ridethecliche

Easy there bub. I'm 20 and going to be a senior in college.

Yer not that far behind.

I had just a hair over 2 lbs per inch of height until after a wreck last year that led me to gain like 15 lbs. I dropped 10 after I started riding again, I've gained those back now. Mostly in muscle I think, but some of it's fat. Realistically, I think going back to 140 now would be unhealthy because I'd lose a ton of muscle. 144-146 is probably realistic though. I wonder what my body fat % is currently, that's something I should probably find out before I lose too much weight.

I eat pretty healthy as well. I cook the bulk of my big meals, i.e. dinner. I don't eat fast food, I rarely drink soda, I drink very little alcohol, and I like dessert too much. Oh wait...

ijgoodwin

Not to be a smartass, but these are exactly the kinds of replies that keep people from losing weight. You have to make some sort of sacrifice. If nothing else, track calories for a few days to a week until you know how many calories you're usually taking in rather than thinking you know how many calories you're taking in.

The thing that works best for me is starting with a relatively large breakfast (about 600 cals: 1/2 cup oatmeal cooked in 1/2 cup skim milk and 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup frozen berries mixed in; 2 eggs cooked without any added fat; cup of light yogurt; small glass OJ), and then small portions every 2-3 hours the rest of the day. You'll likely want to get some protein each time you eat, since protein tends to keep me fuller longer. Also, if possible on a student budget, lay off the cold cuts and eat real meat. Not so much for calories or anything, but just for general health...and don't go anywhere near the bologna.

waterrockets 

You make a good point. I had to let the hunger in, so to speak. It's like I was doing intervals. Not comfortable, but that's ok.

Food being fun is not the point. Of course it's fun to eat what you want. That's why there are so many fatties in this country.

ridethecliche

I agree with both the above.

So, I think I over estimated how much food I ate today (on purpose).

The calorie counter thing says I burned 3490 today and ate 2522. So even if the basal level is 500 higher than it should be, I'm still under by 500. And that's after dessert.

Today was a long ride so that's fine, but I'll have to be careful that I don't eat as much on easy days or recovery days like tomorrow. I'll have to run a 500-600 deficit to drop the weight I want to.

Lets see how this goes. Thanks for the help. This is the first time I'm actively trying to lose weight. Last time I really lost weight it was around 25 pounds in 2 months when I became much more active and my metabolism kicked up. I couldn't stop eating, or losing weight. I went from like 155 or 160 to 135. That was nice...

I was gross looking at that weight though.

bostongarden

Oh my goodness RTC...for 2 weeks, stop with the alcohol, cookies, cakes and ice cream...that alone will help a lot...seriously consider fat free milk...pop tarts...no comment...mayo is not your friend...grapefruit is better than OJ...late dinner = bad...dude...with some minor modifications you'll be down 5 pounds easily...

ridethecliche

I'll cut my dessert portions, but I won't cut them out. I ride because I like dessert

Pop tarts are on the bike ride food, or breakfast when I'm late for work.

I wish I could help the late dinners but when I get home after a ride at 8 and realize that I ate all the stuff I cooked last night, I have to cook and that takes till 10:30 till I finish eating.

I've cooked for the next few days now, and I should be good to go.

kudude

So, ever thought you just stopped growing? Seriously, no one likes to admit they didn't "finish up" until after 18, but how many guys come home from college after a year or two and everyone comments on them being taller. How acurately have you tracked your height over the last 3 years?

Maybe you just finished growing and now your body is settling in and filling out?

ridethecliche

I've been the same height since like 8th or 9th grade. Maybe grew an inch or so in early high school, but not really.

I had friends who came back to school after summer and were literally inches taller than me between 10th and 11th grade. I used to be taller than them. Heh.

I haven't tracked height at all after graduating from HS.

MONGO!

Np, man, I don't even like me.
No, the calories in a can of coke or chocolate or ice cream will not be processed like the same number of calories in something like wholewheat bread or wheat pasta or vegetables.
You have to avoid blood sugar spikes, too much blood sugar = fat.
Slow burning food like oatmeal and whole grains are better.

They are, if you're not trying to lose weight, they're basically a sugar stick, especially ripe ones.

You getting enough protein?
If you're not eating enough protein your body will hoard the carbs.
It's not as simple as calories in vs calories out.

patentcad

gsteinb

What are you trying to fill that other guy's shoes?

Homebrew01

Look at the suger content, It's pretty high. I often have corn flakes (much less sugar) with a sprinkle of granola for flavor.... or sometimes plain oats and or wheat germ on my cereal.

Ride drink sounds like empty calories. I usually take water with a dash of lemon juice and maybe a dash of sugar. Way less than sports drinks. If it's a long hot ride, put in some "lite" salt for sodium & potassium

patentcad

We need Chipcom's input here.

waterrockets 

I added everything for the first couple weeks. Once I got on a consistent track, I didn't sweat it (I'd still count everything, but a lot more grouping together kinds of estimates). Start off detailed and see how it goes.

ridethecliche

Today I lessened the amount of cereal and added in some almonds and walnuts.

I figure the fats will keep me full longer.

obie

I work outdoors and to stay charged up I often drink a lot of water with Hammer Perpetuem (130 cal/scoop) and gels (usually Brown Rice Syrup/75 cal.per Tbsp).

Totaling up my work day I usually down about 800-1000 calories in sports mix and gels.

I drop the gels and sport mix when I want to get the weight going south.

I have a thing about 'performance' even when I'm slogging about during my work day but, really, I worked outside for 15 years w/o 'sports drinks' and gels and, can't really say it's necessary. Probably a habit (sports drinks/gels) I picked up from hanging around roadies.

A bit of lemon in my water and/or 'Emergen-C' (20 cal./pkg) is probably just as good. I use the sport mixes/gels for rides only these days. Much more economical too. Hammer products are trey expensive around bike shops these days.

ridethecliche

Lol.

The calorie counter thing that WR linked me to said that I'm trying to lose too much weight in the time period.

I put in sedentary as WR described, and it popped out 2100cal/day for me to eat. I think I'm going to try to keep it at about 1900. If I start getting overly tired or too hungry all the time, I'll move it up a little. I guess I'm allowed that mayo after all

Homebrew01

1 pound per week was what I did last year and it seemed a reasonable pace. I had to work at it, but it wasn't unbearable.

You can still work on replacing some of the sugary junk (Raisin bran) with higher quality calories.

euphoria

there was a pretty noticeable difference in energy stores when I started using fiber one cereal instead of honey bunches of oats

it has twice the carb density and a lower glycemic load to boot. I don't have the patience for steel-cut oats.

If you want noticeable differences in just a few days time then try eating only meat+veggies for dinner. Right now I'm leaner than when I worked double-shifts at UPS (granted I would eat five tacos/five burritos before going in) through axing carbs on off-days/evenings. I can swim through the pack on climbs now. Never thought I'd be able to say that.

kensuf

I don't get it..

You ask for advice.

People say "don't eat sugar". You say you want to eat cake because you like cake and that's why you ride.

People say "give up drinking". You say you want to have a vodka tonic because the hotties are drinking them and you hope to get laid.

People say "give up mayo". You say "I deserve the mayo because I'm running a deficit in my calories".

So since you have the answers, why'd you ask the questions?



(and please note, I could stand to lose 10#'s myself, but I'm not asking questions and then ignoring the answers)

aicabsolut

I'm going to take a different approach here....
When you picked your weight loss goal, did you consider your current body composition vs. when you were 140lbs?

Here's my reasoning: Right now I'm near the upper range of where I feel fit (keep in mind for me, as a 5'7" female, this range is very small), close to 130lbs. Near 140lbs I'm either a fatty or a meathead (a nurse once asked if I had rocks in my pockets when she took my stats). Between 120-125lbs, and I start to look sickly.

When I'm putting in more miles, it's not that hard for me to get down into the low zone, and I get to the point where I just get sick and tired of eating so much to try to maintain weight and recover from the rides. So, say that's where I was last fall and in the early race season. When I'm doing more racing than long rides, my power, acceleration, and top speed improves from all the interval work and sprint drills. I've also added in some upper body strength training as rehab for a shoulder injury. So, my weight has gone back up 5+lbs. However, my clothes have gotten even looser on me. So, this weight isn't all bad.

Where you're at right now, you are strong (you said you've put on muscle too), but maybe not as lean as you'd prefer. The trouble is, at this point, how do you lose weight without sacrificing your peak season strength and power? I don't think being strict with your diet is necessarily the answer. Yeah, you can cut out some things like alcohol easily. That will save you calories and also help you not have extra water weight (after all, you can't really cut down on salt in the summer to reduce water weight because you need salt). Perhaps you need to increase your training, while being sure to eat enough during and after the workout. But is the weight really that essential at this point in the season?

Anyway, if you do think you're overeating but it's not showing up in your calculations, have you tried measuring your breakfast cereal? Granola and raisin bran have very small serving sizes, because they are so caloric.

ridethecliche

I have some food on hand that I'd like to finish. I'm figuring out where the balance lies. I don't have to give up everything I'm eating. Instead of eating 3 cookies after dinner, I'll eat one. That kinda thing.

More importantly, I want to figure out what foods are better for me in the long run from a performance perspective.

I normally don't bother with oatmeal because it takes time to cook everyday, but since the glycemic index is lower, I'll probably buy that the next time I go to buy breakfast foods.

I'm as interested in losing the weight as I am in learning more about what foods are and aren't good for me. My medical knowledge is decent, but I suck at nutrition info.

I've never had to try to lose weight before and I've never gained it no matter what I eat or drink.

I'm interested in cycling not as a thing I'm doing for a week or a year, but something that I want to do till I croak. Everything I eat is fuel for the body, especially now that I'm targeting a race for the first time, I want to figure out the diet thing better from a nutrition perspective.

I cook almost all my dinners, so if I can start cooking stuff that's healthier and leads to better performance, I'll cook it and start making lunches too.

I'll still drink that beer after a hard ride and eat that cookie after dinner, but it doesn't mean that I can't start doing things that will be healthier for me overall.

That's why I started this. I know jack about nutrition, as people are pointing out, and I'd like to learn.

BDS

i can only say that a 1/4 cup of Quaker steel-cut quick oats takes a minute in the microwave. i lived for years without a microwave - if you're in that particular boat, then you're looking at ~6 minutes on the stove-top.

waterrockets 

I use the "quick oats" that supposedly cook in 1 minute on the stove, but I don't cook it on the stove. I buy the big box at Sam's (has two huge bags inside. I mix with brown sugar (varying amount based on weight/diet goals), and store in rubbermaid containers.

These quick oats cook up just fine in a bowl when you add hot water. Start off with it pretty soupy, and the oatmeal will soak up the extra water (like you wouldn't believe). Works great, and is much cheaper (and potentially healthier) than instant flavored oatmeal.

Brian Ratliff

3/4 cups of dry, rolled oats takes 2m30s in the microwave to cook, plus another minute to add brown sugar, butter, raisins.

I'd skip the butter and reduce it to 1/2 cup oats or less if you have this everyday and are trying to lose weight. This is my "big ride" breakfast I use for fuel for a 3+ hour ride or road race. I don't typically have more than a cup of instant coffee w/ hot chocolate for breakfast (the only way to drink instant coffee is to add something, and the hot chocolate mix gives me 50cal or so).