jyl

Okay, fifty-somethings, how do you keep your weight down, especially in the winter?

My weight fluctuates in a ten pound range, from 180 lb to 190 lb. Lowest around August, highest around January. No matter how I try, I cannot get below 180 lb; that weight requires a whole summer of riding, eating meat and fish and vegetables and egg whites and other low-carb stuff, only one beer every other day, averaging around 1600-1700 cal/day except on long ride days. Then after Labor Day, bread and pasta and rice slowly sneak back into my diet, I find myself stopping at the pub more often for the tasty fall ales and stouts, and my weight starts creeping up. By the time I get alarmed, I'm in the mid 180's and momentum takes me to near 190 lb.

This is really frustrating to me. I'd like to break this cycle, get down to 170-175 lb over the winter and start the new cycling season lean (for me) and mean (for me) and wearing medium Castelli instead of large Castelli. At 180-185 I look and feel "okay" but definitely could still lose some padding. I'm 5' 11", medium build.

What do you suggest? What would you do, in my shoes? As I've gotten more, err, mature, losing weight and keeping it off is no longer easy; it is getting harder.

nmichell

Wish I could tell you what to do, but I have a similar problem (except that I'm starting at a higher weight). My weight tends to peak in the spring, then drop gradually all summer, then starts going up again, oh, about now. Of course, eating healthier and exercising more in the summer may have something to do with this I'm going to do my best to continue healthier habits through the winter. I even - gasp! - joined a fitness club. We'll see.

Mobile 155

Just a suggestion. Eat six times a day. Keep your carbs low. We do no have the metabolism of a 20 something. Do not eat more just because you ride. If you are on a 1700 to 1800 calorie a day food intake don't eat 2200 on ride days. For me it is 40 percent protein, 40 percent carbs and 20 percent fat. On the days you have beer count the carbs and cut back on any bread for the day.

bruce19

If I didn't see your name on this I would have thought I wrote it. I was constantly a tad over 190 lbs until a recent accident resulted in surgery to fuse C1 and C2. Then, in less than two weeks, I lost 18 lbs. Sounds impossible but it is what the scales indicated. My 36" jeans which used to fit about right would fall off my hips if I didn't over tighten my belt. Part of this was muscle atrophy but, really, the thing that affected me the most was/is alcohol. In order to maintain a weight I want I have to change my relationship with beer, whiskey, etc.

FWIW when I got home from the hospital on Aug 1st I weighed 176 lbs and am now back up to 181 lbs. Some of this is due to spending the past month back in the gym lifting but some is due to beer. It's kind of freaking me out. I do not want to return to that 10-15 lbs overweight category of elder life.

DnvrFox

So, you have truly joined the 50+ club!!

My wife just lost over 20 pounds using weight watchers online. It was easy for her - but it has NEVER been easy for her in the past - this is the most success she has ever had. I did not join WW online, and I did not lose 20 pounds. There must be a message there somewhere!!

But, I claim to have a lot of body muscle - yeah, sure. I do, but not THAT much.

So, that is my suggestion. She even used one of those body activity meters - about the size of a memory stick with a USB connection - that gives a sort of an approximation of your activity, and makes nice charts and the like. She loves that stuff and I don't. ANother message there?

Good luck, and I would recommend the WW.

Terex

Diets are silly. There is only lifestyle modification. If you don't have a good quality scale, with body fat measurement, buy one. Weigh yourself at the same time every day. Modify your intake to hit your target weight. It's really the only way. And you can also go vegan. Most of the stuff tastes pretty crappy, and you'll lose a lot of weight even if you're not trying.

jyl

I am dismayed at how low my "maintenance" calorie intake is, at 50 y/o. Above 1800 cal/day, I gain weight. Somewhere around 1700-1800 cal/day is my maintenance level. That is even with daily commute, shopping, and errand riding - which admittedly is only about 50 miles/week, but I don't take it easy in the daily riding, I actually push harder than I do on "fun" or "exercise" rides.

This situation doesn't fit with any calorie burn calculator I've found online, and I don't really understand it. A few years ago I lost 30 lb (from 216 lb) by eating 1400 cal/day, which everyone tells me is too low, so maybe that wasn't great for my metabolism, but that was 2-3 years ago, so by now I think my metabolism "is what it is."

To gradually lose weight during the winter I will have to figure out how to fit interesting food and local Portland micro-brews into a 1600 cal/day budget. A daily pint of stout or IPA is about 200 cal, so that leaves 1400 cal/day for food. Well, cooking is one of my primary hobbies, I just will have to get creative about making interesting meals that are lower-calorie. I can't possibly go vegan; interesting food is too important to me.

I will also have to get in at least 3 to 5 few hours a week of reasonably hard, 600 cal/hour riding. That should be doable, with weeknight spin classes in the gym and some HTFU on the rainy weekends.

That is my plan!

Phil_gretz

Alcohol and carbohydrates are the elephants in the room here. My suggestion would be draconian...allow your tastes to be subjuct to your will, not the other way 'round. Stop at the pub? Drink tea or water. Don't purchase unhealthy snack foods or alcohol for [consumption] at home. Holidays come? Shrink portions of sugars and carbs. Make sure to maintain aerobic fitness during Winter. Sugars...no. Alcohol...no. Snack foods...no. Carb rich foods...no. Inactivity...no.

lenA

bacon

rydabent

What you say is exactally what happens to me. I am in the snow belt and basically Nov, Dec, Jan, and Feb are totally out for riding. I hate to ride cold anyway.

Remember that when you start riding you will drop excess weight in the form of fat. Then at the same time you start to build up muscle in your legs, and weight drop ceases. I think that is what happens to most of us. It is not a bad thing.

on the path

Yes, and.. not so much. Alcohol is very difficult for the body to process. Carbs are a very good, efficient source of fuel. Your body needs fuel. Consuming carbs and burning them relatively quickly is not a bad plan.

If one wants to see the results of alcohol consumption vs. weight management, try maintaining a particular diet and activity schedule for a period (a month or more) with alcohol, and then without alcohol. I'd be surprised if the difference in results wasn't remarkable.

Dudelsack 

OMG

Of course you are correct, but I really hated to see it laid out so brutallly and harshly.

Phil_gretz

True, and you're right. My approach is more "scorched earth" with regard to diet. By carbohydrates, I'm implying (but not explicitly denoting) starchy doughy sugary, fatty, salty snack "foods" and "treats" that seem so attractive, but do little contribute to the goal, which is limiting weight gain when activity levels are down during Winter.

Breads (especially if baked by anyone else) are suspect. Pasta portions are generally too large, and sauces are laced with sugar (why?). Little finger foods are drizzled with who-knows-what-that-tasts-so-good, and must be avoided. That's my philosophy, at least. If my wife or I didn't make it, I don't trust it.

Alcohol adds calories and is a depressant. Both of those, I don't need. That was my point.

For my friends who have eliminated sugars consciously and have cut alcohol, they've lost weight. I know, it's anecdotal, so must be suspect. My advice would be to try it if creeping Winter weight gain is the enemy.

WC89

Similar case here. My weight definitely increases from Thanksgiving to New Years. The key is, how much? It's just not possible for me to avoid all treats/snacks during this time (holiday parties, more sweets around me, and just the need to have a little fun after being more strict the other 10 months). Even though i cut back the intensity on the bike during the Winter, if I stay consistent on the bike and not pig-out too much I can limit and live with a temporary gain of about 7-10 lbs by New Yrs Day. That's my reality. If there's snow, I just jump rope more to offset missing riding time. Not pigging out too often seems to be a very important part of my equation, although Thanksgiving weekend tends to be a total loss

on the path

Pretty much agree. Yesterday I baked a loaf of bread from my favorite recipe. For dinner I had a nice helping of basmati rice with nothing added. I find that if I eat too big a portion of rice, my system has ways to let me know, gas being one of them.

Phil_gretz

I'm sorry. #buzzkill

Here, have a KrispyKreme with me. We'll both feel better.

Dudelsack 

Neither here nor there, but I talked to a guy who makes homemade bacon-infused bourbon. It makes my gallbladder ache just thinking about that one, and I don't even have a gallbladder anymore.

CommuteCommando

I eat with my wife as little as possible. That will hopefully change after her latest glucose tolerance test, or not. She is stubborn to a fault.

jyl

I lost weight rapidly during a 2 week experiment of <20 grams/day carbs, zero alcohol, and 1600 cal/day total intake. Can't recal the exact number but even after the muscle glycogen was replenished, I was down over 5 lb. But by the end of the two weeks, I was so weak on the bike, I couldn't stand it. People were passing me on the commute! If I get desperate I might try that again and just be more zen on the bike.

rumrunn6

well sitting on your butt doesn't work. I can confirm that ... ;(

Robes

All the advice above regarding a change to your diet is good. I eat small/often. I also find that if you quit "holding the couch down" you can better control your weight. I ref'd hockey until I was 55. Sometimes I would do a three game set per night. THAT is good cardio. I rode the bike in the warmer months to keep the wheels,... my wheels and cardio up to snuff. When I retired from ref'ing I picked up 20lbs! I didn't adjust to my level of exercise. I did two things. I changed my diet to less carbs, more fruit and vegetables, and I took up cross country skiing and snowshoeing. Both good cardio. It also made the spring transition back to the bike painless. Lost the 20lbs and am feeling real good. A lot of my cold weather riding attire I use for X-country skiing too.
One last thing..... watch the sodium intake. "As you age you have to change". Less than 1500mg per day. You would be surprised how this affect weight....

aubiecat

Paleo diet for the win!

Mobile 155

If you notice there is one common thread. Eat less maybe more often and more balanced foods. Hard to believe but beer isn't good for us. I know it is also something many enjoy. But the truth is we eat too much for the amount of exercise we typically do. So what we have to do is as some already have done. They see how many calories it takes to maintain a weight and stay as close o that as they can. Once again not an easy task. But there is also a reason "diets" ( changing eating habits for a period of time to overcome a perceived problem) don't work. Because as soon as the perceived problem is over the people go back to what caused the problem in the first place. I wouldn't be a vegan at the point of a gun but if that were the life choice someone had to make to stay at a healthy weight and it worked for them maybe they should go for it. What is important to the individual will determine the changes they make in their life, ( speaking from experience) Until the word diet simply means the way you eat rather than a word that means changing how you eat till you get back to where you want to be you will Yo-yo every winter.

zonatandem

We live in southern Arizona and ride year round.
Am 80 years old, weigh 135 lbs and ride 100 to 125 miles a week.
You described your problem and you know what the solution is. Now act on it.
Your best exercise? Push away from the table and get off the barstool!

ModeratedUser150120149

Bottom Line is to understand that weight is not the goal. Fitness for your activity is. Food is fuel to achieve activity ability. Diet, in the common use of that word, is just a deadly disease. Total Lifestyle is the key. Weight loss so you can do more exercise is an admirable first step. But, then focus has to shift to performance with weight being just a supporting character in the play.

None of this is new. In one way or another these core factors have been discussed, recussed and just cussed many times. But, that doesn't change them.

If a person is truly motivated they will do the anti-social thing and adopt a healthy lifestyle. I say anti-social because so much of our pseudo-fun is oriented around gluttony and drunkenness. To indulge sensibly puts a person on the "outs" if anyone notices. One time I decided I would abstain from any alcoholic beverage and would eat a completely vegetarian diet. Most people never even noticed. But, they would comment on how much better I looked and acted. Hmmm....

All this does not mean forgetting about weight. The scale and heart rate monitors are valuable tools in keeping on track because they give good feedback.