If your answer is yes, then read on. I have exciting news for you.

For a long time I was like you, trying to lose weight while all the time wanting to eat a biscuit or twenty.

For the past month I’ve been measuring my calorific intake and my weight. I’ve been told I should use about 2200 cals per day, so I’ve been consuming about 1500. And I carefully note down what I eat. It’s a scientific approach and it worked briefly. However, I’ve been gaining weight. So I was in the process of reducing calories and increasing activity to counter these things. It’s fiddly and a bit of a chore to write it all down.

But I have found the answer! A system that allows you to eat any of the high fat high calories you like or even high calorie healthy food, and you will still lose weight.

So you want to know eh? You want to know my secret. Well all you need to do is sign up for a newsletter and buy a full course of videos for 100$ per month. And the secret will be revealed. In part eight of the video series.

Oh what am I saying, I’ll just tell you. Because I like you so much and everything. And we’re best friends and I think you deserve to know. But keep it to yourself ok?

So what I’m about to tell you will probably quite literally blow your mind, so wear a full motorcycle helmet while you read the following to prevent mess. You don’t want to have to wipe a lot of mind off your screen/hand held internet enabled phone device.

Ok are you ready. So this is what I ate yesterday:

• One calorific laden smoothie with oats, milk, raspberries, yogurt and honey (It was the best smoothie to date) (about 450 cals worth)
• Espresso with large spoonful of sugar
• 1/2 a cliff bar
• 1 cadburys biscuit boost (a biscuit boost! Who the hell eats them?)
• 1 Cheese and Tomato toastie on brown (Cheese! Full fat cheese! Toasted!)
• Several pints of sugary drinks (sugary enough to make you gag slightly as you drink it in)
• 1 Large chicken kebab with mango chutney and chilli sauce (On a soft, pillow like naan bread the size of an actual pillow). From Sarjan’s in Fallowfield. The best kebab in the world
• 1 cadbury flake
• 6 chunks cadbury chocolate

I haven’t added up the calories for this, but it is I *think* more than 1500.

And I lost… yes that’s lost ladies and gentlemen… I lost 3 whole pounds (in weight I hasten to add, not in coinage).

And you want to know my secret don’t you?

OK. I rode 80 miles from Manchester to Ashby-de-la-Zouche. Over the Staffordshire moorlands and endless relentless hills.

So there’s the secret ladies and gentlemen. Simply exercise in an almost non-stop way for about 7-8 hours and you too can eat all of the foods you like. And still lose weight.

If you have any further information you would like on my weight loss plan, please add your weight loss questions in the comment areas below.

Some details about the event are on the le tower 2 tower blog.

If you are in Manchester today, do come down and laugh at us say hello. I may be slightly breathless, but I’ll try to respond.

If you don’t know what the Tower to Tower ride is about, it’s six of us riding from Blackpool to Paris from the 28th August. We plan to get there in less than a week. It’s all to raise money for the NSPCC and Fanconi Trust. Please, if you can donate to these worthy causes at http://www.justgiving.com/letower2tower2010. Thanks!

As such, it’s highly recommended. The roads were beautifully clear, a complete lack of wall of cyclist. The roads were majority back country roads and the Cheshire countryside was just gorgeous. Compared to the Manchester to Blackpool ride, it was a delight.

I convinced Michael (aka him indoors) and Dave to sign up to the ride to Chester. A full ten miles fewer than the ride the Blackpool and through Cheshire “so it will be pretty flat”. Easy. Or so I pretty much promised. It wasn’t easy at all. As I said, compared to Manchester to Blackpool it was lovely in terms of the scenery and roads we were on. Flat however, flat it was not.

There were far more hills, and they were tougher than the ones Manchester to Blackpool. So if you are deciding between the two you need to weigh up the benefits. Nicer roads, nice scenery, fewer idiots on the road. But tough! I was planning to ride back, but by the time I arrived in Chester it was too late and I turned back on my earlier plan.

Felix also took part in the ride. He was 100% lycra free, dressed as though going for a stroll in the park. He sprinted up the hills, cutting through them with his special American import foldy cycle like butter. Rather than a speciality exercise/bike back pack, he carried his pump and cycle goods in a Swiss gas mask bag. And on the various pubs we stopped at to regroup, he impressed us all by drinking dirty beer! So riding 53 hilly miles is actually not that difficult, if you are actually fit.

Here’s Dave (in blue on the left) standing next to Felix in the car park of the first pub rest stop.
Dave here demonstrating how one should really dress on a cycle ride for coolness and to look most hot/foxy.

The smaller nature of the event meant that there was less in the way of people to welcome you back in as in the ride to Blackpool from Manchester. There’s definitely more of an atmosphere to that ride, whereas this was one small booth next to the crowded banks of the river Dee. There were a lot of people milling about, but they are there for a ride on the Princess Diana up the river Dee. They are not there to welcome you back.

I’d recommend the Manchester to Chester ride, but be aware that it is really quite hilly and some of those hills are quite tough. I’ll definitely give it a go next year.

I have spent the last hour or so preparing for the Manchester to Blackpool Bike Ride. All my mini bike bags are packed and various nutritional snacks, energy bars, spare inner tubes and bananas have been secreted into their many pockets. My number is bound in plastic and I’ve managed to misplace my bike computer.

It would seem as though there’s going to be around 7000 people riding from Manchester to Blackpool this year. I wonder what sort of pandemonium we will wreak upon the road to Blackpool.

There are a few things I wanted to mention. Last years ride from Manchester to Blackpool was the beginning of all of this bikey crazyness. My reason for signing up was a trip to Decathalon in Stockport to look at bikes. While there I saw a sign for the Manchester to Blackpool bike ride, and I wondered if I could possibly manage to complete that number of miles. It seemed impossible, but what a challenge. I went home, researched it and signed up. I also looked around the internet for people who were about to do the ride/had completed it. It was the beginning of quite a journey. I’ve not completed all of the things I hoped to achieve. I have managed to lose 28 pounds by using both bike rides and running to motivate myself to cut back and increase the exercise. There’s a whole lot more to lose and I’m hoping for another 28 before I head out to Paris. The motivation has come from various places, but in particular was from a number of people who like me were using exercise and bike riding in particular to get fit again and lose weight. It has been a really heart-warming experience. People I’ve never met and do not know all forming a little motivational and protective community. So thanks a lot to them they’ve all been fab and super supportive. I’ve been a bit quiet lately, blog-wise, but this is because of my work life seeping into life life. I’ll try and contribute more soon.

On the bike front I have changed my headset it’s a stem I’m told. My bike is probably a little to big for me. It’s a great bike but I really should have waited and tried to find a ladies-sized frame… I think. This headset stem change does seem to improve things though and I feel much more at ease using the road bike brakes instead of my kiddie stabiliser-style comfort brakes. I might even consider removing the kiddie brakes, but for comfort I’ve kept them for this bike ride.

It’s from a mountain bike, so it looks kind of odd. Here it is:

I have a problem with deciding on the bike I want.

Today I went to a cycle shop in Bury to try out the Orange Diva. I initially planned to get it from Sunset Mountain Bike because of their splendid 24 months interest free credit. However, once in the shop him indoors pointed out the sign on the bike that read “up to 18 months interest free credit”. OK, I thought, I can buy here and bring back if there are any problems. So I decided to go ahead with it. And I was about five minutes away from sealing the deal when the assistant asked me how long I wanted the credit for. 18 months, I replied…… Oh no, only 12 available was the decision. It’s just the sign that they put on the bike. But it’s wrong… I couldn’t have interest free credit on anything over 12 months. Thus making it plainly not up to 18 months interest free credit. Which makes it misleading.  I should probably create some sort of venn diagram to demonstrate how this works. Not like I mind, it was only some of the assistant’s time wasted. A few years ago I would have just gone for the 12 rather than suffer the embarrassment of canceling the deposit and looking like a tit. Nowadays, I don’t mind looking like a tit when it saves me money.

I have heard bad reports about that shop. I didn’t find it all that bad. They are not as helpful as Evans for sure and not as cheerful as my local shop. I liked the variety of bikes on show and the equipment. Nicely stocked. I’d rather buy from my local shop, but they don’t do finance (I do buy all of my bike bits from there though). At Evans it was easier to test drive bikes round the block. I prefer that about Evans and there are a couple of really friendly guys in their Deansgate shop.

So the bike felt fine. Odd after riding a road bike for so long, but the frame size was fine. The gears worked a treat. And I was ready to buy it. I am not so keen on the colour or decals, but as trio pointed out, I can remove them and Jenn pointed out I can change the colour of the bike if needs be. Both pointed out that the way it rides is more important than colour. Fair point. I could get a crappy asda bike in my favourite colour. I don’t dislike white, just seems an odd colour for a bike the lives in the dirt. I don’t like the decals because they make it look a bit like a barbie bike. But that’s just my take on it. I’m no person to ask to comment really as I’m not a very girly girl. In fact not much of a girl at all, I’m middle aged .

I decided to buy from Sunset. But now, on reviewing the bikes, I can’t help but like Kona Lisa and could possibly go up to the Kona Kula Lisa … or could I. I’m not sure.

Either way, I’m stuck between the Kona Lisa and the Orange Diva.

I think what I need to do is get the full specs and compare them. I do like the fact that the Diva is made in Huddersfield, but not sure if that is a real reason to buy. Then again, I can’t buy something based on the colour.

So do you have an opinion on the two bikes? Do let me know. Cheers!

The full spec of the Orange Diva is here . The Kona Lisa here, The Kula Lisa (which I should probably avoid) here.

Taking a bike out on the roads is out of the question in this weather, for me. I tried to drive a car last night (NB. I do know how to drive a car, I mean I tried to drive a car in these treacherous weather times). If that is the general experience of car driving in current conditions, I’ll leave off for the cycling for a while. Avoiding the path of oncoming vehicles was a chore, never mind avoiding pesky cyclists if any were crazy enough to venture out.

So what to do as an alternative? Well, I am considering the purchase of a turbo trainer. And I may well just about do that. To others in a similar predicament, I say to you this: Have you tried spinning?

Yes, spinning. It’s brilliant. I don’t ride my bike every day, even during spells of more agreeable weather. I’m definitely a fair weather cyclist and I have no need to commute. But it was spinning that has kept me interested in the idea of fitness and losing weight.

Usually I spin about four to five times per week. Sometimes even for two hour sessions. If I could manage to get up early enough on a Saturday, I’d spin at the leisure centre too. I spin at the Studio in Glossop, with Cherry Baker. Spinning with Cherry is a different experience than a standard spinning teacher. She explains things very well and there’s certainly never a dull moment with Cherry. She also puts in a lot of stretching and some bone-loading exercises too. Spinning is marvellous, but there is no bone loading involved.

So how does it work? It’s a resistance based machine. You alter the resistance so that you work harder. You do this to music and with an instructor taking you through the imaginary cycle course. We often cycle up imaginary Chunnel, or occasionally we are taken on the gruelling pretend three peaks challenge. Often there are difficult bits where you have to use your legs and refrain from sitting down for what seems like several decades, but is in reality the length of a song. It is during these times when you wish that you were several stone lighter. You may feel that you are not fit enough to spin, but this is not the case. It can be quite tough, but you can ease yourself in gradually, by sitting down during the standing up bits and not turning the dial so far.

As far as I’m aware, nobody checks other people to see how “good” or bad they are. People of all abilities are in the classes, from the older above sixty-five year old, to my eighteen year old cousin, who spins with effortless ease. More recently Michael, Dave and Lesley have tried it, and they are getting hooked. Each, like me, desk-bound and hoping to increase their fitness levels.

I found spinning difficult to begin with. It’s demanding on your legs and your respiratory system. It also hurts your bum, so make sure you wear padded cycle shorts. Each class is tough to begin with, but you get over the initial hurdle of pain and then the endorphins kick in and then you feel fantastic. If the music is good, it you get a massive buzz. After spinning I feel very positive and start making my plans for marathons and triathalons. Recently I’ve been off the alcohol as part of the health drive, but I’ve had a few snifters with the festive season cheer. And I can honestly say I prefer the feeling you get from spinning to the dizzy stumbly feeling I get from alcohol. And spinning wins hands down. After spinning I do not spend a day in bed and/or vomiting into a bucket.

After spinning for about four months at four to five times per week, I attempted running. About twelve years ago, during a different, fitter lifetime I was in love with running. The same applies to running as it does to spinning in terms of the natural high. Last year I tried to do the couch to 10k programme, but I couldn’t run for five minutes without all over pain. The other week I was able to run non-stop for thirty minutes, and I can run for sustained periods on a running machine. This is down to spinning. Spinning and losing over fourteen pounds, but the two are interconnected.

My leg muscles have developed massively from spinning. I think I have these names right – I’ve now got much stronger and more developed hip flexors, quads, gluteus and what I think are sartorious (inner thigh muscles, not too sure if that is these). Tighter gluteus maximus, and in general much more toned.

I’ve missed out on my spinning over the past two weeks due to travel because of my job and now christmas, I really, really miss the sessions when I can’t attend.

If you are stuck inside and hating the fact you can’t exercise, try spinning! Don’t worry that you are not fit enough, you will be. Don’t worry about looking weird in a group, I’ve found the classes to be relaxed and non-judgemental. Make sure you get a good teacher though, it is key. If you live near Glossop, try the Studio’s velo fit classes. The bikes are great, teaching is fab and it’s a lovely friendly atmosphere.

I’m a little bit on edge about taking the bike out in winter weather. I realise that I treat my bike like a spoiled child. I’m afraid of it sustaining injury by water and or dirt. I’m sure it’s built to deal with fairly harsh conditions, and the frame is fashioned from finest American aluminium rather than sugar, but I guess I’m now suffering for shelling out tons on a bike and being all precious about it. Ideally I’d have a winter bike that I could take on trails and then leave on its own outside shops without being worried that it would be stolen and abused by a less appreciative, less attentive parent. I’d keep the Felt for road and semi-decent weather only. This would take place in a parallel universe where I had a spare £400 every month to spend on anything I fancied beyond my current fairly lavish lifestyle (which already includes about £100 per month on bike-related kit).

But I digress… The weather was cold and breezy but for once no rain. It was time to take out and test my new saddle, the overshoes and the winter gloves.

Firstly, the saddle.

New Saddle

My new saddle is a Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow which I purchased online from Evans. All of the products purchased arrived the day after ordering as I paid an extra sum of five english pounds to ensure speedy delivery. This was because I had planned to join Joby and Chris on their crazy cycle up the Isle of Skye and wanted the overshoes for that event. In the end however, I checked the weather that morning, which presented itself as a howling gale plus extra large lashings of heavy rain. I checked my bed, which was warm, completely dry and presented no threat of being sent under the wheels of an artic via treacherous weather fronts. Which was my choice? I chose the bed. Yes, I am a lazy wuss. So, no real need to pay extra to get the fast delivery.

You’ll notice it’s black, not white as it should be with the overall look and feel of the bike. No white ones available. I might prefer the look of the black saddle. With the white saddle it does kind of give the impression that there should be some tassles hanging out of the handlebars and some streamers on a flag at the back. The saddle is constructed out of leather. Mmmmmm leather. Which apparently helps with something. Like most people of sound mind, I prefer natural materials, so leather is good. There is plenty of gel padding to support the lady-buttock cheeks, or so I am led to believe from the saddle description. I also read many rave reviews, along the lines of “best cycle for ladies” “able to finally do long distances” etc., and these reviews swayed my decision. You’ll notice the text “Ldy” on the cycle nose informing you of the girly nature of the saddle. This is unnecessary and looks a bit tacky. The font is a bit unimaginative. I like the nose of the saddle, seemed as though there would be less chance of catching my cycle shorts, which it turned out was correct. There is also a strange shiny patch at the back. I have no idea why that is there. The saddle is also lighter than the original, maybe something to do with the manganese rails.

So, what was it like? Well, I kind of expected the saddle to be like sitting on a fluffy cloud that had been kissed and petted gradually into shape by a team of cycle fairies and finished off and tested by God him/herself. This wasn’t the case. At first it felt like there was pressure on the sit bones, the technical term for which I believe is the “twitter” (that which is neither x nor y). This was the exact opposite of the effect I was looking for, so initially a little unimpressed. However, after ten minutes or so it was fine. No pain. I need a much longer ride to test out exactly how comfortable the saddle is over longer periods, but the quickie gave me the impression that I had found “the” saddle. I certainly hope so as I don’t want to fork out for another.

And now, the gloves:

Altura Womens Shield Waterproof Gloves Graphite

These possess all of the standard traits of a decent bike glove. Generous padding for the ulnar nerve and funny toweling bit on the back for mopping hard working bike brow. Well padded in general. I can’t attest to their waterproof nature as it wasn’t raining. They were however, very warm. Too warm in fact. Too warm for just now. The extra padding makes them less responsive and not as easy to manipulate as the standard long-fingered water-absorbent bike gloves that I already have, so I think I’ll keep using those until I need waterproofing.

The Overshoes:

Endura Road Overshoes

Here they are with my extra attractive nora-batty style warm winter cycle trousers courtesy of Aldi. Without any doubt, these are the most ridiculous looking item of bike nonsense I have thus far purchased. I think this is because my cycle shoes are a little chunkier than the standard carbon SPD shoe. This gives them a very chunky, club footed, giant welly appearance, when compared to the photograph provided by the web site. Fortunately I am beyond worrying about what sort of freak I look like on a bike, so I don’t really mind. It was too warm for these, I was wearing smart wool socks and with the overshoes it was just too hot. Clearly these are going to be great when the weather closes in further.

Finally, and the icing on the top of my freaky look cake is my buff. I’ve had a buff for ages, and after I whinged about cold ears a few weeks back, Lost suggested a Buff. It’s a great solution. Ideally placed inside the helmet, I posed for my webcam looking particularly stupid here:

Me in my Buff

Here I am looking like a complete retard. I also picked up my old cycle helmet recently from the parentals. It’s a Trek and thus better than the supposed MTB one I purchased from Decathalon. The peak of the Decathalon improves its overall appearance. I tested the two to try to find the lesser of the two “make me look like more of a retard” evils. The Decathalon one looks better, but the Trek helmet has a thicker construction, so I might just wear it from now on. I’d rather look like a tool than have a crushed skull.

So, what’s next on the purchasing agenda? Well, ideally I’d like a winter bike, a Garmin Edge 705 and a pair of those Crud mud guards for a road bike. However, I’ve spent so much on bike stuff recently that I can only just afford to buy groceries, so all that will have to wait.

I am getting increasingly used to it, and increasingly fond of it. I’ve now mastered the gears a little better, I love the way it is easy to steer and control. Love the way it feels as though you can shimmy through spaces where I previously plodded through on the hybrid (a cross between a bike and a tank). I have to admit that it has those learner brakes on it, I didn’t say before for shame. However, I do find these have been great for getting used to the road bike aspect. And I guess eventually they can come off.

I definitely need some bike glasses now. I can’t wear sun glasses as it’s too dark, but bike glasses would help keep my eyes free of flies and detritus. I also need an alternate pair of cycling shorts.

I’m considering getting up early and working for a while, then going on my imaginary commute, just to get some miles in. Tomorrow sees a return to spinning (with Cherry Baker at the studio in Glossop), which I’ve missed because of work commitments. I love spinning and recommend this to all other cyclists and those trying to lose weight. I’ve definitely seen an improvement in my ability to tackle the bigger hills with the spinny training. It’s actually called Velofit, which makes me think it’s a form of exercise derived from being chased around a warehouse by a velociraptor. But it isn’t, it’s riding on a stationary bike. It’s a challenge, but when the adrenaline/endorphins kick in it’s magic. I imagine being chased by a velociraptor would be even better exercise.

If anyone happens to see the bike on eBay or similar please let Joby know.

Here’s what the bike looks like:

It’s a Felt QX80 and was stolen from Hyde in Greater Manchester on Saturday 9th August.

I think I’ll be going for a touring type bike, but there are a few non-toury ones here. These ones look pretty good:

Revolution Cross ’09

Like the fact that they have learner brakes on the top of the handlebars

Revolution Country Traveller ’09

Again, like the fact that they have learner brakes on the top of the handlebars. Doesn’t have the disc brakes of the more expensive one below.

Revolution Country Explorer ’09

Doesn’t have the learner brakes of the two models above. Nicer spec though.

Specialized Sirrus Sport ’09

Regular handlebars, larger than mountain bike wheels. Regular handlebars, decent spec, like the price.

Specialized Sirrus Elite ’09

Regular handlebars, larger than mountain bike wheels. Like the look of the frame with its carbon forks. Apparently “It’s like riding with subtle suspension but without the weight penalty and that’s a FACT”.

I’m holding out for a few weeks, it’s a big investment and I don’t want to make the wrong decision. Should also wait for a mid month to see if I can actually afford.