lose weight fast on bike?

[Skippyak]

Well for me, going to gymn is better because I lose 10 pounds in two weeks.

You know what kind of caloric deficit you would require to lose 10 pounds of actual fat though LOL, I can lose 2 pounds after a big poop and a long pee, or 3 pounds on a hot and sweaty bike ride. I can gain 3 pounds in a day of premenstrual rage and a Costco chicken bake. You can lose 10 pounds/2 weeks if you carb starve and your liver does it's magic, but this is not real fat loss. 1g glycogen has 3 grams of water, or some such number.
The caloric deficit for 10 pounds fat/14 days is 2500 cals a day, that is pretty much a minimum five hours of sweaty cardio a day in that gym. Impossible? Not at all, likely? Not at all.
Exercise to create the deficit or control calories in to create the deficit, the ideal way is both, and once you achieve the desired end, use the exercise for maintenance. No quick weight loss plan. Just a real one. a pound a week is a great way to do it, exercising to create a 3500 cal week deficit is surprisingly like work. Don't let your body diet away muscle either.

[Swan]

Checking in.

My doctor and nutritionist agreed that I had to stop counting numbers. No more measuring inch loss and portions, no more calorie counting, no more logging miles or minutes, and no more scale. No more numbers. Period. I was sabotaging myself and becoming overwhelmed and overly focused on numbers, and when something didn't add up, I became frustrated and depressed and quit.

So here was the deal: If I felt hungry, I'd drink a tall red glass of water equal to 3cups first. If I was still hungry, I'd eat healthy, even if it was 2am, and stop when full, not stuffed. And every morning, I'd exercise as much I wanted in whatever way I wanted: yoga, walking, biking, dancing, whatever I felt like. I was allowed cheat days. Those cheat days could connect. Monday and Friday, or MondayTuesdayWednesday, or just Saturday, or not at all... again, whatever I felt like. And all I had to do was keep a journal that might read something like "Today for breakfast I ate some almonds and greek yogurt and a banana. Then I did yoga and noticed that I can stretch more to the left now and I can hold a downward dog for a lot longer than before." The key is focusing on what I do and what I eat, but never on how much. No numbers!

I'm so, so happy to say that there's been amazing progress for me in just a few short months (since July), and that's it's very stress-free... except for this frustration I'm having with my bike. The tires can only hold 185lbs, and I keep bursting the back tube, so I think I'm still not quite light enough to ride it that much. It's a little annoying, since I really miss being on my bike most of all. But soon. Soon.

So, without further ado I'd like to introduce some milestones I've achieved.

-I can now fit in a size 12/14 jean, coming down from a size 21/22. I can pull up a size 10 all the way, even if I can't button them yet.
-I've been reclassified from morbidly obese as mildly obese.
-I can touch my chin to my chest without blocking my airways.
-If standing, I can touch my ankles together without needing to bend my knees. Can't do this when walking again yet, but soon!
-I can walk 15K with no problem and run (slowly...) a full mile without stopping.
-My back is in less pain than ever so long as I keep doing yoga. (I swapped for some dancing once for about a week and the pain came back).
-My digestion has GREATLY improved... even my food intolerances don't bother me as much.
-I've gone from drinking 2 cups of water per month to about 12 per day -- the only number I keep track of.
-My skin is much clearer.
-And I have made two of the most amazing friends on this journey.

There was a scare briefly when I and the doctors thought for sure I had diabetes -- my feet were swelling (turned out to be from all the walking in the heat I was doing), I was always thirsty and a little sleepier (happens when you exercise), I was urinating much more often (happens when you drink more water), I was losing weight rapidly (oh no!! ... wait. lol), and I was having trouble with my vision (turns out I just needed new glasses, since I hadn't updated my prescription in four years!). But three different tests turned out negative for diabetes, and after we discussed how my weight loss plan was going, it sort of dawned on us all at once what was really happening. There was a lot of facepalming going around in that moment. lol "Doi!"

So this is my update! Hopefully the next time I check in, I won't be "obese" at all, and my tushy will be buttoned into those size 10s I adore so much....

[Blueberry]

Yay Swan!!!! I'm SO, SO happy for you and proud of you!! This is amazing - and you are doing great!!!!!

[shootingstar]

Hey, great Swan.

I agree that too much focus on numbers day by day doesn't work for alot of people. (I weigh myself 1-3 times per month, if that.) A better gauge is how one fits into clothing and level of stamina, etc., flexibility in doing common physical activities without injury/hurting.

[lor]

That's fantastic news, Swan!! I'm going to use some of those tips, as I too am a big self-sabatoger and get way too numbers obsessed. Thanks so much for sharing your progress here!

[OakLeaf]

Swan, that's wonderful news. So glad you're doing so well!

[Dogmama]

Swan, that is terrific! Keep going!

[redrhodie]

this frustration I'm having with my bike. The tires can only hold 185lbs, and I keep bursting the back tube[/QUOTE]

Congrats on everything, but the thing about your tubes bursting jumped out at me. Are you trying to pump your tires to 185lbs? Because your weight isn't enough to burst a tube unless it is way over inflated. Most tires need to be pumped only to 80 lbs. The pressure range should be printed on the side of the tire.

[Triskeliongirl]

Congratulations Swan on finding a sensible plan that works!! That is an amazing story with amazing progress. But I agree with RedRhodie. Perhaps you are mis-interpreting how much you should be inflating your tires. You didn't tell us what you weigh, but I cannot imagine that you cannot find tires that would not be able to support a person who is wearing size 12 clothing. My daughter is your size and has no problem riding a bike. I am sure you are no heavier than a typical man riding a bike. I too can't help but wonder if you are simply over inflating your tires and that is why they are bursting. Perhaps you either mis-read the numbers on the sidewall, or you pump has lost calibration (this happened to our pump once, it was reading a tire pressure lower than the real tire pressure, so we were overinflating even though we thought based on the gauge we were inflating to the recommended pressure). You certainly should NOT be inflating them to 185 psi! Depending on the tire, 80-140 is more typical (and 140 would be a skinny racing tire, wider tires take lower pressures).

[OakLeaf]

That jumped out at me, too. Or maybe you're underinflating your tires, which is a typical cause of pinch flats, especially with larger people, but that's not a "burst." If you weigh 185 then you're the same as very many male cyclists who are perfectly fine on ordinary tires. Where on the tubes are the holes happening?

[shootingstar]

Usually along the side of the tire near the metal wheel rim, it will give you the max. psi for inflating the tire.

[Swan]

Hi, thanks ladies. The psi is something loke 45-80 (I am awful with numbers, please bear with me... I thought 702 was 501 the other day). The pump is fine-- initially I thought that was the problem so I used a store's pump and the same thing happened. I don't know where the holes are happening because I started getting self-healing slime tubes (they don't work... slime just goes everywhere). But the tires explicitly state that they shouldn't carry more than 180lbs.