Quick weight loss?

[Pedal Wench]

What would be the best way to drop a few (5-10) over a few weeks while maintaining muscle mass? I've got a trip coming up with a LOT of climbing, and I've been training, and have built up a good muscle base, but I want to lose as much fat as possible to make the climbs as easy as possible. I don't eat white flour, potatoes, rice, dairy, beef, pork, or fried anything, but what else can I do? I'm going to continue riding up until the trip, with hill work alternating with long mileage days (hopefully a century each weekend) so I need energy to ride, but want to lose fat. I don't have a lot of weight to lose (BMI of 20) I probably have about 10 pounds that I could safely lose.

[fauxtoes]

You have to eat fewer calories than you burn- I know that's not the answer you're probably looking for, but any other means of losing weight quickly will most likely shed only water weight.

concentrate on eating foods that are bulky for their caloric content (foods that make you feel full longer, but don't have a lot of calories). Lot's of green vegetables, lean protein, and whole grain carbs. And do whatever you can to burn lots of calories (which may mean adding an extra hour or two of cardio to your daily routine). It sounds like you're already training pretty hard, so trying to add quick weight loss on top of what you're already doing will be pretty difficult.

[alison_in_oh]

What would be the best way to drop a few (5-10) over a few weeks while maintaining muscle mass? I've got a trip coming up with a LOT of climbing, and I've been training, and have built up a good muscle base, but I want to lose as much fat as possible to make the climbs as easy as possible. I don't eat white flour, potatoes, rice, dairy, beef, pork, or fried anything, but what else can I do? I'm going to continue riding up until the trip, with hill work alternating with long mileage days (hopefully a century each weekend) so I need energy to ride, but want to lose fat. I don't have a lot of weight to lose (BMI of 20) I probably have about 10 pounds that I could safely lose.

What's your bodyfat percentage? My BMI is 21.3 but with 15-17% bodyfat, I don't feel I have any more to lose without wasting away my hard-earned muscle.

I dropped 4 lbs total weight while gaining at least a lb of muscle mass during the past 4 months by biking a lot (last couple of weeks have been over 12 hours per week), short (mostly) intense rides during the week (1.5-2.5 hours of intervals and hills or recovery) and longer endurance rides (3-3.5 hours of easier spinning and hills) on the weekend; lifting weights twice a week (just a half hour full-body routine); and eating about 6 meals per day with balanced levels of fat, protein, and carbo. (I tend to fall into about a 30-35/10-15/55 split for my macronutrients.)

My usual intake is something like cereal with yogurt for breakfast, PBJ or cereal bar for mid-morning snack, something with legumes (falafel, chili, minestrone) or leftovers (pasta, stirfry) for lunch, banana or Clif bar or bagel for mid-afternoon snack, small munchies at home, on-the-bike munchies if needed, post-ride munchies (going to chocolate soy milk for that), then dinner is a big colorful tossed salad with homemade vinaigrette, a lean protein source and a starchy side. (My ideal healthy dinner is baked salmon with couscous or wild rice mix pilaf or just brown basmati!)

Hope this helps.

[dodgy]

Well, if you're serious then check out McDonald's PSMF (protein sparing modified fast). It's an ebook you can buy from his site www.bodyrecomposition.com

Yes, it starvation. Yes, it's not particularly pleasant or healthy. Yes it's temporary. Yes it works if you can stick w/ it.

[alison_in_oh]

Well, if you're serious then check out McDonald's PSMF (protein sparing modified fast). It's an ebook you can buy from his site www.bodyrecomposition.com

Yes, it starvation. Yes, it's not particularly pleasant or healthy. Yes it's temporary. Yes it works if you can stick w/ it.

Do you really think a PSMF is compatible with a heavy endurance training routine? This goes back to the question of whether a ketogenic energy cycle is adequate energy for long-term efforts, but at the very least she'd have a couple of weeks of adjustment before she could properly use the ketone bodies, and her training would suffer just when she needs that least.

[Pedal Wench]

Alison, I've never had my BF professionally checked, but a rough estimate with the tape measure method showed it around 20-22. I know there's some lying around my mid-section that I could lose...

I'll just eliminate all calories that don't directly impact cycling, and see what happens.

[alison_in_oh]

Alison, I've never had my BF professionally checked, but a rough estimate with the tape measure method showed it around 20-22. I know there's some lying around my mid-section that I could lose...

I'll just eliminate all calories that don't directly impact cycling, and see what happens.

Cool, I'm cleaning up my diet a little further too. No more seconds of brownies or thirds of beer! :p

[jennings780]

Quick weight loss - what has worked for me is not to starve myself but greatly increase my intake of veggie. Most every meal will be made up of mainly veggies and throw in some beans for protein. But eat a lot of food. Don't get hungry. Just veggies, veggies, veggies. Beans beans beans.

[dodgy]

Do you really think a PSMF is compatible with a heavy endurance training routine? This goes back to the question of whether a ketogenic energy cycle is adequate energy for long-term efforts, but at the very least she'd have a couple of weeks of adjustment before she could properly use the ketone bodies, and her training would suffer just when she needs that least.

Whoops your right - didn't catch the second part of the post where the op said she'll be alternating hill work & long rides daily. That's what I get for posting before I get enough coffee in me.

No, PSMF wouldn't be appropriate for that level of training intensity. Actually, I'm not sure if anything below maintenence calories would be able to support that level of intensity...

[Pedal Wench]

Actually, I'm not sure if anything below maintenence calories would be able to support that level of intensity...

I guess that's what I need to do - figure out what my maintenance calories are, and then just cut down a smidge. I just stocked up on chicken, salmon, broccoli, spinach, grapefruit and fat-free yogurt, so I'll report back in a week...

[RonH]

What would be the best way to drop a few (5-10) over a few weeks while maintaining muscle mass?
Last summer I dropped ~15 pounds by riding extra laps around Stone Mountain.
My weight was at a plateau. I was doing my usual ride out to SM and doing one or two laps and then riding home. I decided to add extra laps to see if I could get past the plateau. It worked. :beer:

From where you live it may be hard to ride to SM. You might want to drive to Decatur or Clarkston or Tucker High School and ride to the bike path and out to SM. There are lots of folks who ride from Decatur (like me :) ) and Tucker every Sat and Sun so you'll have lots of company.

[RockinAR]

There's no "magic bullet" for proper weight loss. Yes, you can lose pounds a week but it's going to be mostly water and muscle. If you want to lose fat, you're going to have to have patience. No way around it.

[edp773]

What would be the best way to drop a few (5-10) over a few weeks while maintaining muscle mass?
The answer is take in 400 calories less per day than you burn. Do not lose more than one or two pounds per week after losing the water weight. Anything more and the percentage of smooth muscle loss goes up and metabolism slows. There are some good reliable websites out there if you do a google search. I am not a nutrientionist, but did do some research on the subject.

[Moonshot]

A suggestion and a question.

If you are confident the ride is well managed take just one water bottle and stop at rest stops to fill it. Or dump the contents of one of your water bottles before the big climbs. I think you save a pound or so there.

Since the body can retain more water than necessary (bloating) is there a way to ensure your body is not retaining too much water?

[Treespeed]

I would reccomend the South Beach Diet phase one. I lost a ton of weight on this one right off the bat. I would also add in some lowfat dairy, very filling with good protein.

Maybe also adding some cross training, swimming, some gym workouts, or stair running. Anything to mix up your routine and put different stresses on your body.

I lost thirty pounds this year with this approach, and I've kept the weight off, even with the occasional piece of pie.

-Marcus.