# Little victories…losing weight and changing the fork settings.



## jrhone (May 23, 2011)

I’m 52 and I was just diagnosed as prediabetic. I was already in the process of losing weight and changing my diet when I got the diagnosis. When i got my new bike, I was 232 pounds. That was nearly 4 months ago. Now I am at 195 and need to drop maybe 10-15 more. One of the things I love doing is removing air from the Rockshox fork as I drop weight. Every week or so, I drop a few pounds and now I have also gotten to a different rebound setting. It’s the little things sometimes that keep you motivated. Oh and I am LOVING the new bike! 500 miles on it and counting!


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

I’m right there with you. Except for me it’s been trying softer coils on my shocks. I dropped 25 lbs body weight and went from a 525# spring to a 400# spring. It’s so good now I think I may have been oversprung for the prior 3 years. Sheesh. Anyway life’s great now. 
Good luck with the diagnosis. 
=sParty


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## walkerwalker (Jul 17, 2020)

Congrats on the weight loss. The other benefit is it makes going uphill easier! I wish I could lose weight as quickly as you have. I bought my FS almost a year ago when I was at 220 lbs. I'm down to 208 ish now. It's not a lot but enough to adjust the fork, which is indeed a nice small victory.


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

Gratz on your weight loss! You lost 37 pounds so far !! That’s amazing, and not just a "small victory“. Be careful about caloric deficit. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Go for a healthy diet. Your body needs to be properly fueled. Most of the material I've read states to ward off or slow the progression of turning into a diabetic is to eat right, exercise, and lose weight. Also consider strength training which will keep you healthy.


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## Offspring (Jan 29, 2006)

Don't forget about the riding clothing and other clothing that doesn't fit or looking back at the belt holes that you don't use anymore!


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## kosmo (Oct 27, 2004)

Offspring said:


> Don't forget about the riding clothing and other clothing that doesn't fit or looking back at the belt holes that you don't use anymore!


And not being quite as punished while riding in hot weather.

No more built-in puffy coat!


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## Prognosticator (Feb 15, 2021)

jrhone said:


> I'm 52 and I was just diagnosed as prediabetic. I was already in the process of losing weight and changing my diet when I got the diagnosis. When i got my new bike, I was 232 pounds. That was nearly 4 months ago. Now I am at 195 and need to drop maybe 10-15 more. One of the things I love doing is removing air from the Rockshox fork as I drop weight. Every week or so, I drop a few pounds and now I have also gotten to a different rebound setting. It's the little things sometimes that keep you motivated. Oh and I am LOVING the new bike! 500 miles on it and counting!


Awesome! I have much admiration for people who change their habits and lifestyle to build a better life for themselves. I know it's not easy but you are pushing through!


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## Brules (Jul 10, 2021)

If you’re a bigger older guy like me, on top of blood work regularly to keep an eye out for the diabeetus, get your testosterone checked. If it’s way low you won’t be able to lose weight hardly as you can’t build/maintain muscle. I’m down 50lbs on TRT and getting type II under control. Before TRT it was a struggle to shed the weight. If you do it, just keep your T below 700. Above can cause serious serious issues with strokes etc from too thick blood.


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## malucky (Mar 7, 2015)

Yeah, it's baby steps sometimes!! Savor them, because many of our peers are looking at dying soon, while we're extending our useful years by biking.

A few years back, I was part of the pre-diabetic club...and borderline high blood pressure etc clubs. That's now all in the past. I can honestly say (my doctor agrees) that after four years of progressive riding, I'm in better shape than when I was 40.


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## jrhone (May 23, 2011)

malucky said:


> Yeah, it's baby steps sometimes!! Savor them, because many of our peers are looking at dying soon, while we're extending our useful years by biking.
> 
> A few years back, I was part of the pre-diabetic club...and borderline high blood pressure etc clubs. That's now all in the past. I can honestly say (my doctor agrees) that after four years of progressive riding, I'm in better shape than when I was 40.


Nice! Congrats! That's great to hear&#8230;I just did a 35 mile ride, longest ever and Ijust made to the top of my local trail which was very challenging. I am seeing a difference in stamina, endurance, and not losing muscle mass as the weight drops. I'm 7 pounds from target weight which will be 45 pounds total.


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## malucky (Mar 7, 2015)

jrhone said:


> Nice! Congrats! That's great to hear&#8230;I just did a 35 mile ride, longest ever and Ijust made to the top of my local trail which was very challenging. I am seeing a difference in stamina, endurance, and not losing muscle mass as the weight drops. I'm 7 pounds from target weight which will be 45 pounds total.


Dude! That's awesome! It's HARD to keep the muscle mass AND lose fat AND do big rides like that. My longest was 25 miles of rocky single-track in the summer. I paid for it, but it was nice to have done it, especially considering I was 54 at the time. I only took one 10 minute break at mile 11 to eat and add more electrolyte to my Camelback (I'm a Clyde, so heat and I don't always mix well).


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## Brules (Jul 10, 2021)

Man you guys are killing it. I’m just starting out and hope to be able to do 20+ mile rides in the next few years.


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## kosmo (Oct 27, 2004)

Brules said:


> Man you guys are killing it. I'm just starting out and hope to be able to do 20+ mile rides in the next few years.


Enjoy the "ride up the curve" of fitness. It's an absolute blast seeing and feeling the changes as fitness increases and weight does the opposite.


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## Santa_Cruz_Mountain_Rider (Aug 15, 2021)

Congrats man, that's awesome! After retiring a few years ago I've gotten really into biking and I attribute a lot of my weight loss to it. Like others have said, the journey of losing weight and improving your ride is the best feeling, enjoy it!!


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## malucky (Mar 7, 2015)

Santa_Cruz_Mountain_Rider said:


> Congrats man, that's awesome! After retiring a few years ago I've gotten really into biking and I attribute a lot of my weight loss to it. Like others have said, the journey of losing weight and improving your ride is the best feeling, enjoy it!!


The best part is doing what you enjoy drops the excess pounds...which makes riding more enjoyable!!!!!


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