How to cycle for weight loss

Hello,

I am wondering if there is an easy way to dose my efforts toward weight
loss. I could buy
a HRM but I have already spent 600$ on my bike this month and would like to
stop spending
for a while.

Any trick that can tell me I am using the right effort for weight loss?
Someone told me that if I cannot
speak without feeling a little out of breath that is the right zone... is
that true?

Also I am been trying to pedal faster. I used to pedal slow and hard but
after reading some books
I now understand it's a really bad way to do it. I have no idea what my
current cadence is since my
computer doesn't have that feature but I think I am at around 1.25 turn per
second... that is of course
an approximate... it would mean 75 turns per minute which is close to what
is recommanded... I cannot
see myself pedaling faster, already feels like I am spinning way too fast
How do you guys do 100 turns
per minute? Must be a mental issue, the legs don't seems to mind but geez
at a 100 I am not sure I could
even keep my balance hehehe!

Last thing... what should I eat before and during training? I love pasta.
I know they contain a lot of calories
but that is the food I like. On the other hand they give lots of carbs so
that can't be bad while training right?
Should I eat something different the days I train?

How about during training? I normal bring a Nutribar which is an meal
replacement designed for weight loss.
I has a balance of carbs, fats and proteins. Should I use something with
more carbs?

"Daniel Crispin" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I am wondering if there is an easy way to dose my efforts toward weight
loss.

bunch of stuff snipped

Daniel,

I see lots of folks who take up cycling for weight loss and never lose
weight. Frankly, it's not exactly the best choice for weight loss because
it's a non-weight-bearing activity and most folks who have real jobs can't
do enough of it, or won't work hard enough at it, to get much benefit.

What I've read and what I believe based on years of observing various
riders, reading tons of stuff, etc. is that you absolutely will not lose
weight if you don't ride with some intensity ... at least a couple of times
a week. There was a long time when the popular theory was that, if you
spent all your time training in a certain, relatively easy, heart rate zone,
you were using fat as your fuel source instead of sugar. Therefore, staying
in that range all the time would make you lose fat. Great theory, but I
never EVER saw that work for anyone.

If you want to lose weight on the bike, you have to work HARD on the bike.
Lots of mile, lots of intervals of intensity, etc.

I don't have a "real" job. I'm self-employed and have a farm. I have a
flexible schedule and can ride alot. I get in 250 to 300 miles per week
pretty much all year round. I don't race, but I do centuries with the racer
folks and turn in sub-5 hour rides regularly. That's intensity for this 48
year old body. I say all that to say this ... even with all those miles and
near-race intensity, if I don't eat right, I gain weight. Carbs like pasta
can be great fuel before a big ride, but most of the time, if you want to
lose, you've gotta discipline your diet. I recommend you look at the Zone
diet and learn its principles. It's not really one of the fad diets. I'm
not a dietician, but the Zone principles seem to make sense ... balancing
your fat, protein and carbohydrate intake to keep your blood sugar at
optimum levels. It's really worked for me.

One last thing. Crosstraining. Bicycling is great, but I find it really
helps to add a second activity when I want to lose weight. For me, it's
just walking. As I said, I live on a farm and I simply walk the property
each morning. It takes about 20 minutes and gets the motor going. For some
reason, the addition of a second activity like this really pushes things
into higher gear for me and I lose weight quickly.

I hope some of this helps. I'm sure I'm going to get flamed 'cuz I'm not
offering any specific data to back up what I'm saying. This is just based
on personal experience and a decade of observation and "study."

Good luck.
Bob C.

Daniel Crispin wrote:

I am wondering if there is an easy way to dose my efforts toward
weight loss. I could buy a HRM but I have already spent 600$ on my
bike this month and would like to stop spending for a while.

How about free? And probably less biased than most, because it's not
selling anything:

http://www.hackersdiet.org

Any trick that can tell me I am using the right effort for weight
loss? Someone told me that if I cannot speak without feeling a little
out of breath that is the right zone... is that true?

Not necessarily. Ride. Recover. Ride more.

Also I am been trying to pedal faster. I used to pedal slow and hard
but after reading some books I now understand it's a really bad way to
do it.

As long as the pressure on your knees is low, I don't think it really
matters how fast you spin.

Last thing... what should I eat before and during training? I love
pasta. I know they contain a lot of calories but that is the food I
like. On the other hand they give lots of carbs so that can't be bad
while training right? Should I eat something different the days I
train?

Read the book above. If you want to lose fat, you need to eat fewer
calories than you burn. In that book, cycling is rated at about 300
calories per hour. The good news is that is probably for what most
people think of as cycling--slow, easy rides on a bike path. Most of
the readers of this newsgroup will burn more.

How about during training? I normal bring a Nutribar which is an meal
replacement designed for weight loss.
I has a balance of carbs, fats and proteins. Should I use something with
more carbs?

How about something less manufactured and more grown? Bananas are good.
So are apples. So are fig bars, for that matter. (I have mixed
feelings about the current low-carb fad.)

--
Warren Block * Rapid City, South Dakota * USA

I generally read about 35 calories burned per mile for modest biking, dependent
upon degree of effort, wieght of biker, etc. But, it is a good figure to start
with.

Cadence. Look at your watch while pedaling, when it gets to a "0", start
counting full revolutions until it gets to the next "0". I.e., 20-30, 0-10,
etc. Multiply the revolutions you counted by 6.

While not absolutely accurate, it will give you a good diea.

Over the past 6 years of riding (starting at age 58) my cadence has gone from
about 60-70 to 90-110, and I can get cadences up to 140-150 if I want.

It just takes time and practice.

Use the Zone Diet, or the Body for Life eating plan - they are pretty
comparable, and the BFL is really easy to implement. It takes exercise AND
good eating habits to lose weight.

I bike pretty intensely, getting my heart rate up to about 155 BPM on hills and
acceleration, which is pretty high for someone age 64.

Good luck!


http://members.aol.com/foxcondorsrvtns
(Colorado rental condo)

http://members.aol.com/dnvrfox
(Family Web Page)

"psycholist" wrote in message
...

Daniel,

I see lots of folks who take up cycling for weight loss and never lose
weight. Frankly, it's not exactly the best choice for weight loss because
it's a non-weight-bearing activity and most folks who have real jobs can't
do enough of it, or won't work hard enough at it, to get much benefit.

I agree that most people can't devote racer-like hours to training, and that
many people do not possess the intensity to burn lots of calories cycling.
However, weight-bearing has little effect, I think. The reason people don't
lose weight when they cycle is because they are consuming more calories than
they burn. Didn't we have a 100+ thread about this very subject not long
ago?


What I've read and what I believe based on years of observing various
riders, reading tons of stuff, etc. is that you absolutely will not lose
weight if you don't ride with some intensity ... at least a couple of
times
a week. There was a long time when the popular theory was that, if you
spent all your time training in a certain, relatively easy, heart rate
zone,
you were using fat as your fuel source instead of sugar. Therefore,
staying
in that range all the time would make you lose fat. Great theory, but I
never EVER saw that work for anyone.

Because they ate too much. It's easy to do---Powerbars, Gatorade, pre-ride
pasta gorge, post-ride beers and pizza. If they ate at maintenance level
calories and rode like you say, they will lose weight.

If you want to lose weight on the bike, you have to work HARD on the bike.
Lots of mile, lots of intervals of intensity, etc.

Long slow distance seems to be the rule. Of course, some Poliquin-type
interval training helps, too. But calories are the key. As bodybuilders say,
"great abs are made in the kitchen".

I don't have a "real" job. I'm self-employed and have a farm. I have a
flexible schedule and can ride alot. I get in 250 to 300 miles per week
pretty much all year round. I don't race, but I do centuries with the
racer
folks and turn in sub-5 hour rides regularly. That's intensity for this
48
year old body. I say all that to say this ... even with all those miles
and
near-race intensity, if I don't eat right, I gain weight. Carbs like
pasta
can be great fuel before a big ride, but most of the time, if you want to
lose, you've gotta discipline your diet. I recommend you look at the Zone
diet and learn its principles. It's not really one of the fad diets. I'm
not a dietician, but the Zone principles seem to make sense ... balancing
your fat, protein and carbohydrate intake to keep your blood sugar at
optimum levels. It's really worked for me.

Good for you. But tricks aside, you cannot escape The Law of Thermodynamics.
If anyone consumes fewer calories than burned, weight loss will occur. The
key is burning fat and not excessive amounts of muscle.

One last thing. Crosstraining. Bicycling is great, but I find it really
helps to add a second activity when I want to lose weight. For me, it's
just walking. As I said, I live on a farm and I simply walk the property
each morning. It takes about 20 minutes and gets the motor going. For
some
reason, the addition of a second activity like this really pushes things
into higher gear for me and I lose weight quickly.

Weight lifting would be ideal. Growing muscle helps to burn fat. Everybody
should strength train, if for no other reason than to maintain bone density.
I don't want to end up a stick-armed old man with great cardio ability. I
want to end up a strong old man with great cardio ability! :-)

"Gooserider" wrote in message
om...

"psycholist" wrote in message
...

Daniel,

I see lots of folks who take up cycling for weight loss and never lose
weight. Frankly, it's not exactly the best choice for weight loss
because
it's a non-weight-bearing activity and most folks who have real jobs
can't
do enough of it, or won't work hard enough at it, to get much benefit.

I agree that most people can't devote racer-like hours to training, and
that
many people do not possess the intensity to burn lots of calories cycling.
However, weight-bearing has little effect, I think. The reason people
don't
lose weight when they cycle is because they are consuming more calories
than
they burn. Didn't we have a 100+ thread about this very subject not long
ago?


What I've read and what I believe based on years of observing various
riders, reading tons of stuff, etc. is that you absolutely will not lose
weight if you don't ride with some intensity ... at least a couple of
times
a week. There was a long time when the popular theory was that, if you
spent all your time training in a certain, relatively easy, heart rate
zone,
you were using fat as your fuel source instead of sugar. Therefore,
staying
in that range all the time would make you lose fat. Great theory, but I
never EVER saw that work for anyone.

Because they ate too much. It's easy to do---Powerbars, Gatorade, pre-ride
pasta gorge, post-ride beers and pizza. If they ate at maintenance level
calories and rode like you say, they will lose weight.

If you want to lose weight on the bike, you have to work HARD on the
bike.
Lots of mile, lots of intervals of intensity, etc.

Long slow distance seems to be the rule. Of course, some Poliquin-type
interval training helps, too. But calories are the key. As bodybuilders
say,
"great abs are made in the kitchen".

I don't have a "real" job. I'm self-employed and have a farm. I have a
flexible schedule and can ride alot. I get in 250 to 300 miles per week
pretty much all year round. I don't race, but I do centuries with the
racer
folks and turn in sub-5 hour rides regularly. That's intensity for this
48
year old body. I say all that to say this ... even with all those miles
and
near-race intensity, if I don't eat right, I gain weight. Carbs like
pasta
can be great fuel before a big ride, but most of the time, if you want
to
lose, you've gotta discipline your diet. I recommend you look at the
Zone
diet and learn its principles. It's not really one of the fad diets.
I'm
not a dietician, but the Zone principles seem to make sense ...
balancing
your fat, protein and carbohydrate intake to keep your blood sugar at
optimum levels. It's really worked for me.

Good for you. But tricks aside, you cannot escape The Law of
Thermodynamics.
If anyone consumes fewer calories than burned, weight loss will occur. The
key is burning fat and not excessive amounts of muscle.

One last thing. Crosstraining. Bicycling is great, but I find it
really
helps to add a second activity when I want to lose weight. For me, it's
just walking. As I said, I live on a farm and I simply walk the
property
each morning. It takes about 20 minutes and gets the motor going. For
some
reason, the addition of a second activity like this really pushes things
into higher gear for me and I lose weight quickly.

Weight lifting would be ideal. Growing muscle helps to burn fat. Everybody
should strength train, if for no other reason than to maintain bone
density.
I don't want to end up a stick-armed old man with great cardio ability. I
want to end up a strong old man with great cardio ability! :-)


I do core strength work. I believe that's important. Weight training, per
se, can actually result in gaining weight. If the goal is strictly weight
loss, I'd opt for some core strength exercises that don't involve much in
the way of weights. You can do a lot with crunches, pushups, chair dips,
etc.

Bob C.

On Sat, 05 Jun 2004 20:30:33 +0000, Warren Block wrote:

Daniel Crispin wrote:

I am wondering if there is an easy way to dose my efforts toward
weight loss. I could buy a HRM but I have already spent 600$ on my
bike this month and would like to stop spending for a while.


Most of the previous posts have been to the point, but numerically (and
approximately),

Weight loss = (Calories out - calories in) / 3500.

If you push on the bike, rather than just cruising, you might burn 500
calories / hr. But it would still take about seven hours of pedaling to
burn off one pound of fat, assuming no change in diet. This is why you
have to watch it in the kitchen, too, since it is not too difficult to add
back a few hundred calories a day with the pasta, energy bars, etc., etc.
It doesn't take much, unfortunately...

The moral: if you want to be a bit more scientific about it, try actually
adding up the calories. Then you can find out where they came from and
where they went (and if you're not losing weight, why they didn't went).

Cheers, and happy pedaling. At least we have fun while we struggle...

Bicycling is a great way to lose weight! I think most important is to ride
long and steady to lose. I don't use a HR monitor, so I can't help you
there, but there is an effective HR for weight loss, but it is different for
everyone and we would need to know more information about you.

If you like pasta, it will be harder to lose, unless you don't eat that
much. Sorry, that is just the way it is. A high carb diet makes it harder
to lose, it is just the facts. It can certainly be done and is done all the
time, but you need to cut calories, unless you are going to ride very long
distances 4+ days a week. I suggest lower fat if you are going high carb.
If you want to lose faster, then bag the pasta and eat chicken, fish, etc.

JMHO,
Curt


"Daniel Crispin" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I am wondering if there is an easy way to dose my efforts toward weight
loss. I could buy
a HRM but I have already spent 600$ on my bike this month and would like
to
stop spending
for a while.

Any trick that can tell me I am using the right effort for weight loss?
Someone told me that if I cannot
speak without feeling a little out of breath that is the right zone... is
that true?

Also I am been trying to pedal faster. I used to pedal slow and hard but
after reading some books
I now understand it's a really bad way to do it. I have no idea what my
current cadence is since my
computer doesn't have that feature but I think I am at around 1.25 turn
per
second... that is of course
an approximate... it would mean 75 turns per minute which is close to what
is recommanded... I cannot
see myself pedaling faster, already feels like I am spinning way too fast

How do you guys do 100 turns
per minute? Must be a mental issue, the legs don't seems to mind but geez
at a 100 I am not sure I could
even keep my balance hehehe!

Last thing... what should I eat before and during training? I love pasta.
I know they contain a lot of calories
but that is the food I like. On the other hand they give lots of carbs so
that can't be bad while training right?
Should I eat something different the days I train?

How about during training? I normal bring a Nutribar which is an meal
replacement designed for weight loss.
I has a balance of carbs, fats and proteins. Should I use something with
more carbs?

"psycholist" wrote in message
...

I do core strength work. I believe that's important. Weight training,
per
se, can actually result in gaining weight. If the goal is strictly weight
loss, I'd opt for some core strength exercises that don't involve much in
the way of weights. You can do a lot with crunches, pushups, chair dips,
etc.

True. But someone who is 150 pounds at 10 percent bodyfat is in far better
shape than someone who weighs 150 pounds at 20 percent bodyfat. Weight alone
is not the issue(except for racers). We're not talking about becoming Mr
Olympia. Just general fitness, and nothing works better at building strength
than basic compound strength training exercises. Bench press, military
press, squat, deadlift. Difficult to duplicate with just bodyweight,
especially once one attains a basic strength level. :-)

"psycholist" wrote in message
...

"Daniel Crispin" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I am wondering if there is an easy way to dose my efforts toward weight
loss.

bunch of stuff snipped

Daniel,

I see lots of folks who take up cycling for weight loss and never lose
weight. Frankly, it's not exactly the best choice for weight loss because
it's a non-weight-bearing activity and most folks who have real jobs can't
do enough of it, or won't work hard enough at it, to get much benefit.

What I've read and what I believe based on years of observing various
riders, reading tons of stuff, etc. is that you absolutely will not lose
weight if you don't ride with some intensity ... at least a couple of
times
a week. There was a long time when the popular theory was that, if you
spent all your time training in a certain, relatively easy, heart rate
zone,
you were using fat as your fuel source instead of sugar. Therefore,
staying
in that range all the time would make you lose fat. Great theory, but I
never EVER saw that work for anyone.

If you want to lose weight on the bike, you have to work HARD on the bike.

I put on some weight a couple of years ago from a thyroid condition. About
15 lbs, which doesn't sound like much but it was on me! It was largely due
to metabolism. However, I found that I began to lose the weight during the
cycling season, and the best thing I can advise is lots of long rides.
Intensity is good, but if fat burning is the goal, long, steady rides are
best- not necessarily fast, but steady. I began to burn fat, and during the
winter would work out at the gym. I guess the muscle toning and fat burning
kick started my slowed-down metabolism and made me burn energy more
efficiently. I lost all the weight I gained and then some, 20 lbs
altogether. ANd you won't just lose weight, you'll lose inches.I gained and
then lost a pant size.

As for intensity, like hills etc, I think once you build endurance, that
comes easier. Also as you lose weight, climbing is easier. So get those
miles and go for a couple of really long rides a week and you'll not only
lose the weight, you'll keep it off. And when your metabolism is working
faster, you won't gain too much during the winter, unless you totally stuff
your face and do nothing but watch tv for four months.