rounder -
you suggest riding every day. if i were to do that, would you also suggest that, say, mon/tue and thu/fri be the easy spin days, and then wednesday, sat/sun hard (or maybe sun be a recovery ride for sat) and if i added those 4 "easy" days, for what length of time should i ride? 1hr? i don't want to do too much (timewise on mon/fri as they are currently my off days and don't want to upset the balance at home too much), as i have a few spousal issues about my riding as it is. there are no young children at home to worry about though. my youngest is 15yo.
i am also very aware of calories in vs calories out in order to lose weight, but can a person really lose 5-700 cal/hr riding?
as far as fluids off the bike: i try really hard to get in 60-80 oz of H2O per day and will also have at least 1 diet mt. dew. i'm guessing that's not enough?? and, i don't do any kind of stretching before or after riding. just hop on the bike and go and then when i get home, hop off, take a shower and have a 12-16oz glass of H2O (during the weekly rides), plop down on the couch and watch The Tour; also, during my tu/wed/th rides, i've been drinking 2-24oz H2O, as i'm only gone for maybe 1.5-2hr.
keep the suggestions/advice coming, as i really do appreciate it. thanks, karen.