Hi, I've been following the Weight Loss plan for about five weeks now. I weigh 102.5 kg, down from 103.3 when I first posted here. However, my waist has gone down to 41.5 inches from 44. (Yeah, I know, I am mixing up metric and imperial, don't ask :P) I have to admit to being very lazy about calorie counting but I am weighing my portions carefully, sticking to the DASH diet (high fat low sugar version) and relying on a mental picture of what 1,600 (my daily limit) looks like from the first couple of weeks of counting. I just wanted to tell people about the cycling version of Couch to 5K because it's been great. It's called Sofa to 50k. It has a fairly gentle start, and it gives you times to spend on the bike as well as distances because it knows you are going to do less distance if you don't live somewhere flat. You go on two shorter rides during the week and a longer one (that gradually builds up) at the weekend. The shorter weekday rides never get longer than an hour though, which is really handy for fitting them in. There's a lot of advice about how to do road-biking properly, which I ignore because I use off-road tracks and cycle paths mostly. But I am loving it. I get a real kick out of it (endorphins I guess) and it also has slots for cross-training, ie weights or other forms of exercise when you're not on the bike. It's very low-tech - just download the PDFs. You can use pretty much any bike on any terrain as long as you feel comfortable on it. I'm on Week 5 now, about to do my big ride of 2.5 hours (I think) tomorrow. My goal is to get fit enough and fast enough to join a local cycling club/group ride.
Thanks for posting this mayaena just taken a peek and it looks good. First outing yesterday for more than 3 years on my bike, and knee playing up a bit today - better get itself sorted out before W9 of the C25K on Monday ...xx
It took me a while to realise that the recommendations for which bike 'fits' me don't work for me. I had to tweak the saddle higher than they said and have the handlebars in a v. specific sweet spot that was further away from the saddle than on the bikes that 'fitted' me (the sweet spot apparently gets higher as you age as well). I got one bike that was 'too big' and it's perfect. On my other bike I bought a new thingie (I know it's got a name but it escapes me...) to extend the bars forward. Only then did I stop getting knee and back problems from cycling. Good luck with Week 9!
Yeah you'd think they'd promote it a bit more JiminyCricket but maybe they don't have a vested interest in it like the NHS has with C25K... ie stopping people getting sick(er) or heavier.
I'm not allowed to run at the moment because of spine problem. I've started cycling but this is what I need to egg me on and give me the oomph to get out more often and to increase my duration.
I'm probably on the cusp of w2/w3 but I doubt I'd do any more than that, so thank you.
I see that at the end of w8 there's an option to move on the "Beginner's Training" which is a 25wk routine. Really excited about this as I spent a lot of my pre-sloth years cycling.
Great, so glad it was useful for you ewillday. It took me a bit of Googling to find it but it's been worth it. I looked at the options for progression and am also looking for clubs near me whose slow rides might be do-able. I can see myself sticking to the same pattern if I have a group ride to train for.
This sounds great! I have given up on C25K as it wasn't working with my ankle problem but biking would be great. I'm guessing you could also use a static bike if you couldn't get out. I'm thinking this might be a great challenge now the weather is improving. Thanks so much for posting this.
Apparently you can substitute a spin class for one midweek ride, but not being hip enough for that I did do some of the earlier, shorter rides on a shonky old exercise bike because it was very cold in January. But pretty soon I was dying to get out there, whatever the weather. I think I unleashed my inner Mamil (even though I don't do lycra...)
Ha ha ha. I'm with you on not doing a spin class! My physio told me not to as I don't have the required strength in my thighs (size but not strength!!). I usually do a half hour walk Monday and Friday but this has inspired me to replace that with a cycle instead. Not sure I will reach 50kms but definitely excited about getting back on my bike. Thanks!
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...xx
Need some serious motivation
Do you diet on holiday?
How do I lose more than 10 stone?
