Winter Weight Loss Program

Losing weight happens largely at the eating end, not the burning calories end. Start counting calories (if you have a smartphone, then check out MyFitnessPal or LoseIt!).

I know a lot of people hope that lots of exercise (or going vegetarian, or going paleo, or whatever) will result in weight loss, but it tends to plateau. For most people, exercise won't magically change their set point as much as they'd like.That's the hard truth. So count calories.

Moreover, losing 2 kg per week is a lot of weight. You'll lose muscle if you lose that fast and that won't help your cycling. Try to lose 2 pounds per week or less. And if your goal is to get to an honest 10% (not the 15% that most people call 10% - vanity sizes for body fat percentages), then you probably won't be able to diet that aggressively. When you get closer and closer to 10%, you'll need smaller and smaller deficits. Check out Lyle McDonald's forum. He's the guru on dieting.

Alex,

If at all possible I'd put a fairly long ride in on Sunday in addition to Saturday. Riding outdoors is often more fun and much easier to do the longer semi-hard rides. Longer, less intense rides are great for expending masses of calories without being very stressful. This would probably initially mean that you'd be tired on Monday so if you want to ride that day then use Monday as an easy day and push that session out to Tuesday and consequently push the Wednesday session out to Thursday.

Personally, if you want to ride on rest days then ride. Just remember to keep them as an honest "recovery ride."

If you're just getting back on the bike after a longish layoff then I'd err on the easier side of things initially. Do Saturdays ride so that you're tired but not smashed when you get back. Remember to eat and drink on the ride and somewhat plan the finishing time of the ride to coincide with one of your regular meals rather than having "a little something" to eat when you finish and then have a regular meal later on. When/if you meet your weight goals or if you increase your training load then you might have to rethink that part.

For a more aerobic workout I'd change the 4 minute efforts to something closer to 10 or maybe a tad longer. There's no need for VO2 max death efforts just yet. Try and pace them so that the last couple are still do-able at the target power. When you notice that you're better able to ride these consistently and you've got some consistent training under your belt (seeing that you're coming back from a lengthy injury) then change the last half of that interval session for shorter, more intense efforts.

Part of the challenge with losing weight is finding fun stuff to eat. IF you manage to find things that you like to eat that offer the carbs and protein you need with a reasonable amount of calories then you're half way there. If you start to eat slightly less you'll get used to that over a period of a couple of months as long as you don't constantly leave yourself feeling overly hungry because you're eating way too little. One thing to note is that if you change your training, say to feature shorter, more intense sessions, then don't be surprised if your appetite changes. You might initially feel no desire whatsoever to eat after a session but the ravenous hunger beast will be knocking on your door later on...

I wouldn't worry about other gym work like weights or hitting the rowing machine to improve cycling performance but if you fancy doing it because you like it and maybe want to look a little more buff than the average cyclist then have at it. Boredom is often responsible for over eating - and if going to the gym helps keep you active and removes the "boredom factor" that often leads to nibbling on junk food then head down there. While the gym work will probably not help directly with your bike riding the weight loss will. I'd keep the weight low and reps high...

Bundle of thanks for sharing such a informative article.
Friends winter is the best season for work out and exercises.You may burn maximum calories in this season.When you do not get too much sweat and can shape your body easily.
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