imi

Hi, I got home yesterday after three months in portugal, spain and france... checked my weight on bathroom scales, down from 152 lbs to 138... got some serious munching to do! ;D

Machka 

I eat too well on tours to lose weight.

imi

Hey Machka... I thought about you as I rode up the Atlantic coast velo route in France, as you've mentioned it... beautiful... 'though I only saw one other CGOAB... time of year...

staehpj1

I have generally lost weight on tour. Sometimes too much. On the TA I lost a lot up to some point where the trend reversed and I gained part of it back. I am not sure since I usually don't weigh myself on tour, but I suspect that is the norm for me on multi month tours.

BigAura

When I got back into doing long tours, in my 50's, I weighed 173 lbs. After a month+ of touring, my weight went down to 158 lbs, where it hadn't been since my 20's.

Over the years I'd always stayed fit, going to the gym, but somehow believed what others told me that "you're supposed to put on ten pounds in your middle years". Touring made me realize that this concept is untrue. I now try and keep my weight around 163 which was my normal fit weight in my twenties and still is today. Of course 158 is my lean-mean-touring-weight and I always seem to get there after a month, or so, on the road.

BTW: At 158 lbs I'm hungry all the time so it doesn't last long when I'm at home.

wheelinthai

I bulk up before a long tour, and start to deplete myself of visceral fat after about 10 days into touring. After about 3 weeks, I'll notice fat around my belly disappearing. In about 6 weeks, I'll begin to loose my muscles as well. This is despite heavy eating of clean food and junk food. I figure that if I take the trouble to visit fitness room three times a week, and lessen my daily milage, I could end my tour muscular and lean. Too bad, I enjoy cycling too much. I always end my long tour being skinny, no pun intended. Lots of loose skin, particularly around my waist.

gerryl

I've never done a before and after weight comparison, however I've noticed after a long tour all my clothes at home have all become larger while I was away.

fietsbob

.. after 40 the weight sticks around.. your genes may differ..

indyfabz

Same here, at least now.

When I crossed the U.S. 16 years ago I lost weight in the western mountains then actually gained some weight in the Midwest because I was eating like I was still riding in the mountains. Plus, the portion sizes seemed to grow larger and the amount of fried food certainly increased. When I got further east and then headed south towards home, I lost weight again. The following year I also lost some weight during two month+ tours. I think that was mostly because both routes were full of climbing.

I am scheduled tour in South Dakota and NW Nebraska starting two months from today. For a couple of reasons, I have been considering leaving the cooking gear behind and eating out every night. I run best on carbs, like vegetables and don't eat a lot of red meat. I have been looking ant dining options in the towns where I plan to stay and am seeing a lot meat and fried food options. Also a lot of what I will call "junk food" (e.g., pizza).

robow

Another good reason I tour is to lose some weight but it can be tough when you're passing thru all those little towns and those wonderful smells from Billy Bob's BBQ come wafting thru the air.

Or you end up ordering just the lunch sized portion of a chicken fried steak when in the south

andrewclaus

I'm one of those people who has never been able to gain much weight. Friends joke I have negative body fat (it's below 5%--first time I got it measured the tech had to recalibrate--it actually did read negative). If I lose 2% of my body weight (about 3 pounds) on tour, it's not good. My challenge is to eat enough to avoid burning off lean muscle mass. That means stopping to eat every two hours. I have no concept of "meal times" on tour.

BigAura

Weight does stick around if you eat the same calories as you did when you were 20. Your metabolism slows so you need to learn to eat less if you want to maintain your weight as you age. I'm quite sure this metabolic reduction is universal but individuals have differing base and change rates.

fietsbob

Ride Hungry then?

imi

It'll be interesting to see how long it takes me get back to my pre tour weight. I have a fairly physical job, commute 15 miles each way, lift weights at the gym a couple of times a week and am a vegan.

indyfabz

Heh. Tell me about. Coming from the east coast, I had never had chicken fried steak. When I did the Northern Tier I did a century from Ione, WA to Sandpoint, ID. I stopped in Newtown for a late breakfast. Chicken fried steak with sausage biscuits and gravy was on special so I gave it a try. The portions were huge. The rest of the ride went a lot slower.

This was a lunch we had a few years ago while at a camp in northern Italy:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/davez2...57633982080965

Much more sensible, although the waiter was shocked that we wouldn't drink wine with out meal.

Tourist in MSN

That is about 49,000 calories.

Last summer after 37 days (which includes Amtrak time to start and from finish points) I had lost a grand total of two pounds. But I ate well.

Machka 

We'd love to go back!!

Tony Marley

On 2-3 month tours, I generally lose a bit of weight and get really trim. But having gotten used to a daily intake of 5,000 - 6,000 calories, I tend to continue eating that way for a week or so, and gain several pounds back rather quickly. It takes me awhile to taper off on the eating and get the calorie intake vs reduced activity level back in balance.

veganbikes

I generally eat less on tour so I tend to lose weight. Exercise and eating less works quite well. If only I could eat the amounts I eat on tour and I will be skinnier again.

MassiveD

Eat good food and the weight will just fall off. and you won't feel hungry, works whether you tour or don't. Virtually everything that is sold in restaurants, or grocery stores is garbage, so the injunction to eat healthy is a lot more serious than it might sound.

I lose weight on some tours, the best advice I read was that if you do say 50 miles you will probably raise your appetite more than you burn, but if you do say 100 a day you will loose a lot of weight, specific numbers vary but the point is that you have to cross over to the point where you are actually loosing more than you replace with your new found appetite.