I've read a number stories of cyclists who've lost huge amounts of weight (a recent "star" letter in Cycling + was amazing). I'm 5' 10'' and weigh 16 st., which apparently makes me "clinicaly obese. I cycle 25-30 miles each weekend and really struggle to lose weight. I don't drink and try to eat sensibly (with an occasional lapse for chocolate!!). In two months time I'm doing a 250 mile long weekend tour in Belgium and am going to try my "damndest" to lose 2 st. before then. Is this realistic? Anyone else had similar problems?
Your input much appreciated.
Cycling and weight loss....fact or fiction?
You probably need to train in your fat burning heart rate zone more. Get a heart rate monitoring watch and try to keep in this zone.
If you are close to your max HR much of the time then you'll just be improving your strength and speed.
Also note that you should be measuring your body fat percentage not your weight. Muscle weighs more than fat and so you may lose fat but not drop in weight a lot.
You probably need to do more miles too. It takes time to lose weight. I cycle to work a few times a week, 28 miles if I don't take the train and i'm losing weight but not rapidly.
If you are close to your max HR much of the time then you'll just be improving your strength and speed.
Also note that you should be measuring your body fat percentage not your weight. Muscle weighs more than fat and so you may lose fat but not drop in weight a lot.
You probably need to do more miles too. It takes time to lose weight. I cycle to work a few times a week, 28 miles if I don't take the train and i'm losing weight but not rapidly.
videoman wrote:I have the same problem but at 48 years old the joints will not allow to much. I am 5'8" and weigh 13st 7lb but seem unable to loose any weight even by healthy eating no matter how hard I try.
It's worth noting that pedalling slowly is bad for the joints, high cadence is easier on the knees.
I try to keep my cadence up high at the 70-90 RPM range.
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reohn2
Don't forget the basic rule that more calories out than in is the first place to start.
25 to 30 miles every weekend is not really going to have any dramatic effect on your weight loss and your fitness.
You ought to try for a couple of daily rides of that distance during the week or if that is difficult to do because of time try 10 to 15 miles twice a week and the 30 miles at the weekend. After a while you will be going for longer and will be going faster as well.
The fat burning zone is about 70% of your maximum heart rate and obviously you need a HRM for that.
Cycling for 30 minutes at about 10 mph will burn approx 300Kcal.
25 to 30 miles every weekend is not really going to have any dramatic effect on your weight loss and your fitness.
You ought to try for a couple of daily rides of that distance during the week or if that is difficult to do because of time try 10 to 15 miles twice a week and the 30 miles at the weekend. After a while you will be going for longer and will be going faster as well.
The fat burning zone is about 70% of your maximum heart rate and obviously you need a HRM for that.
Cycling for 30 minutes at about 10 mph will burn approx 300Kcal.
Re: Cycling and weight loss....fact or fiction?
jake wrote:Is this realistic?
Not really. To put it crudely. weight lost rapidly, for example by following a strict diet, is usually put back on fairly promptly.
What you ought to be looking for is a steady loss of no more than a pound a week. That way you're not making yourself miserable by starving, you are developing and implementing moderate but sustainable changes to your lifestyle, which means that having lost it, you have a chance of keeping it off.
What works for me is combining exercise and sensible eating, by which I mean carefully choosing what goes in your mouth - goodbye to deepfried Mars bars I'm afraid - and eating more and smaller meals instead of one or two big ones (with snacks in between).
If I was to attempt 250 miles in a weekend I would want to start upping my weekend mileage from about now. I would say that the minimum sensible preparation would be to make sure that you can take 100 miles in a day without too much discomfort. Hard dieting would seriously impair your ability to do this. Belgium is fairly flat so no need to panic over a few extra pounds.
As an afterthought, you might find that the increased time you spend in the saddle might necessitate adjustments to your bike to remain comfortable. Raising the handlebars is a favourite!
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thirdcrank
- Posts: 36740
- Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm
This isn't easy because if you are riding any distance you have to keep eating to avoid hunger knock / bonk or whatever you like to call it.
I think part of the sectret is that you have to discipline yourself when you get home to eat less. Also, I am sure that some foods are much worse in the the 'weight on' department than others. (I speak as an abject failure in the self-discilpline with food department.)
I think part of the sectret is that you have to discipline yourself when you get home to eat less. Also, I am sure that some foods are much worse in the the 'weight on' department than others. (I speak as an abject failure in the self-discilpline with food department.)
Here's a method that has worked for me in the past.
3 times a week go out and do a ride - 20 minute warm up and 40 minutes riding fast, pressing on the pedals - your speed may vary but for me this part of the ride is 18-19mph, then a 20 minute warm down.
If find if I do this 3 times a week for a month, I can lose a stone.
I think the faster riding is the key as it seems to stoke up your metabolism and you will be burning fat long after the ride has finished. I do the rides at lunchtime as I'm lucky to work flexi-time and can have a 2 hour lunch if necessary. With the coming of lighter nights, you could do these rides in the evening.
3 times a week go out and do a ride - 20 minute warm up and 40 minutes riding fast, pressing on the pedals - your speed may vary but for me this part of the ride is 18-19mph, then a 20 minute warm down.
If find if I do this 3 times a week for a month, I can lose a stone.
I think the faster riding is the key as it seems to stoke up your metabolism and you will be burning fat long after the ride has finished. I do the rides at lunchtime as I'm lucky to work flexi-time and can have a 2 hour lunch if necessary. With the coming of lighter nights, you could do these rides in the evening.
Fact or Fiction?
It depends on your metabolism.
I rode 1800 miles in 3 weeks doing a double E2E in 2006. I quote from my account:
My weight had many people guessing. I was weighed before the start at 13st 2lb. At 50p a guess you took a stab at my finishing weight. I can reveal now that I lost a little. I was weighed in at 12 stone 11 and a half pounds. Not much of a loss I know, but I bulked out on my legs, and muscle is heavier than fat. I lost a bit around my face, neck, shoulders and tummy.
I'm 13st 10lb now ....... I must get out more, as I'm doing a Grand Tour in May/June - 1400 miles or so .......
It depends on your metabolism.
I rode 1800 miles in 3 weeks doing a double E2E in 2006. I quote from my account:
My weight had many people guessing. I was weighed before the start at 13st 2lb. At 50p a guess you took a stab at my finishing weight. I can reveal now that I lost a little. I was weighed in at 12 stone 11 and a half pounds. Not much of a loss I know, but I bulked out on my legs, and muscle is heavier than fat. I lost a bit around my face, neck, shoulders and tummy.
I'm 13st 10lb now ....... I must get out more, as I'm doing a Grand Tour in May/June - 1400 miles or so .......
Mick F. Cornwall
You sound as though you are new to attempting this sort of ride and if all you are doing at the moment is 25/30 miles at the weekend you need to work up to faster and longer rides.
The riding that TrevA suggests will work but you need to work up to be able to that and interval training also burns fat efficiently.
I know when I am doing intervals I lose weight but also combined with the other training I do my strength is increased as well.
You don't want to go out and try and do as TrevA suggests which is good training if this sort of thing is new to you.
As I said earlier if you can get out for 2/3 sessions a week plus your weekend and start of at 10/15 mph for 30 minutes or so you will start burning calories at approx 300 to 500 each session.
The riding that TrevA suggests will work but you need to work up to be able to that and interval training also burns fat efficiently.
I know when I am doing intervals I lose weight but also combined with the other training I do my strength is increased as well.
You don't want to go out and try and do as TrevA suggests which is good training if this sort of thing is new to you.
As I said earlier if you can get out for 2/3 sessions a week plus your weekend and start of at 10/15 mph for 30 minutes or so you will start burning calories at approx 300 to 500 each session.
It's fact. My advice is:
Exercise
1. put your scales away and go by how you feel and how your clothes fit
2. spend at least 6 hours a week in the saddle - much easier when the clocks go forward this weekend!
3. once your body is used to time on the bike then focus on gradually increasing effort
Food
1. Only eat when you are hungry.
2. Stop when you aren't, even if there is food on the plate
3. You know what's good for you so treat yourself to it
Good luck with it.
Exercise
1. put your scales away and go by how you feel and how your clothes fit
2. spend at least 6 hours a week in the saddle - much easier when the clocks go forward this weekend!
3. once your body is used to time on the bike then focus on gradually increasing effort
Food
1. Only eat when you are hungry.
2. Stop when you aren't, even if there is food on the plate
3. You know what's good for you so treat yourself to it
Good luck with it.
The title fat burning zone is misleading, the proportion of energy recovered from burning bat is higher in this zone than the aerobic, anaerobic, and threshold zones, but in terms of how much you are burning the higher the heart rate, the higher the quantity of fat used. However it would not be advisable to go from little training to the highest intensity level you can maintain, you need to build basic strength and stamina first just by getting easy (by staying in the Fat Burning / Aerobic zones) miles in your legs.
Returning to the Fat Burning Zone issue, I read a little while back that you get the highest proportion of your energy from fat when your asleep! The more energy you use the proportion from Fat gradually drops. The proportion of energy derived from protein stays about the same and the amount gained from Carbohydrates raises to cover for the reduction gained from fat.
Returning to the Fat Burning Zone issue, I read a little while back that you get the highest proportion of your energy from fat when your asleep! The more energy you use the proportion from Fat gradually drops. The proportion of energy derived from protein stays about the same and the amount gained from Carbohydrates raises to cover for the reduction gained from fat.
Your metabolism Im certain slows as you age.
I have been cycling to work since Sept 07. During this time I have shed 6 pounds. I am still obese according to my BMI and Hip to Waist measurement.
I am now cycling 75-100 miles a week, albeit nice and slowly - average speed 11mph.
I have given up losing weight, and now cycle where I like as fast as I like without contantly thinking how many calories Im burning, it was beginning to be too important to me.
I am still obese. But my resting heart rate is now 51bpm, and my blood pressure has gone from verging on the high side to 120/70
Might be fat, but at least I can say Im a heck of a lot fitter. I can bend easier, I dont get out of breath all the time and I have lots of energy, whereas before cycling I was tired all the time.
Just 2 years ago I was living in Chester (finishing off my degree), and I cycled 20 miles a day, I ate like a horse and drank beer every otherday. I weighed 3 stone less than I do today.
Once I hit 43, weight piled on and Ive been stuck with it ever since.
Mary
I have been cycling to work since Sept 07. During this time I have shed 6 pounds. I am still obese according to my BMI and Hip to Waist measurement.
I am now cycling 75-100 miles a week, albeit nice and slowly - average speed 11mph.
I have given up losing weight, and now cycle where I like as fast as I like without contantly thinking how many calories Im burning, it was beginning to be too important to me.
I am still obese. But my resting heart rate is now 51bpm, and my blood pressure has gone from verging on the high side to 120/70
Might be fat, but at least I can say Im a heck of a lot fitter. I can bend easier, I dont get out of breath all the time and I have lots of energy, whereas before cycling I was tired all the time.
Just 2 years ago I was living in Chester (finishing off my degree), and I cycled 20 miles a day, I ate like a horse and drank beer every otherday. I weighed 3 stone less than I do today.
Once I hit 43, weight piled on and Ive been stuck with it ever since.
Mary
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eileithyia
- Posts: 8445
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- Location: Horwich Which is Lancs :-)
I agree with Mary about metabolism, back in my 20's i could go to a club dinner and eat a huge meal with any seconds that were going and never think about it. We also got into the habit of eating some really sticky cakes when we stopped at the caffs instead of simple toast/toasted tea cakes.
I eat nowhere near as much (usually) do the same sort of mileage and eat far less and still struggle with those few extra pounds (an extra stone now).
It is very easy to fall into the "I've done x no of miles therefore i deserve this treat at the cafe" habit, or "I'm doing x tomorrow so I can stoke up today"
I eat nowhere near as much (usually) do the same sort of mileage and eat far less and still struggle with those few extra pounds (an extra stone now).
It is very easy to fall into the "I've done x no of miles therefore i deserve this treat at the cafe" habit, or "I'm doing x tomorrow so I can stoke up today"