im in. i can get to my goal, but can i hold it. that i dont know. later.

Okay. I'm in too. Put me down for 167lbs. Target date 1/15/11.

I'm procrastinating from real work, my pleasure ;p
With enough external motivation, we can definitely do it.

So how do you guys drop that couple pounds of fat when you are trying to get to race weight? Just inch off the calories by a bit, or change eating habits?

I think changing your eating habits is the first thing anyone who's trying to stay healthy should do. Eating a healthy diet shouldn't be a seasonal thing; make it a lifestyle.

Losing the last couple of pounds is always frustrating. Reducing caloric intake is the best way to do so. However, make sure you're not being extreme. Don't try to lose an extra 5 lbs if you're already near your "minimum."

I want to stay around 140 and try to hit the low 130s for EC next year.

For me it's pretty simple, eat food from the grocery store - not food from restaurants. Combine that with a good sleep schedule and consistent riding and I'll lose weight with ~3 week delay.
Some quick rules I use when I want to lose (i've only done this once, to get from 180->170 last winter):
cut out all caloried drinks - get the diet version. Maybe it won't taste quite as good, but you'll get used to it.
no sugar/cream in coffee
lots of fruits as snacks.


It just kinda depends on where you are now. My 'goal' of 160 is an experiment. I have no idea how much BF i'll be down there, or if I'll be worse off than at my current weight. As for when I get there, it doesn't really matter to me because it's an experiment. I'll try it out, see how it feels, then readjust. If it's optimal, I can come back up and then target it again for my late spring campaign.

I'm not veiny or anything right now, nor do i have super defined muscles (like abs or quads) so I suspect I have a fair amount of fat I can lose without worry. That's pretty much the only thing I am basing my goal on.

I try to cut out junk. "Junk" is loosely defined as anything that has sugar (esp. HFCS), hydrogenated fat, or enriched bleached flour in the first few ingredients. I try to limit snacking, but when I do it's fruits or nuts. Sort of a modified Michael Pollan approach ("Eat food, not too much, mostly vegetables.")

Hmm, do most of that already now. I'm thin, but I would assume I have fat I can lose, sort of on the same basis as you. Abs and muscles are there, but not super defined. Where I'm at now is probably a good year round weight, and I've been maintaining for a couple months, but pretty sure I can drop a few pounds for "race weight" and still be healthy as long as I gain it back eventually. May just try to eat a couple more small snacks instead of bigger meals and cut out a few extra calories over the course of the day and see if I drop. With the increase of mileage it should work out.

i raced at like 162-165 this season i'm currently at like 170. (5'10)

wanna get below 160, but not gonna sweat it for a few months. jsut try to keep from going much over 170 and then try to cut during early base, jan-march.

for reference last year i started january at 185 and was 165 by april 5th. if i can start at closer to 170, i think 155 or so is pretty realistic. once i'm racing and doin intensity, thats it for cutting for the year.

I'm looking at some of your goals and they are really starting to piss me off. Some of you are wanting to lose a whopping two pounds. Ughhhh!!!! I've lost 29 pounds so far in the past three months, my goal is to lose at least another 41 by Spring.

wrong forum. try here.

fixed that for you.

also - what's the word on next year, find a team yet? ;-)

As "one of those people", let me clarify what I am aiming for. Last year when I was a racing weight, I was racing and didn't have the muscle mass to generate enough power. Had there been lots of climbing and long ascents, I would have ripped stuff up (when there was, I did), but there's not enough of that in the WA calendar to target that sort of racing.
So - my goal for this next year is to race at 5-6 pounds heavier, but have a lot more power for break-aways and the ability to "power" along more than I had last year.
Thus - the weight may be similar-ish, but I am planning on being a different kind of racer, and target different kinds of races.... there is quite a bit of a difference.

also - if anyone is interested in additional portions of humiliation, I added columns for height and race weight last year. I put mine in, and I see that JB has also signed up for the extra ridicule.

Believe me I understand (still pisses me off though ). I have went through a few changes in my body type over the years, especially when changing over from racing mountain bikes to racing road bikes. I just wish that I hadn't let myself go to the point that I have to lose all of this weight, I would much rather be trying to go from 170 to 163, unfortunately that's just not the way it is working out for me right now.

This is a silly idea.

You're a skinny bike racer who doesn't do any weight training with the goal of putting on muscle. If you can see your abs, then you're probably doing more harm than good if you try to do a 'diet'.

Why do you want to hit race weight in december is another question that begs asking?

You're new at this, I take it, right? If so, ride lots, eat when you're hungry but don't pig out (too often), and enjoy yourself. You'll get faster doing that. You're at the stage where you need to build strength. Dieting while trying to do that is a bad idea, especially because you won't do it right.

Also, in my defense for wanting to lose 2 pounds, I started about a month ago, and am already down 3, so the original goal was to lose 5, and at this point I've only got 2 left to go. Those last few seem to be the hardest to get rid of though...

I have been as low as 115, but that was not a good look/feel, so I'm shooting for 125 for the time being, with a focus on not losing any of the muscle that I've built.

Bah. I have bowel movements that weigh two pounds. I'm down 56 pounds and I'm headed for another 20+ to drop. 2 pounds is nothing to complain or fret about. Calories in, calories out and keep the muscle on.

"Definition" is for body builders and actors doing late night ad pitches for exercise products. Unless you're planning on diuretics and anabolics, you're not going to get "there" and how you look is much less important than how you feel, and your BF %. Both of which should be aimed at how you're racing your bike and your overall health.

Alright, I'll play. I want to be 165 by the beginning of March.

This is a digression, but I'd like to point out that there are tons of natty builders out there who aren't juicing...

Isn't the amount of definition directly related to how defined your muscles are?

I know exactly what 2 pounds will do. And how hard it is to lose it for some. My reply was to say if you need to post about worrying about 2 pounds you need to grow up a bit. Just commit and get it done.

No doubt. I was speaking to the late night actors and competitive BB's. There are tons of those who are, and even the "natural division" guys use diuretics and unhealthy eating strategies prior to comps to look that ripped. Point remains that "definition" by definition is meaningless metric in this discussion.