Overweight issues

[SnappyPix]

Pachyderm - welcome to the forum. You mentioned that since you got the saddle "sorted", now your shoulders and back hurt. Perhaps you need to check out the fore/aft position - it could be that you're too stretched out or too bunched up which could cause pain in the shoulders/back. Saddle adjustments are a nightmare, but once it's right, you almost want to super-glue the thing in place! It sounds like your puppy-sitting will help your fitness, even though you won't have as much time to concentrate on your biking. Try making sure you're pulling your abs in when you walk. I often get backache when walking - pulling in my abs and pulling up/straightening my shoulders takes the pressure off the lower back and really does help (I have terrible posture!). This could also help on the bike - let your abs take the pressure, not your shoulders/back.

I was about to ramble on about body fat scales, but Natheless beat me to it!
It's impossible to compare readings taken from different methods - or even different scales. My body fat scales would vary quite considerably if I'd had a cup of tea or even a pee beforehand! I second the advice that the only real way to measure fat percentage loss is to use the same method, under the same conditions and stick with that when making comparisions.
Body fat percentage (when accurately monitored) is an excellent way of checking your progress, it gives slower results that weight scales, but is more indicative of how things are going.

In terms of better machine giving a better quality workout - again, I'll echo what's already been said and say it depends on what kind of workout you're aiming for.
My lightweight road bike is a joy to use and keeps me on the bike for longer, both time and distance. My road bike has helped me master hills and made me faster on the flats.
I commute on a clunky old hybrid, which weights practically as much as I do! I once commuted on my road bike and flew there and back - eating up the hills and flying on the flats. But my hybrid is a workout in itself - I chug up the hills, nice fast spin, steady heart rate - I don't go anywhere fast on this thing but it does give me a different type of workout. I hate it with a passion and would never take it on a weekend ride, but it's my trusty old friend and helps me concentrate on being slower and steady, and think about form.

[plantluvver]

I think I was in my habitual mode of overthinking things. What I wanted to know was whether higher quality bikes just kept feeling better, or if there is just a point where the only advantage is the weight. I guess noone can answer that but me. Guess I'll just have to test drive lots of bikes.

I have owned multiple bikes at the same time and preferred one over another depending on the ride I was doing. I liked my Raleigh three speed for downtown traffic, because of it's upright stance, and it's solidity felt reassuring. I liked my Schwinn ten-speed for being friskier. I stopped enjoying my Schwinn when my ex-BF started weighing her down with fenders, racks, turning her into a commuter bike. ( I may have judged him a little too harshly, because the stodgy looking seat he put on her is a Brooks!)

So,

I will want a bike that is fast and light when I want to get somewhere fast.
A bike to fold up when I want to travel. by train or plane.
A bike to ride in the rain.
A bike for grocery shopping.
A bike for riding on unpaved trails in Forest Park.

One can never have too many bikes! (Since I will probably stick to used bikes, I'll be able to afford this strategy.)

After my experience with a department store bike, I can't imagine riding one again, it just felt "draggy"with no "bounce." I would recommend trying a better quality bike at a garage sale to see if it feels better, though the drop handlebars might take a lot of getting used to, as well as the skinny hard tires. I was in high school during the 70's, so a sleek ten speed is what I've been riding ever since, until I picked up my Raliegh, just to see what a three speed was like.

As far as watching the numbers go, it is nice to be able to see if you are making progress, or if you are slipping up. The extra ten pounds a year has been adding up to quite a bit over time for me! It's hard to say whether it is ten pounds a year, or more. Having a number of some kind to refer to is handy.

Mary

[Pachyderm]

Snappypix - Thanks for the welcome and the advice. I think you are right about my position. I am too stretched out. I can't do too much about my saddle adjustment because that then affects my knees (sometimes I feel like I am falling apart!), but I am going to look into getting a stem riser or something to bring the handlebars closer. You are also absolutely right about the walking. I also have terrible posture so I will have a go at pulling in my abs when I walk. One of my problems is that I am terribly lazy, and I just can't get myself to do formal exercise like join a gym or do ab-crunches every day. That is why I love cycling, it doesn't really feel like exercise when you can be out in beautiful countryside and exploring new places at the same time

Plantluvver - I think you are right about having lots of bikes. I currently only have a Trek 1000 racing / road bike, which is great fun to ride. I ride it faster and for longer than I rode my previous heavy lump of a bike that had appaling handling. However, I also use it for commuting to work, and for that I have a rack and use panniers to carry my work and change of clothes. When i get to work, I dump the panniers in reception and cycle the bike round the back of the building to leave it in a warehouse, and the difference between the loaded bike and the unloaded bike is just phenomenal. It is almost a crime to put extra weight on this bike!

When I can afford it, my dream is to splash out on a custom built Roberts touring bike. They cost a fortune, but I long to explore the world by bike, and my racer is just not up to it. Then I will get a hybrid to commute to work, and have a go at mountain biking, and if I enjoy that, I'll get one of those as well!

[KnottedYet]

"do ab-crunches every day"

Crunches don't work so well, they strengthen the wrong muscles for stability. You are far better off holding your lower abs (the ones from belly button to pubic bone) flat all the time. Walking, sitting, standing, biking, ALL THE TIME FOR EVER AND EVER!! Oh, yeah, and if you can't breathe and hold 'em flat at the same time the cruncher-muscles have jumped into the game and taken over from the stabilizers.

[mimitabby]

"do ab-crunches every day"

Crunches don't work so well, they strengthen the wrong muscles for stability. You are far better off holding your lower abs (the ones from belly button to pubic bone) flat all the time. Walking, sitting, standing, biking, ALL THE TIME FOR EVER AND EVER!! Oh, yeah, and if you can't breathe and hold 'em flat at the same time the cruncher-muscles have jumped into the game and taken over from the stabilizers.

hey Knottedyet
we had the health and fitness people come out to talk to us about crunches at my office.
they said #1 no amount of muscle exercises is going to make your abdomen flat you have to burn more calories too.

then they said that crunches were really good because they build up the muscles UNDERNEATH those abs that we are all glaring at in the mirror.
These muscles, and forgive me i've forgotten their names (Core is what they called them) ARE indeed what improves your posture, and relieves back pain.
They are very important and totally overlooked because you can't really see them. SO get down and do your crunches.

mimi

[KnottedYet]

Nope. I ain't crunching. Cuz I wanna strengthen the muscles underneath, which are the transversus abdominus and the aponeurosis which it attaches to. It doesn't cross any joints, so all it does is tighten the aponeruosis (supporting your back and aligning lumbar spine to pelvis) and flatten your stomach. It also cues in the multifidi (along the spine) and the pelvic muscles which help stabilize to a lesser extent.

The "six pack" is rectus abdominus. That's the muscle that bends you forward into a crunch. That one isn't going to help your back, and in fact patients who only do crunches end up with pretty hefty back problems because rectus overwhelms the "core" muscles. If you think about it, walking around hunched forward (overdeveloped rectus) will give you quite a backache!

Obliques have two functions: they bend you forward and twist you, and they can also help transversus during extreme effort by locking down the entire abdomen. (think side planks) Again, you don't want to walk around all the time bent forward and/or twisted to one side, and if you lock down the abdomen all the time you won't be able to breathe deeply.

If you absolutely feel you MUST crunch, please do diagonal crunches. Better to do planks (prone and side) if you want stability, because then you are training your obliques to stabilize.

If your lower abs aren't strong enough to hold your belly flat, no amount of weight loss is gonna give you a flat gut. I've seen plenty of patients with almost no fat who pooched out because they lacked muscle tone. I even worked with a patient who'd had a tummy tuck, but looked quite fat because her muscles were on a slack all the time.

That one was a real challenge! Her skin was tight enough from the tummy tuck that she felt like she was holding it "in". Teaching her was difficult because the usual cues I use for folks just didn't work. (I eventually had to use a weighted ball and a lot of ingenuity!)

[mimitabby]

Nope. I ain't crunching. Cuz I wanna strengthen the muscles underneath, which are the transversus abdominus and the aponeurosis which it attaches to. It doesn't cross any joints, so all it does is tighten the aponeruosis (supporting your back and aligning lumbar spine to pelvis) and flatten your stomach. It also cues in the multifidi (along the spine) and the pelvic muscles which help stabilize to a lesser extent.

The "six pack" is rectus abdominus. That's the muscle that bends you forward into a crunch. That one isn't going to help your back, and in fact patients who only do crunches end up with pretty hefty back problems because rectus overwhelms the "core" muscles. If you think about it, walking around hunched forward (overdeveloped rectus) will give you quite a backache!

Obliques have two functions: they bend you forward and twist you, and they can also help transversus during extreme effort by locking down the entire abdomen. (think side planks) Again, you don't want to walk around all the time bent forward and/or twisted to one side, and if you lock down the abdomen all the time you won't be able to breathe deeply.

If you absolutely feel you MUST crunch, please do diagonal crunches. Better to do planks (prone and side) if you want stability, because then you are training your obliques to stabilize.

If your lower abs aren't strong enough to hold your belly flat, no amount of weight loss is gonna give you a flat gut. I've seen plenty of patients with almost no fat who pooched out because they lacked muscle tone. I even worked with a patient who'd had a tummy tuck, but looked quite fat because her muscles were on a slack all the time.

That one was a real challenge! Her skin was tight enough from the tummy tuck that she felt like she was holding it "in". Teaching her was difficult because the usual cues I use for folks just didn't work. (I eventually had to use a weighted ball and a lot of ingenuity!)

yes, yes, diagonal crunches that's what they told us to do. You definitely know the terminology. THANK YOU! and thanks for the suggestions for planks. i'll do those too.

[KnottedYet]

If you hold your lower belly (navel to pubic bone) flat as you diagonal crunch, you will be teaching trans abd and obliques to work together.

You'd still be training your muscles to fold you in half (not something we do much in the real world) but at least they'd be working together.

Planks and other ab-intensive exercises that are done while holding your spine in neutral win the gold medal in my view. After all, we want to train the muscles to stabilize us, not fold us in half.

Ok, everyone, plank time!

[Pachyderm]

Knottedyet,

Thanks for the reply, but I'm being very dim, and don't quite understand what you mean by "planks". Could you explain a bit more?

Also, since you seem to be in the know, when I occasionally do ab-crunches or diagonal ones, how can I stop the front of my neck from hurting?

Do you also know anything about hip pain when walking? I think that my hips are hurting because I have a pretty strong dog who is constantly pulling on the lead (and all this even after dog-training), and I am using my hips to resist him. Before I take the dogs for a walk I have little-to-no pain, but once I start walking with them, the pain starts, and then continues even once I have let him off the lead. Any thoughts?

Sorry for the list of questions

[Bike Goddess]

An effective ab exercise I do at the gym is called "captain's chair". If you Google- Captains chair exercise- you will find this is an excellent workout for your abs. I do this last when I am at the gym as it requires some good lifting! It is a great one for strengthening your back.

You will also find other exercises you can do under 10 best ab exercises (also in the same area). These exercises were part of a research study to determine which ones were most effective for strengthening your abdominal area. Lots of info here!

[Brina]

I am starting up Pilates (I "won" 1 private and 10 group sessions at a silent auction) sessions this weekend. Nothing whips my abs into shape like Pilates.

I also saw my trainer for a fitness eval today - turns out the guy who did my eval last August was probably not that far off the mark, but the scale is way off. I am currently at 27.2% body fat according to my trainers measurements. The last guy measured me at 30.5% (I was off when I said 34%) so a definite improvement. The scale is over by 8 percentage points. So glad I spent that money.

[mmelindas]

"Hi Pachyderm and Plantluuver! I used to weigh 300 lbs but after two weeks of eating right and riding my bike, swimming, doing aqua -aerobics, I sure can tell the difference -- and have lost 7 lbs!! It used to be that I couldn't walk much, only a couple blocks and couldn't stand for more than 15 minutes. That has totally changed for me over the last month!

Now I am up to six miles on my cheapie 18 speed mtn bike (with front shocks and I'm loving it!) It's comfortable, especially going over bumps, rocks and gullies. It's heavier than my old road bike, which needs new tires and brake cables - still sits unrepaired, but I love my new mtn bike!

I got over the sore butt crack problem, sore sit bones, sore hands and arms and nothing hurts NOW, after two weeks of steady riding! I can feel my abdominal strength has increased and my tummy no longer sticks out like it did.

Not only have I lost 7 lbs, but my clothes are all getting baggy on me, and I got a new wardrobe in a smaller size. Even my sandals had to take a tighter strap hole! I can tell the inches are coming off - it's all due to biking, swimming and working out at the gym. Exercise = jack up metabolism for hours and burn more calories;

I actually worked up to riding six miles in one day, (including swimming for an hour earlier in the day) and was so stoked that I took a walking tour of a tourist attraction here that was over an hour long and my legs didn't hurt nor did my thighs go numb like they used to!! That's a record for my "outtashape" butt!!

Last night I volunteered for the LRRH race up in Wellsville, by working at a local bike store and had to stand for over an hour, sweating and moving all the time as I helped registrants with their goodie bags. I was amazed that I could do that!! I got a stool and leaned on that for the next two hours and came home so wiped out and happy! I can see how biking is really changing my body for the better - it can do things I could never do before since my bad car accident in 01'.

There were so many beautiful, fit and strong women coming in to register at that bike shop for the LRRH ride ....and I was awed seeing the potential that I could look a bit more like that, even from as far out of shape as I am now, someday in the future.

I found all my pains and sore spots that I first had biking went away over the last month and now nothing hurts. One reason why is that I had hubby initially raise the handlebars and seat post setting and put on my cushy "elephant seat" from my other bike. Boy is riding a pleasure now!!!

My doctor diagnosed me as diabetic just a couple weeks ago and I had to get real about the food I'd been eating. I had to totally cut back on eating out and do all I could to reduce fat, and sugar and salty foods. I found out what I could eat and was surprised how easily I could adapt favorite recipes by just using Splenda instead of sugar and diet margarine or a lot less oils in cooking and eating.

I frankly realized, thanks to my new doctor, that I couldn't be 300 lbs unless I lived a lifestyle that supported it. I saw my portions were way, way too large, I was overeating and eating for fun, not for hunger. Now, two weeks later, I don't have any cravings and feel full most of the time.

My fridge has fat free yogurts, low fat string cheese, Laughing Cow Light spreadable cheese, that I eat on Wasa light rye,(25 cal for cheese and 25 for a huge long cracker and the wedge covers about four crackers) and fruits canned in juice or water, no-salt added canned veggies, lean meats with no skin or fat, and lots of great salad makings. Skim milk was not bad at all and now we don't even miss 2%.

When I get a craving, I indulge in an Artic Circle chocolate cone now and then, but cut back on something else to compensate for it, or exercise extra to pay for it in expended calories.

I am so grateful for all the encouragement and support from the TE women in my biking, going from a half mile to now over six. I've logged nearly 11 this week so far. If it weren't for Team Estrogen and these posts, new friends, I wouldn't be where I am now, thank God for them! Welcome to a wonderful group of supportive, funny and intelligent women!

It will feel so great to lose weight over time (I didn't get this way overnight) and I know now exercise, healthy eating and especially biking can make all the difference in my metabolism, energy and health. Yeah team for TE!!"

[KnottedYet]

mmelindas- I am SO glad you got a new doc! And congratulations! You are awesome!

[kimct]

Melinda...glad to see that you're back! Never had a chance to 'meet ya' before, so hi! It's great to read stories like yours! Keep on riding and giving inspiration!

Kim

[DirtDiva]

Great hear from you, mmelindas! Thanks for the update.

Also, since you seem to be in the know, when I occasionally do ab-crunches or diagonal ones, how can I stop the front of my neck from hurting?

I used to find this happening. Figured out it was because I was holding my jaw really tense, which I guess was pulling on the front of my neck. Problem disappeared when I made a conscious effort to relax my jaw and keep it in a natural position. Just my $0.02...