Don't want to over-do this!! HELP!!

[blubikegrl]

Okay girls,

Doctor says to lose it or else----weight---that is. I got a Gary Fisher bike at the encouragement of some friends, started riding, and now I enjoy it, even though it's onlt been 2 weeks.

I want to continue to ride, for fun AND for fitness, but I do not know how to proceed. If I try and go all out---cycling everyday AND dieting, I'm afraid that will be too much for my poor body to handle at one time.

My current stats are:
Age: 41
Weight: 250lbs

Last time on a bike---at least one that moves---20 years.

I need to lose 50lbs and am asking for advice on the best plan. Should I try and ride 5-6 times a week, and just forget about dieting, or should I trying doing both, in some sort of interval.
BTW....all my doctor told me was "See you on the bike trails"

[Irulan]

isnt' the basic rule, eat less, exercise more? Why not do both, but instead of "diet" just eat better.

I don't know why you wouldn't want to just ride as much as you want. Better than dieting is just eating better foods, and less of them. Becare of the no-carb mentality, quality carbohydrates are essential especially if you are burning fuel while riding... It's time to educate yourself about quality foods going in, what your body acutally needs, and not "diet".

there have been some really good threads on weight loss, riding and nutrition here in the past, maybe try seraching the forums a bit?

I guess you could worry about overtrainiing, but I don't think the average rider needs to worry about that.

Irulan

[bounceswoosh]

Listen to your body. If you haven't been active for a long while, it can be stressful to suddenly spring into constant action. Start with a few short rides a week; increase either the frequency or the length every week till your body tells you to take it easy.

As for food, dieting and increasing your exercise level at the same time can be very difficult. Do *not* try a carb-restrictive diet when you're increasing your activities; you need the carbs for energy. I found, though, that cutting back on fat helped me tremendously. There are a lot of yummy low-fat recipes out there. It's almost impossible to eat out and eat low-fat and still get the nutrition you need; this is a constant struggle for me. Much better to prepare foods yourself, if you can find the time.

I'm not a doctor or even an expert; these are just my thoughts.

[NYCrider]

Start with shorter workouts - aim for 20-30 minutes - but work out hard. If you get your heart rate up (buy a heart rate monitor) you will see results faster. Most people make the mistake of working out in their comfort zone and then get discouraged when they do not see any results (obviously do not push yourself too hard and get hurt). Add a bit of time (in 5 min chunks) till you can comfortably do 45 min - 1 hr. Try to get out there 4 times a week and get some light weights to do at home 2 days a week. If you are careful about watching what you eat you will see the first results quickly, though expect to settle into a slow and steady weight loss in a month or so.

Good luck. Once you start to see results and get in shape you will be truly addicted.

[MomOnBike]

I've been lurking for a while, but this topic brought me out of the woodwork.

I'm in almost exactly the same boat as blubikegirl. Vastly overweight, doctor on my case, blah, blah, blah. Heck, 250 is my next interim weight loss goal.

What I have found to be effective is controlling the fat in my diet. I've been using FitDay (Google on it) on the recommendation of this list. It helps simply by making me aware of the "shape" of my diet. There are some foods I simply don't buy anymore 'cause I can't afford the fat.

As for biking - ride every day. 3 miles a day is close enough to 100 miles a month. My point is that getting out and riding is much better than staying home close to the oatmeal cookies.

I also make sure I ride to the drug store for any prescriptions, bank for quick deposits, that sort of thing. The miles add up, I get a workout and the scale thanks me.

Don't forget to have fun. We've been known to ride to a swimming pool, swim, ride to dinner, then ride home. It's our version of a triathelon :D If you are careful of dinner, it works.

Good luck. (I need it too!)

[NYCrider]

I refer to riding and walking around town my "French exercises" because the French stay so thin by being regularly active in their lives rather than really working out.

I lost a little over 80 lbs 5 yrs ago (down from a little over 220 to right around 140) by doing a combo of the intense workouts (starting at 20 min and building up in time to an hour now) and my French exercises. The French exercises are a great way to stay active and ward off weight gain... but once you lose the first chunk of weight just from moving around more you'll stop seeing results and get discouraged (or at least I did). It was only by adding in those intense workouts 4 times a week with a heart rate monitor that I got over that plataeu. Of course, I hit another one down the round and that time only portion control seemed to get me back on track that time.

Also to stop your self from giving up find a work out buddy at a similar fitness level. I have one for weights and sometimes (like this morning) it is the ONLY thing that gets me out of bed.

One year from now you can look in the mirror and see a totally different person looking back if you stick with your goals.

[NYCrider]

Oh and good luck to Blubikegrl and MomOnBike!

[trekchic]

If you "go all out" right off the bat, you'll burn out! You'll be so tired you won't want to get the bike out and ride. I've done that before.

If you restrict everything you love, you'll binge with the first problem that comes up or the first chance you have to eat something you've decided is a "no-no" (you always want what you can't have!)

A better plan, with doc's advice of course!, is to do everything in moderation. I have been cutting back on carbs for a little over a year now. That doesn't mean I don't eat them EVER, it just means I choose when I eat them and how much. Biking should cause you to sweat, you should feel physical fatigue after a good ride at least 3 times a week with a recovery (slower pace) ride in between 2 of them. That's a full time cycling regimine. If you want to start slowly, ride hard for 2 days, recover 1 and off 4 days a week.

Sweating burns calories. Sweating for me is resistance weight training and cycling, walking 3+ miles a day 4 days a week and jogging occasionally--although I don't enjoy it as much as riding. I just like knowing I can jog an entire mile without stopping, so I do it occasionally!

I lost 40#, gained 10 back and have struggled to get them back off. But.......130#, here I come! I am going to be back down there before 8/31/04.....oh see what I've done, now I'm accountable!

Kim in TN;)

[Barb]

I have alot to loose too. Be sure to measure yourself, not just weigh yourself. You will be building muscle as you ride, and it weighs more. I thought I was not loosing anything (in fact gaining). It turns out that I have lost an inch off each thigh!

[trekchic]

Yaaaaaaaaay, Barb! I know how much an inch off each thigh feels like heaven! Go, girl!

Look at T-Tap's web site for some easy exercises that increase muscle definition, but don't bulk you up. I love them!

[Sparrow]

I'm gonna chime in too and agree with everyone who says listen to your body and have fun. I'm in the same boat with y'all -- and yeah, I'd like to see 250 by the end of summer. :D What I did was start out very slow and easy, paying attention to what I feel like both out there and post-ride and letting that dictate how far and how often. Then ~7 weeks ago I started tracking the mileage starting with what I'd done the previous week and I'm adding ~10% to that as a goal each week. If I don't make that goal no big deal but having it does encourage me out the door. I'm still listening to the bod and taking rest days as needed while riding to work and back as often as the body will allow and pushing out the distance every weekend on one ride with the husband.

The entertaining part is that the scale says I've gained, but my upper body is shrinking while my lower body is getting bigger -- and I can see muscles in my calves for the first time in years. Aaand clocked 70 miles last week. The weight's gotta start coming off sooner or later, I reckon. :D

Oh, and other than trying to keep some good eating habits that I've developed over the last year I'm not worrying at all about food right now -- figure my body's getting enough thrown at it without that. I'll start thinking about that again ... maybe ... when I'm able to regularly do 90-100 miles a week. By then the muscle I'll have gained will give me a bit better edge on the weight loss. *grin*

[Trek420]

Me too! I'm going to chime in too. Forget the tape measure, the scale, go by how the clothes fit.

I'm still overweight, but used to wear women's 20's or 1X in jeans, you know the ones with the elastic? Started biking/working out more, those fell off, then 20's but no elastic till those were too loose, 18's and now 16's are just starting to fit loose but not quite ready for next size down. I don't even have a scale but feel that my weight is about the same for the last year.

[jobob]

Ah, the thrill of trying on pants in a size that you thought you'd never wedge yourself into ... and then needing to go to the next smaller size :D

I'd like to chime in on Weight Watchers. Rather than go to meetings, I did their online plan. Once I got the hang of it, the online food journal was very convenient and easy to use. Weight Watchers goes by a system of 'points', where different types of foods have different points associated with them, based on calories, fat, and amount of fiber per serving. It sounds complicated, but it's very easy to calculate points from the nutrition labels on most foods, plus they provide the points values for a huge range of foods online via the journal or from booklets available at the meetings. And WW stresses a balanced, sustainable diet.

WW also allows you to earn 'activity points', meaning if you go out biking for a half hour or so you get a couple extra points food credit - great motivation to get out on the bike.

WW really changed the way I eat. I've been off WW for well over a year now but I still eat a lot more vegetables and salads, much less red meat and sweets, and drink a lot more water than before I started WW. That along with biking has really helped me keep the weight off without too much effort- I occasionally splurge, but just as a special treat and I back off the next couple of days thereafter, or go on an extra long ride :D

Best of luck, blubikegrl and MomOnBike!