In June of 2018 I dusted off my mountain bike and talked my 13 year old son into going for a bike ride. It was on this ride that I learned two things. One, my 13 year was kicking my butt on this ride and two, I love riding bikes! This bike ride started a four month journey of loosing weight and building cardiovascular endurance. On July 1st, 2018 I downloaded a calorie tracking app called www.myfitnesspal.com and weighed in at 217 lbs. I figured out how many calories I needed to meet my daily need, this is called your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is the amount of calories your body requires to function properly on a daily basis. I then deducted 500 calories from my BMR so that my body was working in a calorie deficit. This alone without exercise would set me on a pace to lose 1 pound per week. But I wasn't satisfied with just tracking calories and trying to limit processed foods and remove soda from my diet. I wanted to lose weight and have fun doing it and that is what the bike is all about, fun! I needed to build up my endurance so that I could really enjoy my bike rides, so I also hit the gym. I started with three to four days a week working my way up to one hour per workout on a stationary bike. Not as fun as getting out and riding the trails but listening to podcasts and music defiantly helped pass the time. This also burned additional calories and added to my calorie deficit. In one month I lost 11 pounds, I was seeing results from eating well and exercising. At the two month mark I hit 20 pounds lost, 28 pounds at the three month mark, then 34 pounds at four months! Not only had I lost a ton of weight, but I also dropped a few sizes in clothing and was feeling great! My bike rides were getting longer as well, in September I did a 30 mile ride, then in November a 50 mile ride. My goals keep changing, my focus now isn't so much on my weight, but on how far I can push my physical limits. My next goal is to complete a century, a 100 mile bike ride, so why not sign up for the, the Tour of the Unknown Coast. tuccycle.org
