Trike away the pounds

I weighed 350lbs. I had fallen into the rut of many office workers and had adopted a sedentary lifestyle. As I had gradually gained weight over the years I failed to realize that my health might be suffering. One day at my daughter's doctor appointment the doctor used me to demonstrate how easy it was to test blood pressure. While the test eased my daughter's mind, the doctor pulled me aside and told me my results were extremely high.

This was a turning point for me. I joined a gym and after a few months of cardio workouts I had lost 25lbs. Unfortunately, the gym started to bore me and I found the treadmill and elliptical workouts to be quite monotonous. It was then that I remembered my old mountain bike that had been stuck in the rafters. Hmm, I thought, perhaps I could try commuting to work on my bike.

My first bike ride was a killer. I live eight miles from the office and it seemed like a hundred. I was tired and thirsty and could feel how foreign exercise was. My heart hurt, not just from the excessive pounding caused by overexertion my recently sedentary body, but because I felt depressed that I got so worn out so easily. How had I gotten so out of shape? I never wanted to be this way. It just happened. I was determined to keep with it, despite the pain.

After several weeks my body started aching. I was still massively overweight, and my butt, arms and wrists would hurt more with every bike ride. Soon, I started hurting even when I wasn't riding. And not just the normal soreness that comes with exercise, but I felt that because I was so overweight, that my massive weight putting pressure on more fragile parts of my body was actually doing more damage than good. My wrist would crack and tingle and I couldn’t get comfortable standing or sitting. I was burning nearly 2,000 calories everyday, so I didn't want to give up the riding. That's when I started looking into different bike alternatives. I had heard about pedal cars and did a google search to find out if that was my answer. But with every search, the vehicles that kept coming up were the recumbent trikes.

The recumbent bikes and trikes looked a lot more comfortable, almost like sitting in a recliner. Now that’s the kind of exercise I could handle! After just one test drive I was sold, and I soon had my own WizWheelz Cruiser. I couldn't believe how comfortable I was. My focus soon shifted from just enduring the painful ride to work and back into actually enjoying the leisure and comfort of the ride. Because of the recumbent trike, my lungs and body felt more open. It was easier to breathe, unlike a bike where my weight was actually getting in the way. My wrists stopped hurting, since the trike doesn’t put your weight on the handlebars like a bike does. Because I felt so comfortable, I was able to ride longer and stay happier. I also learned to train myself to become faster to burn even more calories. Most days I now burn about 3500 calories and go about 30-40 miles. Since I've started riding my trike I've lost over 100lbs.

I’d guess if a person were already skinny, perhaps they could handle a standard upright diamond frame bike without having a big belly getting in the way. But with the standard bike, I felt as though I had to fold up into myself and my lungs were getting rammed into my gut. I’d cramp early in the ride and was really just plain miserable. With a comfortable seat, pressure off my wrists and arms, and the ability to recline in a more naturally open position allowing my lungs to work at their fullest capacity, the trike was the best solution for me. Still, even with my weight being in a much healthier zone, I still prefer the comfort and feel of my Trike. With its naturally aerodynamic design, I find myself passing other standard bikes as I ride to and from work. Having failed many times at weight loss in the past, I can’t think of a better thing to happen to me.