Looking to lose weight?

Mark Skoneki’s cycling tips could help.

I glared at the number on my bathroom scale one morning not so long ago. It read 253 pounds. It was time to do something. I knew that I had to get regular exercise back into my life. But there was a problem. I have a lingering foot injury that meant running — or even extended walking — was out of the question.

So, I turned to bicycling. Now, a little more than a year later, I’ve logged more than 1,100 miles on my regular bicycle and a stationary “spinner.”

The result: I’m down to 234 pounds.

Yes, I have at least 20 more pounds to go, but I’m on the right path. And I’ve done it without making major changes to my diet — I like to eat.

Here are a few tips that have helped me keep up my exercise plan: Vary your workouts. I try to ride outside on my seven-speed as often as weather allows. But to keep it interesting, I vary my course around College Park, the Orlando neighborhood where I live. In general, I’ll do about 6 to 8 miles per session, which takes about 25 to 30 minutes.

Some days, I’ll do a looping track south of my home. On others, it’s north through the residential streets. On weekends, when I have more time, I go as far east as Loch Haven Park. When it’s rainy or too cold, I get on the spinner, where I do more interval training, getting my heart rate up and burning extra calories that way. Take every other day off. To avoid burnout, I cycle every other day most weeks. On my off days, though, I do something to stay active — mow the lawn or vacuum the house. And every day, I walk our Golden Retriever, Gracie, around a nearby park. Listen to music or the news. I have several playlists on my phone, everything from heavy metal to country and the soundtrack from “Hamilton.” Some mornings, I listen to news shows on the radio. I’m careful not to set the volume too loud when I’m outside so that I can hear approaching cars.

Wear a helmet. I’ve not had any close calls with automobiles so far, largely because I avoid most of the major roads, except for short stretches of Edgewater Drive. But to be extra safe, I always wear my helmet when I’m on the road. And while I admit to a few rolling stops at some residential stop signs, I generally follow traffic laws. Track your progress and

brag about it. My cellphone has a health and fitness program that tracks every mile and allows you to send your results to friends on social media. The program also tells me how many calories I’ve burned, creates a map of the route and “rewards” me every time I set a new pace or distance record. It will tell me, too, how active I am in general and how that compares with others who use the program.

So far, it’s credited me with logging 1,118.47 miles. I’m a numbers geek, so I really like this. Don’t get discouraged about

weight loss. Although I’ve dropped almost 20 pounds, lately I don’t seem to be losing weight. Even so, I’ve seen other signs that I’m healthier. My resting heart rate has dropped into the mid-60s per minute, down from 80-plus.

My pants, which had been tight, are fitting better now. I feel stronger, and the pain in my foot goes away when I’m riding either bike.

At some point, I will start to lose weight again.

This routine is working for me, and I plan to maintain it for months or even years to come.

But I’ll keep an eye out for trucks.