newbie needs advice

[bikerchick2]

OK, I am new to biking. I got my bike last fall, but have only seriously started riding for about the last 3 weeks. I ride for at least an hour, which is about 9.5 miles. (week 1 it was only about 7 miles, so I'm improving).
I want to lose weight, and feel better. So, I've gone from 256 lbs to 261 in the last 3 weeks. I have NO idea what I'm doing as far as nutrition goes for biking. I do feel my clothes are a bit loser, and that muscle weighs more than fat, and so when you gain muscle, you tend to go up, so I'm not devastated over the small gain. However, I would like for that to go DOWN with diligence. I would also like to increase speed to OVER 10 mph.

Advice would be greatly appreciated from everyone!

Thanks,

[Tuckervill]

The biking is good! Every little bit helps. Keep going.

But if I were you I'd start recording every bite you eat at sparkpeople.com. It will be a revelation how much you eat. They also have a thing where you can take a picture of your food with your digital camera and upload it to the site, so you can be reminded again. I have a hard time remembering everything I ate at a later time, so taking pictures is a good idea.

Exercise makes you hungrier. If you focus on what you're eating, you should be able to match that hunger with healthy food instead of just more calories/carbs/guilty pleasures. I'd say DON'T focus on what you eat as far as cycling is concerned, despite how much attention is paid to it on this forum. Most of those people are doing 4-6 hour rides and it IS important for them. For you, and for me when I first started, just make sure you eat before you ride, have something to drink while you're riding, and then have something with good carbs and protein within an hour after you ride. There's plenty of time to focus later on how food affects performance.

Welcome to the forum! Good luck!
Karen

[Zen]

I gotta say this coz' this is something that really bugs me.
Fat does not weigh more than muscle, a pound is a pound. Here's the thing -
Lets say you have two-6 inch square boxes.
One pound of muscle cells will fit in a box but one pound of fat cells won't.
The fat cells take up more space!

When you go grocery shopping, stay away from the middle aisles of the store.
Thats where the bad stuff is. Stay away from processed foods (step AWAY from the white bread, please) When you buy bread, the first two words on the ingredient list should be whole wheat.

Pears, apples and bananas are your friends (mine too). When you come back from a ride, eat an apple and have a glass of water you can bet you'll be full.

I found Nestle's Quick pre mixed lowfat chocolate milk today! I know it's still got sugar in it but you can't deprive yourself of everything.

And most importantly, 9 -10 mph is quite good! Keep it up!

[RoadRaven]

I hear ya, Zen... a pound is a pound, a kilo is a kilo...

In my first year of cycling I lost no weight at all... but I did drop two dress sizes!!!

BC2... keep it up, before long the cycling becomes more important than the body/health changes.

However, you do ask about food. Always remember that food is fuel, and if you don't top up, just like a car without petrol, you will stop.

Just be sensible... reduce fats and sugars (pastry, cookies, sweet spreads, cakes etc)

Still enjoy icecream (often icecream has only a marginally higher content of fat and sugar than milk!), replace colby cheese and soft cheeses with something like Edam and eat dark chocolate instead of dairy/light brown.

Eat a good variety of foods and just watch the types of sauces you add to pasta or toppings to potato... instead of cream and butter, use yoghurt...

The most significant thing for me in managing fuel for my body is to only eat when I am hungry - easy to say/write... actually quite difficult to do.