Cycling to lose weight

JamesB

I`m hoping to reduce weight by 3-5 kg in next 3 months prior to an Alps trip; this being required because I`ve put this weight on over last 2-3 years . At 6ft I currently weight 81 kg, just top end BMI chart.

I don`t race but steadily ride, av speeds 15-17 mph depending on how hilly I make each ride. At moment having a couple of 2 hr rides and a 4 hr weekend ride at a steady pace.

Question should I try to avoid energy gels / energy drinks (would usually have 1 / hour) and post ride recovery drink / food in order to improve fat metabolism or am I risking a low blood glucose and muscle glycogen level by not topping up during rides ?
ta

emx

don't get hung up on cycle-related calories - just eat less in general...

jamesbell1000

I like sis burner gel, it contains carnitine which increases the body's ability to burn fat as a fuel. So you get energy from your body. It seems to work for me, with a suitable diet of course.

Pokerface

Skip the gels and energy drink on the 2 hour rides if you don't need them (and you shouldn't).

4 hour ride will probably require some nutrition during the ride.


In general, eat less, ride more. And what you DO eat - try and make it healthy. I've dropped 5kg in the past 2 months by altering my diet alone.

JamesB

sounds good, yes I`ll try to do withgout gels on shorter rides (actually usually do without) and yesterday needed just 1 x gel and a small ham and salad sarnie midpoint; 5 kg in 2 months would make me very happy indeed

Not so keen on the burner gels though, from what I`ve read up L- carnitine is a by product of normal metabolism of amino acids and with a decent diet it is unlikely that I should have any need for supplements , and they are very expensive too

rick_chasey

Cycling more - eat the same.

Jobs'a goodun...

ssk2

Agree with the 'cycle more = lose more' comments.

I've lost 4.5 kilos since the start of the year, purely by cycling more and more. I haven't drastically changed my diet and still have (the very odd) treat, such as some chocolate, or an extra pint after work on a Friday. Best thing though is the increase in muscle mass, combined with the loss of weight. Feel pretty champion at the mo :oops:

twotyred

You're burning about 5000 cals a week with the 8 hours cycling you are doing. 1 pound is 3500 cals so try to eat normally not using the biking as an excuse to eat extra and you should loose the weight at about a pound a week. You'll need to eat a bit during rides but make it normal food, no need for gels on training rides.

sagalout

For 2 hours at a steady pace you shouldn't need anything other than water. For 4 hours a sarnie and flapjack or banana etc.

Dont believe all the marketing crap - it's all too easy to over eat if youre having energy drinks, gels, post ride recovery drinks etc. Ride your bike and eat enough not to bonk

trickydisco

I went from 75kg in December to 69kg now. I did this by a combination of improving my base efficiency (ability to burn fat) (i had 2 fitness tests to confirm this.*. I went from 43% of energy from fat to 84% - at my aerobic base point). This was only 1 hour l2 (endurance) rides at a time

I also completely overhauled my diet and mainly follow the 4 hour body plan now. So I get a lot protein and good quality carbs (vegetables, spinach, etc) and no white carbs 6 days a week. I don't calorie count in the slightest and eat as much as i want. I train more than ever and don't find any lack of energy

Out of the 2 i'd say the diet helped the most. I'm now a much better climber because of it.


*obviously not to just for this but to find out where i was an form a training plan

milese

I never take gels for training, only racing.

To me they are empty calories, they might provide energy, but they do not replace the need (or desire, routine, whatever) of eating proper food, especially when you will most likely be riding through a meal time. Any they are expensive.

Just eat normal food whilst on the bike. Bananas, cereal bars, etc.

My way of losing weight whilst training is to not limit the volume I eat (you cant train, or live happily hungry), but control the quality of what you eat.

I dont limit my carb intake, I limit my fat intake, particulary saturated fat. Cut out all processed foods, cakes, chocolates, cream, cheese, pastry, butter, fatty meat etc.

JamesB

Thanks to all for input above, seem to be doing OK with losing weight on basis most above just riding more and not eating more; since last post have dropped 3 kg approx ; better value for improving climbing than a lighter whatever it is for bike; climbing times improving nicely to get me better for Raid Alpine at start August , really looking fwd to it now !!

miragev

sagalout wrote:

For 2 hours at a steady pace you shouldn't need anything other than water. For 4 hours a sarnie and flapjack or banana etc.

Dont believe all the marketing crap - it's all too easy to over eat if youre having energy drinks, gels, post ride recovery drinks etc. Ride your bike and eat enough not to bonk

thats the best bit of advice i've read in a while

i live in greece i ride at least every other day some days back to back approx 250 miles a week
today on my ride it was 30+ degrees
i drink water plain and simple... not sports drinks rehydration drinks no gels no bars post ride shakes..... what is all this sh*t
just get on with it only one thing is going to make any rider better that's proper training

have something to eat a couple of hours before you go out porridge is the wonder food for me i eat it 2-3 times a day i also eat lots of fruit.... eat a bit of chicken or lean meat with a meal when you get home for protein to help with the muscles... do this and you'll soon drop some weight..and get fit...

coombsfh

Depending on how serious you are about losing weight and how strict you can be with yourself, try getting up an hour earlier every day and doing 30-45 mins of exercise on an empty stomach (or a stomach with only warm water and banana in). It will feel cruel and horrible at first but cycling can stay the same and you will have no choice but to shed weight. Morning exercise on top of anyone's regime will help them stay lean I think (provided you don't eat stupidly after).

Your height and weight mean 3-5 kg is a nice, easy target.

huuregeil

Exercising on an empty stomach first thing is not a good strategy:

http://www.bodybuildingrevealed.com/mem ... -loss.html

"In conclusion, the literature does not support the efficacy of training early in the morning on an empty stomach as a tactic to reduce body fat. At best, the net effect on fat loss associated with such an approach will be no better than training after meal consumption, and quite possibly, it would produce inferior results."

37monkey

Hijacking a little here, but I'm stuck at 20% body fat, back in january I was 93kg this went down to 83 in two months but has slowly tracked back up to 87kg but my body fat went down to 20% and has stayed there, I currently ride about 600 miles a month averaging 18-20mph, I'm strong on the flat and can handle big turns on the front but as soon as there is more than a slight gradient I'm dropped. I would like to get to about 12-15% body fat as I recon that's about 7kg which should make a difference to going up hill. I eat well, and use protein supplements before and after hard riding. Any tips gladly received, thanks

freehub

Pokerface wrote:

Skip the gels and energy drink on the 2 hour rides if you don't need them (and you shouldn't).

4 hour ride will probably require some nutrition during the ride.


In general, eat less, ride more. And what you DO eat - try and make it healthy. I've dropped 5kg in the past 2 months by altering my diet alone.

I eat gels on 2 hours rides, I think gels are good for either long rides, or short riders (40 miles or more) where the effort is high.

Today I did 44 miles and had 2 of them.

Buckled_Rims

37monkey wrote:

Hijacking a little here, but I'm stuck at 20% body fat, back in january I was 93kg this went down to 83 in two months but has slowly tracked back up to 87kg but my body fat went down to 20% and has stayed there, I currently ride about 600 miles a month averaging 18-20mph, I'm strong on the flat and can handle big turns on the front but as soon as there is more than a slight gradient I'm dropped. I would like to get to about 12-15% body fat as I recon that's about 7kg which should make a difference to going up hill. I eat well, and use protein supplements before and after hard riding. Any tips gladly received, thanks

You can only increase your weight if you are eating more. You could not possibly increase muscle by 4kg in such a short period (bodybuilders used to say 2kg per year is tops).

Do you really need protein before AND after?

The greatest weight loss regime is hell, but it's used all over the world by 100's of millions, yet many new cyclists laugh at the idea because it totally goes against all "they" think is correct. I use it once a week or fortnight and went from a 80kg tubby to 67kg without losing too much muscle. I can now do a 25%+ climb on a standard chainset with a 25t cog cassette - something I never thought possible 2 years ago.