Diet/How to lose weight without bonking

[Wannabe]

I really want to lose some weight, but everything I read talks about how you should eat carbs and fluids while riding. Can anyone tell me an easy solution about pre and post ride meals? My husband pushes me to carb up before a ride, so I assume I will burn this off during my ride. Is this right?

[DeniseGoldberg]

Hey Wannabee -
There was a discussion about nutrition and weight loss a while back - you may find some of the information you are looking for there, and I also highly recommend the books by Nancy Clark and Liz Applegate that I mentioned in that thread - it's in the Nutrition forum here: eating for endurance/weight loss . (The link will take you to the bottom of the thread, so you'll need to scroll up to see all of the posts.) In addition to the two books mentioned in that thread, Nancy Clark has a new book out called The Cyclist's Food Guide. All 3 books are excellent sources of good nutrition information.

Your husband is right - it's really important that you eat to fuel your activity. And that means carbs (plus an overall diet that includes protein + even some fat).

--- Denise

[snapdragen]

I highly recommend Weight Watchers. How much you eat depends on the amount of exercise you do.

[swlsue]

This is an interesting question. I'm a novice rider, just getting back in to the casual riding scene and I've noticed all the goo and stuff that people have on rides, even easy 25-40 mile rides.

I've also noticed that cyclist come in all shapes and sizes.

Do you really think all the supplemental carbs is necessary?
Is a moderate (16-18mph) 2 hour session so gyclogen depleting so as to warrant so much supplementation?

[MomOnBike]

slwsue sez:

Do you really think all the supplemental carbs is necessary?
Is a moderate (16-18mph) 2 hour session so gyclogen depleting so as to warrant so much supplementation?

I've wondered that myself. After some thought, I have decided that, no, extra nutrition is really not in my best interests for the amount of riding I usually do. (A known distance that takes about an hour to ride.) Long rides and tours are another matter altogether, of course, which may be one reason I'm starting to get in to touring.

Right now, I'm trying to balance burning off the excess on my hips with keeping my energy up. I've noticed, though, that rides after dinner are more energetic than others, with no net calorie (intake) gain. I must be doing something right, I'm losing weight and also getting faster.

As usual, YMMV, and you get a full refund on whatever you paid for my advice if I'm wrong (less a small service charge, of course).

[Dogmama]

A one hour ride at a moderate pace should not require extra carbs before you ride. You will want to have a post ride snack containing fast carbs and some protein. I like orange juice cut 50/50 with water and a scoop of vanilla protein powder. You want to protein for your muscles.

However - if you want permanent weight loss, you should build muscle. Muscles will increase your resting metabolism and generally make you look better. Weight lifting is a great addition to cycling.

[Veronica]

I think goo use depends on how hungry you think you'll get. I don't really like the stuff very much, so I tend to eat a granola bar instead. But a two hour ride all uphill - yeah, I want to eat something in the middle. On a two hour flat ride, probably not.



V.

[bikerchick68]

I'll second the Weight Watchers advice... I'm a lifetime member and have kept 80lbs off for just over 10 yrs now... cycling is great for weight loss and muscle strength... and the advice to cross train with weights is great too as cycling does not target the upper body... I can ride forever but weed whacking used to kill my arms! LOL

also, how far and long are you riding when the DH pushes you to carb up? I don't eat extra carbs unless I'm riding more than 25 miles... everyone varies, and any further than that you most likely WILL need to consume some carbs, which could mean as little as half a banana and 2 fig newtons, just a small amount of fuel... often I use Clifshots... they are easy to carry and only 100 calories but pretty effective for me at least (there's also Gu, CarbBoom and a bunch of other brands... they're all pretty close)

there is another great thread going right now called "bonking isn't just about long rides"... check it out when ya have a minute... women and men process carbs differently so what the DH does may not be what you need to do for the exact same ride! You'll get to the point where you'll know your body and what it needs... I bonked twice trying to eat just like my ex-husband on 50 mile rides... it's a horrible feeling...

[oldbikah]

I am a serious fan of Weight Watchers as a weight loss method. Years ago I lost 35 lbs and it took childbirth and a lot of years to gain about 80% back. It is a balanced diet, as opposed to one heavily balanced in the no-fat or no-carb thing. It is much easier to do than in the "old days"!
This summer I am back in the groove and have lost 13 lbs and do not have energy problems biking. Also I usually go after lunch. However my rides are mostly in the 15-20 mile range. On a longer ride a Luna bar is good and not too high in calories.

[KSH]

I found this on a calorie counting website: Cycling at an average of 14-16 MPH will burn 567 calories an hour.

That applies to my height and weight... 5'4", 122 pounds.

It might be a good idea to figure how many calories you are taking in and how many you are burning when exercising.

You can go here: www.caloriesperhours.com, to find out. Surprisingly enough, cycling is not a top calorie burner.

Now... I will tell you that before I ride in the morning, I will eat a fake bacon sandwhich (230 calories) and a bagel with PB (estimate 350 calories). This past weekend, I rode from 7:15 AM to 10:30 AM, 40 miles, at an average of 16 MPH, and I didn't feel tired or hungry, and I didn't eat again until 11:30 AM. So, yes, I carb loaded before I rode, but I also didn't stuff my face at every rest stop.

People really over estimate HOW MUCH they need to EAT while riding. If you aren't going really fast and really far, you don't need that much to carry you through a ride.

But in the end... to lose weight... it's all about calories in and calories out. This can only be achieved through a daily food diary, knowing how many calories your body burns at resting weight (I know 24 Hour Fitness can test for this), and how many calories you are burning when you workout.

[bikerchick68]

hey oldbikah... way to go on your recent loss!

KSH... that site is gone... I would LOVE to look at it... ('cause I'm NOT 122 lbs and 5'4"! sigh.... )

[Trek420]

A handy resource right here is

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...ing+calculator

how much do you have to ride to work off thanksgiving dinner?

[Helen]

I think it all depends on the chocolate size, you know ... My guess is that one chocolate a week is best and keeps your sugar levels normal. What do you think ?

[Nanci]

Hi Wannabe,

I am trying to lose some weight. My goal is 60 pounds. I had pneumonia in July, and lost 12#, and then had some blood work done, which slowed me one glucose point away from diabetes!!! So I drastically changed my diet and reduced my calories and increased my exercise. I am using Palm software called Diet Diary from Calorie King to track everything. It makes it so easy! Basically, what I am doing is trying to stick to a 1500 cal/day diet, and riding 4-5 days a week, with a minimum of an hour a day, with an ever-increasing long ride on Saturday. I'm up to 80 miles now for my long ride. 50% carbs, 30% protein, 20% fat. Yes, I am hungry all the time. But so far I have lost 22 pounds! My blood work is back to normal. I am losing 2-4 pounds a week.

On the day of my long ride, I eat sushi (four pieces) for breakfast. (Nice combination of carbs, fat and protein!) Then, after the first hour of riding, I eat one gel of 80 calories. I continue to eat one gel every hour till the halfway mark, when I drink half a serving of Endurox R4, a recovery drink (240 calories for the whole serving). Then I continue to eat the one gel per hour, and sip the Endurox. Lots of water the whole time. I also carry a couple half servings of Soy Crisps, 50 calories per half serving, if I get hungry for something crunchy during the ride. When I am done, I eat the other half of the sushi roll for lunch. I try to eat a normal dinner, but usually exceed my 1500 calories by 200 or so for that day, and don't feel bad about it. It's working great for me- I don't bonk while riding, I have plenty of energy.

In the past, while running or riding, while not trying to lose weight, I had been consuming about 240 calories/hour.

Nanci

[RoadRaven]

Hi everybody. I have a simple question. I might have been posted on the wrong thread but anyway here is it:
If chocolate is good for us, then how many normal chocolate bars can we eat in one week and not getting weight? Thanks.

LOL... asking a lot of chocoholics about how many one can eat...
Well, I eat what chocolate I want, and if I get to more than 2 novelty bar sizes (i think they're about 100grams) then I increase the exercise. REstricting chocolate intake is not something I ever desire to do... however... when one's fitness increases, one's body doesn't want to eat fatty and rich foods... so your desire may not decrease, but how much chocolate will satisfy you does.
So I have gone from wanting chocky every day, to occasionally just having one square or bite and that being enough... It sorts itself out - your body knows what it needs - we just have to retrain ourselves to listen.


And welcome to the boards, Christina and Helen...