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Ask Michael – Part 1

Ask Michael – Part 1

Lisa Eirene

About Lisa Eirene Lisa lost 110 pounds through calorie counting and exercise. She swims, bikes, runs, hikes and is enjoying life in Portland, Oregon. Her weight loss story has been featured in First Magazine, Yahoo Health, Woman's Day and Glamour.com.

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12 Comments

  1. Suzanne @WorkoutNirvana

    Highly informative post, Lisa! I know you ride your bike a LOT and were impressing me to no end awhile back riding to work every day. It’s an incredible way to lose weight… in fact, we have a friend who stopped riding because he was getting too skinny! Thanks to you and Michael.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      He got too skinny?! Nuts! Yes, I am really liking biking. Almost more than running–less injury so far.

  2. Alan (Pounds Off Playoff)

    Thanks Michael and Lisa. Yes, this is of interest to a great many of us. I bought a sturdy Trek hybrid because I wanted to be confident it would support me (or, put another way, that I wouldn’t crush it). My next bike will be a road bike.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Hey Alan- great! Glad you found a bike that works well for you. Trek is a good brand too.

  3. Holli

    Hi Lisa! I am an avid cyclist (and about 80 pounds overweight) and would just say the following. I bought a road bike after much saving several years ago, and ended up hating it and selling it on Craigslist. Why? The forward-leaning position (to be frank) squished my gut together so that I couldn’t breathe. Just something for larger people to consider when buying a bike.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Thanks for sharing Holli. I didn’t start cycling until I’d lost about 85 pounds so I can’t comment on how it would have been for me when I was bigger. I do notice a huge difference in comparison to last year when I was 10 pounds heavier–my back hurt a lot. Now that my core is stronger it takes much longer rides for my back to get sore.

      1. Holli

        That gives me some hope! I do a three-day bike ride every fall (30-35 miles a day) and my back always hurts by the end. Maybe if I lose some weight that will be a little better!

        1. Lisa Eirene

          The weekend bike ride sounds like fun! That’s something that we want to do someday too.

        2. The Boyfriend

          It’s a great idea to spend 1 minute out of the saddle (in the climbing position) for every 10 minutes you spend in the saddle. This will give your back the relief it needs.

          1. Lisa Eirene

            This helps me with my back.

  4. Eleah

    Great post! My boyfriend told me of a customer they had when he worked at bike shops. She was over 300 pounds and her MD told her she needed to start exercising; no excuses. So she started cycling.At first, they had to special order a road bike that would work for her because of her size. She lost the weight and now she is a triathlete! Anyone can do it if they really want to.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      That’s an inspiring story. I love hearing success stories!

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