spiffmana

Just going by what my HRM tells me, that seems reasonable. A 153 average is pretty high in terms of calorie burn, especially over 50 mins.

You have done an excellent job! I hope you're very proud of yourself, you have every right to be :D

Outstanding! It's always great to get that reinforcement that people notice, because it's so much harder to see it in the mirror. The shrinking clothes are also tremendous!

I ride a 2011 Jamis Ventura Comp, and will in the next year or so be looking at entry-level-ish mountain bikes to pick one of those up as well. I'm fairly new to cycling (you know, since getting a driver's license and all), but I love my bike, and use it as often as I'm able.

Amarillo, here. I'm glad there are others somewhat nearby!

The Shawshank Redemption Empire Records The Sandlot (don't hate!) Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Waiting... Rudy Hackers (go ahead and hate) SLC Punk! The Princess Bride Plenty of others I can't think of. But HUGE props to OP for listing Scott Pilgrim. God I love that movie.

I just bought a Polar FT4 yesterday, and I love it. No more guessing at how hard I'm working, or how many calories I'm burning!

Welcome Heather! I'm sure you'll like it here.

This. This right here. Going harder is just even better for you. The "fat loss" zone on the cardio machines is really just to encourage those who are not yet capable of doing more. And yes, high intensity interval training is the best kind of cardio. And also the most exhausting.