Middle age health thread for fatties

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gkbill
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Re: Middle age health thread for fatties

Post by gkbill »

Kimmelweck wrote:
24 Jul 2021, 5:45pm
Dr. Medulla wrote:
24 Jul 2021, 6:35am
Also, time to start a spreadsheet to track your rides and complete your journey to the dark side of the Force.
A spreadsheet sounds like a good idea for general record keeping. I’m not especially concerned about speed, other than I calculate it for curiosity’s sake. There are so many variables – wind speed, pedestrian traffic on the paths, stop signs, turning corners – that it’s hard to compare speed from ride to ride. Also, I’m a stocky hill person, not a lanky plains person, and especially on a mountain bike, I’m not exactly designed for slicing through the wind. My overall speed is usually around 12mph (yesterday’s ride was 12.6, my best so far), but unimpeded cruising speed is probably around 13-13.5mph. Pretty moderate. There’s a 15mph speed limit on the paths, so not much room for improvement anyway. I’m just happy to keep my legs pumping as continuously as possible and watch my mile and hour counts grow. From what I can tell, at my moderate pace I’m burning in the neighborhood of 500 calories per hour, which is about a pound every 7 hours of riding. So if that’s accurate the riding has probably accounted for 4-5 pounds of the 7 I’ve lost.
Hello,

When you started out, 3,500 calories was probably around 1 pound of fat. As your body weight changes and you add lean tissue as well as get fitter (the same ride gets easier), this changes - generally, you need to expend more calories to burn that pound.

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Re: Middle age health thread for fatties

Post by Kimmelweck »

gkbill wrote:
24 Jul 2021, 8:47pm
Hello,

When you started out, 3,500 calories was probably around 1 pound of fat. As your body weight changes and you add lean tissue as well as get fitter (the same ride gets easier), this changes - generally, you need to expend more calories to burn that pound.
Thanks, that makes sense. Good to know. I did 13.1 miles tonight in just over an hour, in 16-18 mph winds, but somehow it wasn’t the struggle I thought it would be when I set out. Maybe I’m just getting used to it and building up a bit more leg strength. 3-4 weeks ago the same winds were brutal. I actually stopped for a 3 minute breather on a park bench during one of my longer rides a few weeks ago, on a long windy stretch along the river, shortly after I had started riding. In a crowded park, I sheepishly pretended I was checking my phone. Tonight I just stopped to pick up a dollar lying in the street. :approve:
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Re: Middle age health thread for fatties

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I've always been prone to tailbone pain, but it's starting to get a might bit ouchy both rowing and cycling. My biking shorts don't properly cover that area, so I've ordered some roller derby shorts to see if that'll help things. More updates on my butt as warranted.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

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Re: Middle age health thread for fatties

Post by Kimmelweck »

Dr. Medulla wrote:
25 Jul 2021, 12:45pm
I've always been prone to tailbone pain, but it's starting to get a might bit ouchy both rowing and cycling. My biking shorts don't properly cover that area, so I've ordered some roller derby shorts to see if that'll help things. More updates on my butt as warranted.
Ouch, that sucks. Must be a bit frustrating. Hope the new shorts help.

I’ve been looking ahead to October or so, when outside riding starts getting more difficult due to the weather, and am considering various indoor options. Have been thinking about picking up a spin bike or something. I borrowed my brother’s NordicTrack GX2.0 bike, which he never uses, but the resistance is stuck at maximum. I can’t ride it for more than 30 seconds before I just say F this. I think it’s the resistance motor that must be fried, but it also is missing the power adapter. The various adapters I have on hand will turn on the display but may just not be enough amps to operate the resistance motor. Not sure if I want to put in the time/effort/expense to repair and/or troubleshoot a 10 year old bike. I’ll probably at least pick up a replacement adapter to confirm whether or not it’s the motor that’s faulty.

My parents also gave me a stand they no longer use, for mounting a road bike and converting it to a stationary bike. I have a spare mountain bike that I think a previous tenant left here 15-20 years ago. Not really sure who it belongs to, so it’s become mine. I might try to rig that up to the stand and give it a go. Ever deal with one of those stands Doc? I almost set it up a week ago but wound up riding 15 miles in the rain instead.
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Re: Middle age health thread for fatties

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Kimmelweck wrote:
25 Jul 2021, 2:50pm
My parents also gave me a stand they no longer use, for mounting a road bike and converting it to a stationary bike. I have a spare mountain bike that I think a previous tenant left here 15-20 years ago. Not really sure who it belongs to, so it’s become mine. I might try to rig that up to the stand and give it a go. Ever deal with one of those stands Doc? I almost set it up a week ago but wound up riding 15 miles in the rain instead.
Yup, I used a trainer on my bike during winters. The key thing is to buy a trainer tire for your back wheel—it's basically bald and creates a smooth relationship to the trainer's roller. You could use a regular tire, I suppose; it'll eventually be ground bald but it'll be a bumpy ride for several weeks.

If you're not super intense or anything, any trainer will basically do the job for you—you just want something that lets you grind out the calories. Magnetic resistance is the more affordable option, which was my first one or two and odds are it's what you've inherited. The last one I had used fluidic resistance. Basically, the faster you go, the heavier the liquid inside the trainer gets, so your own speed determines the resistance. That's really handy because it means you're not adjusting the resistance all the time. But, again, not a big deal if you're not a hypercompetitive lunatic. The other thing is that without a natural wind current around you, cycling indoors gets hot and sweaty in a hurry, so a good fan is a must. I have a fan, plus a whole bunch of sweat bandanas that I switch off regularly, and still smell like Clapton after my ride.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

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Re: Middle age health thread for fatties

Post by Kimmelweck »

Dr. Medulla wrote:
25 Jul 2021, 3:12pm
Kimmelweck wrote:
25 Jul 2021, 2:50pm
My parents also gave me a stand they no longer use, for mounting a road bike and converting it to a stationary bike. I have a spare mountain bike that I think a previous tenant left here 15-20 years ago. Not really sure who it belongs to, so it’s become mine. I might try to rig that up to the stand and give it a go. Ever deal with one of those stands Doc? I almost set it up a week ago but wound up riding 15 miles in the rain instead.
Yup, I used a trainer on my bike during winters. The key thing is to buy a trainer tire for your back wheel—it's basically bald and creates a smooth relationship to the trainer's roller. You could use a regular tire, I suppose; it'll eventually be ground bald but it'll be a bumpy ride for several weeks.

If you're not super intense or anything, any trainer will basically do the job for you—you just want something that lets you grind out the calories. Magnetic resistance is the more affordable option, which was my first one or two and odds are it's what you've inherited. The last one I had used fluidic resistance. Basically, the faster you go, the heavier the liquid inside the trainer gets, so your own speed determines the resistance. That's really handy because it means you're not adjusting the resistance all the time. But, again, not a big deal if you're not a hypercompetitive lunatic. The other thing is that without a natural wind current around you, cycling indoors gets hot and sweaty in a hurry, so a good fan is a must. I have a fan, plus a whole bunch of sweat bandanas that I switch off regularly, and still smell like Clapton after my ride.
Cool. Thanks for the input. I’ll give the trainer a test spin with my current rear tire and see if the bumpiness is unbearable. If so, I’ll look into the training tire.

Yeah, my NordicTrack is magnetic resistance. It seems to be a sturdy, comfortable bike, so it would be nice to get the resistance issue sorted out. I’ll probably order the proper adapter tonight after my usual ride. If that doesn’t solve the issue, I’ll consider dropping the $50 or so on a new resistance motor. From my limited research, I think this model might also require the purchase of an additional tool to get the pedals off to access the motor.
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Re: Middle age health thread for fatties

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Kimmelweck wrote:
25 Jul 2021, 3:53pm
Dr. Medulla wrote:
25 Jul 2021, 3:12pm
Kimmelweck wrote:
25 Jul 2021, 2:50pm
My parents also gave me a stand they no longer use, for mounting a road bike and converting it to a stationary bike. I have a spare mountain bike that I think a previous tenant left here 15-20 years ago. Not really sure who it belongs to, so it’s become mine. I might try to rig that up to the stand and give it a go. Ever deal with one of those stands Doc? I almost set it up a week ago but wound up riding 15 miles in the rain instead.
Yup, I used a trainer on my bike during winters. The key thing is to buy a trainer tire for your back wheel—it's basically bald and creates a smooth relationship to the trainer's roller. You could use a regular tire, I suppose; it'll eventually be ground bald but it'll be a bumpy ride for several weeks.

If you're not super intense or anything, any trainer will basically do the job for you—you just want something that lets you grind out the calories. Magnetic resistance is the more affordable option, which was my first one or two and odds are it's what you've inherited. The last one I had used fluidic resistance. Basically, the faster you go, the heavier the liquid inside the trainer gets, so your own speed determines the resistance. That's really handy because it means you're not adjusting the resistance all the time. But, again, not a big deal if you're not a hypercompetitive lunatic. The other thing is that without a natural wind current around you, cycling indoors gets hot and sweaty in a hurry, so a good fan is a must. I have a fan, plus a whole bunch of sweat bandanas that I switch off regularly, and still smell like Clapton after my ride.
Cool. Thanks for the input. I’ll give the trainer a test spin with my current rear tire and see if the bumpiness is unbearable. If so, I’ll look into the training tire.

Yeah, my NordicTrack is magnetic resistance. It seems to be a sturdy, comfortable bike, so it would be nice to get the resistance issue sorted out. I’ll probably order the proper adapter tonight after my usual ride. If that doesn’t solve the issue, I’ll consider dropping the $50 or so on a new resistance motor. From my limited research, I think this model might also require the purchase of an additional tool to get the pedals off to access the motor.
Just to be clear, I meant the trainer (the bike stand from your folks) is probably magnetic resistance. Basically all exercise or spin bikes are going to be magnetic except for really old ones.

That said, if you can fix that NordicTrack for $50, that's not much more than what you'll be paying for a training tire, and will probably give you a more comfortable (and trackable) ride. I've found that because your sitting position is different than on your normal bike it's almost like starting over from season to season—it's like you're working a completely different set of muscles—but that's not a big deal if you're not obsessive about time and the like.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

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Re: Middle age health thread for fatties

Post by Kimmelweck »

Dr. Medulla wrote:
25 Jul 2021, 4:06pm
Kimmelweck wrote:
25 Jul 2021, 3:53pm
Dr. Medulla wrote:
25 Jul 2021, 3:12pm
Kimmelweck wrote:
25 Jul 2021, 2:50pm
My parents also gave me a stand they no longer use, for mounting a road bike and converting it to a stationary bike. I have a spare mountain bike that I think a previous tenant left here 15-20 years ago. Not really sure who it belongs to, so it’s become mine. I might try to rig that up to the stand and give it a go. Ever deal with one of those stands Doc? I almost set it up a week ago but wound up riding 15 miles in the rain instead.
Yup, I used a trainer on my bike during winters. The key thing is to buy a trainer tire for your back wheel—it's basically bald and creates a smooth relationship to the trainer's roller. You could use a regular tire, I suppose; it'll eventually be ground bald but it'll be a bumpy ride for several weeks.

If you're not super intense or anything, any trainer will basically do the job for you—you just want something that lets you grind out the calories. Magnetic resistance is the more affordable option, which was my first one or two and odds are it's what you've inherited. The last one I had used fluidic resistance. Basically, the faster you go, the heavier the liquid inside the trainer gets, so your own speed determines the resistance. That's really handy because it means you're not adjusting the resistance all the time. But, again, not a big deal if you're not a hypercompetitive lunatic. The other thing is that without a natural wind current around you, cycling indoors gets hot and sweaty in a hurry, so a good fan is a must. I have a fan, plus a whole bunch of sweat bandanas that I switch off regularly, and still smell like Clapton after my ride.
Cool. Thanks for the input. I’ll give the trainer a test spin with my current rear tire and see if the bumpiness is unbearable. If so, I’ll look into the training tire.

Yeah, my NordicTrack is magnetic resistance. It seems to be a sturdy, comfortable bike, so it would be nice to get the resistance issue sorted out. I’ll probably order the proper adapter tonight after my usual ride. If that doesn’t solve the issue, I’ll consider dropping the $50 or so on a new resistance motor. From my limited research, I think this model might also require the purchase of an additional tool to get the pedals off to access the motor.
Just to be clear, I meant the trainer (the bike stand from your folks) is probably magnetic resistance. Basically all exercise or spin bikes are going to be magnetic except for really old ones.

That said, if you can fix that NordicTrack for $50, that's not much more than what you'll be paying for a training tire, and will probably give you a more comfortable (and trackable) ride. I've found that because your sitting position is different than on your normal bike it's almost like starting over from season to season—it's like you're working a completely different set of muscles—but that's not a big deal if you're not obsessive about time and the like.
Ok, thanks for the clarification. Hadn't realized before you mentioned it, but yeah, my trainer is magnetic resistance as well. It's a Blackburn Tech Mag 6. Sure looks sturdy as hell. I do like the display features on the NordicTrack though - speed, distance, time, calories, etc. - if I can get the resistance adjustment to work.
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Re: Middle age health thread for fatties

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Kimmelweck wrote:
25 Jul 2021, 4:44pm
Ok, thanks for the clarification. Hadn't realized before you mentioned it, but yeah, my trainer is magnetic resistance as well. It's a Blackburn Tech Mag 6. Sure looks sturdy as hell. I do like the display features on the NordicTrack though - speed, distance, time, calories, etc. - if I can get the resistance adjustment to work.
I didn't have a Blackburn—can't recall what the manufacturer was now—but it was the same set-up, along with the wired tension adjuster that you attach to your handlebars. It'll do the job.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

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Re: Middle age health thread for fatties

Post by Dr. Medulla »

Image
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

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Re: Middle age health thread for fatties

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Dr. Medulla wrote:
26 Jul 2021, 10:53am
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:lol:
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Re: Middle age health thread for fatties

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Dr. Medulla wrote:
26 Jul 2021, 10:53am
Image
Fuck yeah
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
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Re: Middle age health thread for fatties

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Ha! So, Doc, I mentioned the other day that my NordicTrack bike had a resistance issue, stuck at maximum and basically unrideable. I thought it could be a faulty resistance motor (which is a common issue apparently), but since my brother couldn’t find the original 6v2amp adapter at his place and I only had a 6v1amp adapter on hand, there was a chance the issue was caused by having the wrong adapter. That night I ordered a replacement 6v2amp adapter. Just came in the mail 5 minutes ago, I plugged it in, and bingo! Works perfectly. So I’m in business with the NordicTrack. I’m stoked, because I really didn’t want to have to deal with replacing the motor. It wouldn’t have been super hard or anything, maybe an hour of labor, but between the motor/shipping plus the tool for removing the pedals to get at it, I would have had to spend around $60 bucks and then hope it worked. The adapter was $15. Repair project averted. Anyway, I’m off for my usual outdoor ride in a few minutes, but very happy that my bad-weather backup plan is all sorted. :mrgreen:
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Re: Middle age health thread for fatties

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Kimmelweck wrote:
28 Jul 2021, 6:02pm
Ha! So, Doc, I mentioned the other day that my NordicTrack bike had a resistance issue, stuck at maximum and basically unrideable. I thought it could be a faulty resistance motor (which is a common issue apparently), but since my brother couldn’t find the original 6v2amp adapter at his place and I only had a 6v1amp adapter on hand, there was a chance the issue was caused by having the wrong adapter. That night I ordered a replacement 6v2amp adapter. Just came in the mail 5 minutes ago, I plugged it in, and bingo! Works perfectly. So I’m in business with the NordicTrack. I’m stoked, because I really didn’t want to have to deal with replacing the motor. It wouldn’t have been super hard or anything, maybe an hour of labor, but between the motor/shipping plus the tool for removing the pedals to get at it, I would have had to spend around $60 bucks and then hope it worked. The adapter was $15. Repair project averted. Anyway, I’m off for my usual outdoor ride in a few minutes, but very happy that my bad-weather backup plan is all sorted. :mrgreen:
Ha! You're eating four-leaf clovers and shitting horseshoes. But you've now got a solid rainy day/winter option, so I'm pleased as punch for you.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

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Re: Middle age health thread for fatties

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Dr. Medulla wrote:
25 Jul 2021, 12:45pm
I've always been prone to tailbone pain, but it's starting to get a might bit ouchy both rowing and cycling. My biking shorts don't properly cover that area, so I've ordered some roller derby shorts to see if that'll help things. More updates on my butt as warranted.
First day with the bumsavers (that's their brand name) and the results were super positive. Way better than padded bike shorts because of the location of the padding.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

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