On October 31, 2007 I started weighing myself and making steps to change bad habits. I knew then that it would be a long-term change. What has changed in one year?
- I’ve lost 67.4 lbs
- I’ve been on a 60-mile bike ride
- I can ride my bike to work (and do on an irregular basis)
- I can tie my shoes without hurting myself
- I like what I see in the mirror
- I have a lot better muscle tone (mostly in the legs)
- I’ve realized that “fat guy” is not a permanent state
- I’ve spent way too much money on bike stuff
- I now know that my goal weight is achievable (54 more lbs to go)
- I’m not afraid of riding a bike in bad weather
- People who haven’t seen me in a while are surprised at my appearance
- My eating habits are much better now
- I don’t drink soda
- I drink much more water, and much less beer
I did all of this without any fancy diets, just sensible eating. No drugs, surgery, or other short-cuts.
On October 31, 2009, I intend to write another post like this announcing that I’ve reached my goal weight of 175 lbs.
Well done!
…Just to mention something you probably already know… As you get lighter you get diminishing returns from riding. I started cycling when I was pushing 220 lbs. this summer. I began tracking weight and mileage in August. This table shows mileage vs. weight lost by month:
Month kilometres lbs. lost
Aug. ~473 8
Sep. ~850 7
Oct. ~953 6
(fyi, I’m now at ~184 lbs, the target I’d set for myself was 180, so maybe if I can do 1000+ km this month I’ll be there in four weeks, lol.)
I hadn’t considered the “lightening the load” aspect. Of course, my long-wheelbase recumbent, bags, lights, fenders, laptop, tools, clothes, and other sundry stuff weighs in at 70 lbs, so I’ve got that going for me 🙂
I guess as I weigh less I’ll have to work to get faster.
Wow.. 70 pounds of bike.. that must be fun on hills!
So.. should I look for fitguy to open up next year?
Well, the bike is only that weight with full commuting gear. My commute is relatively flat.
If I ever ride a multi-day tour, I’ll have the weight to deal with, but speed won’t be a huge issue. Besides, I’m not too proud to get off the bike and push up hills when necessary.
I really have no idea what I’ll do with fitguy.org. I have a year to think about it though.