Need to drop some weight...

[DirtDiva]

Do watch if you are buying low-fat things that they haven't compensated for removing the fat by adding more sugar, which isn't really any better for you in the end. (Salad dressings would be a typical example of this.)

Originally posted by han-grrl
it is CRAZY how many products out there has EXTRA sugar in it: tomato sauce, PEAS, ketchup...

Peas? The little, round, green, vegetable things? You can buy peas with sugar added? Dude, that is freaky and wrong.

- tlkiwi, whose peas contain, well, peas (and a little ice, if they haven't been cooked yet).

[sarahfixit]

Maybe its just college-level metabolism, but I find pizza in moderation and a bowl of cereal and milk in the morning to work great. My freshmen year I went up like 20 lbs(after not changing in like 7yrs) and traced it to lack of fruits and vitamins. I added those, mainly oranges and pineapple, and it was almost night and day.
The previous mention about the body protecting itself is so true. When you think you are taking in less by eating 2 meals(as I was at the time, skip breakfasts) you process it slower and effectively keep more. The best advice I got was to eat small bits like half meals a few times throughout the day. The positive of that is there is never a true 'knawing and the cubicle' feeling.

[nuthatch]

I absolutely second Sonerila's suggestions. I lost 50 pounds this way over about a year (no refined flour or sugar-sweetened stuff and more nuts, fruits, honey, vegetables, brown rice, whole wheat, oatmeal). It almost seems like it takes your body more calories to digest this stuff so you're not getting hungry as you switch over.

If you had suggested this to me about three years ago I would have said, "No way, life's too short to deprive myself" but I feel so much better, and it's so easy to follow. Add that type of diet to cycling and I think you'll see good results. Heck, I'm almost not afraid of lycra now!

[shewhobikes]

I'm not necessarily recommending his approach (pretty radical!) but for pure motivation, read "Heft on Wheels." I think it's subtitled "A Field Guide to Doing a 180." Mike Magnuson, the author, always wanted to be competitive on his bike, but had gotten way overweight, smoked a pack a day and drank way too much. He stopped all that and biked like a fiend. Just look at the front and back cover for the before and after.

If you're interested in losing weight/changing your lifestyle/cycling, you'll love this book. A fun read. Good luck to you!

[Sonerila]

I went to Amazon.com and looked at the front and back covers of this book, showing the author's before and after pics. Couldn't believe it was the same guy. What an inspiration!

Sonerila

[SadieKate]

I second all the suggestions about upping the fiber content, lowering the fat and sugar of your diet. I eat tons of vegetables. For cereal, I eat multi-grain cut cereal (not rolled) with added nuts and dried fruit. It lasts longer, has more fiber and protein, less sugar than processed cereals, and is far more satisfying for the texture. Like Irulan, now that I stay away from fried foods, my body almost violently rejects the fat. It is a real inspiration to stay away from it!

I found that the South Beach Diet was a help in retraining my mind how to approach eating. Phase 1 is a killer for cyclists, but I just carbo-loaded starting on Friday night through Sunday lunch to get me through the bigger rides on the weekend and then back to the stricter routine during the week. As you move towards Phase 3, you'll find that it exactly the diet everyone should be on. High fiber, lots of fruits and veggies, low fat protein, etc. When I crave a baked potato, I now turn to a sweet potato because it has a higher nutritive value and can be just as yummy. The bottom line is that I have been able to control my weight better (even through the holidays) and my blood sugar doesn't fly all around the place. And I haven't bonked since I started eating this way.

[halfbit]

I think Irulan has the right idea. One problem I see with some of the weight programs is that you end up spending a lot of time thinking about what you can afford to eat. Like the saying goes, "Eat to live, don't live to eat". These days, I think the amount of crummy food out there is mindboggling. Personally, I am a salad freak, one of those people that sits down and eats a salad the size of your mixing bowl in the kitchen, with tons of dressing. But I never eat low-fat foods and hardly ever eat carbs like bread or fried foods. It works for me - I weight the same at 56 as I weighed in my teens. I don't eat out much, which helps, because at least for me, most restaurants serve about three times as much food as I can consume (unless it's a chef salad).

[nuthatch]

I weight the same at 56 as I weighed in my teens.

WOW! That's amazing!

I'm wondering how many of you pick up some weight in the winter? I know we can't get outside as much (or at all) and I vowed that I'd stay at my summer weight after reading about other riders picking up winter weight (say, like Jan Ulrich )

But no matter how hard I ride each day on my trainer, those inside miles are just not doing the trick.. I'm eating the same diet but the weight is building up!!!

Is it a body thing responding to winter sunlight levels (like slower metabolism because I'm suppose to be hanging out in a cave and sleeping) or is it that trainer miles are not the same as outside miles with hills and all?

Does everyone else pick up this "winter 5"? (or ten or so....)

[Dogmama]

Covert Bailey says that exercise outdoors burns more calories because you tend to work harder since it isn't so arduous. I spend a lot of my winter time lifting weights & spinning because the short days curtail my morning rides. I usually don't gain fat but do put on muscle. Muscle increases metabolism.

[DeniseGoldberg]

Does everyone else pick up this "winter 5"? (or ten or so....)

I find it interesting that in a normal year I do tend to pick up the "winter 5" that Nuthatch refers to, but this year that didn't happen. I think keeping a steady weight this winter is tied to my change of routine relative to food - a focus on eating to support my activity levels. After my early season crash and subsequent lower than normal biking levels, I was very careful to make sure that I was eating to support my current activity levels and not my normal lots of biking eating levels. I wasn't able to bike at all for 6 weeks, and when I started I was only able to ride (what I considered to be) short distances. I supplemented that with lots of walking. I'm not a (techical) race walker - but I do walk at a good clip. On days I wasn't able to ride, I tried to walk for an hour to an hour and a half. Of course that didn't work as well for me through the winter and cold weather. Normally I throw my bike on a trainer for the winter months, but for some reason this season boredom set in almost immediately - so I continued my walking regimen (outside, in the dark and cold, sometimes in the snow...) and I added using an elliptical trainer at the gym. And I continued to watch my diet, trying to keep a balance, and trying to stick with healthy food - even though I allowed myself the occasional ice cream and chocolate!

It's almost time to jump back into riding (from a weather standpoint, that is) - and I will be increasing my calorie intake to support my activity levels. I guess I'm going to have to try to keep my new (eating) habits in the off season next year too!

[Barb]

shesh it's like trying to quit smoking. Keep quitting uptil you quit!!! Every time I diet, my metabolism slows down to conserve!!! It's really hard to rev up my metabolism. My sisters are going to weight watchers now, so I was thinking of joining them. My big concern is that I am also studying for a national exam. I wonder if that is just asking too much. I typically eat while I study, so I am really trying not to have things in the house. I may have to resort to the cut veggie route, for stress chewing! Anyway, I did WW 2 years ago without success. It seemed like I was focused SO MUCH on what I could eat that day. Dare I try again. Has anyone had this experience?

[CorsairMac]

Barb: try chewing gum. I noticed I ate less while at work then home and I figured out, I chew gum at work. Now when I'm home and I get that "gee I'm home and can eat whatever I want", I got get some gum and water. Seems to help!

[Barb]

Thanks, I'll give that a try.

[snapdragen]

Anyway, I did WW 2 years ago without success. It seemed like I was focused SO MUCH on what I could eat that day. Dare I try again. Has anyone had this experience?

I know what you mean! The first time I did WW, my days seemed to revolve around when and what I could eat. This time, I'm taking it easy, if I only lose .4 a week, so be it. I've noticed many of the women in my meeting really obsess about what they can eat. I think doing that makes it harder to stay on the plan. If I mess up one day, I just start again the next.

WW has changed a bit from 2 years ago, they now have 2 different plans -- the " flex points" plan, where you get a minimum number each day (mines 22), plus 35 "flex" points, that you can use anytime within the week. (Saves my butt on "girls night out" ) The other is the "core" plan. I didn't look too closely at this in the beginning, but I'm thinking of giving it a try. I think it's a less strict low carb option. You still get your 35 flex points with the core plan.

[LBTC]

I know nothing about weight watchers, but totally think the concept of flex points is the right thing to do! you should not and can not cut out all the things that could be fattening for you. if you do you are sure to succumb at some point. the trick is to eat your favourite extravagences in moderation....and choose the best bang for your buck....nutritionally speaking. I can easily resist many types of milk chocolate, yet I eat chocolate almost every day (and stay slim) I found a chocolate bar called Cloud Nine that's dark chocolate, made with cane sugar or something, not refined, no chemicals, just good chocolate. only bring with you a very small amount. eat it slowly. it does satisfy....I've heard there's an 80/20 rule. 80% of the time you need to eat as healthy as you possibly can. 20% of the time you can eat whatever you want. And the more healthy food you eat, the healthier your choices on the whatever you want will naturally become. Never, ever, give up and say, oh, well, I blew it and ate 3 cookies, I might as well eat the whole bag. eating a bit more, or eating the stuff you'd hoped not to, does not make you a failure. it's just a blip. it's like not making it over a log crossing you usually make. it's like not quite making your hill climb best time every time out. it happened, don't beat yourself up, get back on track.

I also have a theory that the counting calories / burning calories thing needs to balance out over about 2 1/2 days, not just one day. I think my body is still recovering from an intense workout a day or more after it happened, therefore, the balance of what I eat needs to be over a longer period of time...I don't actually count the calories, but, if I'm very active, I do increase how much I eat, and ensure that lots of it is protein. If I find for some reason that I can't be as active as normal (like having strep throat. blech) I reduce my overall intake and make the best food choices I can. soup, anyone?

I think I'd better go do something else. you guys are going to get soo tired of me!!

Namaste,
~T~