Inspiration needed-newbie that needs to loose weight/get fit

[Firm Button]

Hi all, UK chap here, 40, 18stone.

Some years back (20) i was well into cycling, mainly mountain biking to get fit, it was quite a buzz! Now after sitting in fornt of a computer for 10 years, i am doing no exercise and need to loose weight! I have recently had problems with my knees, i have early arthritus and have had a meniscus tear in my right knee.

I have the funds to spend what is needed so no worry there. A pal of mine recently bought a snazzy Rose racing bike and after a long think, i recon cycling is probably the best way for me to fitten up. I am a gadget freak, anything tech, i love, so the more geeky the bike the better, this is the best way to encourage me to actualy want to use the bike!

But before i splash £3k on a fitted race bike, i recon its worth buying something secondhand to get me into some milage first...i would welcome your opinions on this...

So i am at your mercy chaps, fire away!

Oh yes, and if anyone can point me at any blogs/write ups of fatties like me turning their lifes around by getting on thier bikes, that would be fab.

Many thanks all

Steve

 

[Bungleaio]

I was/am in a similar situation to you mate, I'm 31 and 19 stone and spend the vast majority of my time at a desk.

I've just got back on a bike and have been riding it the past week. It's a killer when you 1st get on it but I have been doing 5 mile circuits but last night I did 2 laps and it feels great. I'm too early into it to physically notice any difference but each circuit I do I get faster so it must be doing some good.

Rather than go for a full on road bike I've gone for a Specialized Sirrus Sport http://www.specializ...sport%2FFitness It's really light and is comfortable to ride.

I might go for a proper drop handle bike in the future when I've lost a few stone but until then the sirrus is doing me proud and I'd highly recommend one.

Whatever you get I'm sure you'll enjoy being back in the saddle!

 

[rowan 46]

If you've got a bad knee stay away from mountain biking, as to losing weight the secret to losing weight is to use more than you take in now this can be long distances at an aerobic speed or more sensibly with a bad knee change your dietary habits and gentle exercise, eat healthier and smaller portions.

 

[Andrew_P]

What sort of Cycling are you going to be doing?

I was 18st 10 August two years ago, I only know this as whilst away my kids kept on at me about hiring some bikes, I did and within 4 weeks of getting back I had gone and bought a Hybrid bike, rode that for a year around 2500 miles, bought a road bike and now use it 99% of the time commuting.

Two years later 6000 miles a few minor changes to my diet I weigh 13.9. I aim to be a little over 12st by April 2012.

I found commuting to be the best method simply because it was functional, only cost me an hour a day for two hours excercise, once ridden in I had to ride home and once you get over the pain (and believe me it will be painful at first) it becomes a fairly easy habit to maintain. The trick with cycling to work will be to persist long enough that it no longer take an iron will to jump on the bike in the morning rather Car/Bus or train!

Riding for pleasure (to lose weight) will be much harder to keep in a routine due to normal life pressures and due ot the fact that you will be at first struggling to ride enough to have the right effect to lose weight.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Talk to GB155. His story is amazing. I think he was twice your weight when he started out!

 

[ColinJ]

Talk to GB155. His story is amazing. I think he was twice your weight when he started out!

Nearly 40 stone in fact! Gaz's blog.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Nearly 40 stone in fact! Gaz's blog.

I PM'd his the link to this thread

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

Hi Steve. I started cycling to work last September after doing the Manchester-Blackpool the previous July with my daughter. I was nearly 15 stones before I started but am now tending to stay just below 12 stones. I am also able to eat anything I fancy, and certainly eat more than I used to.

I am 54 and have quite bad osteo-arthritis in my left hip. The loss of hip-joint mobility caused by the arthritis in turn causes problems with all the surrounding muscles, tendons and ligaments, including my left knee, because I can find no hip position that will stretch the relevant muscles, etc. Cycling, along with exercises that a physio gave me, and the use of a foam roller to stretch the IT band seems to be holding the problems at bay very well. I think cycling is good for arthritis because it in non-impact and non-weight bearing, so lots of reasons to keep it up.

Despite the hip/leg, I am doing about 100 miles per week commuting with no problems, and I feel pretty fit now. We went on holiday a few weeks ago to Whitby, and I managed to go up Blue Bank, which climbs about 850ft in 2 miles, with a 1-in-3 at one part, without getting off the bike. The next milestone: I've just signed myself and my daughter up to do the Manchester 100 miles in September. The only down side is that it is costing a fortune to replace all my clothes, including some that I'd hardly worn before losing the weight, but I don't mind that so much.

I think a key piece of advice for looking after the bad joints is to spin rather than grind. Keep up a high cadence (pedalling speed - I think mine is normally about 90 to 120 rpm now) and as soon as pedalling becomes an effort, change down a gear. The other thing I've found is that saddle position is critical. I think when you have joint problems, the tolerances are narrower than they would otherwise be. I have found that changes of even a centimetre make a big difference, and have made lots of fine adjustments to get things right.

Finally, as far as the weather is concerned, I have often felt like I didn't want to go to work on my bike, especially last winter in -8C, but once I got out there, I really enjoyed it.

 

[briantrumpet]

I have recently had problems with my knees, i have early arthritus and have had a meniscus tear in my right knee.

I have the funds to spend what is needed so no worry there. A pal of mine recently bought a snazzy Rose racing bike and after a long think, i recon cycling is probably the best way for me to fitten up. I am a gadget freak, anything tech, i love, so the more geeky the bike the better, this is the best way to encourage me to actualy want to use the bike! But before i splash £3k on a fitted race bike, i recon its worth buying something secondhand to get me into some milage first...i would welcome your opinions on this...

I'm 47, and though luckily weight is not a problem for me, I have had knee problems (meniscus tear) and that's one of the reasons I took to road cycling fairly seriously - I didn't really want surgery.

Anyway, I already had a cheap new road bike (Saracen) for commuting, then once I started to get serious got the CAAD9 (£1000), then the commuter died, so got a cheap Giant Defy 4 (£400) to replace that, then the SuperSix came up at ridiculously cheap price (£2000). I'm glad I've done it that way around, as I've appreciated each step along the way, and have three bikes for £3400, so have the fun of choosing which I use. Make of that what you will.

Oh, and the knees are doing very nicely... and I'm fitter than I've ever been, and having a great time. Cycling really can be a life-changer.

 

[vickster]

I have had knee issues for the last 2 years, 2 operations the last in December (meniscus damage repaired, bone damage so like arthritis tidied). This year I have cycled in excess of a 1000 miles and the knee has never been better. Little pain, less of the infernal aching, better flex and strength

I have also lost about 2.5 stone since the injury, more sensible eating, gym and to some extent the bike (not lost anything this year despite the biking, must all be muscle )

If I were you, I'd get a decent quick hybrid for around £500 (something like a Specialized Sirrus, Giant Defy, a Marin, or Trek 7.3) and get some weight off and the strength off and get into cycling. Buy it from a proper local LBS (i.e. probably not Evans and almost certainly not Halfords) and they should fit you properly.

The weather will be getting poorer over the next few months anyhow and you won't want to spoil a 3k bike (you really don't need to spend that much even on a cabon roadbike, there are plenty of options for £1000-1500).

You'll also find a more upright position more comfortable if you are heavy, especially around the middle, I certainly find this to be the case (even now). Make sure you stretch properly, there are plenty of good PT type exercises than can help dodgy knees too.

Enjoy, cycling is about the best you can do for your knee exercise wise, but make sure the bike is set up right

 

[MacB]

I'd recommend going for a more generously proportioned hybrid in terms of tyre clearances and make sure it can take mudguards and a rack. If you get bitten by the cycling bug then you'll lash out on a fancy bike and have a far better idea of what you want by then as well. But you'll still want a general purpose bike and if you get too roadified a hybrid then it won't have the functionality you may want/need. You can always put skinny tyres on a bike but if the frame has limitations you may only be able to put skinny tyres on.

 

[vickster]

That's what I was trying to say - just MacB said it so much better - get back into cycling and then you'll need at least 2 bikes

I have never needed mudguards and rack on my Sirrus, but I think it can take them

 

[Holdsworth]

Good to see someone plucking up and determined to lose weight

I was in a similar position to yourself last summer when I first started cycling. I was a smidge under 16 stone, asthmatic and very unfit having done no exercise in any reasonable amount since my pre-teen days. The reason I started was that I needed to get to my summer job 5 miles away and the buses didn't start early enough. I ended up using my BSO for a month until I ran it into the ground when the left crank fell off! I then bought a cheap racer off eBay and I still use that occasionally.

I didn't really do it for the weight loss to start with, I needed to get to work and that is what I did. I only noticed that the weight was coming off a few months into it when I was attending college again (at the same place as work).
I have never been one for exercising for the sake of it, I can never keep up the motivation, but having a bike and needed to use it daily to get to work etc. has kept me going and I really enjoy it.
I was naughty though and I kept eating the same old crap I always have, still do, so I am not as healthy as I should be but I have still managed to drop to 12 stone and keep the weight off for so long. Just the belly to get rid of now, I need to start eating healthier really and manage my portion sizes.
I am a lot fitter than I used to be even though my asthma still troubles me frequently.

Just spend time finding the right bike for yourself and take it easy at first, work up to a target and stick with it

 

[gb155]

Great to see someone here wanting to change, well done that man.

As for the bike, wellllll at 18 stone you can pretty much take your pick, though i'd play it cautious for now, something with mudguards etc but if you want to throw yourself in, road bike first, then just make sure you get a set of hand built wheels.

And finally, check my sig for the requested blogs of someone who has saved his life by taking up cycling ....39 stone 13 pounds was my TRUE starting weight........getting my fat ass on a bike shaved off over 60% of weight

 

[Lucheni]

Here's another inspirational tale for you.
http://cycleseven.org/why-i-took-up-cycling-in-2007-from-fat-to-fabulous