Machka 

Are you weighing and logging your food?

Also, you will, of course, be eating vegetables, fruit, perhaps some grains and a bit of dairy ... you obviously don't just eat a chicken breast and protein bar. So be sure to weigh and log it all.

Again, a logging site like My Fitness Pal or similar is very helpful. They've also got quite an informative forum.

Wildwood 

When I was a summer Wilderness Ranger with Forest Service hiking 25 loaded miles per week and eating dehydrated food for 3 days/wk. I averaged a weight loss of 1.5 pounds / week over 14 weeks. 206 to 185.

52telecaster

i was 5' 11" and 250 lbs at one time. i dieted some but mostly i just started commuting on my bike. i am usually about 200lbs now. i have broad shoulders and a long torso so that weight works for me. thru daily commuting and some touring i always get at least 3000 miles a year. that amount of riding doesnt make you skinny but it will help keep an old guy (61) reasonably fit.

wphamilton

I never pay any attention to that either, but I wouldn't be so quick to write it off. Circadian rhythm is dynamically interrelated with digestive cycles, and it's known that circadian factors affect appetite, nutrition absorption and metabolism. It is plausible that disrupting the consumption schedule can have similar effects and contribute to obesity.

hubcyclist

Another big question is for how long is the OP riding? I think most of us, when starting new fitness routines may think we are burning more calories than we actually are, when really we aren't going long enough and at an intensity to produce really big results.

A real life example: over the summer my wife and I went on a 14 mile ride, took us around 1:15 to do it. I use a power meter, so I get my work in kJ, which roughly translates into calories. So for that ride I expended 270 calories, not really a lot when you think about it, so you'd have to go on around 10 rides like that to burn a pound. When you're new, like my wife is, it's going to feel hard, but that doesn't mean you're getting dramatic results. It takes a lot of work; I know, I lost 60lbs through a combo of cutting back eating, increasing the time I spent riding plus increasing intensity to burn more calories. So, while an hour plus ride with my wife at this time will only burn maybe 200 cal/hr, I can ride at a reasonable pace where I burn 600 calories in an hour (and if I'm at "killing myself pace" that number could be 760)

best of luck!

Machka 

Yes, that's true ... I know when I was a beginner, my first few rides were about 2 miles long, and felt hard. But despite those impressions, 2 miles wouldn't have burned much in the way of calories at all.

indyfabz

Boneless, skinless chicken breast meat has about 33 calories/oz. Even assuming 2 10 oz. breasts a day plus a protein bar, you are talking fewer than 1,000 calories/day max.

Maelochs

When one eats does matter in my experience. Eat a lot before bed and it doesn't get used for anything because the body is not doing much.

I think one important point is that every person has a different biology. Some do well on one big meal, some with a dozen tiny meals, others with other things. "Optimized" weight loss (which is itself a definable, not definitive, term) is generally found when the body is not shocked, ans long fasts can do ... because the body does indeed slow metabolism and tries to store fat when it thinks it is starving. (do some research about this. it is not some crazy internet invention. It is actually medical science.)

Obviously, if you don't eat at all, your body will consume itself ... and it may consume muscle, which really isn't optimal for anyone who wants an active life. For Most people, cutting carbs to the amount used as fuel and protein to the mount needed for tissue replacement, and some fats which the body actually needs as well .... gives the best results in terms of allowing people to have enough energy to live their lives normally while still losing weight.

Also, there is a question of willpower. Most people find it Extremely hard to fast for a couple days ... in part because the brain and body is screaming "I need food!" The brain and body are not screaming for ice cream or beer or candy ... just enough protein to replace lost tissue and carbs to fuel it's operation.

Realistically, a lot of people fast and binge .... they are starving (quite literally) and their brains and bodies tell them to replace what was lost.

Our bodies don't recognize the concept of healthy weight loss. Our brains and bodies tell us to replace what was burned each day. Our brains can also tell us to eat for other reasons, mainly emotion-based, but at its most basic a body is homeostatic---it wants to maintain. Deliberately undereating is unnatural.

What the original poster is doing sounds like a good plan. There is a wealth of information online form reputable sites about different weight-loss techniques. Most of them seem to include some food each day, but fasting is an option ... but it seems the OP has a good regimen already.

It serves no point for each of us to say "This worked for me" and then debate whether it is a valid method---it might not be, for any other living being, or it might be better than everyone else's method for everyone. None of us know.

I'd say the OP hardly needs our help, given what has been posted so far. Good luck, Pasty. You seem to be on top of things.

Pasty

What motivation could I have for lying to anyone here? Lying would do me no good as I am seeking constructive criticism, not judgment.

DrIsotope

To the OP, riding every day will not help you lose weight. Recovery is every bit as important as the effort-- I am living proof. I did 70 consecutive riding days without a break last year, covering about 2,500 miles and climbing 100,000 feet. My weight remained static. Because to fuel that kind of effort, you have to eat... a lot. It's like the body is in distress all the time. This year I've finally started to take it easy (a little) with planned recovery days as well as just spontaneous days off. Dropped over 10 pounds. I restrict quantity, not individual items. I still eat donuts and all of the other junk-- just less of it.

Climbing a steady grade of 5% or more, at or near threshold, 130 calories per mile. So still yeah, 260kcal isn't a whole lot, but burning 260kcal in less than 10 minutes will still take it out of you.

Pasty

Thank you, Maelochs. I didn't anticipate how vastly different other people's diets could be. I will be looking to reputable sites for more information.

I agree that fasting is likely extremely hard for some people, it's not natural. Also, for anyone who doesn't know, when you fast your body takes nutrients from muscles first. Once your skeletal muscle cells are depleted of nutrients, the body turns to fat reserves. While doing this, your body also breaks down your own osseous tissue as it serves the biggest deposit of calcium in the body. This is why people who involuntarily are starving have little to no muscle definition and their bones can break quite easily. Fasting can work for some people, which as a nursing student, honestly still amazes me, but it's not healthy by any means.

Pasty

I've considered taking a day off every now and then. Cycling quickly became a way to distract myself from other stresses I've been enduring lately, so riding as much as possible has been satisfying. I intend to start taking days off every now.

wphamilton

None, but people tend to trick themselves. Snacks that don't really count, beverages, some side dish like rice or beans, or just forgetting having eaten something. It's sort of traditional with diets. I believe you having done the same thing myself, but not for very long.

DrIsotope

We sound alike in our riding motivation. But be aware-- if you're anywhere near as bad at moderating intensity as I am, about a year of pushing yourself and riding (nearly) every day and you'll approach burnout. My 70 day streak ended in a physical condition called "over reaching." Like a lesser form of OTS. Inability to raise HR, couldn't sleep, would swing from no appetite to ravenously hungry, even symptoms of depression. Took 5 months to recover.

TimothyH

Weight loss depends as much upon total calories as it does the type of carbohydrates consumed.

Foods with a higher glycemic index are digested and metabolized faster. This causes a faster rise in blood sugar and a whole host of problems which include increased fat storage. A 200 calorie salad and a 200 calorie candy bar have vastly different impacts on the body. All things being equal, a person who eats low glycemic foods will loose weight faster.


-Tim-

MRT2

Years ago, I had a friend who lost a huge amount of weight eating a diet of raw spinach, and canned tuna. And every couple of days, he would eat a handful of yogurt peanut clusters; basically candy. He never counted them in his calorie count.

Bottom line is, any diet that cuts calories works for awhile. But most people can't sustain a monotonous diet of tuna and spinach, or in OP's case, chicken breast and protein bars.

drlogik 

If you drink alcohol, stop, and watch the weight slough off fast. Cut back on fatty foods and useless calories too if you have a penchant for those also. I'm 6' 2" tall and went from 250 to 205 in about 8 months. I averaged about 100 miles per week on my fixed gear bike. I opt for high intensity relatively short interval-style rides (20 miles or less) interspersed with 3 to 5 mile walks 4 or 5 days a week. That combination has helped this 59 year old lose the weight and keep it off all the while conditioning me for hard fast hill climbs.

I don't believe in "diets". I eat nutritional non-processed "regular" foods (grilled chicken, lean steak, fish and steamed vegetables). I also cut back on carbs such as rice, potatoes and pasta...which is really hard because I love all three. This lets me indulge in my one vice which is dark chocolate....in moderation of course ;-)) Dark chocolate is a food group you know! :-O

I'm trying to get down to 195 but it is proving really difficult given time constraints for exercise. 200 to 205 may be my set weight for my age now. If I bumped up my mileage to 150+ miles per week I could probably do it but I just don't have the time to do that.


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rachel120

I just lost a decent amount of weight. A few of the lessons I learned:

- Take body measurements. That's actually a better indicator of weight loss, because water can cause an incorrect reading and muscle vs fat can throw off the scale too.
- If you weigh yourself every day, be prepared for variations. I can't count how many times I maintained a fairly consistent calorie in/calorie out schedule and in 24 hours I'd gain 2 pounds, carry it for two days and then the following day I lost 3 pounds overnight.
- Starvation mode is real. If your calorie in/calorie out is too unbalanced, your brain and body will be convinced there isn't a reliable source of food and your metabolism will slow down. The trick for getting out of it is to figure out your BMR and your daily activity caloric needs and eat at or just under it for two weeks, and then go back to dieting.
- Bicycling is not that great of a calorie burner if you don't go a lot of miles. My 6 mile commute to work and back burns off just enough calories for a guilt-free small frappuccino.
- Protein, protein, protein. Keeping your blood sugar level prevents binging. Once that blood sugar drops, all your brain and body can focus on is taking in energy. I can tell you from experience that once your blood sugar hits 57, you are going to park a kitchen chair right in front of the open refrigerator. Avoid blood sugar drops at all costs.
- Water, water, water. Often thirst is disguised as hunger, so you take in food without realizing you don't actually want food. Keep a glass of ice water with you at all times, and use a straw to make it easier to sip without thinking. You will be surprised how many times you need to refill that glass in a day.
- Calorie counter is a must. Whenever you grab something to eat, input it into your counter before eating a bite. You might see the calories and decide that a half-portion would be better.
- Don't deprive yourself too much. Cheats are okay, you are far more likely to completely go off your diet if you deny yourself chocolate forever. But limit it to once or twice a month.

BookFinder 

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rgconner

Come join us in the Clyde forum, where you can read how others have lost weight.

DMC707

sure - in the short run -- but there are hormonal factors and insulin responses at play too when you try to stretch this strategy out

TimothyH

Regarding fasting, I know monks who fast Wednesday and Friday every day of their lives. They get good nutrition the rest of the week, never eat meat, stay away from white bread, sugar, etc., and live very balanced lives. Every single one of them lives to their late 80's, many over 100.

1.7 billion Catholics fast every Friday during lent and Muslims fast during Ramadan. As long as you get good nutrition most of the time it isn't a big deal to go one day without substantial food.


-Tim-

adamhenry

Some people consider intermittent fasting to be an effective way to reduce body fat. A really basic method of intermittent fasting would be to skip breakfast and only eating between 1pm and 9pm. The hours can be adjusted a bit.

Machka 

Not as much as you might think.

The beauty of weight loss is that it all boils down to CI<CO.

adamhenry

BALANCE HORMONES BY EATING MORE FAT & GET BETTER FAT LOSS