Holidays Weighing Down on You?
December 19th, 2007 by Arleigh JenkinsMy goal for the holiday season was to lose weight.
I’m one of those people that love everything that Thanksgiving has to offer. Stuffing, mash potatoes and anything smothered with gravy. The holidays also throw me head first into a short spell of depression. Not enough to worry about but enough to get down on myself for what a sucker I had been all year long.
Not this year. This year was the year of weight loss. Thanksgiving I skipped. I went for a 4.5 hour bike ride on the deserted country roads. Every weekend instead of heading towards the mall for holiday gifts I have gone the opposite direction to ride my bike for 2-3 hours each weekend day. I’ve already seen improvement of my all around mood of the holidays and what I have accomplished in the past 3 weeks. Over Christmas break I plan on having long rides with just me, some music and the bike.
The kicker? I’ve lost 11 pounds in 2.5 weeks.
How are the holidays going for you?
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Great Job Arleigh!
I’ve sorta put my training on a break until after the first of the year. The local bike club I’m a member of is doing a New Years Day Resolution Ride. Thats my kick off event.
for me its a bit more on the serious side, I have Spina bifida, 80% of people with SB also have Depression, cycling not only provides me with a way to releive stress and brighten my mood, and keep my weight down, but also provides a way to get more Melonin/Melotonin(sp), also increasing my mood.
Beyond that I am extatic because this time last year I was in the hospital with pneumonia.
thanks, now I feel like an even bigger schlep.
Congratulations on losing so much! I’m not sure I could lose weight that fast even if it wasn’t the holidays. I’ve stayed the same or if anything lost a couple pounds which is much better than my normal weight gain this time of year. The problem is I never lost weight this summer because I wasn’t riding nearly as much as I’m used to. I’m still lugging around an extra 30 pounds. I want be lean by the beginning of summer but hopefully I’ll be fit and able to do some ultra events.
Nice! Way to go!
I get in the same boat - eat and beat myself up over it. Every year I tell myself that it
‘ll be different . . . . and it never is.
I am a head of the game this year though . . . . my mantra this holiday season is MODERATION!
Cheers!
big ring
Congrats on the weight loss! I won’t be doing a whole lot of riding for the next little bit however my wife just lost about 7 1/2 lbs yesterday in the form of a Little baby Girl.
No Christmas depression in our house….I’m a new daddy….Again! YeeHaw!!!!
Thank you for all the kind words!!
I found your 11 pounds…
MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I too have taken the approach to improving my health and fitness level during the holiday months. In September 07, I started to eat a healthy diet (primarily fat free, but not completely) and drink nothing but lots of water. This alone was a major change for me. In January 07 I weighed the most I ever did at 348lbs at 6′1″ and 38 YOA… People would just say, “You carry it well, your just a big guy” .. BS! I was a fat A$$. Just proportionally so…
From Jan to Sept 07 I lost 30lbs, but changing my eating habits, but no real exercise. In September, I took the so called bull by the horns and buckled down. I visited a Doctor who runs a weight loss where his patients have lost total of 20,555 lbs and counting. I started their meal guidelines and weighed in at 315lbs at 43% body fat. For the past two months I have been riding my hybrid Motobecane, approximately 15 miles a day. When I wake, I ride 7.5 miles and another 7.5 miles when I get home around 6pm. This past month, I have started lifting weights and using EAS Whey Protein and Superpump 250.
Today, I proud to say I weigh 250lbs. And I’m not stopping there… I would like to attain a very solid 230lbs. I have gone from a size 50 pants to a size 42. Lost 7 inches around my waist line and my body fat dropped to 25%.
Thanksgiving was hard, by I did not totally remove it from my agenda, I ate responsibly and trained a bit harder the next few days. As for the Christmas Eve activities, I will take the same approach. It hasn’t been easy, and now I know, there is no easy way…
Best Wishes to all for the Holiday Season!
Keith,
That is so amazing. Thank you for such an inspirational story. Losing almost 20% of body fat is stunning. Congratulations isn’t half of it. Welcome to a new life, a new healthy life!