack foods. I find that I lack strength and even the slightest exertion leaves me short of breath. To compound matters, I am a shift worker with no pattern to my rostering and I spend the majority of my working day driving.

easy: stop eating junk food.
harder: this may be a tough thing to accommodate, but you'll always find it difficult if you are working irregular shifts. if it's at all possible, try and get regular shifts and then if it's not too much, daytime ones.

otherwise get yourself a bike, find some shared paths or quiet roads nearby and start enjoying riding..

[Comedian]

Mate I'm a very similar age, a similar height and was a similar weight. I felt the same way you do.

So in March I got a bike and declared that I ride to work. So since April I've done just that, 25 k a day, every day. Well I'm now 93kg and feeling much better.

So I'd say just do it. If you can commute thats the best way as you don't have to find time.

There are a couple of very inspirational threads around here about this type of stuff.

[scotto]

For the last eight or so years, I have let myself go. I am overweight, lethargic and frustrated. I have been a keen cyclist before that for many years and I would dearly love to regain some control of my health.

Here are some facts and figures:
Male
Age: 42
Weight: 118 kgs
Height: 188 cm

My diet is poor ....I need to lose weight and gain fitness but I am unsure where to start. I'd very much love to incorporate my interest in (road) cycling as well.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated....

sounds to me like you know where to start

• 3 times a week, 60 minutes continuous exercise, not worrying about target heart rates or anything to start with. thats the easy part i imagine.
• Cut down on the junk food and carbohydrates (sugars, cereals, rice,) and obviously fats
• Aim for a low GI type diet http://www.glycemicindex.com/ - get the book that tells you the GI of everything in the supermarket ( Australian 2010 edition though !) Or even try an optifast type meal replacement shake for 2 meals/day for a month to kick start things.
• set goals, otherwise you will give up.
• make an appt to see your GP and have a full blood test to check for all the fun things at this stage of life like diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, prostate Ca., Vit.D deficiency amongst others..

[wombatK]

Diet comes first in every weight loss regime. It’s also the easiest way to lower your calories.

Unfortunately, dieting is not what many people find to be easy. Evidence is that the most successful approach to weight loss
starts with exercise and adds dietary modification to it. Not saying you can't do it the other way 'round, just that it works more often when exercise is the starter.

So congratulations on deciding to do something at age 42 - you were 10 years smarter than me. But you've also got another 23 kg on top of where I started. I reckon I'd feel really really knackered and breathless most of the time if I had to lug an extra 23 kg around.

Getting on a bike is something you should be able to fit in around shiftwork - even if you were driving interstate, you could carry one along with you. You haven't said what kind of bike you've got - you'll need something with pretty sturdy wheels (32 spokes or more) to carry your current weight - see http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewt ... =9&t=19882

The key is to do something regularly - at least once every two days - hail, rain or shine. Bicycling in the wet is quite enjoyable , but until you're convinced, go for a power walk instead when it's wet.

Don't reward yourself for the good work with a big glass of coke, slab of beer, mars bar, ice-cream etc.,. Gradually get rid of the coke, soft-drink, and other junk foods from your diet. Don't get conned into thinking orange juice is okay - it's not. Milk and dairy products aren't your friend when weight-loss is your goal either.

Calorie-king is a good tool, but you can also get a lot of information from reading the nutrition labels on foods and watching other people. A very effective approach is to watch what the fat people put in their shopping trolleys (or order at the restaurant, take-away etc,..). Stop buying that.

Lastly, a very good rule of thumb is that the more packaged and processed a food is, the less likely it will be good for your diet.

Agree totally with scotto's comments - but especially about low GI. Substituting low GI foods for high-GI ones was one of the most effective tricks I learned. Once you learn about low GI, you realise how well it lines up with the packaged/processed rule of thumb.

[The Womble]

Whatever you di, DO NOT substitute soft drinks with the diet varieties, they are low in sugar, but the chemicals in them are partly responsible for my current issues, and they are just dangerous. I say again, DONT go nuts on low sugar soft drink.

[Mustang]

Whatever you di, DO NOT substitute soft drinks with the diet varieties, they are low in sugar, but the chemicals in them are partly responsible for my current issues, and they are just dangerous. I say again, DONT go nuts on low sugar soft drink.

Buy a copy of "Sweet Poison" you will not drink soft drink again. Congratulaions on your new life! WRITE down achievable goals & visit them every week. Good Luck & caution..... "Cycling is adictive"

[flammer]

Fat bastards!

Get on your bike, build up your fitness. You'll feel better AND burn fat more efficiently. Push your limits ( after consulting your doctor!!!) After a while of focused riding you won't want to eat crap because your body won't want it.

You'll want to fuel the machine!

And I'm older than you chubbers.

[gobsec]

Fat bastards!

Get on your bike, build up your fitness. You'll feel better AND burn fat more efficiently. Push your limits ( after consulting your doctor!!!) After a while of focused riding you won't want to eat crap because your body won't want it.

You'll want to fuel the machine!

And I'm older than you chubbers.

To expand on Flammer's comments:

Ringfeder 3, I found myself some months ago in a similar position- I, too, had let myself go. A similar height and weight to you, but some years older, I was determined to lose weight for health reasons. Having tried various activities and exercise regimes over the years, I realised that only form of exercise that I really enjoyed, which is non-destructive for me, and which was possible to do every day from home, was cycling. I had very much enjoyed recreational cycling in my 20's and 30's and into my 40's, and perhaps I could rekindle the spirit?. So after a break of some years I took it up again in earnest.

As a result, several things happened.

Straight away I realised just how much much pleasure I get from cycling- the actual physical activity, the places I visit, the things that I see and experience. Riding in balmy weather may be fantastic, but at the same time I revel riding in rain, as experientially it is just as absorbing.

I also saw almost immediately physical benefits from my cycling: my weight started to drop, and I started to simply feel healthier. I can't quantify any weight loss, as I don't actually have any scales. Instead I use the "belt scales": Over a couple of months I had to tighten my belt five holes. I then ran out of belt holes, so bought some new belts, and have had to tighten those a further two belt holes since purchase. Clothes which were once tight now are not; those which fitted are now baggy.

What fascinated me was that my cycling changed my diet. I didn't start with the idea of both taking up regular exercise AND dietary changes- I just wanted to get back on the bike and see what happened. What happened was that I just started to eat differently. At the start I found myself eating less, because of the exercise. I also found that I somehow lost the taste for less healthy foods, and was eating more fruit and grains. This occurred without conscious thought; it just happened.

As I continued to lose weight and gain cycling strength, the cycling became easier and better. As a result I started to ride harder and further. And search for uphills. And ride hard up those hills. And enjoyed it more and more. And as a result I keep getting fitter.

So I agree with flammer. My experience is that if you can get out there, ride hard and gradually build up strength and fitness, the rest of your aspirations should hopefully flow as a natural consequence.

All the best.

[notwal]

I agree about commuting. It becomes routine and its a great way to start the day.
Take it easy until you feel like pushing yourself.

[ireland57]

Ride as often as you sensibly can; at your pace.

Ride whatever distance you can making sure you leave fuel in the tank so you can back it up next day or day after.
It'll take a while; it may feel like nothing is happening for a while; it is; just be patient. When you think nothing's happening you're getting fitter and heading towards a happier life.

Enjoy it; savour the moments. IMO weight that falls off quickly usually falls back on again; for many it's too hard to sustain.

Take it in steps. It's climbing ladders starting from the bottom rung on a lower ladder; some ladders have got big steps and big gains, some have small steps that your feet get stuck in momentarily. But...... they all take you up.

Coke.....it sounds like you know what it does.

I found since I got serious about biking I'm getting fussier about what I eat. I've mostly exercised my whole life but eating affects how my rides go and I don't want them fooked because I ate some shite food. It's happened a few times and I don't like it much.

It's easier to listen to the body now. I even gave up beer.........well..........almost.

[roobab]

Forget about dieting.
Get a bike, any bike and start riding. I started with my son's ten year old rusting school bike.
Start around the block, further the next day, a month later you're doing 30ks, then you buy a better bike.
The weight does not change, but your belt starts moving down a notch or two or three, gradually.
If you've enjoyed riding in the past, you will pick it up again very quickly, and feel the fat burn.
Phase 1 - get started
Phase 2 - enjoy the gut shrinkage
Phase 3 - you start feeling comfortable and relax a little
Phase 4 - you get serious and now you've got a problem of keeping your weight up. haha

[jimsheedy]

I agree with the above posts. Forget about diet and calories and low GI. Stop eating junk snacks and drinking soft drink. get out on your bike or walk whenever you can. Doesn't have to be great distances. Incidental exercise is the key. Replace all those little car trips with walking or biking. Don't worry if you can't commute on a bike. For most people commuting on a bike is impossible as is changing your work environment to suit your new healthy goals. Start small and work your way up get into the habit of exercising, you'll gradually feel better about it and want to do more. Then you'll change your diet.

Don't go anywhere near a Gym, unless there is one you can use for free. Gyms are for people that are already fit and fat people with lots of money to waste. If you want some sort of formal training, a personal trainer ( not associated with some Gym) if you can afford it, is a much better option.

Walk to the shops, dont drive.

[Apple]

Every time you think of food have sex ( this may involve various partners as it is time consuming )and then go for a ride.
That should do it.

[Apple]

oh yes and all the advice from the previous posts will also help

[Comedian]

Every time you think of food have sex ( this may involve various partners as it is time consuming )and then go for a ride.
That should do it.

I like the way you think! I'll suggest this to the missus. If you don't hear from me again you know what happened.

[flammer]

Every time you think of food have sex ( this may involve various partners as it is time consuming )and then go for a ride.
That should do it.

There's a word for women who act like this fit.

[The Womble]

Every time you think of food have sex ( this may involve various partners as it is time consuming )and then go for a ride.
That should do it.

There's a word for women who act like this fit.

Popular?

[Apple]

Popular?

No, asset rich

[The Womble]

I like it

[toolonglegs]

IS IT ME ...if I had sex everytime I thought of food I would be shagged left right and centre...twice a day is exhausting ...luckily I didn't cycle when I lived in the commune!.