View Full Version : Any young clydes out there?
I posted, Any young clydes out there?, twice and can't figure out how to delete this one. So, I'll make an accelerade plug.
I really like accelerade. Last year I went through a medium sized tub of orange. I used half the amount that the package said to (to conserve it and to avoid intaking too many carbs during a ride). I would recommend it to anyone who takes longer than 20 mile rides. It's like a breath of fresh air to my legs to take a couple big swigs as I start to tire. I carry two bottles (probably 20 oz, I'm not sure). I usually drink 1 and a half on the road and finish the other when I get back from my ride.
Hi, I'm 21, 6'2", ~260lbs, and ride a 2006 58" specialized allez. 6'2"/260lbs may not seem too bad but I'm sure my BMI is terrible. I'm just curious how my routine matches up with others out there trying lose weight and get fit. My main concern, as I'm sure is the case with many of you, is to loose body fat. I think I ride pretty hard and can keep up with my much thinner friends (I can usually maintain 20 mph + or - 2 for the ten miles of straight trail that exist in Springfield, IL). I just can't seem to thin down. I've have been trying to rotate between shorter, more intense rides and longer, less intense rides (not that my long rides are easy by any means). I usually log 70-90 miles a week. Anyone have any suggestions to burn fat rather than build muscle? Any off-bike exercises that will help increase upper-body fat burning? I've considered supplement help but am a little leery about using a thermogenic or something like that. Does anyone have experience with these?
I have an 8-5 internship at the EPA so I can't really take all day to exercise and I don't have much time to prepare a good breakfast or lunch. so, I'm also curious about diets that people my age have had positive results with. I usually eat granola in skim milk for breakfast. Lunch is usually not healthy because I only have 30 minutes. Sometimes I eat with co-workers (Chinese or fast food) and when I eat at my apartment I have something microwaved (pizza bagels, left-overs, etc); not good... On nights that I ride I have spaghetti with tuna, pepper, and parmesian cheese (which gives me great energy) but on nights that I don't ride I usually eat pretty poorly (pizza, hamburger helper, or some restaurant, usually later in the evening). I don't want to eat tuna for lunch every day; what quick and healthy meals have you all found?
Any suggestions for any of these problems or any further help would be very greatly appreciated.
Welcome to the group. One thing I'll say is good for you that you're addressing your weight right now. As you get older it gets a lot more difficult to manage weight issues and you have more time to enjoy the health benefits from weight loss by working on it now.
darn, sorry for changing the one that zpl just posted on
Well, you are eating semi-healthy for 1 out of your 3 meals (not good). To start with, you should be eating a minimum of 5 meals a day (that sounds good, right?). Bad news: they should be _small_ meals a day. Granola can be extremely high in sugars and carbs. You want to look for a cereal that is high in protein and fiber but low in sugars and carbs. I've had good luck with the Kashi cereals (i.e. doesn't taste like dirt). Make sure you are getting the correct serving size (a bowl does not equal a serving). Avoid processed carbs (regular spagetti, white flour, etc.) and eat good carbs (whole grains, etc.). You will fill up faster on less food and they are healthier to boot. The processed stuff just makes you hungry again in an hour or so. Typical American chinese food is really bad in terms of calorie intake (sweet and sour XYZ, stir frys, lots of rice and noodles, etc.). You are probably eating 1500 calories during lunch alone. Think about eating small amounts of nuts, beans, and lots of veggies. For meat go with lean items (buffalo, fish, chicken, etc.). Avoid the supplement racket... just take a good multi-vitamin. Finally, pick a day / time once a week to allow yourself a treat. For example, every Sunday after a long ride you can get a slice of pizza and a beer. For me, having the "planned" non-diet meal gives me something to look forward to and ensure that I'm not going to cheat myself during the week.
As for other exercise, go to the gym and lift some weights. Circuit training will make the pounds FLY off your body. Target weights that you can do 3 sets of 20-25 reps with if you don't want to bulk up. Get a good trainer to make sure that you are performing the exercises correctly. Finally, go to a website like www.fitday.com and track everything that you put into your mouth and all your exercise. The software will let you know where you are going wrong (too much salt, too many 'bad' fats, etc.). Tracking your progress is a great way to stay motivated (at least it is for me). I lost 60 lbs of fat with cardio and circuit training and have just gotten a new bike for commuting. Good luck!
Lunch is usually not healthy because I only have 30 minutes.You are making an excuse for yourself. Bring a healthy lunch to work. Most fast food places have healthy options (salads, etc.).
(I can usually maintain 20 mph + or - 2 for the ten miles of straight trail that exist in Springfield, IL). I just can't seem to thin down. I've have been trying to rotate between shorter, more intense rides and longer, less intense rides (not that my long rides are easy by any means). I usually log 70-90 miles a week.
Gotta tell us more about your rides. Distance isn't too bad (especially if your just starting). But what about the routes? Are they flat? Hilly? How long are your short, intense rides? Your long rides? What kinda bike you riding?
is usually not healthy because I only have 30 minutes. Sometimes I eat with co-workers (Chinese or fast food) and when I eat at my apartment I have something microwaved (pizza bagels, left-overs, etc); not good... On nights that I ride I have spaghetti with tuna, pepper, and parmesian cheese (which gives me great energy) but on nights that I don't ride I usually eat pretty poorly (pizza, hamburger helper, or some restaurant, usually later in the evening
Fast food, hamburger helper, "some restaurant" . . . those are part of your problem. Those are all fat-loaded and unhealthy. If you've got to go that route, pick better/health options or limit the size of your portions (don't eat everything on the plate just cause its there).
Otherwise, to help slim down the upper body, try some exercises for strengthening your core (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/core-strength/SM00047). Or here (http://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s1-4-20-15681-1,00.html).
thanks for the timely responses, i'll be able to post more tomorrow about my rides and some other issues; I'm about to leave work and don't have internet at my apartment. Real quick though, I just did a caloric intake calculation from http://www.hpathy.com/healthtools/calories-need.asp and it said that i should intake 2842 calories a day to lose 2 pounds/week. Really???? I also started using FitDay as per Greg_R's advice. Thanks for that, I think it will help me realize a lot about my diet.
B Piddy
06-26-08, 04:14 PM
With regards to the original question- I'm around your height and weight and I'm 26. Not too many people in our age group are into the road bike thing. I do however know a few guys in the mountain/off-road biking circuits.
As far as your lunch dilemma goes, why don't you just bring your own to work? Just a suggestion. Another EPA guy...I work for the enemy (coal power...hehe)
Scummer
06-26-08, 06:07 PM
A lunch is quickly done with:
2 slices of bread, 2 slices of turkey, slice of onion, few slices of avocado, some mustard, green salad leaf, slice o' cheese and some pickles on the side. I suggest you try the german Hengstenberg Gherkins which you can find at Meijer for example in the international section. By far better and tastier than any American pickle. Trust me. My wife didn't like pickles until I introduced her to the german pickles.
For dinner:
Salmon marinated in lemon juice, thrown on the grill, skin side down. Don't cook too long or it will dry out. Peas and some instant mashed potatoes (or real mashed potatoes if you have time) on the side.
For breakfast make a batch of this:
Crock pot on low heat
1/2 gallon milk
2 cups steel cut oats (no rolled oats or any other oat, otherwise it will get really mushy)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup raisins
1 cup pecan nuts, slightly crushed
1 banana, cut in small pieces
1 apple, cut in small pieces
1 tbl spoon cinnamon
1 tbl spoon butter
Make this the night before and let it cook overnight on low heat in the crock pot and you have some very tasty oatmeal for one week.
bautieri
06-26-08, 06:47 PM
23, 5'8'' 207 and I work a bit further up the federal food chain.
If you work an 8-5 you have no excuse for not preparing a good breakfast and lunch. Try getting up at 6:30 instead of 7:30 :lol:
Anyways, a good breakfast is plain oatmeal. I'm lazy and use the Quaker Instant with a dash of salt or a bit of honey. 1/2 cup of oats, enough water to cover, 50 seconds in the microwave. I don't start to get hungry until 11ish and I eat breakfast at 5:45. Slow oats and steel cut are better for you, someone else might be able to fill you in as to precisely why this is.
Lunch (can be made the night before to save a few more minutes in bed), a ham and cheese sandwich made with two slices of ham and one slice of cheese. Add spicy brown mustard if you must. Along with your sandwich pack an apple, a handfull of baby carrots, a fiber one bar, and a bottle of water of your choice. I suggest buying those little glad resealable containers for the carrots.
Snack, one hard boiled egg which can also be made in advance.
Dinner, baked chicken breast with brown rice and a vegetable of your choice (not corn). If you live by yourself like I do fresh vegetables tend to spoil before I use them up, I don't care for the grocery store so I buy assorted frozen vegetables. Anyways, bake up the chicken on Sunday night. While it's baking prepare 5 or so servings of the rice, microwave your chosen veggie, store leftovers in single serving containers. Presto, you dinner is made for the week. To keep it interesting buy a few different kinds of sauce, a good BBQ, buffalo sauce, basalmic vinegar etc.
Also supplement your biking with a few other activities to keep things interesting. Keep up the good work and you'll see results. Mine took about a year to be noticeable, YMMV.
Bau
I merged your threads. If you need to delete a thread in the future, just report it and a Mod will take care of it.
graphix
06-26-08, 07:53 PM
Another thing if you cant deal with calorie counting just pay more attention to portion sizes. My buddy lost 70+ pounds over two years by simply slowing down while eating meals and watching his portion sizes. Getting general Tso's chicken at a chinese place? That should be two meals not one! (not that you should get it anyway)
remember these images when you go out for food...
http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/22178/49492-portion-size--now
If i get fast food i don't let myself get anything bigger than a small...even if for instance at Taco Bell you get a combo (comes with a large drink) ill ask the cashier for a small cup just so i'm not tempted to drink more than a small.
(pizza, hamburger helper, or some restaurant, usually later in the evening)that's definitely killing your weight loss. For healthy options expand your cooking repertoire...
try
http://forums.egullet.org
or
http://allrecipes.com/
b_young
06-26-08, 09:39 PM
My last name is Young, does that count?
Wogsterca
06-26-08, 09:55 PM
Hi, I'm 21, 6'2", ~260lbs, and ride a 2006 58" specialized allez. 6'2"/260lbs may not seem too bad but I'm sure my BMI is terrible. I'm just curious how my routine matches up with others out there trying lose weight and get fit. My main concern, as I'm sure is the case with many of you, is to loose body fat. I think I ride pretty hard and can keep up with my much thinner friends (I can usually maintain 20 mph + or - 2 for the ten miles of straight trail that exist in Springfield, IL). I just can't seem to thin down. I've have been trying to rotate between shorter, more intense rides and longer, less intense rides (not that my long rides are easy by any means). I usually log 70-90 miles a week. Anyone have any suggestions to burn fat rather than build muscle? Any off-bike exercises that will help increase upper-body fat burning? I've considered supplement help but am a little leery about using a thermogenic or something like that. Does anyone have experience with these?
I have an 8-5 internship at the EPA so I can't really take all day to exercise and I don't have much time to prepare a good breakfast or lunch. so, I'm also curious about diets that people my age have had positive results with. I usually eat granola in skim milk for breakfast. Lunch is usually not healthy because I only have 30 minutes. Sometimes I eat with co-workers (Chinese or fast food) and when I eat at my apartment I have something microwaved (pizza bagels, left-overs, etc); not good... On nights that I ride I have spaghetti with tuna, pepper, and parmesian cheese (which gives me great energy) but on nights that I don't ride I usually eat pretty poorly (pizza, hamburger helper, or some restaurant, usually later in the evening). I don't want to eat tuna for lunch every day; what quick and healthy meals have you all found?
Any suggestions for any of these problems or any further help would be very greatly appreciated.
You are quickly setting yourself up to end up with type II diabetes, and that is NOT fun. Okay, now to sound like a broken record here.
Breakfast, granola is full of sugar, your probably better with a nice oatmeal, get a good pot, that is small enough to make a decent serving, put in a good amount of water, some flax seed and bran, bring water to a boil, at some quick oatmeal, and turn off heat, cover with lid, and let sit for about 5 minutes. Put in a bowl, and add milk, if you really need a little sweetness, add no more then a coffee shop sugar packet worth of sugar. The key is you need a good breakfast, this should really be the biggest meal of the day.
Lunch, it sure isn't sexy, but brown bag it, a sandwich and a piece of fruit, apple, orange, banana, are all good, add some water, and your good to go. The idea of lunch is enough to get you through the rest of the day, pack your lunch the night before, and leave it in the fridge. Use a reusable container like tupperware for your sandwich, a reusable water bottle, and a reusable cloth lunch bag. Not only do you gain a lot of control over what your eating, but you save a lot of money as well.
Dinner, should be the smallest meal of the day, if your riding, you can have a small, fast energy type meal pre-ride, then have a small post ride recovery meal. On days you don't ride, you skip the pre-ride meal all together. The key is to keep the evening meals small, especially on non-ride days. The idea is that you often don't do much after the meal, so your not burning off the calories, the body doesn't waste them, it stores them for later use.
You may also find it better to make your rides longer and slower, the problem with a short, hard ride, is that it doesn't burn fat, it burns glycogen. Then your really hungry because the body needs to restore the glycogen. A longer and slower ride, may work better, because it burns fat, rather then glycogen.
Ok, to give a more detailed description of my rides I wrote down everything from my cyclocomputer from last night's ride. 18.64 Miles -- 1 hour 6 minutes -- 16.9 Average -- 1253 Calories burned. I'm in central Illinois so 85-90% of the ride was completely flat but with a head wind for half of it (as you can imagine, I'm not the most aerodynamic rider so wind resistance is always frustrating). The 15% or so hills I attacked pretty hard; raise a gear and out of the saddle. Probably 20% of the ride was through town with stoplights and railroad tracks. I would consider this an average ride for me, a longer ride would be upwards of 30; I'm happy with this average considering the in-town time and the head wind. Before my ride I had spaghetti with tuna (I made sure it was 1 serving of spaghetti) and after my ride I had half a veggie burger sub with lettuce, tomato, a little italian dressing, onion, and pickle. Greg_R said to avoid processed carbs like white spaghetti but I already have something like 4 boxes of it so I'm kinda stuck with it for a while. For breakfast this morning I had Kashi cereal, the one with "fiber twigs". I had 3/4 of a cup (the "calorie watchers" serving size) with some milk, it had about 11 g protein, 8 g fiber, 110 calories, 1 g fat, 5 g sugar. I'm not much of a hot cereal person; I don't really like oatmeal. Is this cereal an acceptable breakfast? I enjoyed it and could definitely eat it every day. I eat lunch at my apartment with a friend (we ride to work everyday) so I can leave any of the above mentioned prepared lunches in the fridge. I really appreciate the meal suggestions; I guess I kinda knew in the back of my mind that 30 minutes for lunch was just an excuse to eat poorly. I know I can make a healthy sandwhich and a fruit for lunch. Last summer, when I didn't have a steady job, I usually had a morning star griller prime veggie burger on toasted wheat with some avacado and maybe lettuce, I should probably resurrect that tradition for lunch this year. Dinner is my bigger problem I guess, especially on nights I don't ride; I usually eat out of boredom :(. Anyone have any tips on how to kick this habit? Obviously I know that this is very unhealthy, hence my posting in the Clydes forum. I'm excited to try the salmon though, and I do have a grill. Today I brought some unsalted almonds to work. I'm thinking of a snacking schedule, maybe a handful at 10 and 3? Someone mentioned eating >5 meals a day, this is about as close to that as I can get. I see that almonds have A LOT of fat, is there a better nut? Or a better snack in general?
B_Piddy- yea, I've definitely found that there aren't many people away from college who are under 30 and road bike (not that being over 30 is bad, it would just be nice to ride with peers) and I am the only overweight semi-serious road biker that I've EVER met... A lot of my friends at school ride (I go to DePauw) but I'm very self-conscious of my physique compared to the people I ride with, I'm by far the most overweight...
So, if any of you read this from central Illinois/Springfield area, and want a riding buddy, PM me.
Your LBS should have some riding clubs that they know of.
also http://www.mikebentley.com/bike/ilclubs.htm
I'm also curious about multi-vitamins. I kind of have the feeling that intaking that much/many vitamins a day is unnatural and may have some kind of adverse long term effect. I know this thought is probably unfounded and ignorant. Are there any multi-vitamins out there that specifically benefit "clyde" cyclists such as myself? I think I can get over my anxt about multi-vitamins if there was one specifically tailored for my needs. If you don't know of any multi-vitamins that fit my bill, are there any specific vitamins or minerals that I should be sure are in a multi-vitamin?
Should I make this a new thread? I apologize for my lack of know how as far as forum ettiquette is concerned.
bautieri
06-27-08, 10:52 AM
I'm also curious about multi-vitamins. I kind of have the feeling that intaking that much/many vitamins a day is unnatural and may have some kind of adverse long term effect. I know this thought is probably unfounded and ignorant. Are there any multi-vitamins out there that specifically benefit "clyde" cyclists such as myself? I think I can get over my anxt about multi-vitamins if there was one specifically tailored for my needs. If you don't know of any multi-vitamins that fit my bill, are there any specific vitamins or minerals that I should be sure are in a multi-vitamin?
Should I make this a new thread? I apologize for my lack of know how as far as forum ettiquette is concerned.
I don't know about any brand of multi vitamin that would be particularly helpful to the clyde, but I do know that the majority of the vitamin does not get absorbed anyways. That's why you see obscene daily value percentages on the bottle, they have to list what the pill contains but actual absorption usually comes in well under 100% of your recommended intake. Some vitamins do absorb better than other so don't take my last sentence for an absolute.
Liquid vitamins on the other hand tend to be much better balanced than their pill counterparts, they are also considerably more expensive but your body absorbs and processes liquids much better than it does a compressed concentrated powder. I still take the pill form of the multivitamin (when I remember to :innocent:), just stick with a good reputable name brand. I like Centrum.
On breakfast, many eat by volume. I know that is true with me. Certain healthy cereals have large serving sizes in volume, one of my favorites is Kix. The standard serving size is 1 1/4 cups.
At night, consider a snack like the low fat yogurt. I eat Yopait Light Thick and Creamy, 100 calories. You can find it at Walmart for 54 cents.
As others have pointed out, as you get older, it does not get easier. You are at the perfect time to make a life altering change in your health. Stick with it, the benefits are tremendous.
Avoid eating out of vending machines or other snacks. They are filled with the most unhealthy, calorie laden food out there.
I would also question your calorie burn estimate, that seems really high to me. Frankly, if you are burning that many calories, the weight would be falling off you. The figures are 2 to 3X higher than what I use as an estimate, and I live in a hilly area. Note, I use conservative estimates, as I do not want to lull myself into thinking I can eat more.... I use 350 calories for every 10 miles as my estimate. 100 miles ridden = one pound, kind of simple for me.
+1 on the longer rides for the reasons listed above. I go for 2 1/2 to 3 hour rides, at least 4 times per week. This has allowed me to lose 33 pounds since February. I am now at 5-11, 195. I am 52.
+1 on eggs, either hard boiled or poached. As long as you don't fry them, excellent source of protein.
Real quick though, I just did a caloric intake calculation from http://www.hpathy.com/healthtools/calories-need.asp and it said that i should intake 2842 calories a day to lose 2 pounds/week. Really????Ignore those calculators! They are assuming an average body fat percentage (i.e. it's assuming you have a lot more muscle mass then you actually do). To get an accurate calorie intake target you'll want to talk to a nutritionist or your doctor. There are tests to determine _exactly_ how many calories you burn in a day but they cost a few hundred dollars (pro athletes and serious fitness competitors will do this). Try 1800 calories a day and see how your body responds (using your fitness tracker). Keep in mind that it will take a week or so for your stomach to shrink and get used to those small meal portion sizes.
IMO, since you are exercising regularly the _quality_ of your consumed food is vastly more important than a few calories (1750 vs 1850 intake)... for now. If you eat 1000 calories of donuts and 800 calories of good food then that will not help you at all. The fitness tracker website will help you determine what's "good" and what's bad. Start eating healthy with the correct dietary percentages (fat, carb, protein) and then dial in your daily calorie intake.
I use Rainbow brand vitamins which are entirely plant based (supposedly your body can absorb them more readily). I have noticed a difference over the Costco "big jar of vitamins" but any vitamin is better than nothing. I get mine at Whole Foods. Be careful with the "athlete" vitamins that have very high levels of some components. They are meant for people who are working out constantly (say like if you're on a week long road touring trip).
One more thing: since you like spaghetti, make sure that it is a small portion of noodles and a larger portion of the tuna. It will be more filling and healthier. When you go to buy more pasta, they have whole wheat varieties that are quite good and some new options even come with extra protein. Be careful with anything out of a can... the sodium levels can be extremely high.
Ok, a couple more thoughts for you:
I carry two bottles (probably 20 oz, I'm not sure). I usually drink 1 and a half on the road and finish the other when I get back from my ride.
Are you doing this on all your rides, or just the long rides? For everything up to an hour, you really don't need the supplement. Water will be just fine. This is especially true since it sounds like you are eating right after your rides too.
Ok, to give a more detailed description of my rides I wrote down everything from my cyclocomputer from last night's ride. 18.64 Miles -- 1 hour 6 minutes -- 16.9 Average -- 1253 Calories burned. I'm in central Illinois so 85-90% of the ride was completely flat but with a head wind for half of it (as you can imagine, I'm not the most aerodynamic rider so wind resistance is always frustrating). The 15% or so hills I attacked pretty hard; raise a gear and out of the saddle. Probably 20% of the ride was through town with stoplights and railroad tracks. I would consider this an average ride for me, a longer ride would be upwards of 30;
That looks ok. Are you going out and just riding, or are you doing intervals also? Especially since you're down there in the flatlands, I would suggest working some intervals into your rides (made 2 to 3 times per week, doing recovery rides the other days). The problem I had was that just going out and hammering along at a comfortable pace did nothing for my weight loss. Adding the intervals will help you get a better workout, and will increase your speed, endurance, etc.
As for the problem of wind resistance, I think all of us here understand that! Just wait until you start doing longer group/charity rides . . . everyone will want to sit in your draft! :mad: :lol:
Before my ride I had spaghetti with tuna . . . {snip} . . . I usually eat out of boredom :(. Anyone have any tips on how to kick this habit? Obviously I know that this is very unhealthy, hence my posting in the Clydes forum. I'm excited to try the salmon though, and I do have a grill. Today I brought some unsalted almonds to work. I'm thinking of a snacking schedule, maybe a handful at 10 and 3? Someone mentioned eating >5 meals a day, this is about as close to that as I can get. I see that almonds have A LOT of fat, is there a better nut? Or a better snack in general?
Heck, you eat more healthy than I do! Veggie burgers, kashi, etc. I really don't see anything too outta wack with your diet other than perhaps too much fast food/resturants. Not really sure you need to eat before AND after a ride, but depending on how much you had with each meal it might not be that bad.
For me, the best way to avoid eating out of boredom is to simply remove the temptation from the house. When I eat in boredom, its usually the unhealthy snack foods (chips, ice cream, etc.). I'm not likely to grill up a burger just cause I need to eat. So I just don't buy any of that stuff. Stock up on apples, pears, etc and eat those instead.
Don't worry about the almonds. They are high in fat, but its monounsaturated which is good for lowering LDL cholesterol (that's the bad kind). Studies also suggest that eating fats helps you feel full longer = less urge to eat. Just don't over indulge on the almonds because all that fat contact will sneak up on you (even if its "good" fat, your body still needs to use it for energy or store it as fat).
but I'm very self-conscious of my physique compared to the people I ride with, I'm by far the most overweight...
Don't worry about it. Most groups that I know welcome anyone and your appearance won't mean anything to them. Riding with a group is a good way to really push yourself, get in a good workout while still having fun (assuming that the group rides at or above your capabilities). :thumb:
Oh yeah, does your computer have a cadence function? If you are simply mashing the pedals at a low cadence your rides are not going to be as effective exercise-wise as if you are spinning at a higher cadence. I might also suggest a heat rate monitor. It will give you a better idea of how hard you are actually working, and are cheaper than a power meter.
DaRocketeer
06-27-08, 11:41 AM
I'm 22, 6'2" 265lbs. so I'm basically in the same boat. It sounds like you already have breakfast under control, but lunch and dinner is a different story.
For lunch I usually just cook up 5 pieces of chicken on Sunday night and have that for lunch all week. Change it up every day and have the chicken with rice one day and a salad the next, maybe a whole wheat tortilla or whole wheat pasta, just watch the portion sizes. Switching to whole wheat is probably the easiest change to make and one of the healthiest. One very helpful thing I found out is that you want lunch to be your biggest meal of the day, making dinner the biggest meal is just a waste.
As for snacks, WalMart has a 100 calorie granola bar that is very tasty plus its cheap. Dont forget about fruit either.
The best advice I can give you is don't think of this as a diet. As corny as it may sound, it has to be a lifestyle change. Nobody wants to do a diet, so if you think of it as your just not eating sh*t anymore, instead of a diet, it really does have a beneficial effect.
Just got back from lunch, after the meager 3/4 cup of cereal and 12 almonds I was pretty hungry. If I'm counting calories, how many should I have after lunch? I'm at 1463 for the day, that is with a fairly big lunch of eggs, mac n cheese, and less than a serving of baked beans. I plan to have a modest dinner, hopefully I can follow through.
Sage23- My computer does not have a cadence function and I don't have a heart rate monitor. I don't do intervals either, I don't just go for joy rides by any means though. As far as I can tell intervals are spurts of intense riding with spurts of easy riding? If so, should the intense interval be an all out sprint? Should the easy part be REALLY easy? Should the total length of the ride be about the same as I normally do? Are 2 minute aggressive intervals with 5 minute cool downs about right? I'm excited to try this.
I am aware of cadence and I've checked it a couple times. I'm right around 75-80, measured by counting every time my right foot goes down for a minute; >80 and I wobble. Is this ok? Is this a good cadence for intervals?
wrk101- The number of calories burned during yesterday's ride, 1253, came from fitday.com. It asked for time, speed, and distance of the ride. I thought it seems really high too, about half the calories that I ate that day.
I suppose I'll just peruse GNC for multi-vitamins to find what's best.
Thanks again for all the help.
Cadence is ok, although I like be be closer to the 90 rpm. What do you mean wobble?
As for intervals, you have the general idea. Here's (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=407373&highlight=intervals) a good thread about intervals w/out a heart rate monitor. Search the forums for more. Bicycling magazine often has suggestions on interval training as well, you might try their web site or google in general.
Here's (http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s-4-41-14560-1,00.html) one from Bicyling, and another (http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-4-41-11342-1,00.html). IN fact, Bicycling has a whole series from last year I think called "Do the Tour" Its a whole list of training exercises you can do. Go to the site and search for it. Here's (http://www.trainright.com/articles.asp?uid=3230) another general article from Carmichael training.
The key will be to mix it up since you're not really trying to improve on one specific thing. Do sprint intervals one day (short, all out intervals followed by recovery) and then LT intervals another (longer intervals). The key is to not only get out there and ride, but to make it a bit of exercise as well.
wild animals
06-27-08, 04:08 PM
i have had some kind of a food enlightenment in the past two weeks, and i discovered a few things that have helped me.
1) Schedule and plan your mealtimes. I thrive on routine but work in a school, so I'm off for the summer, and the externally imposed routine is gone until September. I decided to plan for 3 meals and two snacks a day, 16 ounces of sweetened coffee, and 8-16 oz of low-cal iced tea. Then I know what I have to work with, and when the best time is to have it. Even if I wake up late or have an appointment, I know that I should be eating every 3 hours. Before I started, I had a kind of non-stop grazing thing going on, and it was impossible to visualize how much food I'd already eaten or how much it was okay to eat later in the day.
A lot of weight-loss experts say that you should record your food intake in a diet journal, but i totally disagree with that. To me, for my situation, that is like saying "Record your daily failures." I think you should plan ahead so you KNOW what you're going to eat, and so you know that even if youre hungry now, you're going to eat in 30 minutes so you don't have to gorge yourself. You don't have to make a big production out of it. I've been planning and shopping for like 3 dinners on Saturday or Sunday, then I make one meal and eat (reasonable) portions of that each day until it runs out or I get sick of it, and after that I make the next meal I planned. I have tortillas, beans and vegetables on deck in case of a burrito emergency; sometimes you don't want to eat what you planned for, and you feel like you ought to have a burrito. Most of the stuff that you can put on a burrito can also go onto a sandwich or burger or salad, too.
Here is a planning sheet I made, although I think I might end up using a different method. http://www.box.net/shared/55zbd3e4oo This format is helpful if you need to have a visual. Make sure you have enough food to cover most days, and then write down what you need on your shopping list. I have a double-sided printer so the shopping list prints on the back of the planner. It sounds complicated but I swear to you it isn't! It's just a way to make sure you have food around so you don't have to do anything...drastic. Oh, and if a meal is going to take an hour to make, I can list that next to the "Prep:" area, so I know to start cooking an hour before I'm hungry.
I like to get a lot of vegetables and cut them all up on Sunday, and put them in a big tub in the fridge. I cut up onions and pop open a can of olives, and put those in little tubs so I can use them on sandwiches or burritos. The trick to this is devoting a little time on one day, so you don't have to do it every single time you eat. Don't forget to think about snacks (or small meals)! What can you keep around that is good for you, filling, and lower-calorie? I like to eat raw vegetables with lite balsamic dressing, or toasted 45-calorie bread with honey, or fresh strawberries cut into 3 oz of vanilla soy yogurt, or a 100-calorie bagel... The snacks will undo you if you don't plan for them. You need healthy choices around you to be successful. So that means thinking about what you want, shopping for it, and having it ready in your fridge or on your counter. If I don't do that, I will be eating hamburger buns with mustard for lunch.
2) Represent the food groups at each meal. However you define food groups! I try to get fruit, vegetable, grain and protein on each plate. Or alternatively, fat, protein and (high-quality) carbs. Looking at food this way turns it into fuel instead of only mouth sensations or mindless nibbling. Why eat white bread? It isn't valuable.
3) Don't buy any snack item that you aren't comfortable eating in one sitting. Buying a 2-pound package of chocolate chip cookies is pretty much always a bad idea, even if it's "cheaper" that way. Buying 20 oz of Dr. Pepper is a bad idea, too, even though it's way cheaper than those tiny cans are. The tiny cans are more expensive because drinking less pop is valuable. :) That 20-oz bottle of pop has more calories than a candy bar. I'd MUCH rather have a candy bar. If you are going to eat from a big bag of chips or what have you, get out a measuring cup, scoop up a cupful, put the chips on a plate, and shut the bag.
4) Measure your food. You don't have to count the calories, you don't have to limit yourself, you don't have to make a big deal out of it. Just get an extra set or two of measuring cups and measure what you eat. When you're done eating, think about how full you are. Now you have a solid idea about the actual quantity of food you ate, and the actual quantity of food you need.
Ok, I know this is long, and we've heard it before, but it only just really clicked for me very recently, so now I am crazy about telling other people. The best things I've figured out are planning ahead and scheduling, then not snacking on a bunch of garbage between my scheduled and predictable mealtimes. Even if I don't lose any more weight, I am eating a lot of really beautiful foods that are making the inside of my body awesome.
Whew!
On calorie burn calculators, they all seem to be on the high side to me. The best way I have for figuring it is to monitor my intake, my miles and my weight loss. In a few weeks, you will have a pretty good idea of what it takes for you to lose weight, and in so doing, will end up with a reasonable estimate for yourself. As I have been doing this since February, I have a pretty good idea of my burn rate, and it is somewhere around that 350 to 400 calories for every 10 miles. I look to ride 25 to 30 miles a day, four days a week. This puts me in the 125 miles +/- per week range.
Remember, regardless of what any online calculator tells you, you will know for sure by collecting data on yourself. Given your size, your burn rate may be more like 400 to 500 calories per 10 miles. Thats just a guess on my part of course.
As far as breakfast, there is no substitute for oatmeal. Add a small amount of peanut butter (a healthy variety) and it is just about perfect. I find that by adding a little protein to breakfast, it sticks with me a lot longer. A hard boiled egg is also an excellent choice, lots of protein for a reasonable/small amount of calories.
Wogsterca
06-27-08, 06:19 PM
i have had some kind of a food enlightenment in the past two weeks, and i discovered a few things that have helped me.
3) Don't buy any snack item that you aren't comfortable eating in one sitting. Buying a 2-pound package of chocolate chip cookies is pretty much always a bad idea, even if it's "cheaper" that way. Buying 20 oz of Dr. Pepper is a bad idea, too, even though it's way cheaper than those tiny cans are. The tiny cans are more expensive because drinking less pop is valuable. :) That 20-oz bottle of pop has more calories than a candy bar. I'd MUCH rather have a candy bar. If you are going to eat from a big bag of chips or what have you, get out a measuring cup, scoop up a cupful, put the chips on a plate, and shut the bag.
If you do scoop out a few, put the bag where it's inconvenient to get more, leaving the bag on the kitchen table, where you keep going past it, meams your going to keep refilling your plate. Put the bag on the top shelf of the cupboard, and close the door. Now that you don't see it, your likely to forget it's there. The pop cans are also a good idea, buy the case, put 2-3 in the fridge, leave the rest in the cupboard, Now it's inconventient to have to go to the cupboard, get a warm can, put it in the fridge when you take a cold can, Your more likely to simply think forget it.
wild animals
06-27-08, 09:56 PM
oh, yeah, for sure. i try not to buy any emergency snack that i will want to eat much of, but sometimes i give in and get little chocolate chip granola bars to keep in the car. i have to throw them back where i can't reach them or i'll grab for them while i'm driving. haha. i really wish places sold more single packs of 100-cal snacks and candies so i could just get one of them. i've thrown a lot of stuff away so i wouldn't eat it, which kind of sucks.
JosephPaul86
06-27-08, 11:24 PM
Here's what has worked for me. I'm 22yrs old, 6'1", and now 215lbs, was 245 last Fall. Have Oatmeal and a fruit for breakfast. Pack a lunch...saving you time(no need to travel for food on your break) and you know exactly what you are eating & quantity. Just eat slow and enjoy your 30 minute break.
And as for what to pack, i usually have a PB&J sandwich and a turkey or tuna sandwich. I also have a granola bar, banana and other fruit, and maybe a few pringles.
As per someone's suggestion I tried interval training this weekend. Wow... before doing it I thought, ride hard for 1 minute rest for 5, surely I can do that with ease. Well, it was a struggle to make it a full minute toward the end. I went on the same 18 mile route that I've been going on so it was familiar and I wouldn't have to worry about missing a turn during a sprint. I'm sure I'll get better at it but that was a real work out. Thanks for that advice. There is a metric century coming up on the 19th that I would like to take part in. I've never ridden over 50 miles so I'm going to try the full 62 over the weekend, wanted to go on a 40 miler yesterday but got rained out...
I bought some chicken breast and some cheddar cheese and had a chicken and cheddar sandwich with a dash of italian dressing on it, cooked in the toaster oven, mmmm :). I also had a craving for ice cream last night, half baked is my favorite, but I bought light cherry garcia made with frozen yogurt and only ate a servings worth. It satisfied my sweettooth and was my only evening snack (ate dinner around 4 and ice cream around 7). I know I should be eating an apple or orange instead, which will hopefully be the next step, but this is a lot healthier than eating a pint of half baked...
smsimpson83
06-30-08, 01:23 PM
Hi I'm Steve. I'm 24 and live in the Nashville area, working in the music business like every one else here. I started biking 3 months ago, and I'm down to a svelte 322 from my previous 350+ (p.s. I'm 6'3"). I bike on average 10 miles every other day. I have an old beater X-mart mountain bike (Pacific Scorpio) that I hope to be switching out for something that fits me a little better soon (Surly LHT of CC). I also got Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrmann and have been following his lifestyle recommendations as much as i can. I like being outdoors more and exercising. well I'm off to commute to work.
peace.
Wild Animals: I agree with your approach once a quality diet has been established. IMO the OP needs to use the Fitday or other website for awhile to understand what is healthy and what is not healthy. For example:I'm at 1463 for the day, that is with a fairly big lunch of eggs, mac n cheese, and less than a serving of baked beans.These are not the best choices for a healthy lunch but it's good to see that he's working on portion control. By putting all this info into a food tracker website you can get immediate feedback on what is good and bad for you (i.e. 1 item can blow your entire saturated fat allotment for the day, etc.).
For snacks I really like NuGo and Fiber1 bars. Both are very tasty and have lots of fiber and protein (very filling). The 100 calorie packs are nice but most are crackers / cookies and I find that they don't fill me up at all (unless I have 4-5 of them which defeats the purpose :-) ). For the occaisonal treat (1-2 times a week) I have some 80% dark chocolate and I'll eat a 1"x1" square (let it melt in my mouth). IMO this fills my chocolate craving & I don't have to eat a cup of chocolate chips or a big cone of ice cream. The 80% has more fat content but I am able to eat a much smaller portion (saving me fat and calories in the end).
jkemp: Good luck with your metric century goals!
heckler
06-30-08, 03:09 PM
i am a young clyde 23 yo 235 lbs and 6'
Listen to the above adivise :)
the intervals are harder than peopel think like you said. But to lose more you need to ride further or ride harder. i like to do both to mix it up (far long rides on weekends and hard short rides weekdays)
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