Trying to get back on the bike...

[Pedal Wench]

It is like someone is trying to lose weight, fell off the wagon, and the advice is to say, hey stop keeping a food diary. It makes no sense. <<<>>>Take the bike computer, just like you record to the food diary, and then use the data or don't use it, but don't leave the bike computer at home. Getting back on the bike and regaining the fitness is a matter of the heart and has nothing to do with a tool that records the data of the ride.

Not what I was really saying...

It's more like staying off the scale. If you've gained weight, and you're feeling bad about it, you don't need the numbers on the scale to know that, yup, you've gained weight. For many people, that's even more of an impetus to give up entirely. I was thinking that she doesn't need the bike computer (and I'm pretty sure I said for the first ride or two...) to tell her, yup, you're slow.

If you're dieting and fall off the wagon, I would imagine it's best to wait until you've got your eating back under control and have the scale moving in the right direction. A food diary is a tool to do that. I equate the bike computer more to a scale than a diary. Most people know about how far they've ridden, but don't need the slap-in-the-face that a slow average speed can be to someone just getting their mojo back.

Go and ride just for fun, and then when you're ready to get serious about it, start looking at numbers again. What could be most wonderful is if your numbers aren't as bad as you think they are!