Thursday 29 July 2010

My eyes are open at last.....will they stay open and focused?


Hi everyone, just a short post today, but I hope an important one. With the help of the 39 stone cyclist, and reading about other cyclists achievements in this wonderful blogosphere of ours, I recognised a failing in myself. That failing was accepting second best, and not pedalling that extra mile, where so many of you have succeeded. Below is my response to the 39 stone cyclist's post today, where he declared his aim to fight obesity and its causes.

"First of all let me wish you well in your recovery. I hope alot of people get to read what you write, I back your fight, albeit somewhat selfishly. My story is quite similar to massivemtbiker. I started cycling 5 years ago, at the age of 54. I was 17stone 5lbs, and at 5feet 7inches, obese, no getting away from it. I’ve no idea how I got there, when I played rugby etc., I was 13 stone 7 lbs, come to think of it obese, even then, but boy was I fit. In the last 5 years I’ve cycled 1000′s of miles, but have only lost one stone in weight, 3 inches off my waist, gained 4 inches on my chest, and my legs don’t have an ounce of fat on them. Most importantly I feel great, but how I’d really love to slim down another couple of stone. I know what the problem is, food! It's a fact that I’m too greedy, and cycling makes me very hungry, plus I don’t eat sensibly, I work shifts and perhaps am too damned lazy to go the extra mile that you and Clive have succeeded in doing. Help! I know I’m still too fat, and still obese, by all the current clinical measurements. This isn’t the humourous bit, I swear, but I reconised this fact today, when I caught a glimpse of myself, side-on, in a BURGERKING? Reading your blog today has made me realise I have to go that extra mile, I’ve got to stop being a fittish but obese cyclist,IS THAT POSSIBLE?, and become a fit cyclist, who is happy with his shape. I’m 60 next February, so I’m setting a goal for myself, of getting down to 14 stone by then, wish me luck."

As I said in my reply above, I feel great, but not so inside, I still have issues about the way I look, basically I still look fat, and I don't like it. Publishing my reply on another man's blog is one thing, but posting a goal on my personal blog is, for me, showing even more committment to the promise I've made to myself, and anyone else who drops into my part of the blogosphere.

This prevarication about actually "publishing" this, is very strong at the moment, because I've few ideas about how I'm going to achieve my goal. In the past I've made empty threats about going to the gym, but this time I'll have to "do it". That's my problem, "always a thinker, but never a doer," except when it came to getting on a bike, which as all you cycling bloggers know, is the easy part, because it's such a joy. It's the hard parts I've got to conquer, more exercise off the bike, eating sensibly and most difficult of all, staying focused on this target I've set myself.

Thanyou 39 stone cyclist, for opening my eyes.

Cheers.

3 comments:

Clive Chapman said...

Hiya Welshie,
First off, helmet cam, google Muvi. Or go to ebay and search for Spy Cam, they're basically a Muvi Clone for roughly a tenner. As for the bus thing, I left it, not that I wanted to, but I had some advice from a cop and others who told me a few things I didn't like.

Mate, your post struck a few chords with me that made me smile. Are you me!!!???

I've found that the biggest battle is the food thing. For whatever reasons, (you call it greed, I believe it's a form of mental illness) I (we) have an abnormal relationship with food.

I could as I've said many times before I'm only one binge eating and drinking session away from my old self. At times I can feel myself going that way again. But so far I've coped. But it is a constant struggle, even more than getting up at silly o'clock in the winter and pedalling to work!

Crack the food thing and the weight will take care of itself. You pedal plenty so that's the excercise thing dealt with.

Just out of interest Frank kinlan (the daddy of fat cyclist bloggers and my first inspiration) uses the BHF healthy heart diet, which you download as a PDF from their site.

I wish you luck and believe me I know what you're going through! Don't forget, give me a nudge if you want any advice. Not that I'm an expert by the way, but I seem to have muddled along fairly ok so far.

Cheers

Clive

we;shcyclist said...

Cheers Clive, not the first time I've been called abnormal, people seeing me riding in all weathers reckon that anyway. Thanks for the support, fingers crossed I won't be bending your ear too much, as I race toward 60 and 14 stone. Think I'd better rephrase that, pedal sedately towards a lighter old age, I got passed today by a guy in a suit, I just didn't see him coming, I was waiting at some lights and he passed me just as they went green, honest! Then I got stuck behind a bus, and he'd gone, honest, in a suit for God's sake. That average speed is still coming down, and I don't think I can blame the computer. Maybe. if I get a Muvi, I can speed it up when I play the film back. But I'm sure I'll pick up a bit of speed when I dump these extra 2 stone I'm having to haul around.
Anyway, back to my abnormal relationship with food, I have to admit you're right. Perhaps I, we need therapy, or is that just too "american". Had a good day today, I'm absolutely starving!! And it's sooooo.... hard!
Cheers. Doh! Now I'm thinking of beer.... this will mean nightmares tonight. Which will mean I'll wake up ready to eat a horse. OK, I'll shut up now.

Nick said...

I think that perhaps you're a little hard on yourself. At least your weight's going in the right direction and you ride a lot of miles day by day. I ride less and my weight tends to go up rather than down - not such good progress, I think! As for going to a gym, I don't even think about it, let alone do it! Now THAT'S a failing; your efforts, by comparison, are no such thing.