Training & Nutrition - Weight Loss Club

Good job, Zin. Congrats on leaving the clydesdale club. I'll be watching the thread and cheering you on.

Thanks for the kind words guys! Sounds like a lot of progress is being made by everyone!

I'm not getting the miles in that I would like. I'll fall well short of my 5200 mile goal for the year. However I'm going to make the miles I do get, quality ones. Lots of hills etc...

I too am just chugging along. ;)

I weighed today and I am at 235. I started at 255 about 6 weeks ago. I started to eat right and bike as much as I can. My goal is 175, which is supposed to be my ideal body weight for my height (6'0"). It is very encouraging to see the weight start to come off and it gets me excited to lose more. It is also VERY encouraging to see so many other people losing the weight, it give me motivation. If they can do it, so can I. Good job everyone on here and thanks for the encouragment.

Hey guys, been reading the forum here for about a week now. I had my bike stolen my freshman year of college (nothing special, just your $100 run of the mill wal-mart bike) and hadn't ridden since. I've balooned in the first few years of college (I will be a senior this fall). I weigh in at 285 and being only 5'10", that's not even close to being mildly overweight. I will never be the weight the charts will normally tell you because I have a much larger sized body: broad shoulders, thick legs (mostly muscle from carrying around what's up top) and an overall wide frame.

Yesterday I purchased a new bike ($300 raleigh mt. bike with more road friendly tires than pure mountain tires) in an effort to reshape my life. Took it out on a nice 6 mile ride this morning and forgot how much fun bike riding is. So, this is my first of hopefully many posts summarizing my progress on my new journey. It's great to see others doing the same thing I am hoping to do. Best of luck to all of you and I'll be seeing you around.

-Josh

While I am in maintenance
Dietwise, (and I wouldn't
recommend any newbies
to dieting and bikes try this)
I lost 3 lbs yesterday doing
a 42 mile ride.

I started at 240 lbs and
my original goal was 160.

I surpassed that in January
and was at 156 until this morning
and I woke up to a weight of 152-3.

Slow and Easy does it to begin with
but bike riding is a great LOW IMPACT
(on your knees) way to lose weight.

Good Luck to all!

I was 300lbs about three years ago. Got down to 240 with running/biking. Did the Chicago Marathon at about 265 in November, but it burned me out so much and I got used to eating a lot and letting the running take it back off. I am in the high 270's right now and have my motivation back up. Plan on getting to 225 by november and doing the Miami Man olympic distance tri. Put some aerobars on my bike this weekend and told her she better be ready for a lot of miles. Just wish I didn't almost get run over every time I ride.

WoW , you guys are making headway!

I am at 245 , went up alot in 5 weeks . weight was 240 and waist size was 38 down from 42.

Major surgery is due soon so I will be out of commission.

I hope to stay motivated during post op.

S/F,
CEYA!

Since volleyball started ( I coach) my exercise has been replaced by standing a lot and eating fast food on bus trips.

Season ends in a few weeks and then I'll be riding outside 2-3 hours a day.

05/02 286 Start
05/09 284 66 miles
05/16 282 73 miles
05/23 282

0 miles because I cought a cold and didn't wanna ride in cool weather while sick. :( :( :(

Started commuting last week. Starting weight was 220#.

Weighed myself this morning and I was at 215. I should be in the 150-160 range. I have not altered my eating habits, just added the commute to my routine.

hello all,

These stories are so inspiring....almost makes you want to go out and ride after reading all the awesome results.

Can someone please offer their riding times (am or pm) and the lengths (time or distance) of each ride? I purchased a Motobecane about six months ago and have decided its time to get going. Here's my situation/dilemma:

I am set to enlist in the Navy at the end of this year. Problem is, I don't meet weight requirements at the moment.

Current Stats:

Height: 5'9"
Current Weight: 217
Required Weight: 180
lbs. to lose: 37

I know that early morning riding tends to shed fat at a faster rate than afternoon cardio due to carb depletion, but b/c of my work schedule it's somewhat of a challenge to get going in the morning as I would like. So I guess my question boils down to how many of you are getting these fantastic results strictly doing afternoon cycling.

Thanks a million!

It is so awesome to see results. My diet has not been the best lately, but I have put in the work, kept up the workouts and riding, and I think have myself in a position where I can eat a bit more and still drop weight. What a great feeling. Everyone Keep Up The Great Efforts.

1/3 236
1/10 232
1/17 233
1/24 229
1/31 225.5
2/6 226
2/14 223
2/20 218
2/28 217
3/7 216.5
3/13 214
3/20 213
3/28 210.5
4/4 207.5
4/11 206
4/18 203.4
4/25 201.4
5/2 198.4
5/9 195.8
5/17 193.6
5/24 192.6

Zin: from that pic, where are you going to lose it from?? Shaving might give you an ounce... Congrats!

It took a heart attack 3 years ago to motivate me. Went from 250 lbs to 170 lbs since then and been running marathons and riding long distances...my goal is to lose another 15 this summer...amazing what it does to your wardrobe costs...went from a size 40 waist to a 32 and I know wear a size small shirt rather than an XL...any body want to buy some nice xl jackets cheap? :D Frankp

It is so awesome to see results. My diet has not been the best lately, but I have put in the work, kept up the workouts and riding, and I think have myself in a position where I can eat a bit more and still drop weight. What a great feeling. Everyone Keep Up The Great Efforts.

1/3 236
1/10 232
1/17 233
1/24 229
1/31 225.5
2/6 226
2/14 223
2/20 218
2/28 217
3/7 216.5
3/13 214
3/20 213
3/28 210.5
4/4 207.5
4/11 206
4/18 203.4
4/25 201.4
5/2 198.4
5/9 195.8
5/17 193.6
5/24 192.6


dang aham, that office contest was a life changer for ya eh?

great job.

HI all,

Yes I have also experienced some weight loss with a drop of 34lbs. I started in mid January this year at 254lbs and have dropped down to 220 (100kgs).

I did not vary the quantity of food eaten, but as many of you have stated, I just focused on good quality low fat foods. I gave most of the high fat foods a miss at the restaurants and dropped sauces etc. off my meals.

The thing that amazed me was my focus on what I was eating and I contributed that to the feeling of well being from the bike - motivation.

I also have now levelled out and feel that the last 14lbs will be the hardest. My goal is between 205 and 210lbs. This would then exceed my Doctors expectations and his target of an ideal weight for me.

I read on the first page of the Thread the reference...

Potential Subway commercial candidate - placed by IowaParamedic. I took a long hard look at this food chain and walked. The guy in question was placed under very strict control to reach his and the companies ideal. Average guy like me I believe will not have that luxury or support.

I ate at this location for a few weeks and then realised I was in fact eating very high fatty low quality products - tuna etc. Many of the products are mixed with all types of ingredients that add up on the fattty scale. Whilst I know there are a few low fat options I found the majority were higher than a feed at KFC or other fast food outlets. Guess fresh does not always equal low fat. Just my $0.02 worth on Subway which is now off my list.

I'm riding a variety of roads with a weekly total of around 200 mile.

I'm new here (just found the forums) but I've dropped alittle over 50lbs since december due to cycling and, working out and eating right.

Started @ 265 and am currently at 211. The goal right now is to hit 200 even and then re-evaluate my weight goals. i'm 6'2" so 200 isn't too bad :)

pityr

Looks and sounds like you are on a similiar slide to me. Well done.

As I said I'm now trying to get that last little bit off - if 12lbs is a little bit!!

I have varied my diet slightly simply by cutting out the rubbish/junk food. I was forever grabbing a confectionery item at the gas station and eating - for I guess boredom/habit reasons. This has stopped.

Just eating a lot more of the vegetables and home cooked meals. Importantly saving a lot of money doing this as I was a frequent eat out person.

Good luck

dang aham, that office contest was a life changer for ya eh?

great job.

It was the motivation I desperately needed. I had the bikes, the want to ride, the discipline to stick to a plan, but just couldnt get it started. Keep up the great work everyone. Later.

Way to go Aham...

I've leveled off at 195. I have increased my caloric intake and started hitting the weight pile again. Took a week off to go sailing...had many beers and fat foods. To my surprise I only gained two pounds. I'm back down to 195 and will slooooowy work my way down to 190.

Give us a shout when you hit the magic 90...

Everyone needs something to motivate them. For me it was a pic of me at my friend's christmas party.

It still sits on my night stand as a reminder.

My fiance's mom keeps asking her if I am going to lose more weight cause I'm already getting so thin :D

Zin: from that pic, where are you going to lose it from?? Shaving might give you an ounce... Congrats!

Thanks! There is still plenty of tummy to go. I don't really know if there is 20lbs of it hanging there. I guess we'll see. ;)

Hey guys,

I've started biking about 6 weeks ago to supplement my weight training. I've lost 30 lbs. in 2 months. I've ditched working out in favor of just riding which I find much more enjoyable. I always try to monitor my food which I know helps alot, but I'm at a standstill weightloss-wise. Its been a week and I've been doing what I have been doing and my weight hasn't changed. Can someone help me? I'm 5'10" and am 215 down from 245.

Hey NewRider,
You will experience "stalls" in your weight loss. A week long stall is nothing to get concerned about. Just keep doing what your doing. Remember, weight loss is an exercise in diminishing returns. The more you loose the less you have to loose. So, as you get closer to your "ideal" weight, it will become more difficult to loose the weight. Your body will resist the change to a greater degree.

I'd carefully monitor your weight over month's time while continuing to do your normal routine. If you don't begin to see movement on the scales after that, then you may need to look into changing your routine. Also, stopping one part of your routine without cutting down your caloric intake will also cause you to stall. You need to closely analyze your calin vs. calout.

Hope this helps.

zin, I notice in your fitday journal you are eating low carb.how long have you eating that way?I find its the only way I can eat and not be hungry all day.

Mgilman,
Yep. I've been in some sort of LC since being diagnosed with Type II diabetes. I've been using the more restricted LC plan I'm on now since Oct. 1, 2005 to get over a year long stall. Its worked great. I've dropped 32lbs since then. I'm in a bit of maintenance mode right now. Maintaining ~200lbs. I have found that for me to reliably drop the fat off, I need to LC. I can eat just about anything and maintain my weight. Oh, and I'm not hungry. Since the LC lifestyle keeps your insulin levels quite even, you don't experience the hunger issues associated with eating foods with a high glycemic impact.

zin,I just want to say i'm very impressed with your weightloss.very motivating

Way to go Aham...

I've leveled off at 195. I have increased my caloric intake and started hitting the weight pile again. Took a week off to go sailing...had many beers and fat foods. To my surprise I only gained two pounds. I'm back down to 195 and will slooooowy work my way down to 190.

Give us a shout when you hit the magic 90...

189 lbs this week!!

I too have increased my calories lately and allowed more endulging. However, it is summer and I have been pretty active and think I need the calories. 2000 calories a day in the summer just doesnt cut it for me. I have already done two centuries, still running, mowing my big arse yard, and so on.

Next week I am going on vaca in Florida (Gulf Coast) and there will be no calorie counting. It will be meals at The Waffle House, Hooters, and drinks on the beach!! I may take my bike and get a ride or two in, but heck I have worked hard and one week off will not kill me or put 50 pounds back on me.

Later.

zin,I just want to say i'm very impressed with your weightloss.very motivating

Thanks. :o

189 lbs this week!!

Aham that is awesome...My lightest was 192, (193 to 195 now). Also the mileage is impressive, I have not done a century yet. Enjoy the week off in FL...it will give me a chance to catch up.

Later

Been off the bike the last week due to getting off work late at night. I am not well equipped for night riding.

My wieght went up 4 pounds this week. Ugh.

Gonna be back riding next week and should get back on track. Guess I need to start watching what I eat as well to keep myself on track during the non riding times.

Hello everyone,

Since this morning, I have been reading this forum, thanks for sharing your stories and providing motivation. Just like most of you here, I have a weight loss resolution too. I am 31, 5' 8" and weigh 185 lbs. If you looked at my picture, I look like the alphabet P, with a big stomach sticking out (I am not kidding). My resolution is to come down to 150 lbs and flatten the tummy.

I have biked all my life, but it wasn't from an exercise viewpoint, so I havent put that many miles on. But now is the time. I restarted my 13 mile roundtrip to a nature park here. Today I did it after almost a year, it was so exhausting, I was completely drenched of all the energy by the time I was done. I had to take too many stops hinting how out of shape I am. Not that I ever was in shape, but I wasn't this bad at doing this.

I was wondering if there was any energy drink available that can be carried in the water bottle? I would prefer something in powder form that can be mixed with water. Also, how do you keep your bottles cold? Do you store filled bottles in the freezer overnight?

What about energy bars? Do they help a lot? What kind are good/bad? Any ideas on how to reenergize on the go would be great.

------------------
Fitday profile: crypticlineage (http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=crypticlineage)

crypticlineage,
Welcome! You can find just about any sports drink in powder form. Check out your local supermarket. I do tend freeze my bottles the night before a century ride. Additionally, I drop a couple more frozen bottles off at the mid point of the ride in a cooler.

I prefer the Cliff Bars and Cliff Shots. Take care in how many calories you consume. Short rides do not normally require supplemental caloric intake. While rides in excess of 50 miles may. There is a lot of information regarding this here on BF. Use the SEARCH function for a ton more on the topic.

Again, Welcome!

Zin

Hi,

Like crypticlineage I've read a bunch of these posts and they are solidifying my resolve. Up until 10 years ago ( I am 40 now) I was very active cycling lots and playing lots of hockey and maintained a weight of about 155 (5'9"). Today I was 191 and I have been as high as 199. My wife says I was too skinny at 155 but I'm not so sure. As a goal, I think 165 is reasonable. I still cycle to work everyday (only a 10km round trip) and play some hockey. Even though I'm 10 years older, I'd like to regain some of the speed I had at 155. I think forums like this are very helpful for a lot of people because of the committment to lose the weight and the encouragement from others in the same boat. My wife has also put on a bunch of weight over the last 10 years. She is five feet tall and weighed 105 ten years ago and now she is 145. We've challenged each other to lose one pound a week. We didn't agree on a particular goal as of yet, we'll just try to meet the weekly goal for a couple of months and then go from there. Unfortunately, I missed the goal for the first week and my goal for this week's weigh in (Saturday morning) is 188. I understand that my weight can vary by a few pounds day to day so hopefully I'll be 188 by saturday. Anyway, count me as a new member of the weight loss club and good luck to all you other losers!

Welcome and all the best. You might find fitday useful for keeping track of calories eaten and burnt. Check my sig.

On January 1st, I made a little promise to myself.. to take better care of my body, so shape things up so I can live a long healthy life. I have a couple reasons.. one being that my dad had a heart attack last year at 59 years of age. He survived, but needed a triple bypass. He is also diabetic.. I want to increase my chances of avoiding that for myself, or postponing it, whatever the case may be. And also, I just wanted energy. I had no desire to do much of anything. I wanted to look in the mirror (call me a vain female, I don't care LOL!), and be happy with what I saw, not embarrassed.

And so, I started watching what I ate. I eat a lot of veggies, turkey, chicken etc. I treat myself to whatever meal I crave, plus dessert, once a week so I don't burn myself out. As the weather permitted, I got on my bike. I then joined a local group of cyclists. I had set my goal to lose 45 lbs by August 1st... I have already met that goal, and gone 2 lbs past that.. total loss is now 47. I'm right about where I should be now... I feel awesome, I have more confidence.. I'm just flat happy. Diet and a bike worked wonders. These days I live to ride that bike.. I get grumpy if I don't!

Just wanted to tell my little story. I'm proud of myself. :D

Just wanted to tell my little story. I'm proud of myself. :D

And I'm proud of you! I didn't mention it in my previous post, but both my parents have had bypass surgery and my dad is now diabetic. That is also a motiviation for me in addition to the overall energy thing. How long did it take to lose your weight?

Cheers,

Jim

On January 1st, I made a little promise to myself.. :D


OKay, I see that it took you under six months. You must be very dedicated and you aren't kidding that you love riding that bike!

Well, week three weigh-in was more successful than week two. We are both on target and the incentive to ride so that we keep being successful is strong. I've checked out that fitday website and opened an account but I'm not sure that I will be diligent like some of you in filling out my activities and food consumption. Anyway, I'll keep you posted on how things work out.

Cheers,

Jim

I started off the year at about 185 (I'm 5'7" so that spells fat), I made some fairly major dietary changes (upped the fruits and veggies intake, cut down on meat, junk food, sodas, etc etc). Just doing this without much of a work out routine (long hikes once a week but not much else) I dropped about twenty pounds, I started running two miles a day, but ended up hurting my ankle, so I switched over to my MTB which was rapidly becoming a white elephant, and started commuting to work on it (about a twenty mile round trip every day). The weight pretty much melted off at that point, and I'm down to around 135 now. I bike around 150 miles a week and love it, its not as destructive to my joints as running, and mountain biking is sort of forcing me to learn how to ride a bike all over again, which is a lot of fun in and of itself. A lot of these stories are very inspiring, and just prove that weight loss is like most things, simply mind over matter.

I bike around 150 miles a week and love it, its not as destructive to my joints as running, and mountain biking is sort of forcing me to learn how to ride a bike all over again, which is a lot of fun in and of itself.

I think that is a key to being successful. Hitting the stairmaster doesn't appeal to me and I don't think I would ever work as hard as I do when I'm trying to chase down a puck or top a hill. And the funny thing is, depsite how hard it is, it doesn't seem like work. You must have got a lot of positive reinforcement as you lost weight when you kept getting faster and faster on the bike. I guess for many people, although there are not many stories in this thread, the hard part is keeping the weight off. That's another reason that having fun riding or whatever seems to be so important. Thanks for your story.

Cheers,

Jim

I've checked out that fitday website and opened an account but I'm not sure that I will be diligent like some of you in filling out my activities and food consumption. Anyway, I'll keep you posted on how things work out.


Well, I've been using fitday for about 10 days now and I think it is addictive in itself. I find that I'm eating more fruit because I like entering it into the database to see how many calories I'm not eating! (compared to say, chicken wings or beer:)) I'm not certain how accurate it is given the difficulty in judging the amount of fat on a cut of meat for instance, or not knowing the ingredients my wife used for her latest delicious (and supposedly healthty) casserole. All the same, it shows me at a calorie deficit and I have been losing weight:

Week 1 190
Week 2 190:(
Week 3 188
Week 4 187

Cheers,

Jim

At one time in my life I was 250lbs and 5'10.5" I decided to get back into shape, so I joined a local gym, and did the Atkins diet. Got down to 175. Tapered off Atkins as it wasn't sustainable for me. Gave up the gym membership to save money towards an adoption.

After that struggle was over, I was back up to 220lbs and my blood pressure was worrisome (150/100). (Stress eating)

I realized three facts:

My Maternal Grandfather died of a heart attack at age 53, when my mother was a teenager. She never really recovered completely from that.
My daughter will be 13 when I turn 53. (Six years from now.)
I don't want to put my daughter through what my Mom went through.


So back to the gym. Got fitter, still didn't lose much weight, but the blood pressure came down.

Rode the 2004 MS150 "Pedal to the point" at 220lbs, and took 8.5 hours each day.
Kept riding and working out, watched what I ate.
Rode the 2005 MS150 "Pedal to the point" at 195lbs, and took 5.5 hours each day.
"Bonked" during the '05 MS150 (not falling down in a heap, but suddenly my energy completely went away and I "ran on fumes" for about 5 miles). Recognized the difference between "My stomach is empty" sensation and "I need fuel" sensation. Began to eat accordingly (eat when you need fuel, stop when you don't).

Now I'm down to 175-180lbs (it fluctuates, and I could probably lose another 5-10, but I'm not worried). Blood Pressure generally around 105/65, Resting heart rate around 62. We'll see what the '06 MS150 brings.

For me the keys to getting in shape were motivation beyond myself (being there for my family), and learning to listen to my body better.

Kotts

A

For me the keys to getting in shape were motivation beyond myself (being there for my family), and learning to listen to my body better.

Kotts


Hello and welcome to the club. It has been quiet here for a while but you can get a lot of good ideas and inspiration from the previous posts in this thread. Glad to have you here.

Cheers,

Jim

Check another milestone off of my list!

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/zinrider/Cycling/2006-6-26/profile.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b44/zinrider/Cycling/2006-6-26/IMGP0637.jpg


My weight has been holding steady between 199-203lbs. My body composition has been continuing to change. Not to worried about the weight for now as the body comp. is a better indicator. Not sure when I should actually call the game with the weight loss. Can I really loose another 20lbs?

My weight has been holding steady between 199-203lbs. My body composition has been continuing to change. Not to worried about the weight for now as the body comp. is a better indicator. Not sure when I should actually call the game with the weight loss. Can I really loose another 20lbs?

If you keep doing rides like that you can! But, like you say, it's composition that matters. I wouldn't mind being my current weight, as long as it was less fat and more quad.

My weight has been holding steady between 199-203lbs. My body composition has been continuing to change. Not to worried about the weight for now as the body comp. is a better indicator. Not sure when I should actually call the game with the weight loss. Can I really loose another 20lbs?

Zin...I too have been holding steady with my weight but I am impressed withthe mileage and elevation you do on your bike. i am at the oint wher I would exchange a few pounds for the ability to do a century or 7000+ feet in elevation.

Zin, nice pic, nice ride, nice job!! You are amazing.

I am down to 184 lbs this week. I have dropped over 50 lbs and feel amazing. With summer I have not been so hardcore on what I eat. In fact, I am surprised that I continue to loss weight. At 6'3'' and 32 years old I can not remember the last time I was under 200. It has been a great run for me and I think its time to enjoy the results. I have lots of riding coming up!! Later.

GRRR!

I just blew away 10 minutes worth of typing in reply.

Nucks - I'm with you there! That is why I'm not so worried about weight at this time. I'm now wearing a 34" waist in my pants. I've even began wearing some shirts in a medium size. (not cycling jerseys)

Greg - Thanks for the kind words. You can do a century! You just have to set your mind to it. You CAN! :D

Aham - Thanks! Wow, you are going to make me blush. I don't think I'm amazing. Just in love with cycling. I'm amazed that you are at 184lbs at your height. I am shooting for 180lbs and I'm only 5'11". I have several friends who are telling me that I shouldn't loose any more weight. I just don't know.


I'll be riding the Triple ByPass next weekend. Wish me luck!