Originally Posted by
pgoat
I appreciate the advice about eating well for three days before a hard effort club or training ride; is the window of recovery eating after the ride about one day?
If I am getting this right, that would give me about three days per week to cut back on caloric intake a little (not starvation) and three-four days to fuel well for hard efforts. In between I'd be doing some light weights (high reps, low weight, I usually do upper body only and maybe 20 mins tops, for toning) and my 20-mile round trip commute rides about 4x week. I also hope to get back into some gentle yoga daily (mostly stretching and TM, not the physically intense stuff).
I guess I am hoping if I can get the timing right and keep fueling rides and lose weight slowly and sensibly maybe even at my age my metabolism will speed up a bit and it won't be as much of a struggle to keep the weight off....idk if I am kidding myself there?
If I'm reading you right, you like to do one intense ride per week. Personally, I would opt for more training rides of less intensity while losing weight. So for example, rather than one intense 40-mile ride per week, do 3-4 20 mile rides per week of moderate intensity. Keep your diet fairly even. Your body will get used to it. Steadily drop the pounds. You will still gain fitness. Once a month, if you want to do a hard Sunday ride, do your normal routine M-F, but experiment and add 1,500 calories to your normal diet on Saturday (the value of counting calories). See if that is sufficient to get you through your hard ride. If so, back it off. If not, add calories on Friday in addition to the 1,500 calories on Saturday. Take 6-12 months, steadily lose weight and gain fitness, next summer you can ride with the 20-year-olds.