At first I didn't know what Pete was referring to by excess adipose tissue. I wondered if it had to do with uncircumcised males and billowing (noncycling) shorts, especially on recumbent riders. But thanks to the group I can make a guess that we are talking about body fat, cellulite, love handles, and flab in general? Not to mention big bones. IMHO bicycling is not a good way to lose weight. So I run regularily on a treadmill. It's good cross training too. And regards diet, don't starve yourself. Eat small quantities of fresh fruit and green vegetable throughout the day. Because if your body feels like it isn't getting regular calorie intakes then it slows the metabolism down into survival gear.