teachme

Oct 1st marks the day I began commuting serioulsy. In just over 3 weeks I have lost 8 pounds! I'm 55 years old, 6'3" and weigh 214lbs currently. I trying to get to 199lbs so I can drop my "Clyde" status. Losing weight seems to deplete my energy level. I'll be glad when I can just maintain my weight and keep a higher energy level. Any tips from you guys that have been commuting a while, on how to keep your energy level up?

tds101 

I hate you,...just j'king!!! Keep up the good work. I'm 5'10 & 219lbs ATM. When I can finally get back on my bike I plan to drop below 200lbs myself. I also get pooped riding a lot, but the results are worth it. But I find that eating more fruits and veggies helps get the energy levels back up - especially when shedding pounds.

Darth_Firebolt

first of all, keep it up!
8 pounds in 3 weeks doesn't sound unhealthy or too extreme. if you were dropping 10 pounds a week, you would have good reason to be concerned.

second; are you eating right or watching what you eat at all? are you going on longer rides, or just commuting? basically, is there anything else you've changed since october 1 that would cause weight loss or gain?

also, each pound you lose is harder to lose than the pound before it. the first pounds are the easiest to lose, and you have to work hardest for the last. you will eventually get to a point where the energy you're putting out via commuting isn't enough to cause any more weight loss.

noglider 

Maybe you're losing too rapidly. You've lost a lot of weight in a short time span. And cycling makes me feel more energetic, not less. Maybe you need to eat more. I know that sounds counter to the cause of losing weight, but maybe you haven't struck the right balance yet. I'd be concerned that your energy is down.

teachme

Lol! Thanks for the tip! By the way; what's keeping you from riding?

teachme

I am watching what I eat, counting calories with "My Fitness Pal" app on my I phone. Trying to make sure I get everything I need from a nutritional standpoint.

Ancient Mariner

I'm 70, and have been 'heavy' all my adult life. I'm short.....5'7", so when I tell you my weight a year ago was 265#, you get a general idea of my proportions. In February, I started dieting. I tried Weight Watchers for about a month, but found it involved way too much bookkeeping for my taste. I just ate a lot of salads and Subway Veggie Delight sandwiches. In April, I had lost a few pounds, and started riding the bike. It was short rides at first--maybe 3-4 miles. As time went by, the rides got longer and faster, until now I am riding about 15 miles a day.

Unfortunately, I haven't gotten any taller, buy my weight has dropped to just under 200#. My waist has gone from 46" to 36", and I've dropped two shirt sizes. I look a lot different than I did in February, and I'm grateful for the change. I hope to lose maybe another 20# over time, but there's no hurry on that. The physical realities of being 70 years old do limit my abilities a little, and there are the odd days when I wake up and the knees won't bend. There are far fewer of those than there used to be, so it's all good.

teachme

I think your right. I am losing the weight too rapidly. I can definetly handle a few more calories in my day. And, I do feel more energized when I ride, and I have a way better day at school. But I have developed a pattern since I began commuting of riding 3 days and resting 1. I want to get over the hump and make it all 5 days. I don't want to feel like I have to ride, do you know what I mean?

Darth_Firebolt

dumb questions that we should have asked a long time ago: how far is your commute, how long is it taking you, and what kind of bike are you on?

if you're doing a 20 mile commute in 1 hour on a single speed cruiser, your weight loss makes sense because that would require a LOT of energy.
if you're doing a 5 mile commute in 1 hour on a triathlon bike, your weight loss numbers would be scary.

teachme

Sir, That is fantastic! That is why cycling is so great! It is an activity that can be done at any age.

teachme

13 mile commute each way, on a Specialized Sectuer road bike. Takes me 45 minutes to an hour depending on the wind.

10 Wheels

I was able to get in 422 miles (6 rides) last week.

Drink a canned Coke or Pepsi before the ride home.

You will feel the energy.

dramiscram

I went from 270 lbs to 203 lbs in 9 month eating a very strict diet, being hungry 24/7 a doing a lot of bike and eliptical trainer. I started eating normaly after a year and got back at 215-220 even if I ride 55 kms/day 4 days a week plus my week end ride which is around 150 kms each week end. I'd prefer if I could stay at 200 lbs but I can't stand being hungry so I'm now happy at 215 (still better than 270!)

gecho

I don't trust the scale anymore. On a hard ride I can easily sweat out a few pounds of water more than I replace. Plus changes in muscle mass than yield a misleading number. I tend to focus on the "excess belt length" metric these days.

As for energy level. During muscle building periods I always find myself nodding off after getting home. Once the muscle building levels off the sleepiness goes away.

sternzeit

You're probably not losing too fast. If you were eating a high sodium diet before you've likely shed some excess water weight. Also, depleting your muscle glycogen stores from cycling will cause your body to retain less water. Taking a break and allowing glycogen stores to replenish will quickly add some of that water weight back. I have no idea what your diet is like but don't be at all suprised to see some water weight come back after a high carb meal with some rest. Three years ago I was 230lbs. I'm 5'10" and this morning the scale said 158. It took me almost three years to get to my current weight. I weighed myself obsessively every day (still do) and noticed a lot of "noise" in the numbers. Most of this was just daily fluctuations in water retention. I learned to mostly ignore the noise and look for weekly trends. I started commuting this year and that is what finally got rid of the last 10 stubborn pounds from around my waist. Had I started commuting three years ago it would have come off a lot faster.

RedC

I too am 70 and thanks to cycling I feel better than I did at 60. I started out comuting 6 miles each way and had to take rest stops in the beginning. I'm now riding between 150 and 200 miles a week and beginning to ride with people I couldn't keep up with last year.

Oh yeah, I'm wearing a smaller belt too!

noglider 

You guys are outstanding. Very inspiring.

I'm the kind of guy you hate. My weight barely ever fluctuates, no matter my level of activity or diet. But exercise is good for me; it's just not reflected in my weight. I'm a shade under 5'10" (177 cm) and 178 lbs (81 kg). Still, the weight losses from cycling -- and it appears this a bigger factor than your diets -- are eye-opening.

ItsJustMe

I sweat a lot. It leeches salt from my body. When I started riding 5 days a week I found myself getting very wobbly by Thursday/Friday.

I started dumping a couple of packets of supplemental salt into my lunch every day, and that went away.

I'm also one who doesn't fluctuate much. My body likes to be about 180. I started running and then riding when I hit 198, but it took 5 solid years of sitting on my butt eating junk to get from 180 to 198. I drew the line at 200.

I actually dropped some weight about a year ago, but the only way I was able to do it was by fasting, riding 25 miles a day and only eating one meal after I got home. I got down to 160 in 7 weeks but a series of illnesses and a lot of stress at work put me right back to 180 over the course of about 5 months, but it stopped there.

tds101 

I had a cancer test (cystoscopy) and I'm the type that gets an infection if I don't refrain from physical activity. I'm bike-free since last Thursday & I'm missing it so much. I originally had bladder cancer removed over 7 years ago, and quit smoking 5 years ago today.

I'll be back in the saddle soon enough,...bike riding is one of he only pastimes I truly love. Calisthenics & (are you ready!!!) popping being the othe 2. Once my rotator cuff is better I'll start doing my workouts again,...but the popping is something I still do to goof around with (I'm out of practice, but still pretty good).

Anyways, back on topic. I'm just glad to see so many others here with great success stories. It makes me smile,...

Lascauxcaveman 

To steal from Michael Pollan: Eat food, not too much, mostly vegetables.

And I've gotta say 8 lbs in your first 3 weeks is not "too much" weight loss, considering where you started. And I agree with a previous commenter mentioned mentioned sodium intake can have much to do with it. When I quit salt - cold turkey - I lost 15 lbs (and my migraine headaches, praise the Lord) in two weeks; while not particularly active.

Shortly thereafter I took up biking and seems like everything I lost, I got back at the dinner table and in leg muscle mass. After the migraines went away, I became less selective about my diet, but kept the salt at a manageable level. I'd probably lose ten more if I quit meat or booze altogether.

If you continue to lose 8 lbs every month, then you can start to worry. Seriously doubt you're going to have that problem.

GFish

If your energy level feels low, then you're probably not eating enough. That, and your body hasn't adapted to the increased physical demand on your muscles.

My commute is 29 miles round trip. I started last year, off and on (more off then on), then really kicked into full time commute mode mid-July of this year. This works out to a 2 hour work-out each day. I try to ride at pace; 85 - 90 rpm's, 16 - 18 mph. If there's significant wind, I'll downshift and ride slower.

A couple things I've noticed....

Riding back to back, 5 days in a row, fatigue really started to set in on the 3rd day. Even though these rides are shorter then my typical weekend rides, the twice a day 14.5 milers on back to back days left me feeling sore with a loss of energy.

Next, I always felt hungry and craving something salty. It wasn't hard to figure out that I needed to eat enough to fuel my body and keep the electrolytes up.

Turns out, I believe both the fatigue and hungriness were somewhat related. I did need to get stronger to ride back to back days without feeling fatigued. But I also needed to eat before leaving and once I arrived at my destination. This helps a lot.

Since the ride is only 1 hour, I'm OK with eating 1 hour to 30 minutes before leaving. Oatmeal, toast and egg, or something so I'm not riding on empty. Once I arrive at work, an apple and some cheese helps recover in the first 30 minutes (right after a shower).

I do feel better eating before and after, and I'm still losing weight and getting stronger. I can really understand now, why people can become addicted to commuting. Although, inclement weather certainly creates some additional challenges.

Big Lebowski

I so wish I had that commute. Sectuer sounds ideal for that too.

teachme

It is a perfect distance, for a commute and training workout.

mikemartin

I wonder if you're not hydrating enough also. A few pounds of that weight loss was probably water. Congrats on the weight loss, keep up the good work.

buck65

Congrats and keep up the good work!

Look into the research of Gary Taubes if you're interested in maintaining a high-energy diet very easily. Last year (5'10", 38" waist, 215lbs) I started a carb restricted diet--my cholesterol numbers were borderline bad. It's about 8 or 9 months later and I'm down to 180lbs and have a 32" waist--all of this was done with minimal exercise. The secret to my success is maintaining a diet packed with great nutrients.

My suggestions is that you try to cram as many fresh veggies into your diet as possible. And if it works for you, try to get rid of as many carbs as you find reasonable (especially the processed ones). Oat meal is cool but cookies and tortilla chips will work against you. You might also want to consider multi-vitamins because they'll help to boost your energy. Finally, lots of water and rest.