Riding to Lose Weight

[Mighty Mo]

Hi, this is my first post. I've been reading for a while and have decided to jump in.

I have about 40 pounds to lose, and would love some suggestions on what sort of training plan will help me shift the weight. I bought a bike about 3 months ago, but have yet to become consistent with my riding. Longest ride so far has been about 40 miles. I can't seem to find any plans on line.

I really struggle uphills I guess because I have all this extra weight. I ride with my husband sometimes but he is much faster than me. I average about 13mph, while he is a 19-20mph kind of guy.

I guess I am looking for advice on weight loss, and getting faster! :)

Thanks,

MM

[Tuckervill]

Just keep riding. :)

So far I've lost 42 lbs, and it wasn't all from riding. It also took me 17 months. Everyone I know who has lost weight and kept it off has started with exercise, but didn't overdo it. Just a little bit at a time.

I'm slow on hills, too, but I'm getting faster! Last weekend I conquered my nemesis hill (so-called Church Hill). I was still going 8 mph when I got to the top! YAY ME! I was with a bunch of racers taking a day off, and they were SO encouraging and congratulatory when they found out that was my nemesis hill. Of course, they neglected to tell me it was on our route until we were at the bottom and I didn't recognize that road until I got there! yikes. I might have backed out had I known ahead of time, so that's good.

I've decided that I'm going to exercise in some way for the rest of my life (indeed, that's the only thing I have to do to keep my weight down). So, it doesn't matter what I do, as long as I'm doing something. If I were riding for weight loss alone, it would take some of the fun out of it for me. I focus on the fun, instead, and weight loss is a pleasant side effect.

I'll caution--I didn't lose like I thought I shoulda when I started riding. Don't put all your eggs in that basket. Be prepared to make other changes in your life, too.

Karen

[Zen]

13 mph and 40 mile rides will do it.
As long as you don't sabotage all that riding with huge portions and overindulgence in baked goods, buckets of chicken;),frozen custard or whatever your weakness.

[GLC1968]

Ditto Zen - don't let your cycling be an excuse to overeat. You cannot out ride what you can eat!

I started cycling 3 years ago with 10 lbs left to lose to get to my goal weight. I'm now 25 lbs heavier. :eek: Granted, I have some other issues...but I'm living proof that it takes more than just riding to lose weight if you are a natural 'weight fighter'.

That said, I don't think there is an exercise out there as much fun as biking! I've always loved to exercise, so for me to say that biking is the best, means a lot. I saw that you are going to join our July/Aug weight loss check in. That's a start! Schedule your bike rides so that you don't miss them, and start building up those miles. You'll get there!! :)

[Jiffer]

I lost 50lbs from eating less food and not exercising at all. I don't recommend not exercising. Its good for your health and makes you look and feel better whether you ride your bike or not, you have to listen to your bodies' hunger/fullness signals. When you ride your bike, you will be hungrier than when you do nothing and this your bodies' way of telling you how much "fuel" you need. I'd start by cutting your portions in half. Learn to stop before your plate is empty. Only eat when you are really truly hungry.

I could go on and on because my life was changed forever when I really "got" this. Let me know if you want more tips on eating less. I'd be happy to share. :)

[mamaof5]

I'm backwards here. I expect to gain about 10 pounds now that I am riding again. When I'm not riding I just don't need a lot of calories and only eat 1200-1400 cals per day. But when I'm riding I get SOOO much more hungry; I consume a lot more calories- more like 1800 per day.
I don't mind the ten pounds- but I do have to be careful it's not more. After a long, hard ride I feel ravenous. I feel like I could eat a whole pizza and an entire box of Swiss cake rolls. I just need to be careful to take in enough healthy carbs and protein to recover from the ride and then STOP eating.

[Yen]

I lost 50 pounds in 4 years by reducing my intake and increasing my output (exercise). I also changed to an overall healthier way of eating using a basic 1600 calorie/day diabetic-type food exchange plan. I'm not diabetic but I'm prone to low blood sugar. I'm still eating that way but I allow myself some extra goodies on days of high output (30+ mile rides). Like others said, just keep riding, consistency is the key, and don't let a long ride fool you into thinking you can eat a lot of whatever you want. Instead of thinking "I ride to burn calories", think "I eat to fuel my body for exercise". The more active you are, the more calories (fuel) your body requires..... not exactly the same as saying you can just simply eat more. It's a common mistake to think a high activity day means we can eat whatever we want.

Actually, 13 mph isn't bad! After a year, I'm still at about 11 mph on a really light, fast bike, and I'm not overweight now. Stay at it, keep riding. Even short rides as many days as possible add up and build muscle fiber to build your strength.

Don't be in a hurry. Consistency and persistence are key. My weight loss wasn't noticeable until I'd lost 30 pounds, and sometimes I didn't lose anything in a month. That took a LOT of patience to stick with it, so I just concentrated on continuing to eat healthy and doing some sort of exercise most days of the week and let things take care of themselves. I should add, however, that the weight loss was much easier after we started cycling last year -- the fat and pounds seemed to melt as I continued to eat as I already was and increase the mileage each week.

Don't give up! :)

[Mr. Bloom]

Welcome! I'm down 40 pounds in 18 months and feel great! This group encourage me to set disciplines and goals. Make sure they're

Specific (example, calories or miles)
Measurable (calorie count)
Action Oriented (involve you doing, writing, measuring)
Realistic, & (don't set yourself up to fail)
Time Sensitive (give yourself deadlines to adhere to)

This group has been very helpful to me despite my gender!

[Zen]

Or just ride and fill up on good food instead of bad stuff.

[kermit]

It's all a balancing act. Frequent small meals of simple food, a protein, small carb, and greens. Eat carbs early. Ride as often as you can, small gear and high cadence, 85-95 rpm. Doing this the speed will come and you will burn fat. Lots of water.

[Tabby]

The several threads here and everyone's success stories have been great at keeping me excited to achieve a healthier body. I think the Jul/Aug challenge will be great and it boils down to calories in/ calories out. That seems to be the most common factor I've seen in these threads. It worked for me, January 2007 (177-180) June 2008 (132-135).

PJ

[Triskeliongirl]

I lost 35 pounds about a year ago, and for me its a combination of biking and the right diet. Not just calorie restriction, but I found out that I have impaired glucose tolerance so even with caloric restriction and tons of riding I couldn't lose. I also had to get my thyroid meds optimized.

For me what is key is that I eat a very low carb / high protein diet which lets me keep my blood sugar in a good range, which in turn lets me burn body fat for energy on the bike. So, be sure to get your doc invovled to find out if there are reasons you aren't losing weight if you think you are doing everything else right.

I also think a lot of cyclists, even with normal glucose tolerance, over eat carbs on the bike which inhibits fat burning. When carbs are high, the ratio of insulin to glucagon is high, which while good for letting the glucose get out of your blood and into your cells, inhibits fat burning. Instead I drink protein shakes on the bike, so I fuel my rides on a mixture of stored fat, and carbon skeletons from the amino acids (which are also slowly converted to glucose by gluconeogenesis). This isn't conventional advice, but it worked for me, and I have maintained my weight loss easily.

[Mighty Mo]

There is lots of good advice on this thread so far. :) Thanks.

I started my new eating plan on Sunday. I am going with Weight Watchers until I can figure it out on my own. I rode for an hour and a half on Sunday, and an hour last night. I peeked at the scale this morning and I am down 2 pounds. :D I know it's probably water weight, but it feels great.

I have been staying on mainly flat roads, with some rolling hills and trying to keep my cadence up at 85-95. My gear is usually really low. I'm thinking I should stick with this for a couple of weeks until I am at least consistent with getting out there.

Mr Mo and I have a long ride planned for the 4th. So long as there are not too many hills, I should survive.

[sundial]

90 minutes of cycling is the magic number for me. When I do the 30-40 mile rides x 4 a week, my weight drops. If it's under 20 miles, it seems to level off.

I also cut the fat in my diet and upped the carbs while still eating clean. I enjoy steamed rice and veggies, salmon, tuna, grainy breads and pastas. I also quit eating Sonic Blasts which helped (although I split it 4 ways with the puppers ;) ) I noticed that as I become more fit, I start desiring nutrient dense foods over processed foods.

WW is a good start in learning portions and nutrition. You may need to increase the carbs though as you become proficient on the bike and you cycle longer distances. You see, when you're exercising regularly, all your neato engines in the body starts revving up and become more efficient. The engines also need more calories to work efficiently as you lose your weight. Skimping on carbs at that point is not a good thing.

We have many TE'ers who have lost significant amounts of weight and each one figured out what was best for his or her body through trial and error. I figured out mine this season, despite putting in many, many miles last year. For me it was simply cutting out alot of fat from the diet. I quit eating natural peanut butter. :o

Good luck and hope you become a member of the weight loss hall of fame. :)

[sundial]

Or just ride and fill up on good food instead of bad stuff.

Zen, you crack me up. :D

[tulip]

What everyone else said, plus

cut out the Starbucks and cakes (my former triple latte and "low fat" cinnamon swirl coffee cake was about 1000 calories--all before my day had even started)
eat an apple a day
slow down and think about how and what you are eating
stay away from processed foods (stick to the perimeter of the grocery store)
go with whole grains: bread, rice, pasta, cereal
reduce sweet treats to half portions
start pilates with a good, certified teacher

Worked for me (and still does).

EDIT: also, I found that learning to cook with fresh foods from the farmers market really made me appreciate food more, not just stuffing it in my mouth, but slowing me down and really thinking about and creating what I was eating

[sundial]

stay away from processed foods (stick to the perimeter of the grocery store)


Tulip, that advice has really made an impression on me. I did just that the other day at the store. Thanks for the great tip!

[Jiffer]

I'd also like to point out that the more you work your muscles, the bigger they will get, which means muscle weight. So, don't beat yourself up if the scale doesn't say what you think it should say if you are feeling good and your clothes are fitting better. Muscle weighs more than fat.

One of my favorite tips is to never deprive yourself of the foods you love. You can have ice cream, just not three scoops. It's amazing how a half a cup of ice cream can satisfy when you know it's legal to eat and still lose weight. I'd rather have half a cup of my favorite "all the fat in it" ice cream than a rice cake! (Or a bigger quantity of a low fat, low sugar, low taste ice cream.)

[Tuckervill]

Life is too short to eat bad food. That's why I eat REAL ice cream! No Sonic for me. I just don't eat much of it!

Karen

[tulip]

You can have ice cream, just not three scoops.

That's the reason that, when I want ice cream, I go out to the best ice cream shop I can find and have a cone (or a small malt if I'm in the mood).

If I buy a half-gallon of Breyers mint chocolate chip, or worse, a pint of Haagen Dazs chocolate chocolate chip, I know I have no will power and it will be GONE in a day or two (less for the pint...)

So I ride my bike to the ice cream shop and get a scoop!

[tulip]

Tulip, that advice has really made an impression on me. I did just that the other day at the store. Thanks for the great tip!

I'm glad you tried it. It's interesting. I can't take credit for it--it's from Michael Pollan. Speaking of whom, if you want to lose weight and become a healthy eater, read his books!

[Raindrop]

It's totally natural to crave carbohydrates when riding more or doing any effort that depletes your energy stores. The trick is to choose those carbohydrates that not only replenish your stores, but give you some "mouth fufillment" too. I deal with this all the time with clients, and myself.

Some of my suggestions sound weird or unappetizing until you try them; combinations like lowfat cottage cheese with salsa stirred in, or blueberries in lowfat/nonfat cottage cheese. Another one, slice up raw yams and dip them in a low fat dressing, or grill them after brushing them with olive oil. Try whole-wheat tortillas spread with a little peanut butter, sunflowerseed butter, or even some nutella, then zapped in the microwave. Sometimes, we're craving the crunch, or the mouth feel or whatever. Fill those needs with healthy and flavorful snacks and your body will respond by staying strong while changing the body composition from fat to lean.

As someone else mentioned, don't rely on the scale to tell the whole story. Fat is like feathers and muscle is like gold. Fat takes up a lot of room, while muscle is dense and also uses a lot more calories to maintain. More muscle, more calories used even at rest. It's a win win.

[sundial]

As someone else mentioned, don't rely on the scale to tell the whole story.

I bought a Tanita scale that measures weight and body fat. It's reassuring to know that when I am not losing weight I am still losing fat.

[Tabby]

Try whole-wheat tortillas spread with a little peanut butter, sunflowerseed butter, or even some nutella, then zapped in the microwave.

I love this snack, the nutella is great on a warm ww tortilla. I'll have to try sunflowerseed butter, never had that.

It's easy to get bored or run out of ideas, so it's always great to have suggestions for the 'good' snacks. Keep 'em coming!

PJ

[Tuckervill]

Wrap that tortilla around a peeled banana and you've got yourself a real treat!

I figured out the "shop the perimeter" thing all on my own, many years ago when my husband was doing Atkins. I still rarely go in the center aisles, except for tea, bread, sugar and oatmeal.

Karen

[sundial]

Wrap that tortilla around a peeled banana...

I kept reading banana peel, LOL! :D

[TahoeDirtGirl]

sundial- I am the same way. If I log 90 to 100 miles a week, I lose. Less than that, I maintain. You know, I could strap on the heart monitor and figure out the balance but I think my advice is, make it simple. I used to measure everything, it's good to get your bearings, but when you start not wanting to ride because you are hooked up like you are doing a stress test (ie heart monitor, cadence, etc) it's time to just toss it all off, keep the odometer and just get out and ride.

I guess my advice is find a workout you love and actually feel antsy when you miss it. Some days you won't want to, don't punish yourself. Take a break. Because when you do, you will ride even better and want to keep riding even more!

[teawoman]

That's the reason that, when I want ice cream, I go out to the best ice cream shop I can find and have a cone (or a small malt if I'm in the mood).

If I buy a half-gallon of Breyers mint chocolate chip, or worse, a pint of Haagen Dazs chocolate chocolate chip, I know I have no will power and it will be GONE in a day or two (less for the pint...)

So I ride my bike to the ice cream shop and get a scoop!

+10. I can't have anything like that in the house.

[Tabby]

I'd also like to point out that the more you work your muscles, the bigger they will get, which means muscle weight. So, don't beat yourself up if the scale doesn't say what you think it should say if you are feeling good and your clothes are fitting better. Muscle weighs more than fat.

One of my favorite tips is to never deprive yourself of the foods you love. You can have ice cream, just not three scoops. It's amazing how a half a cup of ice cream can satisfy when you know it's legal to eat and still lose weight. I'd rather have half a cup of my favorite "all the fat in it" ice cream than a rice cake! (Or a bigger quantity of a low fat, low sugar, low taste ice cream.)


I'm like that too, if I'm gonna have my ice cream, I want the GOOD STUFF! I quit buying the half gallons to encourage myself to have less, so I bought pints. That back fired, I ate the whole pint (duh!). So recently I found the single serving size of B&J and I will eat one of those ... 250 calories, but that's better than 1000 calories for the whole pint. It helps when I want a bit of ice cream, oh, and I've never have had a rice cake! lol (maybe should) LOL

[Possegal]

Of course I don't know about you folks, but my grocery store has the bakery on the perimeter. :)

hmmmmmmm, donuts. ;)

[sundial]

Ok, I have a confession to make. On my way back from the lbs, I stopped for some Krispy Kreme blueberry donut holes. I didn't eat any on the way home and later that afternoon I only had 2. My willpower is stronger now. :)

[Tabby]

Good job on the willpower! It's all about rationing! Stick the rest in the freezer, take out one or two when you want them. They will defrost in a heartbeat, probably by the time the coffee brews! Rationing, remember rationing!

[CATWOMAN]

Remember by increasing muscle you not only weigh more in pounds, but you will be burning more calories just sitting around. Muscle weighs more than fat AND burns more calories than fat.

Forget the scale and go by your volume. My physical science students always look at me weird when I say I have to get back to my eating plan because my volume is increasing:) They're like, "huh?"

Cut back on added sugar and processed foods, while increasing water, fresh vegetables, lean meats, and whey protein after a workout. Grocery shopping is really easy; buy lots of bonless chicken and fish, a cart of fresh vegetables to saute, and some whole grains. Done! When my husband asks what we're eating for dinner I just say grilled meat and vegetables.

Like many of you have said, when we want to endulge we go out. That way the excess isn't sitting around.

Good luck.

[MsTerra]

So I ride my bike to the ice cream shop and get a scoop!
I think that's a cycling tradition up here in Ice Cream Mecca. :)

Mo, I'm so glad to see you're talking in terms of your "eating plan" rather than dieting. As you may know, part of the trick is to develop new habits that you can keep up, as opposed to some temporary low-cal routine that gets chucked to the wayside when the goal weight is reached.

Just keep at it, make changes and increase the activity level at a pace that's comfortable to you, and it will happen. I found myself out buying new pants yesterday because, without really meaning to, I end up going down a size after upping my activity over the last several months. The cool thing is this becomes self-perpetuating - once you start having little successes, you have more determination to get and stay more fit.