Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Only Cycling?

I began cycling in August of this year to lose weight. To date I am down 30lbs. My diet has been very consistent over the time and my riding has been consistent each week. I have been better than I expected at riding at least 3.5 hours a week. The weight has really melted away without feeling like I was killing my self. With that said I seem to have reached a bit of a plateau at 248lbs. I am considering starting to mix some running into my bike routine. Is anyone else doing this? Did it help get you past your sticking point? Did you try doing intervals on the bike to see if it got you past your plateau? I am looking for any helpful advise.

Love the Ride.....

I am not the best in the world for advice, but one thing I have learned is to switch things up a bit to shock your system...

hey i lost 15 lbs in 2 months all from riding then i hit my plateau too
so i threw in running 1-3miles before biking.
then i would stretch and hit the road and ride for 15-30 miles depending on how i felt haha
i did this for 3 weeks and dropped another 8 lbs and have maintained my weight since (during summer)
anyways it works you have to push yourself and you say food is not a factor so its all about your exercise
smoked is right you have to change ur routine in order to notice results. your body gets accustomed to just riding so throw in more!
try running before you cycle. start off jogging then work your way up to running for at least 20 minutes before you ride
lemme know how you do!

First off congratulations on your weightloss. Changing your routine can definetly help. I commute to work which is enough for me. I hate treadmills and elipticals, i'd rather do something where i'm going somewhere. You might also want to change around your diet. Sometimes your body gets used to whatever you are doing and begins establishing a new baseline for your metabolism. Every now and then don't be afraid to change your eating habits.

I have had luck changing diets from low fat/moderate carbs to low carb/high protein (back and forth) every couple of weeks. Just keep an eye on the total caloric intake.

I do multiple things to change it up all the time. Change your diet, change your work out, change when you work out, drink plenty of water EVERY day and things will happen for you. If you hit a plateau, track your actual caloric intake and then see if you are over eating for your work outs.

Try swimming, running, biking, lifting weights, walking, yoga, etc.....

If you want to stick to cycling try for distance one day, and speed the next. If you have access to trails and a MTB try throwing that into the mix, too. All the above suggestions are also great.

I have had luck changing diets from low fat/moderate carbs to low carb/high protein (back and forth) every couple of weeks. Just keep an eye on the total caloric intake.

i love your banner "somewhere in kenya..." !!

I've had exactly the same experience. I started in August and have lost 40 lbs. I've hit a plateau and it's been very hard to lose for the last month. I thought it was because we have a couple of feet of snow on the ground, and it's just difficult to get out and exercise on a steady basis. I think the idea of a change in both eating and exercise habit has some merit.

John

Add something that will exercise your upper body like swimming, tennis or golf, but keep on the cycling. The upper body execises will also make it easier to take longer rides on the bike.

MikeWinVA: What does your sig line have to do with our AMERICAN president? More importantly, what does your sig line have to do with cycling?

I commute on most days, but I did throw in about 10 to 12 miles of running a week just to add in a bit more spice into my life. I have hit my target weight and the running does help me keep it there.

A sidebar to Condorita: The sig line is funny (and true), get over it.

Running is evil!

Running is evil!
running is amazing!

I am not the best in the world for advice, but one thing I have learned is to switch things up a bit to shock your system...
+1000. On both exercise and eating routines. For exercise, intensity, type, duration shifts have all helped me break through plateaus. Our bodies are built to become more efficient when doing the same thing over and over, mix it up and beat your body at its own game.

MikeWinVA: What does your sig line have to do with our AMERICAN president? More importantly, what does your sig line have to do with cycling?

What does your post have to do with this thread?????

+2 (or whatever) for mixing it up. Do different stuff to keep your body on track losing weight / gaining condition.

Running is evil!

Running is a great thing and similar to biking, it is a way to get out and see different things and clear your head, or come up with that great idea. Running does make me feel just as good as biking, I am just a lot slower running in comparison to biking. I decided to review this thread and saw the statement and decided I should go for a run in the snow after I do some biking on my rollers today.

MikeWinVA: What does your sig line have to do with our AMERICAN president? More importantly, what does your sig line have to do with cycling?

I must have missed all your other posts criticizing Bike Forums posters for expressing political opinions in their sig lines or avatars.

Running is evil!

How so? I don't doubt many folks who post here think so, but....

ran for 34 minutes today. well let me say i ran 2 minutes and walked one minute, the did it all over again. my legs were shot after that. i will say cardiovascularly i could have gone longer running. but my legs were dead from being a fatty.

ran for 34 minutes today. well let me say i ran 2 minutes and walked one minute, the did it all over again. my legs were shot after that. i will say cardiovascularly i could have gone longer running. but my legs were dead from being a fatty.

haha congrats on doing it though
we all gotta start somewhere keep it up!

You are going to have to do SOMETHING to break through that plateau. You can lower your caloric intake or you can burn more calories. I am a big fan of running so I vote for the latter.

i am going to see how a week of running works out for me. then next week i am going to alternate between running and riding. i forgot to put i am doing a lot of push ups every day. i started yesterday with 5 sets of 20. today i did the same. out of everything my pecks are killing me! tomorrow will be an off day for me and then tuesday night i am going to run again and see about going for 3 minutes then walk 1. baby steps. i miss the bike already. my heart rate was no higher running then when i ride hard. so i know i can go 30-45 min running if my legs would take it.

i am going to see how a week of running works out for me. then next week i am going to alternate between running and riding. i forgot to put i am doing a lot of push ups every day. i started yesterday with 5 sets of 20. today i did the same. out of everything my pecks are killing me! tomorrow will be an off day for me and then tuesday night i am going to run again and see about going for 3 minutes then walk 1. baby steps. i miss the bike already. my heart rate was no higher running then when i ride hard. so i know i can go 30-45 min running if my legs would take it.

push ups are good! do you have any dumb bells?
another good exercise is lunges with the dumb bells on your side
and a tip for running..music will help you out a lot
especially the high paced songs keep it up!
you deserve tomorrow off:thumb: