Training schedule

[DDH]

Just curiious if anyone has a training schedule they would like to share that I can incorporate into my life. Main goal is weight loss, but I also would like to get further on my rides in a little quicker amount of time. I go apporximately 16 miles regularly but am able to do more, just time constraints right now keep me from it. I ride about 11 MPH average speed and ride lots of hills around here.
My son will be going back to school soon and my life won't be so wrapped up with running him around and being here for him. I don't mind leaving him alone for short amounts of time while I ride but dont' like to get real far away. With school, I will be able to spend more time on the bike should I need it.

I have come to the conclusion that I need someone to help me figure it all out, because I am getting no where on my own, and my DH (God love his heart) is not the one to help me. LOL
His idea of help is constructive critisism (sp?) which I can take normally, but not from him.

The dietician didn't help and the doctor doesn't either and I seem to be getting heavier instead of lighter.
I was down under 200 last summer from exercise and watching what I eat, started biking after I quit smoking in June 2006 and now I am up to 240.


I'm going backwards!!! Help!!!
You know how when you think you are trying so hard and then get no results, and you start second guessing yourself, and wondering are you really trying hard enough, and are you really watching what you eat so in frustration you eat something that taste really good. Then kick yourself. Then you get frustrated and just want to quit. Well, I'm off an on here. LOL
I am stuborn and won't quit, but I do get frustrated and sometimes eat things I shouldn't but still I don't believe I have eaten enough to gain 40 lbs in a year. Not while exercising and riding my bike anyway.
Okay, I'm rambling, LOL Let me hush now.
I know a lot of you girls, from reading have lost weight, and gotten healthier and better on the bikes and are such an inspiration and I need to know what finally got you there?

[RolliePollie]

First of all, congratulations on quitting smoking! You are certainly much healthier because of that alone! Yahoo for you!!!

I'm not sure I can be much help on the training schedule. Maybe could you do a short ride every single day? I would think that would speed up your metabolism and maybe that would do the trick. I'm certainly no expert, but I lost 40 pounds about two years ago and I know how frustrating it can be when the weight is just not coming off. When I lost my weight, my primary exercise was walking. I walked 3-5 miles 5 days a week and it really seemed to work for me. Plus I was counting calories big time. The interesting thing I've found about cycling is that the more I ride, the hungrier I am, so I'm not really losing weight (although I'm not really trying to either...but it seems like the pounds should be falling right off with all the exercise I'm getting, and they're not!). I hope this doesn't sound discouraging because that is not my intention at all. You are absolutely, positively building muscle, which is replacing fat, so even if you are not losing the pounds, you are much healthier and more fit.

Here is my prediction for you...you will start riding more once your son is back in school. You will not lose much weight for the first couple of weeks. But you will keep it up, and you will know that there are a bunch of TE'ers out here cheering you on, and then suddenly the pounds will start to drop. Then as you see the results, you will be even more motivated to ride. You will be fit and fabulous before you know it! (not to imply that you are not already fit and fabulous...but you will be MORE fit and fabulous! ).

[redrhodie]

You're heading in the right direction. You're exercising, you quit smoking. These are not baby steps! Keep riding your 16 mile route a few times a week, then try a longer route once a week, maybe do 20 miles the first week, 22 the next week.

You're definitely not moving backwards. Things just take time. You'll see results soon. You're gaining muscle with every ride. You're increasing your metabolism, too. The weight will start to come off.

Good luck!

[smilingcat]

Do your work out first thing in the morning. Follwed by a hearty healthy breakfast. eggs for protein, toast for carbs and fresh fruit, OJ things like that and have a hearty lunch too. Keep your supper/dinner to a smaller portion just to get you through your sleep. Large salad with few strips of chiken, tuna, salmon, bacon bits..., a bite sized super yummy desert.

And eat slowly. Chew your food. Give your body enough time while eating so that the body can tell you that you are full. We are the most uncivilized lot in this world. Rush rush rush even with food. Fast food. blach... Take time to eat. Look at the Eurpoeans, French, Itallians, Spaniards... 2 hour lunch is not unheard of with Itallians. A paella with Spaniards would last two or three hours for supper at 9:00PM (okay tad late in the evening). A friend of mine from England was just appaled by how they were rushed through dinner at high end restaurant in NYC and shoved out the door. total time 90 minutes. They were hoping for 3 hour dinner with coffee and desert. I had to explain the rest. bus. to them... They were shocked!!!

The idea is that by working out in the morning, your metabolism stays elevated the rest of the day. And eating hearty breakfast and lunch, your body will not go into "protecting against famine mode". This is where your body decides to drop its metabolism to conserve all the fat in your body for the lean times. Eating slowly keeps you from over eating.

Smilingcat

[RoadRaven]

Hey there DDH

Here are two key things I have found that are helping me with weight loss and the general way I feel...

When I want to eat, am I really hungry? It is really hard to identify when we are really hungry, and if you only eat when you know you are hungry (as opposed to eating because it is time to eat and your think you should be hungry) you will find your food consumption decreases.

And try and do at least 3-4 aerobic workouts a week, lasting for at least half an hour.
So on your bike you pedal/ride so your heart rate is elevated, but so you can still have a conversation.
If it is a walk, don't saunter or stroll, but walk briskly, again so your heart rate is elevated but you could still talk...

Also, hold onto the fact that if you are doing enough exercise to lose weight, but it is the type of exercise that can build muscle, you may not see much shift in the scales initially.

I started biking nearly 3 years ago. The first year I lost no weight at all, but I did drop two dress sizes.

Best wishes for your goals, you sound determined and motivated. Remember to allow yourself occasional treats - a day off exercise, or a dessert you have denied yourself. If you allow no treats at all then staying motivated can be difficult.

[ibcycling]

Have you tried eating South Beach? It's great and has done wonders for me. Lotsa learning about sugar and insulin levels and which foods affect them. Most of that I knew anyhow as my mother has Type I Diabetes but I've found lots of info and great recipes. Between eating on the "Beach" and cycling I've lost 13lbs and have about 30 more to go. There are a couple great online sites that can help. Let me know if you're interested.

As far as riding goes are there any group rides or events coming up? I do better when I have a goal in mind and an actual training schedule. The basics (from what I've seen and read) is you should try to increase your mileage by approx. 10% per week and ride at least 4 days a week. So look at where you are now and go from there.

Good luck!

Lora

[short cut sally]

DDH, first I want to say congrats on quitting smoking. That is hard enough in itself and people usually experience weight gain after quitting. Biking is a great way to lose weight. I lost 40#'s initally by portion control and strict food intake (I ate 1 piece of pizza vs. 3, put cottage cheese on salads instead of dressings, if I had desserts, they were 1"X1", (honestly), ate small snacks between meals, usually fruits or vegies. I walked alot (briskly) and did some 1/2 hour to 1 hour cardio also (usually whoever happened to be on Fit TV at the time when I turned it on) and I did the 3-10 miles on my bike. Once I was prepared to show the world my body in spandex after weight loss I expanded my cycling miles to 30-40. Cycling took over, I became very toned and somewheres along the way I've gained back 10#'s and i've maintained that for 2 years now. I am however not as strict on my food intake as I was and that could have something to do with that also and I haven't done a good cardio workout in months ..I am finishing with my vacation tomorrow..i've made a promise to myself that I have to do more than just cycling alone to get rid of those 10#'s so walking and Fit TV will be back into my schedule. I prefer morning workouts, kinda gets me going for the day and it's done with. If I work out/ride in the afternoon, I am more apt to postpone or not do it at all because I just have no motivation. Not sure if it was any help to you but good luck and keep going on the right track..

[DDH]

Do you girls eat before you ride or after in the mornings? I am always thinking I need to eat first and I don't get going soon enough before it gets so hot.
At least the rain has stopped here now, so I can ride without worrying about getting caught in storms.

I eat 3 pieces of pizza when we have it. of course that is a rareity, but still I was thinking that wasn't so bad. I guess I really need to wrap my mind around serving sizes and cutting them back more.
I am always thinking I am not eating that much, but maybe I am eating more than I should.

[SouthernBelle]

DDH,

1 piece of Little Ceasar's pepperoni pizza is 247 calories. Multiply that times 3. That's a significant portion of your calorie allotment for a day on a weight loss diet.

As to eating before a morning ride, I do. I have cereal & milk with fruit.

[DDH]

EWW I knew it was high in calories but didn't think about that much. Thank goodness I don't eat pizza very often. We may get a pizza once every other month or so.
Normally we have grilled or baked chicken, or grilled deer steak, or I fix something in the crock pot. I do not fry things except on rare occasions. We don't have bread with every meal or anything.
Usually it's cereal, or just a banana, for breaskfast, a lean cuisine or something light for lunch, and then dinner is something baked or grilled and a vegetable and like wild rice or maybe red potatoes, but usually some starch.
I don't snack usually at all unless it is close to that time of the month and then I have to watch myself. I ride my bike 3 to 4 times a week 15 miles and then try to do a longer ride on the weekends.
We have a charity ride coming up this weekend and we are riding the 26 miles route with some killer hills on it.
I use a heart rate monitor so I can be sure to get my heart rate up while exercising and believe me it gets up there.
Anyway, thanks for the tips girls.
I think I need to find a log somewhere that I can log my food and exercise together and see how things go.
It sounds like I am really going to just have to buckle down and start counting calories instead of just trying to watch what I eat.
It just always seemed like so much work and I thought I could just cut back and eat healthier but thats not working so on to step 2.

I'm determined that eventually I will get this right, one way or the other.

[SouthernBelle]

If you want to try calorie counting (I didn't):

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/Index.html

[Torrilin]

I have a scale. I'm trying to get into the habit of weighing what I eat to get a feel for what *my* idea of a portion is. I need to start writing it down so I have a food diary and I can track what I'm eating. Not fun, but I need to do it so I can see if there's a pattern to how I'm eating.

I find it's better to eat breakfast before I do anything. I'm a morning person, I'm prone to really terrible judgment if I bike while hungry, and I have a longstanding habit of "wake up, make breakfast". If you don't have your brain fall out your ears when hungry, biking before breakfast can be good.

[michelem]

Donna,

You may want to check out www.nutritiondata.com. You can even plug in a bunch of individual ingredients to find out the total calories in your own recipes. You can also find out approximately how many calories your burning with your exercise. I found this to be very eye-opening.

Anyway, the other thing you might want to look into is finding a dietician who is familiar with the non-diet approach and also familiar with other things that can contribute to weight management problems (such as pcos, metabolic syndrome, stress, etc.). Where in Texas are you located? If anywhere near Bedford, Round Rock, or Houston, let me know and I can give you some names.

Hang in there!

[makbike]

DDH, when was the last time you had your thyroid levels checked?

Last summer I pulled out my Weight Watchers books and calculators to help me drop some unwanted weight. I also increased my mileage each week by 10% or more. I had to seek assistance here for help with the activities points awarded through WW but things quickly fell into place and the weight slowly came off as the summer months progressed. By the time I returned to school in August I had dropped 12 pounds. My weight stayed stable through the school year. This summer I have dropped 10 more pounds due to my surgery and having to deal with the fallout of my relationship ending and riding a lot. What I have learned these past two years is portions are very important, not to avoid the foods I enjoy but to enjoy them in moderation and I have to ride at least 6 days a week to maintain my weight. So since June 2006 I have gone from wearing a size 14 pants to a size 8 and I'm back to what I weighed when I graduated from high school in 1980. I love the new me!

Don't give up hope, keep plugging away at this. Pat yourself on the back. You will find a program that will work for you.

[Bad JuJu]

Do you girls eat before you ride or after in the mornings? I am always thinking I need to eat first and I don't get going soon enough before it gets so hot.

A year or so ago, I read an article (in Bicycling mag maybe?) that said that if you're going to ride for 90 minutes or less, you can increase fat loss by riding first thing in the morning before eating. The writer also suggested that you might want to have a cup of coffee or two before riding--maybe the caffeine gives you a little more energy. And if you're going more than 90 minutes, you have to eat.

I don't remember the reasoning behind these ideas, and I sure don't know the science, but it's worth a try.