If You're Thinking of Taking Up Cycling - DO IT!

skelkelly

I know I'm preaching to the converted here in most cases, but just in case there are a few people viewing this forum who are interesting in taking up cycling, then I'd like to share my experience of the last 12 months...

This time last year I was a year off my 40th birthday. I weighed 15st 8lb with a 38" waist and was getting out of breath in a rapid climb up the stairs!

So I decided I needed a change, quick! bought a road bike and started cycling as well as cutting out the week night beers and cutting out the crap I was eating.

A year on (and now in my 40th year), I'm currently 13st 2lb with a 34" waist and have a resting heart rate of 56, that's in the athlete category for my age!!!

So basically if you're thinking about it, then just do it. And when you do it and have a day when you're knackered and what to quit, just carry on doing it.

Allez cycling!
Shaun

Mikey23

excellent

cookeeemonster

+1000 to this ^

started in april at 16 stone...now under 14 and a half and a hell of a lot fitter.

cycling really is a lot easier than you think it is - and don't ever be put off by large mileages - you'll soon build up from a couple of miles to 20/30/40 plus in a relatively short space of time. I would say to get any benefit you probably need to be cycling around 3 times a week or more though.

Anyway, my previously impossible commute of 18 miles each way is actually pretty possible, so just do it

mikebikemike

Well done you.
I'm the same weight as I was a year ago but am sure that road biking has psychological benefits - managing stress and anxiety better.

Superbalicious

+ another one...

At 37 I also weighed 15st 8lb on the 1st of August this year. A renewed interest in cycling and a dramatic change in my diet means I'm now 14st and feeling all the better for it. The only problem is my clothes are now too big but I'm reluctant to buy new because I'd like to get under 13st - I might even look ok in my lycra at that weight...!

I find cycling is a good way to clear my head. My job can be stressful and I have a hectic family life... But that's soon forgotten when I'm on the road!

dee4life2005

+1
I'm 32 and found out that I was techinically classed as obese at 14st 5lbs, so at the start of April I purchased a hybrid with the intention of getting a bit fitter and losing a bit of weight. My initial goal was to maybe eventually cycle to work a couple of days a week - a bit of a challenge as it's 21 miles each way. 4.5 months down the line and I'm now 12st 4lbs, completed my first 100 mile ride last weekend (in 6hrs 20) and have completed about 2800 miles now. I've even started commuting twice a week to work on the bike most weeks, unless the weather is really rotten (rain doesn't bother me, it's the wind!)

I also find that after a hard/stressful days work that having a cycle home is a great way to end the day, especially when it's warm and the sun is out.

I've definitely got the cycling bug, and am kicking myself that I didn't take it up years ago...

unixnerd

Gave a used road bike to my nephew and he lost loads of weight, he just spent a pile on a new bike and loves it. But beware of the dark side, he also goes running now......

skelkelly

I've done a bit of running too!

The biggest warning I could give is the damage it can do to your bank balance!

bluedoggy

This is the main reason why I have made the plunge and bought a bike. I run twice a week and eat better and I feel so much better for it. Cutting out the booze is the biggest thing for loosing the tummy. Having a bike will change everything for me! I'm 42 and weigh 180lbs.

DonutDad

I started riding in March. I started as a couch potato who occasionally rode a bike, but then, eventually (I think once we got some better weather), something clicks and you start needing it, start craving healthy foods, I even refused a beer last night and it felt ok!
There's no better motivation for me than seeing results, and once it gains momentum it becomes natural.
Conscious things I've done are cutting down on cake, cheese and beer. And removed morning and afternoon snacks from my working day at a desk.
I'm 44, 208lbs and this week I've ridden 3 times (10, 22 and 44miles) and ive lost 3.6lbs.
I'd encourage anyone to have a go, even if it takes a while, you'll eventually find the right motivation and it'll be a blast!

adm1

Excellent! Well done.

I started about 2 years ago at 43, after a close call and a trip to the cardio surgeon for a stent. 100Kg, 25 years smoking, no exercise, bad diet, etc, etc....

Now I am about 25Kg lighter, fitter than I have been in decades and can do 100 mile Sportive rides. I'm going to ride London to Paris next month.

It just keeps getting better!

Fursty Ferret

Started cycling almost exactly a year ago. I was 14 stone and now, after averaging about 100-150 miles a week I'm.....14.5 stone.

Much, much fitter though, even though my body shape hasn't changed a jot.

haf1zur

Excellent, after using Boris bikes for the past couple of months I decided to get one of my own and here I am

Manc33

skelkelly wrote:

a year off my 40th birthday I weighed 15st 8lb with a 38" waist... A year on I'm currently 13st 2lb with a 34" waist and have a resting heart rate of 56

Sounds like you made more progress than me and I am 35.

Then again I smoked 25 a day for the first 20 months out of the last 24 months of biking.

I was about 11st 12lbs and I am now 11st 2lbs but it has taken me 2 years lol.

I still have belly fat, its like a curse.

skelkelly

Some great responses, nice to hear people in a similar situation.

ben@31

I once drove to and from work everyday.

Tried running, which seemed hard work and left me with an injury.

Then bought a road bike. My first bike since I was a kid. Now the car stays in the garage and every day I think of how much money I'm saving on petrol.

For anyone taking up cycling, I am speechless at how efficient cycling is! For less effort than walking you can travel faster than you can run. And you can easily travel distances that would only be beyond your wildest dreams to run or walk.

If you had a heart rate monitor and was cycling with your heart rate up, I'd imagine you'd be flying along.

hooters

Hello, I've just joined up as been reading the forum the last few days and thought I may as well start posting here!

Some good stories above, with better motivation than my own to start cycling. I've always cycled 'a bit' doing the odd 10 miles at a weekend purely for the fun of it or seeing friends so I can have a beer or two without driving home(!), other exercise has been on and off going to the gym (weights) and running. I've never been particularly good at keeping to a regime though so the fitness levels have gone up and down quite a lot! Anyway, got back into cycling now as I lost my driving licence a month ago for speeding :oops: (much tougher on speeders here in Guernsey than the mainland!) and the busses are useless so I've been commuting by bike. Slowly building my pace up, pretty much every day I seem to beat my previous times

I feel so much better for doing the regular exercise, even if it is just 15 minutes to commute each way (I'm going further and further on the route home though) and my other half has commented how she can see I've lost weight from my face and body (though my weight seems to have stayed static at 15 stone!). Assuming I can keep the motivation up I'm going to try and keep going through the winter, even after I get my licence back .

Unfortunately though the anticipated money saving of cycling to work seems to have been eroded by buying new shorts, lights, new tyres for my MTB (my only current bike) and the wedge I've just spent ordering a Ribble Sportive!

daysofspeed

Tred running, lost weight, got hurt / bored.

Got bike, fell in love, waiting for weight to fall off still. Only doing one long ride at weekends, don't commute and struggle to ride in week.

You skinny fellas ride lots to lose weight?

ben@31

daysofspeed wrote:

Tred running, lost weight, got hurt / bored.

Got bike, fell in love, waiting for weight to fall off still. Only doing one long ride at weekends, don't commute and struggle to ride in week.

You skinny fellas ride lots to lose weight?

Its all down the type of food you eat.

People who go out doing exercise to lose weight shouldn't on their return feast themselves on chips, pies, pizza, pastry, cake, crisps, ice cream and gallons of alcohol (alcohol contains the most calories per gram, after lard).... Basically you end putting the calories back in that you were burning.

For losing weight, you need to cut out all that food. If you never eat chips or pizza again and replace it with veg and salad you'll see the difference. When eating out, look for the most healthiest on the menu, for example tomato based pasta sauces rather than cheese based pasta sauces, vodka and diet coke only contains 56 Calories while Stella contains 256 calories per pint (multiply this by how many pints you drink on a night out and you'll soon be inputting over 2000 additional calories on top of what you have already eaten!).

skelkelly

With regard to food, I just eat sensibly and balanced. I had pizza last night and had the left overs for breakfast!

But I also do a tot up of calories in everything I eat and stay under 1800 at the moment as I am still trying to drop some weight.

So tonight I will go for a run or ride as I've already had 1000 calories today!

Have you got an iPhone or android phone? If so download My Fitness Pal app, it tracks what you eat and provides calorific info on virtually everything. You can even scan barcodes to bring up nutritional info.

You put in your personal info and how much you want to lose and it will calculate how many calories you can have each day, you can also put in any exercise you do and it counts as minus calories.

It really helped me lose the weight.

fishingguy

I too started later in life and wish i had done it years ago.never felt better!

bdave262000

After the shock of weighing in at 20.2st three years ago and taking a pay cut I new that something had to be done.

Not done much cycling since I was a boy doing laps round Richmond Park on my Falcon rapide back in the late 80's.

Started commuting to work and haven't looked back since.

Been commuting 5 days a week, 25mile round trip since, plus weekend rides and a couple of sportives. Three bikes (Mountain, Hybrid, Road bike) later I'm down to 16.5st.

The money saving side of it hasn't really worked out for obvious reasons.

RiderUk

Hello - Started cycling again having had a break for a number of years. Reasonably fit but would like to be back to my ideal weight of about 14 stone.
Bought a new road bike just over a month ago now and love it. First ride from my LBS was about 12 miles,next ride was 24 miles,tough going and came home very hungry.Missed judged the distance with reference to the amount of engery used and did'nt have a energy bar to help.
3rd ride 33 miles, did the same course and found the hills i struggled with the previous time much easier.Fitness levels improved without doubt. Last sunday I cycled 45 miles and was a joy.
Cycling in conjunction with a good diet,and not exceeding 1500 calories day I'm losing about 2LBs a week.
Will be buying a new Hybrid or may be a Mountain bike soon for woodland, coastal and cycle paths as an alternative to road cycling.

Philinmerthyr

It's great to read all of your success stories.

I'm 22st and 45 years old. I've owned a Bike for years and have gone out for rides but it has been sporadic.

I've now got a place in the London 100 on 4th Aug riding for Beating Bowel Cancer. That is a real incentive to ride regularly and up the distance and frequency of my rides.

6 days in, I've done 2 10 mile rides (mid week) and 2 20 miles rides (this weekend). I already feel better, am eating decent food and have lost half a stone.

This morning I road 20 miles in the wind and heavy rain. I've always been a fair weather cyclist but really enjoyed getting muddy. 40+ weeks to go but I know I will progress and do this.

The charity and sponsorship will keep me motivated

mattyuk

Great thread. I got my bike in beginning of this month, and so far have done 250 miles. Done 33 miles yesterday and it was the best day of cycling ive ever had, ever. Really great hobby, and so addictive! Start of the year I was 15st 7lb, since then (been to gym first part of year too) and with the bike, ive got down to 13st 7lb. In love with it!

Inutero

42 years old.

Used to drive 10 mins back and forth to work everyday. Decided a few months back to buy a MTB to excercise the dogs better, then started using in for the commute to work. My car is pretty much my son's car now. I started about 1 month ago to go further than my work. Bought a cheap road bike (triban 3) and am now cycling over 20 miles every day off or early finish i get. Really hooked now and wishing i'd done this years ago. I've not weighed myself since i started ( was around 12 and a half stone (5 ft 9in)) but i can see that the weight is just dropping off. Feel better than i did about 15 years ago.

samhedges

As someone who recently took up road cycling, I was a little dubious about going long distances from small 10-20 mile rides. My advice to you if you're in the same mindset is just set out and surprise yourself, once you get going you'll be able to carry on as easy as that.

RoadMeridaBen

i took up cycling a few years ago to get fit, started at the grand weight of 10 st
now i weigh exactly the same :P keep at it, you too could experience such changes!

RiderUk

How is everyone getting on with their goal to getting fitter and to lose weight.
Not been cycling for a number of weeks due to the weather and missing it a lot.
As a plan "b" I have started jogging again,it's about a 3 mile course which works well.
However,I think I prefer cycling and understand the calorie burn is far greater.

pda

RiderUk wrote:

However,I think I prefer cycling and understand the calorie burn is far greater.

In terms of calorie burn over the same distance a bike ride is almost definitely not going to burn as many calories. Maybe in terms of calories per minute of exercise it works out to be similar.

Philly8mt

skelkelly wrote:

I know I'm preaching to the converted here in most cases, but just in case there are a few people viewing this forum who are interesting in taking up cycling, then I'd like to share my experience of the last 12 months...

This time last year I was a year off my 40th birthday. I weighed 15st 8lb with a 38" waist and was getting out of breath in a rapid climb up the stairs!

So I decided I needed a change, quick! bought a road bike and started cycling as well as cutting out the week night beers and cutting out the crap I was eating.

A year on (and now in my 40th year), I'm currently 13st 2lb with a 34" waist and have a resting heart rate of 56, that's in the athlete category for my age!!!

So basically if you're thinking about it, then just do it. And when you do it and have a day when you're knackered and what to quit, just carry on doing it.

Allez cycling!
Shaun

Brilliant post. I couldn't have read it at a better time either! I'm 41 and about 15 1/2 stone. A ruptured achillies plus an old knee injury put paid to the twice weekly football sessions and this has left me piling on the pounds. I don't drink or smoke, but, eat quite badly.

I was looking around for something to get the pounds off and started to get more and more interested in biking. Odd really cos I haven't ridden a bike for approximate 25 years!

Anyway ....

I have bought a bike and the bits to go with it and tomorrow morning is my first ride out. I'm quite nervous due to my complete lack of any knowledge or experience tbh! I've read up on here and scoured you tube but now it's down to me.

Thanks for posting everybody. Here's hoping it spurs me on eh