Celebrating Non-Scale Victories – Biking 500 Miles!

September 19, 2015

ObesityHelp member Mike_E began his weight loss surgery journey in February 2012. He always had known that he had an issue with his weight but didn’t know how bad it was.

During his first appointment at Rex Bariatric Center, Mike found out that he weighed 454 pounds. From that day, Mike began setting goals. His first goal was to weigh 250 pounds. After his appointment, Mike immediately stopped drinking soda and started a workout routine of 30 minutes on the treadmill and 30 minutes weight training.

Mike made the decision to have gastric bypass surgery on October 17, 2012 with Dr. Lindsey Sharp of Rex Bariatric Specialists to help him lose the weight and get in shape. Mike knew he had to get active and start a weekly exercise routine to help him get the weight off. From February to October, Mike lost 50 pounds! With the help of the surgery, Mike was able to lose 224 pounds which exceeded his initial goal!

mike-ellis-before-after

Mike's non-scale victory started when he discovered exercising can be boring and mundane. To be successful with his exercising, he had to switch up his routine and do something other than lifting weights and the standard cardio.

Mike decided to take up bike riding as part of his normal weekly exercise routine. One of the major problems with being overweight is the in ability to do some simple things like riding a bike. Mike hadn't been able to ride a bike since he was in high school 30 years ago. Since Mike's weight loss, he has been able to ride his bike over 500 miles on the Neuse River Trails in Raleigh and Wake county. His longest ride to date has been 31 miles round trip. Mike shares that he cannot explain the happiness and feeling of accomplishment he felt when he rode that many miles in one day.

Mike will be sharing his weight loss surgery success as a member on the Grad Panel at the #OH2015 National Conference on October 16-17, 2015, in Cary, North Carolina.

cathy wilson

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cathy Wilson, PCC, BCC, had RNY surgery in 2001 and lost 147 pounds. Cathy is a regular contributor to the OH Blog and authored the "Mind Matters" column in ObesityHelp Magazine. Cathy is a licensed pilot and loves flying. She is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC).

Read more articles by Cathy!