Training & Nutrition - Weight Loss Club

Originally posted by IowaParamedic

1. Water - 136 oz. minimum daily - over a gallon/day
2. Write everything down
3. Eat until you are full, don't just finish the plate
4. Eat with a prepared meal on a plate
5. When you feel hungry, be sure it is hunger, not thirst/boredom/fatigue



I said nothing about eating healthy food. I eat what I want. I had cheesecake twice this week.

In that case I violate 2, 4, and 5.

I drink 3 liters minimum when I think about it per day. I try to keep it higher when I am not distracted by other things. But drinking that much water is a concious effort for me.

Now you went and made me want cheesecake.

Just a hint if anyone has the means and the time to do this:
1. Get a physio ball (swiss ball) and set it up next to your bed.
2. 100 reg situps when you wake up
3. 100 side situps before you shower (50 each side)
4. 100 reg after lunch (or before)
5. 100 side after workout
6. 100 reg after dinner
7. 100 reg before bed.

that works out to be quite a lot of situps, it sounds like a stupid thing to do, but i think it works really well.

Well, weighed in at 212. Steady for the week. I really think I've plateaued, so I'll have to watch my diet more !!

This morning was 200. I can't wait to change that first digit to a One.

WTG Sailguy! Getting fired up for TOMRV?

I hit 215.5 this morning. Looks good to hit 200 much earlier than June.

You can't believe how fast I can take hills... lot of power!

TOMRV is getting more and more TBD. Projects at work are lining up at just the wrong point in time. They are my first big projects here, so I don't want to take vacation during that time.

You will all be informed tho!

TOMRV? WTHDTM? (What the hell does that mean?)

Today's weigh-in: 209 pounds!!!!!

Probably the first time in more than ten years I've been under 210. Maybe more. I have broken through my plateau of 212-213. 200 in June.

Congrats Andy!

TOMRV - Tour Of the Missisippi River Valley

A 2 day, 184 mile ride I am trying to do in June. Iowa and a few others from the forum are doing it this year. I am hoping my work schedule works out so I can go. It looks like a blast.

From what I understand, they put something like Tierra Bella's Metcalf Rd. at mile 98 on the TOMRV. (day 1 is 100 miles)

Metcalf is for sissies. Try Quito.

HA HA HA HA !!! TOMRV sounds pretty cool. Hope you all can make it.

Which Quito? The one in Saratoga/Los Gatos? It isn't much.

Oops. My bad. Quimby Rd, on the east hills of San Jose leading up to Mt Hamilton. It's so steep that I "pop wheelies" going up that beast.

Ah found some info on it.. I should go try it! (I haven't been on Metcalf yet either).

Quimby Road
distance: 5.1 miles
climbing: 2100 feet
Quimby is a short cut which bypasses the section of Mount Hamilton Road to the first intermediate descent, eliminating 8 miles and 1500 feet of climbing. It starts off innocently, but the grade increases steadily, until with 1 mile to go one is assaulted with a series of vertical switchbacks and an extremely steep, final straight which, with the help of the pitiless sun, will sap any remaining strength from the legs. Following the climb is a 1-mile descent to Mount Hamilton Road, losing 600 feet. After surviving this, climbing the remaining 2800 feet of Mount Hamilton Road seems trivial.




My most serious climbs so far have been Old La Honda, Redwood Gulch Rd, Langdass Grade (Carmel), and the Calavaras Wall.

212 lbs today. 12 pounds short of my goal of 200 lbs.

Things are going rather well, and the miles are adding up on the bike. My new eating habits are still working very well with riding.

I even noticed on my group ride, there were some guys who ate less than I did. I felt really full after eating, but the apple pie added calories to get me home. I am still losing weight on my calorie intake, and I don't think I need to change anything.

Greetings,

I seem to be stuck in plateau hell :(

I have been riding quite abit (236 miles so far this month) but my weight just isn't coming off like I think it should. I started working on losing weight in early January and the first few pounds came right off. I bought my bike in late January and have been riding almost daily since.

I vary my ride intensity and use a heart rate monitor to keep track of my heart rate. For example this past weekend I did two organized rides the Tour de Pike with my wife and with one wrong turn added in we did 23 miles, versus 18 in 1:54, avg HR of 137. Sunday I did the 25 mile option of the St. Patrick's Century in 1:39 with an avg HR of 153.

I have been trying to eat right - I don't snack on junk food, etc but I'm stuck :( and I'm tired of it. I drink lots of water per day and limit myself to one or two sodas per week. I don't count

Any tips/tricks to break through this plateau would be greatly appreciated.

Zack
stuck at 271

I've actually gone up in weight, to 215 today. But I've been swinging by 3-5 pounds recently. The recent uptick is due to ... BEER. March Madness is catching up to me!!! I did a mean trail run yesterday and biked 20 miles in today and will bike home so I've been countering the additional "intake" with output.

No problem. I can get it back down to under 210 soon enough and then set up for the push to 200 by June.

ZackJones, if I had a dime for every plateau I encountered!! Just stick with it. Take your time and don't burn out.

I'm also in plateau hell. 200-202 for the past week or so. Last week I even put in 260 miles, and 4200' of climbing on one ride. No dice. I am still in my mind attributing this to muscle gain. I am quite sore still from saturday's ride. And today I peaked out at 203 for my 'bouncy' range.

After long rides I dip down to 199, but I don't count it because its just dehydration.

Zack,

I weigh myself twice a day. Once in morning, once at bedtime. It gives me complete feedback on what I ate, and how it changed my weight.

You will gain during the day, you will lose overnight. However, if you can see that you lose 2 lbs between bedtime and morning, you have to have your intake, so you gain less than 2 lbs during the day. <not sure if my description makes sense>

Day 1 Morning 212 Bedtime 214
Day 2 Morning 212 Bedtime 213
Day 3 Morning 211 Bedtime 212
Day 4 Morning 210 Bedtime 212
etc.

Write down everything you eat.

Well I seem to be stuck as well 13 St 4 (186lbs):(

The good news is my knee is much better and I did an 18 mile Round trip to work today. All I need to do now is to stayout of the kitchen in the evening.

(First post here.)

I have to thank weight watchers. The points system works like a charm. They have accomodations for exercise they introduce you to in week 4.

Weight: 262 in May, 202 today.
Resting heart rate: 83 in May, 60 today

I had trouble grinding nebraska hills with a 42x23 granny gear before, now I can hold 17mph for 1/2 hour without too much trouble. I was thinking of buying a mountain bike or Hybrid for the short gears. (Read: I was gonna accept defeat)

I try to ride 3x a week for 30-45 minutes each time. I have to keep my old Cannondale happy. :D

Here are my past avatars:
http://www.eiowaweb.com/mark3.jpg
http://www.eiowaweb.com/mark243.jpg
I don't know if there is any difference.

Weighed in at 212.5. Knocked off a couple pounds gained from the overindulgence I exhibited while watching March Madness games. I suspect that by next weigh in (Friday, I think) that I'll be back at 210 and set to go to 200 by June.

My weight has gone up by 1lb (to 187) :(

I need to keep a very tight rein on my nibbles. With a bit of luck I should be able to start running again this week to supplement the cycling.

I have yo-yo'ed over the past week. I am now at 210. I think it is a firm 210. That is a 2 lb loss over the week and that is right on track for me.

Last week, I didn't work out as much, ate poorly, didn't concentrate on water. I suffered through the weekend with stress and cold weather. Today is back to 60 degrees, and it will be comfortable on the bike once again.

I'm at 213 after a sinful weekend. I can't wait for March Madness to be over with !!

I am still in plateau hell. Bouncing around 200-203. I am missing one inch across the belly though, so I am not too worried. I should start using my body fat calipers and seeing what the results of that are.

I'm about 208 right now. I was 230 when I started training again back in the beginning of December. My wife cleaned out the closet in our extra room and dug out a bunch of my old clothes. These slacks and jeans were almost new when they were put away three years ago after our move to Buffalo. They are just a little tight, but they fit. Man does it feel awesome. By mid May they should fit just right. Talk about incentive. I plot my daily weight on an Excel chart and have a trend to estimate when I will hit my goals. 200 lbs by May 21st. 175 lbs by Mid October. :thumbup:

I hit 204 today. I had a rather sudden drop of 4 lbs yesterday. I messed up big time!

I went riding in the morning for 15 miles. Then a buddy called and wanted to ride. I decided that I could ride to meet him. So, that ride ended up being 55 miles.

I obviously wasn't drinking enough and I am not used to 85 degree temperature. I was having problem with dehydration. My heart rate would be at 130 when standing and I was getting dizzy. Then, lying down, I felt better with a heart rate of 70. I was a quart low.

I really took it easy today and worked on hydration.

211 on today's weigh in. Chipping away. I think I'm stuck at a plateau, but then again the sinful weekends might have a little to do with it !!!

Ive enjoyed reading your posts as I too have had to deal with the weight issue. I purchased my first real mtn bike last may as a way to get out and enjoy the weather and improve on my health. After an atv accident which put me down for a few months, I became lazy and needed to do something about it. I weighed in at 175 when I bought my bike. As the snow season came upon us, I had only lost 10 lbs. In November I started a weight training program and diet. I dropped another 20 lbs in 4 months. I am now down to 145 and feeling great. I have maintained my weight for the past month or so and have been very pleased. The diet I think has been the biggest factor. Lots of water as many of you have indicated, but its been more the portion sizes of my meals. I eat more now then I did prior to my workouts. 6 meals a day, every 2 hours is when i eat. My workouts consist of 3 days of weight training, and 3 days of aerobic training. I have knocked atleast 10 minutes off my ride times and for the first time in my life, i can feel comfortable being seen in spandex. Im 5'6" and finally weigh what I did as a sophomore in high school. My that seems like a long time ago. I do still enjoy my meals. Im not stuck on strictly health food. I still enjoy my beer, ice cream, and occassional burger and fries, but its in moderation.
Thanks for sharing your stories and hope you dont mind my sharing mine.

Originally posted by IowaParamedic
My heart rate would be at 130 when standing and I was getting dizzy. Then, lying down, I felt better with a heart rate of 70. I was a quart low.

I really took it easy today and worked on hydration.

You may have answered a worry I had. A month or so ago I had a hard ride home, dehydrated and was aware my resting pulse was up all night. Could that have been the dehydration?

bleh, 203 now. down 3 lbs in the last 3 or 4 weeks. all this because ive started taking hydroxicut. i cant seem to loose weight without this stuff. at this point, i could care less about my health as long as my thighs get smaller.

Weighed myself this morning and I've managed to lose 2lb so I'm down to 185lbs. 96 Cycle and 5 running miles help somewhat I think

I'm still finding the kitchen cupboards tempting, especially when I'm making the kids lunchboxes up for the following day.

Ah well onwards and downwards (in weight terms!)

Started last fall at 230. Am usually a couch potato over the winter, but got a new MTB and rode that and the trainer this year. Down to 200 and holding. Have been eating a small but healthy breakfast and lunch and riding the trainer and as much outdoors as the weather allows. Goal is to end the summer at 175 and then maintain. My wife is starting on Weight Watchers, which should help. Is difficult to not eat when she is. And she is also starting to exercise. I'll take some credit for that. Good luck to everyone else on this weight loss kick, as it is a trial with all the good things to eat out there tempting us. Ride Hard and eat well. See you on the road (or in the woods).

Lost another 2lbs this week so I'm down to 183.

Beginning to feel better about myself.

I'm still at 212. I'm beginning to rethink whether it's worth the add'l effort to get to 200. I'm 6'4", almost 42 years old, and am in excellent shape overall. I watch what I eat, avoid the bad stuff, and exercise a ton.

I've been lifting weights recently which may account for some of the weight.

Those BMI calculators you see all over the Web put me at "overweight" but my scale has a BFI feature that puts me square in the "OK" range.

Sure I'd like to get to 200 but I'm wondering now if it's worth it.

Still at 200-202. But I did put on some slacks I haven't worn in about 2 months. I definately needed a belt. So it looks like I am making some progress.

Now that tax season is widing down, I can file all my paperwork that is strewn about my home office and break out my dumbells and weight bench. I think a a bit of lifting could be quite good.

Oh, yeah ... I have three belts now that don't fit me. And I recently went on a shopping spree to get pants that fit because my older pants no longer fit !!

I think I'll worry less about the pounds and measure progress by pants size.

I have finally broken through my plateau! I'm down to 268 which is 11 pounds down from January 6th. While I'm still gross looking from the waist up my legs are starting to show some improvement. My pants are fitting looser and I'm feeling stronger with every ride.

I'm actually looking forward to going back to the doctor next month to see what kind of improvements I've made with my BP and cholesterol levels.

Zack

My five day average is now 205 lbs. Amazing compared to the 235 lbs I started at in early December. Ye Haw.

Way to go. Zach, you are doing great!

I am slowing down my pace a lot. I am at 201 lbs. this morning. I have lost 93 lbs. since late November <results not typical>. That is the equivalent of losing Christina Aguliara :)

There are some new drawbacks.

My seat fits on the saddle differently.
Some people are having trouble recognizing me.
I can do some amazing things on hills that I couldn't do before.
75 degrees outside, and my toes aren't freezing <finally!>
I really need some more new clothes.

15 more pounds, and I will need to stop losing weight and maintain. We will see what happens!

Originally posted by IowaParamedic
That is the equivalent of losing Christina Aguliara :)


That is a good thing any way you look at it. :p

Originally posted by Sailguy
That is a good thing any way you look at it. :p



Hmm....guess I need to lose a Kylie.

;)

Originally posted by ZackJones
I have finally broken through my plateau! I'm down to 268 which is 11 pounds down from January 6th. While I'm still gross looking from the waist up my legs are starting to show some improvement. My pants are fitting looser and I'm feeling stronger with every ride.

I'm actually looking forward to going back to the doctor next month to see what kind of improvements I've made with my BP and cholesterol levels.

Zack Hey Zack, congrats on the breakthrough. I'm stuck on a plateau near your level. I've been riding for a while and lost 60 lbs but I'm stuck at 260. So far I’ve relied on riding and “watching” what I eat, but not actually dieting. What did you do to break through?

Originally posted by MikeR
Hey Zack, congrats on the breakthrough. I'm stuck on a plateau near your level. I've been riding for a while and lost 60 lbs but I'm stuck at 260. So far I’ve relied on riding and “watching” what I eat, but not actually dieting. What did you do to break through?

Congrats on the 60 pounds you've lost so far! :beer:

What helped me was really concentrating on what I was eating. I took my lunch to work everyday and ate it instead of ordering out like other folks in the office were doing. I also starting having a piece of fruit with every meal. Instead of 3 big meals I eat about 6 times a day. 6am, 9am 12, 3pm, 6pm and 9pm if I'm hungry.

I also started varying my rides. Some days I'd go out and ride a slow pace with my wife and on other days I'd go out solo and ride harder.

Finally I gave up sodas. About once a week I'll treat myself to one otherwise it's water, water, water.

Good luck to you and all of us here trying to lose some extra pounds!

Zack

Thanks for the tips.
I don't drink soda. I have to eat smaller meals and drink more water.

I'm starting on the bike this week, I hope pending the leaving of a cold. I hope to loose a lot of weight this season and keep it off. You did good.
Diane

Good to see all the positive results out there. I have been in the 260 to 270 range for the last few years. Even with starting to bicycle again early last year the only results were my health, my weight stayed about the same (1,600 miles since last June 1st). 6 weeks ago I started a new program based on my size and exercise. 1600 hundered calories a day and at least 4 days of exercise. I am down to 243 from a start of 258. I have trouble eating all the food I need each day. By changing how I cook, I get plenty of food. My wife has lost a few more pounds than I have so far. Writing down what you eat is much more important than I realized and it does help. A site that has helped with finding the correct information to write down is [URL=http://calorieking.com]. It helped a lot. Good luck to everyone. :D