New Yorker loses 30 pounds by biking to work

NEW YORK - A man in the US lost 30 pounds in less than a year by hopping off the train and onto a bike.

Marcus Woollen, 36, abandoned his 40-minute commute on the E train in favor of riding a bicycle from Jackson Heights to his office in midtown.

“By midsummer, the weight was falling off and I had to buy new pants,” the New York Daily News quoted Woollen, who testified in support of extending the city’s network of bike lanes at a Thursday City Council hearing, as saying.

“I don’t have to worry about watching what I eat anymore.”

Woollen was cagey when asked how much he weighs, but hinted that he’s about 20 pounds from being considered overweight. A writer, actor and Web developer, he looks like a new man.

The devoted dog lover’s mission to lose weight began with the sobering realization that he had been packing on several pounds a year beginning in his early 30s. Enough was enough, he thought. A friend loaned him a bike.

“I realized I had a bike lane nearby that went right to my office that I could use to replace my daily commute on the subway,” he said.

“Now I have a commute that takes the same amount of time - and I get an hour and a half of exercise.” (ANI)