Weight loss help

[Twice Daily]

I need to lose some weight too! I can't afford an ultra light-weight bike, so I figured I should lose the weight off my body!

I have a subscription to SELF magazine and at their website, self.com, there is a "diet club," free for subscription holders, cheap for everyone else...I hate that stupid "diet" word, anyway...you can track your caloric intake, along with how many carbs, fats and protein you are eating...they are also offering their SELF Challenge right now, which is free and has a food diary option...

I mention this because I started tracking what I was eating and I was really surprised! Although I eat a very healthy, nutrient-dense diet...I was eating about 300-400 calories more than I needed each day (based on my height, weight, activity level)!! I made some little changes like, substituting my usual granola with yogurt breakfast to a crunchy low-calorie cereal and yogurt breakfast, and filling up on salad greens and veggies instead of tons of pasta...and I've been very conscious of portion sizes...
I've also been watching my carb, protein, fat ratio, which is about 40, 30, 30 for now...and as the weather warms up and I ride more, I'll be eating more carbs (60 %) and less fat and protein (about 20% each)...

I understand the hunger thing, I get really hungry, too...and I've been trying to eat small snacks as often as possible so I don't pig out at meal time!

[RitaG]

I, too, have been looking for some serious inspriation lately. As the spring thaw is a few weeks away, I'm looking at trying to drop 10 pounds before I hit the trails. I hope that another 10 will come off during the racing season.

What's frustrating is that I found it is really hard to judge. During my first full mtn bike racing season last summer, I only lost about 3-5 pounds but I dropped 2 sizes in clothing. I started to discover muscle! But over the winter, the jiggles have returned in full force. I have the most trouble with my middle.

All of the ideas posted have been helpful. Here are my goals. Any other input on how to accomplish this is welcome...

1) Ride in the morning - jump start the metabolism, right?
(I have not yet been able to do this)

2) Do not eat at night after dinner

3) Not snacking at my desk job

4) Cut down on the diet coke with lime -But really, it's like having a cocktail at work.

And... I just got a new heart rate monitor that calculates calories burned. Do you think it's obsessive to even think about wearing my hrm all day to see what my actual calorie burn is?

[Twice Daily]

Heart rate monitor!! Thanks, RitaG!! That's important to mention...it's so important to workout in your training zone (60% to 75% of max) to burn the most fat...

If you don't have a HRM, you can buy a super simple one for about 30 dollars at pricepoint.com or bikenashbar.com or any of those big discount bike sites...

And RitaG...I love DC with lime...it's in the vending machine here at my work...it's so good!! I do have to watch it, all those atifical sweetners are a bit toxic...

[trigurl]

thanks ya'll. I exercise quite a bit and lift weights.

here is a sample of my menu:

B: banana, bagel/english muffin/or toast with PB&J
diet Mtn. Dew - sometimes I fix a shake with whey protein & fruit

s: pretzels/granola bar/crackers (not all at one time)

l: usually PB&J sandwich with soup & can of low carb fruit (no sugar)

s: granola bar/fruit/ pretzels/yogurt/or cottage cheese

d: Usually by now I am starving and I eat after I exercise in the evenings
Meat, veggies,

s: popcorn/ pretzels/ low fat low sugar sweet treat/or crackers

I eat the p/b cuz I love it but it is also a quick meal for me, I use sugar free preserves, raspberry of course, and whole wheat breads and crackers.

It took me a year to lose 40 lbs. and it has been almost another year stuck at this same weight, I can't eat less b/c I feel hungry a lot now

[Crankin]

Obviously, I'm not a dietician, but it seems like you need to eat more protein. There is some truth to the "low carb" fad, in that protein does satisfy hunger. You just need to make sure that it's low fat protein. Things like chips and pretzels are basically empty calories, so I would try replacing those with dense whole wheat bread, half a whole wheat bagel, oatmeal, or other non-sugary carb that is low on the glycemic index. You exercise a lot...maybe you should eat a little more and try changing some of the things you eat. A good sports nutritionist would really help. I know it costs, but it could really help.

Robyn

[snapdragen]

Or -- you could check out Weight Watchers. Even if it's only ten lbs., you can learn all kinds of good stuff about nutrition, healthy snax, etc. It's really helped me bunches. I especially like how you are allowed to increase what you eat after exercising, based on how long and the amount of exertion.

I go to meetings where I work, they are too convenient not to! They also have WW online, or WW at home, check out their website.

[Bike Goddess]

Rita girl- yes! RIDE, exercise, do weights, do anything exercise wise (if you can) BEFORE you have breakfast! I (believe it or not) get up at 4:30AM 4 days a week to get all this activity done. If its inclement weather, I go to the gym and do a full workout. Otherwise, I ride and upper body workout. I am at the gym 3x a week- MWF. and riding Sun-Friday with Saturday off. I just started doing the gym stuff in November and that has helped with muscle strength translated to endurance on the bike.

Now here's the other part- if I can lose weight, so can you! I'll be an "official senior citizen" come September. So there, you young ones. No whining!

Nancy

[LBTC]

hi folks

just the chatty one checking in again...on my favourite topic! weight loss....heh

okay, well, I didn't lose no 40 lbs in a year. wow. that's a lot and that's fabulous. it was more like a year and a half to lose 25 or 30 lbs....and I have kept it off. In fact, this year, I didn't even really get the winter 5 lbs. yay!

foodwise:
always eat breakfast

snack at your desk more

drink more water

eat more vegetables

eat lots of protein

make sure your carbs come from whole grains as much as possible


sure, so how do you make that work? one thing at a time, making habits as you go along.

I started with snack carrots at work

I keep boiled eggs handy for quick protein

I only buy cookies, chips, pretzles, etc when we go on a road trip

we eat a lot of boneless skinless chicken breast

I make a wicked banana bread with very little fat, very little sugar and loads of cool things like raisins and cranberries and blueberries, etc.

when I make soup, I start with a can, but you can bet I'll add 2 cups of veggies and a touch of whole wheat pasta and some type of meat (tofu meatballs work well)

veggies are expensive up here in the great white north. when bell peppers go on sale, I buy tons, chop em and freeze em. perfect for soup and stir fries

everything is spicey. especially thai spices. very satisfying

I keep bread in the freezer. just one extra step to snacking on it, slows down my consumption.

dried fruit and nuts make good snacks. so does my banana bread. and fresh fruit! and sliced peppers or any other veggie you like.

diet pop? yeesh, why bother? herbal tea. no sugar added. keep trying them and you'll find ones that you like: Stash has a very nice rooibis and their lemon ginger is quite good. Tazo zen is quite uplifting. Stash also has a nice green and white tea combination. that and water. try not to drink anything else if you're not exercising at the moment. (before, during and after a heavy exercise session is totally different: gatorade, monster, red bull, cytomax, endurox, whatever works for you)

try a new vegetable every month. every once in awhile you'll find a cool one you didn't think you liked. integrate it into your eating. I tried eggplant. turns out if you chop it small it just takes on whatever flavour you've got in the rest of the food. I keep chopped eggplant in the freezer to add to soups, sauces and stir-fries. just another vegetable.

and for exercise....change it up once in awhile. try a new sport for a month. change the way you do your weights. work on intervals instead of long endurance spins. go ahead....go out of your "target range". my personal experience has been: the greatest advances in losing that extra layer of fat which allows all the muscle to be defined happened from the most intense aerobic intervals. primarily from mountain biking and doing lots of anaerobic hill climbs. seriously, the lower heart rate might have some merits, but intervals and high intensity stuff works faster!!

get enough sleep

get enough rest

when you reach a milestone, don't celebrate with food (I used to do that) try something different: new clothes, new aromatherapy scents, a pretty candle, a new book...anything but food!

somebody said this already: sometimes we think we're hungry when we're thirsty. If you're about to devour whatever you can get your hands on, first pour yourself a good tall glass of juice or watered down gatorade (something more than water usually helps the hunger go away, but water can work, too). by the time you've drunk it and let it settle, you'll either find that you can eat less, you might not need to eat at all, and you've had time to rethink what you were going to eat to something more healthy.

oh, and pay attention when you eat. savour it. enjoy it. eat slowly and meaningfully. except, of course, after an intense ride! haha

that ought to be enough ideas for one post, don't ya think?

go, girls, go! you can do it!!!

Namaste,
~T~
who currently has strep throat and an oveactive brain