Cycling & Weightloss

David said:

I want to shed some kilo's, and I want to do it by riding my bike.
My question is, for good weightloss, is it better for long easy rides of say
about 50km's at an average speed of 20k's an hour, or shorter say 25 km's at
an average speed of 35 k's an hour ?

What should I do ?

Thankyou for any advice.
Dave

I've tried both and still haven't really lost weight, of course that may
have somethign to do with some [censored] who will remain nameless (but is
currently out of the country and has initials FD) discovering a good
muffin break on the SUnday ride.

My advice is to ride for the fun of it and hopefully the weight loss
will just occur. Otherwise, if you concentrate on the weight loss and
don't lose any you feel let down even though the cyclign is good for
your health and you may just be losing fat but increasing muscle. When I
started cyclign I dropped a about 8 kilos in the first 9 months but the
aim was to get fit, not lose weight. Any weight loss was a bonus.

DaveB

Hi David,

All depends on how technical you want to get!!! We can get into
heart-rate zones, etc, if you want... But I guess you have to be keen
to go into that level of detail.

Gotta say though - if you can ride at 35km/h for 25km, then I'd stick
with that and work on extending your distance but keeping the same
average speed. A 35km/h average for 40 minutes or so is pretty darn
good......

Probably more important is how many times you do it a week!! If you can
pump out 25-30 km rides at least 3-4 times per week, then I think the
weight loss will come (ignoring a gazillion variables of course, like
current fitness level, current weight, intensity of workout, heart
rate, your current % body fat, etc, etc, etc)

So that's the easy answer. For the looong answer, there are about a
million techo websites out there that know much more than me. Might
leave it to some of the others to add a few links to the "better
ones"........

Cheers,
Absent Husband (who *dreams* of 35km/h average speeds.....)

David said:

I want to shed some kilo's, and I want to do it by riding my bike.
My question is, for good weightloss, is it better for long easy rides of say
about 50km's at an average speed of 20k's an hour, or shorter say 25 km's at
an average speed of 35 k's an hour ?

What should I do ?

Easiest way to shed kgs, eat better... riding a bike may shed a few kgs,
but come winter when you dont have as much sunlight and good weather,
you are back to square one.

cheers,
GPL

GPLama said:

Easiest way to shed kgs, eat better... riding a bike may shed a few kgs,
but come winter when you dont have as much sunlight and good weather,
you are back to square one.

The experience of many has proved time and time again that dieting alone
generally doesn't work. People don't have the willpower.

If you're looking at losing a couple of kilos, then lose the jam dounut every
morning.

If you're looking at a substancial amount of weight, it would be wiser to
find exactly _why_ you're overeating, and address that. Part of that theory
involves squashing the belief that walking five minutes a day is enough exercise.

Everything will generally fall into place after that.
--
Linux Registered User # 302622 <http://counter.li.org>

quote='GPLama'David said:

I want to shed some kilo's, and I want to do it by riding my bike.
My question is, for good weightloss, is it better for long easy rides of say
about 50km's at an average speed of 20k's an hour, or shorter say 25 km's at
an average speed of 35 k's an hour ?

What should I do ?

Easiest way to shed kgs, eat better... riding a bike may shed a few kgs,
but come winter when you dont have as much sunlight and good weather,
you are back to square one.

cheers,
GPL[/QUOTE]

I don't believe in losing weight just by eating better. You need to undergo a lifestyle change. Start riding to work for example and don't eat crappy food.

I was 12 kg heavier two years ago and very unfit. Then I started riding to work (38 km round trip) and stopped eating fatty food. I still ate the same amount of food (including carbo food). The thing that got me going with my health kick was when the doctor said I had too much bad cholesterol in my blood for my age and that I should watch it.

I generally paced myself so that I could ride the 19 km trip to work without overdoing it but still working fairly hard. At the beginning I would ride 2-3 times a week to work and this was enough to have me lose weight. I've recorded all my ride times into work since then. When I started I was doing between 23-24km/h average and that was enough for me to lose weight.

Just note that I'm probably the sort of person who doesn't put on weight that quickly and I can lose it pretty quickly too.

I also rode during the winter months. After gaining that fitness you don't want to lose it. Just buy the right gear for winter and you'll be fine. I actually enjoy winter - the only bad point is riding home in the dark.

All the best with your weight loss - cycling is a great way to lose it.

John Tserkezis said:

GPLama said:

Easiest way to shed kgs, eat better... riding a bike may shed a few
kgs, but come winter when you dont have as much sunlight and good
weather, you are back to square one.

The experience of many has proved time and time again that dieting
alone generally doesn't work. People don't have the willpower.

Agreed.. but dont get me wrong here, I said 'easiest' not 'only'..

cheers,
GPL

"GPLama" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

John Tserkezis said:

GPLama said:

Easiest way to shed kgs, eat better... riding a bike may shed a few
kgs, but come winter when you dont have as much sunlight and good
weather, you are back to square one.

The experience of many has proved time and time again that dieting
alone generally doesn't work. People don't have the willpower.

Agreed.. but dont get me wrong here, I said 'easiest' not 'only'..

cheers,
GPL

Yup, watching what you eat and changing lifestyle gives the best results.

I find that mixing gym work with cardio tends to work better than sticking
to one or the other too so maybe throw something like that into the mix too.

jazmo said:

I was 12 kg heavier two years ago and very unfit.

Yes but those of us that ride with you know that would have made you
about 70kg. 🙂

DaveB "wishing weight was the only reason for being slow up the hills"

On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 at 05:57 GMT, Alex (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

I find that mixing gym work with cardio tends to work better than sticking
to one or the other too so maybe throw something like that into the mix too.

Next you'll be suggesting that we *run*.

What a foolish idea!

--
TimC -- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/staff/tconnors/
"Perhaps the truth is less interesting than the facts?"
-- Amy Weiss, RIAA's Senior Vice President of Propogander^WCommunications

"TimC" wrote in message ...

Quoted message said:

Next you'll be suggesting that we *run*.

What a foolish idea!

Made that mistake last weekend, OUCH!

Parbs - although I may just do it again

Gratuitous advice follows:

Losing weight is about burning more calories than you consume.
For someone around 75kg:
a) A brisk 1hr ride will burn about 500 calories, (a 500ml chocolate milk).
b) A race pace will consume about 800 calories per hour.
c) Watching TV burns around 60 calories per hour.
A kilo of flab is worth about 8000 calories.
The rest is just math.
Eat less. Read the food labels. Exercise more. Make lifestyle changes.
Keep a diary of your consumption and work effort.
Set realistic goals.

Neil
(Who never REALLY had a weight problem anyway)

"David" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I want to shed some kilo's, and I want to do it by riding my bike.
My question is, for good weightloss, is it better for long easy rides of

say

Quoted message said:

about 50km's at an average speed of 20k's an hour, or shorter say 25 km's

at

Quoted message said:

an average speed of 35 k's an hour ?

What should I do ?

Thankyou for any advice.
Dave

David said:

I want to shed some kilo's, and I want to do it by riding my bike.
My question is, for good weightloss, is it better for long easy rides of say
about 50km's at an average speed of 20k's an hour, or shorter say 25 km's at
an average speed of 35 k's an hour ?

What should I do ?

Thankyou for any advice.
Dave

Lots of good positive comments

This time last year I weighed 110kg .... today I weigh 88kg. Sounds like a " true confession!"

I owe the 22kg loss to cycling, and as others have said eating sensibly.
No need for a "diet" they just make the diet promoter rich and famous and you feeling lousy when you fail to meet someonelses goals.
Started riding in February 2004 to loose weight. Dr. said "candidate for type 2 diabetes", and I panicked.

Took about 3 months to loose 3 kg and then I figured out what works for me.

I do a 25km- 40km ride 5 times a week, 2 steady pace, 1 mostly hill work but slow, and 2 fast, which for me isnt! Regardless of what day it is I didnt eat on the ride and aim to be fairly stuffed, not "bonked" but close as I roll up at home. The VERY important part is do not eat for an hour after and when you do eat make it low fat- low sugar.

I understand that what happens is that the liver-muscle glycogen is all but burned off by the ride and by not eating to replace it that body fat is converted to energy to keep the engine ticking. What ever the process is the bathroom scales tell me it works.

I did have plateau where the weight was stuck for 2 weeks but was always followed by a week of fast loss. Averaged a kilo a week. Need to be careful not to over do it and when tired rest. Good sleep has been proven to also be a very important part of a weight loss programme. You need to let the body repair and the metabolism re- adjust.

Of course cutting back on alcohol helped too, and cutting back on sugar in tea and coffee, and having a piece of fruit instead of 4 chockie biscuits is a positive. We all know what we should be eating, we have been lectured for years about it but why does the bad stuff taste sooo good.

World Health Organisation says that obesity is the new first world epidemic and that no human, unless they are a giant (over 6'6", 198cm) tall, should ever weigh over 100kg. Some Doc on ABC radio talking about diabetes this week said that the danger point for males is when the waist measurement "over the belly button" exceeds 100cm.

Its been a hard slog at times especially B day/ christmas/ NY within a month. 8 kg to the 80kg target

Hope this helps and that you dont suffer the munchies too often.

Cheers
Hugh

David said:

I want to shed some kilo's, and I want to do it by riding my bike.
My question is, for good weightloss, is it better for long easy rides
of say about 50km's at an average speed of 20k's an hour, or shorter
say 25 km's at an average speed of 35 k's an hour ?

What should I do ?

Thankyou for any advice.
Dave

I went from unfit to reasonably fit and 10%-15% lighter, basically by
riding to work (10km each way, ~25kph), a bit of other exercise and
switching from soft drinks / fruit juice to water.

Changing drinking habits was much easier for me than changing eating
habits - those calories weren't even making me feel full. This also
reduces the weight of the grocery shopping making it more practical to
carry home by bike - see how it all fits together? :-)

"Andrew Reddaway" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

David said:

I want to shed some kilo's, and I want to do it by riding my bike.
My question is, for good weightloss, is it better for long easy rides
of say about 50km's at an average speed of 20k's an hour, or shorter
say 25 km's at an average speed of 35 k's an hour ?

What should I do ?

Thankyou for any advice.
Dave

Just ride, fatty.

"HughMann" <[email hidden]> wrote

snip

.. The VERY important part is do

Quoted message said:

not eat for an hour after and when you do eat make it low fat- low
sugar.

I understand that what happens is that the liver-muscle glycogen is all
but burned off by the ride and by not eating to replace it that body fat
is converted to energy to keep the engine ticking. What ever the
process is the bathroom scales tell me it works.

Have to disagree with this quite strongly. The most important thing after a
ride is to institute repair and recovery within one hour.

Immediately after training you have to replace lost electrolytes and carbs
for recovery, within an hour, 1-2 g of carbs per 1 kg bodyweight and .25 to
..5 g protein per 1 kg of bodyweight (repair).

The carbs refuel the muscles and the protein repairs the muscle.

Before a ride the body is in a comforatble state (homeostasis) re energy
stores. After a ride it is in a deficit or negative state. Eating within 60
mins restores to a normal state and then with regular training the body
starts to super-compensate by repairing tissue and storing energy to a
greater state in anticipation of the next ride. This is why progressive
overload for those correctly training and recovering is required.

If you don't eat to recover/repair within the 1 hour windown of opportunity,
you progressivley get carb depletion and insufficient muscle repair. Over
time, the legs are heavy and sore, energy levels are low, perfomance
declines. This contributes to over training.

After every ride I have a good protein shake with eggs and bananas, within
an hour, and I follow up with sensible protein/carb intake over the
following hours. Combined with good sleep patterns (this is when the body
really goes to work and you reap training benefits) I have found I can train
more often, go longer distances at better speeds and feel strong and
comfortable. This means I have a much better chance of maintaining a good
cycling habit year in and year out.

cheers

richie

richie said:

Combined with good sleep patterns (this is when the body
really goes to work and you reap training benefits) I have found I can train
more often, go longer distances at better speeds and feel strong and
comfortable. This means I have a much better chance of maintaining a good
cycling habit year in and year out.

I agree with much of what you said. I couldn't operate without a
post-ride meal.

But here, how much sleep is enough? Does it really make that much
difference? I can always find something else to do rather than sleep..
it can't be good.. but sleep feels like such a waste of time.. :S

unchilled hippy

hippy said:

But here, how much sleep is enough? Does it really make that much
difference? I can always find something else to do rather than sleep..
it can't be good.. but sleep feels like such a waste of time.. :S

unchilled hippy

I see the value of sleep in a fairly obvious way. If I go for a long
ride on Sunday morning and don't have nap after lunch I feel knackered
for the rest of the day. But amazingly a 20 min nap can give my body
enough of a break to be capable of a run or swim in the afternoon. I
also remember back in the days where I worked shiftwork, one of my
co-workers was a marathon runner who was lucky to get 2-3 hrs sleep a
day when on night-shift, whereas I would get 8-10 hrs. He used to say
he'd kill to sleep like me because his training would fall to pieces
without enough sleep.

DaveB "that's enough talk of sleep I'm supposed to be studying, pass me
the chocolate"

David said:

I want to shed some kilo's, and I want to do it by riding my bike.
My question is, for good weightloss, is it better for long easy rides of say
about 50km's at an average speed of 20k's an hour, or shorter say 25 km's at
an average speed of 35 k's an hour ?

I'll go for the long easy rides.
The problem with regular exercise is that it builds up muscles, so
instead of losing weight, you can put it on in muscle.

Long easy rides with calorie intake control, cuts out spuds for
starters.

richie said:

"HughMann" <[email hidden]> wrote

snip

.. The VERY important part is do

Quoted message said:

not eat for an hour after and when you do eat make it low fat- low
sugar.

I understand that what happens is that the liver-muscle glycogen is all
but burned off by the ride and by not eating to replace it that body fat
is converted to energy to keep the engine ticking. What ever the
process is the bathroom scales tell me it works.

Have to disagree with this quite strongly. The most important thing after a
ride is to institute repair and recovery within one hour.

Immediately after training you have to replace lost electrolytes and carbs
for recovery, within an hour, 1-2 g of carbs per 1 kg bodyweight and .25 to
..5 g protein per 1 kg of bodyweight (repair).

Thats all good theory for athletes who want peak performance but of no value to the question that was asked, which was:
"I want to shed some kilo's, and I want to do it by riding my bike. My question is, for good weightloss, is it better for long easy rides of say about 50km's at an average speed of 20k's an hour, or shorter say 25 km's at
an average speed of 35 k's an hour ?
What should I do ?
Thankyou for any advice.
Dave '

Quoted post said:

The carbs refuel the muscles and the protein repairs the muscle.

Before a ride the body is in a comforatble state (homeostasis) re energy
stores. After a ride it is in a deficit or negative state. Eating within 60
mins restores to a normal state and then with regular training the body
starts to super-compensate by repairing tissue and storing energy to a
greater state in anticipation of the next ride. This is why progressive
overload for those correctly training and recovering is required.

If you don't eat to recover/repair within the 1 hour windown of opportunity,
you progressivley get carb depletion and insufficient muscle repair. Over
time, the legs are heavy and sore, energy levels are low, perfomance
declines. This contributes to over training.

Not So. A delay at this level is what precipitates the weight loss. There is no catastrophic collapse as you claim ... just Weight Loss. No mention of delaying electrolyte intake or for that matter fluids just in case . I think that you are quoting from the same web site I saw a couple of months ago. Have you ever needed to loose weight and how did you do it?

Quoted post said:

After every ride I have a good protein shake with eggs and bananas, within
an hour, and I follow up with sensible protein/carb intake over the
following hours. Combined with good sleep patterns (this is when the body
really goes to work and you reap training benefits) I have found I can train
more often, go longer distances at better speeds and feel strong and
comfortable. This means I have a much better chance of maintaining a good
cycling habit year in and year out.

cheers

richie

Thats all very good but still nothing to do with weight loss.
If the question was " I want to be an elite cyclist I would agree with your quotes.
Keep it in perspective. Just read the question and the answer again slowly and think about which level of training we are talking about.

Maybe you "disagree quite strongly" but I know that I am 22kg lighter and have never felt better, and that isnt a theory. 😄

Hope that this post doesnt turn out looking like a dogs breakfast. No idea how to cut and quote and all that stuff.
Just keep banging the rocks together. 😕

Cheers

Hugh