I only wanted to lose 63 pounds

I wanted to share my story, just in case it can help anyone out there realize that it is entirely possible to accomplish your goals, as long as you put forth a lot of dedication and hard work.

When I turned 39 in December 2009, I weighed 293. That was the heaviest I had ever weighed. I made a promise with myself that day that I would adopt my very first New Years Resolution in hopes of losing 63 pounds before my 40th birthday. I waited until after the holidays were over and then decided to give it my best shot. I know 39 isn't "old", but I figured this would be my last opportunity to make a meaningful change in my lifestyle and health. On January 4th, I cut out red meat, fried foods, sweets, and soft drinks. I have never been a coffee drinker and I had already stopped drinking anything with caffeine two years prior so cutting out the soft drinks didn't bother me at all. I adopted about a 1,200 calorie-per-day diet.

After a couple of weeks of getting used to my new diet, I started walking to and from work (2.5 miles each way). After a couple of weeks of walking, I decided to try to jog, but it didn't work out too well for me because of my weight. So, I went out to Craigslist and bought a used bicycle. I was eager to try riding, so I went out with my brother for an eleven mile ride. It was tough and I could barely move afterward, but still I went out the very next day for another 11 mile ride. It didn't take long for me to realize that I really enjoyed cycling. What really sold me was the fact that every single day, I would step on the scale and see the weight loss which I could directly associate with my cycling.

After 3 months, I hit my goal of losing the 63 pounds. Summer was approaching, so I decided to keep on cycling and see if I could lose 93 pounds. This would take me down to an even 200 pounds. Once I reached 200, I decided that I would just keep going until I reached 189, which is the top range of the normal category on my BMI chart. By the time my cycling had to slow down for late Fall/early Winter, I had lost 121 pounds and weighed 172 pounds. I managed to keep the weight off during the winter and now enjoy cycling as a permanent part of maintaining my healthy lifestyle.

My daily pre-work rides range from 28-50 miles and my weekend rides are usually about 40 miles (I ride about 5 times per week). During the height of the riding season, I can intake about 2,400 calories, but I back that down to about 1,400 during the off-season. My longest ride in 2010 was 123 miles and I logged a total of 4,000 miles. In 2011, I logged 4,479 miles.

Previous attempts to diet had only produced a 20 pound (or so) loss. I never thought I could have achieved a loss of 121 pounds. In doing so, I reversed sleep apnea and took away all the risk factors I had for heart disease and diabetes (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc). I lowered my resting heart rate to 52 bpm and greatly increased my aerobic capacity. Further, and probably the most visible benefit, is I went from a 44-inch waist to a 32-inch waist and a 52-inch chest to a 42-inch chest.

I really hate to brag on myself, and am only posting this in hopes that it helps someone to realize that you CAN accomplish your goals, no matter how lofty you think they are. You just have to put yourself first and force yourself to make time to work on achieving them. Good luck!