I thought I would write a current post to mix in with these old ones. Don't worry I will throw in some history as well.
I quit swimming competitively when I was twelve. Prior to that I was always skinny, and weight was never an issue for me. By the time I got to high school, I was overweight and out of shape. When I look back at picture now, I think I wasn't that bad and that I wish I were that weight again, but at the time I was heavy. Another thing that happened in that time period was that I started smoking, so it was bad health decisions all the way around during my teenage years.
In those days, our knowledge of nutrition was pretty low and wrong. The whole low fat craze was screwing us over, and the food pyramid was a joke, and no one really knew what caused heart disease and diabetes. I remember eating liquorish and thinking it was okay because it had 0 fat. We now know that fat is okay, and that sugar and carbs are what are causing our epidemic of diabetes and heart disease, but back then it was all about low fat.
After going through a dateless high school period, I thought it was time to get back in shape, so I started riding my bike to work. I still lived at home and I worked in Ypsilanti. I had to be at work at 6 am, so that meant I had to get up at 4 am and ride the 15 miles or so to work. After a summer of riding and dieting, I was in pretty decent shape. Unfortunately I didn't quit smoking, but at least I was active and feeling pretty good about myself. I was still dateless, but that's a discussion for another blog post.
For years after this, I had a pattern of gaining 20 lbs in the winter and losing 20 lbs in the summer. Throughout my 20's I would fluctuate between a size 34 pants and 36 in the winter. My lowest weight during this period was around 210 lbs which according to the doctors chart put me right on the edge of being overweight. At 210 I looked gaunt, and I didn't feel very good. Friends at the time commented that I had lost too much weight. So even though 230 lbs was technically overweight, that is where I looked and felt my best.
Throughout my twenties, I would go between 220's and 240's every year. As I got into my thirties though, things started to change. I still would usually lose 20 lbs in the summer, but I was putting on more like 25 on in the winter. My pants size was going between 36 and 38 now and my weight in the winter was pushing past 250.
Once I hit my 40's, the cycle got even worse. I started losing less in the summer and gaining more in the winter. My activity level had dropped significantly when I bought the restaurant, and my eating habits were horrible. It wasn't so much that I was eating too much, but more that I was eating the wrong things and at the wrong times. I worked so much that often I wouldn't be eating dinner until midnight right before bed. In 2008 I did finally quit smoking, and I was starting to get into cycling again, but I just couldn't seem to lose the weight. I was always working and I was on my feet a lot, but other than riding my bike a few miles to work and back, I wasn't getting any real exercise.
At the end of 2010, I closed my restaurant. I was at my heaviest I had ever been in my life at over 320 lbs. At that time, I really doubted that I would live to be 50 years old. I would go to bed at night with massive pains in my chest and wake up so sleep deprived that I couldn't stop shaking. Between the stress of working 14-16 hours a day, and having the bills pile up as the restaurant failed, I was sure I was going to have a heart attack at any time. I had been at some pretty low points in my life, but that was probably the lowest. I was unhealthy, unhappy, and totally defeated by the world.
Closing the restaurant was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. I had always dreamed that we would make it, and Forrest and I would work together for the rest of my life. I loved working with Forrest so much. He was my best friend and an excellent business partner. If he had been an adult and out of school, I think the restaurant would probably have made it, but Forrest still had another year of high school and everything was falling apart too quickly. We closed the restaurant right before Christmas in 2010 and never opened again. We sold the assets to the couple who runs Cafe Ollie and started trying to rebuild our lives.
At the beginning of 2011 I was ready to make a new start. I improved my diet. I read the Omnivores Dilemma, and I watched documentaries like Food Inc, Supersize Me, and Fat Sick and Almost Dead among many others. I learned a lot about nutrition and exercise. I started going to the gym. At first I could on do a few minutes on the elliptical and I could walk on the treadmill, but over time I was able to build up my stamina and endurance. I cut out almost all carbs, and really focused on a more plant based diet limiting meat to weekend meals. When it got warm, I started riding my bike outside and joined group rides. Soon I was riding 40 and 50 miles at a time on the weekends. By the middle of summer I had lost 60 lbs and I was feeling pretty good. In the fall I road my first Century Ride on my bike.
I stayed at 260 lbs for quite a while. I have figured out a diet that was sustainable and it was working for me. In 2012 I started doing triathlons. Forrest and I really enjoyed competing in these and had a lot of fun doing them. I was still having the ups and downs caused by the seasons, but I had a gym membership and I was doing pretty well with keeping things in check.
In 2012 I got married, and things started going downhill after that. In 2013 my marriage started falling apart and fitness kind of went by the wayside. I was still going to the gym and riding my bike, but not like I was the previous couple of years. I really had to force myself to go to the gym. At the end of 2013, my marriage was finished, and I really struggled to keep balance.
Through the winter of 2014 I still tried to go to the gym, but I was always worried about running into my ex, so I didn't go very often. I had friends that I would hang out with, but the only activities we did together was hanging out and drinking, so I was back on the gaining cycle. In the summer I was riding my bike pretty regularly, so my weight would drop like it always had, but once fall hit, I was on a gaining cycle.
Near the end of the summer of 2014, four sentences posted on facebook ended up collapsing my entire social circle. A woman that my ex wife started dating after she left me made a comment about a cycling post I made, and I responded in what I thought was a fair level of aggression given the comment. My friends at the time took the response as being homophobic and stopped talking to me. I have no problem with homosexuals, what I had a problem with was friends who became homewreckers. I didn't care that my ex wife dated a woman, I was angry because the woman was a friend of mine who I had introduced to my wife. I lost all the friends I had been hanging out with except for one, and I sank into a pretty heavy depression.
2015 started out very much like 2011. I needed to make a new start. I was over 300 lbs again, but I was dating someone, and my friend Buffy and I had signed up for a nutrition and fitness class at WCC. My emotional state was improving and I was feeling better about my situation.
The nutrition and fitness class was awesome. It met every Saturday morning at 9 am, so it forced me to get moving on Saturday mornings, plus we met in a classroom at the gym, so I was already there and that often motivated me to do a workout. I actually learned a lot in the class. My understanding of nutrition at this point was pretty good, but the class added a lot of biological details that gave me a much greater understanding. Paired with the class was exercise and it really was designed for people wanting a full immersion into getting in shape. Buffy and I worked together at both the academic and the fitness goals, so it was a great opportunity to have a workout partner as well as someone to study with. We both lost over 20 lbs wile we were in the class, and when the warm weather hit, I was in pretty good shape for riding my bike.
The woman I was dating was not supportive at all of my fitness goals. She thought my bike rides were crazy and she had no interest in doing any of the things I talked about doing. I realized then that there are people in life who are spectators and there are people like me who are participants. I could never watch a reality show because I actually live a real life. I would find watching someone else live their life pointless and boring. It wasn't until I dated Maria that I realized that some people just don't want to actually do anything. Watching the world go by is enough for them. I think that is a really sad way to live, but to each their own. I will continue to participate and challenge myself to be a better me all the time.
Throughout 2015 I was pretty active on my bike, and met several of my weight loss goals, but I still never made it back to where I was in 2011. Then fall hit, and the cycle started over. In the spring of 2016 I was hovering at 300 lbs again. I had gotten down to the 280's in 2015, but my winter gain was back. I had maintained going to the gym, so although I was fat, I was still really fit. I was also single again which I figured would help me get in shape. After a year of being shunned by my friends, they decided to welcome me back into their group. I was happy to have a social circle again, but I have always had a feeling that it could happen again at any time. I have very poor filtering over the things that come out of my mouth, so I figure I will say something wrong again at some point. Hanging out with them again also means drinking a lot more, so this time I kept a better balance, and would meet them only after doing some type of activity.
The summer of 2016 was really MY year, and I mean that in the most selfish way possible. I had given up on dating and decided I just wanted to enjoy myself and go on adventures. I took up kayaking and tried camping. I was gone almost every weekend in June and July. My weight dropped down into the 270's for the first time in a couple of years, and I was really happy with who I was. There were times I was lonely, but I was able to overcome that by paddling along a river or riding my bike in some new place I had never been. I didn't rely on friends or a partner for my happiness, I just worked on making myself happy. I think for the first time in my life I was able to stop judging myself and be happy for who I am and I really enjoyed that.
Toward the end of July, I started talking to Kat online. We met on one of those swiping style dating sites. I really didn't think anything would come of it, but she was fun to chat with and I thought she was really interesting. I kept doing my kayaking, but I would share pictures of my adventures with her. It was really cool to have someone to share these things with. We met for real in August, and we hit it off from the first date. I still did some weekend trips throughout august. I did the Float Down in Port Huron, then I did a two day Kayaking trip on the Huron River Starting at my house and ending at Lake Erie. In September I started doing more hiking because that is one of the activities Kat enjoys. We did a couple of long hikes together before the weather got too cold.
With November and December, I saw the cycle starting again. By Christmas I had put on 10 lbs and still climbing. I kept trying to make it to the gym, but too many other obligations would get in the way. I knew the holidays were going to be horrible for me weight wise, but I was really struggling with how I was going to get any exercise in. That's when I started looking at the Peloton Bike. Remember Peloton, this post is about Peloton.
I had been looking at the Peloton bike for years ever since they launched their kickstarter campaign. I always liked the idea, and thought it looked cool, but I have bought so many things in the past to exercise at home that were never used. The cost of this bike is really high, and if it just sat in a corner, I would really be pissed at myself for buying it. As I watched my weight increase again this year, I started looking at this bike more seriously. When Forrest and I were on our cruise at Thanksgiving, I had taken the four spinning classes they offered. I have always really enjoyed spinning, but I can never get to the classes at the gym because they start before I get home.
With my size, I really wanted to see the bike and try it out to make sure it would fit before I dropped that kind of money on it. Kat and I went to Somerset Mall where I was able to try out the bike. I really liked the feel of it, and the tablet looked amazing. The following Monday, I found a holiday coupon code online and that with the $100 of free accessories, I got over $300 off the bike. I bit the bullet and placed the order.
I was really hoping I would get the bike before Christmas, but I didn't really expect it to arrive. Then I got the call that they were available to deliver it on the Thursday before the holiday. I was really excited. They delivered the bike and set it up in my bedroom. I immediately did one of the 20 minute beginner rides on demand, and really liked the bike. I did another ride on demand, and then I did a live ride. It was really exciting when the instructor said hi to Jimmy Neutron, that's my nickname on their stream. It really felt like I was part of the class and that added to the motivation. The other thing I noticed was that since I was at home, I could push harder than I would in a class because if I puke or collapse at the end, no one will see me. So when Christine asks if I can add one more, I'm like "Hell Yeah I Can".
I have taken a number of classes from different instructors, but so far my favorite has been Christine. All the instructors have been good, and I haven't had a class I didn't like yet, but each one has a different personality and style. A number of instructors set their classes up as a cardio class, which is what it is, but they are all about the cardio and different moves. What I really like about Christine's classes is that she is an outdoor cyclist, so she designs her classes around cycling and how you would ride if you were actually on a bike. I work harder knowing that I am building my stamina for when warm weather hits. I also like her personality and snarky comments as well. Like when she says she doesn't want to hurt you at the beginning of the class, and then winks and says she will hurt you later in the class. You really feel that she wants to sustain the torture as long as possible. When I finish her classes I always feel like I have had a really good workout, and I have enjoyed every minute of it no matter how uncomfortable it was.
After having the Peloton bike for a couple of weeks, I have taken over a dozen classes and also done the stretches in the beyond the ride sections. I have already used this more than any other piece of indoor exercise equipment I have purchased in my life. Even on days where I can't fit an hour of time in to do a ride, I can always pick a 20 or 30 minute ride in the on demand section. I really love this bike, and I really think I will keep using it. I'm sure I will get to the point where I am not using it everyday, but if I can keep doing three to four times a week, this would solve my fall and winter meltdowns, and maybe I could continue to progress in my weight loss goals.
Now that I am almost 50, and I have been on weight loss journeys several times, I do know what actually works for me. When someone tells me they are trying a new diet and that I should try it, I politely say I don't do diets. I know my body and what works for me. Losing weight is actually really simple. Cut out the bread, pasta, and french fries, eat more plant based items, and exercise at least three days a week. That isn't a diet though, it is a lifestyle. When I keep that balance, I lose and sustain weight loss. Carbs and Sugars are addicting. It takes a while to eliminate the cravings for them. A couple of slices of bread and a potato, and I am right back wanting them all the time. The trick for me is to not ever have bread or potatoes in my house. When I go out for a dinner, that is when I treat myself to these items. That way they become associated away from home and as part of a special occasion and not something that I can eat any time I want.
Lifestyle changes take time, and as life changes, so does your lifestyle. There have been so many points in my life when things were going right and I made good eating and exercise choices, but that can be undone in a moment by other life events. That's okay. You can't beat yourself up about everything that happens. All journeys in life have ups and downs, and that is what makes life fun. If everything were a flat road, life would be really boring.
More about the bike. When I first started looking at the bike seriously, I looked at a lot of reviews, and all of them were positive. I did find one review that compared the bike to a schwinn model, and the reviewer felt that the Peloton was inferior, but he also sold schwinn, so there was a little bias there. He did make a couple of points about the belt and the bottom bracket, but he totally ignored the tablet which is what makes the Peloton bike a truly wonderful piece of equipment. The bike itself is really solid, and professional quality like you would see in a gym spinning class. The tablet is a 21" hardened touchscreen that can handle bouncing around and getting covered with sweat. The company really isn't making a lot of money off the hardware. You really are getting what you pay for.
The subscription for unlimited classes is what makes this bike worth every penny. I have seen posts where people complain about the $40 a month subscription, and if you are struggling to pay rent every month, this bike isn't for you anyway. If you are a professional like I am, and you struggle to find the time to fit your exercise into your schedule, this is a solid solution. The subscription gives you unlimited live and pre-recorded rides every month. There are usually about a dozen classes a day from early in the morning to late in the evening. Plus there are literally thousands of pre-recorded rides you can choose from, so any free time you have, you can use this bike.
The metrics on this bike are incredible. It keeps track of cadence, power output, heart rate, calories, speed, and resistance. You can share your ride on Strava or Facebook. I share to Strava automatically which then links to myfitnesspal where I log all my food an other activities. If you know anyone looking at one of these, tell them to try it out at a showroom if they can.
Here is a shameless plug. If you or someone you know uses the link below, you will get two months free on your subscription. The cool thing for me is that if you use it, I also get two months free, so we both win.
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