Training & Nutrition - Hi, I am trying to lose weight by riding a bike...any tips?

Hi there,

I just bought a bike in hopes to lose some of this weight. Im not what you would call obese and most peopel dont find me even overweight but I see it when I dont have my shirt on and things like that.

I was windering if anyone has any ideas for me to start out on. Like a schedual or sonthing that has worked for you. I would like to lose maybe 10-20 pounds at least. Im 20 yrs old male.

SHould I start out slow? what should I eat? how should I do this. Any suggestions are greately appreciated.

Joe

My advice go out ride and have fun :)

But should I watch how much I ride? I tend to get dehidrated and faint a lot. Ive acually had to go to emerge once because of it.

Anything special I should drink mor eof?

I'm not a medical doctor, and if you get dehydrated that easy I would suggest you consult with your doctor to be honest. The suggested amount is 1 litre of water per hour, so 4-8 ounces every 15-20 min.

Everyone is a bit different, you can also try some of the energy drinks gatoroade.. Cytomax etc.. They will help you recover your electrolytes better while out on the ride.

Another option that alot of people do is commute by bike to work every day, that way you can not put off riding. All of us have some dayswe just dont' feel like going out :)

Fainting could be a problem if you're cruising at 15 mph and lose control of your bike. Especially if there's auto traffic; you could suffer additional injuries. Please seek medical advice and get control of this condition, before you put yourself in danger on a bicycle.

I dont faint all the time i just think I try to hard or over do it. I just dont know what my limit should be

Biking has helped me a lot.. Between giving up on running and learning to love cycling- I gained about 50 pounds.. Cycling has taken off about 35 pounds. Like to loose the last 15..
Cycling is great, do not find it quite as fast at loosing weight as running.. I ran/cycle so that I can be a pig and eat everything in sight.. Running did conquer that problem; I am sure cycling could-but I already am on the bike at least, 15 hours a week..
I know get more intense with my time..
Point is I could do better at what I stick in my mouth. That is the secret.. It really is pretty easy with determination and exercise.. With the mileage I put in and a little restraint, I should get down below that last 15 pounds..
My belief, I don't think a low carb diet is for cyclists- just watch the fat and calories.. What does the rest of us eat..?

What speeds and amount of hrs a week did everyone start off as?

Joe

You'll probably get alot of different answers there.. I started off doing 12 miles.. my brother started off doing 1-2 miles. Everyone is in different physical shape, that will be the deciding factor. You have to pay attention to your'e body, and it will let you know what you can do.

The main thing is to be consistant. Try to get out every day if you can, but don't worry too much if you miss, just get back at it. The other thing is intensity. You have to work hard enough to get your hearbeat up, but not so hard that you can't go for at least an hour or so. Drink lots of water, you can't drink too much of it. The last thing, as zealot says, is to limit your eating, but still enough to keep your energy level up.

Good luck!

shut off the computer and ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would but its snowing outside :)

<----- Canadian here

Joe

I agree with aerobat consistency as to exercise and diet is the key to weight loss .I suggest you start gradual and at an intensity you can sustain and consistently start building up a base of miles.Once your fitness and conditioning improve you can gradually start upping the miles and intensity from there.Proper nutrition and hydration are very important you should start well hydrated and drink water throughout the ride and key nutrients potassium,sodium,magnesium,calcium,E may be needed as well during the ride or for recovery(I suggest you read up on electrolyte replacement).For diet overall you have to consume less calories than you burn and I suggest you eat frequent small balanced meals focusing on whole unrefined sources adjusting the carbs and overall calories to your activity level.You need to learn to eat for function .See the recent threads started by Justen in the T&N forum for ideas on training strategies and nutrition during training to maximize fatburning and weight loss .Good Luck and get out riding (or stay6 indoors and ride if its too cold out).

Try to build some muscle, it'll help to burn fat faster. You might want to ride hills infrequently or buy a resistance band and include some weight training. It'll definitely help.

The best tip I can offer is to have patience with the process -- the weight isn't going to come off right away, at least it didn't for me. I was getting frustrated because I had been riding regularly since last August and hadn't really seen much (if any) weight loss, at least not until about a month ago when suddenly the pounds started to fall off pretty quickly. Lots of good things will happen as a result of your riding, but the weight loss might take a little while. Another thing to remember is that you shouldn't expect the cycling to make all the difference -- you still need to help yourself out with a proper diet.

Remeber you might lose inches before you lose weight since the conversion from fat to muscle (the latter being more dense) may plateu your weight. I had to lose my 60 pounds I gained after my pregnancy but it took 19 months and now I'm back to 130. Rember, input less than output. All y ou need to do to gain weight is eat 50 calories more per day than you expend (that's that one cookie you decided to cheat on for the day!) By the reverse process you can lose weight so don't kill yourself riding, just enjoy and the stamina and aerobic capacity will come in time.

Also, if you wait until your thirst receptors tell you to drink, you are already headed into a losing battle with hydration, so drink, drink, drink even if you don't feel thirsty.

Thanks to everyone who write. I appreciate it. I can see that theres a nice bunch of people in here. Ill let you all know how I go and my progress. That being said, does anyone have any diets recommended that still give nice foods? Not just all veggies and thats it?

If you do or know a site with some good diet ideas pleas elet me know ,

thanks,

joe

Just a good, balanced diet, but a little less of everything. Moderation is the key, as well as staying away from refined sugars and high fat foods. If you eat things you like, it's easier to stick with the diet, even though you're eating a little less.

Personally I suggest you view it as not so much a diet as a lifestyle change to healthy eating habits that you can sustain the rest of your life.Here is the site I usually recommend for weight training exercise demonstrations but it has sections on diet,weight loss and calorie counting as well : http://exrx.net/

My problem with dieting. I work shift work.. At 4 am, an orange just does not have the substance of a Mars bar. I disgust myself.. I am weak... A candy bar is far more filling and satisfying..
If I could retire, I would boost my mileage from 650 miles (average) a month to maybe 1,000 plus and not have Mars bars at 4 am? Then I will loose another 20 pounds..

Thank you RWTD for that site... i forwarded it to my oldest bro.. he needs some motivation..lol
i also like looking at different sites like these.. confirms my belief that wt training then a cardio program is the best way to go.. for me :)

thanks again
ellen.

check out my website at www.guidesforbetterliving.com you can get all the info you need to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle. good Luck!

Originally posted by RWTD
Personally I suggest you view it as not so much a diet as a lifestyle change to healthy eating habits that you can sustain the rest of your life.Here is the site I usually recommend for weight training exercise demonstrations but it has sections on diet,weight loss and calorie counting as well : http://exrx.net/


That is exactly what I tell people who are trying to lose weight... I did the same thing about 4 years ago.. I was about 35-40 lbs. overweight... got tired of feeling like crap about it.. completely changed by life... stopped eating crap... starting eating 4-5 fruits a day, stopped eating fast food, stopped eating anything that came in a package (i.e. candy bars, chips, etc.) starting by walking and riding an exercise bike at the gym, then a little running... got back into cycling last year about this time, lost the 10 lbs, I had gained since getting a girlffriend/wife and settling down a bit... now I am at a good weight... but the key is, not to "diet"... Look at what you eat, and how you live your life, and change it... it takes a lot of will power, that most people don;t have.. I still get a craving for a Snicker bar every now and then... as long as you don;t overindulge you'll be good...

Jeff

Originally posted by 1oldRoadie
shut off the computer and ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree! I did away with my cable tv and internet for bicycle riding and have not missed them at all.

Originally posted by pletcgm
I agree! I did away with my cable tv and internet for bicycle riding and have not missed them at all.

Then how are you posting here?


Joe_jk: You've already made a great first step. Ride your bike. Ride it all over town and out into the sticks. You'll see stuff you won't see from a car, even though you're on the same roads. You'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you got to your destination under your own power. And pretty soon, your clothes will be looser and your friends will say "hey, you look great."

Enjoy the ride.

Originally posted by caloso
Then how are you posting here?

And pretty soon, your clothes will be looser and your friends will say "hey, you look great."

Enjoy the ride.

I am posting here from work.

And yes, my friends have already seen a huge change in me. I have lost 70 pounds from bicycle riding. I hear a lot of time the word WOW when some see me that I haven't seen in a long time. It is absolutely the most awesome sport!!!

Use the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) principle and this is the simplest of formulas - PERIOD.

Burn more calories that you consume.

No need to go crazy with charts, plans, shemes, diets, etc!
Find a few easy to use resources to:
- Estimate and keep track of (log) how many calories you're consuming.
- Estimate and keep track of (log) how many calories you're burning.

Burn about 500 calories MORE than you consume on a weekly basis.

KISS it! Just ESTIMATE...if you get too detailed and go crazy with weighing every bit of food you eat and trying to zero in on every 10th of a calorie that you burn, you just won't stick with it. AND the riding becomes a chore and loses it's fun factor.

Originally posted by bikeCOLORADO
Just ESTIMATE...if you get too detailed and go crazy with weighing every bit of food you eat and trying to zero in on every 10th of a calorie that you burn, you just won't stick with it. AND the riding becomes a chore and loses it's fun factor.

You are soooo right! I tried to diet years ago and I got frustrated because I kept up with calorie count.

My last diet, I guestimated my intake and have done great. I cut out all of the bad foods and started riding all the time. I have lost 70 pounds. My waist size has dropped from a 42 to a 34. I dropped from 238 to 168, well I have gained this previous week 8 pounds due to steroid injections for the bicycle injury with a car. I plan on getting those off fast!

I started doing long miles (30-50) slowly... As soon as I got used to the high mileage, I started increasing speed..

Hello ~ we (me and my husband - we are no spring chicken anymore) just starting riding recently to get out of the house and excerise at the same time. I've been having such a great time. I agree with one of the posts prior; you will notice things along the ride that you didn't realize that you have never taken the time to look at while driving in a car. For me and my husband, I find it is nice to ride, visit with each other and just be away from the kids and spending time together while also noticing that we are feeling better, having more energy and having a sense of accomplishment. The more we ride, the farther we try the next time. Believe me, when we started, we barely made it down the street and back and now I feel like I can't get enough!

Generally, if a post is SEVEN YEARS OLD, we don't resurrect it without a good reason.

Drink this: WATER
Dont drink : soda & juices

Eat a regular sized portion and chew many times before swallowing

Stay away from sweets and junkfood

No microwave dinners, no chinese or italian take outs, just make a plain sandwich with some deli meat with no mayo for lunches

Ride at least 100 miles per week with a decent amount of energy needed..

after doing this you will see results in 2 months for sure!

the hardest part is following through with the diet, you will be sucked in and tempted to eat whatever others are eating but you just have to resist the temptation and say no and if you think your hungry? DRINK A TALL GLASS OF WATER!

Hello ~ we (me and my husband - we are no spring chicken anymore) just starting riding recently to get out of the house and excerise at the same time. I've been having such a great time. I agree with one of the posts prior; you will notice things along the ride that you didn't realize that you have never taken the time to look at while driving in a car. For me and my husband, I find it is nice to ride, visit with each other and just be away from the kids and spending time together while also noticing that we are feeling better, having more energy and having a sense of accomplishment. The more we ride, the farther we try the next time. Believe me, when we started, we barely made it down the street and back and now I feel like I can't get enough!

Necrophiliac

As others have said drink water. If you stop urinating or your urine is strongly colored and smelly, you need to drink more. On long, hot rides, sodium loss can be a problem. Gatoraide and all of the sports drinks don't have enough sodium to help. But you probably will not suffer hyponatriumia.

As to weight loss, the closer you get to being lean, the harder it is. There are several reasons. The human body loves to hoarde fat. I think it is for that famine that we are not going to get. Another thing, your body absolutely positively has to have carbohydrates. The nervous system burns only carbohydrates and consumes about 500 calories per day. If you get in fewer carbs than that on a daily basis, you body will burn protein (muscle) to produce carbohydrates. That is a bad thing.

Usually, you will get in enough fat to be OK. But people get into such weird diets these days that who knows? There might be a strange diet out there that will cause problems. The same thing with protein. Most diets give you plenty but then again, I bet that there are some that do not.

A good discipline to go by is to get a little book on the grams of carbohydrates, proteins, fats (both saturated and unsaturated) & calories in the things you eat. You need enough carbohydrates and proteins in your diet. If you ride really far and pretty hard, you will need to replace your storage carbohydrates (glycogen). You can pretty much get rid of saturated fat safely. You should also lean towards complex carbohydrates.

Another thing is no matter how much you exercise, you can eat enough to gain weight. I went on a 2 week tour in the rockies. It had long mileage (over 70 per day) and a fair bit of climbing, also we were setting up camp and tearing it down every day which gave even more exercise. Some people gained weight. They not only ate the 3 substantial meals provided per day, they also went into town in the afternoon and had a second lunch consisting of the biggest cheese burger possible, a mountain of fries, a big drink and the biggest sundae possible. I just ate the 3 meals per day and was careful to avoid fats. In 2 weeks, most people gained weight. I lost 10 lbs without effort. The thing is weight loss is simple it is calories burned - calories consumed/3500 = lbs of fat lost.

Sit down sometime and figure out how many miles you have to ride to burn a lb of fat. It is a bunch. Also if you ride that far, you are almost sure as shooting going to eat more so you need to add that additional consumption to your calculations.

Good luck. It is simple but not easy.

Good luck. It is simple but not easy.

Good luck yourself. You are responding to someone who has not posted here for over seven years.

The reason bicycling is an effective adjunct to weight loss programs is because it can be performed continuously for long periods of time with little risk of injury to joints. The key to weight loss is maintaining a variety of activities that don't involve eating.

You really need to shrink your stomach. I tried to burn calories for years with no effect at all. I just got hungrier. And stimulants were the wrong thing to fuel the exercise with.

A weight loss clinic is the best idea, and insurance should pay for it.

http://commutercycling.blogspot.com/2011/07/weight-loss-and-cycling.html

IMHO, biking alone is unlikely to lead to weight loss. I bike 20-40 miles a day and I'm still pudgy. Unless you're ultra hardcore about it, it just doesn't burn enough calories to make a real difference. You have to change your diet to lose weight.

What biking <i>will</i> do for you:
Save you gas and maintenance on your car.
Give you joy.
Strengthen your heart and lungs.
If you have good trails it can actually be faster to bike in cities than drive during rush hour.
Easier parking most of the time.
Cooler friends.
Reduce your environmental impact on your location and the planet.

Good grief, why do you people find it impossible to read the thread? The original post is eight years old.

hi there,

i just bought a bike in hopes to lose some of this weight. Im not what you would call obese and most peopel dont find me even overweight but i see it when i dont have my shirt on and things like that.

I was windering if anyone has any ideas for me to start out on. Like a schedual or sonthing that has worked for you. I would like to lose maybe 10-20 pounds at least. Im 20 yrs old male.

Should i start out slow? What should i eat? How should i do this. Any suggestions are greately appreciated.

Joe

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Good grief, why do you people find it impossible to read the thread? The original post is eight years old.

oh hell, i didn't even look at the date, I feel like such a dork

Good grief, why do you people find it impossible to read the thread? The original post is eight years old.
That's a great way to greet a newbie. I bet s/he found this post from an Internet search, is unfamiliar with online forums, and was just trying to be helpful.

Welcome Redmond! :)

Generally, if a post is SEVEN YEARS OLD, we don't resurrect it without a good reason.

Hey, it hardly any worse than the perpetual helmet or sidewalk cycling arguments!

Don in Austin

Good grief, why do you people find it impossible to read the thread? The original post is eight years old.

This thread features prominently on Google searches for a topic that's still completely relevant. More so, since the author is now 28 and his metabolism is probably taking a hit.

That's a great way to greet a newbie. I bet s/he found this post from an Internet search, is unfamiliar with online forums, and was just trying to be helpful.

Welcome Redmond! :)

Thank you! I thought that forums that didn't want old threads continued generally closed the comments sections. Does Bike Forums have rules regarding old posts?

No, no rules about old posts. Cycling has a wide range of people including more than it's fair share of rude people. I rode with a guy yesterday that is super self absorbed. He told me he doesn't do charity rides because if he's going to raise 10,000$ he's going to do it to buy a new bike because these rides aren't supposed to be about raising money anyway. He said he's been riding since 1978 and used to race and he's done everything there is to do on a bike and he rides everyday. Then he told me that yesterday was the second time since 1995 that he's ridden with someone else. The other time was with my other neighbor last week. He said when he rides it's about him. I figure when he does anything it's about him. Cycling gives people like that an activity that they can do that let's their total self obsession flag fly. Later they come on bike forum and slam unsuspecting posters to make themselves feel superior. Most cyclists are not like that.

In answer to the original question, I lost 60 pounds by logging my food on myfitnesspal which has an app for your smart phone. I counted calories and after I lost most of the weight, I started exercising including riding the bike. Calorie counting taught me what to eat to get through the day without being hungry. Just so happens, those are the same healthy foods we've always been told to eat. Lean meat, complex carbs, vegetables, fiber and very limited or no sweets will make you healthy in all kinds of ways. You will feel better, look better and on average live longer. Good luck to all that find this thread by whatever means.

Thank you! I thought that forums that didn't want old threads continued generally closed the comments sections. Does Bike Forums have rules regarding old posts?

Welcome to the forum, Redmond!

There aren't any official rules as far as resurrecting old threads. If it's someone who was asking for help with their bike in the initial post, chances are they've solved their problem if the thread is bumped 5 years later, so it will be closed. Threads like this that deal with timeless subjects such as weight loss will not be closed.

CbadRider
Forum Moderator

There is a thousand different ways and reasons to loseweight and none of them compete with the fact all of them are useless unlessyou have mentally decided to lose weight. Last year on New Year’s I promisedmyself that I was going to lose enough weight to see my abs. After coming acrosshttp://boyels.com and 8 months later from being 287 I was 214 and able to see a4 pack of abs. The most important thing to remember is you can never give upand must devour your weaker will and let the strong one flourish.

Might check out this book, not very expensive:
http://www.amazon.com/Ride-Your-Way-Lean-Ultimate/dp/B005GNKA2E/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324918299&sr=1-1

But should I watch how much I ride? I tend to get dehidrated and faint a lot. Ive acually had to go to emerge once because of it.

Anything special I should drink mor eof?

If you are getting dehydrated, you need to be drinking more liquids, preferably things that will replenish the minerals that you sweat out. You also need to be feeding your body the fuel that it needs to propel you and your bike. If you are pushing so hard that you are passing out, something is bad wrong.