I was so glad to see this topic that I went and registered so that I could respond. I thought I might be the only heavy person looking to find the right clothes, learn how to shift gears, and lose 100 pounds (I'm 5'4" and about 220). I'm not alone anymore!

I started riding about a year and a half ago when I got a very active young Australian Cattle Dog in a moment of madness at the pound. He's a great dog, but there was no way my 58 year old knees could walk that dog enough to get the crazies out. I bought a device called a Walkydog that attaches to the seat post and allows me to keep both hands on the handlebars and the dog (named Bob) out of the spokes. We started slowly, half a block the first time. But he loved it, and we were soon going 4-6 miles in the morning before work. I've got a Specialized hybrid bike that DH gave me for Christmas (ever hopeful) the year before we got the dog. There aren't many hills here in Central Illinois, and no big ones, but I couldn't get up the one that I live on when I started. I have had some successes. I feel a lot better. I have muscles I've never had before, even when I was 20. I just got back from a bike and barge trip from Brussels to Amsterdam where I rode about 30 miles a day for a week, and I didn't hold the group up or embarrass myself. Poor Bob doesn't always get to go with me any more, because sometimes I want to go faster and farther than he can, and in summer he just can't take too much heat. Don't worry; he still gets out many days, if only for a "tour de neighborhood". And we also got him a little buddy, a cocker spaniel. So if he doesn't get a bike ride, he can chase her around the living room. I've started commuting occasionally too, and am resolving to quit making excuses and do it more often. I'm a little hesitant about traffic, though. Bob and I stick to quiet neighborhoods and the wonderful bike trail we have here. During the winter I swam three days a week and rode the stationary bicycle in the basement a couple of days. (DH rides it every day while he plays video games, and commutes to work.)

But I haven't lost any weight. I'm eating healthier in many ways, but I still have trouble negotiating the treats at work, or being left alone in the kitchen. I guess I've just got to keep making those small changes until they add up to enough. I resolved a couple of years ago not to diet anymore. I'm not going to all that trouble to lose weight and have it come right back on. I was trying for "lifestyle changes" that I can maintain for the rest of my life.
But I've been reconsidering. I really need to get rid of some of this weight so I can go faster!

Anyway, I'm glad to "meet" you, and I hope we can keep the conversation going. You're an inspiration!

Kris