A question about weight

[Bluetree]

Wahine, I always learn something every time you post. Thanks.

[Eden]

Yep, that is me. Queen of LT....no long slow distance here. Long slow distance would be pretty couterproductive for the races I am training for.

No! LSD is not couterproductive for racing!! Always training at LT though is counterproductive. It may feel like its not hard enough to do slow rides, and it is easy to feel that it is a waste of time, but always training full out is one of the most common mistakes that new racers make. If you are always going full tilt you are much more likely to overtrain, plus you will never train your body to be more efficient. The LSD work is necessary to get your body using more fats longer so that you are not immediately burning up all your supplies of ready energy when you do have to go all out. Don't skip your base training! If you do it you will be able to go faster for longer periods.

[rocknrollgirl]

Thanks for the input.

Eden- I do have a very structured program with slower days built in. I also have a very solid base for endurance.

I am not a new racer, especially to mt biking. I was speaking from my own frame of reference. What I meant was that I would not be out doing a 70 mile road day to train for a 15 mile mountain bike race. That would not be a productive use of my training time.


I do hard interval days with active recovery days and rest days. Two hard weeks and one easy week.

It is a pretty balanced program. ( ok where is the food)


Thanks.

[Eden]

Thanks for the input.

Eden- I do have a very structured program with slower days built in. I also have a very solid base for endurance.

I am not a new racer, especially to mt biking. I was speaking from my own frame of reference. What I meant was that I would not be out doing a 70 mile road day to train for a 15 mile mountain bike race. That would not be a productive use of my training time.


I do hard interval days with active recovery days and rest days. Two hard weeks and one easy week.

It is a pretty balanced program. ( ok where is the food)


Thanks.

That sounds more like it! Your first statement was a bit misleading.....

[rocknrollgirl]

Yeah, I was probably just dizzy from HUNGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok enough stalling..off to the pool now.

[Wahine]

Wahine, I always learn something every time you post. Thanks.

Thank you Blue. I try to help.

[rocknrollgirl]

Yoda....now I am assuming that my body would be storing that glycogen in an effort to bank for the next workout?


And, thanks from me also. I agree with BT, I always learn a thing or two from your posts.

[Reesha]

With my cross country ride right around the corner, I am starting to worry about this. what
If I don't lose any weight on the trip? I am sure I will have a blast
Blast regardless but it would be fantastic to drop ten to fifteen pounds
On this ride. At an average of eighty miles per day you would think it would be easy, but i'm concerned that my hunger will best me. Should I heart rate monitor it the whole time?

[lovelygamer]

I can never figure this out either. I have lost plenty of weight in my day but it was never due to the same method, attempt, or situation. I have sort of noticed that as I age, it's harder for me to lose weight.

Currently, I've been cycling 40 miles a week for five weeks straight and watching my diet and I've gained weight which I assume is muscle weight. I'm hoping that starts burning fat on the scale soon. I did see a pound or two of that gain come off recently.

40 miles a week may seem like nothing to some of the people here but before that I was working out in a gym maybe three hours a week. It feels like a ton of work on my 200+ body.

I'll never ever understand it all.

[Reesha]

Yeah your body composition will certainly change first. I worked to lose weight this winter and changed my body composition fairly significantly... probably lost ten lbs of fat and gained another five in muscle. Once racing season started I stopped worrying about losing weight because I just wanted to make sure that my body was flooded with the necessary calories during rides so I could keep up (I'm a high school coach-- it's tough keeping up with 17 year olds!). Now I can shift gears so to speak. Our rides this summer will be long and mostly pretty medium intensity. I certainly won't be hammering.

I suppose if I keep track of my calories on my HR monitor and avoid junk and try to keep caloric intake just under my expenditures every day that would work, but I don't really want to have to worry so much. My body is clinging to these last ten-fifteen pounds hardcore. I've been lighter before, (rarely fitter) so it's frustrating that the same things I'd done before don't work now four years later.

Anyway, this came up because I'd been reading on bike forums about people going on tours and either gaining weight or just not losing any because their eating gets out of control. I can't reallllly imagine over doing it on cereal, yogurt and peanut butter and jelly, but you never know!

[lovelygamer]

Reesha, You certainly look fit. I know what you mean about weighing more and being more fit too-that definitely happens. Sometimes, we get too "inside" of our heads about the number on the scale when in reality our bodies are healthy and happy. This might surprise some but for me, I used to be 300 lbs so 215 is really not so bad however, I was down to 185 two years ago and I need to get there for health's sake. Large people run in my family. My brother is 6'7" and 350 lbs. I am probably the most athletic person in my whole family.

Aren't you going to average 80 miles a day on your tour? Even at medium intensity that's a lot of exertion. I would think you wouldn't gain either, unless you got totally out of control on calories and fat. I think fattening liquid drinks are one thing that it's easy to lose control of. I constantly battle with myself to cut them down or out of my diet.

I'm determined to just keep at it. Eventually, something will shift. I just know it. As they say "energy begets energy" and how can you go wrong there?

[Crankin]

I've been on 3-4 tours, none of them as long or as many daily miles as your ride across the US. While I have never gained weight, I don't lose, either, despite the fact the daily mileage and climbing is more than what I'd be doing at home. Eating is a major part of the tours I've been on and like you, I get ravenously hungry from that level of intensity. Sometimes, when I am riding 40-60 miles a day, with lots of hard climbing, I have trouble eating lunch, especially when it's hot out. I've found that I need to to eat more, in little bits, as I ride, and then eat a small lunch with nothing that will upset my stomach. I can't sit around and have lattes, or beer , as other riders I've been with do.
My attitude is enjoy the trip, you've earned it, so to speak. Your main thing should be to fuel your body for the work it's going to be doing. You can back to your regular plan when you get home.

[Reesha]

My family is predisposed to curvyness on both sides-- my mom's side the women and men are built like linebackers (tall, heavy boned) and on my dad's they are much shorter but are curvy and mediterranean.

One of the reasons I am worried about this is that I want to be ten lbs or so lighter for the next racing season-- it just makes a big difference, especially in climbing and ESPECIALLY trying to keep up with skinny teenagers on bikes. If I can lose those lbs on this tour, I will have fewer problems maintaining it when I get back. Maintaining is easy for me when I am riding lots. Losing is not.

It's incredible that you've lost so much weight-- I can't imagine the willpower that must take. I'm fortunate to only have to worry about ten to fifteen stubborn pounds and I really applaud you on your success so far. I am sure that bicycling will help you!

[Reesha]

I've been on 3-4 tours, none of them as long or as many daily miles as your ride across the US. While I have never gained weight, I don't lose, either, despite the fact the daily mileage and climbing is more than what I'd be doing at home. Eating is a major part of the tours I've been on and like you, I get ravenously hungry from that level of intensity. Sometimes, when I am riding 40-60 miles a day, with lots of hard climbing, I have trouble eating lunch, especially when it's hot out. I've found that I need to to eat more, in little bits, as I ride, and then eat a small lunch with nothing that will upset my stomach. I can't sit around and have lattes, or beer , as other riders I've been with do.
My attitude is enjoy the trip, you've earned it, so to speak. Your main thing should be to fuel your body for the work it's going to be doing. You can back to your regular plan when you get home.

Well, there's no question I will enjoy it. Thankfully I do not like coffee and alcohol and bicycling do not mix for me. Even if I cut back my calories slightly from what I'll be burning it will still look like 3000-5000 calories per day. That's a lot of food! I am still trying to wrap my head around that. I suppose the best people to ask would be previous Big Ride participants.

Thanks for the tips on fueling though. I will have my handlebar bag fully stocked with spare gu brew/accelerade and snacks.

After my 200 mile memorial day weekend, I can't really fathom not losing weight, but I'm just a little worried about it. I suppose the awareness might be all I need.

[lovelygamer]

Reesha, I won't say it was easy but I will tell you I had a surgical procedure oh, maybe five years ago? I still have control from that. Thank goodness for medical intervention, I was headed for diabetes and heart disease big time. You are going to ROCK this tour thing. Leave those pounds in-between the west and east coast somewhere.

btw, so they really do drink beer when out cycling? I had heard this recently and wondered if it was a big joke.