Losing weight with your bike can get tricky after a while.When you first start riding a lot and watching the weight come off, you’re bound to be brimming with enthusiasm and willing to make all sorts of sacrifices to get out on your bike as often as possible. Once you’ve reached your goal and the honeymoon begins to fade, however, excuses can start to creep in. Keeping riding as convenient as possible will help nip them in the bud before they keep you off your bike.
Take it from Ray Adams, 50, from South Bay Beach Cities, California, who bought a mountain bike to get back in shape. “I started out weighing 90kg and gradually started increasing the length and frequency of my rides. I used to rush home from work to get in an hour of saddle time before dinner,” he recalls, noting that it wasn’t long before all that dashing around was just too hectic to maintain.”So I switched to mornings before work. After a year of riding on the mountain bike, I realised I wanted to go faster, so I bought my first real road bike. I now ride five to six days a week, 30 to 50km a day during the week; 60 to 100km on weekend days, averaging about 320km a week.”He not only has held steady at a healthy 77kg, but also enjoys a much more stable disposition. “I don’t get as upset as I used to get. Things that used to get me fired up rarely get me worked up anymore. I recommend riding to lose weight, control your weight, and help with your mental health!”Make it easy to get out and ride by picking a time of day when you have a little buffer zone, and don’t need to feel terribly rushed. Keep all your cycling gear in one easy-to-access place, so you can get dressed, fill your bottles, grab your shoes, helmet, gloves, and go. Little tricks like these go a long way in helping you stay on track day to day.
