Trying to up my game.

[Slick]

Okay, just been back home for the first time really in 2 years. All anybody wanted to talk about was the amount of weight I've put on, so I've decided now is the time to get a bit more serious about getting fitter and shifting some of this weight. I've been active all my life, but never had to exercise since I was a teenager, I needed all my energy to earn a living. Now it's very different, and to try and compensate I've been cycling 2 or 3 times a week to work depending on the weather.(don't mind the rain but hate fighting the wind)

It's obviously not enough, and I think I may be guilty of being a bit lazy as I ride alone by not pushing it enough especially on the hills. There are one or two groups about, but I'm way short of keeping up with those guys, but I need a plan to make a concerted effort to try and up my game, but am very unsure of exactly where to start.

It may be a big ask but any suggestions would be gratefully received.

[Paulatic]

Okay, just been back home for the first time really in 2 years. All anybody wanted to talk about was the amount of weight I've put on, so I've decided now is the time to get a bit more serious about getting fitter and shifting some of this weight. I've been active all my life, but never had to exercise since I was a teenager, I needed all my energy to earn a living. Now it's very different, and to try and compensate I've been cycling 2 or 3 times a week to work depending on the weather.(don't mind the rain but hate fighting the wind)

It's obviously not enough, and I think I may be guilty of being a bit lazy as I ride alone by not pushing it enough especially on the hills. There are one or two groups about, but I'm way short of keeping up with those guys, but I need a plan to make a concerted effort to try and up my game, but am very unsure of exactly where to start.

It may be a big ask but any suggestions would be gratefully received.

Eat sensibly
Make sure your position on the bike is good.
Work on your cadence
Don't go bursting your heart, ( I did 50 ml with 2500' climbing yesterday ave HR 99)
Maybe once a week have a go at attacking one of your hills in the commute.
Join Strava and enjoy seeing those new PR ( only available on tail wind days) if you patiently get in the miles.

[mjr]

If you'd like to ride with a relaxed group,could you hop on a train to where one starts from? Maybe Go Bike in Glasgow or one of the more freewheeling CTC groups?

And when you're fighting the wind, keep reminding yourself it's good resistance training and might be rewarded by a tailwind in the other direction.

[nez]

It's an iron rule - as you turn so does the wind [emoji853]


I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my wobbly bog brush using hovercraft full of eels

[PH]

Cycling is good, as is all exercise, but I doubt you’ll achieve your aim without also giving some serious thought to diet.
It’s all too easy to overcompensate for the calories burnt and end up where you started. There’s two common theories on using cycling to lose weight (and a long discussion on this forum about them which you might find with a search) either a)push hard and burn loads of calories in a short time while also resisting the urge to eat more than you’ve used. Or b) do lots of steady miles (And I mean lots) without eating anymore than you normally would. b works for me, but some have great success with a, if you can do both then mixing it up is even better. The main thing is that the cycling has to be fun, if it’s not then there are quicker ways to burn those calories than pounding out the miles. Good luck, don’t be disheartened if you don’t have any immediate success, I was trying to lose weight for a year before I found what works for me and when I did the weight just fell off. As for not being able to keep up with a group, most clubs run some sort of social ride, where they wait for you, though if you want to get fitter then riding with people a little faster than you is a good way to do it.

[mjr]

As for not being able to keep up with a group, most clubs run some sort of social ride, where they wait for you, though if you want to get fitter then riding with people a little faster than you is a good way to do it.

And an increasing number run freewheeling (or sometimes "no drop", but that term isn't as popular) rides where the back section of the group will slow down to ride with you.

[Slick]

Unfortunately, I already knew diet was an issue and have addressed that now. I sometimes feel I'm cruising on the commutes and it's now not doing me any good. I really could jump the train to find a group more suited to my ability, I will find out a bit more about who does what. In the mean time I'll just keep the pedals turning, and try to be a bit more patient.

[david7591]

I think time spent on bike is a major factor in weight management. Since partially retiring in April, I have been able to do more day rides, four to six hours. Consequently I have without altering my diet lost around ten pounds in weight. As my weight/height is now threatening the lower bounds of recommended BMI, I am making attempts to eat more. I have switched to full fat milk and taken to drinking protein supplements. To be honest it's a struggle to maintain weight. So I would say it's not just about pace of rides, but time on the bike. Many of my rides involve hills, and effort of getting up them will also burn calories, so if you can, ride hills as well.

[mjr]

As my weight/height is now threatening the lower bounds of recommended BMI, I am making attempts to eat more. I have switched to full fat milk and taken to drinking protein supplements. To be honest it's a struggle to maintain weight.

I don't think full-fat milk is a good idea. Adding milk powder to skimmed milk might be better. Processed supplements as a last resort. My hospital dietician advised adding more oil (ideally olive, but rapeseed, sunflower, sesame or walnut where there are taste reasons not to) to salads, vegetable mashes, pasta sauces, risottos, soups, casseroles and curries. More foods made from beans, pulses, nuts, seeds. Eat avocados (fat-rich), dried fruit (you can eat more of dried), yoghurt. Rice puddings, soy yoghurts and cereal bars and flapjacks make good snacks or desserts.

[Tangled Metal]

Isn't there evidence that was reported recently that the fat in full fat milk (blue top) is actually better for you than previous doctrine has it?

Can't remember the details but there's some really positive reason why full or semi milk is good for you.

[EddyP]

As my weight/height is now threatening the lower bounds of recommended BMI, I am making attempts to eat more. I have switched to full fat milk and taken to drinking protein supplements. To be honest it's a struggle to maintain weight.

I don't think full-fat milk is a good idea. Adding milk powder to skimmed milk might be better. Processed supplements as a last resort. My hospital dietician advised adding more oil (ideally olive, but rapeseed, sunflower, sesame or walnut where there are taste reasons not to) to salads, vegetable mashes, pasta sauces, risottos, soups, casseroles and curries. More foods made from beans, pulses, nuts, seeds. Eat avocados (fat-rich), dried fruit (you can eat more of dried), yoghurt. Rice puddings, soy yoghurts and cereal bars and flapjacks make good snacks or desserts.

That is some excellent advice! There are plenty of resources online to offer you guidance as well.

[mjr]

Isn't there evidence that was reported recently that the fat in full fat milk (blue top) is actually better for you than previous doctrine has it?

Can't remember the details but there's some really positive reason why full or semi milk is good for you.

Not really. You might be thinking of organic milk containing more polyunsaturated fats than abused milk http://www.nhs.uk/news/2016/02February/ ... -says.aspx but even then "Even if you did drink half a litre of full-fat organic milk a day, that would only give you a small proportion of the fatty acids recommended – and you would be getting the same level of saturated fats as drinking conventional milk. This would be 11g – over half the recommended 20g maximum daily saturated fat intake for women, or over a third of the 30g recommended for men."

As usual, the Mail and Express especially botched reporting of that health story and presented it as clearer-cut than it is.

[Flinders]

Bear in mind that as you build up muscle, that adds weight, and muscle weighs more than fat for its volume. If you're doing more and, though your weight is not falling, you are finding your clothes are getting looser, you may be replacing some of your 'fat weight' with 'muscle weight', which is a good thing in itself. In other words, by all means aim to lose weight, but don't assume that if you aren't losing weight that nothing good is happening. You may still be getting fitter and healthier.

I'm aiming to lose some weight in the next few months myself, so I know how you feel. So far I haven't lost more than a couple of pounds in a month or so, partly due to interruptions to my cycling, including some walking carrying a big pack. But I do feel fitter.

[Slick]

I will admit to being a bit confused over current best advice regarding some foods. Also, being so active in a previous life meant I could eat pretty much as much of whatever I fancied probably helped by my fondness for what I call real food as opposed to processed. I definitely need to do a bit of experimenting on that front. I also recognise that there is a distinct difference in the girth of my legs, not huge but noticeable. There's probably more I could be doing, like longer rides over the weekend.

[david7591]

As my weight/height is now threatening the lower bounds of recommended BMI, I am making attempts to eat more. I have switched to full fat milk and taken to drinking protein supplements. To be honest it's a struggle to maintain weight.

I don't think full-fat milk is a good idea. Adding milk powder to skimmed milk might be better. Processed supplements as a last resort. My hospital dietician advised adding more oil (ideally olive, but rapeseed, sunflower, sesame or walnut where there are taste reasons not to) to salads, vegetable mashes, pasta sauces, risottos, soups, casseroles and curries. More foods made from beans, pulses, nuts, seeds. Eat avocados (fat-rich), dried fruit (you can eat more of dried), yoghurt. Rice puddings, soy yoghurts and cereal bars and flapjacks make good snacks or desserts.

Thanks for advice. I already snack on dried fruits and nuts, dark chocolate, and fresh fruit. I usually start the day with large bowel of porridge with added seeds, dried fruit and fresh fruit. I have started supplementing this with a drink of whole milk mixed with protein powder. If a working day, my lunch typically consists of sandwiches, either peanut butter or fish mixed with salad. Whole meal bread from bakers, cut in thick slices. Evening meal will vary. If at work and not much daily activity could be quite light, if out on bike will be proper home cooked meal with mixture of protein, carbs and veg. The simple fact is that there is a limit to how much I can comfortably eat, hence why I've started with protein supplements and switched to higher calorie versions of foods I like.

I've always been light weight from days of competitive long distance running. However recent weight loss is worrying me, and I'm becoming slightly obsessive. This week my early morning pre breakfast weight gave me a BMI of 18.6 Now I know BMI is a very rough rule of thumb, but at that level I know I should be doing something to stabilise my weight, and even add a few pounds. Topics on here are usually about weight loss, but what what about the other side of the coin, weight maintenance and gain? Any thoughts?