So just like Cycling, getting back in shape is 90% mentality. (Well, i just made that up). Anyways...heres my spiel:

I'm 23 years old and am in the worst shape of my life. I'm 5'10" and in the mid-to-low 160 lb range. Its my first year out of college and i work full time. I'm a self-diagnosed Lactic Intolerance (get upset stomach when eating much of anything made from dairy...i go light on cheese) so use Lactaid milk. Eating habits are as follows:

Breakfast: Toasted Everything Bagel + Butter (Weekdays)
Cereal (Rice Krispies / Cheerios / Frosted Flakes) on Weekends, if not skipped all together.

Lunch: Turkey + Cheese + Lettuce + Onion/or/Cucumber. Occasionaly Meatball Hero (Meatballs + Cheese) all on White Bread. Sun Chips (French Onion) or LAYS Baked chips.

Dinner: Typically, on a weekday, its cereal or spaghetti- something easy to make.

Snacks: The chips from lunch are usually saved for later in the day. Occasionally i'll get a Coffee Roll from DD. Also known to eat Milk Duds (a box lasts a week).

Drinking: I drink, portion wise, 2 cans of soda a day during weekdays (1 bottle). Weekends, i drink Fresca...which isn't exactly a soda. Also drink Water...2 x 1 bottle if not a little more is typical. The soda/fresca livens my taste buds up a little.

Not much variety, but i'm not made of money and can't go buying a million things. Lunch is either Subway or Firehouse Subs (occasionally Publix = supermarket) depending on my mood.

These past few weeks i have become disgusted with myself. A 12 mile, mostly flat, ride is challenging for me even at a 16MPH pace. By all rights, i'm more of a hills climber then sprinter - my physical body frame is more geared towards that then bulky muscle - but i should be able to hold close to 20MPH average and go longer. So that is what my goal will be speed wise - 20 MPH average on flats.

I've bought NatureValley Nutrigain Honey+Oat bars. I plan on using these as my snacks from now on as they are healthier.

So - can anyone make some suggestions and the like as far as how to change my diet? I want to shed 10 - 15 lbs...i need some motivational help too (i'm a loner by nature, no friends IRL) to help get me on track and keep me on track.

Time wise, i'd like to lose the weight by July. I think thats a good goal. Same with upping the mileage to 15 miles a weekday (time constraints) and 40 on the weekends.

Any advice/tips etc would be appreciated.

1) Thank you for giving us some background to work with.

2) It is possible you will never average 20 mph on flats. For many cyclists, that is extremely fast. However, pick one day a week and start doing intervals on that day. They might help increase your speed.

3) You should, however, be able to go longer. Start increasing the distance of your weekly long ride by about 10% per week.

Thanks for quick response Machka.

Back in NJ (rolling hills, some short steep climbs) i used to be able to ride with the A-Group through the hills. Once we hit the Great Swamp (ironic that i live in the swamp-state now isnt it?) they'd be going around 25MPH for the 5 mile out-back stretch that ran through the swamp. I'd bottom out at a 20 - 22 MPH average (thus getting toasted by them)....but that was more of a TT-like thing.

So perhaps 20 MPH might be too lofty of a goal. Lets lower it to 18 MPH then. I know i should be able to hold that, as i believe i was close/able to do that in longer, rolling hill type rides of NJ. I figure that should be attainable, as i am already at the 15 - 16 MPH mark.

I know just the feeling. I got busy at work one winter and didn't ride or work out at all. In the spring it was all I could do to average 16. Disgusting. Just ride your bike and keep a positive attitude. Remember that nothing happens if you don't go out. Every ride you'll get better. But you won't get the reinforcement without the riding! You'll be shocked at how fast it comes back. Just build the mileage and don't worry about it.

For someone who's 23 your not eating better than the majority your age. But if you want to improve it, you can almost always make better choices. Just take one area at a time and swap it out for something better.

Soda would be the first to cut out, and fresca is still a soda even if it doesnt taste as sweet. Try just water. Cereal can be better replaced with oatmeal, sweetened with maple syrup or fruit. Replace white bread with whole wheat bread, etc.

Anything highly processed is worse for you than something less processed, whole grains better than white, fish better than meat, chicken better than beef, etc. For almost anything your about to eat/drink think if there is a 'better' alternative. Its all stuff i'm sure you already knew.

Not a big chicken or fish fan. I like having a schedule...which includes the food i eat. While not very varied, i know i'll like the food enough that it will make me full when i eat it. Had my typical bagel for breakfast this morning. Chances are i'll be eating Subway for lunch, but i will lay off the soda this time. Dinner tonight will be spaghetti with home-made meat sauce (+ peppers/onion).

Also going to ride when i get home, try and do some intervals this time around. As long as weather holds up - overcast and really foggy this morning, but dont think it will rain.

I'm assuming it will be cheaper if i was to start making my own lunch in the morning and bringing it to work with me? Get more variation that way - rye bread, wheat bread, peanut butter + cucumber, cheese + branston pickle type stuff.

What do you suggest for snacks during the day? I'm hungry when i wake up, between breakfast and lunch, and from halfway between lunch and dinner. Usually have a snack at night after dinner too. I'm trying to manage portion control.

Did same route last night. I think the wind was blowing the other way though, since i easily maintained an 18 MPG average on the way out. The last few miles really sucked though, pretty decent headwind pretty much blowing directly at me. Even so, i managed to cut about 8 minutes off my time. Thats an improvement! Also went soda-less yesterday and plan to do the same today. Had a slice of melon with dinner last night - ah, so refreshing!

Have a look here.

I was going to suggest fruit as your "between meal" snacks. Bananas, apples, pears, berries... Also dried fruit or nuts make a good snack (but do some searching for calorie content - a little goes a long way with those).

i was 23 ish when i was very overweight. about 60 lbs heavier than i am now if not more. i actually lost the weight using slim fast and biking. back then i was biking for recreation only so i wasnt worried, or knowledgeable about meeting certain nutritional needs.

if you check out slim fasts website they have some pretty good recipes you can get for free. and cycle alot. right now im eating a bag of jelly bellies, and a king size box of whoppers. im not worried about it though cause i ride to work, and put in about 150 miles in addition to that every week.

eat to ride, or ride to eat

Simple changes you can make:

1) Switch to granola for cereals, or something else with more fiber.
2) Switch to whole grain break and pasta.
3) Either drop the soda if you can or switch to diet.

I'd also suggest working on recovery nutrition on your weekend rides. That can make a significant difference in hunger and up your calorie deficit.

Recovery nutrition? You'll have to be more specific....not sure i know what you mean by that.

Today is my off day, but tomorrow and/or saturday I am going to aim for a 20+ mile ride.

What are your thoughts on Gatorade / Powerade? I pesonally prefer the taste of Powerade, and limit myself to a glass of powerade after my rides, and only after my ride.

Also, i find my gloves are still dripping wet with sweat from the previous ride (i ride every other day...M..W..F, Sat/Sun) and its kinda gross. Any good methods of getting them dry between rides?

You might try putting Gatorade in your bottles. Recovery nutrition means eating/drinking something with carbs and a little protein in it immediately (within 10 minutes) after a ride. Just a bagel with cream cheese is nice. PB&J on whole wheat? Turkey sandwich? Something.

Buy a new pair of gloves every year and rotate them. For now, buy 1 or 2 more pair. You can just put them in the washing machine and dryer on low heat with the rest of your bike clothes. Seal the velcro down so it doesn't tear up something else. Or just wash them in the sink after each ride and hang to dry. They don't dry because they're soaked with salt, which is hygroscopic.

Yeah, don't want them to shrink. Powerade is my drink of choice when it comes to that...15g of Sugar (not sure how that compares to gatorade) but i am trying to limit my intake. I think it will help me ween myself of soda though...soda apparently has double the sugar...so its a baby step in the right direction. I thought about the dryer thing too, but figured they'd shrink if i did that. My helmet seems to dry out (the pads).

BTW...i look ridicolous wearing a bike helmet. I have a large, misshapen head (no joke) which makes it seem to sit right on the top. It doesn't look normal, at any rate, compared, to anyone else wearing a helmet. [maybe thats why they always stare at me?] anyone know of 'larger' helmets that might look normal on a head like mine? (i can post a pic when i get home)

For snacks try fruits, or make a salad. Subway can be somewhat fatty depending what you order. Also by default they put olive oil in it. I usually skip it since it just adds tons of calories, and I can't really tell the difference in taste. I also skip Mayo. For breakfast try oatmeal it's really filling.

Being British (i wont get technical on you as far as my bloodline) I've always avoided 'American Condiments'. Don't do Mayo or Mustard or oil/vinegar or any other sort of dressing (on my sandwich). The rare time i have a salad i'll put Thousand Island dressing on it...but thats pretty rare (the salad part). I think i bought oatmeal, but that could have been this dream i had...

As someone else mentioned, that's about par for your age. Glad to hear you're already motivated to make some changes.

Don't sweat your cycling performance until you've been riding consistently for a few months or even a year or so. As you said, motivation is 90%. Think about what gets you on the bike.

As for nutrition, learn to cook! There are all kinds of savory styles to choose from, and they needn't be hot/spicy unless you want it that way. Plus a quick internet search will lead you to some healthy versions of almost anything. If you cook for yourself, you'll have more nutritious meals, plus you'll save money.

Here are some quick changes I would recommend based on what you currently eat:

1. Lose the butter on your bagel. Swap it for all-fruit jam if you like. As someone else mentioned, swap the cereal for oatmeal. If you have to have flavor, go for the flavored variety. But a better alternative is to use plain oatmeal with berries or raisins and maybe a tablespoon of chopped nuts.

2. Drop the cheese in your sandwiches if you can. I always thought American cheese tasted like snot anyway.

3. As someone else also mentioned, trade the soda for water (from the tap; not the stuff sold in stores). It's cheaper and healthier. Use one of the water bottles you use on your bike.

4. Spaghetti's not a bad cheap dinner. Make sure to leave off the Parmesan. If you can, add a salad into the mix.

Speaking of salads, since you like sandwiches, one of my favorites when I was lazy and single was to get a bagged salad at the grocery store and jam as much as I could between two slices of toasted bread: a salad sandwich. I'd put ketchup on it and pretend it was a hamburger.