Is this thing on?

Hi my names Geoff and I am a 29 year old male.  I am a keen mountain biker and a new road cyclist  This Blog is about my weight loss goals and my training.  I hope to be able to pass on some knowledge about weight loss and cycle riding.  I helped to set up the North Cheshire Clarion cycling in 2009 and so far we have 90+ fantastic members. 

My bikes

I currently have two bikes.  A 2002 Marin Wolfridge Full Suspension and a 2010 Boardman Comp Road Bike.

 My Marin





After Christmas 2010 I jumped onto a set of scales and was highly surprised at the results below - 16st 6lbs was staring back at me.  Coming from a family with a high risk of heart disease this was the wake up call I needed to drop some weight and get myself fit and healthy again.  After a Christmas of being powered by Quality Street the diet has officially begun.

In terms of riding, a group of North Cheshire Clarion riders attempted to get to Coed Llandegla on Sunday but unfortunately the access road was covered in sheet ice.  We abandoned this idea and set of for a gentler ride around Delemere Forest.  Although we only covered 6 miles, the climbs were enough to hurt the legs and get the heart pumping.  After suffering with flu for most of December I now realise how bad the effect of the virus is on your chest and recommended that people who suffer from illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and asthma to get the flu jab (well if you can get one).

My ride stats from the 1st MTB  ride of the year are:

Total Distance - 5.65 miles
Total Climb - 902 feet
Calories burnt -255
Average Speed - 11.93mph



Diet

This was always going to be a challange.  Im not going to lie i have a sweet tooth  I love chocolate and Haribo and cutting these out of my diet was always going to be tough.  I enlisted a few members of the North Cheshire Clarion and have started the "Biggest Loser" competition with the aim being the winner will be the one who has lost the most weight by the end of February.  I am trying my hardest to get down to at least 14 stone.  My wife and I have both being dieting for a week and a bit now, and my weight has taken a turn for the better and I have gone from 16st 6lbs to 15st 13lbs in a week. 

This week is "Detox" week.  This has meant cutting meat, tea & coffee and diary products from our diet for 5 days.  I'm not going to lie I have a major caffeine addiction and Monday was very difficult to get through with out that coffee buzz in the morning but as I sit here typing at 9:45pm Tuesday the craving has gone and I feel more tired than normal. 

What have i learnt this week - I really need to up my riding, so am going out with road guys on Saturday morning for a club ride.  I have also learnt that I can operate without my daily hit of caffeine.

Tomorrows another day though and another challenge in the diet - getting through a breakfast of just fruit and natural yoghurt.  I'd much rather be having a bacon and egg buttie with a large coffee ... oh well