Training & Nutrition - Training help, where to go??

Just joined today, Have read some posts and I am looking for more help.
Some about me first, I am 6' 3" and 290 lbs (44 years old).
I am just getting back into bicycling to loose some weight.
I have been in and out or riding for about 15 years.
At my lowest weight (14 years ago) I was on a road bike for 100 miles a week and weighed in at 225.
Then I quit for a couple of years and got back into it but this time on a mountain bike (still regret selling that road bike) and road 50 miles each weekend with my friends in the dirt, with some road miles (on the mountain bike) thrown in just for training. weighed in at 255 (most recently 7 years ago)
Stopped again, but got back into it three years ago, got down to 265, but was in good shape, did a day at Steamboat off the lifts. My arms gave out before my legs and lungs. I didn't expect that much load on my arms going downhill all day.

After having shoulder surgery, took over a year to get back into exercising and I am now back up to my all time high weight.

Last time I did this it took me 6 months to go from 290 down to 265. It took some jogging with the bike riding to get there.

I was then at the point where I needed to look into changing my eating to get below that plateau (I was at 265 for 6 months While still riding and running)


My goals now are of course to loose weight.
I can't really say when the last time I was below 250 Lbs. I don't know what I need to do to get down there. So I need some guidance there.

I would also like to do my first "Century" at the end of this summer.
I think I need 4 to 8 weeks of fitness riding before I start on a Century training schedual. I am sure most of the one's I have seen assume you have some level of fitness before you begin.
I have never attempted a century, but back when I did ride a road bike all the time, one of the guys I worked with told me all the time that he thought I was in good enough shape and I should be able to complete one.

Anyway, I am putting out a feeler here to see what kind of help and support I can get from this board.

Also, I live in Colorado, I have a new road bike, an Orbea Aspin. And my mountain bike is an older Cannondale Super V 1000 (with the carbon fibre swingarm).


Thanks in advance and Hello to all.

Cut calories and keep the wheels rolling. Ride as often as you can and as much as you can. Just remember to recover well. Good luck.

Karl,
Welcome to BF.
I'm 59, 6', and weighed 240 when I started riding in 2000. Didn't make any big changes in my eating habits as I think I always ate kinda healthy, just too much. :rolleyes:
I've dropped 50 pounds by making this small change to my eating habits and riding as often as possible.
Just look at what you're eating, how much, etc. and ride whenever you can. Drink lots of water too.
Just don't overtrain. Remember to take time off when your body tells you it's time for a rest or recovery day.

Well, it seems to me that you are looking primarily for weight loss and not so much for performance conditioning.

I can lose weight pretty well by just upping my bike mileage and getting careful with my diet. On the diet side, I cut down on fats, try to increase fruits and vegetables and keep a pretty high level of complex carbohydrates and some lean meats.

Generally, the rule of thumb is that one can lose 1 lb per week. You CAN lose weight faster but it generally takes such an extreme situation that it is unsustainable and the person using extreme methods usually just gains the weight back. You want to choose a method that will with a bit of modification be your normal lifestyle.

I favor the diet and exercise approach because losing weight can do odd things. The body can just go and lose muscle rather then precious fat (the body seems to want to horde fat for that famine that never comes). If you exercise, the body HAS to keep the muscle so the fat has got to go. The exercise also prevents the second response. Some people really lower the metabolic rates when losing weight to the point where losing weight is very difficult.

A reason I like exercising is it gives you something besides weight loss to guage your progress on. I have found that I can go for weeks without losing weight then seemingly lose 5 lbs in a very short time. When you exercise, you generally improve in conditioning and that improvements makes you feel like you are making progress. I have found that changes in my body dimensions seem to be a better indicator of fat loss then weight loss.

One can lose weight amazingly fast with diet and exercise taken to a bit of an extreme. I went on a two week bike tour a few years back through Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. I think I averaged about 75 miles per day and at least 4000' of climbing and there was some hiking thrown in on top of that. I made sure a ate a bunch of carbos every day in order to have enough energy for the next day's ride. But I was careful about fats and too much fatty meat. I got back home and discovered to my amazement that I had lost 10 lbs in 2 weeks.

10 months ago I was 220 (I am 52 and 6') so we are a bit similar. I am now 185.

I am also looking to increase my level of off bike activity.
I like to hike, i took up Cross country Skiing three years ago, but didn't go once this last season.
And as stated I want to do my first century.
I have been starting slow, 7 to 10 mile rides. Today I did 16 miles at "pace". I still felt good after the ride. it is now 5 and a half hours after the ride and my legs are telling me they worked today.

I have been doing some reading and the Pace and other levels (can't remember what they were called) are kind of new to me. I remember wind sprints, intervals now, and can comprehend that. Just go on a nice mountain bike ride with some hills and you have the intervals.

In the past to increase my work all I have done is increase my distance, always riding at what seems to be called "pace".

Will putting in a shorter interval day, and or a day where I push myself help to increase milage (and fitness) faster?

TIA

Check out

http://www.johnstonefitness.com/index.html

Not cycling specific but a very well done, inspirational and informative site.

I am also looking to increase my level of off bike activity.
I like to hike, i took up Cross country Skiing three years ago, but didn't go once this last season.
And as stated I want to do my first century.
I have been starting slow, 7 to 10 mile rides. Today I did 16 miles at "pace". I still felt good after the ride. it is now 5 and a half hours after the ride and my legs are telling me they worked today.

I have been doing some reading and the Pace and other levels (can't remember what they were called) are kind of new to me. I remember wind sprints, intervals now, and can comprehend that. Just go on a nice mountain bike ride with some hills and you have the intervals.

In the past to increase my work all I have done is increase my distance, always riding at what seems to be called "pace".

Will putting in a shorter interval day, and or a day where I push myself help to increase milage (and fitness) faster?

TIA

It doesn't have to be complex. The thing is in train for what you want to do. If you want to be good at climbing well go out and climb. Sprinting, do sprints. Hard fast riding do hard fast riding. And so on. The main thing is if you want to improve your max speed you do have to push yourself some. But you do not have to go nuts on this. Quite a few people get obsessed about performance. Look, you get past a certain age and you are not going to win the Tour de France.

The most important thing is to keep at it. Be patient. Do not expect fast results. Go out and try to enjoy your rides. I see people of the "no pain, no gain" thinking who turn their bikes into instruments of torture. They don't last long unless they are a bit strange and there are some who hang on grimly hurting themselves year after year. But the people who go out and enjoy themselves, they ride for years and years.

Do what sm266 said. Im losing weight that way also.