Training & Nutrition - Ways to lose 10 pounds?

I'm looking for some advice on how to get rid of 10 pounds, which I know would help me tons on my rides. I'm 6'5", 210 lbs., and not nearly considered overweight, but that's a lot of weight for cycling. My weight never really bothered me until after a mountain bike race in September, another rider said having an extra 10 pounds on you is like hanging 3 full milk jugs on your back as you ride. Hmmm, that got me thinking and I finally realized why my co-rider always kills me on the hills...he's 180 lbs.
I've started whatching my calorie intake and am now eating lower fat / calorie foods, as well as less food. Besides that and more cycling, what else can I do? Any advice is appreciated.

How to lose weight besides diet and exercize?

Go to Mexico and drink the water.

6'5" 210? Geez. I am 6'2" 220 and don't consider myself overweight. I guess it depends on your frame.
Well, like mike said, you could get sick. That would shed some weight.
But I would say do some road riding besides your mtb stuff. That should get your metabolism up and burning any excess off. If you are very active and haven't lost the 10, I would reconsider. You wanna stay healthy.
I do mostly road stuff, but I do trail riding about once a week. While it is a damn good work out, I feel like most of my 'shape' is because of my road miles.

Anyway. Hope this helped.

Peace Out!

Dave

Eat less, exercise more. There's no other way to do it.

Go to a dietician and have him/her devise a meal plan that will have you lose a pound a week. When you get to your desired weight increase your intake very slightly to maintain weight.

A pound per week is reasonable weight loss, but it takes a lot of discipline and determination. There are no shortcuts.

Follow the advice above, eat less-exercise more.

also:

Here's what works for me.

Increase fiber intake. Most of us don't eat enough fiber.

Pop corn in a air popper, popped dry and spray lightly with Pam butter spray (0 calories-0 fat ), light on the salt, it sticks perfectly to the Pam.

Good snack to feel full, high fiber, low cal. Forget about microwave popcorn.

Drink lots of water.

First of all, your friend is wrong. If you are talking about gallon milk jugs, a gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs. So your talking about slightly over one.
Secondly, according to the your BMI, (Body Mass Index), at 6'5" you should weigh between 187 and 229. You are right in the middle of that range which is perfect.
IMHO, I wouldn't change a thing and just enjoy riding. :)

Find out your body fat percentage before you try to lose weight if it gets too low you could be asking for trouble. If you can afford to lose weight you can:

Eat less meat if your'e eating much more than 3 oz per day, meat has fat in it and excess protein especially from meat is processed into FAT by the body

Use more vegatable proteins- less animal, Soy (tofu) Legumes etc

Eat ONLY when you are hungry, not at a time, ( you think), you are supposed to eat.

Quit eating BEFORE you are full

Drink more water, often a perceived hunger pang is actually thirst and more water in the belly "fools it" into thinking it has more food in it

Eat whole grains and vegetables, especailly raw ( Celery sticks actually use more calories to digest them than they input into the system)

Graze- eat several small snacks and/or meals rather than 3 large meals. ( Our systems were designed for grazing)

Eat you largest meal in the middle of the day, not at the end

Do something to elevate your heart rate after you eat your dinner/last meal, go for a walk, go for a ride, get on your trainer etc.

Stay away from "empty" carbohydrates, ie; white bread, white rice etc

Drink a glass of water just before you start your meal

Keep away from sugar free drinks, especailly those that contain aspartame, as they/it INCREASE(S) appetite

Smoke less dope

Ride Lighter
Pat

ummm... amputate something?

(Sorry, but someone had to say it!)

Thanks for all your responses, as they were all helpful...and now I know who the smart-a*s of the group is...Chris L!! But your right, I just need to realize that I'm never going to be the ideal size for biking, and just get out there and enjoy myself. I did recently buy a 2002 Trek 2300, so now I can do more that just mtn. bike. That should help some, too.

Originally posted by Chris L
ummm... amputate something?

(Sorry, but someone had to say it!)

Along the lines of ChrisL's quote, as the old joke goes...So, you want to lose 10 pounds of ugly fat? Chop off your head! Hahahahahaha!!! :D

Originally posted by Steele-Bike


Along the lines of ChrisL's quote, as the old joke goes...So, you want to lose 10 pounds of ugly fat? Chop off your head! Hahahahahaha!!! :D

LOL!

Originally posted by velocipedio
There are no shortcuts.
Many athletic types with lots of muscle mass register as overweight for their height. Then you have to consider bone mass, which varies from person to person, even among those who are the same height.

Don't compare yourself to others. Look at yourself in the mirror and become the best you can be. Then enjoy it.

All great advice.

The key is so simple. Eat less. It sounds like you are already exercising.

My wife told me once of a real thin cheerleader on her highschool squad that finally told her her secret. It involved a toilet and a finger. Perhaps the easiest and most dangerous method of all.

The only thing that I can add to the above info is to make sure you eat breakfast! This helps boost you metabolism. The intake of food first thing tells your body to start burning it's energy storage (the food you eat and whatever else you need).

Think about it this way. If you eat dinner at 6:00 p.m. and don't wake up till 7:00 am, but don't eat till lunch time, you've gone almost 18 hours w/o eating. Your body thinks it's starving and starts to STORE energy in the form of FAT! If you eat breakfast, anything! Like a bagel or some granola...etc. Your body will use that first and then convert the stored FAT into additional energy. By lunchtime, you running on all 8 cylinders and you become an efficient fat burning machine!

WARNING! When you start eating breakfast, you will actually FEEL hungrier at lunch. This is a great indication that your body has used up all of what you ate, and are starting to burn fat! DON'T Overeat at lunch! This will last about 3 days until you body gets accustomed to utilizing it's energy storage.

First of all, and just to put things in perspective, I'm just under 6'5", I have been as heavy as 200 pounds, I currently weigh 183 and I'm looking to drop a few more pounds. I'm not saying you should weigh 183, I'm just saying each person has to make their own personal assessment of their weight. I work out with weights 3 to 4 times a week and steadily increase my strengths, but I'm never going to be big. Any weight I put on goes straight to my belly.

Anyway, I'm not an expert on losing weight, but I've done a lot of research into it and here's what I've found out and what has worked for me...

Weight loss is based on the simple premise that you have to burn more calories than you consume. That means, ideally, you should be trying to reduce the calories you consume and increase your metabolic rate (i.e., the calories you burn).

Reducing your calories:
The trick to reducing your calories is to do it in a way that will not leave you hungry and always thinking of food. Here are some tips.

1. Eat 6 small meals instead of 3 large. This helps you control your eating and doesn't leave you with the mental attitude that you have to feel full before you get up from the table since you'll be eating again in three hours. Some people say that for each meal you should have a fist sized portion of protein, a fist sized portion of carbs and vegetables. I find that this leaves me too hungry, although you could probably keep it up for a week or two and lose some weight quick. I try to have a reasonable portion of protein, starch and vegetables at each meal, but bigger than my fist.

*** My message was too long so I put the rest in a second post.

THIS IS PART TWO


2. Always have a high fiber cereal for breakast, but make sure it's something you like -- you don't have to have All-Bran -- otherwise you'll be left wanting more (Shredded Wheat, Cheerios, Raisin Bran, Wheaties, Oatmeal, etc.). Studies have suggested that people who eat a high fiber cereal for breakfast are less hungry throughout the day.

3. Try to eat high fiber foods throughout the day. They fill you up more.

4. If you're still hungry after you've finished your alloted portions., wait 5 minutes before you have anything else. Often you won't need any more.

5. Don't drink anything but water and seltzer, and make sure you have at least 8 cups of water a day, preferablly more. It's been said that many times thirst is mistaken for hunger. Stay away from all sodas and juices. Diet sodas may give you a taste for sweetness that doesn't satisfy you and leaves you wanting more. Juice is as high calorie as regular soda. Don't have orange juice, for example, have an orange -- oj is about 150 calories, an orange is about 50.

Burning more calories:
1. Ride your bike or exercise soon after you wake up without eating (drink some water), this forces your body to begin calling upon your fat reserves since there's nothing in your digestive tract. When you're done, wait an hour before you eat. This, again, is supposed to help you burn fat.

2. If you can, don't eat for three hours before you go to bed (don't go to bed later, just finish eating earlier). This again, forces your body to call upon fat reserves. Of course, this technique is not usually compatible with the six meal idea.

3. Another advantage to eating six meals is that it keeps your body from going into famine mode. If you "starve" youself, your body tries to conserve its resources and slows its metabolish (i.e., burns less calories.)

THIS IS PART THREE

Other things:
1. Stay away from foods that get digested quickly and go into your blood stream (i.e., hight glycemic index) -- refined sugars, potatoes, white rice, white bread. These foods push more energy into the bloodstream than you can normally use at any given time so your body converts the sugars into fat.

2. Another advantage to high fiber foods is that they slow the digestive process and reduce the amount of food that is converted to fat.

3. A little fat is good - but try to make it a "healthy" fat like olive oil or canola oil. Fat gives you a feeling of satisfaction and also slows the digestive process.

4. Try to stay away from processed foods and desserts, these are almost always high calorie and high sugar.

5. Here's a list of foods that I eat often: orange, apple, banana, Health Valley bean or lentil soups, lots of vegetabes at dinner.

6. Get yourself a Whirley Pop popcorn maker. After it's been seasoned properly you can make 8 quarts of popcorn with 1 tablespoon of oil. This is better than an air popper because that leaves popcorn . If you eat the whole six quarts of popcorn, you're still only consuming about 400 calories. Plus it's high fiber and enters your system slowly. I like Paul Neman's popcorn and Jolly Time Yellow popcorn (Yellow is more flavorful than white).

7. if you pig out or eat more than you think you should, don't get angry at yourself. Just pick up where you left off.

Finally, ride.

Hope this helps.

Originally posted by Stew
First of all, and just to put things in perspective, I'm just under 6'5", I have been as heavy as 200 pounds, I currently weigh 183 and I'm looking to drop a few more pounds

6'5" @ 185lbs?

That sounds pretty slim already. I wouldn't be looking to lose weight.

What you might need is better self-esteem. This isn’t an attack - heck, I don't know you. It is just a suggestion.

If you don't feel good about yourself at 6'5" @ 185 lbs., you could be heading in a misguided direction.

Mike,

No offense, but you're right, you don't know me. My point was that you can't make a judgment just on a couple of stats. I'm not judging your weight -- becasue I can't -- so please don't judge mine.

Here's a little bit more information about me:

When I went away to college I was maybe a half inch shorter than I am now and weighed 165 pounds. I ate all the time and had a reputation for that.

I regularly go to the doctor and he's happy with my weight and wouldn't mind my losing a little bit more.

I am thin, but I don't, perhaps, look the way you think I do. All my shirts are XL and I have a 34 inch waist.

If you calculate my BMI, you'll see I'm at a good point. Low fat, but not extreme.

Also, if you want to look at the Met Life recommended height and weight tables, you'll see that for 6'5" and a medium frame, the recommended weight range is from 175 to 192, and that puts me right in the middle. You also should keep in mind that Met Life, recently increased the weight to height ratio. These are not ideal weights, they are weights at which no adverse health effects have been noted.

Finally, while I'm riding with my buddies I am able to hold my own. I'm usually drafting on the flats and beating them on the hills. When I'm on my own, I'm just about as likely to catch up to serious riders as I am to be passed by them.

Stew, what an excellent report on your fine physical condition.

According to your doctor and to Met Life’s recommendations, your weight is correct for your height. You have low body fat. You are tall and lean. Magnificent.

You are physically competent and can beat your contemporaries bicycling even in the hills.

I’m jealous already and probably many of our colleagues on this forum are as well.

Good luck on your quest to lose weight. You probably have already discovered the difficult challenge of trying to lose weigh without losing muscle mass.

Please take the opportunity now and again to have a gander in the mirror and appreciate the body you have now. When you do, say to yourself, “My, what a fine looking and handsome fellow – and so trim as well”. Then get on your bike and go kick some butt.
:D :D

Mike,

What a presumptous man you are.

Originally posted by Stew
Mike,

What a presumptous man you are.

I'm not sure what you mean about me being presumptuous, but you may very well be correct.

Hey, Stew, I write my post to you only with the kindest of intentions. Please do not mis-interpret them. I'm not being cynical or sarcastic; just trying to be supportive.

Peace, man.

Okay Mike.

Peace.

Fattire,

Try to "steer" clear of artery-clogging meat and animal foods, and eat mostly whole-grains, fruits and vegetables. I think this diet also speeds up the metabolism too, at least is seems to for me.

There's a lot a good advice above, but it really gets down to this...EAT LESS! Exercise helps, but you'll probable fail to take off the pounds unless you take in less calories than you burn.

Good Eating!