sbhikes

What do you eat on a typical day? Have you lost weight commuting to work eating this way? How old are you?

I'm curious because I would think adding this daily exercise would be doing something for my weight, but it's no better than when I didn't ride.

khuon

Hmmm... seeing as I've got...

• One eye
• One horn
• Purple skin

And I fly...

I'd have to say that I eat people.


BTW, you might get better responses if this thread were in Training and Nutrition. Want it moved there?

sbhikes

I'm not training, though. I'm just a commuter. I don't want to know what people in training for races eat. They all eat weird stuff.

genec

I actually gained weight slowly while commuting over many many years... your body gets used to the exercise. I did go from riding 30+ miles a day with 100 mile weekend rides to simply commuting 16+ miles a day... that didn't help. But the job required the time. (jeeze, don't they all... sigh)

I got lazy last year, and just swam a mile a day... rather than biked... and only during the 5 warmest months. Helped while I was swimming, but the wet winter and doing nothing really caught up to me.

Lately I have not been commuting, but am riding this beautiful bike path 16-20 miles out of town each evening on my old skinny tire road bike.** I lost 5 lbs and then stabilized. I ride out on the path and then come back on streets in new developments... brand new roads... very few cars; biking heaven.

My doctor recently said..."hey you look great... lost weight?" I told him "no, just redistributed it." I look better, my clothes fit better... I have more energy... although my muscles are sore...

The only way I have ever been able to really effect weight is by changing my diet. Did that low carb thing back in 2000... lost nearly 35 lbs... went back to eating pasta and bread, etc... weight came right back. (wife loves good bread... hard to keep it out of the house)

If you really want to lose weight, continue to exercise and change your diet slightly (not radically like the low carb fad). Slowly, it will work off as slowly as it came on. That is the best method.

BTW 49 next week.

I eat normal food, in moderate quantities. I focus on greens, and I try to avoid sugar and sweets, and fats. I do have a weakness for plain simple cookies though. Like those Windmill cookies or Lorna Doones. No more than 2-3 a night.

Good luck.


Aside: ** why the path and the road bike... I can consistently train hard... none of this dodging cars stuff or the stop and start of traffic... I get out there and sprint... I climb aggressively. I love it, it feels really great to hit and hold 25MPH for miles instead of going just a block or two between lights... or having to slow down at each and every possible "intersection" where some cell phone talking dolt, driving and balancing a cup of coffee, thinks they are Mario Andretti. It just brings back the fun of cycling... I used to do long commutes, well out of my way out into the back country to get to school and work... only now all those areas are built up and more cars are on the same old narrow roads. I got discouraged... same frustrated dolts, new day. Recently, a bike path was built that runs along a major new freeway. The thing goes for miles and miles. It is like a private bike hiway... it is beautiful to ride.

Take care.

Ohio Trekker

Kinda agree with Genec on this one. You tend to redistribute the weight some, don't let the scale guide you as much as the tightness of your belt! I went through the same thing where my weight loss leveled off no matter how hard I tried.The Dr. said, keep in mind that muscles weigh more than fat with less mass. He advised me at this point that I have to decrease caloric intake, or increase calorie burn. I am down 50 pounds now and they are leaving me far slower, but I keep using less and less holes in my belt so I am not totally frustrated and will keep going. For me the weight loss is really more of a bonus for doing something I love and missed while not doing it!

RonH

Cereal for breakfast, maybe some fruit.
PB sandwich or soy cheese and lettuce sandwich for lunch.
Snacks - breakfast bar, granola bar, fruit, yogurt, whatever I can find.

I haven't lost weight. Just maintained my weight. I guess its because I sit at a computer all day. Only riding during the week is commuting and maybe an errand during the day.
Weekends are 25-35 miles Saturday and Sunday.
Waistline isn't changing but my legs are huge.

genec

When I was in college and doing that 30+ miles a day with long rides on the weekends... I would buy Levis to fit my legs, not my waist... Giant like hams they were. But man, could I ride.

Now all that sitting at a computer stuff takes it's toll. The positive thing about commuting is that it is part of your regular day... You feel like you are accomplishing something.

I often wonder about us as a society... sitting at computers, driving to everywhere (OK, this forum excepted)... this is not the what we were designed to do.

dee-vee

Im a vegan. I have been skinny all my life even when I used to eat junk food. Ridding my bike everyday doesnt seem to have any effect on my weight. I am trying to fatten up though.

JohnBrooking

I'm like dee-vee. I am blessed with a fast metabolism, so I've always been skinny. Bike commuting hasn't changed my weight at all, although it has increased my appetite. Still, I do recall hearing people on a thread for overweight riders say that they lost weight when they started riding. Maybe that's because they had too much to start with, and it just helped their body get down closer to its ideal?

I just have a glass of juice before starting (it's only 5 miles), then nurse a bowl of cereal at my desk for an hour or so, more juice, and a single cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate. For lunch, a sandwich, yogurt, and a fruit (usually an apple or orange) is my recent habit, although I'll eat more if I can get it, or leftover casserole-y stuff from home if their is any. Fridays I let myself buy, so it's usually more junky stuff from the mall food court or the hot dog place down the street! I keep a box of granola bars in my desk for the late afternoon, pre-ride munchies.

SmoothP

I lost about 60 pounds a few years back when I started commuting (30 miles round trip) and started watching what I ate. I found that the best, and easiest to maintain, diet was just cutting way back on portion size and being really really conscious of eating when I wasn't hungry.

I'm currently 33, 6'1", and weight about 235. This is about 20 pounds over where I like to be, so I'm back on the "summer" diet again. It sounds obvious, but the "don't eat when you're not hungry" philosophy is a really good start. I discovered that about half of what I was eating, I was doing so because a) it was time to eat, b) it was on my plate, or c) I just wanted to eat it (sweets, snacks, etc).

I generally try to eat a half a bagel or a cup of yogurt for breakfast (before the ride in), a small sandwich (half a 6" subway sub or so) and maybe some baked chips or pretzels for lunch, and then a really small dinner sometime in the evening. I try to stay away from obvious culprits (cheese, fried things, high-fat stuff) but really I don't have any strict diet, I'm just really conscious of when I'm no longer hungry, and then I stop eating. Another good trick is to cut whatever portion you get in half immediately. Eat the half, and if you're actually still hungry, eat the other half guilt-free. But you might be suprised at how often the first half takes care of your hunger, and now you've just cut your calorie intake in half.

The other thing to consider, of course, is that exercise is always good for your general health, even if you're not losing weight. Even at 235, technically obese for my height, I'm in better shape and have more stamina than many of my skinnier friends. It's hard to call someone a fat-ass when they're flying past you uphill!

jeff-o

I eat whatever I want, though I haven't been riding to work long enough to see a weight difference. I'm getting stronger, though.

christie133

*shudder* It must get so soggy!

Monument Man

Well I'm in a similar position to the Original Poster. I've tended to find in the past that while exercise improves my health and physique, diet improves my weight.

I do believe I've lost a pound or two (or three or four) in the past 3.5 weeks since I have started commuting. However I'm currently seriously upping my weekly mileage to around 120-150 miles per week from around 30-40 due to the warmer weather.

I have noticed a few things: I look a lot better. I am definitely shedding fat. I am definitely gaining muscle. My weight is around the same, although probably slightly slimmer and I do intend to lose weight via increased mileage. Anyway even though I haven't lost very much weight I definitely am looking better, although the changes are gradual. My clothes are also fitting better. But the bottom line is that my muscle increase is offsetting any weight loss. I view that as a positive! I think that once my muscles reach a certain level of fitness, I will start to shed lbs.

My big problem has always been portion size. Also my wife tends to come home very late (no jokes please our mailman is a woman and we don't employ a poolboy or gardener) and I used to eat tons while waiting for her to come home, followed by a big home cooked meal. I'm watching my intake, as well as trying to eat salads for lunch in our work cafeteria. Mix of veggies and protein (chicken). In the morning before I ride I will try to eat a banana and will try to eat another if I'm about to head off on my commute home.
\
I'm also going to the gym for a rather light upper body workout MWF. Gym is at work and I can get in-out quickly after my morning commute.

All in all I would imagine that biking is not as strenuous as running in terms of burning calories and losing weight. Depending on how long your commute is could make a difference.

tacomee

I'm not really a skinny guy-- I'm 5'11" and around 200 lbs. Got a little belly from drinking beer. I eat all kinds of food, both good and bad, and never think about it.

I know plenty of good cyclists who are downright chubby-- riding makes you healthy, both physically and mentally, but it's not some crazy Jenny Craig plan. There is a lot of medical studies that suggest that being a little chubby is even more healthy than being skinny. Of course being a tub-o-lard is totally bad.

Elvish Legion

I try to eat healthy, but for one reason I stand at 5'8" and 163lbs...I dunno where it all goes, I guess my legs, but I am always running/cycling/swimming/raquet ball etc etc... I'm so confused!

Elvish

TrevorInSoCal

I try to eat healthy, but an abundance of free junk-food at work makes it hard sometimes.

For breakfast it's usually a bagel w/ peanut butter (we're out of bagels so lately it's been pop-tarts ), and a cup of yogurt plus either tea or a diet coke.

Lunch, is fast-food of some sort (Though I at least try to keep it kinda light, togos, subway, BRC burrito from El Pollo. No fries.), and dinner is usually pasta, rice & bean burritos, or chicken.

I tend to snack occasionally throughout the day on whatever's available, which isn't always good stuff (I have a weakness for Nutter Butters.).

My weight hasn't fluctuated by more than 5 lbs. for about as long as I can remember. It usually hovers around 165.

I think in order to change my body composition any I'd either have to start doing weight-training to build muscle/burn fat, or get really strict with my diet. 165 isn't bad for 5' 11", but for racing I'd probably be better off about 10 lbs. lighter...

I keep hearing that your metabolism starts slowing down around 30 or so and I just turned 30 a few months ago, so I've been trying to develop better eating habits now before it's too late, and I find myself at 35 w/ a spare tire.

-Trevor

izgod

Exercise makes you hungry! I eat pretty much anything I want. My pocket book holds me back, more than any egalitarian thoughts of "eating right." If I had the bucks I'd be gorging! I've lost quite a bit of weight since I've been seriously biking, about 15 years. I'm 59, and I'm glad I got a nice tight butt and people still comment on my built legs. If I didn't commute I'd be fat. Love pasta and bread. Italian, y'know.

CommuterRun

When I first come in from my commute home I'm too hot to eat. As I cool down I start getting hungry, not the, "I'm bored, what have we got to eat?" kind of hungry, but the body saying "FEEEEED MEEE!!"

This is about the time the kids start looking at me sideways and the cats hide under a bed.

42, 68", 175 lbs. of twisted steel and sex appeal.
Yeah, right.

Actually, good, bad or indifferent, if it's edible and laying around unattended it's fair game in my book. The kids hate this.

Grab it and growl.

bnet1

Funny thing, I'm the same way too when I start riding hard. Just can't get enough food! Last summer when I was commuting, my lunch nearly doubled in size, and I actually still lost some weight!

billh

When commuting, I tend to get more hungry at night and snack more. If I stop commuting, say in a heavy snow week, I gain weight because my nighttime eating does not change immediately. It takes about 5 minutes to eat the calories I burn in 60 min of commuting.

palmertires

I am the same way. I eat healthy food for the most part...grains and leafy greens, tofu, etc. but, I have eaten my fair share of junk food. I also can eat a lot, work hard, not eat a lot, sit around a lot...mix and match those scenarios, and not gain or lose weight. Been the same weight and height (skinny as a rail, most people say) since I was sixteen and I am now thirty. Just good genes (or, bad depending on ideals). But, when I eat the right foods my body keeps better tone. Check out some books on nutrition and diet at a book store...there are so many different ways to eat, but generally whatever foods you choose to include in your diet should give the vitamins and minerals needed for your body and energy requirements. Don't worry so much about the actual weight, since as you ride you will build muscle. Rate it on how you are feeling, better or worse?

Marylandnewbie

Not being blessed with a fast metabolism or good genes to lose weight I have to both reduce what I eat and increase activity. The biking has certainly taken care increasing my activity level. Eating less is tougher. Portion control is certainly one problem, also my job makes it easy to munch unnecessarily during the day.

I've found that I need to eat breakfast to avoid ravenous hunger at about 10AM. I usually eat whatever I'm feeding my son for breakfast, although on a few cold mornings I found oatmeal comforting. Lunch is tougher, so I usually bring in one of those frozen entrees for lunch. They control my portion size and since I'm not out hunting for food I don't buy junk. I usually get home just in time for dinner so the only other point of overeating is bedtime snacks. I've found though that most days when I ride I can more easily control the munchies after dinner.

I haven't really changed what I eat too much except to eat smaller/fewer deserts and to choose smarter snacks like fruits and nuts instead of candy bars.

overthere

Aack. Age.
I started riding last summer, and since then have lost all of 3 pounds, then leveled. I apparently eat to make up for the increased activity. I ride maybe 300-400 miles a month, play 6-7 sets of tennis a week, 2 spinning classes and do light weight lifting. True, it's redistributed, and I've built up muscle instead of fat. But to lose my tummy, I am cutting out my late night meal. True, I feel like I'm starving, so I eat yogurt or whip up a smoothie, but no more Cheeze Its or baguette. I think the tummy is shrinking... I've resigned myself to feeling pangs of hunger if I'm going to lose the 10 more I'd like to. I guess I'm fine the way I am, I'd just like to have a smaller % of body fat. I have an 'apple' shape, so the idea is fat around my middle is the last to go, and the most important fat to lose, around those vital organs!

slvoid

How far are you riding? How fast are you pushing? How many minutes of riding total do you get?
Then on top of that, are you eating more because you're hungry more? If you're eating enough to replace your calories burnt, then you won't lose weight.
If you burn off fat and gain more muscle, then even though you're getting thinner, your weight might not decrease, muscle is heavier than fat.

EDIT: Duh, your sig says 8.5 commute right there.

slvoid

Anyway, firing off a quick estimate on www.caloriesperhour.com gets this:

Female 30-40, 5'4", 120 lb: BMI=20.6 BMR=1,336 RMR=1,249
Bicycling - 12-13.9 mph (moderate)
653 calories in 1 hr 30 min

Not knowing any specifics, I'd say you're burning an extra 600-700 calories a day easily just by biking in. If you're building more muscle, your metabolism increases since muscle burns more calories than fat when you're idling. Tack on a couple more calories to that.

If you end up taking in 800+ calories extra because you're biking in, your weight would most likely be stable. Less, will drop.