update- my brother's weight loss- pics

[bikerchick68]

many of you know of my brother's story... 3 yrs ago weighed in at 458 lbs... and was planning to have gastric bypass... went to set the appt and chickened out!

Took up cycling and changed his diet... here he is 3 yrs ago at top weight

[bikerchick68]

here he is today... changed his life under the supervision of a doc... eats very healthy now and rides like a madman! Just completed the Knoxville Double Century at current weight of 235 lbs... in 6 lbs he'll be HALF his body weight of 3 yrs ago...

can ya tell I'm his number 1 fan??? :D

[bikerchick68]

and his profile... (he needs to go buy some clothes that fit! LOL)

life is so much better for him... especially the fact that he now enjoys time with his 3 kids... my nephew and nieces... they love to go for bike rides with Dad! :)

[bouncybouncy]

WOW!!!! congrats to his whole family!!! gives me goosebumps to hear stories about people who take on such a feat...i heard (maybe it was here) that one said it was harder to loose weight than to kick heroin :eek:

in this case it must be thrilling to say "I am half the person i used to be!"
:p

[snpdragn]

Oh my goodness! What an amazing story - and so motivational. I bet he thanks heaven to have someone support him like you though. That means a lot.
I'm trying to imagine the ethic that would take, but I can't... I know I don't have it!
WOW!
That's really touching.

[shadon]

and to think I feel challenged needing to loose 40 pounds.

Amazing! and ya got another cyclist in the deal! Very cool!

[Nanci]

In my job I see all the gastric bypass patients that had complications. You don't want to have that surgery unless it's your lastlastlastlastlastlastlast resort. It isn't like you have the surgery and just have a small stomach- it changes your life and health and eating habits forever. He sure made the right decision.

Snpdragn- if your life is threatened, sometimes that's enough motivation. It was for me. I could just imagine diabetes, going blind, losing my legs...

Nanci

[Irulan]

one of the gals that goes out on our women's beginner mountain bike rides has lost 150+ with weight watchers and cycling; very insprirational. You should hear her go on about GB surgery...

Irulan

[drplasma64]

That's fantastic!! He should be VERY proud of himself. I can't even fathom a double century - amazing story.

[SalsaMTB]

Wow!!! That is amazing! I got goosebumps reading it, I love motivating stories.

[Bike Goddess]

Bikerchik- Not only has he lost all that weight, BUT the Knoxville Double Century is nothing to laugh about! It has something like 11,000 feet of climbing, no small feat (on pun intended here :D )!

Ask him, on my behalf, if he is going to go for the Triple Crown award next year- it's an elite award for cyclists who finish at least 3 designated double centuries in California in one year- or the next level- 5 doubles in a year!

Kuddos to great work! Where does he live and is he riding with a club???

Good job to you as well. Isn't it great to have another family member in the cycling world! :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:

[latelatebloomer]

What a great thread to see on a lazy sunny afternoon when I was just a teensy bit tempted to skip my ride. :rolleyes: My deepest congratulations to your brother. I'm hoping my own brother will wake up and take care of his body before he's forced to leave it at an early age.

Hey, can your brother send a message of encouragement to the large man in Bicycling that was struggling so?

I hear the bypass surgery advertised on the radio all the time now. It gives me goosebumps, and not the thrilling kind.

[jobob]

Sounds like he's going for the Triple Crown this year (based on BC68's previous post about the Knoxville Double) - waaaay cool.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=4035

[bikerchick68]

yep, he's going for the Triple Crown this weekend...I'm riding the Lighthouse Century and he's riding the Trail of Two Forests... 200+ miles with 13000ft climbing I believe... :eek:

it IS great having this in common with him... it has certainly brought us closer... his wife is not into cycling at all, so having me into it (and vice versa) gives him someone to call and talk to about all sorts of cycling issues... we talk every couple days now... we've always been close but cycling has really added to it!

he does ride with a group but they're an unofficial club only...

next year he's going for some the 1000 club... the 5 doubles in a year... I can't imagine that it'll be an issue for him... he just keeps getting stronger... I swear I have to draft him now to keep up... :mad: :p I distinctly remember TEACHING him how to draft! LOL

LLB- I am encouraging him to write about what he has accomplished and send it in to Bicycling Magazine... fingers crossed he does it and they add it in their magazine! :)

[SadieKate]

Hey, can your brother send a message of encouragement to the large man in Bicycling that was struggling so?I think this person posts on bikejournal. Maggie? PKQ? Is it Sam? I can't remember his handle.

Mike Magnussen (sp?) also posts on bikejournal. Such a celebrity hang out over there :p though we do have our own here.

BikerChick, I hope your brother knows how much we're rooting for him. Trememdous accomplishment and a bright future.

[bikerz]

Such an extraordinary story - he's amazing! Didn't you say he might write a book in previous thread?

Forget the diet pills, the fat-blockers, the crazy diets! Since taking up cycling myself earlier this year, after decades of being very overweight (and trying and failing and trying and failing to deal with it), it turned out what I needed to do to lose weight and get in shape was to WANT to exercise! Once I found an activity I loved, and such great people to share it with, everything kind of fell into place. Making better food choices and becoming more active in general became part of wanting to keep improving as a cyclist. I still have a long way to go, and your brother's story is a great inspration and motivation! 200 miles! Wow - it's so cool!

[bluerider]

WOW bikerchick, your bro is amazing. Congrats to him!!! He looks like a completely new person and I'm sure he feels like one too. What a great inspiration and amazing proof that we all love the greatest sport on earth!

[pkq]

SadieKate, the man Mike Magnuson wrote about is Sam. His handle on bj is Sam. He lives in Knoxville, TN.

bikerchic, congrats to your brother. That is an amazing accomplishment for anyone and hopefully he'll use his story to inspire and encourage others to pursue the same path. I bet he's glad to have you as a sister and cycling enthusiast, too. I look forward to reading his story in Bicycling.