Want to lose weight by cycling... any tips?

[my58vw]

Hello all,

I am starting to ride everyday on my road bike and I have a good diet (fast food every once in awhile though). I have lost 12 pounds in the last 2 months which I am happy about, but I want to get down to around 200 pounds (235 now) as soon as possible (by march) because I am riding a hilly century then. I am also running 3 days a week at the gym to prepare me for the police academy I hope to be in in 7 months.

Any sugestions for milage, intensity etc for bike riding to loose weight? I plan on riding at least 20 miles per day with a day off per week, possibly more. I can easily ride 40 - 50 miles now but not every day. I am planning on heavily training for racing in 3 - 4 months but I would also like a good base of miles off...

[jslopez]

Doing Solvang?

With all the workouts you've listed you're definitely going to lose weight (unless you eat a ton of junkfood while doing the above). While others here can definitely give you a better idea on training regimens I would like to put out a word of caution on overtraining as it will drain you both physically and mentally and at the end of the day prevent you from riding/working out more.

[supcom]

You're looking at losing 35 lbs in 12 weeks. That's about 3 lbs per week - double the loss rate you have been having.

It's going to be tough. I once lost weight at a sustained 3 lbs per week and it was a LOT of work. You need to create a 10,500 calorie deficit per week, or 1500 calories per day to do it. If your basil metabolism is 2200 calories and you burn 1200 calories riding two hours per day, then you have 2200+1200-1500 = 1900 total calories you can eat. This assumes you ride two hours every day. Any day off puts you behind.

We won't even discuss the temptations of the holidays!

You are going to need to ban yourself from getting within 100 ft of a fast food restaurant!

[SSP]

As supcom points out, your plan to lose 35 lbs by March is not very realistic. Most people who try to crash diet end up failing, and many gain all of the weight back (plus more).

Most experts recommend a "slow and steadY" approach to weight loss - about 1 lb per week. This can be achieved with a daily deficit of 500 calories. You can achieve this deficit by exercising more, by eating less, or by doing both.

Controlling food intake is more important than exercise, in my opinion. This forum is filled with stories of guys who ride 100-200 miles per week, and yet "can't lose any weight". That's because it's really easy to screw up a good exercise program with a single trip to the fast food outlet or buffet line. Try identifying your "junk calories" (i.e., sodas and chips), and your "problem foods" (things you can't stop eating when they're around). Cut those out of your life today, or greatly restrict them (for me, it's cookies - I limit myself to one bag per month).

FWIW - a reasonable target date for you to reach 200 lbs would be August 4th, 2005. If you can average a deficit of 500 calories per day, you should weigh 200 on that date. If you can average a deficit of 750 calories per day, you'll reach 200 on May 14th, 2005.

Best of luck, and keep riding.

[my58vw]

Thanks for all the help, one pounds a week sounds good, I think if I can get to 220 for Solvang then I should be good. Solvang is only some 4000 or so feet but quite a few of the people that I am riding with are going so I am motivated to go. My upper ideal weight is 215 and 200 is right in the middle of the ideal catagory.

I have goals of racing in the future so I am building up the milage base that I need to start to train for that purpose. My intermediate goal is to get to ideal weight, and more likely get to the smallest weight that is optimal for my body type. Since I possibly am going to the academy (if everything goes well) racing will not happen much this summer but I would like to do a few CAT 5 races at that time.

Yes I stay ast least 100 feet away from fast food at all time.... ahh too temptimg

[Pat]

I am glad to see you decided to go to the lb per week notion. On the long term, any diet that loses more weight then that per week is so drastic that it can not be sustained and once the person loses the weight, they go back to their bad old habits and quickly regain the weight. At a lb per week, one can make adjustments to one's lifestyle so that when they go off of the diet, they can have a maintenance program that works.

Your method is very exercise intensive. That is not bad, but remember, there are times when one can not go out and do that much exercise. It is good to have your diet such that if you significantly decrease your exercise, you can adjust your intake and not balloon up.

[MrCjolsen]

If you haven't already done so, take note of your cadeance when you ride. If your cadeance is high, and your gearing low you will lose weight faster than if you stay on the big gears. That's what happened with me at least. The pounds started dropping when I upped my cadeance from 75 to 85. Now I try to keep it at least 90.

[cheebahmunkey]

I am glad to see you decided to go to the lb per week notion. On the long term, any diet that loses more weight then that per week is so drastic that it can not be sustained and once the person loses the weight, they go back to their bad old habits and quickly regain the weight. At a lb per week, one can make adjustments to one's lifestyle so that when they go off of the diet, they can have a maintenance program that works.

Your method is very exercise intensive. That is not bad, but remember, there are times when one can not go out and do that much exercise. It is good to have your diet such that if you significantly decrease your exercise, you can adjust your intake and not balloon up.
this isn't necessarily true. I've lost more than 1 lb per week since July. My problem was eating habits and lack of exercise. I can't see myself going back to eating junk food or becoming sedentary. People have their own ways of losing weight. For me, it was fast but very hard. I had to restrict my diet very tightly. I am thrilled so far with the results.

My advice for losing weight with cycling is:

Eat balanced meals and cut out things high in fat.
Eat lots of fruit and protein (tuna has tons of protein).
Don't eat after dinner snacks unless you are planning on doing a late workout (I can't stress this enough. The Weight flies off when people cut out late night snacks!)

Riding instructions can be difficult to give out as people have their own limits. I started riding and I could maybe do half an hour at a time (on a trainer) and go maybe about 9 miles. But you can work your way up. Right now I can sustain 21 mph (on the lowest setting) for 90 minutes (the only reason I stop is b/c of boredom). So it seems setting the incline on trainers isn't necessary at first to lose weight as I have just started to ride on higher settings. I can't recommend doing exactly what I did b/c people's bodies react differently to different situations. But I think you can get an idea of where to start. Hope I can be of some help :)

[bikerski]

all very good advice above. biggest thing to remember is that the mouth can do more damage in 30 minutes than the body can correct all day. With all the high calorie, calorie dense food we have available to us every minute of the day a person needs to be constantly on gaurd. Very easy to eat 3000 calories in 30 minute binge. Takes me an estimated 75 miles to burn this off. As a fairly new athelete, last 7 years, I really understand the amount of food, calories, a person needs, and can consume and stay fit, is much lower than most people understand. Serving size is also very misunderstood. Most people eat twice the calories they think they are eating even when knowing the calorie count of a particular food. They simply don't know what a "500 calorie" serving size is.

[my58vw]

Thanks again for all the tips...

now relizing how much calories food really has.

[jomalley]

Okay, I know nothing about anything about cycling. I just do it, and I've only done it for a little over 4 months.

With that said, just keep riding. With the amount of effort you're putting in, I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up tackling a centure sooner than your deadline. There's no cutoff date for when you can or can't do something. Any guy --whether he's 150lbs or 250lbs-- is going to eventually get awesome chops putting that much work in. The result of all that effort (minus the numbers that all you brilliant folks know inside and out) is experience and less weight!

Stick with it, and have fun. Listen to your body.

[sbhikes]

You're looking at losing 35 lbs in 12 weeks. That's about 3 lbs per week - double the loss rate you have been having.

It's going to be tough.
I did that once and kept the weight off for 7 years now. It's not miles you need to do it's hours. I hiked 4 times per week for about 3-5 hours at a time with at least 1500 ft elevation gain. For fun I'd do all day adventures. 6 - 8 hours. It didn't even seem like exercise because it was fun. On other days I'd walk everywhere, or if it was far I'd ride my bike. Or I'd ride my bike 2000 ft up a mountain.

You could do the same with a bike, but hills aren't quite as fun on a bike.

I also cut out all sugar. I ate what a normal person is supposed to eat, not extra because I was exercising. Also easier for me hiking than biking. For some reason biking makes me very hungry.

[Veronica]

Have you ever heard of the South Beach diet?? It was the only diet that really work for me, I do 3 - 4 hours of excersice a day and still had some extra pounds to loose, until I started with this great discovery, and done. Is a new way of eating and living.

[cheebahmunkey]

Have you ever heard of the South Beach diet?? It was the only diet that really work for me, I do 3 - 4 hours of excersice a day and still had some extra pounds to loose, until I started with this great discovery, and done. Is a new way of eating and living.
is that a carb diet? If it is then I would recommend against it. Carb diets are good for losing weight fast but have been shown to be the diets most associated with gaining all that weight back.

Check this site out. http://askmen.com/sports/foodcourt_100/124_eating_well.html

[jarhead#42]

Whats your age dude ? need to know how the age has effected your endocrine system .. If you over 40 .. get some rHGH or recumbant human growth horemone.. if your over 60 start taking e.p.o . think outside the box and live long hard and vibrant :)
jar

[oldspark]

As stated above everyone has unique reactions to changes of life styles. At 52 (now 53) I lost 40 lbs in about 5 or 6 months with riding about 6 to 7 hours saddle time a week, quit the beer and snacking but when I got to 160 lbs I had to start eating more to maintain that weight. I am now riding about 5 hrs a week (winter program) and the weight is staying off. Big thing is not to counter the exercise with too many empty calories, make what you eat count. Enjoy your new healthy life style.

[RiPHRaPH]

cycle every day. vary intensities. good base miles are important. 1.5 to 2 hours a day, 6 days a week. rev that engine.

[RunYun]

It's takes time and a lot of work, but once you are there you can maintain. It took me 5 months to go from 230-200 and another 3 months to go from 200-185. You just have to eat somewhat smart and ride smart.

[kiwi4shore]

hey my58vw,
Firstly if thats the car you drive,very good taste!Anyway seems like you could be overdoing it a bit.Ifound that rest was just as important when trying to lose a few hitch hiking pounds.Also I got much faster results by spinning rather than grunting in the big gears,ie;use a gear 1 or even2 higher than you would normally but try to maintain the same speed as in the lower gear.This drives the heart rate up and the pounds just fall away..Good luck.
k4s

[Crunkologist]

I'd offer a few tips.

1) Add some kind of resistance training to your cycling. If you lift weights even once or twice a week, your results will be greatly improved. Thats because new muscle growing gobbles tons of calories, raising your metabolism for 3-4 days from a single workout.
2) Carb up after you cycle. I realize you'll probably be cutting your refined carbs while you lose weight... but RIGHT after you cycle, eat some sugar. It will help your body adapt to the mileage, and thus aid your body composition change. Try this out, and you'll FEEL the difference. I don't get REALLY high from exercise until I carb up afterwards. Get some gatorade powder, and put a scoop or two in a glass of water post ride.
3) Don't beat yourself up if you don't meet your goals quite as quickly as you're trying to. The thing with losing weight and keeping it off... is lifestyle change. Don't burn yourself out. Try to make a routine that is enjoyable, and sustainable as a long term lifestyle. Otherwise your slow metabolism is going to pack that fat right back on your ass as soon as you burn out.

Thats the Crunkologist Three for today.

[my58vw]

Thank You all for your sugestions...

I am riding 1 - 2 hours a day right now getting in base miles. I have refined my diet quite a bit also. I know it will take time for the weight to come off, that is fine. I love getting on the scale and seeing lower body weight though...

Firstly if thats the car you drive,very good taste!

Yes I drive a 1958 volkswagen bettle, June 1957 production, first big window sedan, with oval parts inside. It has quite a potent engine to say the least, so much that I can not really drive it on the street (i.e. major wheel spin without slicks). It was my first car and now mos tof the time I drive it is at the track... 350 turboed FIed power in a very lite car... hmm.

I am 22 years old and have quite a high matabolism. I am very active at work and using 1000+calories a day should help bring the 500calorie loss per day I need...

Oh ya, I am strength training also, 3 - 4 days a week upper body and 1 - 2 days per week lower body (to compliment intervals)

Thanks All again

[Markedoc]

Some good advice here. I am trying to get from 202 to 187 by Spring cycling season, and am finding that it's tough to lose the weight over the winter - less activity and more holidays. In the last week or so, I've notched up the cardio and weight training and am trying to be better at calorie intake. What I am finding is that with this program, it is coming off at about the same rate it went on, so I've ditched the thought of losing 10 lbs in a month and am satisfied with a pound a week.

I'm assuming with more focus on weight training, I am probably adding muscle, which in the long run, is good, since it raises the resting metabolism. I'n the SHORT run, it's probably not the fastest way to lose weight, but I am interested in the long term.

Edit - after thinking about it, I would say that at a pound a week, it's coming off maybe even 2x quicker than it went on .. so that's a good thing! Patience and persistance is the key I guess ...

[FOG]

I would add another tip- get your metabolism up early in the morning, by doing something aerobic, and do little things to keep it high all day, like walking up stairs.

[PanPanX]

im losing lots of weight by cycling and eatting better.. but now i've developed a gut from sitting all the time =/

[Ritz]

Pedal, pedal, pedal... Lather, rinse, repeat... Viva La Pants!!! (www.tourdepants.com)
And by all means, enjoy it! :D

[rich007]

Don't know if anyone already mentioned it (has more to do with your food intake structuring): Have the last meal 2-3 hours before sleep, after that if you're still feeling hungry, eat only fruit or drink lots of water and re-adjust your daily meal sizes, so you're not as hungry before sleep... By that I mean not to eat a lot with your last 'evening' meal, but add more food to your breakfast and lunch, and other daily snacks, so you stay close (but little below, not lot) to your daily caloric needs... This works specifically, at least for me, when I want to get below 10% body fat and stay there (which is usually during the summer season, for races)...

[my58vw]

I only have my recovery drink after late night trainer rides. Otherwise I do not eat after 10 pm.

[MKRG]

Listen to the evil genius! Says I. Or maybe it was the genial Elvis...I forget. Whatever you do don't listen to me. Every winter the weight I lost during the summer comes back. Very annoying.

[Devious Rhesus]

I've lost a ton of weight over the last two months. Steps to my success:

1) Split everything at restaurants with my significant other. We're spending half as much at restaurants, and we still come away feeling very full.

2.) Stop buying soda of any sorts. I replaced mine with mineral water, which seems to keep me from going on cola binges.

3.) No meals after nine.

I've lost between 20-30 pounds just doing this, and I don't feel starved in the least bit...

[catatonic]

for what it's worht, a pound a week is reasonable to shoot for.

just go out there and get in an hour of cycling if possible, since that is cardio, and cardio burns calories like a mad one.

Key here is burning more calories than you intake. So long as you consistantly burn more than you take in, it really doesnt matter what kind of junk you eat, however good food will make you feel much much better while doing this, so it's highly reccomended to not go on a jack-in-the-box bender while working out. Instead I ate at this somewhat inexpensive indian buffet...about $9 and I got plenty of good food. Difference was I was cycling for about an hour and a half minimum at tat time though.

[Crunkologist]

Si. Carbs without fiber equal Carbs with fiber at the end of the day at the pantsline... but you'll be hungry all day eating crap, and full all day eating da good stuff (high fiber).

[ks1g]

Great suggestions here. One more on motivation that worked for me. I started training last spring to ride my 1st century in August. I focused my training on that goal. Some weight loss was desired but a beneficial side effect. So instead of obsessing over every 1/2 pound fluctuation on the bathroom scale or if the scale in the gym read "heavy", I obsessed over mileage and what "zone" I was riding in and just watched what I was eating and avoided the late night high-sugar snacking. Did the century, and in the meanwhile I lost FAT and my wife loves the way I look.

Focus on your riding goals, eat sensibly, and the weight will take care of itself.

[Markedoc]

Here's my New Year plan:

Cut beer consumption - love the stuff, but too many empty calories

Stay away from junk food

Weigh in once a week - I thought otherwise, but jumping on the scale every day can be depressing.

Stick with the cardio and also increase the weight training - thankfully, my new office location has a gym literally across the street - doesn't get much more convenient than that - I skip the lunch table and work-out during lunch, and then chow down at my desk after

[Ritz]

Pedal! Pedal! Pedal! VIVA LA PANTS! http://www.tourdepants.com

[sbeatonNJ]

I think the more you ride the better you will find yourself eating. In 2003 when I started training for an MS ride (my first dive in real cycling) I lost like 20 pounds without really trying. I had always worked out at the gym lifting weights so it was not like I was going from sedentary to active that sparked it. But I found that I was much more picky with what I ate because I needed to ride later. I couldn't slam back a hot pocket for lunch and then go for a 30 mile ride, although that would have been nice because I really like hot pockets.

I think that just focusing on riding, like others have mentioned, and eating healthy should be the focus and the pounds will find their way off.

[Ritz]

Eating less + Pedaling more = Weight loss! :) VIVA LA PANTS!

[RiPHRaPH]

you know, just ride. don't analyze it. just ride. put yourself in positions to ride. eat to fuel, not to fill. then ride.

[BeTheChange]

Si. Carbs without fiber equal Carbs with fiber at the end of the day at the pantsline... but you'll be hungry all day eating crap, and full all day eating da good stuff (high fiber).

Yeah, I just figured this one out. I was biking for at least 2 hours a day commuting and have a resting heart rate of 45 bpm, but my body fat % always stays around 25%. I know it was because I wasn't eating anything with fiber in it, so you get hungry an hour after you eat it. Try tempeh, it has a lot of fiber and good whole proteine and tastes great.

[Bontrager]

If you're building muscle while changing your diet and exercising appropriately you won't be losing as much weight because the muscle you're adding weighs more than the fat you've lost.

My suggestion woudl be to perhaps focus on losing body fat as a total percentage rather than losing weight.