Commuting - fat and ugly

I havent done any serious commuting in a little while. I've earned myself a gut!!! Its time to burn that off. I quit biking for a while do to crazy weather but my eating style didn't change with the slowdown in biking, so naturally... i'm a chunky monkey. I plan to get on a diet and see if I can burn this fat off and get back up to par and then some by mid spring. Any workout suggestions?

What you need are longer periods on the bike. You only start really burning fat after a certain amount of time (I think its about an hour, but I could be wrong). You don't have to work at high intensity, but you have to be out there for a while in each shot. I object is not to make you super tired but to get you working at say 50-65% for 2 hours, even if that means average 12mph!

You can ride all you want but you'll still be ugly.:D

Originally posted by Greg
You can ride all you want but you'll still be ugly.:D

Ah, that reminds me of my favorite response to "Your fat" comments.. I may be fat, but you're ugly, and I can diet. :D

Im with Spire. Get out on that bike and ride. Eat right or just eat better but get out and RIDE! By the time you lose most of the fat you want to lose your saddle sore will be gone too... kill 2 birds with one fat gut.

One more here who says just ride, baby! And riding to and from work is the best way for me to get in more miles. I have a relatively short commute but if I ride to and from work everyday, that's 40 easy miles. When the days get longer, it's easy to take a detour to explore the town. If you do that, in a few months you'll look at your odometer and be shocked. And you'll have to buy new pants because you'll be so skinny. :)

If your weather is anything like we've been having, you can supplement /replace your riding with cross country skiing, or put your bike on the trainer and get your fill of videos.

The most important thing is to make it an enjoyable part of your lifestyle. Some people get in a big hurry because their unwanted pounds are a strong motivator. But most people who lose weight
put it back on again, and then some. Why? Because after "the diet," they go right back to the old ways that got them overweight in the first place.

I lost about 12% of my body weight through cycling, walking and a balanced diet (even while adding some muscle,) and I've never gained it back. I kept track of the calories I ate and subtracted the calories I used during exercise. I aimed at 2,000 calories per day (after subtraction.) I didn't cut back to under 2,000, so I didn't really get hungry.

Another thing I did was to eat more vegetables, less fat and less sugar (you can cut a lot of calories just by cutting sugar and sweets alone.) Eating out was rare also, because you can't count calories unless you know the number, and that's hard to know when you order out. If you make it yourself and read the nutrition information, you can count much more easily. A little butter and salt on a big bowl of your favorite vegetable is delicious and fills you right up. An apple is a fantastic snack that leaves your breath fresh, unlike the aftertaste of a Coke or candy bar, and an apple may only cost half as much.

During the winter, if you can't get out as much, don't stop exercising. Even if you can't exercise as much, that's ok--a little is better than none. Just find something enjoyable.

Don't be in a hurry. Just enjoy a new lifestyle, one that makes you happy and healthy. :)

P.S. I also noticed that when I stopped riding my bike, I had to watch what I ate more carefully. For some reason, it seems to be easier to put on weight when I'm not exercising. I seem to get hungry for more snacks, and also I'm used to eating more when I ride, so I can't eat the same when off the bike.

Well... just and update. Its only been about 24hours, but i'm setting up an excercise regiment to get rid of my winter gut. Even though i'll have my drivers liscence on the 15th of February, i'm trying to veer away from driving too much. I love cars and bikes. They don't necesarilly always work together which is too bad. I'm going to be doing neighborhood rides for an hour or two afterschool for the next couple of weeks, but I plan to ride my bike to the DMV(confusing the system). After that I plan to start riding more, and riding some of the beatutiful lakes in these lovely twin cities of mine. I'm going to be working out every day, heavy excercise every otherday from now on. Believe it or not, I actually look foward to the upcoming dissapearence of love handles. Its lots of work but my friends call me superman for a reason!! jk-no one calls me superman. maybe superboy if I buy a cape. I've got to go though. My phone is ringing and my ab roller is calling my name. Must resist urge to eat bag of dove candy bars(darn valentines day).

Devster,

You've got me a little concerned now.

Start out slow on the excercise if its been a while and make an emphasis on eating sensible.

Toss the Dove bars, the'll make you more ugly.

Based on personal experience, you must combine sensible eating and excercise to loose and keep the weight down. Slow = lasting. If you are otherwise healthy, first, cut down complex carbohydrates (breads, cakes, dohnuts, rice, ...) significantly. Than, again, assuming that you are otherwise healthy, do some aerobics for minimum of 30 minutes, first thing in the morning, before eating and after drinking couple of glasses of water. Biking is great, but do it longer than say running. Find some time to build up muscle mass, weight ligft. 1lb = 50kcal/day burned extra. Do it slowly, don't take any drugs or stimulants - it absolutely works. If you are not healthy, you must consult sensible doctor.

Well... i'm pretty healthy in my opinion. Its just my diet didnt change when I cut back on biking for the winter, and out came the gut a little bit. I woke up this morning with a little tension in my abs and a little slimmer. I'm used to biking where I can eat anything I want and still lose weight. Gotta love it.

Devster, fortunately you're young and your metabolism and youthful vigor are on your side. If you create powerful habits of self-development now, you'll be in your peak when many of us were still in a slump.

Don't wait until you get to be my age (over 40.) The battle is much tougher, then. But if you start now, by the time you hit 40,
you'll be a prize!

Originally posted by Pete Clark
Devster, fortunately you're young and your metabolism and youthful vigor are on your side.

Pete, are you growing bitter?:D

Originally posted by Greg


Pete, are you growing bitter?:D
Greg, be honest: am I fat?

:D

(Just kidding, Devster! ;) )

Originally posted by Pete Clark
Greg, be honest: am I fat?

Standard answer:
Honey, have you seen my brown shoes?

or, in hard times,

Hon, did you lose this fifty? I found it in the dryer with your clothes.

Thanks, Greg! Surely, I did lose that fifty...

(...and if you don't call me, "Hon," I won't call you, "Surely.")

Originally posted by Pete Clark
... your metabolism and youthful vigor... blah blah blah Pete, forget youth, whudever happened to good old fashioned old age and treachery? ;)

"Ride lots"

and if you can't, don't worry. Look at me now, I'm still the same great person/badger I always was!:D