Got the exercise part. Can't get the eat less part.

[emily_in_nc]

I agree completely with Grog. I lost weight by low-carb dieting before I got seriously into riding and other forms of fitness (which require more carbs for energy). Although I eat more carbs now, of course, I don't force myself to eat really low-fat either. I try to eat good fats like olive oil, nuts, flax, fish oil, and the like, but I also allow myself some eggs and cheese. I don't eat fried foods and eat very little red meat, however. I agree that fat fills you up more so you don't get the between-meal munchies nearly as often as with a carb-heavy, low-fat diet. As a result, I think I eat fewer calories on days when I eat more fat than on lower-fat, higher carb days. I get hungry every hour or two when I eat that way.

I've been able to maintain my weight loss for five years eating this way (along with exercising pretty much daily). Of course, what works for me will not work for everyone. I have a fast metabolism, which helps a lot -- and exercising more helps with that as well.

Best of luck,

Emily

[bcipam]

At my last post operation visit with my surgeon he advised I need to lose weight. He first recommended I exercise more. I told the doctor I do spin class every day, plus an hour of weights and on the weekends ride 30 - 50 mile each day. What more should I do?

Of course I also admitted I love to eat - junk food especially. He told me just have discipline and limit my calories. I looked him squarely in the eye and told him "Doctor, you have found the cure for obesity! Just don't eat too much! Why hasn't someone thought of that already?" Yes I was being a wisearcer. Thankfully the doctor laughed. I am just destined to be fat. :-(

[CyclChyk]

I too got into cycling for my health and to lose weight. I needed to lose 80lbs total to get back into a size 8. (I have lost 40 so far. YEH!!!) An average week for me was Dominos; chinese take out; McDonalds; steak with a big fat potato loaded w/the good stuff. Starbucks and Double D loved me. You get the idea. Kinda pathetic but it was d*mned good eating!

Like some before me have stated, you need carbs. They will help with the cravings and they are very important in a cyclists diet. But you need to eat the right carbs. Also, to state what others have already stated, drink LOTS of water. I actually use the WalMart version of Crystal Light. I hate Crystal Light but love the walmart one. Go figure. But it has zero calories and tastes really good. Sometimes plain water can be boring.

Something else I am wondering about. You said you eat lots of salad. Are you using regular dressing?? Most dressings kinda negate the benefit of salad, and you may as well eat a burger for the caloric intake it can give you. Also try fat free mayo, not regular mayo. Fat free butter, sugar free jelly, etc. I even love reduced cal peanut butter now and I never thought that would happen. But these changes add up to pounds lost. Watch out for high sugar content and foods where the fat calories are a high percentage of the actual calories.

They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. Well it took me about 2 months before I actually craved pretzels and not Swiss cake rolls. And one sandwich fills me up when before I would eat 2 or more.

I realize my post probably hasn't helped your situation, I think I posted mostly to say don't give up. It will happen. I think the idea of a nutritionist might be good for you as well. I know lots of people who have had great success that way.

[Grog]

[ON SOAP BOX]
Please, lovers of big-chain fast food, do not be offended as I step on my soap box. I LOVE food in general. I CHERISH good food even more. I ride to eat and eat to ride... Please bear with me.

I love steak. I eat vegetarian most of the time but I really enjoy a rare filet mignon or preferably a tartare (basically raw ground beef... of extremely high quality - but nobody seems to know what it is around here). I love potatoes as well, and anything including starch + cheese (potato, pasta or bread + cheese) is comfort food to me. I would not be able to eat that every day though... Boring.

But Dominos, chinese take out and McDo? Good eating? It's true that no taste is more legitimate than another, but I'm very certain that eating healthier food will make you discover an array of wonderful tastes and definitely good-ier eating.

I am amazed at how people equate eating healthy with eating boring.

Of course fat-free yogourt doesn't taste anything (which is why they add so much sugar to it). Why not pick up a low-fat or, why not, full-fat yogourt instead? It's definitely A LOT healthier than the swiss roll or other ready-made snack you would have "normally" had instead! Toss in pieces of fresh fruit (even a simple apple takes 1 minute to dice) and, oh! a teaspoon (I said ONE teaspoon!) of maple or honey and you still have a pretty healthy snack.

Pizza? Make your own pizza. You can buy ready-made crust to cheat, but throw vegetables on there (I can't have enough broccoli... as long as it's not overcooked), some proscuitto ham and a great, tasty cheese of your choice. Not gooey mozzarella that you have to put a pound of on your pizza to create texture because it doesn't taste anything. Go for, say, goat cheese. And some fresh tomato. Now THAT has a taste! It's not just a mixture of meat and cheese that you can't even identify.

Burger? Make your own open-face burger with extra lean meat that you buy yourself, in which perhaps you throw an egg to help it hold together better (adds fat but good proteins as well), some bread crumps, all sorts of spices. Grill. Add a very thin slice of blue cheese if you're so inclined, sharp cheddar otherwise. One slice of tomato, just a bit of curried mayo. Grow your own basil by the kitchen window and throw a leaf or two in there. Eat with a salad with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, accompany with a glass of water, with a dash of lemon juice if you feel fancy. You have just skipped the fries that tasted all the same (while every bite of your salad can be different if you tossed a few things in there), and who really enjoys drinking Coke anyway? It's JUST sugar. It's nonsense even to pay for that. Toss it.

Chinese food? Sorry I'm not very strong in that department. But I can throw a pretty good curry under 30 minutes and it will have less MSG, salt and fat than anything you buy ready-made. Now that you talk about it, a quick pad thai with rice noodles, tofu, curry sauce, some peppers, lime juice, peanuts, etc. would work wonders too. And cooking (with a glass of wine please) while listening to music I love or to the day's news is a great way to relax and to feel that I have some control on my life. And if I don't have 30 minutes to spare to cook, maybe it's about time I change my lifestyle, it's not healthy either. Eating "healthy" is also about taking some time to eat. If you actually sit down, enjoy your meal, masticate appropriately, and even talk with your partner, colleagues, children, friends, etc. you'll probably eat less, digest better, enjoy life more and be healthier at the bottom line. Throw in a glass of red wine for the antioxydants and you're all set!

The meals I have just described are not necessarily the "healthiest" by radical standards. But I don't believe it's healthy to totally cut fat anyway. If the only result is to turn you off eating healthy because it's not tasty or pleasurable, then you're going to go back to your habitual diet and that certainly is not better.

You can tell me that Domino's, chinese take-out, and McDo are more convenient, okay. That's true especially if you drive, of course. That eating there reminds you of your childhood maybe and makes you feel comforted, okay. But they are definitely not the tastiest food. And when they do have taste, it's achieved by industrial processes that take you very very very far away from the original ingredients and their nutritional value, while adding all sort of stuff you really don't need.

If it's "tasty" and comes from a fast-food source, be very wary of what they did to make it so.

One caveat, my personal pet peeve: Eating well and starting from scratch or almost (raw, fresh ingredients) is definitely more expensive than eating junk, and takes a little more time (although not that much). Junk food is readily available, takes no knowledge and no equipment. To save costs, all the food is produced in the same place now - look what happened with the spinach, we just discovered that 90% of the bagged spinach in North America is produced in a tiny area of California - and everything is organized to maximize the profit of the fast-food and big agrifood companies shareholders, not to maximize taste and nutritional value. People seem to positively react to cheaper food, so the industry provides just that: food that comes from further away that is sold in big surface megastores, fruits that were picked a week or more before they're sold (what's the nutritional value of that??), pre-mixed meals - just add water - that could be so easily prepared with basic ingredients... All is pre-manufactured or, sorry, "value added". We should be fighting that not just to loose weight, but above all to remain healthy in our bodies and our communities...
[OFF SOAP BOX]

[Grog]

One last thing, about chocolate...

As a kid, all I knew about chocolate was chocolate bars. I had a Caramilk a day I remember my mom telling me that one day I'd need to stop and would be addicted!!

Well, of course that was not a good habit, and I am addicted. But I'll go for a square of dark chocolate. Or, if I'm in a mall and walk by a chocolate store and am tempted, I will buy one truffle. It's the same price as a chocolate bar usually - about $1 - but there is so much more to discover! So much more pleasure! And many less calories, less fat, closer to the original product (cocoa beans).

Also a must: real peanut butter, i.e. peanut butter with just one ingredient: peanuts... No trans fats, no added sugar, just the good fats of peanuts, and an awesome taste.

Ok I'm done now.

[Raindrop]

First, try to make eating easy....and adventurous. Try a different fruit AND vegetable every week. There a lot of new choices in our vegetable sections these days. Sometimes, I like to concentrate on new mushrooms, which by the way can be grilled or sauteed with spray-vegetable oils and added to salads, or beans etc.

Then, speaking of beans. Try to incorporate that into your diet. If the side-effects are too much, buy Beano. But beans are a great source of protein and fiber and make you feel full a lot longer.

Diets are bunk! Eating is how we live so try to make it healthful but exciting. More garlic and hot peppers and less lettuce and cucumbers.

Also, soups are great. There is some scientific backup to the fact that our stomachs register satiety via fullness or weight. So, soups with lots of vegetables (add more via frozen veggies) are a great way to feel full and satiated without a lot of extra calories.

After all, we can scarf down a Big Mac in a few minutes, but some really hot soup or hot beans over some brown rice (with cumin, garlic and maybe a few extra veggies) not only take longer to eat, but have more volume, nutritional vaule, flavor and nutrition.

[CyclChyk]

Grog - I am not sure if you misunderstood me or if you can't fathom how I could have ever willingly eaten McD's; Dominos; etc. Some people love black coffee. Some people have to have sugar in their coffee in order to drink it. Some people HATE coffee. (I know - hard to believe but its true).

Whereas I no longer eat those foods nor find them appealing at all, I did at one time. I savored greasy fast food. I craved it. And I would have thought YOU were the weird one for not liking it as well.

A person can get used to anything. Take Steak TarTar for example. I cannot think of anyone who would look at a basically raw piece of meat and say to themselves "D*MN that looks good! Don't bother cooking it, I want it to moo!". I would imagine its an aquired taste. The same as McD's; Dominos; etc.

And for the record, I stated that I USED to eat that way. Thats why I was fat.

Just MHO; FWIW.

[Offthegrid]

Wow, you guys are amazing. I was so afraid to post this because I feared there would be backlash for such an overweight person being into cycling (I'm very self-conscious). And some GREAT suggestions here. I probably AM eating too few calories for breakfast and lunch.

I have actually done two sprint triathlons in the past, but I never lost weight because I love to eat and am not a good cook -- a bad combination.

I'm going to try making a better lunch: chicken breast, sweet potato and veggies on the side. I'll switch the salad as a side to dinner (I use only a little bit of low-calorie Italian dressing). The salad just isn't working for me as a lunch.

I'll also try switching to the regular oatmeal, and I'll add eggs on the days I don't swim in the morning (right now I'm swimming two days a week before work and I want to get it up to three days a week until the spring). The oatmeal is easy to make in the office. To get the protein in, perhaps I'll have an apple with peanut butter as a snack.

And I'll give the full-fat yogurt a try, too. I can't eat much cheese because I'm lactose intolerant, but the yogurt is supposed to help things. (Oh, how I wish I could have cottage cheese!)

[jeannierides]

Good morning.

Offthegrid, what a wonderful thing you are doing! You're taking control of your life! We are all about everyone - no matter what their weight or size - having great cycling experiences!

The wise ones before me have all given great advice. I'd like to add a bit of mine. Good carbs... whole wheat everything, pasta, bread cereal. Good oils... olive, walnut, even canola. Full fat dressings w/olive or canola oil - simply measure out a tablespoon... it's better to have just the tiniest taste of that wonderful flavor than a quarter cup of some bland no-taste *filler* dressing. Stay away from trans-fats AND high fructose corn syrup (as a sweetener) - you'd be surprised what you'll find those things in, and they are the worst offenders! Use the *real* deal - maple syrup or honey - in smaller measures.

Be sure you get enough protein before your workouts or rides, as well as carbs... oatmeal is great, but add an egg white (if you don't want the whole egg) or a cup of yogurt. Snacking on apples w/peanut butter is great too - just be sure it's only about 1T of pnb, though... it's easy to end up with 1/4 cup! A handfull of raw almonds is a great way to get protein too - and very little fat.

Anyway, you're doing great, and have my admiration!

[mimitabby]

Hey, Grog, I'm with you. another advantage of cooking from scratch is you are getting more exercise. When I start to cook, i am on my feet at least another 45 minutes. Chopping carrots, potatoes, etc, I use a knife!
I knead bread dough by hand. the only thing I have used a blender for in the last few years is to make a pesto..

I recently learned some of my grandmother's recipes (for desserts, actually) and they are HARD WORK!!

There are days (and days and days) when we don't have enough time to cook and instead go somewhere to eat, but at my house, we eat hotdogs maybe 2x a year. (hot summer day, picnic!! in the back yard)

I love food and now that i am in my 50's I am hungry a lot of the day too and I don't know why.

I eat chocolate every day. but only a little bit of it.

[love2bike]

I've lost 25 pounds and will be thin when I lose another 15---I ditto every thing Grog said....take a look at this website: www. dietfacts.com . It will give you the calorie counts for food at your favorite restaurants. A super sized lunch at McDonalds is well over 2000 calories, more cals. that I should consume in one day!!!

When I'm in my weight loss mode I can usually lose a pound a week if I keep my calories at 1100-1200 per day. I have a food journal and I list every food and the calories for that food that I eat for the day. So if I have a big lunch I know that I have to go lighter at dinner. It keeps me accountable. I have a digital scale that weights the food, and when I punch in a food code that gives me calories for that portion. I think Salter makes it, I got mine at Linens and Things. Without that scale, I ALWAYS underestimate the true calorie count.

It sounds like alot of work, but when you get into the habit, it's really ok.

[quint41]

I guess I'll throw my 2 cents into the hat as well.

I lost 40 lbs over the span of a couple of years. I took it off slowly in about 12 lb chuncks (and I'd kind of stagnate for a few months before starting the weight loss again -- I swear that helped it STAY off in the long run). I was on Weight Watchers and learned some good stuff from them. Ultimately, it was just the right combination of diet and exercise that made the difference for me. Here are some of the things I learned ...

Everyone needs SOME fat in their diet. If everything in your cupboard and fridge says "fat free," you're making a mistake. Instead of a fat free salad dressing, try olive oil (just 1-2 teaspoons) & vinegar with some herbs and a dash of Splenda for sweetness.

Carbs were my enemy. I almost completely wiped them out of my diet. I'd have bran flakes for breakfast and a wheat wrap for lunch (with meat, lots of veggies, no condiments). I completely cut out pasta, rice, potatoes and bread. I found it to be true that carbs actually caused me to feel hungry faster.

Lean proteins are my friend. A very small portion of scrambled eggs at 8:30 keeps me satisfied until lunch at 1:00. However, a huge bagel with margarine at 8:30, and I'll be hungry by 10:30-11:00. So, proteins really do stick to your ribs!

Many experts recommend that you graze instead of eating "meals." Combining the lean proteins, less carbs approach, I'd have one scrambled egg for breakfast (and coffee) or some bran flakes. Mid morning maybe a slice or two of turkey. And water. Lunch I'd have my wrap (no condiments, no chips on the side!) and water. Mid-afternoon maybe some tuna with lemon juice or a TOUCH of lite mayo or some nuts. And water. Dinner a HUGE salad, or a piece of fish with a HUGE portion of veggies. Dessert would be some peanuts in the shell (they take longer to eat) and water. And I always take a vitamin and calcium supplement.

Then there's the exercise part of the plan. Whatever you are doing for exercise, either double it, or change it altogether. Sometimes your body needs a kick-start by using different muscles than you usually do. (And weight training is a must.)

[ACG]

Offthegrid - I struggle with the same thing, am hungry all the time. I'm eating the wrong stuff. The ladies here are very supportive and not at all judgemental. I like this thread so much I printed it and am going to use the advice I see here.

I've started really watching what I eat, increased the water and the vegetables, cut out the sugar, fast food, processed food, nothing fried. The water really helps a lot. I was not drinking what I should, I'm still not, but am a lot better at it. I eat out once a week, ask for 2 servings of vegies and bypass the potato or rice. I cut out all sweets, just eat lots of fruit. I've lost 7 lbs in 7 weeks, not a lot, but it is something.

You have some fantastic goals, good for you! Keep us posted on your progress.

[IFjane]

I agree, Grog - REAL peanut butter, like Crazy Richard's. Ingredients: peanuts. Yes, it's a pain to stir when you first open the jar, and no, there is no salt so the taste is different, but it is so much better. I eat it rarely, though, so I can't blame peanut butter for my extra pounds...

I also agree with drinking lots of water (I add a slice of lemon to mine), eating oatmeal with no sugar (I add things like raisins, dried cranberries, fresh blueberries, sliced almonds or walnuts.) I buy only fresh ingredients and make most everything from scratch. When I eat meat it is usually chicken breast, salmon or ground turkey. Red meat 1x month - though I could probably eat a nice slab of steak once a week if I would let myself. I use low-fat yogurt, vanilla flavor because I just can't eat plain. Fat free salad dressings. All the right stuff - and I still can't get that extra 15 lb. off!

One downfall I have is that dinner is almost always late in the evening - say, 8 p.m. By the time my SO and I get home from work & work out & shower, it's after 7, then time to fix dinner. If only I could work 4 hours/day instead of 8 - oh, and get paid the same, if not more then maybe I could get dinner on the table earlier!

It is comforting to see that I am not the only one carrying extra pounds & wrestling with the same issues! I love this forum & having this "sisterhood"!

[paigette]

I agree, Grog - REAL peanut butter, like Crazy Richard's. Ingredients: peanuts. Yes, it's a pain to stir when you first open the jar, and no, there is no salt so the taste is different, but it is so much better.

I've always been told to store the jar upside down that way there is less stiring.