Training & Nutrition - Weight Loss Club

Wonker: Thanks very much, did 20 mile tonight. Weather was good so I took advantage of the extra few min. Congrats on breaking the barrier!! I set mine at 200. Got 12 to go as of today.

N7CZinMT: I am working on not burning myself out as I did 2 years ago. Now I have 3 goals I did not before. 1 Lose the weight, 2 get off BP meds!, 3 get healthier in my eating so I can enjoy more. My bud here is helping a lot. We rode together Sunday, he did 24 miles with me after he had already done 25 :) I enjoyed the company and we rode a sensible ride. My racing days are over now, so I am riding more for enjoyment. I use a Polar HRM and d/l my workout after I ride. There is nothing like seeing your whole ride before your eyes to remind you where you pushed it and where you goofed off. My 710 d/l speed, HR, cadence, and temp. I avg 13.9 tonight, HR avg was 124 max 138. Tonight was my easy ride where I just ride and enjoy what is around me. Started that last week and I like that a lot. This gives my legs a chance to recover from the weekend ride.

Thanks guys and good luck with your goals!

Milestone reached!

Yesterday I was able to comfortably fit into my jeans with a 36" waist! I have also moved (mostly) from XL cycling shorts to a L. I also was able to fit into this cool jersey I got some time back. It fits snug, but not "tight".

Also working on training for my first century ride on June 12th! Now to get rid of this cold and a little help from the weather and all will be great!

How is everyone else doing this month?

Bob

Bob
Congrats on reaching your milestone!!!
I am close to the next size down, another 1/2" inch to my next size. I have lost 19 lbs today, 2' off the belly, 1.5" off the waist and chest. Another 40 to go. If I can keep this BP down I get off the meds on the 17th :D

This past weekend was not walked on the straight and narrow. :cry: ...but I had fun. I should get in 60 to 80 miles of riding with what is left of the week. Good to see others with excellent progress.

Bob
Congrats on reaching your milestone!!!
I am close to the next size down, another 1/2" inch to my next size. I have lost 19 lbs today, 2' off the belly, 1.5" off the waist and chest. Another 40 to go. If I can keep this BP down I get off the meds on the 17th :D

Good job John! Keep at it. I hope to be off of the diabetic meds by the end of the summer!

Bob
Thanks, I am crossing my fingers on that one. I made the decision to give this a better try this time and change my eating habits. I am eating more healthy food, fruits and veggies. I feel better now and that is some motivation, along with my 8 yr old daughter.

Wonkerjaw, I did not say I was real good :p I did go to our friends barbque on Saturday and we did cookout yesterday. I was just better at what I ate yesterday. I figured I was able to eat with moderation on Saturday. The big offender for me is salt and there was a lot in the beans and the marinate on the steak. I enjoyed my smaller servings and skipped the desert and had strawberries instead. My week starts Sunday and I got 30 in, looking to do an easy 25 tonight, 20 w/intervals on thursday and 30 Sasturday.

My weekend rides were good for me, did 30 Sat, my longest ride so far and repeated Sunday. I was stronger Sunday as we were 1mph faster. Yesterday my legs were tired and I just goofed off.

After losing twenty-one pounds between January and early May, I've hit a plateau.
The last 3 pounds took about 6 weeks, and I've made no progress since then.

I've decided to maintain my weight for a month or two, and then try again.

My BMI is still above 25, so I can't be content with my current weight. But I am feeling better, have lost about 2.5" around the waist, recover faster, and the hills are easier.

Congrats!! Having lost inches means you gained muscle, that another positive.

Congrats!! Having lost inches means you gained muscle, that another positive.

Well, I don't know that lost inches = gained muscle, but I measured my waist again this morning and it is another 3/4" smaller than it was 3 weeks ago. That's a good sign.

I think lots of regular, moderate exercise has done the trick. Mostly cycling, and some weights and walking.

But as I said, with my BMI at about 27.8, I still need to lose some weight. About 20 more pounds will get my BMI<25.

Well it's been awhile sinse my last post here, I guess I came back because i needed to get motavated and when I read the posts in this thread it usually works!!

my stats from my last post.

Stats as of 2-12-04

Max weight = 264 same
Current weight = 178-180
New target weight ..... still dunno

Stats as of today 6-03-04

Max weight = 264 same
Current weight = 180-183 up just a tad, after a long ride it goes to 178 still :-)
New target weight ..... still dunno

Soooooo basicly i've stayed the same weight for about 5 months, i'm pretty sure my previous post in Jan was the same. On 3-09-04 my bike pc turned 1000 miles as of today my bike pc says 2242. So in aprox 84 days i've rode 1242 miles which is way more miles per day then the first 1000 on the bike pc. I used to ride everyday about 15-17 miles per day, now I ride 3 or 4 times a week but longer rides 30-40 miles. My Girlfriend says that even if I have not lost any more weight that I have reapportioned it. I would like to believe her but I dunno bout tht LOL.

I guess I have not been eating as healthy as I was, I really need to get back on track if I want to drop the last 15-20lbs that I would like to drop.

I feel lots better have more energy and dont have High Blood Pressure now so even If I dont lose another pound I still have nothing to complain about weight wise.

Anyway thanks for all the "NEW" motavation everybody, hopefully my next post i'll be down a few pounds :-)

Jay........

Brad, inches lost is a good thing. I weigh and measure tomorrow AM.

Jay, good luck with the goals.

I am pretty new at this online stuff, but after finding this thread, I am challenged and inspired by all the people that have made progress in losing weight.
Seven years ago, I was 150 and lean and fit, but then I met a girl and I started gradually to do less exercise, but I continued to eat the same amounts of food. In two years ago, I gained 40 pounds and by the time I married this girl, I was 190. Over the next 5 years, my weight went as low as 175 and a couple of months ago to an all time high of 205. I bought back my old road bike from my brother in law last fall to commute to work, but it was late in the year and I didn't really get a lot of opporutuntity, but after seeing my weight, I decided I have to do this and get going. In the last 6 weeks or so, I have been riding 3-4 times per week for about 75-115 miles and I was at 199 2 weeks ago when I last weighed myself. I want to get down to about 175-180 and I know that will be a challenge because I have a sweet tooth, but the stories people have shared here have really encouraged me to lost some weight and get my eating habits under control. I didn't think I could ever beat this weight game, but others success stories show me that it is possible to do it by riding my bike, so I will make it a commitment to ride four days to and from work.
Thank you for sharing your encouraging stories.

I am pretty new at this online stuff, but after finding this thread, I am challenged and inspired by all the people that have made progress in losing weight...


crestdude,
I am new to this thread as well. Posting here is the best thing… It lets you know that losing weight is hard and you are not the only one trying to do it. Right now I'm having trouble staying focused and motivated. You're right, reading a successful story from others really does help.
Welcome to the group.

crestdude: Keep plugging it will come and if we all encourage each other it does help!

Wonker, hang in there dude you will make it!

Okay, I am trying to lose more weight by cycling. I honestly hate walking so cycling is my primary exercise besides weight training.

On a good day, when my asthma is not bothering me too much, I can cycle 26 kilometers (20miles ?) at about 20-25 KM/hr. However, I was told that you lose weight when you cycle at a much higher rate of speed over a shorter distance vs longer distance and lower speed. Is this correct ?

Justen

Okay, I am trying to lose more weight by cycling. I honestly hate walking so cycling is my primary exercise besides weight training.

On a good day, when my asthma is not bothering me too much, I can cycle 26 kilometers (20miles ?) at about 20-25 KM/hr. However, I was told that you lose weight when you cycle at a much higher rate of speed over a shorter distance vs longer distance and lower speed. Is this correct ?

Justen

My doc tells me just the opposite. High output for fairly short periods is fine for cardiovascular fitness but does little to take off the weight. All you are doing is burning carbs that way - you'll probably maintain but not lose weight. If you want to get to the fat the answer is moderate exercise for longer periods - a minimum of 30 minutes and an hour is much better. I know that works for me.

Also, my wife shed about 45 pounds one summer just by walking at what I consider a pretty liesurely pace but for two to three hours a day.

My doc tells me just the opposite. High output for fairly short periods is fine for cardiovascular fitness but does little to take off the weight. All you are doing is burning carbs that way - you'll probably maintain but not lose weight. If you want to get to the fat the answer is moderate exercise for longer periods - a minimum of 30 minutes and an hour is much better. I know that works for me.

Also, my wife shed about 45 pounds one summer just by walking at what I consider a pretty liesurely pace but for two to three hours a day.

Hi,

Thanks for replying !!! I was very happy to hear about your wife's success with walking and weightloss.
I could manage a couple of hours a day easily. I sort of thought that it should be the other way around to with regards to biking - going for longer distances at a slower pace should help more with weight loss. I honestly did not like going at 100 % for 10 KM. It just didn't make the rides as fun and I didn't notice much difference weight wise.

Of course diet contributes to weightloss but it is good to hear that you can lose that much weight just from walking !

Justen

Hi,

Thanks for replying !!! I was very happy to hear about your wife's success with walking and weightloss.
I could manage a couple of hours a day easily. I sort of thought that it should be the other way around to with regards to biking - going for longer distances at a slower pace should help more with weight loss. I honestly did not like going at 100 % for 10 KM. It just didn't make the rides as fun and I didn't notice much difference weight wise.

Of course diet contributes to weightloss but it is good to hear that you can lose that much weight just from walking !

Justen
Both ways work... if you have little time, the best way is to do an interval training.. cycle as fast as you can for 1 min and then relax for 1 min, fast 1 min, relax 1 min This can be done on home trainers too.
But in the weekends it's just as good to go for longer periods of cycling at ease.

The point is: you burn as much fat or even more fat per minute at high intensities, than when you do it at a slow pace. But if you have a lot of time, you can burn more total fat calories during those long sessions.
In short: you may burn about as much fat in a short period at a fast pace than at a slow pace for a longer period. While the % of energy that is burnt may be smaller, the total amt of calories burnt is larger and hence the total amt of fat calories burnt as large or larger as well.
Forget about the stories that you should need to have a low heart rate and then burn most fat. YES, but don't forget that we burn most fat when we..... sleep! And how many calories are burnt at sleep? Very little indeed!
Plus.... there's the afterburn.. I'd be very very surprised if nobody ever talked about EPOC.. the internal body temp is raised for a considerable amt of time after furious execise while it's not after calm exercise. This makes a lot of difference.. that's also the reason why eventually WEIGHT LIFTIING is key to long-time fat loss.. as weight lifting maintains muscle mass, which takes more energy to maintain and has the same kind of EPOC /afterburn effects.

Yvana , a weightlifting weenie

Here I am in that outfit that I couldn't fit into a year ago! I did 67 miles on Wednesday and 20 on Thursday. My feet were a little sore so took a couple days off to let them heal.

Here is one of me riding. Gosh, I don't look as bad as I thought I would... :rolleyes:

Congrats on fitting into the outfit you were trying to slim down and fit :)

Thanks John! I still have a ways to go, but sure is a big difference from when I weighed 340#s!

crestdude,
I am new to this thread as well. Posting here is the best thing… It lets you know that losing weight is hard and you are not the only one trying to do it. Right now I'm having trouble staying focused and motivated. You're right, reading a successful story from others really does help.
Welcome to the group.

Thank you Wonker and John for the encouragement.
Staying motivated has been tough for me as well. There are many days when I wake up and want to stay in bed instead of getting up and riding to work. Some days I win and some days I lose the battle, so I try to keep focused on the goal. It has been helping, but it is still tough; sounds like it is tough for you too Wonker, so thanks for sharing that.

Any ideas from anyone on helping maintain focus/motivation?

<snip>

Any ideas from anyone on helping maintain focus/motivation?

It sounds like you have a depression problem to me. So, you have to fix that first before anything else can move forward.

I suggest seeing your family doctor. Ask him to do a depression screening. He should be able to ask a few simple questions to reveal if you may be suffering from depression. If so, get on medications to fix the chemical imbalance that is causing it. You will feel much better. Once you have it under control with meds, you'll start riding more. The more you ride, the better your physical conditioning will be. But a HUGE benefit, IMHO, is that the more you ride the less you will (probably) need the depression meds.

Lastly, cycling is not for everyone. If you really don't like being on the bike, then don't. Find another activity that you are interested in. There is nothing wrong with that. :D

Good Luck!

I still have a ways to go, but sure is a big difference from when I weighed 340#s!
Bob, you have made an amazing transformation… congratulations. How long did it take you? Good luck on the century ride!

crestdude: Keep plugging it will come and if we all encourage each other it does help!

Wonker, hang in there dude you will make it!
Thanks John, I had a good weekend... I ate right... rode a few miles. I have a 62 mile ride on Saturday to keep me motivated.
Hang in there!

Bob, you have made an amazing transformation… congratulations. How long did it take you? Good luck on the century ride!

Well, I was at 340#s about 7 years ago. I have been loosing weight slowly. Not making any BIG changes of habit or diet. I got down to 260#s last spring. Then started cycling with my kids over the summer. Lost down to the mid 240's. Maintained over the winter. Now down to right at 220#s. Again, small steps. This weight seems to be a wall for me. I have yet to see a weight in the 2-teens area. It will come. My waist size is now down to a 36" from a 42" earlier this year. My internest has told me to not worry about weight so much anymore, but concentrate on the stomach size. (its a diabetes thing) I don't have any digital photos from my real heavy days. I'll have to see about getting one or two of them scanned so I can put together a comparitive image.

Thanks for the complement. My wife keeps telling me that I am completely different than when we married 8 years ago. I didn't really believe her until I saw the photos I posted above.

Bob
Well said. That is a lot of weight to loose and working in small jumps helps.
I had to change my habits as I consumed a lot of salt and sugar. Fast food and junk food. With hypertension I am watching my salt by holding it down to 1600 mg/day. That by itself is hard, plus watching the refined sugar and trying to hold down the total intake of cal's to 2000/day.

Crest, I was motivated by the fact that I was a heart attack waiting to happen and to be honest I want to see my 8 yr old grow up. That and the fact if I do well in the weight loss and eating I can get off the meds.

Wonkerjaw, thanks. Hurting like mad today. did 64 this weekend and flew my stunt kites for total of 6 hrs. I burn 764 in ~2 hr so that equates to 1 hr on the bike for every 2 I fly my kites. Plus all my yard work this weekend, I am just draging :( Need so sleep and an easy recovery ride tomorrow so I can build on the last 4 week. :)

Cycling isn't always fun. Sometimes people claim it is, but then they are lying. Actually, I hate training for riding better. That's why I never wanted to get a car when I didn't really have to. So, I am car-less and hence, have no other option but to get on the bike to drag my ass to places I want to be (OK, can take the bus too at times, but that's often even more time-consuming).
That's enough motivation for me..

BTW, I did love spinning lessons and could also motivate myself to do interval sessions on a home trainer. But training outside? Nah!
Cycling for social or tourist reasons is great though.. so that's what I did in the weekends.

this is written in past tense since I have a bad back problem that forced me off the bike for 6 months...

Cycling isn't always fun. Sometimes people claim it is, but then they are lying.
This is so true! :roflmao: I did 63 miles this past weekend and to be honest only the first 40 were fun. The last 20 were hot, windy and hilly! The problem was I had to get back to the truck so I could return home. It was worth it. :D Hope you back is doing better.

This is so true! :roflmao: I did 63 miles this past weekend and to be honest only the first 40 were fun. The last 20 were hot, windy and hilly! The problem was I had to get back to the truck so I could return home. It was worth it. :D Hope you back is doing better.

I did my first century this weekend. The first 40 miles was into a stiff headwind in mountainous terrain! I will not call that experience fun. I would call it a challenge. Miles ~80-90 were back into the headwind with the steepest climbs of the day too! Tailwind the last 10 miles.

It does not always have to be fun. To achieve one's goals is rewarding. Fun is what you make of the journey in your own mind.

And at times the challenge is 'fun' in its own way.. after all, I qualified for PBP a 1200K/750mi non-stop ride twice.. (and failed twice due to knee pain)

And at times the challenge is 'fun' in its own way.. after all, I qualified for PBP a 1200K/750mi non-stop ride twice.. (and failed twice due to knee pain)

Wow, to qualify for PBP is impressive. Everyone defines fun in their own way. I had fun on my century ride. It was also quite challenging. Mental attitude plays more into it than many give credit.

To me those brevets weren't fun, but PBP itself is a great ride and very social too... a lot of fun. Enough fun to want to qualify again in 2007.
Even though I don't like training ;)

I did my first century this weekend. The first 40 miles was into a stiff headwind in mountainous terrain! I will not call that experience fun. I would call it a challenge. Miles ~80-90 were back into the headwind with the steepest climbs of the day too! Tailwind the last 10 miles.

It does not always have to be fun. To achieve one's goals is rewarding. Fun is what you make of the journey in your own mind.

Bob,
Congrats on the first century! It sounds like a tough but rewarding ride. Wind will drain me every time. I hope you met fund raising goal as well.

I agree… challenging is a better word to use than "not fun". To me the feeling of accomplishment is unsurpassed by any other.

Bob,
Congrats on the first century! It sounds like a tough but rewarding ride. Wind will drain me every time. I hope you met fund raising goal as well.

I agree… challenging is a better word to use than "not fun". To me the feeling of accomplishment is unsurpassed by any other.

Thanks! I the wind is always blowing here. So I'm used to riding in it. You just have to gear down and hit the drops. Its more of a mind game than a physical one. I have never spent that much time in the drops before. LOL

I raised >$300.00 for my first time out. Next year's goal will be $500.00.

Bob
Congrats on the ride and the "Challange" :) I actually enjoyed today's ride, but Tuesdays are a loaf ride where I just recover from the weekend and enjoy the surroundings. ~22 miles. To me some of the challenge is to keep going and lose weight, and improve my health. Waiting for Thursday when I see the Doc, I hope to get off my BP pills and hit one of my milestones. My bud did the MS 150 this weekend, 83 saturday and 70+ Sunday. That takes a lot and I am not ready as I only have 720 miles in my legs the last 2 months. I have my goal set on the 50+ ride in Sept.

Wonker, the wind here was bad last weekend too, and the temps were actually cool. I was cold at least 1/2 the ride. I made the bend at turnaround point on the water and right into a cold 18 mph head wind.:( The last leg I did have a tail wind as I was cooked. Managed 32 mi, longest on my own in 3 yrs. Did that both Sat and Sun. I feel I accomplished a setpoint of riding on my own that I have not done since 01.

Solid at 220#s for the last 2 weeks. I guess I'm gonna have to turn the riding up a notch to move past this weight. Hope everyone else is riding and doing well.

To lose weight you have to burn fat. If you eat enough food to supply your body’s energy needs purely from your caloric intake, then you don’t lose weight. Several years ago, I was riding about 60 miles per week but was not losing weight. I was carb-loading for big rides and not cutting back on my eating. Health problems have kept me off a bike for a few years, but I am back on a recumbent now. I am eating low carb, losing weight, and working my way back into shape.

Low carb is working for me and hasn’t slowed me down as I work my way back up to 60 miles a week. You need to find the best plan for you, but you have to eat less then you burn.

Now that I have dropped 21 lbs, I am slowing on the losing end. I started weight lifting at the gym during lunch this week. I get 40 min on the weights and 20 min on the life-cycle. I am still holding 2000 cal a day and watching my sodium. I have increased the carbs slightly to better carbs as I was getting tired on the bike. I use a HRM and watch the cal's burned and use this as a reference. Try knocking ~ 200 cal's off your intake and moving your big meal to lunch. I find that I eat more throughout the day now and drink a lot of water.
Ex. shredded wheat and decaf coffee for breakfast, banana for snack, sandwich and strawberries for lunch, pineapple or cantaloupe for afternoon snack. broiled chicken(3 oz) for dinner with potato (no salt or butter) veggies, maybe a slice of home made no salt bread.

To lose weight you have to burn fat. If you eat enough food to supply your body’s energy needs purely from your caloric intake, then you don’t lose weight. Several years ago, I was riding about 60 miles per week but was not losing weight. I was carb-loading for big rides and not cutting back on my eating. Health problems have kept me off a bike for a few years, but I am back on a recumbent now. I am eating low carb, losing weight, and working my way back into shape.

Low carb is working for me and hasn’t slowed me down as I work my way back up to 60 miles a week. You need to find the best plan for you, but you have to eat less then you burn.

Weight loss and maintenance can be frustrating. I have trained for and rode a century this past month and currently ride about 250-300 miles per week. Would you believe I have gained 8 pounds over the past several months? It has a lot to do with carbo loading on a regular basis. I actually weigh less off season when I don't carbo load all the time! Go figure - the body has a mind of its own!

Buying first home, planning a family and career decisions have started to weigh me down.… It's been really difficult to stay away from comfort food. I'm back on the bike today... which has helped in more ways than one. I don't even want to jump on the scales to see what kind of damage has been done. Hope everyone is doing well.

Buying first home, planning a family and career decisions have started to weigh me down.… It's been really difficult to stay away from comfort food. I'm back on the bike today... which has helped in more ways than one. I don't even want to jump on the scales to see what kind of damage has been done. Hope everyone is doing well.

While I am not buying a home, I think I can relate Wonker: I work full-time, go to school full-time, my wife is pregnant with our second child due in February, I handle our family's bills & finances too. I am feeling stressed out. I couldn't ride for a couple of days because my BB is shot, so I finally borrowed a bike because the exercise relieves some of the stress. Hang in there, it is just a season in life and will probably pass.

Wonker, wishing you well on this crossroad! Ben there done that, it does get better. I am 49, just change jobs in Dec, married with a daughter and house. Even bought a new car in March as I was rear ended and had to :( It does get better. My wife and family give me time to ride and still take care of home responsibilities and work. :)

Here's a question... but first some background. I was at 175lbs when I used to swim 10 hours a week (before that I did 20 hours). I pretty much stopped exercise for 4 months, was at 181, and after cycling for 4 weeks, jumped to 190. I've cycled for 4 more weeks. Since my legs used to be VERY weak, are those 9 lbs now leg muscles?

While I am not buying a home, I think I can relate Wonker:... Hang in there, it is just a season in life and will probably pass.
Wonker, wishing you well on this crossroad!

Thanks for the kind words. I'm determined to not let this be my point of falling down. I've lost 40 lbs. so far and I have another 40 lbs. to go. Everything is going well… All this new responsibility has got me a little wigged. Less than two years I was single and my biggest expense was beer and toilet paper. Now I'm purchasing refrigerators, lawn equipment, garage doors along with a list of a million other things that seen to be growing every day. Thanks for the support guys. Y'all hang in there!
Wonker

I was single and my biggest expense was beer and toilet paper. Now I'm purchasing refrigerators, lawn equipment, .......
Ah I remember those days. Hang in there dude, you will make it.

Panoramic, I am by no means an expert, but I would venture as guess as yes.

While I am not buying a home, I think I can relate Wonker: I work full-time, go to school full-time, my wife is pregnant with our second child due in February, I handle our family's bills & finances too. I am feeling stressed out. I couldn't ride for a couple of days because my BB is shot, so I finally borrowed a bike because the exercise relieves some of the stress. Hang in there, it is just a season in life and will probably pass.
I agree the exercise does help with stress. There is rain forecasted for the rest of the week. I hope to ride Saturday… Good luck with school (I worked nights to finish my degree.)and the new el niño or la niña :)

Here's a question... Since my legs used to be VERY weak, are those 9 lbs now leg muscles?
9 lbs of leg muscles?... I would think it would be a combination of muscle and water. People tend to be more dehydrated when they are not active. They don't feel the need to drink. I would also think you would have good muscle tone being a swimmer. There is no way to tell unless you have been test your body fat percentage with a method as accurate as a hydrostatic water tank test. My guess and I'm certainly no expert.

WoooooooHoooooo! 215lbs ! My doctor is going to be so happy with me next week when I see him! Hah! Take that Diabetes and cram it in your...:D