jkemp9

I posted, Any young clydes out there?, twice and can't figure out how to delete this one. So, I'll make an accelerade plug.
I really like accelerade. Last year I went through a medium sized tub of orange. I used half the amount that the package said to (to conserve it and to avoid intaking too many carbs during a ride). I would recommend it to anyone who takes longer than 20 mile rides. It's like a breath of fresh air to my legs to take a couple big swigs as I start to tire. I carry two bottles (probably 20 oz, I'm not sure). I usually drink 1 and a half on the road and finish the other when I get back from my ride.

jkemp9

Hi, I'm 21, 6'2", ~260lbs, and ride a 2006 58" specialized allez. 6'2"/260lbs may not seem too bad but I'm sure my BMI is terrible. I'm just curious how my routine matches up with others out there trying lose weight and get fit. My main concern, as I'm sure is the case with many of you, is to loose body fat. I think I ride pretty hard and can keep up with my much thinner friends (I can usually maintain 20 mph + or - 2 for the ten miles of straight trail that exist in Springfield, IL). I just can't seem to thin down. I've have been trying to rotate between shorter, more intense rides and longer, less intense rides (not that my long rides are easy by any means). I usually log 70-90 miles a week. Anyone have any suggestions to burn fat rather than build muscle? Any off-bike exercises that will help increase upper-body fat burning? I've considered supplement help but am a little leery about using a thermogenic or something like that. Does anyone have experience with these?

I have an 8-5 internship at the EPA so I can't really take all day to exercise and I don't have much time to prepare a good breakfast or lunch. so, I'm also curious about diets that people my age have had positive results with. I usually eat granola in skim milk for breakfast. Lunch is usually not healthy because I only have 30 minutes. Sometimes I eat with co-workers (Chinese or fast food) and when I eat at my apartment I have something microwaved (pizza bagels, left-overs, etc); not good... On nights that I ride I have spaghetti with tuna, pepper, and parmesian cheese (which gives me great energy) but on nights that I don't ride I usually eat pretty poorly (pizza, hamburger helper, or some restaurant, usually later in the evening). I don't want to eat tuna for lunch every day; what quick and healthy meals have you all found?

Any suggestions for any of these problems or any further help would be very greatly appreciated.

zpl

Welcome to the group. One thing I'll say is good for you that you're addressing your weight right now. As you get older it gets a lot more difficult to manage weight issues and you have more time to enjoy the health benefits from weight loss by working on it now.

jkemp9

darn, sorry for changing the one that zpl just posted on

Greg_R

Well, you are eating semi-healthy for 1 out of your 3 meals (not good). To start with, you should be eating a minimum of 5 meals a day (that sounds good, right?). Bad news: they should be _small_ meals a day. Granola can be extremely high in sugars and carbs. You want to look for a cereal that is high in protein and fiber but low in sugars and carbs. I've had good luck with the Kashi cereals (i.e. doesn't taste like dirt). Make sure you are getting the correct serving size (a bowl does not equal a serving). Avoid processed carbs (regular spagetti, white flour, etc.) and eat good carbs (whole grains, etc.). You will fill up faster on less food and they are healthier to boot. The processed stuff just makes you hungry again in an hour or so. Typical American chinese food is really bad in terms of calorie intake (sweet and sour XYZ, stir frys, lots of rice and noodles, etc.). You are probably eating 1500 calories during lunch alone. Think about eating small amounts of nuts, beans, and lots of veggies. For meat go with lean items (buffalo, fish, chicken, etc.). Avoid the supplement racket... just take a good multi-vitamin. Finally, pick a day / time once a week to allow yourself a treat. For example, every Sunday after a long ride you can get a slice of pizza and a beer. For me, having the "planned" non-diet meal gives me something to look forward to and ensure that I'm not going to cheat myself during the week.

As for other exercise, go to the gym and lift some weights. Circuit training will make the pounds FLY off your body. Target weights that you can do 3 sets of 20-25 reps with if you don't want to bulk up. Get a good trainer to make sure that you are performing the exercises correctly. Finally, go to a website like www.fitday.com and track everything that you put into your mouth and all your exercise. The software will let you know where you are going wrong (too much salt, too many 'bad' fats, etc.). Tracking your progress is a great way to stay motivated (at least it is for me). I lost 60 lbs of fat with cardio and circuit training and have just gotten a new bike for commuting. Good luck!


You are making an excuse for yourself. Bring a healthy lunch to work. Most fast food places have healthy options (salads, etc.).

Sage23

Gotta tell us more about your rides. Distance isn't too bad (especially if your just starting). But what about the routes? Are they flat? Hilly? How long are your short, intense rides? Your long rides? What kinda bike you riding?

Fast food, hamburger helper, "some restaurant" . . . those are part of your problem. Those are all fat-loaded and unhealthy. If you've got to go that route, pick better/health options or limit the size of your portions (don't eat everything on the plate just cause its there).

Otherwise, to help slim down the upper body, try some exercises for strengthening your core. Or here.

jkemp9

thanks for the timely responses, i'll be able to post more tomorrow about my rides and some other issues; I'm about to leave work and don't have internet at my apartment. Real quick though, I just did a caloric intake calculation from https://www.hpathy.com/healthtools/calories-need.asp and it said that i should intake 2842 calories a day to lose 2 pounds/week. Really???? I also started using FitDay as per Greg_R's advice. Thanks for that, I think it will help me realize a lot about my diet.

B Piddy

With regards to the original question- I'm around your height and weight and I'm 26. Not too many people in our age group are into the road bike thing. I do however know a few guys in the mountain/off-road biking circuits.

As far as your lunch dilemma goes, why don't you just bring your own to work? Just a suggestion. Another EPA guy...I work for the enemy (coal power...hehe)

Scummer

A lunch is quickly done with:
2 slices of bread, 2 slices of turkey, slice of onion, few slices of avocado, some mustard, green salad leaf, slice o' cheese and some pickles on the side. I suggest you try the german Hengstenberg Gherkins which you can find at Meijer for example in the international section. By far better and tastier than any American pickle. Trust me. My wife didn't like pickles until I introduced her to the german pickles.

For dinner:
Salmon marinated in lemon juice, thrown on the grill, skin side down. Don't cook too long or it will dry out. Peas and some instant mashed potatoes (or real mashed potatoes if you have time) on the side.

For breakfast make a batch of this:
Crock pot on low heat
1/2 gallon milk
2 cups steel cut oats (no rolled oats or any other oat, otherwise it will get really mushy)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup raisins
1 cup pecan nuts, slightly crushed
1 banana, cut in small pieces
1 apple, cut in small pieces
1 tbl spoon cinnamon
1 tbl spoon butter

Make this the night before and let it cook overnight on low heat in the crock pot and you have some very tasty oatmeal for one week.

bautieri

23, 5'8'' 207 and I work a bit further up the federal food chain.

If you work an 8-5 you have no excuse for not preparing a good breakfast and lunch. Try getting up at 6:30 instead of 7:30

Anyways, a good breakfast is plain oatmeal. I'm lazy and use the Quaker Instant with a dash of salt or a bit of honey. 1/2 cup of oats, enough water to cover, 50 seconds in the microwave. I don't start to get hungry until 11ish and I eat breakfast at 5:45. Slow oats and steel cut are better for you, someone else might be able to fill you in as to precisely why this is.

Lunch (can be made the night before to save a few more minutes in bed), a ham and cheese sandwich made with two slices of ham and one slice of cheese. Add spicy brown mustard if you must. Along with your sandwich pack an apple, a handfull of baby carrots, a fiber one bar, and a bottle of water of your choice. I suggest buying those little glad resealable containers for the carrots.

Snack, one hard boiled egg which can also be made in advance.

Dinner, baked chicken breast with brown rice and a vegetable of your choice (not corn). If you live by yourself like I do fresh vegetables tend to spoil before I use them up, I don't care for the grocery store so I buy assorted frozen vegetables. Anyways, bake up the chicken on Sunday night. While it's baking prepare 5 or so servings of the rice, microwave your chosen veggie, store leftovers in single serving containers. Presto, you dinner is made for the week. To keep it interesting buy a few different kinds of sauce, a good BBQ, buffalo sauce, basalmic vinegar etc.

Also supplement your biking with a few other activities to keep things interesting. Keep up the good work and you'll see results. Mine took about a year to be noticeable, YMMV.

Bau

jaxgtr

I merged your threads. If you need to delete a thread in the future, just report it and a Mod will take care of it.

graphix

Another thing if you cant deal with calorie counting just pay more attention to portion sizes. My buddy lost 70+ pounds over two years by simply slowing down while eating meals and watching his portion sizes. Getting general Tso's chicken at a chinese place? That should be two meals not one! (not that you should get it anyway)

remember these images when you go out for food...
https://www.divinecaroline.com/articl...tion-size--now

If i get fast food i don't let myself get anything bigger than a small...even if for instance at Taco Bell you get a combo (comes with a large drink) ill ask the cashier for a small cup just so i'm not tempted to drink more than a small.

that's definitely killing your weight loss. For healthy options expand your cooking repertoire...
try
https://forums.egullet.org
or
https://allrecipes.com/

b_young

My last name is Young, does that count?

Wogster

You are quickly setting yourself up to end up with type II diabetes, and that is NOT fun. Okay, now to sound like a broken record here.

Breakfast, granola is full of sugar, your probably better with a nice oatmeal, get a good pot, that is small enough to make a decent serving, put in a good amount of water, some flax seed and bran, bring water to a boil, at some quick oatmeal, and turn off heat, cover with lid, and let sit for about 5 minutes. Put in a bowl, and add milk, if you really need a little sweetness, add no more then a coffee shop sugar packet worth of sugar. The key is you need a good breakfast, this should really be the biggest meal of the day.

Lunch, it sure isn't sexy, but brown bag it, a sandwich and a piece of fruit, apple, orange, banana, are all good, add some water, and your good to go. The idea of lunch is enough to get you through the rest of the day, pack your lunch the night before, and leave it in the fridge. Use a reusable container like tupperware for your sandwich, a reusable water bottle, and a reusable cloth lunch bag. Not only do you gain a lot of control over what your eating, but you save a lot of money as well.

Dinner, should be the smallest meal of the day, if your riding, you can have a small, fast energy type meal pre-ride, then have a small post ride recovery meal. On days you don't ride, you skip the pre-ride meal all together. The key is to keep the evening meals small, especially on non-ride days. The idea is that you often don't do much after the meal, so your not burning off the calories, the body doesn't waste them, it stores them for later use.

You may also find it better to make your rides longer and slower, the problem with a short, hard ride, is that it doesn't burn fat, it burns glycogen. Then your really hungry because the body needs to restore the glycogen. A longer and slower ride, may work better, because it burns fat, rather then glycogen.

jkemp9

Ok, to give a more detailed description of my rides I wrote down everything from my cyclocomputer from last night's ride. 18.64 Miles -- 1 hour 6 minutes -- 16.9 Average -- 1253 Calories burned. I'm in central Illinois so 85-90% of the ride was completely flat but with a head wind for half of it (as you can imagine, I'm not the most aerodynamic rider so wind resistance is always frustrating). The 15% or so hills I attacked pretty hard; raise a gear and out of the saddle. Probably 20% of the ride was through town with stoplights and railroad tracks. I would consider this an average ride for me, a longer ride would be upwards of 30; I'm happy with this average considering the in-town time and the head wind. Before my ride I had spaghetti with tuna (I made sure it was 1 serving of spaghetti) and after my ride I had half a veggie burger sub with lettuce, tomato, a little italian dressing, onion, and pickle. Greg_R said to avoid processed carbs like white spaghetti but I already have something like 4 boxes of it so I'm kinda stuck with it for a while. For breakfast this morning I had Kashi cereal, the one with "fiber twigs". I had 3/4 of a cup (the "calorie watchers" serving size) with some milk, it had about 11 g protein, 8 g fiber, 110 calories, 1 g fat, 5 g sugar. I'm not much of a hot cereal person; I don't really like oatmeal. Is this cereal an acceptable breakfast? I enjoyed it and could definitely eat it every day. I eat lunch at my apartment with a friend (we ride to work everyday) so I can leave any of the above mentioned prepared lunches in the fridge. I really appreciate the meal suggestions; I guess I kinda knew in the back of my mind that 30 minutes for lunch was just an excuse to eat poorly. I know I can make a healthy sandwhich and a fruit for lunch. Last summer, when I didn't have a steady job, I usually had a morning star griller prime veggie burger on toasted wheat with some avacado and maybe lettuce, I should probably resurrect that tradition for lunch this year. Dinner is my bigger problem I guess, especially on nights I don't ride; I usually eat out of boredom . Anyone have any tips on how to kick this habit? Obviously I know that this is very unhealthy, hence my posting in the Clydes forum. I'm excited to try the salmon though, and I do have a grill. Today I brought some unsalted almonds to work. I'm thinking of a snacking schedule, maybe a handful at 10 and 3? Someone mentioned eating >5 meals a day, this is about as close to that as I can get. I see that almonds have A LOT of fat, is there a better nut? Or a better snack in general?

B_Piddy- yea, I've definitely found that there aren't many people away from college who are under 30 and road bike (not that being over 30 is bad, it would just be nice to ride with peers) and I am the only overweight semi-serious road biker that I've EVER met... A lot of my friends at school ride (I go to DePauw) but I'm very self-conscious of my physique compared to the people I ride with, I'm by far the most overweight...
So, if any of you read this from central Illinois/Springfield area, and want a riding buddy, PM me.

st0ut

Your LBS should have some riding clubs that they know of.

also https://www.mikebentley.com/bike/ilclubs.htm

jkemp9

I'm also curious about multi-vitamins. I kind of have the feeling that intaking that much/many vitamins a day is unnatural and may have some kind of adverse long term effect. I know this thought is probably unfounded and ignorant. Are there any multi-vitamins out there that specifically benefit "clyde" cyclists such as myself? I think I can get over my anxt about multi-vitamins if there was one specifically tailored for my needs. If you don't know of any multi-vitamins that fit my bill, are there any specific vitamins or minerals that I should be sure are in a multi-vitamin?
Should I make this a new thread? I apologize for my lack of know how as far as forum ettiquette is concerned.

bautieri

I don't know about any brand of multi vitamin that would be particularly helpful to the clyde, but I do know that the majority of the vitamin does not get absorbed anyways. That's why you see obscene daily value percentages on the bottle, they have to list what the pill contains but actual absorption usually comes in well under 100% of your recommended intake. Some vitamins do absorb better than other so don't take my last sentence for an absolute.

Liquid vitamins on the other hand tend to be much better balanced than their pill counterparts, they are also considerably more expensive but your body absorbs and processes liquids much better than it does a compressed concentrated powder. I still take the pill form of the multivitamin (when I remember to ), just stick with a good reputable name brand. I like Centrum.

wrk101

On breakfast, many eat by volume. I know that is true with me. Certain healthy cereals have large serving sizes in volume, one of my favorites is Kix. The standard serving size is 1 1/4 cups.

At night, consider a snack like the low fat yogurt. I eat Yopait Light Thick and Creamy, 100 calories. You can find it at Walmart for 54 cents.

As others have pointed out, as you get older, it does not get easier. You are at the perfect time to make a life altering change in your health. Stick with it, the benefits are tremendous.

Avoid eating out of vending machines or other snacks. They are filled with the most unhealthy, calorie laden food out there.

I would also question your calorie burn estimate, that seems really high to me. Frankly, if you are burning that many calories, the weight would be falling off you. The figures are 2 to 3X higher than what I use as an estimate, and I live in a hilly area. Note, I use conservative estimates, as I do not want to lull myself into thinking I can eat more.... I use 350 calories for every 10 miles as my estimate. 100 miles ridden = one pound, kind of simple for me.

+1 on the longer rides for the reasons listed above. I go for 2 1/2 to 3 hour rides, at least 4 times per week. This has allowed me to lose 33 pounds since February. I am now at 5-11, 195. I am 52.

+1 on eggs, either hard boiled or poached. As long as you don't fry them, excellent source of protein.

Greg_R

Ignore those calculators! They are assuming an average body fat percentage (i.e. it's assuming you have a lot more muscle mass then you actually do). To get an accurate calorie intake target you'll want to talk to a nutritionist or your doctor. There are tests to determine _exactly_ how many calories you burn in a day but they cost a few hundred dollars (pro athletes and serious fitness competitors will do this). Try 1800 calories a day and see how your body responds (using your fitness tracker). Keep in mind that it will take a week or so for your stomach to shrink and get used to those small meal portion sizes.

IMO, since you are exercising regularly the _quality_ of your consumed food is vastly more important than a few calories (1750 vs 1850 intake)... for now. If you eat 1000 calories of donuts and 800 calories of good food then that will not help you at all. The fitness tracker website will help you determine what's "good" and what's bad. Start eating healthy with the correct dietary percentages (fat, carb, protein) and then dial in your daily calorie intake.

I use Rainbow brand vitamins which are entirely plant based (supposedly your body can absorb them more readily). I have noticed a difference over the Costco "big jar of vitamins" but any vitamin is better than nothing. I get mine at Whole Foods. Be careful with the "athlete" vitamins that have very high levels of some components. They are meant for people who are working out constantly (say like if you're on a week long road touring trip).

Greg_R

One more thing: since you like spaghetti, make sure that it is a small portion of noodles and a larger portion of the tuna. It will be more filling and healthier. When you go to buy more pasta, they have whole wheat varieties that are quite good and some new options even come with extra protein. Be careful with anything out of a can... the sodium levels can be extremely high.

Sage23

Ok, a couple more thoughts for you:

Are you doing this on all your rides, or just the long rides? For everything up to an hour, you really don't need the supplement. Water will be just fine. This is especially true since it sounds like you are eating right after your rides too.

That looks ok. Are you going out and just riding, or are you doing intervals also? Especially since you're down there in the flatlands, I would suggest working some intervals into your rides (made 2 to 3 times per week, doing recovery rides the other days). The problem I had was that just going out and hammering along at a comfortable pace did nothing for my weight loss. Adding the intervals will help you get a better workout, and will increase your speed, endurance, etc.

As for the problem of wind resistance, I think all of us here understand that! Just wait until you start doing longer group/charity rides . . . everyone will want to sit in your draft!

Heck, you eat more healthy than I do! Veggie burgers, kashi, etc. I really don't see anything too outta wack with your diet other than perhaps too much fast food/resturants. Not really sure you need to eat before AND after a ride, but depending on how much you had with each meal it might not be that bad.

For me, the best way to avoid eating out of boredom is to simply remove the temptation from the house. When I eat in boredom, its usually the unhealthy snack foods (chips, ice cream, etc.). I'm not likely to grill up a burger just cause I need to eat. So I just don't buy any of that stuff. Stock up on apples, pears, etc and eat those instead.

Don't worry about the almonds. They are high in fat, but its monounsaturated which is good for lowering LDL cholesterol (that's the bad kind). Studies also suggest that eating fats helps you feel full longer = less urge to eat. Just don't over indulge on the almonds because all that fat contact will sneak up on you (even if its "good" fat, your body still needs to use it for energy or store it as fat).

Don't worry about it. Most groups that I know welcome anyone and your appearance won't mean anything to them. Riding with a group is a good way to really push yourself, get in a good workout while still having fun (assuming that the group rides at or above your capabilities).

Sage23

Oh yeah, does your computer have a cadence function? If you are simply mashing the pedals at a low cadence your rides are not going to be as effective exercise-wise as if you are spinning at a higher cadence. I might also suggest a heat rate monitor. It will give you a better idea of how hard you are actually working, and are cheaper than a power meter.

DaRocketeer

I'm 22, 6'2" 265lbs. so I'm basically in the same boat. It sounds like you already have breakfast under control, but lunch and dinner is a different story.

For lunch I usually just cook up 5 pieces of chicken on Sunday night and have that for lunch all week. Change it up every day and have the chicken with rice one day and a salad the next, maybe a whole wheat tortilla or whole wheat pasta, just watch the portion sizes. Switching to whole wheat is probably the easiest change to make and one of the healthiest. One very helpful thing I found out is that you want lunch to be your biggest meal of the day, making dinner the biggest meal is just a waste.

As for snacks, WalMart has a 100 calorie granola bar that is very tasty plus its cheap. Dont forget about fruit either.

The best advice I can give you is don't think of this as a diet. As corny as it may sound, it has to be a lifestyle change. Nobody wants to do a diet, so if you think of it as your just not eating sh*t anymore, instead of a diet, it really does have a beneficial effect.

jkemp9

Just got back from lunch, after the meager 3/4 cup of cereal and 12 almonds I was pretty hungry. If I'm counting calories, how many should I have after lunch? I'm at 1463 for the day, that is with a fairly big lunch of eggs, mac n cheese, and less than a serving of baked beans. I plan to have a modest dinner, hopefully I can follow through.
Sage23- My computer does not have a cadence function and I don't have a heart rate monitor. I don't do intervals either, I don't just go for joy rides by any means though. As far as I can tell intervals are spurts of intense riding with spurts of easy riding? If so, should the intense interval be an all out sprint? Should the easy part be REALLY easy? Should the total length of the ride be about the same as I normally do? Are 2 minute aggressive intervals with 5 minute cool downs about right? I'm excited to try this.
I am aware of cadence and I've checked it a couple times. I'm right around 75-80, measured by counting every time my right foot goes down for a minute; >80 and I wobble. Is this ok? Is this a good cadence for intervals?
wrk101- The number of calories burned during yesterday's ride, 1253, came from fitday.com. It asked for time, speed, and distance of the ride. I thought it seems really high too, about half the calories that I ate that day.
I suppose I'll just peruse GNC for multi-vitamins to find what's best.

Thanks again for all the help.