Jenn 2’s Slimdown: Big Accomplishments, Small Steps

| October 7, 2013 | 21 Comments
Attacking the initial climb at Rebecca's Private Idaho, smiling.

Attacking the initial climb at Rebecca’s Private Idaho, smiling.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t often celebrate my achievements or even take the time to acknowledge them. Instead, I immediately move on and think, “What’s next?”

That’s why I want to take a few moments to celebrate finishing my first major bike ride (together with my husband), Rebecca’s Private Idaho, held Labor Day weekend in Sun Valley, ID.

Those of you who have been following my progress know that I straddled a road bike for the first time in June. Less than three months later, I completed 56 miles on dirt, starting at a 6,000 feet above sea level and climbing to 8,000 feet in just over five miles (umm…straight up a mountain). I did this carrying an extra 40 pounds.

Here’s the thing—if I can do it, so can you.

The Ride

The queen rallying her troops, pre-ride!

The queen rallying her troops, pre-ride!

I’m not going to lie. I picked a crazy first ride. Readers, heed my advice, if you’re new to biking, don’t do what I did—jump right into a gravel grinder up a mountainside. The sane choice would have been a nice, smooth ride on paved roads, working your way up to steep climbs on washboard dirt roads. But the queen of pain herself, Rebecca Rusch, convinced me to set this goal and take on the challenge. And nobody says no to the queen.

When I told friends and acquaintances who were serious cyclists what I was doing, I could see the look of surprise on their faces. It was obvious they didn’t think I’d be able to finish.

But, guess what? We did finish. 56 miles, 8 hours, and two flat tires later, we rolled past the finish line in downtown Ketchum, dirty, bleeding, legs shaking from exhaustion, but with huge smiles on our faces. It was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life (and I lived in Russia for 8 years!).

It took us an hour to complete the initial climb. Kudos to my husband, Kevin, for staying by my side, because I know he could have gone faster. I was going so slowly that I actually fell over one time because I didn’t have enough momentum!

Facing Fear

But the ride up was nothing compared to the ride down that same mountain pass. This was a super steep, narrow, rocky road (one participant described it as riding a jackhammer) with a huge drop-off hundreds of feet down into a deep ravine. Also, did I mention that there were still cars driving on this road? I was literally sobbing from fear (not to mention I was already physically and mentally exhausted, as we had already ridden 50 miles at this point). I was squeezing my brakes so hard that I thought my grip would give out. I wasn’t sure how long I would be able to hold on. I cried most of the way down the 10-minute descent, but I never got off my bike. I wanted to ride every. single. mile.

Here’s what I learned: fear doesn’t kill you. On a bike, you can literally ride it out, slowly, until you reach flatter ground. Fear doesn’t make you stronger—your whole body is going haywire—but facing it does. So, the next time I face a scary cornice on skis, afraid to huck off into the first turn, I will think of this descent on my bike. The next time I’m afraid to talk to a new person or reach out to someone for help, I will think of this descent. I will remember how I faced that fear…and survived.

This ride was grueling, even for serious cyclists. Only later I discovered that some participants didn’t even finish, and several of the hardcore cyclists who had set out to complete 100 miles, decided to do only 50 once they started the course. Others turned around after the initial climb and headed back to Ketchum. One of these pros called me a badass on her blog. So, score one for the fat girl!

Progress Report

I lost a few pounds this month, but not enough—only three. Even though I’ve cut out bread, pasta, and cereal (with a few slip ups here and there), I have continued to consume too much sugar, which I get desperate, aching cravings for. I’ve realized that I consume sugar mostly in the form of energy bars, peanut butter, and wine, but sugar is sugar and it inhibits weight loss.

That’s why this month I’ve committed to elimination diet called the Whole30. A friend of mine, who also has around 40 pounds to lose, recommended it to me, after she lost about 10 pounds in a month and kicked her sugar dependency. It’s a program where you eat clean (i.e. paleo, what I was supposed to be doing all along on the BioSig program) for a month, completely eliminating all grains, dairy, legumes, soy, alcohol, and of course, sugar. Many people are sensitive to these types of food, as they cause inflammation and discomfort to the digestive tract. After a month, you slowly reintroduce certain foods back into your system to see whether they cause you harm. I know I’m lactose intolerant, but I love dairy, especially yoghurt and skim lattes. So, cutting those has been really hard.

At the time of writing this, I’m on day 4. It’s not easy. My brain is always seeking a sugar reward. When I indulge, I immediately feel this wave of calm and satisfaction, but eating these types of food does not make me feel energetic later and it is not allowing me to have the type of body I want to have.

Strength In Numbers

Finally, I’ve been overwhelmed by all the support you have shown me and one another, especially in response to my Adventure Is Not Just for Sexy People post. Sometimes, I just go back to that post to read the inspiring comments; it makes me feel like I have an army of women behind me. In fact, there were several times during my ride when I thought about the readers who were cheering me on–and it lifted my spirits.

I knew I had to finish, because I so desperately wanted to tell you all about it.

Thank you so much.

To find out more about the gear you need for gravel grinders, click here.

at-the-start

Category: Body

Jennifer Davis-Flynn

About the Author ()

A.K.A. "Jenn 2," I'm here to to engage the wonderful community of women adventurers currently wandering the earth! When I'm not skiing, I love to speak Russian, sing jazz, and ride my bike. Find me on Google +

Comments (21)

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  1. Dana McMahan says:

    Congratulations! You are making fantastic progress – and kudos for the badass title 🙂

  2. Susan Hayse Susan says:

    Aww, thank you for telling us this story! It would have been so easy to keep it private but it speaks to so many of us out here with food issues and we all need each other for encouragement.

  3. Alexandra Kenin says:

    Great story. I can relate. My boyfriend signed me up for a road ride, which he thought was 40 miles. When we got to the start line, we learned it was 70 miles with a 22 mile hill (what were we thinking?!)? I hadn’t ridden my bike in 6 months, so it was a serious struggle to finish this ride, but it showed me that I can do a lot more than I thought was possible. This weekend I did a 65 mile ride, and I showed up to the start line feeling relaxed and confident because I knew that when I need to finish something, I can follow through and do it. (Of course I trained more this time too). Congrats on the big ride! And…excited to follow your progress with the weight loss. Now that I’m in my mid 30s, I’ve added on 5 lbs. that I can’t seem to lose. I’d love to hear how adjusting your diet works for you.

  4. Susan Sommer says:

    Go Jenn!! You are an inspiration!

  5. Susanne Wright says:

    Congratulations Jennifer!! You are an inspiration to me. Your determination, your courage, your honesty. I know you probably don’t need or want any diet advice so I won’t give any. But, I’ll tell you what finally worked for me. Vegan. I love it. It’s simple and clean and my cravings for sugar have nearly disappeared. I have also lost weight effortlessly. I know, I know, shut up will ya!! Watch Forks Over Knives (Netflix) It’s saved many people’s lives. Okay. I’m done. You keep being you, Jenn because you are awesome! –Susanne

  6. Rebecca Rusch says:

    Way to step outside the comfort zone and really shake things up. I knew you could do it when I invited you to the challenge. You just needed a push, a support group, a great goal and loving husband to help you along. None of our achievements are done alone! Thanks so much for spending the day with me in Idaho!

    • Jennifer Davis-Flynn Jennifer Davis-Flynn says:

      Reba, you’re amazing and your event was fabulous–the support staff, the scenery, the party! We can’t wait to do it again next year. Congrats on creating a ride that’s truly you and truly fun (well, except for the actual riding part–JK!)

  7. Noodle says:

    Very happy to read this ride report. It’s great to read other people’s experiences at this event. I passed both you and your husband on that big descent (I believe it was your husband that picked up a water bottle that had jumped right off my bike due to the roughness and brought it to me rather than me having to ride back a bit and get it, for which I was extremely grateful – and if I’m not mistaken he’s at about the 1:30 mark of my video of the ride? http://www.nodirectionknown.com/?p=4878)

    It was a very challenging ride and exactly what I expected from someone called The Queen of Pain. To finish is a big achievement and you should be rightly proud – it was a bone shaker! Cheers to you both and congratulations.

    Ride on!

    • Jennifer Davis-Flynn Jennifer Davis-Flynn says:

      What an awesome video! Really captures the spirit of the day. And, yes, that’s my hubby Kevin. I wonder where I was at that point? Probably going 1 mph, sobbing on my bike, way behind 🙂 Thanks for sharing with us!

    • lorriehess says:

      Loved your video! – Lorrie Hess

  8. robyn says:

    Great job! I am trying to lose weight too and it’s not coming off, even though I watch what I eat and exercise. However, my body is changing and I am feeling stronger. Maybe this should be the goal? Health over body type.

    You inspire me and I can see how you inspire others. You DO have an army of women behind you, cheering you on.

  9. Jennifer Davis-Flynn Jennifer Davis-Flynn says:

    Ladies, you make a girl blush! Thanks so much for sharing your stories.

  10. Rhonda Snyder says:

    Congratulations Jenn! I love gravel road riding. I’m envious of your personal invitation to Rebecca’s race! You aimed high and passed your goal…very inspiring! Thank you for sharing your journey.

  11. Karen Ryberg says:

    I read this and the next day was biking on a long gradual climb on a dirt trail. I was thinking this is getting hard, but then I remembered your story about the hour-long initial climb and thought – this is nothing compared to that ride. And I kept going! Thanks for sharing your story.

    • Jennifer Davis-Flynn Jennifer Davis-Flynn says:

      That’s great! Just keep moving forward….it doesn’t matter how long it take you. Persistence pays off and it feels good to reach the top!

  12. lorriehess says:

    Jenn, I love reading how your journey is going – ALL of it! It’s fund to see you finding so many adventures on the way. And, 3 pounds is 3 pounds better. Woohoo!

  13. Liz says:

    That final picture of you holding your bike is wonderful. My wish is that everyone would be that happy when they finish a challenging ride. Congrats on finishing despite your fear. Keep it up! I am a professional MTB racer, and I still very clearly remember the first time I made it up Lookout Mountain, the hill in my then-backyard, when I had just taken up road riding not all that long ago. Of all my accomplishments on the bike, that one still stands out as the first time I realized I had just done something I never thought I would do. The rest is history. Hold on to the memory of this ride forever; it will take you far. 🙂

  14. Tracy Remelius says:

    I love your updates! I think you are awesome!!

  15. Lili says:

    You’re brave, beautiful and an inspiration, Jenn. Thank you for having the courage not only to face your fear, but to set the less enlightened among us on a more thoughtful path, which you’ve done with grace and humility and humor. BRAVA!

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