Hah, you're a lightweight!

I'm the same hieght and six stone heavier!

Like you I've made pledges and failed to follow them. Still, it hasn't stopped me getting out on my bikes though my MTB isn't used as much as it ough tobe. Try stopping my bulk on a slippy descent! My nerves can't take it!

I'm aiming to drop three or four stones this year and perhaps move my Audaxing up from 200km rides to the odd foray into 300km.

Good luck!

There is a time when you just have to stand up and say "does my bum look big in this...". After some tough rides on the autumn on my Kona around the highlands in December, taking in an unexpected dip in Loch Fyne along the way (another story) I am now a little underweight. perhaps you could send me some unwanted pies?

Vernon, you should check Kieran's blogs, too...us more rounded cyclists aren't alone...we make up a bigger part of the market than the industry realizes...

as for spare pies...it's the spare tire round my middle that i'd rather shift!

Marcus

Hi Marcus, good to see the new year's resolution. Best of luck with it. All well here we had a good Xmas, I commute daily to work by bike and the ride home is uphill, but its the paleolithic diet (eg www.thepaleodiet.com ) in conjunction with the exercise that keeps me at a fairly unvarying BMI of 21 to 22. Anyway shouldn't be preachy. Have a great year, probably see you in August again. Peter

chees Pete...love to you all Down Under. p.s. tell us about this paleolithic diet when you have time...Is it a hunter gatherer diet? do you throw spears from your bike?

I'm with you all the way Marcus, don't know what my BMI is or what my weight is, all i know is that they're both way way too high. I'll buy some scales and let you know.

Having to run my rear tyre at 50psi just to stop getting pinch flats (2 the last time I went to Afan just before christmas) has to be a warning sign though and that was before the chocolate and beer fest that is the modern christmas!

Good Luck

Marcus

I'm going on the same journey this year. I'm 6'2" and 16.75 stone, 39 around the waist and need to get down to 13 stone. We are going for pretty much the same thing, so good luck - I will keep an eye on your progress.

i'll keep the reports running here...keep sending your updates in, and drop in and comment on Kieran's blog too...us fat lads will all soon be svelte, then those skinny types will get what for! LOL

Hello Marcus

New Years resolutions frequent the minds of many, not least those who are larger than they should be. I myself have been swinging the wrong way of my "ultimate weight" for 6-7 years and it's a source of much sadness for many of us. Okay, so I'm not talking about obese bed eaters, rather you and I who can't do up the top button on the shorts on those 34's and then after pledging to fit into them, make the same resolution about those 36's. Before you know it, you're wearing a size 40, starting to accept it.

This was my situation in August of 2007. I was too heavy to ride uphill faster than a Raleigh Chopper in neutral, too heavy to charge downhill without breaking my bike and wasn't having any luck with the ladies. Self esteem was running very low. I do a fair amount of exercise, so eating was the worst part of it.

On the 10th August I departed Heathrow with my brand new Yeti 575 and headed out to Whistler, BC. 7 weeks, one Yeti 575 frame and plenty of parts later, I flew to Southern California to ride the local hills of Santa Barbara. I even bought a road bike at this stage and couldn't put it down. Okay, I'm not here to tell you about my trip, but the point is, I was getting fitter and stronger which made me forget about the food. I wasn't eating nearly as much.

It's been five months and I've just got back to the UK, two and a half stone lighter, miles fitter and threw away my size 40's and now have new 36's with space to spare. I'm miles fitter and still going in the right direction. Broad and big boned means I'll never reach the 13st target for my height, but I'm already down under 16st with my 14st target within sight.

Lifestyle makes the difference. Ride to work, take the stairs instead of the lift, avoid that pastry at the "bored" (see Marcus, I can do it too) meeting. Little changes you make everyday go a long way. I'm so much happier, more focussed and most importantly, am riding my new Knolly Delerium T like an F15 Strike Eagle.

Plug: Check out tomdibley.com for some videos and photos of my time in Whistler/Moab/California.

Tom,

you write like a dream, as always...glad you're back this side of the pond, and looking forward to catching up and having a go at punishing your naughty Knolly bike!

any tips on the training regime that lost your weight? intervals, just riding, epic roadbike rides?

cheers for dropping by and leaving a comment,

Marcus

check out www.tomdibley.com for more of Tom's adventures.

LOL, thanks for the plug Marcus.

Tips, yes....spending hours in the saddle. Road riding has done it for me I think. My passion lies in mountain bikes, but the feeling of low resistance riding is brilliant. You see a hill and you want to get out of the saddle and get up it without changing down. It's a strange feeling. I quickly found the weight dropping off. It wasn't the miles I was doing, as much as hours in the saddle. Probably three 1.5hr rides per week with a longer 3+ hour ride on a day off. Riding this much, just made me desire food less and the fitter you get, the faster you burn the cals.

Okay, So Santa Barbara was the ultimate location to do this really. I didn't start work until ten, so I rode most mornings. Then a long ride on the weekend. It doesn't take long to go out for a thrash, you can squeeze one in during the morning or after work too when the nights are lighter. It isn't easy, I didn't have a plan, I just changed my lifestyle. More activity and less "pointless" food.

When you're young, your mind is broad and your waist is narrow; as you get older this position slowly reverses.

The best thing you can do is get out on your bike more. Easy to say I know but not always easy to do...

... I guess you could put a multigym in your shed as an alternative exercising option :).

Good luck with jpourney and keep up with the progress reports.

wise words indeed...keep 'em coming.

Marcus

Hi Marcus

i,m off to play with the big boys on Sunday i,m going out with local mtb club Beamish oddsoxs for a 5 hour ( ouch ) ride they tell me the pace will be easy and the crack good but I do,nt know if i,ll be able to speak

At 6ft 4ins and 16st + 3lbs i,m exactly 31lbs overweight from when I stopped being a roadie so I guess at two pounds per week it will take 15 weeks to get down to my fighting weight i,ll proably lose more tahn 2 pound sper week in the beginning but 2 pounds is a good target as that equates to 7000 cals 1lb of fat = 3500 cals

tribe grandaddy thinking Lydias rusk looks appealing

Marcus

Done the deed went with the local group and spent approx 4 hours riding mixed terrain a mixture of railway paths and woods which was sort of a mini dalby but with no purpose built track it was just pick your line through the mud and dodge the trees and walls yes many descents ended in a 90 degree turn left or right just before a wall??

The boys and girls were really frindly and made me feel at home so I could become a regular member plus I have talked myself into getting fit and riding the Kielder enduro series "doh"

My herat rate monitor took to its bed so I cannot say how many calories I burnt just lots

cheers for the stories and advice Keith, keep the updates coming...looking forward to working out plans in detail when i see you for the cosstrax ride on the 19th...

local to Leeds? check out their rides at www.crosstrax.co.uk

cheers, Marcus

Marcus

went out and braved the 80mph winds today had a cross head wind out and back rode 2hrs 49mins distance 41k used 1924 cals ave h/r 123 total ascent 465m it was a difficult ride it would have been easier with a steady wind but every time I got a steady pace going there was a massive gust which almost stopped me dead and I had to start all over again it was freezing and had to be very careful as there was some icy streches and had to cross a back road with about 3mm of snow my feet got wet quite early on and my legs from the knees down and my feet were freezing cold for most of the ride may have to consider purchasing a pair of winter boots but I must have burnt of some fat as fuel next exercise is about 1 hour on the turbo and some gym work tomorrow i,m at work all weekend so my next ride will be Tuesday + i,m getting weighed again Tuesday morning so i,ll report in then

The way forward is waterproof socks (sealskinz do a whole range) and Gore Windstopper leggings which are pretty warm and water repellant, you can wear them with your usual shorts and they're relatively cheap to replace if you fall off and scrape your knee(s)...they also mean you can take a leak easier than you can with bib longs on! Being a roadie, you'd love the gore leggings as well, although they don't come in garish roadie colours!

without sounding like Bridget Jones - since New Year i have ridden out once, consumed McDonalds double cheesburgers x 3 on two seperate occasions, not kicked the diet coke, but reduced the choc bar intake by half and only drank alcohol once...tomorrow i will start swimming again and talk to the gym guys about resistance machines...i've had a bout of man flu and am using it as my excuse...i wonder seriously, how many calories you burn typing, as i seem to do plenty of that! Waist is still 39 inches, and that tape measure is well hidden!

Marcus

Ah yes, the Christmas podge! Good luck...:)

Seeing that photo of you has spurred me on to ditch the pasties and literally "get on my bike". There is some beautiful countryside down here in Devon and I am now going to take full advantage of it. Good luck with the weightloss and remember to re-attach your saddle.

A fellow 'chomper'.

Good job the chippy was shut after Saturdays ride then ;o)

looking forward to you dragging me along with you into this svelte xc whippet state that you crave.

and I will just whisper one more thing.......

get some lights ;o)

yes, lights, of course...when i find 300 quid burning a hole in my pocket i'll be getting some! But the cycling thru treacle that we did on saturday was equal to two rides anyway...yep, cycling into a headwind is the way forward (or backwards!)...

p.s. it's like Michaelangelo saying that the sculpture is already inside the rock, his job is just to free it...that svelte xc whippet is already inside us, we just need to unwarp the layers of fat to get to it!

p.p.s.that last post should have read:

' it's like Michaelangelo saying that the sculpture is already inside the rock, his job is just to free it...that svelte xc whippet is already inside us, we just need to unwrap the layers of fat to get to it!'

I'd rather not think about how fat could be unwarped!

Cheers.

Keep them posts coming...

Marcus

Well here we go with this weeks update Marcus

weight loss 4lbs

ride today started off mizzly and foggy which turned to real rain which turned to snow which meant I cut my ride short and took a short cut home over the fell and down through the wood

time 2hrs 16mins distance 36k heart rate average 124 average speed 15.7k ascent 347m cals used 1647 point to note cals used are per heart rate moniter which only records cals used above a certain h/r not sure what that is but I will have used more than stated off to Leeds on Saturday and then out with the mtb club on Sunday if I can get my pass out signed

please note no fish+chips in sight

top tips from our roadie friends:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12554678

this weeks update weight loss 3lbs

stats from Saturdays ride in Leeds big thanks to Ed and the team at crosstrax for suppling demo bikes and a really good route no distance figure no pick up on demo bike time 3hrs 16mins ascent 499m kcals 2374 ave hr 128

info from yesterdays ride (Thursday) time 3hrs 04 mins distance 48k ascent 510m ave spd 15-7k ave hr 119 1977 kcals at least the sun shone a little bit but mostly a strong wind that was v cold and rode through several snow showers

keep it up Keith...i saw inside my gym for the first time in a while - i even did a bit of cycling in there!

i've managed to shed a fair amount of excess weight by eating properly, cutting out junk food and beer. running around after kids helps too!

gareth