Health & Bike advice greately appreciated

[Terms]

I am 18 and about to graduate Highschool, since about 6th grade I have been overweight, not just a little but not a very lot. I currently am 6'0 and 218lb and look terrible.

I binge eat a lot when bored and I don't do any physical activity what-so-ever, I only have a few classes at school this semester so I am especially inactive. I usually spend my day working on the computer and smoking weed (legal for me) and I can easily spend 14 hours on the computer in a day I don't have any classes. On an average day I probably walk about 150-300 steps. I have tried random ways to lose weight when I would get a spark of motivation but they have always failed. Around November, 2011 I got motivated and bought a weight set and almost an entire home gym. I had bad form and didn't know much of anything on how to use the equipment. After about 5 weeks I hurt my back pretty bad and had to quit. Continue on about 6 months I got motivated to start running until I realized the pressure on my ankles and shins was terrible and just gave up. I cannot stress enough that in the past 6 years or so I have done very little physical activity.

So here I am, attempt three and I am hoping cycling is what gets me out of this rut. When I was younger I always loved riding my bike constantly, I'd go for hours exploring and have a lot of fun. Slowly I got more into computers and computers have sucked in my life, I have my own self-starter successful business at 18 managing freelancing programmers but absolutely no physical body. I get out of breath by walking up the steps and this needs to change.

I am going away to a university in the fall and my goal is to lose enough weight to gain self confidence and get in shape, I found this forum via google and am hoping you will help.

I have a miles of dirt roads behind my house and if you go one way you will continue into farm type areas with nothing but dirt roads or the other which takes you into town with cement. Scattered throughout are random bike trails and such that I will need to find.

So my questions for you guys are recommendations on a bike (prefer to stay under $300) that is comfortable for my weight, can manage dirt roads very well, and is still okay for cement. I would also like any advice on how I should start going, time, speed, etc. Diet help is appreciated too!

Does the forum have a log section? I may post one.

Thank you

 

[Terms]

Forgot to mention, I cook all of my own meals and by that I just microwave something and I know very little on nutrition so anything pointing me in the right direction on that too is appreciated.

 

[danfoz]

The good news is you are still a young guy with a long road ahead. I wouldn't worry about speeds etc. Pick up an entry level 'mountain bike' without all the bells and whistles (I.e. either no suspension or just front if that's all they have) at a bike shop (bike shops usually carry better quality bikes than department stores), make sure it's the right size, and just start having fun on the bike and try to ride a bit each day. Half an hour or an hour at first, more if you are comfortable, but not so much that you get really sore and are unable to ride the following day or loose excitrement because it just doesn't feel like fun. Try to get out a few times a week. You'll start to get less winded and feel a little stronger in just a couple weeks. The key to success is to incorporate it into your lyfestyle. Don't worry about any training plans or anything like that. Also make sure to pick up a bike helmet too.

Healthy eating is good, but managing portions is essential. It can be tricky when preparing meals, especially if we are a little peckish because we think we need more than we actually do. In the beginning you may have to figure out how many calories you need and not go much further. Eating habits can be modified, but like maintaining a $$ budget and not getting oneself into a credit card hole, a sober inventory really needs to be made of the current situation. Am I overeating?, what do I need to reach my goal?, etc. Getting on track and staying on track takes some time and discipline.

The binging is another thing. Try to think about what triggers it. Boredom? Stress? Many of us binge on things from booze and drugs to food, and even exercise. And for many the binging is about numbing some uncomfortable feeling with what is familiar and comforting. It's not easy making changes, and I've found the less radical the approach the greater chance of success. The key is to not beat yourself up if you occasionally diverge from the plan, which could lead to more binging. Everyone occasionally needs to pull out the stops, it just can't happen all the time, but when it does we need to be good to ourselves.

We develop most of our fat cells between the ages of 6-10. Folks who were overweight during these ages will likely have a tough time with weight there entire lives. If you've gotten a little heavier since the 6th grade it will still be work getting to where you want but in some ways you have a advantage. It seems like you just need to get ontop of your inactivity.

As long as it's done in moderation, good health is self perpetuating. It will get easier as you go along. The key is just putting one foot in front of the other.

 

[danfoz]

PS. I am mentioning a mountain bike because of said dirt trails. A mountain bike can handle pavement better than a road bike can handle dirt.