Too much, too soon

[redrhodie]

I have a question. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, I don't know. Anyway, I've been riding now for about 4 years. I am overweight and I just don't get it. I don't eat a lot of carbs, I eat tons of vegetables & fruits, only white meat & fish and on a very rare occasion, I'll have a small steak. As for carbs, I have totally cut out pastas, breads, etc. I'm also watching the intake of cheese, etc. I have to because I have high cholesterol and was recently diagnosed with high blood pressure (I'm on meds for both).

I have 2 bikes, a Trek hybrid and a road bike, Specialized Dolce Comp. For the most part, I ride the Trek. I usually ride anywhere between 15 to 25 miles a night, depending on the trail I take. My speed has definitely improved from around 8 -9 MPH when I first started, to 15 to 19 MPH currently. It usually takes me about 1 1/2 hrs to complete at 22 to 25 mile ride. My rides always include hills so that I can get a cardio work out.

The thing that I don't understand is why I am not losing any weight. I am not leading a sedentiary life style - I am very active. One thing, I do have asthma & allergies, I also have a heart condition, along with a bad back and arthritis. I am on medication for the heart condition, as well as 2 different types of medications for the arthritis, which includes a weekly injection of Enbrel.

I've never been overweight in my life. I'm 5' 4" tall and used to weigh between 135 - 140 lbs. Now I weigh 186 lbs. I put on a ton a weight after taking Lyrica for shingles in December, 2010. What on earth can I do to drop this extra weight?

I wear a heart monitor when I'm riding, which also counts the calories I'm burning. I don't understand why I'm only burning about 400 calories for each ride.

Please, any suggestions would be great! Thanks

Do you eat breakfast? Are you consuming most of your calories later in the evening? I'm wondering if you're not eating enough early, then you're going into your ride already in a calorie deficit, then you eat most of your calories after the ride because you're starving, then go right to sleep.

I also wonder why you've cut carbs? You say your weight gain was after taking Lyrica, but were carbs a problem before that? I'm just wondering why whole grains wouldn't be beneficial to you?

[new2ride]

Goldfinch -- didn't mean to kidnap your thread -- thanks all for the replies.

First, I have cut carbs because I was diagnosed earlier this year with diabetes. Rather than eat regular pastas, potatoes, white bread, etc., I have switched to whole grain bread (when I eat bread). I eat breakfast, which usually consists of grapefruit and a hard boiled egg. I alternate between the grapefruit/egg, to an omelet with veggies & cottage cheese. I eat salads for lunch, which include some shrimp or chicken. I usually have the same thing for dinner. My snacks include nuts (almonds, pistachios, walnuts), I also eat fruit for snacks. On the way home from a ride, I munch down on a peach or apple. I also drink lots of water. For a treat, I eat a small 3 oz container of sugar free pudding, but not everday. If I have a turkey burger, I eat it wrapped in romaine lettuce. I don't think the types of food I am eating are bad. I love vegetables and fruit and that's mostly what I consume. Any cereals I have are whole grains with blueberries or strawberries.

As I mentioned, I ride every night after work. I never eat a heavy meal before or afterwards. My dinner is a salad, with tomatoes, oranges, almonds, shrimp/chicken/fish, strawberries, sometimes a few grapes, mushrooms and rasberry vinegarette dressing. I never pour the dressing on my salad, I always dip.

This summer I am busy between working full time, keeping up my property, mowing, planting, mulching, etc., my part time work involves antiques. I travel on the weekends to do antiques shows. I must say I get quite the work out hauling my containers, tables, chairs to the location for set-up, not to mention the work involved packing and unpacking the antiques. My husband joins me at the shows & watches the booth so I can walk.

I walk alot while at work and after my 3 day bike run later this month, I will start walking the stairs every day at work. The cafeteria is located on the seventh floor of our building, which is more like climbing 11 floors because our building has extremely high ceilings.

I probably will contact a dietician or have my PCP check the thyroid. I am baffled why this weight will not come off. I cannot stand being this heavy. Thanks for reading this book and again sorry for hoarding in on your thread.

[redrhodie]

It sounds like you're doing everything you're supposed to. I have no other ideas. I'm so sorry. This must be very frustrating.

[goldfinch]

Newtoride, good luck. You eat much like I do. Do you know how many calories you need to sustain a weight loss? Do you count the calories?