Training & Nutrition - need help with food intake...

Ok, I know I have a problem...I eat way too much and can't seem to lose any weight. Its not so bad in the summer but the winters are killing me since I've reduced riding time and family obligations increase for the holiday season. I admit I have no self control. It's not that I eat that bad but its the portion sizes and frequency that is my biggest problems.

Anyone have any tips or tricks to try and control my hunger? Or, give into the hunger, just ride and increase workouts to counter the calories?

How much do you exercise now?

Have you started keeping track of absolutely everything you eat? That can often be VERY revealing.

I am on a medication that makes me hungry all the time, so I have developed some coping skills. I have also lost 30 lbs so far.

Eat food that is bulky but low cal such as vegetables(not corn!), salad greens, tomato juice, clear broth soups, and so on. Fill your stomach to not feel hungry.

Drink 6-8 cups of water a day.

Also, what works for me is to eat every 2 hours. You never get the chance to be hungry. Of course you have to eat smaller meals, but it is easier than waiting until you are famished and try to eat a 300 calorie lean cuisine.

And if I am really in a pinch, I take two fiber choice tablets. They don't taste half bad and they fill your stomach almost immediately.

Ok, I know I have a problem...I eat way too much and can't seem to lose any weight. Its not so bad in the summer but the winters are killing me since I've reduced riding time and family obligations increase for the holiday season. I admit I have no self control. It's not that I eat that bad but its the portion sizes and frequency that is my biggest problems.

Anyone have any tips or tricks to try and control my hunger? Or, give into the hunger, just ride and increase workouts to counter the calories?
More riding probably won't help. It's a vicious (or virtuous) cycle. The more you ride, the more you eat.

You already hit the nail on the head - control your portion sizes. Eat smaller meals more frequently, so as to avoid stuffing yourself. It usually takes some time before you get the message that you're full.

Also, like others have said, and in vegetables. Lots of them. That, and eat clean foods, and you should be alright.

Btw, how much weight are you looking to lose? That might dictate what sort of program you ought to adopt.

How much do you exercise now?

Have you started keeping track of absolutely everything you eat? That can often be VERY revealing.

Right now its been hard to work out consistantly, with a 4 month old and minor renovation l've only managed to squeeze in 2-3 workouts per week. However, this is not a new issue...it happens every winter and I want to learn how to break this cycle.

Keeping track is difficult with my job and family, just trying to get workouts in is hard enough and I know I'll just simply forget.

Do you carry around some sort of food diary?

I am on a medication that makes me hungry all the time, so I have developed some coping skills. I have also lost 30 lbs so far.

Eat food that is bulky but low cal such as vegetables(not corn!), salad greens, tomato juice, clear broth soups, and so on. Fill your stomach to not feel hungry.

Drink 6-8 cups of water a day.

Also, what works for me is to eat every 2 hours. You never get the chance to be hungry. Of course you have to eat smaller meals, but it is easier than waiting until you are famished and try to eat a 300 calorie lean cuisine.

And if I am really in a pinch, I take two fiber choice tablets. They don't taste half bad and they fill your stomach almost immediately.

I eat rather healthy 90% of the time with alot of vegetables but I also eat whole wheat pasta 1 to 2 times a week and have a portion size for 4 people.

I drink usually at least 2 litres of water a day and have meals/snacks approx every 2 hours.

These fiber choice tablets...are they like Metamucil?

More riding probably won't help. It's a vicious (or virtuous) cycle. The more you ride, the more you eat.

-I agree with this....




You already hit the nail on the head - control your portion sizes. Eat smaller meals more frequently, so as to avoid stuffing yourself. It usually takes some time before you get the message that you're full.

-This is where I fail....I don't know when I'm full. I eat until I can't breath and realize that not even one more fork/spoon of food will go down because there is food blocking my throat!


Also, like others have said, and in vegetables. Lots of them. That, and eat clean foods, and you should be alright.

-My wife and I don't eat junk foods, pop, or fast food...all we really eat is home cooked food which is 99% of the time healthy...maybe once a week we splurge on eating more fatty foods.



Btw, how much weight are you looking to lose? That might dictate what sort of program you ought to adopt.


-My goal is 20lbs...right now 190.

My friend is a nutrisionist(sp?) and she says really its not what you eat its how you eat. When you feel full stop eating dont finish your plate and dont go back for seconds. Along with not eating double cheese burgers everyday.

She also says that if you do need to get a double cheese burger, do it but leave 3-4 bites lefts and dont eat all the fries.

My friend is a nutrisionist(sp?) and she says really its not what you eat its how you eat. When you feel full stop eating dont finish your plate and dont go back for seconds. Along with not eating double cheese burgers everyday.

She also says that if you do need to get a double cheese burger, do it but leave 3-4 bites lefts and dont eat all the fries.


I have maybe have 5 cheese burgers in a year...and they are during the summer BBQ season when I'm not worried about weight gain.


When you feel full stop eating... I don't think the "feel full" signal ever reaches my barin. Like I said when I can't shove another piece of food down my throat then and only then do I realize I'm full.


Does anyone think this is some sort of a condition where the signal doesn't travel to my brain?

Try to slow down when you eat. If you are not getting the "all full" signal until you are stuffed, perhaps you are eating everything in too big of a rush. It takes time for the stomach to signal the brain.

Do you take at least 30 minutes to eat or do you woof it down in 10 minutes like a lot of people?

Well if you need help with intaking your food, invite someone over to help you. :D

I know, I have problems myself too. I eat all the time. Notice my sig. I think it's some kind of a disorder. Glad I'm not alone.

Try to slow down when you eat. If you are not getting the "all full" signal until you are stuffed, perhaps you are eating everything in too big of a rush. It takes time for the stomach to signal the brain.

Do you take at least 30 minutes to eat or do you woof it down in 10 minutes like a lot of people?

10mins max......who takes 30 mins to eat??? 30mins maybe if I go to an all you can eat buffet!

i recomend reading "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. An extremely breif summary is eat as many vegetables, fruits and beans that you want and watch the weight come off. Obviously the book is much more involved and goes into all the reasons why but this should definately help.

I also love to eat and this is working great for me. I have lost about 20lbs in 2 months which I am very excited about.

There is no calorie counting or measuring portions. For example for breakfast I usually have fruit. A banana, apple, pear, a box of raspberries an orange ect to get me full.

Lunch is usually a huge salad and dinner some dish with a lot of beans. And then I just drink water. Its pretty easy to stay on although I do go off occasionally.

10mins max......who takes 30 mins to eat??? 30mins maybe if I go to an all you can eat buffet!

My boyfriend can get 3 plates in by the time I am done, but he also has a fast metabolism. He said he started that when he was a kid becuase he had 5 brothers competing for the food. Two things that maybe would help? Try drinking a full glass of water just as you sit down to eat, that will help signal fullness. Also, my grandmother used to do the "chew each bite 10 times" thing. She was never fat and she was your typical Italian grandma who cooked pasta and other goodies and ate them ALL the time. Good luck!

I just recently started keeping track of what I eat using fitday.com . It is easy and takes up little time. I have three kids 4 and under and find that I can fit ten minutes to track my food (usually at my lunch at work). I am a commuter so get most of my workouts in during the week. I find I eat more on the days I don't ride. I just try to make up for those days on other days.


Also don't look to change your habits over night. As with most weight related goals slow change is the way to go.

I admit I have no self control.

You're going to have to find it.

It's not rocket science...when you sit down to eat a meal:

1) Put a reasonable amount on your plate (do some research on portion sizes...you'll be surprised how small a standard "portion" really is).

2) Clean your plate, and don't go back for seconds.

I have maybe have 5 cheese burgers in a year...and they are during the summer BBQ season when I'm not worried about weight gain.

I don't think the "feel full" signal ever reaches my barin. Like I said when I can't shove another piece of food down my throat then and only then do I realize I'm full.


Does anyone think this is some sort of a condition where the signal doesn't travel to my brain?
It very well could be some sort of condition. I know that I have the same problem. for me the solution was to get in the habit of planning by portion size. A good resource is a book called "The Portion Teller." (http://www.amazon.com/Portion-Teller-Smartsize-Permanent-Weight/dp/0767920686)

If your body doesn't tell you when you're hungry or full, you have to let your brain tell you instead. I keep a journal of my exercis and food intake. At first I listed everything I ate, and broke it down into portions of each food, as described in "The Portion Teller." (http://www.amazon.com/Portion-Teller-Smartsize-Permanent-Weight/dp/0767920686) This was helpful but took quite a bit of effort.

Now I only need to list each meal I eat in general terms. For example, yesterday I wrote in my journal:

"Walked 82 minutes. Intake=Med. Bkfst, Lg. lunch, med. snack, Sm. dinner, sm. snack."

This only takes a minute a day, but it sure helps me to stay focused.

-This is where I fail....I don't know when I'm full. I eat until I can't breath and realize that not even one more fork/spoon of food will go down because there is food blocking my throat!

Why are you doing that? If you know that this is the problem, why eat until you can hardly breathe? Put less on your plate to start, and don't go back for more.

Also, have you considered that you may have a mental health issue related to food? It sounds like you're eating compulsively (binging).

I use Fitday http://www.fitday.com/ to track my food during the winter. You can either use the free online diary or you can cough up the $20US dollars and get a PC version. For me this is a big help. During the winter the calories I burn drop so my caloric intact has to drop also. As Machka said this information is VERY revealing. It also has a great side benefit of educating yourself on portion size and the overall benefit of good food.

The rest is all discipline...and I know first hand that is the toughest part. But I lost fifty pounds last year so I know it works.

Ok, I know I have a problem...I eat way too much and can't seem to lose any weight. Its not so bad in the summer but the winters are killing me since I've reduced riding time and family obligations increase for the holiday season. I admit I have no self control. It's not that I eat that bad but its the portion sizes and frequency that is my biggest problems.

Anyone have any tips or tricks to try and control my hunger? Or, give into the hunger, just ride and increase workouts to counter the calories?

Here's what works for me:

1) Look for foods that have more bulk and fewer calories. Fresh vegetables etc.

2) Fiber is your friend. Not only are the foods bulkier, but they won't spike your blood sugar as quick, leading you to get hungry later.

3) Drink extra water during/after you eat. That helps you stay full.

4) Don't be afraid of good fats. If you're hungry and you eat - say - 20 pistachio nuts, the chance that it will satisfy you is pretty good. But if you eat something that's purely carbs, you'll end up hungry again soon.

5) Don't be afraid of snacking, just make sure they're good snacks.

6) Look for healthier replacements for foods you're already eating

Finally, recovery nutrition is very important. If you replace the carbs you burn in a workout, you can skip replacing the fat. If you don't replace the carbs, it's really hard not to overeat.

i recomend reading "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. An extremely breif summary is eat as many vegetables, fruits and beans that you want and watch the weight come off. Obviously the book is much more involved and goes into all the reasons why but this should definately help.

I also love to eat and this is working great for me. I have lost about 20lbs in 2 months which I am very excited about.

There is no calorie counting or measuring portions. For example for breakfast I usually have fruit. A banana, apple, pear, a box of raspberries an orange ect to get me full.

Lunch is usually a huge salad and dinner some dish with a lot of beans. And then I just drink water. Its pretty easy to stay on although I do go off occasionally.


I'm liking this idea....

My boyfriend can get 3 plates in by the time I am done, but he also has a fast metabolism. He said he started that when he was a kid becuase he had 5 brothers competing for the food. Two things that maybe would help? Try drinking a full glass of water just as you sit down to eat, that will help signal fullness. Also, my grandmother used to do the "chew each bite 10 times" thing. She was never fat and she was your typical Italian grandma who cooked pasta and other goodies and ate them ALL the time. Good luck!

I'm also Italian, and my mother used to force feed me because she thought I was too skinny (and still does). Lucky I was active and could keep most of my weight gain to a minimum...

This idea of chewing 10 times.....new to me....usually I just swallow....I'll try it out - thanks!

You're going to have to find it.

It's not rocket science...when you sit down to eat a meal:

1) Put a reasonable amount on your plate (do some research on portion sizes...you'll be surprised how small a standard "portion" really is).

2) Clean your plate, and don't go back for seconds.


If you can find it be my guest....but like I said I have a problem and what I'm looking for are tips to trick myself into not eating large meals.

Do you know what its like to eat at an italian mothers house? Its like a 5 star buffet...everyday. If you don't eat until you puke they take offense to it like "what you don't like my food?" And they really do get angry! Now fast forward after living with this everyday of you life and you can see where my problem is. Bad habits are hard to break especially when it comes to food, which when compared to drugs or alcohol, doesn't seem that bad.

Why are you doing that? If you know that this is the problem, why eat until you can hardly breathe? Put less on your plate to start, and don't go back for more.

Also, have you considered that you may have a mental health issue related to food? It sounds like you're eating compulsively (binging).


Its hard for me what can I say...did you every hear the term "your eyes are bigger than your stomach"? Well my eyes are f_ing huge and I can't control it.

I also do believe I have some sort of issue...

I just want to say thanks for all the ideas - cheers!

Ok, I know I have a problem...I eat way too much and can't seem to lose any weight. Its not so bad in the summer but the winters are killing me since I've reduced riding time and family obligations increase for the holiday season. I admit I have no self control. It's not that I eat that bad but its the portion sizes and frequency that is my biggest problems.

Anyone have any tips or tricks to try and control my hunger? Or, give into the hunger, just ride and increase workouts to counter the calories?
I'm in the same boat:(

I'm also Italian, and my mother used to force feed me because she thought I was too skinny (and still does). Lucky I was active and could keep most of my weight gain to a minimum...

This idea of chewing 10 times.....new to me....usually I just swallow....I'll try it out - thanks!

As mentioned my Italian Grandma force fed my Italian mother who force fed her kids, i.e. me. We also ate doughnuts, candy, ice cream, chips...tons 'o junk when we were kids, fortunately I was active enough it never made me fat. However, as an adult it's much more difficult to bun off all the junk. I decided that I didn't want to be fat or out of shape, so I have worked out year round at least three days a week, but now it's six days a week and I eat six times a day (small portions). When I was 22 I ate once a day, yes that's right- once to excess.

I guess it's kind of like being an alcoholic- you have to decide when you've hit bottom and make a change. When I was 26 or 27 I weighed more than I wanted to, was still within limits for my frame size, but uncomfortable. I went to Jenny Craig (Kirstie Alley using now and working) and they completely take you off your own diet (but add in fruits/vege's) at the beginning and put you on portion controlled meals. This worked for me because it cut the cycle of bad eating I was doing and got me used to smaller portions. As mentioned before, when you eat every three hours you find that you can eat small portions cause there's another coming soon. They wean you off their food as time goes by and teach you how to eat, it's an intervention of sorts. I lost 23 pounds on that and have never gained back more than 10 of it. Maybe you need that type of assistance if you have the will power? If not maybe their is something else eating at you, (no pun intended!) and a talk with someone would be mroe useful?

I have maybe have 5 cheese burgers in a year...and they are during the summer BBQ season when I'm not worried about weight gain.

I don't think the "feel full" signal ever reaches my barin. Like I said when I can't shove another piece of food down my throat then and only then do I realize I'm full.


Does anyone think this is some sort of a condition where the signal doesn't travel to my brain?I have that same problem. Maybe 30 minutes after the meal I'll feel full - not before. I think that it might come from my years of over eating which stretched my stomach.

I'm trying to combat this with a diet program on my PDA. I enter everything I'll eat into the program - BEFORE I eat it. This helps me control my portions. It's a bother and it takes an effort to keep at it but it helps. I lost 20 lbs last year when I did this. Then I stopped and gained 10 back. I'm starting to do it again.

Eat more protein and avoid foods with simple sugar, processed flour, and hydrogenated oils. Eat every three hours. Don't eat after 8pm. Eat a big breakfast and a smallish dinner. Buy Ultrametabolism by Dr. Hymen for motivation and other ideas.

Eat more protein and avoid foods with simple sugar, processed flour, and hydrogenated oils. Eat every three hours. Don't eat after 8pm. Eat a big breakfast and a smallish dinner. Buy Ultrametabolism by Dr. Hymen for motivation and other ideas.

Thanks for the tips....

How much do you exercise now?

Have you started keeping track of absolutely everything you eat? That can often be VERY revealing.

+1

I had a very hard time losing weight until I did this.

+1
Have you started keeping track of absolutely everything you eat? That can often be VERY revealing.
I had a very hard time losing weight until I did this.OK, I've heard people say this, but I never hear the details. I mean just writing down names of food does not make you loose weight. What exactly is the process?
Do you write down food and amounts?
Do you write down the total calories?
Do you write the list BEFORE you eat - or after the meal - or at the end of the day?
What do you do with the list - review it every night?
What do you review – the last days or weeks?
How does this whole thing work with you?

I use Fitday http://www.fitday.com/ to track my food during the winter. You can either use the free online diary or you can cough up the $20US dollars and get a PC version. For me this is a big help. During the winter the calories I burn drop so my caloric intact has to drop also. As Machka said this information is VERY revealing. It also has a great side benefit of educating yourself on portion size and the overall benefit of good food.

The rest is all discipline...and I know first hand that is the toughest part. But I lost fifty pounds last year so I know it works.

+1 for fitday.com

Figure out how many calories are going in and how many are being burned. Then set your caloric intake such that you have a deficit each day (or most days). I know weight loss depends on a lot of factors, many unique to the individual, but at the most basic level it's just debits and credits. Shoot for burning more calories than you're consuming.

OK, I've heard people say this, but I never hear the details. I mean just writing down names of food does not make you loose weight. What exactly is the process?
Do you write down food and amounts?
Do you write down the total calories?
Do you write the list BEFORE you eat - or after the meal - or at the end of the day?
What do you do with the list - review it every night?
What do you review – the last days or weeks?
How does this whole thing work with you?

Great questions Mike. Here's what I do. I have a spreadsheet in which I record what I ate, the amount, and the calories. I measure/weigh food pretty closely, but I'm lax with very low calorie foods for the most part. So, if I make a salad, I might approximate the calories in the spinach (20 cal/cup or something like that), but I'll measure the dressing, cheese, etc.

I keep a pad of paper and pen in the kitchen, so I record stuff as I go, so I can put it in the spreadsheet later. The site: www.calorie-count.com has calories for a million foods. Or I use the nutritional info on the packaging. I pay attention to serving sizes, and bought a nice digital kitchen scale. If I snack as I cook, I write that on the paper too. It all goes into the spreadsheet.

The spreadsheet keeps a running total of my daily calories consumed. It also includes what I burn just by being alive (resting metabolic rate, estimated with one of the zillion calculators on line), and what I burn through workouts. Where possible, I estimate calories burned with a heart rate monitor. Otherwise, I do my best to estimate it. I always underestimate what I burn, and overestimate what I eat if I cant measure it (for example, in a restaurant or a friend's house).

My spreadsheet also churns out the daily deficit (what I consumed minus what I burned), as well as a running total of how many calories I have remaining in the day that I can consume to maintain a deficit of 500 calories. So in the afternoon, I put in what I ate for lunch, and it will tell me how many calories I "should" eat the rest of the day.

My spreadsheet is set up so I see a week at a time. 7 columns, one for each day.

It's really useful, and although I know there's a lot of estimation going on, it keeps me on track, and seems to be matching what's happening with my weight quite well. I'm shooting for a pound off a week (3500 calorie deficit each week, 500 per day).

Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to know.

Here's what works for me:

1) Look for foods that have more bulk and fewer calories. Fresh vegetables etc.

2) Fiber is your friend. Not only are the foods bulkier, but they won't spike your blood sugar as quick, leading you to get hungry later.

3) Drink extra water during/after you eat. That helps you stay full.

4) Don't be afraid of good fats. If you're hungry and you eat - say - 20 pistachio nuts, the chance that it will satisfy you is pretty good. But if you eat something that's purely carbs, you'll end up hungry again soon.

5) Don't be afraid of snacking, just make sure they're good snacks.

6) Look for healthier replacements for foods you're already eating

Finally, recovery nutrition is very important. If you replace the carbs you burn in a workout, you can skip replacing the fat. If you don't replace the carbs, it's really hard not to overeat.

First, you are contradicting yourself. In number 4 you say "if you eat something that's purely carbs, you'll end up hungry again soon." Then at the end, you say, "If you don't replace the carbs, it's really hard not to overeat." Which one is it? Do carbs make you hungry of do they make you full? I suspect you're just stringing together a bunch of crap you read on the Internet without really stopping to think about it.

Second, I gained 50 pounds by following the advice you give in numbers 4, 5 and 6, plus your advice on "recovery nutrition." I'm living proof that you can easily gain weight while eating only nutritious foods. You need to follow the advice from others about portion control in order to lose weight and keep it off. And recovery eating is a great way to gain weight. Hardly anybody (other than competitive athletes) actually exercises enough to require a recovery feeding. If you feel hungry after exercising, eat your next scheduled meal, not an exercise bar or a smoothie. Those are empty calories and should be eaten only by skinny people and competitive racers. (They are also convenient if you're eating on the bike while riding hard for a couple hours or more--something very few fat people are doing!)

I know this advice alienates me from everybody else on this forum, but like I said, I gained 50 pounds while eating clean and riding every day. I have to go by my own experience as well as all the research I've done in the past seven years.

I finally lost weight and kept it off when I embraced hunger - yep, that nasty word - hunger. Perhaps some of you can lose weight without getting hungry, but I can't. I agree with Roody.

Riding is a miracle for me - I lose weight, but, I can definitely eat enough normally to gain weight while riding. It is easy to do. If I am riding 50+ miles a day, well, it is going to be harder.

We aren't defective in that we get hungry when our body can process more food - that is normal. You just have to realize that when you live in a society where food is always available, you can add weight until you can't even move.

There is a difference between hunger, and not being to think clearly. I find if my blood sugar drops too low, my brain says "EAT NOW" and I will, and then regret it after I eat. So, I try to make sure to eat healthy and eat often.

If anything I see in discussions like this is that we all are different. You have to find out what works for you - and keep trying.

If anything I see in discussions like this is that we all are different. You have to find out what works for you - and keep trying.
That was a great post from down there in Costa Rica. I know that I definitely have to eat a LOT less than my body tells me to eat if I want to stay on track. I especially liked this last part of your post, because it's similar to what I've been through. I lost 130 pounds, gained back 50, and now I'm slowly getting down to the "normal" weight for me. It's been a struggle all the way, but it's also a lot of fun. Like ctreedude says, "Keep trying!"

Besides experimenting, I think it helps to keep track of what you're doing. Like I said before, I keep a journal. I can look back and see a record of all the things I've tried--what worked and what didn't. If I gained a pound last week, I can look at my journal and see why that happened, and learn what I have to change in order to get back on track. I like to keep my journal in a notebook, but I have tried Fitday.com, and that works too.

I see a nutritionist that has me on a balanced exchange meal plan. Its based on the ada. I didn't need to loose weight but had some health issues. Anyhow regardless she tells her clients to eat every few hours and a mix of carb/protein/fat. It keeps your energy up. Are you starting your day with a balanced breakfast? This doesn't need to feel like a diet for you and you can still have treats. Even making small changes. Like instead of a bagel have toast. I pre plan my day usually. I work ft and go to school ft but once you get into the swing its real quick. Do you find certain times harder? Even if I'm not hungry for a snack I try to have it so later it doesn't build up. I know moms often get busy and may just pick through the day. I'm not sure if this is you but really making sure to have a full meal at the time if that makes sense. I really think Nancy clark sports nutrition books give healthy good advice with no fad stuff.

"I drink usually at least 2 litres of water a day and have meals/snacks approx every 2 hours."

Eating/snacking every two hours seems like a lot of food. You should try to eat every 4 hours stay away from snacking...have mini meals...eliminate or minimize snacking...it can become a bad habit. Drink some decaf tea or water between meals.

First, you are contradicting yourself. In number 4 you say "if you eat something that's purely carbs, you'll end up hungry again soon." Then at the end, you say, "If you don't replace the carbs, it's really hard not to overeat." Which one is it? Do carbs make you hungry of do they make you full? I suspect you're just stringing together a bunch of crap you read on the Internet without really stopping to think about it.

Second, I gained 50 pounds by following the advice you give in numbers 4, 5 and 6, plus your advice on "recovery nutrition." I'm living proof that you can easily gain weight while eating only nutritious foods. You need to follow the advice from others about portion control in order to lose weight and keep it off. And recovery eating is a great way to gain weight. Hardly anybody (other than competitive athletes) actually exercises enough to require a recovery feeding. If you feel hungry after exercising, eat your next scheduled meal, not an exercise bar or a smoothie. Those are empty calories and should be eaten only by skinny people and competitive racers. (They are also convenient if you're eating on the bike while riding hard for a couple hours or more--something very few fat people are doing!)

I know this advice alienates me from everybody else on this forum, but like I said, I gained 50 pounds while eating clean and riding every day. I have to go by my own experience as well as all the research I've done in the past seven years.

On the first point, how you eat around your workout is fairly different from how you eat the rest of the time. Normally, eating sugar or other simple carbs leads to a spike in blood sugar, which leads to an insulin response, the sugar stored as fat, and low blood sugar, which leads to hunger.

During or after a workout, things are different. You blood sugar is down a bit and the sugar can go either to fuel your muscles (and help burn fat), or to replace muscle glycogen. If you get a couple hundred calories of carb (& protein), you can replace the muscle glycogen and top up the blood sugar, which means that you don't get hungry.

I find this to be really important on rides of two hours or more. Before I started doing this, I'd regularly get home, eat, but not be satisfied and keep eating the whole afternoon. If I get the nutrition right, I'll ride for 3 hours, come home, have the drink, and then a small lunch.

I *do* agree that portion control is important, as is eating healthy otherwise.

Finally, if you were trying something and it didn't work, why would you keep doing it until you gained 50 pounds?

During or after a workout, . . . . . If you get a couple hundred calories of carb (& protein), you can replace the muscle glycogen and top up the blood sugar, which means that you don't get hungry. What are some examples of wat you like to eat after a workout?

I love food, and not just healthy homecooked food either. i have a cookbook called "a man, a can, a plan" full of delicious and terribly unhealthy recipes. we eat fast food sometimes but eat at restaurants a lot. my problem is i know what i can eat and i know the portion sizes, i just can't control myself to eat the right portions, and when im done i usually snack all day long on candy, ice cream, smoothie experiments, etc... what seems to be working is i got on the Sonoma Diet. its basically just like any other diet in that you cut your calories and follow either a specific menu or it has general suggestions to follow. and the foods lean towards fighting cholesterol and heart disease, both of which run in my family. oh and it allows wine, a plus ;) in the first week i couldn't get myself to exercise because the first week is rather restrictive, and i was tired and hungry the whole time, but in the first 9 days i lost 8 lbs. that was enough of a start to motivate me to stick with the diet, also that after the first 10 days the diet is a lot less restrictive. i basically don't have to exercise self control on a meal by meal basis, i just use the diet as an authority figure, and only do what it says in the diet. a big help is the snacks, men are allowed 2 mozzarella sticks and 33 almonds (why 33 i don't know) as one of the snacks. what i do is add 1 mozzarella stick to a salad for lunch or dinner, eat the other mozzarella stick somewhere between meals and the almonds i have 1 or 2 whenever i get hungry. i still get pretty hungry before meals but it's pretty minor and easily manageable.

8 pounds in 9 days? Eeek.

33 almonds is probably one serving. On my bag of almonds, it's 28g in 1 serving, which is 190 calories. I usually measure out half that, which turns out to be about 15 almonds.

8 pounds in 9 days? Eeek.

33 almonds is probably one serving. On my bag of almonds, it's 28g in 1 serving, which is 190 calories. I usually measure out half that, which turns out to be about 15 almonds.

if i could go through that first phase again and make myself exercise i wonder how much i could have lost? also sometimes i'll take a little of my daily almonds and mash them up and sprinkle them on a salad. phase 2 allows 33 almonds, 3 Babybel cheese wheels, and 2 cuts (i forget how long) of celery with peanut butter as the snack. dinner allows 1 glass of wine every day. i'm not that concerned about my weight number, but i've told myself if i don't have a lower cholesterol number by the end of june (1 yr since the last time i got checked) then i'll have to take more drastic measures. like becoming vegetarian for a while and possibly selling my car and riding the bike for everything. :eek:

if i could go through that first phase again and make myself exercise i wonder how much i could have lost? also sometimes i'll take a little of my daily almonds and mash them up and sprinkle them on a salad. phase 2 allows 33 almonds, 3 Babybel cheese wheels, and 2 cuts (i forget how long) of celery with peanut butter as the snack. dinner allows 1 glass of wine every day. i'm not that concerned about my weight number, but i've told myself if i don't have a lower cholesterol number by the end of june (1 yr since the last time i got checked) then i'll have to take more drastic measures. like becoming vegetarian for a while and possibly selling my car and riding the bike for everything. :eek:

75% of your cholesterol is manufactured by your liver. If you're overweight, you can influence the number somewhat by diet and exercise...but, if you've drawn the short straw in the genetic lottery, you may find it impossible to get down to a "healthy" number.

At 6' and 169 lbs, I try to eat a healthy diet and ride the bike about 4000 miles per year. I also run, hike, etc. But, if it weren't for my daily doses of niacin, my cholesterol would be around 250, with a bad ratio of LDL to HDL. It runs in the family, unfortunately...:mad:

What are some examples of wat you like to eat after a workout?

Well, first of all, it needs to be enough of a workout to matter. For me that's generally in the 90 minute range. If it's the type of workout where you would get pretty hungry 15-30 minutes after the workout, then that's when thinking about recovery will help.

The research has been done using a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein, and the recommendations I've read say something around 250 calories.

The recommendations also say that it works as well to do it with real food as it does with a recovery drink, but I have better results with Endurox.

As an example, last night our group rode about 20 miles. I came home, mixed up the endurox and had some black beans and cheese on a tortilla. That was dinner, and I wasn't hungry afterwards.

Oh, and some people swear by chocolate milke as a recovery drink. It's pretty good if you can tolerate the milk.

75% of your cholesterol is manufactured by your liver. If you're overweight, you can influence the number somewhat by diet and exercise...but, if you've drawn the short straw in the genetic lottery, you may find it impossible to get down to a "healthy" number.

At 6' and 169 lbs, I try to eat a healthy diet and ride the bike about 4000 miles per year. I also run, hike, etc. But, if it weren't for my daily doses of niacin, my cholesterol would be around 250, with a bad ratio of LDL to HDL. It runs in the family, unfortunately...:mad:

yep i'm doing what i can with the diet and exercise. im 5'11" and 190lbs and my cholesterol is staying about 199. im gradually losing weight but the cholesterol seems to stay about the same.