KonaRider125

I've been road cycling seriously for about a year and started off 30 pounds overweight and have lost about 10 pounds, but still have a stubborn 20 pounds I'd like to lose. I've been trying to watch my diet, I ride an hour each week day and do a two to four hour ride every Saturday and Sunday and I still have a lingering 20 pounds or so of fat. It is very frustrating because its hurting my cycling performance and of course making climbing more difficult.

Do you guys have any tips to get rid of the weight and keep it off? Natural weight loss supplants that are endurance athlete okay?

Northwestrider

Cycle more, eat less. Thats it. It is the only thing that will work. Your well on your way already, it's not important that it takes a little longer than planned. Good luck.

Makel

Count calories and eat less. Modify as needed.

tobefirst

I thought I was watching what I was eating, but it wasn't until I started using MyFitnessPal and a food scale that I really understood how many calories I was consuming. I am one of those people who believes that, at least for me, Calories in must be less than Calories out if I want to lose weight. Again, for me, weight control is about 90% diet. My runs and my rides only allow me to indulge occasionally. They are not the reason for my weight loss this year (about 18 pounds).

Mvcrash

Agree with all the previous posts especially the record what you eat. You'll be surprised where you find empty calories that drive up your daily numbers. I use Lose It on my Iphone.

K.Katso

There are a few online calorie-counting sites where you can track what you eat and the calories you burn. I use this one:

MyPlate Calorie Tracker and Fitness Program | LIVESTRONG.COM

(I was a member before it was bought by livestrong though, continued using it because it works and not because it is associated with you-know-who in some way)

MikeD1

Yep, basically need to burn more than you put in. What has helped me greatly is virtually eliminating processed/packaged foods, eliminating as much gluten as possible, and eat as much veggies as possible. I think my "cleaner" diet has definitely helped in other ways as well. Less soreness and pain, feeling more alert, less nasal drip etc.

tagaproject6

Those weight loss supplements are excellent expensive urine makers. Read the label and it will tell you that it only works in conjunction with a sensible meal plan and an exercise program.

gregf83 

Did you mean 1 hr per weekday and 2-4 hr rides on each weekend day? That's 9-13 hrs/wk of riding which should be plenty of exercise. Lay off the booze, count all your calories using one of the tracking apps and expect to go to be hungry every night. If you're not feeling hungry fairly often you probably won't lose weight.

Clyde1820

Less food intake. Try cutting your portion sizes down by 30-40%, right off the bat. See how it goes.

Better choices in food intake, combinations that push your metabolism instead of sending it into "storage" mode. (All the basics: reduction in process foods, limited sugar, more protein, more low-glycemic choices, balanced combinations for meals, etc.) You'll have more energy for longer periods.

Tougher workouts. Break a sweat, for longer periods. Consider interval type training, with surges and bursts of speed/power ... just like you might do in the gym. Just poking along for greater mileage isn't going to do it. Gotta get the heart rate up, into "the zone" for longer intervals. Find some decent hills, or rolling countryside. Work the hills hard.

Those are the basics.


I'm sure the long-time cyclists will offer various tips beyond that, for refinement.

kingfishr

Cut out the fast carbohydrates when you are not excericising, like bread and pasta and too much potatoes and rice, these are typically high GI and as a result your body has to convert them to fat if there is no immediate need for the energy. I did this about 6 months ago after reading Grain Brain. I weighed 160 and I lost 7 pounds and still eat as much or more than I ever did, and friend lost 40 pounds this way. The interesting thing was it was that extra fat around my stomach that disappeared.

howellhandmade

"Racing Weight" by Matt Fitzgerald was recommended here -- I read it and have passed the recommendation on a few times. Increasing your diet quality can be as important as reducing quantity, meaning that if you eat more nutrient-dense foods and fewer calorie-dense foods you can lose weight without feeling any more hungry than you must. Also, it was valuable for me to better understand the body's different fuel systems; I did more low-intensity workouts, and did more of them in a fasted state when I was dropping the fat, whereas now I'm concentrating more on building power with intervals and then recovering.

I also use LoseIt. I lost about 40 pounds this Spring, and continue to use LoseIt even though I don't want to lose any more. It's necessary to get and keep a feel for what your body needs to maintain a weight, and once you stop paying attention you start falling back into old habits, whether it's eating for emotional reasons or snacking thoughtlessly. So I record everything, no BS.

linnefaulk

LoseIt and MyFitnessPal are both great. Be sure to eat only the base calories and not the ones you exercise.

bbattle

You see the pro riders? Every one of them is starving. The only one that wasn't starving was Jan Ullrich.

FIVE ONE SIX

i'm a bit confussed, you said you ride an hour each weekend day then you said you do a 2-4 hour ride ever Saturday and Sunday, so which is it?

i agree with almost everyone else that said just eat less and whatever you do, eat small meals. there's a HUGE difference between eating say 1200 calories over 3 meals than eating 1000 calories at dinner time...

and i say stay away from weight loss supliments! i tried a fat burner a long time ago and i almost had a heart attack from it on a run, cause it caused my heart to race way to high. i was still able to lose 50 pounds in 6 months, due to eating less and exercising every day (this was before i even thought about riding a bike) without it. if anything take CLA every day, that will help you drop fat and gain muscle, but only do that if you're active every day...

hueyhoolihan

permanently disassociate yourself with anything resembling enjoyment as regards food.

this will most likely leave you in a state of semi-misery for the rest of your life. ask any jockey, weight-lifter, wrestler, boxer, biker, or body-builder. essentially any competitive sport where weight is a factor or a scale of any kind is present.

KonaRider125

Thanks a lot for the input everyone. The general consensus here seems to be eat less and ride harder. I already avoid bread, pasta, and gluten in general. I try to stay away from carbs when I am off the bike. I guess just cutting portions down is what I'll have to do.

Willbird

I'm sure not an expert yet :-).....but there are types of carbs, low GI and high GI.
A couple examples of low GI would be brown rice and rolled oats, high GI would be simpler sugars with no fiber.

Bill

znomit

Riding harder will certainly burn more calories but might leave you with the munchies afterwards. You might find a slow ride works better for weight loss.

EnellCH

Just ride, ride, ride, ride. Aim for ~250 miles per month on average through the year, including a good amount of climbing.

As for diet, lay off the worst stuff..that is avoid:
1) Anything and everything fried (religiously)
2) Don't drink sodas or sugared drinks, at all (including the diet versions). Make water your go to beverage.
3) View your lunches as a utility only, e.g. eat only light meals like sallads Mon-Fri at work...

Follow this for 3-6 months and you will drop quite a bit. Good luck.

howellhandmade

I found this to be true. And working well within your aerobic limit is supposed to allow your body to burn fat for fuel preferentially. Several times a week I would ride (or ride on rollers) for an hour before breakfast in zone 1 to zone 2. If I didn't have time for that I would at least try to spin for 15 or 20 minutes. I did intervals, too, and I've read articles that say that the whole fat burning workout thing is a myth, that the high intensity interval tide raises all ships, but I'm more of belt AND suspenders kind of guy.

The whole food thing is interesting. If you remember or look up the "low BMI" thread, you'll see that people vary widely in their needs and approaches regarding food. Personally, I think that if you're not a racer you don't need 6% body fat, but I understand; I have friends who keep telling me at 9% that I should eat more. Also, unless my health were on the line I wouldn't want to give up enjoyment of food. I think that very often Americans are fat not because they don't enjoy food, but because they don't enjoy it enough. Really, how much actual enjoyment is there in a 72oz. Big Gulp? In the 257th M&M of the night? In the 39th potato chip? I think it's possible to enjoy a perfectly ripe pear more than a Snickers, or oatmeal with a banana and blueberries more than Frosted Flakes, or than any of a thousand processed, preserved, sugared, marketed-down-our-throats excuses for food -- substances that if they are not engineered to stimulate cravings for MORE, might as well be. But I enjoy meat, I enjoy spices, I enjoy strong cheeses and wine and whiskey, and I'm fortunate that I don't have to give them up to maintain my weight. I just have to be moderate, and fill up on salad and vegetables.

Which is not aimed at the OP, who sounds like he's already eating healthily, it's just a rant. I do have a friend who was 50% body fat, and has lost over 120 pounds, down to 24%. In order to accomplish this he has severely restricted his diet. He counts and weighs everything, and is practically vegan. No alcohol at all, no sugar, no processed wheat (pasta, bread), etc. And he took up cycling. : )

KonaRider125

I already do number 1 and 2, and mostly three. My goal now will be to slowly try to start eating less at each meal and maybe try to do a two hour ride on weekdays if possible.

Is there any particular way to eat/drink while on the bike to support weight loss?

I currently drink one 25 oz bottle of GU Brew electrolyte drink an hour and one GU gel every 30 minutes. It its a ride over 3 hours I'll eat a Clif Bar or similar every hour or so as well.

znomit

Limit your on bike calories.

Hunger is your friend.

Clyde1820

A couple of general tips:

1. Boost the protein intake overall, have reasonable amounts of fats, keep to low-GI carbs when doing carbs. These choices will be tougher to break down and digest, as compared to the processed/carb/sugar type "energy" alternatives. Similar caloric intake, but better balance, and making your body work harder to extract the energy from it. Say, a lower-calorie, balanced "bar" of some sort (ie, MediFast or similar).

2. Add some weight training into your regimen. Boosting your lean muscle mass will be replacing the stored fat with muscle, and it needn't increase your weight. But that muscle is going to be burning calories even while resting, whereas fat stores don't. High-intensity weight workouts ~3x/wk (30mins or more) should provide a nice boost to your fitness plan. While dropping dietary intake ~30%, this can help stoke the fires of your metabolism in ways that'll last.


* Myself, I've dropped significant weight and inches over the past 2yrs. A continual, slow drop. Much stronger now, much leaner. Started with dietary changes, added weight training and stretching (beyond what I was doing), and boosted the overall intensity of things. Avoiding pick-me-up snacks and focusing on well-balanced "snacking" (ie, MediFast or similar type bars, almonds + yogurt) between meals, I've eliminated the swings, continued to drop size and weight, gotten stronger. Just takes time.

Clyde1820

In a very real sense, feeling the initial pangs of hunger is the body's warning that it's having to flip the switch to burning the fat stores, since the blood glucose is exhausted. Not a bad thing, if drawing from the fat stores is the goal.