Weight Loss for power to weight ratio
 

I am aiming to lose weight for my power to weight ratio 49 year old male 5'10" 180

I noticed on Strava that I was maintaining watts in the same range as a fellow rider whom was more than 2 mph faster. I realize that even with weight loss I might not climb as well as my friend however all I have is weight to lose so why not? Climbing has never been my specialty and I seek to improve it as best I can. A fellow rider that climbs well suggested weight loss, I agree as I can pinch more than an inch. I am not fat I just aged this way:twitchy:

Ride mentioned below

http://app.strava.com/rides/7923704

my goal is 168

I am probably on the high end of average with body fat in the 20-21 percent range Of course I would like to lose fat and go into the 15 percent range here but by the percentages that is not enough to reach my goal

I read some good information regarding fat loss on this thread Pre-breakfast ride = weight loss?

However the go slow to burn would seem to not help my power which is the whole point.

I am reducing and counting my calories and modifying my diet with healthy choices

I plan to introduce weight training of a couple hours a week any suggestions on exercises and reps welcomed

I ride 3-4 times per week 2 at 20 miles normal training ride longer distances on week ends training ride below

http://app.strava.com/rides/8152748

The question is how do I reduce weight and fat and gain power at the same time for cycling.

I do not expect overnight success and realize a commitment for more than a cup of coffee

Here is how I was going at it...
Counting calories.. it got old fast... if I gained 10lbs over a year, that means I overate by 82 calories a day only... that just isn't true. Also, I felt like I am starting to loose my power and recovery came slower it seemed.
Read "The Big Book of Endurance training and racing" by Dr. Maffetone, Mark Allen and "Endurance Nerd" by John Weirath (contradicting view)
As I have done Atkins diet to success couple years back (with no exercise... wasn't back in cycling or anything)... I kind of mixed and matched my past experience for last two month to quite a good success.
2 components is what I've implemented and adhering to.

1) Cut out any highly refined Carb. No pasta, no rice, cookie, Ice cream, etc. I am a big meat eater anyways and like veggies and fruits so it wasn't a big loss. My snacks usually are apple/almond/nuts. Breakfast is never missed with 2-3 eggs, steamed veggies, maybe chicken patty or something. Lunch is salad with some kind of meat or fish. Dinner is salad/veggie/and whatever kind of food (maybe a small quantity of foods I typically avoid... this is the time I eat with Family and also post work out). Only time I would be actively eating refined carb is post work out or during (gel/bar/etc). Occasionally I will indulge in bite size chocolate just so I don't feel I am left out.

2) Change the training pattern. For me my Maffettone HR is 146. At least twice a week I will do 2-3 hours ride with proper warm up/cool down as well as keeping the HR at there for majority of time (it actually happens to land on my lower limit of endurance zone for my FTP). On the weeks I feel strong and rested, I will throw in 1-3 hours ride with maybe interval of total 30 min - 2 hours of 85-95% of my FTP effort. Again, I spend plenty of time for warming up and cooling down. - Idea here is to get your aerobic base working better (better utilization of fat, and still put a little strength training when your body is ready to take the 'next step')

In last 2 months, I lost additional 5lbs (gained a little recently but my waist line is same... guessing I am actually building muscle right now) from counting carb (where I did lose about 10lbs... but I felt not quite healthy toward end), and while I haven't checked, seems like my FTP went up 5% (based on HR vs power output I've been looking at). And best of all, feeling healthy and strong every day.

Hope this helps :)

If you go on long (3-5 hr) rides at 65% of VO2Max you will maximize your fat burning and your power will go up as well.
Lose weight slowly. You indicated you don't expect overnight results and you shouldn't. Training to increase power requires well fuelled muscles. If you start cutting back too much on your intake you will compromise the effectiveness of your workouts.

I would recommend focussing on the weight loss first. If you can up your ride time substantially and train 10-15 hrs a week you will gain power even if you aren't doing intervals. After 15-20 weeks of base training you should be at your goal weight and you can switch your focus to increasing power.

I think riding would be a better use of your time than weight training if you are trying to improve your climbing speed. At this point strength is not holding you back.