Training & Nutrition - I need to shed weight!! HELP!

Okay... I need to shed 25lbs.........when I say need, I mean really want to drop 25lbs by April.
Currently I am at 205lbs.

I dont have a lot of time for training (juggling family life, work, going back to school) so my natural thought was to decrease calorie intake. But with that reduction, wouldnt I also sacrifice a reduction in muscle..almost like atrophy? Is my body not going to get enough of what it needs and then I would be doing more harm than damage? What about weight loss supplements? Do they work? Who's tried them? I tried hydroxycut hardcore and didnt notice a thing!

My current "training schedule" is like this.

Monday night (usually 9pm...after studying) 5k run
Tuesday rest..(son's t-ball, homework)
Wednesday night...gym (again...9pm)
Thursday rest..(again, homework, son's t-ball, and doing "chores" around the house)
Saturday..club ride 20-25 miles 8:30 am - 9:30-10am
Sunday...quick ride by myself 10-15 miles.

Eating Habits...
My breakfast usually consist of 2 slices whole wheat bread with peanut butter (hey..I could buy some salmonella infected stuff and drop all my weight!!) or oatmeal
Snack around 10:30am.... carrots, or a few triscuits
Lunch...usually sandwich or 2 packs of ramen noodles
Snack around 3:00pm.... as above, or granola.
Dinner...depends

Is the only way for me to drop weight to get back to calorie counting and focus on a deficiency?

HELP!:(:(:(

Your eating too much dinner.

It's a math problem. Since a pound is 3,500 calories, you need to consume 87,500 fewer calories than you burn over the next 6 weeks (25 x 3500). That's 14,583 per week. Simple. :)

Seriously, you may want to rethink your goal unless you're willing to seriously change your habits and/or place your overall health in jeopardy.

It's a math problem. Since a pound is 3,500 calories, you need to consume 87,500 fewer calories than you burn over the next 6 weeks (25 x 3500). That's 14,583 per week. Simple. :)

Seriously, you may want to rethink your goal unless you're willing to seriously change your habits and/or place your overall health in jeopardy.

A. 14583...is 2,083 calories a day....that's not bad.
B. I am not going to put my overall health in jeopardy but committing to a serious change.

Eat more veggies.
Cut out alcohol during the week.
Cut out processed foods.
Eat a bigger breakfast - but hot oatmeal with nuts and dried fruit.
Throw away the peanut butter.
Drink more water.
On the weekends, hit the red wine rather than the beer.
At work, walk the stairs rather than take the lifts.
Commute on the bike (if possible)

Best of luck!

Eating Habits...
My breakfast usually consist of 2 slices whole wheat bread with peanut butter (hey..I could buy some salmonella infected stuff and drop all my weight!!) or oatmeal
Snack around 10:30am.... carrots, or a few triscuits
Lunch...usually sandwich or 2 packs of ramen noodles
Snack around 3:00pm.... as above, or granola.
Dinner...depends

More fruits and veggies, less starches, breads, noodles etc. and 'depends'.
What are you drinking? Drink lots of water, avoid soft drinks. If you drink milk, drink skim.
Also watch your portion sizes.

I Guarantee Results. No thinking involved. Just ride lots and eat more.
----------------------
1) skip your routine

2) ride 3 hours a day, every day. like, after work from 6 to 9. then shower eat and sleep

3) you are gonna need to eat more than what you posted, to do this. the meal 6 hours before the
ride should be carbs, like pasta or a lot of taters or rice

drink ONLY water no sodas no milk nothing.

use energy drink during the ride 40-50gram carb/hour

oh yeah you gotta be motoring your butt off in from '1/2 hour into the ride'
to '1/2hr before it ends'

4) right before bedtime eat a chicken leg or can of tuna...something all protein and a very little fat, but some fat


there ya go.

In addition to what everyone has mentioned:
For me I discovered patience was very important. It took me 10 years to gain 70 lbs and I was not going to loose it over night.
The last 20 lbs took me a year to loose while calorie counting. I would suggest relaxing your goal a bit.
2 lbs a week is tiring. I believe 15 lbs is more reasonable by April and 25 lbs by May or June.
My 2 cents.

Cut out alcohol during the week.
Eat a bigger breakfast - but hot oatmeal with nuts and dried fruit.
Throw away the peanut butter.
Drink more water.
On the weekends, hit the red wine rather than the beer.
At work, walk the stairs rather than take the lifts.
Commute on the bike (if possible)


Working on a plan to commute 2 days a week...I live 8 miles from my office, but I would have to hit some major roadways...my office is all one level...so no elevators. why toss the PB? thought it was good protein, and I eat the low fat stuff.


More fruits and veggies, less starches, breads, noodles etc. and 'depends'.
What are you drinking? Drink lots of water, avoid soft drinks. If you drink milk, drink skim.
Also watch your portion sizes.

starches are my crutch...will work it... I do drink alot of water and juices...soda's are not in my arsenal...never have been. Milk = soy for me.


I Guarantee Results. No thinking involved. Just ride lots and eat more.
----------------------
1) skip your routine

2) ride 3 hours a day, every day. like, after work from 6 to 9. then shower eat and sleep

3) you are gonna need to eat more than what you posted, to do this. the meal 6 hours before the
ride should be carbs, like pasta or a lot of taters or rice

drink ONLY water no sodas no milk nothing.

use energy drink during the ride 40-50gram carb/hour

oh yeah you gotta be motoring your butt off in from '1/2 hour into the ride'
to '1/2hr before it ends'

4) right before bedtime eat a chicken leg or can of tuna...something all protein and a very little fat, but some fat



As mentioned in my original post...I cant ride 3 hours a day.....time is limited with me. but thanks for the advice.

Working on a plan to commute 2 days a week...I live 8 miles from my office, but I would have to hit some major roadways...my office is all one level...so no elevators. why toss the PB? thought it was good protein, and I eat the low fat stuff.



starches are my crutch...will work it... I do drink alot of water and juices...soda's are not in my arsenal...never have been. Milk = soy for me.





Download Google Earth and see if there are alleys or side streets that you can take. My trip to work is 9.5 miles one way, 12 the other, and 7 if I were to drive a major road. you might add some mileage, but it's worth it, right?

And as far as juices, be really careful - a lot of them are super-sugary.

I Guarantee Results. No thinking involved. Just ride lots and eat more.
----------------------
1) skip your routine

2) ride 3 hours a day, every day. like, after work from 6 to 9. then shower eat and sleep

3) you are gonna need to eat more than what you posted, to do this. the meal 6 hours before the
ride should be carbs, like pasta or a lot of taters or rice

drink ONLY water no sodas no milk nothing.

use energy drink during the ride 40-50gram carb/hour

oh yeah you gotta be motoring your butt off in from '1/2 hour into the ride'
to '1/2hr before it ends'

4) right before bedtime eat a chicken leg or can of tuna...something all protein and a very little fat, but some fat


there ya go.


Loopback, I think you are a little loopy. He said he has kids and has to study (getting a degree while working and having kids) 3 hours might as well be a week.

OP, you are getting in a commendable amount of activity given your circumstances.

Eat many, small meals that emphasize good proteins. Focus on making progress.

Download Google Earth and see if there are alleys or side streets that you can take. My trip to work is 9.5 miles one way, 12 the other, and 7 if I were to drive a major road. you might add some mileage, but it's worth it, right?

And as far as juices, be really careful - a lot of them are super-sugary.

Commuting to-from work is one of the best ways work some exercise into your day, rather than having to 'make time' for it.

Ditto on the juices...heck even the flavored-water thingies got tons of sugar and crap in them. When it comes to loosing weight and/or cutting sugars, you can't beat plain old water.

why toss the PB? thought it was good protein, and I eat the low fat stuff.




Don't toss the peanut butter! God I love peanut butter.
I refused to loose it and lost 60 lbs while eating it daily.
Anyhow, if you look at the ingredients list of commercially made peanut butter you may get depressed.
Instead head to your local health food store and pick up some organic peanut butter.
1 or two ingredients and it actually tastes like peanuts. :thumb:
You need the good fats. Though peanuts have a bit of saturated fat as well.

Okay... I need to shed 25lbs.........when I say need, I mean really want to drop 25lbs by April.



25 lbs in less than two months (assuming "by April" means the 1st) is unrealistic, especially if you want to maintain muscle mass. You'd have to go on a starvation diet to do that.
The normal rule of thumb for fat loss is an average of 1 lb/week. If you have a lot of body fat and aren't exercising much you may be able to lose more; if you are already very fit then 1 lb/wk is tough.


Even to lose 1 lb/wk you will have to run a deficit- eating fewer calories than you burn is the only way to lose weight. You can get a deficit by riding more or eating less or both. Your riding will improve much more if you can do the riding more option. You are not riding much now so you should see rapid improvement. Can you get rollers or an indoor trainer and "ride" while the kids are asleep? Extend the two weekend rides?

Can you get rollers or an indoor trainer and "ride" while the kids are asleep? Extend the two weekend rides?

Will search CL for rollers. I had a trainer and wasnt a fan...ended up bending components

AHHHHHHH.. see these are the times of day when I get cravings.... between 3:30-4:30!! I just want to go raid the vending machine!!

The BF search engine appears to be down, so I can't find the reference, but on another thread someone posted about "The Drip" method. The idea is to maintain a steady calorie intake across the day instead of eating 3 relatively large meals.

I've heard of this before in other contexts, but finally I decided to try it. My basal metabolic requirement is about 1800 kCal/day, so when I'm dieting, I shoot for a net 1300/day (total intake - calories burned) to lose 1 lb./week. Thus on "the drip", my approach is to eat about 200-250 kCal every 2 hours, plus whatever I need when I work out. I've been doing it now for about a week.

It is a marvelous thing! I hardly ever feel hungry, just "peckish" maybe once or twice a day. Mentally it's a lot easier than 3 meals/day, because I'm always within 1 hour of a meal: either I just ate or I'm about to eat. And as others have claimed, I don't get that sleepy feeling an hour or so after a meal: I'm probably not ramping my blood sugar up and down so much.

http://www.athleticamps.com/cycling/coaching/id0056/

Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper. With some snacks along the way.

Do your best to get the most you can out of your short riding time. I'd suggest checking out The Cyclist's Training Bible by Joe Friel for some great training plans with limited time.

As pointed out losing 25 lbs in 8 weeks is a tall order. Even if you went on a very restricted diet, you might not accomplish that. Human bodies are designed to get people through famines. If you restrict calories, frequently the body responds by drastically lowering the metabolic rate. Also on most diets people tend to lose as much muscle as fat.

I would suggest that you eat sensibly, restrict your calories some, try to increase your aerobic activity and hope to lose about 8 lbs by your target date.

I lost 20 pounds in a month. Once. I went from doing nothing for a couple of years to exercising daily AND a major diet change. Most of that weight was shocked off, I think. After that, I was losing 2 pounds a week. My latest round -- I have no idea how much I've lost or how fast. Really don't care to know either. Diet, diet, diet is key (not in terms of reduction, but what you put in.)

One thing I did while studying were push-up/sit-up breaks. 5 minutes, gets the blood moving, and helped my physical fitness scores. Thinking it would help your metabolism stay higher.

eat 500 less calories a day and burn 500 calories more a day. Eat protein for breakfast, it keeps you feeling full longer. Too much of a calorie deficit signals your body to slow your metabolism because it fears you are starving- this will cause your body to hoard fat and your weight loss will stall.
At my heaviest I was 215, I have been 160 for a long time and never "dieted"- I just ate less and moved more and reduced my simple sugar intake dramatically. Set a new goal for April because if you lose 25 by April you will probably put on 45 by October.

A. 14583...is 2,083 calories a day....that's not bad.
B. I am not going to put my overall health in jeopardy but committing to a serious change.

That's consuming 2,083 calories LESS per day than you burn. From what you said you eat (unless dinner is HUGE), you're not getting enough protein to build muscle (which burns more calories than fat) and you're not eating enough calories to create a 2k daily calorie deficit without adding some significant exercise (requiring more food/energy/calories).

25lbs in 6 weeks in a healthy fashion with what you're doing is not really feasible.

Okay... I need to shed 25lbs.........when I say need, I mean really want to drop 25lbs by April.
Currently I am at 205lbs.

My current "training schedule" is like this.

Monday night (usually 9pm...after studying) 5k run
Tuesday rest..(son's t-ball, homework)
Wednesday night...gym (again...9pm)
Thursday rest..(again, homework, son's t-ball, and doing "chores" around the house)
Saturday..club ride 20-25 miles 8:30 am - 9:30-10am
Sunday...quick ride by myself 10-15 miles.

Eating Habits...
My breakfast usually consist of 2 slices whole wheat bread with peanut butter (hey..I could buy some salmonella infected stuff and drop all my weight!!) or oatmeal
Snack around 10:30am.... carrots, or a few triscuits
Lunch...usually sandwich or 2 packs of ramen noodles
Snack around 3:00pm.... as above, or granola.
Dinner...depends

Is the only way for me to drop weight to get back to calorie counting and focus on a deficiency?
HELP!:(:(:(

Wed gym - make sure you do at least 40-45 min on a stationary bike ALONG with any weight workout, so you get home a little later...
Saturday - rather than an 8:30 start - start ride at 7-7:30 before the club ride. maybe ride out to the meet spot and then back home - works a ton for me... avg 7:15ish start means you get in at least another 12-15 miles (with good warmup) - 400 Kcals or so additional burn.
Sunday- same story - do 25 miles instead of 15 - another 250-300 Kcals

diet - good stuff, lots of water, no sodas or sweetened drinks, no gatorade, wine is about the same as beer in the Kcal story, so either counts. Both are good, but iff'n you want to cut Kcals, there's a good place.
ramen noodles - can we say 'SALT'!!!! drop the ramen...
no late eating after 8 PM
water - lots of water, water, mostly water, water...
add some non-redmeat protein early in the day - like mid-morning or sooner (we're not talkin eggs...)
you KNOW what has empty calories, eat only what works to rebuilding your cells. Peanut Butter is very marginal.
vegetable greens with as many meals as possible.
lots of meals need sauces, but for the time being, lay off the sauces
really wanna lose weight? cut the Kcals to no more than 800-900 for the entire day on the 'Rest Days'.
I've done 50 and 60 lb loses in 6 weeks, 2x times, using the above general guidelines while raisin 2 kids...
I vary between fat **** and skinny fat **** :lol:

I finally stopped drinking sodas a little over a month ago, and my weight has dropped 5lbs from that alone. Basically, just stick with water. Boring, but effective.

Like a few others have said, knock out the processed stuff as much as possible.

Water isn't boring. It is my favorite drink. Well second favorite after beer.

25 lbs by April is not a realistic goal. I am wondering why you chose this number/time frame. If fitness is also a goal, you will undermine yourself by trying to lose weight so fast-- you will lose lean mass as well as fat mass, which will undercut your health as well as ability to keep weight off in the future. There is no fast easy fix. Yes, you must create a calorie deficit, but you don't need to count calories. If you value your long-term health (and being there for that son of yours), you will make lifestyle changes that are sustainable past April. I think lifestyle goals are far better that weight goals. Resolve to stick to your training as much as possible. Resolve to feed your body like you care for it (FYI, ramen doesn't do much for you nutritionally). Learn about nutrition and think about food as fuel -- you'll be doing your son a great service, because he is watching you more than you know. Stop beating yourself up and treat yourself like an athlete. The fat will come off.

AHHHHHHH.. see these are the times of day when I get cravings.... between 3:30-4:30!! I just want to go raid the vending machine!!

You need to substitute those cravings for something else or eat larger breakfasts and decrease your intake as the day progresses.

25 pounds in two months is possible, but not with the amount of time you seem to have (or not have). You need to readjust your goals to be more aligned with your current life. Trying to lose weight super fast will usually provide the means to gain it back even faster, so keep that in mind.

My tidbits:

Peanut butter is good, but avoid the vending machine. Most of the stuff in there is not great to add to any diet (through trail mix sans the extra chocolate and crap is a good snack).

Fruits and vegetables are a definite.

Commuting to work helps a lot. In addition, it helps you either lose weight faster or control food consumption better. Can you make time in the summer for century or half-century rides? These are great for losing weight.

Living a healthy lifestyle is a commitment, so don't expect quick results. The slower, the better.

Oh, and you really need to explain what depends means. For all I know, that could mean anything between a salad and a Triple Whopper with Fries and Coke. Your dinner should be relatively small and nutrient-rich in comparison to the rest of your meals. A good suggestion is brown rice with fish and vegetables.

I lost 20 pounds in a month. Once. I went from doing nothing for a couple of years to exercising daily AND a major diet change. Most of that weight was shocked off, I think. After that, I was losing 2 pounds a week. My latest round -- I have no idea how much I've lost or how fast. Really don't care to know either. Diet, diet, diet is key (not in terms of reduction, but what you put in.)

One thing I did while studying were push-up/sit-up breaks. 5 minutes, gets the blood moving, and helped my physical fitness scores. Thinking it would help your metabolism stay higher.

Did you do lots of cardio when you started? That's what happened with me, and I lost the bulk of my weight (~25 pounds) in a little less than three months. I had barely any muscle, though; I actually looked pretty lanky (my Mom was afraid for my health).

Wed gym - make sure you do at least 40-45 min on a stationary bike ALONG with any weight workout, so you get home a little later...
Saturday - rather than an 8:30 start - start ride at 7-7:30 before the club ride. maybe ride out to the meet spot and then back home - works a ton for me... avg 7:15ish start means you get in at least another 12-15 miles (with good warmup) - 400 Kcals or so additional burn.
Sunday- same story - do 25 miles instead of 15 - another 250-300 Kcals

diet - good stuff, lots of water, no sodas or sweetened drinks, no gatorade, wine is about the same as beer in the Kcal story, so either counts. Both are good, but iff'n you want to cut Kcals, there's a good place.
ramen noodles - can we say 'SALT'!!!! drop the ramen...
no late eating after 8 PM
water - lots of water, water, mostly water, water...
add some non-redmeat protein early in the day - like mid-morning or sooner (we're not talkin eggs...)
you KNOW what has empty calories, eat only what works to rebuilding your cells. Peanut Butter is very marginal.
vegetable greens with as many meals as possible.
lots of meals need sauces, but for the time being, lay off the sauces
really wanna lose weight? cut the Kcals to no more than 800-900 for the entire day on the 'Rest Days'.
I've done 50 and 60 lb loses in 6 weeks, 2x times, using the above general guidelines while raisin 2 kids...
I vary between fat **** and skinny fat **** :lol:

Not if he starts training hard (which could be possible).

Eating late doesn't matter as much as what's eaten during that time. A slice of turkey or vegetables won't do anything. Just don't be like me and eat Honey Bunches of Oats at 11PM (especially since you're trying to lose the weight).

Not if he starts training hard (which could be possible).

Eating late doesn't matter as much as what's eaten during that time. A slice of turkey or vegetables won't do anything. Just don't be like me and eat Honey Bunches of Oats at 11PM (especially since you're trying to lose the weight).

i 100% agree. it is about the total in versus the total out. it really is a science. a numbers game if you will. eat less (whenever you want) burn more. when i was calorie counting my way to a 70 pound weight loss in 2006 i routinely ate a snack within an hour of going to bed. heck i still eat a snack around 9pm on most nights. later.

May I ask why you need to use this weight? You could do it with a fairly strict atkins type diet.

But where's the fun in that? also, I don't think it does your health much good.

Slow and steady is the way to go as with most things.

Did you do lots of cardio when you started? That's what happened with me, and I lost the bulk of my weight (~25 pounds) in a little less than three months. I had barely any muscle, though; I actually looked pretty lanky (my Mom was afraid for my health).

Lots of cardio and some weight training. As my endurance built back up, I increased the weight training (went for endurance strength, not total mass moved). Again, it was a very large change in total lifestyle.

What you can do is do about an hour of intense cycling or an intense run. If you don't already eat it, I recommend switching to natural peanut butter. It's great without the added sugar. I think that 2lbs/week is much safer but don't look at it as losing weight. If you loose size but not muscle mass that is okay.

Real peanut butter, the stuff you store in the fridge and have to stir is awesome. Once you have it, you won't go back to the cornsyruppeanut butter crap.

Real peanut butter on a slice of freshly picked macintosh is quite possibly the best snack ever made.

Real peanut butter, the stuff you store in the fridge and have to stir is awesome. Once you have it, you won't go back to the cornsyruppeanut butter crap.

Real peanut butter on a slice of freshly picked macintosh is quite possibly the best snack ever made.

+100000000000

God I love peanut butter. When I found natural peanut butter it now borders on obsession. Peanut butter that tastes like peanuts! Who would have thought?
That and having one ingredient is awesome. I get sick of not being able to pronounce what my food is made out of.

Bear in mind that although peanut butter may be good, it's 90kcal per level tablespoon. I can have myself knocking down 5x that amount with ease if i'm hungry enough. Fine if you are burning off everything you eat 6x a week like I do, but for less active individuals, it can be dangerous stuff...

Everything in moderation.

I just found this thread and I am curious what ended up happening? Did you meet your goals?