Cycling UK Forum

Hi

Hoping for some genuine advice, I'm a large guy 16stone and 5,11

I used to be incredible fit through sport but mainly team games. Now at the ripe old age of 50 the team games have well pasted and the "blubber has arrived " I also have been told I have high cholesterol and need to excercise to lose weight with a controlled diet.

What I wanted to ask and hope that someone has genuine advice, if I was to buy a road bike and cycle for fitness, not PBS or anything like it. How long would I need to ride for at any one time and how many times a week???

Would 4 x per week work for say 5O minutes ?

Thank you for your help.

Forget about the bike, focus on diet. Last year yet again highlighted the benefits to me.

I'd had 15 June to 30 September off work (NB. & effectively paid, via a well engineered departure ). I cycled, ran, swam, "gymmed" to an intense extent I.e. More than my normal 1-4Hr's down the gym, 150 miles on the bike, 1-3Hr's Hr's in the pool a week, but ended up morely highly toned, with minimum weight loss

In contrast, 28 days watching the diet in detail from 01 October, while avoiding crash dieting and I'd dropped the weight required (NB. I would stress I was still on 2250-3500KCal a day).

Exercise is beneficial, but fairly irrelevant to weight loss

If you are thinking of taking up cycling I'd say borrow a bike and make sure you enjoy it before spending big money. Don't buy a bike assuming the rest will fall into place.

As already posted, taking up cycling should be excellent for fitness (I'd say both physical and mental) but it's not a strategy for weight loss.

Riding for any length of time means you need to keep up your blood/sugar level or you risk hunger knock/ bonk / whatever you like to call it, so you need to eat. Lots of cycling will give you a healthy appetite as well as anything else it makes healthy.

Might be worth reading this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=129138

Diet and cycling enabled me to get from 15 stone 6 to 12 stone in about 8 months. Did about 4 x 20 mile rides a week. Great combination. About 1300 calories per day, 1000 nett

Good luck

Al

As previously posted, concentrate on the diet, the adage is "you can't exercise your way out of a bad diet". Weight watchers on line works for me. Doesn't cost much and no meetings, great food as well. I lost 2 stone 18 months ago and have kept it off, just following the rules. Good luck.

You can't exercise your way out of a bad diet, but everyone is different, and exercise is a critical aspect of adopting a healthier lifestyle. Many people cannot lose weight without both diet *and* exercise. I have several times in my life lost weight with a sudden increase in activity.

If you think cycling will suit you go for it. Borrowing or renting a bike & trying it might be a good idea. Joining a cycling club for some social rides is also a good way to get started.

I don't necessarily recommend buying a 'road bike'. A more practical bike, like a hybrid with easier gearing is likely to be better way to start. Many road bikes are designed with an aggressive position and hard gears. They are good for going fast, but not necessarily for comfort, especially for new and returning cyclists.

A bike hub, bike recycling organisation, community interest organisation or similar is likely to have good quality used bikes and provide help with fitting. they may also have information about local social rides, or organise such themselves.

If you say what area you are likely to do bike shopping in, members can probably recommend some bike shops and other useful places.

As for how much and when, I suggest beginning with short trips and building up gradually. If you can, make them practical trips, such as going to the shops, or running other errands. If possible, and when you are ready, start commuting by bike. This has the advantage of time efficiency. You manage transport & exercise at the same time, thus saving time overall. For example, if you want to exercise 50 minutes each day, and you drive to and from work 15 minutes each way, that's 80 minutes each day. If instead you cycle to and from work 30 minutes each way, you save at least 20 minutes per day & get more exercise, as well. That's likely to be a bit much at first, but if you live within a commutable distance, you can start once or twice per week once you have built up to it.

If you don't live within a commutable distance, look for a place to park that is within your distance capability, and drive there with your bike, and cycle the rest of the way. That way you can gradually park farther and farther from work.

The main thing with building up your stamina and capability is to listen to your body and your GP and find a good balance between challenging yourself and not overdoing it.

I've been wrestling with my genes since I was 23. Now 69. I've cycled a lot for nigh on 40y. Unless in huge amounts (200m or more), I never lost weight from exercise, but I could doing 200m. Recent science supports this. Huge exercise knocks weight off. Reasonable amounts no.

I lost 42 lbs when 27, only to put it all back on within a year of starting. This was on a low calorie diet.
Several times I would slim for touring (I was 6.2, 15.12) by doing huge miles for weeks.
It always came back on.

Eventually, I gave up sugar and sweet things. Lost half the excess weight. That was in mid 2012. In 2014 on New Years day, as I'd regained a few pounds, and went on a lowcarb diet. Now down the full excess amt, 40lb for five years. I stayed on this regime. I eat no junk food and keep carbs low, 50g a day max.

How does this work? Basically processed food makes us fat. The combo of refined carbs/sugar and fat together (cakes, biccies, puddings, sweets etc) turns on the hibernation reaction to make us fat for the winter. There are two ways you can beat it.
Low carb high fat no junk
or
High carb (avoiding sugar and refined carbs) low fat. This isn't tasty and is often vegan. Vegan is a cult, not science. Vegan diet is nutritionally inadequate and must be supplemented. Don't do it is my advice. Eat eggs, butter, cheese, yoghourt, milk products.

You can also do both in tandem, eating meals from one and then from the other, but not in the same meal.

Fundamentally Fat plus refined carb overstimulates an upper gut hormone called GIP and that makes you overeat.
Carbs alone don't do it, or fat with little carb doesn't do it.

If you want to do low carb see dietdoctor.com

If you want to do both... Don't eat for autumn by Cian Foley.

If you want to get an idea of real satiety, eat a three egg omelet with 40g cheese in it for breakfast. If you never tried this, you'll be amazed.

Gearoidmuar wrote:I've been wrestling with my genes since I was 23.

Why is it only fat people who struggle with their genes? (NB. I'm also thinking of my morbidly obese sister* & brother, who both blame their genes. My genes must be fairly similar, but a lifetime of a decent diet and plenty of exercise has prevented me having problems with my genes )

* She'sgot a new tact now; apparently everyone else eats an appalling diet and they're too thin. About time she dealt with her binge eating and sitting on her bac.........

TMB1 wrote:Hi

I also have been told I have high cholesterol and need to exercise to lose weight with a controlled diet.

The answer is right there!

I hope you do get a bike. It's good exercise and easy on the joints. Gradually building up your endurance by increasing the miles will see you achieve any realistic challenge (50-mile leisure ride, 'century' ride, etc.) you might want to try. You'll not regret it

Gearoidmuar wrote:I've been wrestling with my genes since I was 23.
I eat no junk food and keep carbs low, 50g
Vegan is a cult, not science. Vegan diet is nutritionally inadequate and must be supplemented.

For a healthy diet you can eat anything but you should live off high quality, low processed food. One piece of cake on a weekend bike ride, or some chocolate or a packet of crisps is fine. But when you eat these things every day then you are living off it and you will get fat and it will be unhealthy.
A low carb diet needs to be supplemented or is inherently unhealthy as as well as being low carb it's low fibre. Even if it results in you being skinny and riding the bike like a train it can increase the risk of a number of health issues especially bowel cancer.

TMB1 wrote:Hi

Hoping for some genuine advice, I'm a large guy 16stone and 5,11

I used to be incredible fit through sport but mainly team games. Now at the ripe old age of 50 the team games have well pasted and the "blubber has arrived " I also have been told I have high cholesterol and need to excercise to lose weight with a controlled diet.

What I wanted to ask and hope that someone has genuine advice, if I was to buy a road bike and cycle for fitness, not PBS or anything like it. How long would I need to ride for at any one time and how many times a week???

Would 4 x per week work for say 5O minutes ?

Thank you for your help.

Assuming you stick to the diet then the exercise will help and more importantly help to keep to a sensible weight there on after. 50 minutes 4 times a week is quite high to start with. Just go easy and build up. Also see how many short car journeys you can replace by bike.

Gearoidmuar wrote:High carb (avoiding sugar and refined carbs) low fat. This isn't tasty and is often vegan. Vegan is a cult, not science. Vegan diet is nutritionally inadequate and must be supplemented. Don't do it is my advice. Eat eggs, butter, cheese, yoghourt, milk products.

Actually, there is plenty of evidence that vegans and vegetarians have lower obesity rates, lower Type 2 diabetes rates, and lower mortality risk than non-vegetarians.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4073139/ is the most comprehensive as it includes data from more than one country, and also looks at different types of vegetarian. The abstract includes:

Vegetarian diets confer protection against cardiovascular diseases, cardiometabolic risk factors, some cancers and total mortality. Compared to lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets, vegan diets seem to offer additional protection for obesity, hypertension, type-2 diabetes, and cardiovascular mortality. Males experience greater health benefits than females. Limited prospective data is available on vegetarian diets and body weight change. Large randomized intervention trials on the effects of vegetarian diet patterns on neurological and cognitive functions, obesity, diabetes, and other cardiovascular outcomes are warranted to make meaningful recommendations.

Vegans can obtain a balanced diet with appropriate food choices, but it does require care.

This study does not separate types of vegetarians, but finds similar overall results https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals ... 887D42A4CA

Both vegan and keto / LCHF diets can produce weight loss results. So can calorie counting, portion reduction and other strategies. As others have said, cutting sugar and eating real food, rather than processed food are important.

To my mind, the best diet is one that you can stick to. For some folks, eliminating desserts at home would be enough. Other require more drastic change.

I follow a couple of Vegan YouTubers who do a lot of Audax riding - Katy K and Adam Watkins. All they seem to eat is bread and sweets on long rides. Hardly a balanced diet.

TrevA wrote:I follow a couple of Vegan YouTubers who do a lot of Audax riding - Katy K and Adam Watkins. All they seem to eat is bread and sweets on long rides. Hardly a balanced diet.

Basing what someone eats on a long Audax and then extrapolating it to their diet as a whole is probably misleading.

This is someone on here's advice for eating on a long Audax.

jam and peanut butter sandwiches, Cheese and Jam sandwiches, Flapjack Malt loaf, pasta with various toppings, dried fruit, Nuts, bananas(I don't like them but they are good) Chocolate, sausage rolls,
you get tired of them all eventually,


Pocket food eat whilst still moving
Kendal mint cake
wine gums
Jelly babies
jelly cubes
dried fruit,
Nuts,
gels absolute last resort for me they turn my stomach.


I very much doubt that this is a typical day's intake.

In addition all diets whether they be vegan, vegetarian or omnivorous diet can be unhealthy if you eat junk most of the time.