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I am in need of losing a minimum of about 20 lbs and a maximum of about 50 lbs. What advice does anyone have to accomplish that goal, yet still get the right nutrition to ride anywhere from 30-100 miles per week, plus workouts at gym, occasional runnning?? I just don't know how much to eat, what to eat, etc...Any advice is MUCH appreciated!
I think one of the best plans out there is Weight Watchers. You learn portion control, nutrition, and you don't starve. They take into account that if you are active, you have to eat more to fuel your body.
I like ediets.com You can choose your plan and modify your meals to suit your tastes. If you like to cook it gives you the recipes for the meals or you can pick store bought meals such as lean cuisine, or you can do a combo of both. There is lots of on-line support and help. It costs 10.00 a month I think which is competitive with other weight loss programs.
not exactly a diet but has anyone read Chris Charmicael's new book about food and training? ...i forget the title. Also not sure how applicable it is to women athletes. :rolleyes:
Jenc, I recently (over about 5 months) lost about 20 pounds. It was over the winter months, so I wasn't exercising much, but I found that if I just ate slower and ate a little less, I had a lot of success. Figuring out what a real portion is is key. I was eating twice as much, sometimes, as a "portion" is at many meals. Just by eating slower I realized that I was full much sooner.
As far as eating for training, I'm not sure. I'm sure there are some good resources out there! Good luck!
You guys have given me some good ways to get started. Who ever knew that I would want to drop weight so that my cycling performance would be better? I am so glad that I found the sport. I truly adore it, and everyone thinks I am obsessed. :) Thanks guys!
Oh, in two weeks, I am doing a 50K ride for the American Diabetes Association. I will let you guys know how I do. Any pointers?
Hi, I'm new here, but am having fun reading all your posts. My opinion is that you can diet until the cows come home, but when you tire of the latest fad, and you will, you'll go back to your original weight. That's so depressing. Also, some of those diets can be extremely expensive. Don't diet. You have to change your lifestyle. Obviously increase your exercise in order to burn more calories than you take in, but the key is to drop all sugar and anything made with white flour, don't eat anything battered or fried, increase your fruit and vegetable intake and drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Prepare simple, non-processed foods. I know changing your old habits sounds rough, but after a while, you'll start seeing that flour, sugar and fried foods are the enemy, and you won't be drawn to them. But, you can have a once-in-awhile treat and it will be more enjoyable than when you took it for granted. You'll also be doing your body a great service because you'll be getting healthier. I eat like this and I honestly don't go to bed crying. I'm never hungry. You might find some new foods that you love. You might try a "Yogurt Surprise" for breakfast, or a treat. Just fill an elegant looking glass (wine, champagne, etc.) with low-fat yogurt (Greek yogurt from Trader Joe's is yummy), then place berries or any fruit on top of that and a low-fat granola on top. Found that recipe at a restaurant in Monterey, CA and have been making it ever since. Just make sure the ingredients are low-fat.
Good luck!
Sonerila
Oh dear. That's not going to happen for me anytime soon I'm afraid.Quote:
but after a while, you'll start seeing that flour, sugar and fried foods are the enemy, and you won't be drawn to them.
But I just returned from a 58 mile ride so that should be good for an In 'N Out burger, double-double, with well-done fries. :D
- jobob, who dropped about 20 lbs on Weight Watchers and kept it off thanks to biking (and, the better eating habits I acquired from WW - but give up entirely on junk food? nah).
Oh, and getting braces. I have to chew so slowly now I actually get *bored* of eating. hoodathunk.
Did you have good weather your way today? Antioch has been gray for forever it seems. Even though I know it was sunny on Wed.
V.
It was a great day, finally! A bit on the chilly side and it was overcast more often than not, but since it's the first weekend day w/o rain we've had for some time now, I'm not complaining!
We went from our home in Union City out to Alum Rock Park in San Jose and back - that's one of our favorite rides, and after all that rain the hills along the way were that wonderful springtime emerald green (appologies to the listmembers currently under a couple of feet of snow :( )
I developed a cramp in my calf about a third of the way into the ride that subsided after I consumed mass quantities of Cytomax, but then it re-emerged and started moving around to other parts of my leg :p I've never cramped before so this was a new experience. Best I could guess, my legs were colder than I realized, although luckily only one leg cramped, so blessings were counted. It was more-or-less OK while I kept moving, but after going down a long hill or stopping at a stoplight, once I resumed pedalling I could really feel it. I tried to keep spinning while I was going downhill but that was only marginally helpful. I was wearing my lycra sport pants over my shorts - the pants have close fitting legs but they're not tights. I think I need to get me some legwarmers. Apart from the leg cramp, which was more uncomfortable than actually painful, it was a grand day out.
- Jo.
Bummer about the cramp. But kudos to you for riding. We lounged around the house. Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer, so we're hoping to mountain bike. I have Monday off and the weather looks good for now so I'm planning a long road ride.
V.
JenC
Weight watchers is a great way to go. I lost 20 lbs 2 years ago and haven't gained any back yet. They teach you better eating habits and healthier food choices. So it really incorporates what others said here. You'll find that you will stay away from fried, and sugar, and white flour... You'll find you increase your vegies and fruits and cut your portion size. That's their whole point. You re-learn what healthy eating is.
Good luck. I know you can do it!
Hey There
I agree on NOT thinking about losing weight as dieting. think of it as changing your habits:
stock the cupboards with healthy snacks: dried fruits, nutes, homemade granola, etc etc...
if you don't BUY junk food, you won't eat it at home
watch for eating out of boredom. this is something i noticed with myself, especially when i am watching tv. getting up and going to the kitchen...just to browse of course ;). i catch myself now, and stop myself from taking anything.
drink more water
watch for the sugar content of foods. it is CRAZY how many products out there has EXTRA sugar in it: tomato sauce, PEAS, ketchup...there are many low sugar options (and i am not talking about the fake sugar stuff, just products using natural sweeteners like concentrated fruit juices and the like)...start looking for those...
start thinking about eating EFFECTIVELY. we are so focused on low this, and calories, that we've forgotten about NUTRIENTS. the food pyramid is a nice guideline to follow to make sure you are getting all your needed vitamins. remember, your body know but ONE THING, protect the inside. if you are missing nutrients, your body will pack on the fat to protect your organs.
anyway , just a few of my cents...:)
have a great day!
Han
Well said, Han!
Quote:
quote:but after a while, you'll start seeing that flour, sugar and fried foods are the enemy, and you won't be drawn to them.
It's a state of mind.Quote:
Oh dear. That's not going to happen for me anytime soon I'm afraid.
You can choose to think differently. Or rather, you can train yourself to choose differently. First you decide to quit eating it, for about a week, then when your body stops craving it,( after about a week) you don't want it anymore. Sugar is this way, heavy fats are this way, poor quality carbs are this way. I rarely eat any of that stuff anymore. It's been so long that when I do eat fried or super sweet, it just tastes nasty to me, my body almost rejects it.
I do allow myself real dessert on special occasion, but sweets as an everyday thing? No thank you.
Irulan
Do watch if you are buying low-fat things that they haven't compensated for removing the fat by adding more sugar, which isn't really any better for you in the end. (Salad dressings would be a typical example of this.)
Peas? The little, round, green, vegetable things? You can buy peas with sugar added? :eek: Dude, that is freaky and wrong.Quote:
Originally posted by han-grrl
it is CRAZY how many products out there has EXTRA sugar in it: tomato sauce, PEAS, ketchup...
- tlkiwi, whose peas contain, well, peas (and a little ice, if they haven't been cooked yet).
Maybe its just college-level metabolism, but I find pizza in moderation and a bowl of cereal and milk in the morning to work great. My freshmen year I went up like 20 lbs(after not changing in like 7yrs) and traced it to lack of fruits and vitamins. I added those, mainly oranges and pineapple, and it was almost night and day.
The previous mention about the body protecting itself is so true. When you think you are taking in less by eating 2 meals(as I was at the time, skip breakfasts) you process it slower and effectively keep more. The best advice I got was to eat small bits like half meals a few times throughout the day. The positive of that is there is never a true 'knawing and the cubicle' feeling.
I absolutely second Sonerila's suggestions. I lost 50 pounds this way over about a year (no refined flour or sugar-sweetened stuff and more nuts, fruits, honey, vegetables, brown rice, whole wheat, oatmeal). It almost seems like it takes your body more calories to digest this stuff so you're not getting hungry as you switch over.
If you had suggested this to me about three years ago I would have said, "No way, life's too short to deprive myself" but I feel so much better, and it's so easy to follow. Add that type of diet to cycling and I think you'll see good results. Heck, I'm almost not afraid of lycra now! :D
I'm not necessarily recommending his approach (pretty radical!) but for pure motivation, read "Heft on Wheels." I think it's subtitled "A Field Guide to Doing a 180." Mike Magnuson, the author, always wanted to be competitive on his bike, but had gotten way overweight, smoked a pack a day and drank way too much. He stopped all that and biked like a fiend. Just look at the front and back cover for the before and after.
If you're interested in losing weight/changing your lifestyle/cycling, you'll love this book. A fun read. Good luck to you!
I went to Amazon.com and looked at the front and back covers of this book, showing the author's before and after pics. Couldn't believe it was the same guy. What an inspiration!
Sonerila
I second all the suggestions about upping the fiber content, lowering the fat and sugar of your diet. I eat tons of vegetables. For cereal, I eat multi-grain cut cereal (not rolled) with added nuts and dried fruit. It lasts longer, has more fiber and protein, less sugar than processed cereals, and is far more satisfying for the texture. Like Irulan, now that I stay away from fried foods, my body almost violently rejects the fat. It is a real inspiration to stay away from it!
I found that the South Beach Diet was a help in retraining my mind how to approach eating. Phase 1 is a killer for cyclists, but I just carbo-loaded starting on Friday night through Sunday lunch to get me through the bigger rides on the weekend and then back to the stricter routine during the week. As you move towards Phase 3, you'll find that it exactly the diet everyone should be on. High fiber, lots of fruits and veggies, low fat protein, etc. When I crave a baked potato, I now turn to a sweet potato because it has a higher nutritive value and can be just as yummy. The bottom line is that I have been able to control my weight better (even through the holidays) and my blood sugar doesn't fly all around the place. And I haven't bonked since I started eating this way.
I think Irulan has the right idea. One problem I see with some of the weight programs is that you end up spending a lot of time thinking about what you can afford to eat. Like the saying goes, "Eat to live, don't live to eat". These days, I think the amount of crummy food out there is mindboggling. Personally, I am a salad freak, one of those people that sits down and eats a salad the size of your mixing bowl in the kitchen, with tons of dressing. But I never eat low-fat foods and hardly ever eat carbs like bread or fried foods. It works for me - I weight the same at 56 as I weighed in my teens. I don't eat out much, which helps, because at least for me, most restaurants serve about three times as much food as I can consume (unless it's a chef salad).
WOW! That's amazing!Quote:
Originally Posted by halfbit
I'm wondering how many of you pick up some weight in the winter? I know we can't get outside as much (or at all) and I vowed that I'd stay at my summer weight after reading about other riders picking up winter weight (say, like Jan Ulrich :) )
But no matter how hard I ride each day on my trainer, those inside miles are just not doing the trick.. I'm eating the same diet but the weight is building up!!! :eek:
Is it a body thing responding to winter sunlight levels (like slower metabolism because I'm suppose to be hanging out in a cave and sleeping) or is it that trainer miles are not the same as outside miles with hills and all?
Does everyone else pick up this "winter 5"? (or ten or so....)
Covert Bailey says that exercise outdoors burns more calories because you tend to work harder since it isn't so arduous. I spend a lot of my winter time lifting weights & spinning because the short days curtail my morning rides. I usually don't gain fat but do put on muscle. Muscle increases metabolism.
I find it interesting that in a normal year I do tend to pick up the "winter 5" that Nuthatch refers to, but this year that didn't happen. I think keeping a steady weight this winter is tied to my change of routine relative to food - a focus on eating to support my activity levels. After my early season crash and subsequent lower than normal biking levels, I was very careful to make sure that I was eating to support my current activity levels and not my normal lots of biking eating levels. I wasn't able to bike at all for 6 weeks, and when I started I was only able to ride (what I considered to be) short distances. I supplemented that with lots of walking. I'm not a (techical) race walker - but I do walk at a good clip. On days I wasn't able to ride, I tried to walk for an hour to an hour and a half. Of course that didn't work as well for me through the winter and cold weather. Normally I throw my bike on a trainer for the winter months, but for some reason this season boredom set in almost immediately - so I continued my walking regimen (outside, in the dark and cold, sometimes in the snow...) and I added using an elliptical trainer at the gym. And I continued to watch my diet, trying to keep a balance, and trying to stick with healthy food - even though I allowed myself the occasional ice cream and chocolate!Quote:
Originally Posted by nuthatch
It's almost time to jump back into riding (from a weather standpoint, that is) - and I will be increasing my calorie intake to support my activity levels. I guess I'm going to have to try to keep my new (eating) habits in the off season next year too!
shesh it's like trying to quit smoking. Keep quitting uptil you quit!!! Every time I diet, my metabolism slows down to conserve!!! It's really hard to rev up my metabolism. My sisters are going to weight watchers now, so I was thinking of joining them. My big concern is that I am also studying for a national exam. I wonder if that is just asking too much. I typically eat while I study, so I am really trying not to have things in the house. I may have to resort to the cut veggie route, for stress chewing! Anyway, I did WW 2 years ago without success. It seemed like I was focused SO MUCH on what I could eat that day. Dare I try again. Has anyone had this experience?
Barb: try chewing gum. I noticed I ate less while at work then home and I figured out, I chew gum at work. Now when I'm home and I get that "gee I'm home and can eat whatever I want", I got get some gum and water. Seems to help!
Thanks, I'll give that a try.
I know what you mean! The first time I did WW, my days seemed to revolve around when and what I could eat. This time, I'm taking it easy, if I only lose .4 a week, so be it. I've noticed many of the women in my meeting really obsess about what they can eat. I think doing that makes it harder to stay on the plan. If I mess up one day, I just start again the next.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barb
WW has changed a bit from 2 years ago, they now have 2 different plans -- the " flex points" plan, where you get a minimum number each day (mines 22), plus 35 "flex" points, that you can use anytime within the week. (Saves my butt on "girls night out" :D ) The other is the "core" plan. I didn't look too closely at this in the beginning, but I'm thinking of giving it a try. I think it's a less strict low carb option. You still get your 35 flex points with the core plan.
I know nothing about weight watchers, but totally think the concept of flex points is the right thing to do! you should not and can not cut out all the things that could be fattening for you. if you do you are sure to succumb at some point. the trick is to eat your favourite extravagences in moderation....and choose the best bang for your buck....nutritionally speaking. I can easily resist many types of milk chocolate, yet I eat chocolate almost every day (and stay slim) I found a chocolate bar called Cloud Nine that's dark chocolate, made with cane sugar or something, not refined, no chemicals, just good chocolate. only bring with you a very small amount. eat it slowly. it does satisfy....I've heard there's an 80/20 rule. 80% of the time you need to eat as healthy as you possibly can. 20% of the time you can eat whatever you want. And the more healthy food you eat, the healthier your choices on the whatever you want will naturally become. Never, ever, give up and say, oh, well, I blew it and ate 3 cookies, I might as well eat the whole bag. eating a bit more, or eating the stuff you'd hoped not to, does not make you a failure. it's just a blip. it's like not making it over a log crossing you usually make. it's like not quite making your hill climb best time every time out. it happened, don't beat yourself up, get back on track.
I also have a theory that the counting calories / burning calories thing needs to balance out over about 2 1/2 days, not just one day. I think my body is still recovering from an intense workout a day or more after it happened, therefore, the balance of what I eat needs to be over a longer period of time...I don't actually count the calories, but, if I'm very active, I do increase how much I eat, and ensure that lots of it is protein. If I find for some reason that I can't be as active as normal (like having strep throat. blech) I reduce my overall intake and make the best food choices I can. soup, anyone?
I think I'd better go do something else. you guys are going to get soo tired of me!!
Namaste,
~T~
I have found since I have cut soda at the end of last year, refined sugars, dairy products, white flour/bread and began an adventure with living foods (raw foods) I have more energy and have lost 12 pounds. Now I am adding in the cycling and expect to widdle down, maybe not so much the weight as the size of my body should slim down.
You don't have to eat as much of raw as you do cooked to feel full, the body does not have to work as hard in finding the enzymes, less stress more energy.
If you eat nuts or seeds, remember to soak them like you would beans, without heat (not blanching), before eating them. They have enzyme inhibitors that have to be tricked into being released so your body can digest them easier. I have seen so much success from my forum buddies without trying to lose, it happens anyway.
Doctors recommend this treatment to cancer patients, why wait till you get it?! My plan, to eat raw, fill my lungs with fresh country air, and cycle long. Yep, this is the life!
Ok, I lost the weight but I am bringing in other foods because it is not enough of a boost for cycling.
A strange thing has happened to me in the last few months. It seems like my metabolism has changed, or perhaps my stomach has shrunk, but I just don't seem to get hungry as much anymore, and when I do, I feel full after consuming less food than I used to. And I hardly ever snack between meals anymore.
Ever since I got braces (just on my lower teeth) I've had to chew verrry slowly and deliberately - I'm now officially the World's Slowest Eater :p - but I think eating so slowly has made a huge difference. That and the fact that some foods just don't seem to taste as good to me as they used to, particularly sweet things, which might be due to some foods interacting w. the metal to give them a slightly off taste. And I just don't seem to crave them anymore. Plus, every time I eat something between meals I'm faced with the prospect of getting the remnants out of my braces - I generally carry a little travel toothbrush with me, but just the thought of having to run off to brush my teeth makes me stop and think 'do I really want this?' , and more often than not I realize, eh, notsomuch. Either that or I'll opt for a yogurt, rather than a muffin or some cookies.
The offshoot is, since the beginning of the year I've dropped another 10 lbs without really trying :o , so I'm now at my "ultimate goal" weight of 140 - heck, I'm even within 5 lbs of the weight on my driver's license, which I haven't been in, um, over 20 years :rolleyes: .
And you should see my clothes, LOL! It seems those last 10 lbs made a big difference in my pants size, I had to go out and buy a few new pairs of pants & jeans (size 10 jeans & a pair of size 8 dress pants, woo woo - never thought I'd see that) because my 12's and 14's were just entirely too baggy (though my husband said they look very gangsta on me, heh). And I even had to buy new cycling shorts - L's became too L. :D
I still sometimes eat what a lot of people would consider junk, but Irulan, you're right, I really don't crave the junk food anymore, and even when I eat the junk, I eat much less of it. But I still won't refuse an In-N-Out burger if it's offered to me - I just might not eat the whole thing, or pass on the fries :D . And I still have 2 boxes of relatively untouched Girls Scout cookies in my office - once in a while I'll have one cookie, and that's it - that's so unlike me, LOL.
I just hope that once the braces come off (in theory before the end of the year) I won't go crazynutso and go back to my old eating habits :eek: but I don't think that will happen, I really like how I look nowadays.
I actually went to a nutrionist to help me with weight loss. One of the best things she did was do the test to determine my resting metabolic rate. Basically how many calories my body will burn in a day if I do nothing but sit on my rear end. Mine was 1,700. So we came up with an eating plan that was between 1,200 and 1,400 a day. I've been consistently losing about a pound a week. Down 18 lbs, 7 more to go!
The other thing that really seems to have made a difference is eating ~something~ about every 2 hours. Even if it is just a sugar free jello. If you aren't constantly feeding your body - your body thinks it needs to conserve energy and goes into starvation mode and your metabolism doesn't burn any fat. If you are constantly giving yourself energy - your metabolism keeps chugging along.
We also found an AMAZING cookbook from the American Heart Association! It has these really great recipes that sound totally weird but somehow everything just turns out tasting really great! Like putting shredded zucchini into meatloaf! Who would have thunk it? But it's fabulous! If you're interested they have sample recipes on the web site at - http://www.americanheart.org/present...tifier=3031321
The book is "The No Fad Diet" It really works well - my hubby is even happy with the recipes. Doesn't even realize he is eating healthy! We also started using the Barilla Plus pasta. It is kind of a compromise between regular and whole wheat.
Allie1DukeFn-Quote:
Originally Posted by Allie1DukeFn
I have to second the recommendations for the heart association cookbooks! I have an older one that I purchased off ebay which is wonderful!
I have used the zucchini trick with some frequency, though I don't think this cookbook is where I got the idea. One of my favorite treats are zucchini turkey burgers. Shred a zucchini, add ground turkey, an egg and I add some terryaki sauce. Delicious! I'd rather have those than a "real burger" any day!
If only eating healthy didn't cost more and take up so much more time, I'd be all set!
[QUOTE=Jenc]I am in need of losing a minimum of about 20 lbs and a maximum of about 50 lbs.
Make sure you always eat breakfast. This is one thing I have heard over the years and always do myself or can't function but I noticed it mentioned again in this months Bicycling mag.
It states " according to the National Weight Control registry, a database of rock-star dieters who've lost weight and kept it off for three years or more, this is the only thing virtually all sucessful losers do.
Good luck :D
Don't forget to add weight training. The majority of the calories burned are used during every day activities (basal metabolism.) Muscle requires more calories to simply exist. So, by adding weight training, not only are you fighting osteoporosis, looking better nekked, but also adding fat burning muscle.
Do you try to focus on upper body and abs for the weights and let the bike take care of the lower? I did one of my tapes on Tuesday that I ~thought~ was mostly upper body, but I must have been wrong because I could barely walk Tuesday and Wednesday. DH kept saying it was the biking - but after 3 weeks - I hadn't felt like that so why all of a sudden would I? I think the weights and the biking was just too much.
I did a 20 minute Yoga tape yesterday and made myself go out on the bike - actually really helped to loosen everything back up again. I'm still a little tight this morning - but not too bad.
Definitely need to find something that is strictly upper body!
[QUOTE=Allie1DukeFn]I actually went to a nutrionist to help me with weight loss. One of the best things she did was do the test to determine my resting metabolic rate. Basically how many calories my body will burn in a day if I do nothing but sit on my rear end. Mine was 1,700. QUOTE]
That is great! I have never been to a nutrionist and would love to know HOW the metabolic rate is actually tested. This summer I have been following weight watchers and have lost 20 pounds so far, 10 more to go. I agree wholeheartedly with all the dieters who say "eat little, and often" as it makes a huge difference to me, plus the concept "no exercise, no weight loss". Also I do not find that it costs me anymore $ to eat healthy. Junk food ain't cheap!
The Weight Watchers website also has some good recipes anyone would like, and they are all generally easy to do.
You have to fast for 4 hours before you do it. There is this little machine you breath into for I think it is about 15 minutes. The machine records something from how you're breathing in a resting state and then does the calculation. I've got a brochure at home - I'll see if it gives any more technical details about the process and post.