Fatboy Slimming

I was expecting to have put on a couple of pounds this week, I've been ill with a cold so there has been no exercise and I've not been very strict on what I have been eating. I actually seem to have lost a pound, so that's a bit of a relief!

I've lost 13lbs so far this month and I'm really quite enjoying it, I really want to get out on my bike again. I'm starting to feel a bit better so I'll have a go in the next couple of days.

Things had been going so well; eating properly and exercising quite often. For the last week I have had a pretty heavy cold, it's stopping me going out on the bike and all I really want to do is stay in bed and eat warm food.

I don't think I have put any weight on yet, but I'm sure this will add a couple of pounds (especially as I gave in to a chocolate and crisps craving last night), at least I have an excuse...

Surprisingly, I really miss cycling! I'm hoping to stick at it for a few months, get fitter and then upgrade the bike and do some challenging terrain!

Out again tonight:

Distance: 6.23 miles
Time Taken: 27:32
Average Speed: 13.5 MPH
Max Speed: 19.3 MPH

Cumulative Distance: 18.7 miles (since the cycle computer was fitted)

I did the lap the other way around tonight and as you can see it made no difference to my time, the route is fairly flat so it's not a big surprise. I really start to get tired after the half way point and I just don't have the energy to put 100% in to it. If I keep to the same route I should be able to see any improvements as I go.

I still don't seem to be losing any weight, is it possible that I am putting on muscle in my legs at the same rate that I'm losing fat? Wishful thinking eh?


The bike I use is quite an old mountain bike, I do have slick road tyres on it but it's not the ideal road bike. It's rather heavy and it's quite low geared, at my top speed of around 19MPH I really could do with a higher gear.

I do have another bike in the garage, it's a half decent road bike but I really don't think I should be using it just yet. My fear is that while I'm still overweight I might break the spindly thing by getting on it... Maybe a few months on the mountain bike will bring the weight down enough for me to move up on to the racer, then I can start going on longer rides.

I didn't get out on the bike yesterday mainly because it was very windy and raining quite hard, I was working in London so I did walk to the station and up and down all those stairs in the underground...

I did do the lap tonight though:

Distance: 6.23 miles
Time Taken: 28:13
Average Speed: 13.2 MPH
Max Speed: 17.6 MPH

Not much change, still quite windy.

I still can't maintain the same effort for the whole lap, I might try doing the lap in reverse next time (not riding backwards...) just to see if it is something to do with the hills or wind direction.

I'm still managing to eat quite sensibly, I did have a Chinese take-away tonight but I tried to pick a reasonably healthy option and didn't go for any side dishes!

I don't seem to be loosing weight very quickly at the moment, the answer to that is to stop weighing myself all the time. I know what I am doing is going to lead to a healthier me, the speed I get there is secondary.

Ok, I got myself the cycle computer and fitted and calibrated it before tonight's ride, here are the stats:

Distance: 6.31 miles
Time taken: 29:26
Average Speed: 12.8 MPH
Max Speed: 18.2 MPH

That sets the benchmark!

It was very windy out there tonight so I'm hoping I can beat that some time soon. I also noticed that my fitness and stamina need some improvement; I was averaging 14.5 mph for the first half of the lap but I couldn't sustain that for the second half.

This is going to be fun!

Things are going quite well so far and I'm feeling good about it all. This time around I'm trying harder to up the exercise which is one of the things I didn't really get around to on my last attempt.

Another 2lbs to go and I will have lost a stone, hoping to reach that marker within the next two weeks.

I've upped my intake of water too, I try to do at least some exercise each evening and during or afterwards I drink two litres of water. I'm finding that I feel happier and I can concentrate easier, that could be the change in the diet or the exercise, or it could be that I didn't drink enough water in the past (I don't normally drink much)

Last night I went out on my bike for another ride, this time I expanded the route a little bit so that I am now doing about half a lap of the towns circumference. Today I measured the exact route in the car to see how far it was, I was quite surprised to see that it was exactly 6 miles. It's not a huge mileage but I think it's just about right to start with, it's not too long or too time consuming so I'm hoping I can do the lap most evenings. So far I have been out two nights running and tonight I need to take some DVD's back to Blockbuster (a couple of miles away) so that will be an extra incentive to go...

I don't think I'll be adding many miles to the route for now, instead I'll start timing the route and aim for improvements. When I reach a better level of fitness I'll design a new route which will be more of a challenge!

I really need to get myself a cycle computer like this as it would be good to work on increasing the average speed.

14th January means that it is the second whole week, the result is a total loss of 11 lbs.

I'm not losing weight as quickly as the first week, but that is OK by me. I made my first real attempt at upping the exercise by cycling a few miles (as mentioned on the main blog), it was good but I set out in the dark and it was cold!

I'm hoping that I'll be able to get a few miles in most days (weather and enthusiasm permitting!)

So, after a "fall off the wagon" during my last attempt which saw me put all the weight I had lost back on, I have started again with added gusto!

I started on New Years Day so it has been exactly one week.

The news is that I have lost 9lbs so far which seems like quite a lot, I guess that when I weighed myself on the 1st I was heavier than normal? Maybe a big meal the night before.

I'm not skipping any meals, I may actually be eating more than before but I'm being quite careful about what I do eat. Breakfast is now Quakers Oatso Simple and that is great at keeping you feeling full all morning, I add a handful of sultanas to it too. It's a great breakfast for cold winter mornings when you are in a hurry!

Like most of the population the New Year has signalled the start of my weight loss and fitness drive...

So, it's only the 3rd day but things are going well. Need to up the intake of water and fruit&veg and also start some regular exercise. What I have done is make a start on the portion control and make sure what I am eating is "good food"

I'll keep you posted