Losing Weight?

[wildhawk]

I have lost about 55 pounds but still have about 70 to go to reach my goal weight. I was wondering if any of you are on a similar weight loss journey and curious as to what plans you were following and how you are working your cycling nutrition into your plans. I also have issues with BP and are on meds for that and told to avoid too much salt. Unfortunately the nutrition drinks are salty and have quite a bit of sugar it seems - any ideas on those? I know that I am sweating out quite a bit of salt riding in the Florida heat (90s) so I have not been too concerned about replacing it with watered down Gatorade, but I really do not want to be consuming high fructose either. My diet is mainly a cardio diet, low-fat, lean proteins with fruits and veggies. We are trying to train for the MS150 and other shorter rides, so I know that nutrition is a vital element to proper hydration and fuel. Any suggestions on how to balance my diet and cycling nutrition will be most welcome! Thanks!

[Blueberry]

No advice to offer - but congratulations!! That's quite an accomplishment!!

CA

[squirrell]

Congrats on your loss! I have lost 59 with 80 to go yet. I started riding as part of my weight loss plan but fell in love with cycling and just kept riding longer and longer distances--now up to 100-130 or so miles a week.

I am not on a "diet" but have changed my lifestyle. The junk is not in the cupboards anymore. I cook healthy and exercise at least 5x a week. I drink only water or decaf tea with 2 cups of coffee a day (with Splenda only) instead of 10 cups I was drinking loaded with cream.

I have been counting my calories using a website. I have a basic calorie intake built upon 1200 calories a day, which gives me about 800 calories a day deficit. I also eat my calories "earned" through exercise so my calories intake varies from 1000 to 2800 a day but the net caloric intake stays around 1200 to 1350 a day. On days when I do long rides and burn up as much as 3000 calories, I don't eat all of them--who could?

I don't do "low-carb" or "high protein" or anything like that. I just try to do a balanced diet and eat whatever I eat in moderation.

I, too, have HBP and Diabetes Type 2 as well. I cut back on sodium and dropped my numbers to 120/80 (good but I want better). My diabetes is now under control and my diabetes meds are being cut back and soon to be eliminated completely.

I found a sports drink mix called Emergen-C ElectroMIX Packets on Amazon.com that has no sodium and is sugar-free. It works great for me! Here's a link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KPS61K

I will also say that balancing my weight loss with my cycling has been one of the most frustrating and almost impossible tasks in my life.

Before I began to ride longer distances, I was losing steady 2-3 pounds a week for over 3 months. Since I upped my distances, my weight loss is now sporadic and I often plateau. I went 3 weeks in July and lost a grand total of 8/10 of a pound. In the last 2 months, I have lost 12 pounds total. Still good but given that I was losing so much previously and have so much more to lose, it's frustrating.

I do know I'm losing inches and gaining muscles. My calves are looking INCREDIBLE! And I've lost over 6" off my thighs.

I have asked on several different sites for advice/guidance/tips to manage weight loss, medical issues, and cycling and have really gotten very few suggestions. It seems that particularly with Type 2 that there are simply not that many people out there riding long distances (to me that's over 50 miles).

There is another forum I check a lot to just get motivation and basic cycling tips. It's for "Clydesdales and Athenas," which are the nick-names for male and female overweight riders. The people there are great! They understand and can offer some tips. But there doesn't seem to be even on there a consensus of how to approach long distance cycling with dieting. Here's the link for that forum:
http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=248

Anyway, I'm at the point now where I'm ready to go back to my doc and scream for help. I come off my meds because I get lows but than have to go back on my meds because my BG levels go too high. I'll lose 5 pounds in 3 days and then go weeks without losing an ounce.

I wish you luck with your continued journey to health. I know how hard it is and yet how rewarding it can be. Keep up the good work! Feel free to send me a PM if you want--I'm always willing to co-miserate or swap tips with a fellow athena

[divingbiker]

I've been on Weight Watchers for 10 months, and have lost about 30 lb, with another 20-30 to go. For the first 8 months or so, my only exercise was riding my bike (commuting daily and weekend rides) and the weight loss was slower than I wanted it to be. In June, I joined a gym and started doing water aerobics and lifting weights, and I started running, and my weight loss has sped up considerably.

So for me, mixing up the exercise, along with watching what I eat, seems to be the ticket.

Congratulations on your great loss so far!

[KerryCrow]

I lost 48 pounds on WW and my bike! about 2 years ago and have kept it off. I've put on a few just recently that I am working to get off.The thing with WW (if you do the flex plan with points) is that you still have to be very conscious of your food choices. They give some guidance but not a lot.

To the OP...I find it difficult to make the best food choices refueling after long rides. I still have to work at it. My body wants fast and dense calories. I seem to have a harder time controlling my weight and intake when I am riding longer distances. Also, I would think that if you are sweating a lot you will need to worry about salt if you aren't getting enough. I would talk to the doctor, does she/he know that you have changed your exercise regimen significantly.

[Aggie_Ama]

I lost 40 lbs 4 years ago on Weight Watchers and kept it off for a couple. Now I am back on WW to lose the weight again. My mistake was getting less involved with what I was eating: going out a lot, thinking still eating well in the day was enough, etc. Once the weight was gone I didn't commit to sticking with WW for maintenance. I also started strictly biking but the problem is I am not on overly aggressive rider. Recently I started running again and have already dropped the first 5 lbs. I have about 32 to go to be at goal and then have to focus on not repeating my mistakes.

[TahoeDirtGirl]

Add strength training to your program. I'm on a personal mission to tell everyone to not forget strength training. It doesn't mean doing max reps, or heavy lifting, it means getting in the gym and make sure you hit every muscle group at least once, but twice is better, per week. For endurance athletes low weight and higher reps is the key.

I dumped weight training last year because I was losing pretty steadily. I didn't realize that the strength training I was doing was actually keeping muscle imbalances and weaknesses at bay. I did 'something' to my ankle in October and last month, when I got another physical therapy assessment, the PT pointed out all the weaknesses I had. And I just got my certification as a NASM personal trainer this month. How bad is that?! Either case, core training along with a good weight training program will also start torching the fat. I'm convinced of that as I started weight training again and I see the scale going down again. It helps raise your lean body mass so you are burning all the time, not just during and after your rides. It also gives you some even BETTER definition in your calves and thighs.

I didn't pay attention to my highest weight but let's just say it was above 250 lbs. I am now down to 188 lbs. Up from 176 lbs last year. The best thing is people say I don't look like 188 lbs. I guess what I'm trying to say is:

Eat for performance
Focus on how you feel
Ride it like you stole it

It's a lifestyle change. Don't let a number on the scale rule your life.

You have some more important numbers to focus on : BP and blood glucose levels. How about adding cholesterol into it? Or the number of pushups and crunches you can do? Or better yet...miles you can do in a week?

I hear you on weight, you shouldn't not mind it, but there are some even more important numbers that we should focus on.

As far as food, just steer from junk. I log my food half heartedly. It's so hard to get into it anymore, I keep a little journal on it, but it's still a struggle! Calories are hard to figure out. I use calorieking.com software to help me with that, it will track your exercise calories (if you use a HRM) so you can add them back in. I eat about 1/3rd of them back, not all of them.

Just remember it's a lifestyle change-and long standing change is the best kind.

Slow and steady wins the race...

[pardes]

Upon taking up biking a month ago, I dropped 25 pounds almost instantly. Then things have leveled off. Perhaps this is in part due to biking to new and interesting restaurants.

Speaking of BP, my blood pressure has dropped so much from losing weight that I now only need 1/2 of the lowest dose available. Another 25 pounds and I'll be off the BP meds completely. It really is true that if you lose 5-10% of your body weight your BP starts to normalize.

With severe spinal and hip arthritis, doing any major training has been a challenge. However lifting a bike up to the bus bike rack about 4-6 times a day has certainly helped my upper body strength.

Since my panniers are always loaded with tons of camera and other stuff weight, the additional weight to pull helps as well.

I'm looking for other ways to get strength training that doesn't aggravate the arthritis. Doc gave me Celebrex to keep the pain under control which helps a lot. Other version of COX-2 drugs have been taken off the market due to heart and stomach complications; but with severe pain, the pain relief outweighs the risks.

[Trek420]

Wildhawk and all,

Check out the TE weight loss challenge threads. You probably know this already but you can join the challenge and you do not have to post your weight or goals. You can learn and grow (or shrink) along with a great group of gals (and a guy or two)

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...=24571&page=36

I really like what Tahoedirtgal sed "Focus on how you feel".

BC (before cycling ) wore size 22 LL Bean relaxed fit jeans with the elastic waist band
AD (after downtube) I'm not training right now per se because of a busy schedule and remodel, just bike to work .... donating my 16's and slipping into 14's

And the funny thing is I weigh the same It just all turned to solid muscle, right?

[wildhawk]

You are all awesome!! Thank you so much for the encouragement and ideas. I am fast approaching the dreaded menopause too which I suspect has a lot to do with my difficulty losing the weight too. And the BP meds I am on are also a factor (calcium channel blocker - argh). My cardiologist keeps telling me that the BP meds will go away when I lose the weight, but it is hard when there are weeks that nothing seems to be happening - I scowl at my scale most mornings! I love walking and cycling. I used to belong to a gym that had a great water aerobics class and went faithfully, but our budget is just too tight to have another membership there, so I am on my own. I do own a great treadmill (my “dreadmill”) that has a fat-burning setting so I think I will make it a goal to do that on in-between days when we are not cycling. We are slowly building up cycling miles too - especially on weekends. We are training with full panniers (we have to tote our extra water!) - can’t afford a camelback yet! I have noticed my leg muscles getting more defined - especially my calves. So we will also add in some weight training too. Pardes: I know what you mean about lifting a fully loaded, panniered bike - I have to lift both our bikes up onto the bed of our truck on weekends. Thanks for the links and advice - you are all the best!!

[wildhawk]

Thanks Trek420 for the link, I will definately check that out!

[bikerchic]

I just have to say you ladies are so inspiring, all of you! Some times I feel like I'm the only one on the planet struggling to loose weight, ugg! I'm still too heavy to ride my Serotta!

wildhawk

Hang in there, even if you're not loosing according to the scale (and only get on the darn thing once a week!) use a tape measure (once a week also) I bet you are loosing inches!

You might want to give these two books a look-see; one The Schwarzbein Principal for your diabetes and two, Ten Years Thinner by, Christine Lydon for exercise. She has a simple at home exercise routine that is awesome and you will get results if you stick to it.

What I found with cycling is I tended to plateau fast and HAD to include extra exercising to get over the plateau.

Also I have hyperglycemia and it was a struggle to find foods that worked for me and cycling too. Here are a few of the things I did.

Start each meal before riding with a homemade eggo-bagel. Whole wheat or grain muffin/bagel/bread. Scrambled egg, cheese (low fat, low sodium) and meat of choice also low fat and low sodium. Put it all between the muffin and eat! Keeps you going!

Lots of WATER!

Switch to Stevia for your sweetener you can add it to tea or coffee and make your own drinks.

There is nothing wrong with sports drinks when you are exercising hard you need to replace electrolytes, I used Revenge it works!

DRINK LOTS OF WATER!

Remember complex carbs, not empty carbs, protein and veggies, fruits too you can pack all of these types of snacks in your jersey pockets.

Oh one of my favorites was and still is PB&sugarlessJ in multi grain crackers for a quick pick me up during a ride. Raw nuts work well too!

Good luck and thanks for the inspiration!

[NbyNW]

DH loses a lot of salt on rides and can't stand the sugary-sweetness of most sports drinks. He has had good luck with Emergen-C for replacing electrolytes after rides.

But he has also found that he needs to have something during a ride to prevent muscle cramps, so he will do 1/2 Gatorade + 1/2 water. It's enough to keep his electrolytes & hydration up without feeling like he's taking too many sugary calories.

[TahoeDirtGirl]

I'm going to check out the Emergen C you mentioned- I have other types but not that one.

I am 188 right now, and I'm in size 12s which when I used to have to be 168 to be in them. Granted they made sizes bigger but I'm still more compact than before.

Drinking water will definately get it going. Try it for a week. You will be amazed. Sigh. Karin, take your own advice.

When you are trying to put together a workout plan, for starters, shoot for one exercise per muscle group: tricep, bicep, shoulders, back, legs. That's the easiest way to look at it. I would go for ones you can do with either a stability ball or with just body weight. No frills. Lunges on a BOSU ball or stability cushion, dumbell presses on a stability ball, pushups on a ball, etc. are all good ones to start out with. I have to hit the weights because unfortunately those German genes of mine get too comfortable with the basic stuff

[GraysonKelly]

Wildhawk,
I agree completely with Tahoe. One of the most frustrating things about weight loss is plateauing. Unfortunately your body needs to be shaken up a bit so that it doesn't get used to any one specific exercise or routine. Add some weight training to your regimine. It doesn't have to be a lot. I agree that anything you could do on an exercise ball or with your own body weight would be very beneficial but I recommend starting out with some of those resistance bands. Most of them can be be bought in varying resistances for around $20 to $30 and come with instructional videos that show you how to use them properly. I like the bands because they can be utilized in ways that incorporate stretch as well as muscle contraction which combined with higher reps encourages muscle elongation rather than "bulking". Also, other activities that stress your body in different ways is a good idea. Stuff like running, walking, hiking, swimming, pilates, kickboxing, aerobics, anything else that appeals to you. But remember to have fun.
I can't really comment on the nutrition end of things because I only know general information. If you can, you might wanna try to talk with your doc or even a nutritionist to get some ideas of different ways to get the right amount fuel and the right kind.
Good luck and high praise for you! Congratulations on your achievments so far.
Gray