Brag post: Health going in the right direction, and simple life hacks
About a year ago I was approaching 200 lbs. I work from home since pre-pandemic. I used to bike to an office but since then, I’ve moved somewhere less biking friendly. My strategy to tackle weight was intermittent fasting. And it was generally working for ~10 lbs and I stopped weighing myself for a year. And shirts were not fitting me, and then I learned the weight had come all back and more.
I knew enough that the fasting was going to do nothing if I was not telling my body to really use anything it stored up. Serendipitously I read about someone with a recumbent bike under their standing desk, and gaming, they’d wrack up the miles. I realized I needed that setup. I’m someone who just hates to go out of my way for working out.
Found one that was literally a desk chair with a bike under it and ordered it. I went from ultra sedentary to light exercise for ~4 hours a day. I’ve had it for about 2 weeks, and this thing is great. I’m listening to my body and not trying to do it too hard (for those who are concerned). Without every really trying to sprint I’ve been doing 40 miles a week-day. On the 4th of July I tried to see how far I could go biking all day. When I started I could not go anymore at 80 miles. Last weekend I easily knocked out 70 miles. The big thing is breaks. I’m not on a real bike, so there is no problem in taking a 5 minute break to knockout dishes or something. I don’t know if I trust the machine telling me I’m burning ~1,000 cals on my 40 miles, but I know what I am doing is healthy and I’m curious how my body will feel in 6 months or a year.
How do my legs feel? Oddly enough, during the day or after the work out, they’re beat. They seem to feel better by the time I’m ready to ride in the evening so no rest days yet. I’m shocked how much the leg fatigue really goes away once I start riding and focus on whatever is on my PC. Most of the discomfort is really from my bum. It has gone away generally though.
An odd risk I had to solve for myself was that upon pushing away from my desk while on my bike, I nearly topped my standing desk over. This was solved by well-placed PVC pipes and padding locked between the desk and the wall.
What bike do I recommend?
The budget version: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004O6TXVS/
The one I have: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C8MVYLLT (but from their original website)
A cushion that the I book marked when I was doing research: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EBDV9BU
When I look up recumbent biking exercises, it’s kind of funny. It’s often recommended for the elderly because it’s potentially such a low intense workout. It’s great in a long duration. I would actually feel guilty spending this much time at the gym, but this method rocks. I have not worked out for this long since playing a Highschool sport. I won’t ever be shaped like a teenager again, but I can work towards it.
Yay good job
Have you considered the just under desk bike version without the chair? They're $40-100 only and looks much cheaper.....just wanted your thoughts on why you ruled them out
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRC2BL9Y/
I actually did get one of those a few years back. I never really used it intensely because of my chair and desk height just never felt right. Like, I can't get a good flow with them where I can still type.
Good job!
This depends on the pace and cadence you are doing. Consider getting a heart rate monitor to record your sessions, and check the calorie loss after that. But it doesn't sound too far off.
For me, thanks to intermittent fasting I was able to drop 10kg in 4 months. My starting weight last year was 90kg too, but when I started to do fasting it was 87kg, and now I'm 74kg (and still dropping). Intermittent fasting helped me to develop more healthier relationship with food and consider the I/O of my body, such as if I haven't done any exercise during the day do I really need that oven pizza or sugary goods in the evening?
On top of this I started to cycle more actively and I'm aiming for doing 150km-200km total of cycling per week. However, I need to start do some weight lifting as I'm lacking on that department. However, I've been doing daily push-ups and sit-ups for 6 months now, to develop a routine.
Very well done. Losing weight can be extremely difficult and it's nice when we find a way that works for us.
For me, CICO with Nutracheck app and some scales. I'm most of the way through losing 2st (28lbs) and I have only 2lbs to go to hit that first big goal. My main reasons were sweating from very light exercise, feeling uncomfortable in my own skin let alone clothes and the moobs. It's so nice when you can brag about losing excessive weight especially when you have made it sound like passive exercise.
I think people underestimate the effect of simply counting calories or keeping a food journal.
I'm getting close to moobs, but my weight is 100% in my gut which I've heard is the most dangerous. I feel like the whole method I'm using should have a catchy name like... the "multi-tasking plan".
congrats !