{"id":147065,"date":"2017-03-08T09:20:53","date_gmt":"2017-03-08T09:20:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=147065"},"modified":"2017-03-08T09:22:11","modified_gmt":"2017-03-08T09:22:11","slug":"unbelievable-story-man-lost-165-pounds-cycling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2017\/03\/08\/unbelievable-story-man-lost-165-pounds-cycling\/","title":{"rendered":"An Unbelievable Story of a Man Who Lost 165 Pounds Through Cycling"},"content":{"rendered":"

When tragedy strikes, it\u2019s easy to give up and just let it all go. But what takes everything in you is getting back on track and refusing to surrender to hopelessness. When JT Klausutis\u2019 wife Lori was met with a fatal accident in 2001, he shut himself from friends and society, developing unhealthy eating and living habits. \u201cI let it all go. For five years, I didn\u2019t socialize. I traveled. I worked. And I ate,\u201d said Klausutis. When he started reaching the 400-pound weight mark (182 kg) he had a wake-up call. After developing a thin white ring around his cornea he went to see his doctor who diagnosed him with arcus senilis \u2013 in lay terms, a condition when fat and cholesterol stored in one\u2019s eyes. There was no doubt that a heart attack or a stroke was waiting around a corner. \u201cAt that moment I had to admit that I was passive-aggressively trying to kill myself,”\u00a0Klausutis remembers.<\/strong>
\n<\/p>\n

Then, he got angry with himself and realized that this is no way to go. \u201c\u2018You\u2019re either going to kill yourself\u2014just go ahead and do it\u2014or you\u2019re not going to do it.\u2019 So that Monday, I went out and\u00a0bought myself a mountain bike,\u201d he recollects. First, it was baby steps, of course. Luckily, he had a lot of encouragement from his surroundings, including a neighbour who invited him to join her cycle club. Klausutis reminds himself of these beginnings with fondness: \u201cIt\u2019s a running joke today that there were people literally ready to call 911 when I stroked out and died, but I made it,\u201d ha laughs.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
Credit: Amy Yanora<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He cleaned up his act, including his diet, started exercising vigorously and cooking at home. And he swore off fast food forever. We can\u2019t even imagine the amounts he must have consumed because there\u2019s even a story related to this turn of events in his life. \u201cTrue story, within months of me changing my diet, the Hardee\u2019s, where I got breakfast every morning, and the local pizza shop, where I got dinner, closed,\u201d Klausutis told Bicycling.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"alcohol-affect-athletic-performance\"\/<\/a><\/div>
\n Health & Training<\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n

How Does Alcohol Affect Athletic Performance?<\/span><\/h3>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n<\/div>\n

After nine months he was almost 100 pounds (45 kg) lighter and full of confidence. He started riding with some local clubs that were sceptic at first but he slowly worked his way up their speed. Still, it was kind of a problem to find a proper bike for him as he was still around 300 pounds (136 kg), but he eventually succeeded with help of some professional bike builders.<\/p>\n

Credit: Amy Yanora<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After being around bicycle enthusiasts, he kept hearing about this race called Leadville and decided that he would make it the benchmark of his life change. The first try ended up a fiasco \u2013 Klausutis was completely unprepared and was cut off at the race for not making the time limit. Although being under a dark cloud for some time he decided to try again in 2011 after a colleague crewed for him. But more bad news was to follow – he missed the time check by 14 minutes. More tears. More frustration. \u201cWe\u2019re going home from this and I\u2019m trying to keep my shit together, but there\u2019s this monster inside me that is so angry,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

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\"theres-no-right-wrong-cycling-body-weight\"\/<\/a><\/div>
\n Health & Training<\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n

There\u2019s No Right or Wrong \u2019Cycling Body Weight\u2019<\/span><\/h3>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n<\/div>\n

He realized a bigger change needs to be made to his habits and weight so he plunged into it hard core. He was stuck at 275 pounds (125 kg) and knew he needed something more drastic. He embarked on a strict diet and exercise plan and lost 50 pounds over the next four months. And then another Leadville came. This time his determination and strong will paid off and he managed to make it under the 12-hour limit, even with a tire puncture he needed to fix and his friends make sure to be at the finish line to cheer him up.<\/p>\n

Credit: Amy Yanora<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI went to grief counselling after my wife died. They told me to find a hobby\u2026to find like-minded people who support you. That\u2019s what you find when you do events like Leadville and Dirty Kanza\u201d Klausitis says. Now he’s a big advocate of cycling and sports overall, but only in enthusiasm and not in figure anymore – he managed to drop 165 pounds (75 kg) and still claims that his journey isn’t at its end. Another story that proves that determination is the key to success in most things.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When tragedy strikes, it\u2019s easy to give up and just let it all go. But what takes everything in you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":147077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[332],"tags":[906,489,907],"global-categories":[],"class_list":["post-147065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-and-training","tag-jt-klausutis","tag-losing-weight","tag-weight-loss"],"yoast_head":"\nAn Unbelievable Story of a Man Who Lost 165 Pounds Through Cycling - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When tragedy strikes, it\u2019s easy to give up and just let it all go. 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