I am brand new and need some major help. Please
 

A couple years ago I was training to try to run the mini 500 in Indianapolis, I wanted to get back into running to lose some weight as I had gained some weight in my ripe old age of 39. well 2 months before the mini i had realized I wasnt going to be able to run the mini but I felt I had accomplished alot and was ok with just finishing it even If i needed to walk. well I was out for a morning run when I blew a calf muscle out. I missed the Mini and was heartbroken. I mended from the calf issue and ended up about 6 months later having Knee surgery.. well finally got through that to tear a hamstring...lol ( it was a bad year and a half) well I am back now but the problem is I have gained a tremendous amount of weight. I want to start back into getting back into shape but I have heard how good cycling is for you and I want to incorporate that with some running and lifting as well as a sensible diet. but I need to lose alot of weight, probably at least 65 to 70 lbs to reach my goal. I need some help, could someone please help me to get started? how should i start a cycling routine? what should i do and how far shoule I set my early rides to?

thanks

Chris

The main thing is to start, simple enough. You could get a used bike and later move up to what you prefer. I started with a 20+ year old mtn bike, get something that is the correct size and decent quality. A helmet is a must then just ride. My 1st ride was only a few miles and it nearly killed me (over weight and out of shape) the rides got longer and easier. You need to find the type of riding you like and get a bike and gear that meet that need. Check out the shops and ask questions. Good Luck

Ride the amount you can tolerate. Best advice I can give you is to initially just concentrate on having fun with your riding and build a base. Cycling is a low impact exercise that can be either aerobic or anaerobic in nature. For weight loss, you want to stay in the aerobic range, operating at 65% +/- of your Max Heart rate. A mix of cycling and some resistance exercise helps as well.

Set your first goal point at about 125% of what you can currently ride...eg, if you can do 10 miles, then build to 12.5. Each time you hit the new threshold, reward yourself.

From the dietary standpoint, try to operate at a caloric deficit, but not so much that you start trying to conserve body fat in "Famine Mode". A deficit of 500 calories a day based off of your activity will average about a pound a week going off the bod. Keep a food journal, log every piece of food that you consume, as well as every drink other than water! It'll surprise you when you see the type of foods as well as the amounts you are really eating. Drink a lot of water and use multivitamins. You need at least 64 oz of water a day, and more if you are physically active.

http://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm
This site will help you with how many calories you burn by cycling

Here's a basal metabolic calculator, that will give you a reasonable estimate of your caloric needs for daily activity.
http://www.bodyforlife2.com/calorie_intake.htm

Here's a food calorie counter
http://www.myfoodbuddy.com/calorie_counters.htm

Good luck and we'll be here for ya!:D

Hi Chris!

Bicycling and swimming are some of the "easiest on the body" cardio that you can do! I would encourage you to go for the bike to lose your weight and regain your aerobic capacity.

To get started, go to your local bicycle shop (NOT a department or discount store) and ask them to show you ALL the bikes suitable for your weight. At first, don't even consider price - ride every bike they show you from the cheapest to the most expensive in the shop. You may find that the cheap bike fits your needs, or you may find that the more expensive one is worth the extra dollars to you.

Fit is what matters! You're going to be spending lots of time on the bike, so find one that is COMFORTABLE to you. Keep in mind that after the first week or two of riding, you'll adjust somewhat to the bike, and the minor aches & pains will diminish.

As to "getting started," my best advice is "don't overdo it!" You'll be using a completely new set of muscles and it will take time for them to acclimate to the new bike. For your first rides, go a few blocks and then go home again. Every day, add a block or so and see how it goes. If you get sore, hold the current mileage until you adjust. When the soreness goes away, begin adding distance again. Don't worry about speed - that comes automatically as you adjust to riding.

Eventually, you'll be able to set goals for distance and speed. You'll also notice a drop in weight and increase in aerobic capacity whether you deliberately try to pump it up or not.

Happy riding!

Thank you that is good advice. I just want this to become a part of who I am, a regular part of my life. I also do love to run ( well I did before I was Injured) so I will do that some as well but probably not for a little while, I think I would like to start with cylcling first and get used to that, as well as doing a little lifting to build some muscles up. I will watch the caloric intake and track them. anybody have any good programs that track your calorie intake? I guess the mcdonalds 42 ounce cokes will have to go then...lol

Look at the links I posted above;)
Also, here's a Google Plugin for your desktop
http://www.google.com/ig/adde?module...ml&source=clha

Thanks Tom those will help out alot.

As to the uber-sized coke...

Up until about 6 months ago, I couldn't stand diet cola. I could choke down diet sierra mist/7up but I didn't really enjoy it. Then I decided that, with the amount of Pepsi I drank, that it was just too much. So I decided I'd force myself to drink diet pepsi for a few day to see if maybe I could get used to it. (I just can't get used to drinking water all the time).

Well, within a few days, I did get used to diet. Now, I preffer diet to regular pepsi/coke. The regular just tastes too sweet; the diet is just more refreshing.

My point is, give diet a try for a week or so. It will suck at first, but the odds are that you'll come to enjoy it. And for as many Kcal in that 42oz coke, you could probably have a nice porterhouse and still come out with less cals.

Oh, yea. In about 5 months of changing very little except switching to diet, I lost about 15 lbs. So it is definitely worth it to give it a shot.

I did the same thing a few years ago. The first couple weeks sucked, but I stuck with it, and got used to it pretty quickly. Now I prefer the taste of diet to regular, and have been drinking diet ever since.

-DR

Understanding that I will never be "thin", I have a thing posted on the refrigerator that states "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels". I've learned to adjust my tastes to help me avoid many bad things as far as diet goes.

Edited because I'm a dumby also.

I can't stand diet soft drinks... so I switched to water...

I'm another one that recommends to start off slow.
On the first day, ride a little less than what you think you can handle. The next day, the backs of your thighs will probably tell you that was still too much!
It's better to end the day wanting to ride more, than waking up and wishing you hadn't ridden so much.
After a few days, you'll have a better idea of what you "really" can handle.

All good points

Here's an idea, although I'll admit it's a bit self-serving.

One thing that's helped me is selecting an event and training for it. It really seems to help me keep focused.

I'm involved with the Tour de Crossroads which will be held in West Lafayette, Ind. on Sept. 22. Since you are in Indiana, you might consider training for the 40-mile route. That might sound like a lot now, but you'll be surprised how quickly you'll improve.

If you go to www.tourdecrossroads.org and click on "Tour de Resources" you'll see a training plan for the 40-mile route. If you are just beginning you should substitute the June training plan for the July and then jump back to the regular plan on August. This will have you riding 5 or 6 miles through the week, and start off at 14 miles on the weekend. By the end of September you'll be able to do 40! (I may see if I can get the plan updated to reflect this change later this evening.)

I hope this helps. It would be great to see you there.

In another thread someone asked why his friend lacked energy, but gained energy when he stopped drinking regular Coca-Cola. There was a recent news story from the UK about sodium benzoate in soft drinks, particularly diet soft drinks. The story claims it reacts with vitamin C in either your body or in the drink and forms benzene. It robs cells of the oxygen they need to make energy. Some claim the amount of sodium benzoate added to foods, including soft drinks is too small to be any problem.

This week my wife is gone and I have experimented with consuming no soft drinks. My own subjective, unscientific opinion is that I feel better.

I agree. This is an excellent idea. My focusing on the MS 150 City to Shore has made a world of difference in my progress in becoming a cyclist.

Or, well...switch to water. Because, while they're zero calories, diet sodas have some downsides. The phosphoric acid that is present in soft drinks, diet and sugared, can cause loss of bone density. Although the FDA has blessed it, there is still some disagreement about aspartame's safety, and a number of people who report side effects such as headaches and memory loss. Finally, and maybe most importantly for the purposes of losing weight, if you continue to consume so much sweet (albeit non-caloric) stuff, it seems to me that you're just continually feeding and cultivating your "sweet tooth". What happens when it's food and not beverages that you're ingesting? That "gimme something sweet!" impulse will still be there, I'm thinking.

What I would try, honestly, before trying diet, would be to try water. Non-nutritive "foods" just don't seem like the way to proper nutrition to me.

Very very good points, lbb!

Another aspect of the diet sodas, at least most of the, is they make you retain water! (Not in a healthy way, either!).

The calcium issues are real as well as brain chemical changes with aspartame, which is what triggers the headaches in sensitive individuals.

Water, and if you need something sweet, the fruit infused waters are great, is the best for you.;)

Excellent points. I'd also suggest switching to tea if you want the caffeine.

I'll second this, I started training for two century's this summer, one in august and one in october. That makes a huge difference in working on getting a routine started and keeping to it.

For me it wasn't so much as something sweet as something with flavor. But even given that after years of drinking diet soda I pretty much only drink water now, and have done that for about 3 months now. Water is great, but it's just so boring ;)

I never said that diet cola was better than water. There's no doubt that water is best. Personally, I've started drinking more water at work, when riding and lifting, and even a little more at home. However, I just can't bring myself to drink water all the time. Its not really a sweets craving (as, aside from diet pepsi, I rarely eat or crave sweets. My cravings are more along the lines of Long John Silvers or Taco Bell, though I've been good for the last 20 days).

However, if the op is like me and just simply can't switch to water completely, diet cola IS a MAJOR improvement over regular in terms of calories. If a person drinks 2 cans a day, IIRC, that's something like 500 calories. That's a good sized meal right there. So if a person can get used to diet, that will help in a big way.

Never said you said :) It's just something I often caution dieting newbies about, as a way of counteracting a lot of the marketing out there, which seems to want to tell people that they can get something (a delicious flavor) for nothing (no nutritional downside). As a result, a lot of people who set out to "eat healthier" end up building their diet around these fake foods. The marketing is pervasive, so it's worth warning people about, I think.

Well I missed saying my hello. So, HELLO! Welcome to the board.

I'll third it. I trained for a metric earlier this year, did several 20/30/40 mile training rides, did the ride itself and have been on the bike since, commuting, charity rides etc.

Excellent point. It reminds me of those folks who got sucked into the "low fat" craze of the early 1990s. Eating low-fat cookies to excess doesn't help you lose weight.

Love all the great ideas, I might look into doing the 40 mile ride that I was told about in here.. I guess you do have to have goals. and really , I need to switch to water it is a lot better for me. I just need a network of other's like this to help me along the way.. you guys and gals are great thanks for all the advice and please feel free to give some more if you can.

Chris