Diet & Cycling

[ACG]

Several years ago when my father died, I unitentionally tried to make myself feel better by eating what I wanted, drinking 3
Dr. Peppers a day and leading a sedentary life (I used to walk 45 minutes a day). 20 lbs and 1 year later I realized this was a mistake. Did nothing still for awhile. Skipped meals to keep my weight down. Most of clothes still fit, however tightly. My siblings were all bigger than me, and I mean by at least 50 lbs., so I never felt fat/big. I'm latin so we eat lots of fat. I went thru many other life changes for another year (too many to list).

My hubby bought me a mountain bike. I'd been wanting to go back to riding. Bingo!

No more Dr. Pepper's! = no more heartburn at night
No more fast food = no more bloating
Make most meals at home = more money/control of diet

I went from a size 16 to a size 12, but it took me a year and I didn't really loose a lot of weight. Pre-pregnancy I was a size 4, too skinny, then went to a size 8, then size 16. I've toned a lot. Things fit better. I have breasts now too, thanks to age and 2 kids. I'd like to be a 10, but am not holding my breath.

My hubby (who is not latin) recently found out that he has the triple whammy, high BP, high Cholesterol and high sugar. He has always struggled with his weight, tried Jenny Craig, Atkins, Starvation, pills, weight watchers, etc. He never really had his heart in it and he expected me to monitor him all the time. (I used to find McDonald's wrappers in his car)

I'm eating what he eats now - I do allow myself some things, sometimes, but not in front of him. Lots of vegetables, lots of variety of vegetables, fish, chicken, fresh fruit, in controlled portions

His doctor told him that the reason I had low BP, cholesterol and blood sugar is because of a few things: Hereditary and regular exercise. This makes him mad.

I haven't read all the diet stuff, I look at labels, try to eat healthly as I can. Eat sorbet instead of icecream, skip donuts, don't eat canned or processed foods the way I used to.

My self imposed, self created diet works, just slowly. My doctor seems pleased with my progress over the last year.

We are all different individuals, with a different make up. We all look different. I want to loose weight, but don't weigh myself, I gage myself on how my clothing fits, and how far I can ride or walk or run. I don't follow the diets I see on TV, etc.

I feel better when I exercise, so I do it. I eat 3 meals a day, take my vitamins. Now that I've stopped trying for a quick fix, it is easier to concentrate on keeping my weight/size at bay. Be patient is all I can say, stay the course. See a doctor if you feel the need for close monitoring.

I have 2 girls 20 and 14. I've preached to them that they should not gain their self esteem from their looks outside, but the good person they are inside. I worry about this a lot.

I guess what I'm saying is do what feels best for you. Okay, soap box over and out.

[kimba]

Hi- thought I'd get in here and add my 2 cents worth.

2 years ago now I lost 45 pounds...a lot of that was due to a lifestyle change - in that I became more active- was doing the gym 2 - 3 times a week- and then yoga and cycling. And- I started eating differently. Lots of fruits and veggies- steaming veggies, no butter on them. Which does not mean that I don't enjoy an occasional Baked potato with sour ceam and butter- but hey-
I completely cut out soft drinks- and limit so called "juices" that are primarily sugar. I drink bottled water instead.
I don't do the fast food thing anymore either- very rarely I will have a burger- and now I can't eat at say McD's- because I can't take the grease.

By this - I know I'm doing the right things.

I accidently found out that I do better and lose weight on pasta and rice. Potatoes are killer for me. What was a staple of my diet before? Potatoes.

I'm not really looking at it scientifically I suppose. I'm just trying to eat smart.
I eat to live now- not live to eat. I limit myself to one helping generally- enough to take the hunger away.
and if I want to have dessert? Yeah- I'll do it. I'll have half a slice of pie- or one small scoop of ice cream - enough to take the craving away. I'm a chocoholic- I love the stuff-
I'll put one small chocolate or a couple of pieces of dark chocolate in my lunch. Takes care of the cravings and then I don't overdo. I can't drink a full can of Pepsi now- it's too sweet.

The thing is- I don't torture myself. I pretty well have what I want- I just don't overdo.

So- lots of fresh veggies - green leafy and orange veggies too.
Lean meat- chicken or steak, grilled.
Pasta or rice.
I'm not a big fish fan unfortunately.
I eat 4 - 5 small meals a day. Every couple of hours. Eat breakfast! That is really important to kick start your day.And kickstart your metabolism.
And I eat 1 or 2 slices of sunflower and flax bread a day- for fibre and carbs.
And green tea. Lots of green tea.

I've kept it all off - well- I gained back 5 pounds over the winter- but it was a COLD winter- and it's all gone now.

I want to try to lose at least one size this summer. 2 would be nice.

I look at my legs- they are more toned..I see that flab has disappeared from here- and here- but gravity will pull it down, y'know. So I am gradually changing my body shape. It's happening- it's just slow.
Maybe the flab isn't disppearing quickly or apprently from my abdomen- but it is from my face, my arms, my waist...
I had a heck of a lot of fat to lose- and it's going. And it's going to take time. I try to be patient - look how long it took me to put the weight ON- but when I get impatient that it's not going fast enough-I look at how I was- and how I am now...every once in a while I put out my "fat" belt- and I cinch it up until it is out of holes- and it keeps going and THEN I realize just how much I lost.

I was showing a friend a video I took 3 years ago on my trip out west...He's only known me a year-
when I came on the screen- he got this shocked look on his face - I had forgotten- he didn't know what I looked like. He was totally shocked- and impressed.

One more thing about relative "weight"

I gave some of my clothes- jeans - to a friend at work as I was losing the weight-

She told me what she weighed- I was 2 sizes smaller than her- and weighed 30 pounds more.
From me lifting weights and cycling.
That was VERY telling.

I feel healthier, and better- I am stronger.
And that's what really counts.

I don't want to be on a soapbox- every body is different- but I do believe you have to listen to your body- and I really am suspicious of these so called diets- cause by definition a diet is just that- a limiting regimen that usually does not provide for an enjoyable or sustainable in the long term lifestyle. What ever happened to Susan Powter? See what I mean- whatever is the latest fad.

What was that old joke?
Diet is DIE with a T?


Kimba
but I HATE ab exercise! Just hate it....thank goodness for yoga.

[bounceswoosh]

Grats Kimba! Those are a lot of lifestyle changes. Yes, you say that you eat what you want, but it still takes discipline not to go for that second helping. Your story is inspiring!

I know what you mean about belly (and thighs!) vs. the rest of the body. My cycling jerseys were all tight around my upper arms last year -- this month, I noticed that there's actually room there. My pants are a lot looser around the lower leg, and a bit looser around the thigh, but I still wear the same pants for my waist. The waist just doesn't want to give.

I can really tell the difference in my face, though, and so can my friends. My jawline is much more defined than it used to be.

I have far to go till I reach my goals, but it's great to see this progress.

It's so hard to tell the difference between healthy goals and unhealthy self-image. When I was in high school, I was at a martial arts studio pretty much every waking hour that I wasn't in school. I remember always thinking I was overweight. Now, looking at pictures of myself back then, I was a twig! I didn't have bulging muscle, but I sure didn't have bulging fat, either. I was lean. I just couldn't see it through my own expectations.

Anyway, I'm not lean, now, but sometimes I really have to sit back and look at my arms, my legs, everything. I like to flex my thighs and see the muscles actually moving. Same with my calf and shin. Sure, I don't look like a pro, but I see progress.

[kimba]

Originally posted by bounceswoosh

It's so hard to tell the difference between healthy goals and unhealthy self-image. When I was in high school, I was at a martial arts studio pretty much every waking hour that I wasn't in school. I remember always thinking I was overweight. Now, looking at pictures of myself back then, I was a twig! I didn't have bulging muscle, but I sure didn't have bulging fat, either. I was lean. I just couldn't see it through my own expectations.

I know what you mean-
me too! I look at the pics of myself in high school- I thought I was whalin'
but- I was just muscular!
I mean- I had to wear men's boots because my calves were so big. They were big because I cycled everywhere...same with my thighs and butt. Sure I had some fat on me- unfortunately I am NOT genetically predisposed to lean and tall...but really- I was fine. And yet- I thought I was HUGE.

Kimba

It's a travesty what is happening to young girls and their views of themselves. They go on diets and limit themselves- but they need fats and proteins in their diets to promote healthy growth!

It's sad, really.

[trekchic]

Hey guys! Boy, have I got a lot of research to do. I started this thread because there is so much conflicting info on "other" boards of what you should and shouldn't eat; when you should eat it and how much. I am not happy on the carb-free diet. I am not happy watching my abdomen increase in size either!

I am going about this all wrong, I can tell from everyone's posts. I need to forget about what I am doing wrong and increase what I'm doing right.

1) I am walking every day for at least 45 min's.
2) I am cutting back the amount of "empty calories" such as sugars and white flours from my eating plan (no more diet!).
3) I am riding my bike at least 3 times a week for about an hour right now and plan to increase time and speed as the season goes on.
4) I am going to watch the amount of food I put into my body, only eat when hungry and only what I truly want to eat!
5) I am going to guage my weight loss by how my clothes fit, not by the scale.
6) I am going to concentrate on being healthy, not skinny!

This is a great thread! Keep up the great stories.

Kim in TN

[Biking Chick]

Originally posted by trekchic
4) I am going to watch the amount of food I put into my body, only eat when hungry and only what I truly want to eat!

Kim in TN

You *might* want to try writing down everything (and I do mean everything) that you eat for a week ... the results will probably surprise yourself.

When my clothes are feeling a bit tight and I will *swear* that I have not eaten anything out of the ordinary I'll grab a spiral notebook and start writing down what goes into my face

The results are that I will realize I'm not eating as healthy as I thought I was or I will be more aware of what I am about to put in my mouth but won't ... because I don't want to write it down!

Getting an idea of when you have the urge to eat will help you get over those hungry 'humps'.

I agree .. this is a great thread.

[fultzie]

I was just wondering...
do those of you that drink soy milk notice that it's easier to put on weight in the abdomen, butt, and chest?
i read somewhere that men who drink a lot of alcohol *sometimes* put on weight in the stomach, butt, and chest, because alcohol ups the production of estrogen (and this is where women also tend to gain weight first). hence the "beer belly" effect.
i also read that soy has a type of estrogen in it, and was wondering if it might have the same effect.
i might be waaaay off base here, but since i switched to soy milk, i've noticed that i have more weight in the aforementioned areas, whereas before i gained faster in the shoulders and face... maybe i'm hallucinating, and should stop pigging out on ice cream??

[grannydea]

Trekchic, Biding chick is right. Write it all down and you will be surprised how much you eat that you dont relize you eat. Drinks count too. Along with portion sizes. It is all about cals in cals out. If I want to lose (which gets harder every year closer to 50 ) I cut down or out the bad stuff (refined sugers bad fats ect) and try to just drink water (but do have to have the decaf coffee in the mornings.) And try and up any and all physical activity including riding. If you are going to eat it you need to burn it is what I try and tell myself. Also DIET is a bad word around here. one sure to make me cranky and feeling sorry for myself. Which tends to lead to weight gain.

Be healthy!!
Dea

[Adventure Girl]

For those who are interested in tracking their calories in and calories out, you might consider a computer program called Life Form http://www.fitnesoft.com/. You enter a bunch of general information about yourself (height, weight, activity level, etc). It then calculates your basal metabolic rate.

Then each day you enter everything you eat. It has a data base with the nutritional values of many foods. And you can add items to the data base. You also enter how much you work out each day. You can either enter: 2 hours of cycling at a “moderate rate” or you can enter 2 hours of cycling at a heart rate of 155. Then you can view the info on lots of different charts and graphs. It’s pretty interesting to see it in writing.

I’ve had the program for a while and I use it off and on. I usually use it when I’m training for something or if I’m trying to drop a few pounds.

[trekchic]

I love that sight! You're so right about writing things down. I had no idea the capiccino I drink (I make it from home) had as many calories as it shows! the 1/2 cup steamed milk and 2 tsp of choco syrup were killers!!!!!!!!!!

It doesn't show how much it is, though, to purchase. Any idea?

That shows my problem in weight loss. At my current lifestyle, I should be burning almost 3000 calories a day! I must be eating stuff I haven't counted in the past or not keeping my intensity of exercise at the level I think it is.

Great stuff!

[bounceswoosh]

You could try http://www.fitday.com/ ; it's a free website. Kind of nice since you can use it from work or wherever you have web access.

I used it for about a month, and it was definitely an eye-opener. Now I have a much better idea of what I'm eating. I have a feeling I'm about due to keep track of everything again for a few weeks ...

It's a pain in the *** to make sure you enter everything, but it is definitely worth it. It's hard to make diet changes when you don't know where the excess is coming from.

It's also very worthwhile to look for nutrition info on the web before you go to a restaurant. I found out that my favorite sandwich at one place is more fat than I was trying to eat in a whole day! The scariest, though, was plugging in the numbers for a bagel with chicken salad.

[Dogmama]

Some of you are probably sick of me harping on this...if so...apologies!

HOWEVAH....

If I don't keep/add lean muscle, I gain weight. I can bike like crazy, but after awhile my body gets used to it & doesn't shed weight.

I must lift weights - 3X week, full body routine. I also try to run at least one day a week to mix things up. As we age, we lose muscle. Also, the type of muscle fiber we're recruiting through biking is different from weight lifting. You won't get big muscles through cycling because you don't stress the legs enough. 8-12 reps stresses the muscles enough to start getting larger.

Think about Lance - he should have weight lifter legs - but his are muscular and smaller. It is from the type of exercise he does.

Don't worry - we ladies don't have enough testosterone to get really big muscles. But definition is nice!

[Biking Chick]

Originally posted by bounceswoosh
When I was in high school, I was at a martial arts studio pretty much every waking hour that I wasn't in school. I remember always thinking I was overweight. Now, looking at pictures of myself back then, I was a twig!

While shopping for mother of the groom dresses two years ago I was alternately frustrated with the frumpy 'mom' dresses that made me look like my great-grandmother and dresses that I liked on the hanger but didn't like on me.

I finally narrowed down my options to two dresses - one pretty traditional and the other ... not .. but I still was whining to myself about not really liking what I saw in the mirror. And then it happened.

One of those A-Ha moments.

It dawned on me that first - it was not about me. It was about my son and his beautiful partner in life. For the 30 seconds it took for my husband and I to walk down the aisle people would look smile in our direction and then ... that was it. So why was I having such a hissy? Then I realized that 10 years from now I would look back on their wedding pictures and think .. what in the hay-yell was I having such a fit about. I looked darned good!

Helped me to put things into perspective and the result is that when the voices in my head start criticizing how I look I remember how short life really is and I choose not to spend it complaining about looks. I could stand to lose five or ten pounds but it is not the end of the world.

Besides .. the ultimate compliment came when I tried on my dress to show my son and (now) daughter-in-law and my 28-year old son said with a straight face, "Aren't you going to show up the bridesmaids?"

[Surlygirl]

Hey Bounceswoosh
Thanks for the link to fitday. I had a program like it years ago and I found it was the only way to lose weight. I downloaded the program on Monday and since then I have lost 3 pounds this week. It is a real eye opener when you have to log in everything you eat and the calories and see just how much a little snack here and a nibble there really add up. Plus I like to see my progress and the charts really motivate you, especially when they go down.
Thanks again.

[bounceswoosh]

Three pounds this *week*? That seems pretty aggressive.

Anyway, glad it's working for you.