help with weight loss!!!

[misjanuary]

Ok, so I need some advice from all you cyclist women! I have 3 year old twins and once I stopped nursing them around 20 months ago, have managed to GAIN weight...frustrating as it is, it's there! I have not been able to drop the weight. I don't eat horribly, in fact we eat pretty well and I am pretty active (although the last 2 weeks, the gym/rides have been missed so I have relied on roller blading, riding the hybrid or jogging while the kids ride their bikes around the block). I started riding around March of this year to start gradual training for the recent Tour de Tucson 109 mile race in Nov...which I completed on the tandem with my husband!!! Woo-hoo, I almost made platinum, too! I was riding on the trainer or with my husband about 4-5 times per week for about 20 miles each time.

Any thoughts on what a good rule/train of though for losing weight as far as diet goes while cycling??? I would like to lose 20 lbs but 30 would put me at my pre-pregnancy weight!
Thanks so much!

[Tuckervill]

The first thing I suggest is logging everything you eat for at least a week. Most people underestimate how much they take in. There are free sites for doing this online, (sparkpeople.com) or you can use a notebook, and look everything up at calorieking.com and write it down. I find it easier to use the calorieking software.

Google portion distortion for information on portions sizes.

I log everything I eat every day, just so I can be sure to rule out over-eating. I don't have to be told that I'm not exercising enough, but I log that, too!

Karen

[Flybye]

My best advice would be to find the WW core plan post and follow the plan. It is really simple. I have dropped a lot of weight following this plan. I also lose MORE weight the LESS I exercise. I know that may sound strange, but I have proven it to myself over and over again. I think there are more reasons than one for this, but primarily, when I exercise, I am more tired in the evening and am not as able to say no to high carb food. My resistance is down. If I could exercise and get in a nap every day, I would most likely do just fine, but life gets in the way of napping! I also think that I justify eating more if I am exercising.

Twins - wow!!! I have two children 18 months apart and I thought that was difficult. I admire your commitment to exercise on so little sleep! Nursing must have been a fun one to juggle too!

Good luck.

If you decide to track down the WW (Weight Watchers) Core plan link and can't find it, let me know and I will help you out.

[misjanuary]

I did WW Core before I became pregnant and was losing but I am having a hard time getting back into the program. My mother in law lost about 50 lbs and has kept it off!

I think that I'll get back on that plan along with logging my eating. I'll still take advice if anyone has any :-)

Thanks!

[cancersurvivor]

Hi all, I am 22 years old with normal health. I love cold drink very much. My father told me to stop drinking so much diet coke and diet Pepsi. It is my favorite beverage and I drink diet cokes or diet Pepsi about once a day. I usually have three or four diet cokes or diet Pepsi once a day. He said it is not good for my bones. I want to know is it true? Is diet coke or diet Pepsi really bad for your bones? Please answer seriously.

[makbike]

Cancersurvivor my doctor shared the same thing with me. She told me the caffine in the soda blocks the absorption of calcium which can contribute to weaker bones. She suggested I limit my consumption to 2 cans/ day or to make sure I was taking a calcium supplement with vit. D. Since I love my diet cokes I increased my calcium intake. My last bone density scan was excellent.