shredding down (losing weight)

tugger

I am not overweight, at 6'2/6.3 and 196 pounds, I think im doing ok. However I do struggle losing that little bit of weight in order to shred down to a weight that is more ideal.

I do seem to gorge on food especially after exercise, I will literally eat anything that isnt nailed down!

Does anyone have any top tips on what they might eat in order to quell hunger that actually works, or is it just a matter of calory counting and a more strict diet? (i have never tried to diet but even though I am exercising more I think I just eat more accordingly and therefore dont lose any mass)

Thoughts? techniques? theories welcome...

ozzy1000_0

i'm also interested in this... i've been riding alot lately training formy first century and eat like a horse!!! i can't see how i could eat less without feeling weak after longer rides..??

amaferanga

You need to get a handle on how many calories you consume during your training and keep tabs on the calories you consume afterwards and make sure you maintain a calorie deficit. Sounds easy doesn't it!

Its all about eating the right things instead of gorging yourself on cr@p after a ride.

doyler78

If you are stuffing yourself when you get back with cr@p then why not get your post ride snack ready before you leave that way you are not tempted to go for the easy, calorie filled option.

bigcgilmour

How much lighter do you think you van go?

I'm around the same height and don't think I could get much less than 88-90kgs....

I can't get up hills very quickly but not sure I could lose more weight without losing a fair bit of power.

I can cut out eating chocolate and drinking the odd can of coke and in a week lose a few kilos - need to train too obviously. I think Pasta, Rice, Fish and veg - and snack on dried fruit Apricots and the like instead of biscuits, chocolate and stay well away from crisps!!

Pokerface

Isn't protein supposed to fill you up for longer?

Garz

I remember last year when I dropped down a stone more than I weigh now and the wife said I looked ill. :shock:

Despite her concerns it came chiefly down to diet and not training. I basically ate the dregs of the cupboards and only bought when I really was low on fridge stock. As the wife was teaching abroad I only ate when I was hungry and not when either one of us was making food out of habit or structured meal times.

One thing I did remember was reading a lance article where he said being a cyclist you always go to bed hungry... I do remember that.

The benefit of that way of living was I was a much more shredded rider and got into trousers/shirt that I cant comfortably wear now. It is hard to maintain that type of lifestyle especially if you like socialising or enjoy a pizza/snack once or twice a week.

unixnerd

If you're doing enough exercise you can eat anything, just don't eat junk. Good home cooked food with lots of fresh veg is the key. Try to eat within an hour of finishing your ride.

Pigtail

Lots of water helps. I'll have a decent meal then often feel like snacking an hour afterwards, which is when I can raid the cupboards. If I have a couple of pints of water I don't feel the need.

jgsi

unixnerd wrote:

If you're doing enough exercise you can eat anything, just don't eat junk. Good home cooked food with lots of fresh veg is the key. Try to eat within an hour of finishing your ride.

Not easily done, I'm afraid after a race or event when it is all over and still a far cry away from mom's home sunday roast......
well ... they may be the spawn of the devil to many , but a protein based recovery drink is still best option to replenish in such circumstances... sports nutritionists would hopefully not disagree.
Oh we are talking about hi intensity work here... not your usual Sunday club run about.

tugger

I dont know how much shredding can be done, to be fair its mostly for asthetic reasons, but I reckon half a stone...

I thought protein drinks might be the way forward, maybe cutting down on binge drinking and cake may also prove fruitful, but lets be fair, we are all humans here, I dont really eat fast food or crisps...

Maybe baby steps will work in this case...

Mccaria

6'2 and 183lbs. Was trying to shed a few more pounds before the Etape, but doesn't look as if it is going to happen.

Always have a recovery drink after any significant exercise which seems to take the edge off the munchies - stops me raiding the sugary treats. As Pokerface says a high protein content after exercise will help fill you up

Zoomer37

I used to eat lots too after a ride, but now I have around 35g of whey protein in a pint of skimmed milk and it works perfectly for me. Works out at just over 100cals and keeps hunger at bay.

rick_chasey

Eat less.

amaferanga

Zoomer37 wrote:

I used to eat lots too after a ride, but now I have around 35g of whey protein in a pint of skimmed milk and it works perfectly for me. Works out at just over 100cals and keeps hunger at bay.

Don't think so. More like 300-400 Kcal.

Zoomer37

amaferanga wrote:

Zoomer37 wrote:

I used to eat lots too after a ride, but now I have around 35g of whey protein in a pint of skimmed milk and it works perfectly for me. Works out at just over 100cals and keeps hunger at bay.

Don't think so. More like 300-400 Kcal.

Stand corrected, yes around the above. Forgot to add the 190ish cals for the milk.

Ive probably burned that amount of calories in one good fart, but lets always be specific on here a

nmcgann

tugger wrote:

I dont know how much shredding can be done, to be fair its mostly for asthetic reasons, but I reckon half a stone...

I thought protein drinks might be the way forward, maybe cutting down on binge drinking and cake may also prove fruitful, but lets be fair, we are all humans here, I dont really eat fast food or crisps...

Maybe baby steps will work in this case...

IMO 14st is pretty heavy for a cyclist - I would have thought you could get down to well under 13st at your height without too much trouble, possibly 12st.

The only way in my experience to shift the weight is just limit your food/drink intake for a bit to drop it off (this is a lot easier in early winter when you are not trying to be at your best on a bike at the same time) and then maintain it at a constant level by balancing exercise and intake.

I lost a load of weight myself Sept-Jan by doing quite hard 1h+ turbo sessions 3 nights a week with just a normal meal after - and only water during exercise. Breakfast was a normal bow of cereal and lunch was light (equivalent of a sandwich and some fruit). No booze mon-fri. Weekend meals were normal and I'd typically be on the bike for 4-6h out on the road split between sat and sun. It took a bit of self-control, but I lost 3st doing this and once the weight was off it is pretty easy keeping it off.

Bronzie

bigcgilmour wrote:

How much lighter do you think you van go?

I'm around the same height and don't think I could get much less than 88-90kgs....

I'm 6'2" as well...........and 72kg (160lbs) when I'm going well.

No idea of your build but I have a typical cyclist's puny upper body (even though I swim twice a week).

I used to think I was thin 15 years ago when I was probably 5-10kg heavier.........but that was probably on half the training and twice the amount of food I eat now.

phreak

Try keeping a diary, both of what you're consuming and what you're burning. Don't worry 'too' much about it being completely accurate but it'll give you a rough idea of how you're doing. You could also do a body fat test to see how you fare in that regard. Anything around 10% is probably a decent figure to aim for.

Garz

phreak wrote:

Anything around 10% is probably a decent figure to aim for.

:shock:

10% BF is pretty low, we cant all look like the schlecks, having different body types.

chris7

I do seem to gorge on food especially after exercise, I will literally eat anything that isnt nailed down!

Best solution I've found to stop me eating the house out after a ride is to eat/drink more whilst cycling. It's meant that I can return and just have a small snack when returning then normal meals for the rest of the day.

In general as others have said keep a food diary. It only needs to be for a week as that'll give you a good idea of average daily intake (and be realistic when recording portion sizes). I was amazed at how many calories I consumed.

Ron Stuart

If you burn more calories than you consume you lose weight. Therefore you will feel hungry (natural).
Put a note to this effect under a fridge magnet, on the food cupboard, at work somewhere.

If you require extra calories to burn on bike rides take them before, during and only have a recovery snack/shake immediately after the ride.

Also there is a delay between eating a feeling sustained, so try and eat less but more often. This should also have the added bonus of shrinking your stomach as you are not blowing-out so much.

Beware muscle weighs more than fat, so rather than weighing yourself often, try and check your % body fat instead, that's the baggage department.

Xommul

If you want t shred (loose body fat) then you have to do a few things

Eat enough protein so you dont end up loosing muscle,
Cut down on fats and other junk
Eat more often (5-6 small balanced portions) a day which speeds up your motabilism
Work out in the mornings to increase your base metabolism all day
Interval training in any given sport
Manage your calories by working out how much you need and then cutting back so you burn more than you eat.

If you get on your bike often you will lose the weight but unless you sort your diet then you wont see a difference.

Xom

lef

when hungry I sometimes have a big glass of water and a piece of fruit which usually subdues the cravings. Thirst is oftne mistaken for hunger and water will often stop you feeling hungry.

Almost every evening I do 10mins of pilates type exercises and a set of pressups to maintain core and upper body strength. Ive noticed that this really helps me to shed excess fat and as I'm training in the mornings this probably helps to raise my metabolism in the evenings as well as the mornings.

Eating late in the evening wont do you any favours either.

Some may say its a little obsessive but weighing yourself every morning helps track progress or otherwise.

procyclist

Prepare a bowl of pasta and low fat sauce before you go on the ride - bang it in the microwave or have it cold when you get back - takes the edge off straight away.

Ron Stuart

procyclist wrote:

Prepare a bowl of pasta and low fat sauce before you go on the ride - bang it in the microwave or have it cold when you get back - takes the edge off straight away.

This is good but I would add some protein, ratio 4 parts pasta 1 part protein for muscle recovery.

neilo23

I'm about the same height as you (6' 1'') and was about 11 stone / 71 kg 5 years ago when I had the time to to a LOT of cycling. As I can't go out for 3-5 hour rides so often anymore I've gained a few pounds. However, I don't look much larger. Fat which you can't see from the outside is stored in the body and I assume this is what I've gained.
What I did 2 or 3 times a week was drink a cup or two of coffee and ride hard for about 45 minutes, usually up a hill, then come back and have a couple of ham rolls for breakfast. Then I'd go out for a longer ride later in the day. I lost weight really quickly that way and even allowed myself chocolate in the evening. But I was unemployed and had time on my hands. With a bit of discipline you may be able to persuade yourself to do the before breakfast ride.

coombsfh

I am new to cycling but know a little about what has helped me to stay lean. Problem is, my background is in lifting heavy weights 3/4 times a week and doing bodyweight exercises on days off or kettlebell and using a bike just to get around. I am absolutely not fat (can see all tummy muscles and veins etc) but usually weight about 100kg (+/- 5kg) and am quite top heavy which is far from a cyclists physique.

Things that keep me "skinniest" are:

Exercise EVERY DAY in the mornings, even if it is just a quick and intense workout. Only eat a banana and warm water beforehand. Perhaps your main workout will fall in the morning or perhaps it is just a quickie after which you do the main one later.

After exercise, whey protein and water. I buy mine in bulk, unflavoured and a combination of taste and volume (750 ml) makes sure that you wait a bit and are not tempted to stuff silly food in. After that eat something with loads of veg/pulses and fish or meat (don't be veggie if you can help it).

For something filling to eat as soon as you are in from riding, make a bean salad with a couple of different tins of pulses, a couple of tins of tuna and some kind of dressing of your choosing to make sure it isn't dry. This will fill you up like nothing else and is not at all in the "bad food" category.

Before you eat, drink as much water as you can. I usually drink it warm as it goes down fater and you can sort of "trick yourself" into drinking more. My default water intake is about 6L a day which to many is excessive but so is the amount I sweat and pee :oops:

I can't comment on weighing yourself every day as I only weigh myself at one of the units we help out at; they have a set of packing scales accurate to 100g so we always have a mini-weigh in to see who has been lazy.

Have just lost 2 stone in 3 weeks but that was meningitis and I can't recommend that at all! Have lost muscle but also any extra fat I had is gone so might be considered "shredded" but not necessarily by desire. Will be interesting to see if I can keep the fat off as I attack deadlifts, squats and so on to build back up to my normal 100kg ish.

Some members on a training forum keep a thread going about diet and exercise regime and are religious about it. Praps keep a diary or even make a blog?

Best wishes,

Fred.

KnightOfTheLongTights

tugger wrote:

I am not overweight, at 6'2/6.3 and 196 pounds, I think im doing ok. However I do struggle losing that little bit of weight in order to shred down to a weight that is more ideal.

I do seem to gorge on food especially after exercise, I will literally eat anything that isnt nailed down!

Does anyone have any top tips on what they might eat in order to quell hunger that actually works, or is it just a matter of calory counting and a more strict diet? (i have never tried to diet but even though I am exercising more I think I just eat more accordingly and therefore dont lose any mass)

Thoughts? techniques? theories welcome...

a protein / recovery drink directly after a big ride or training session for me seems to prevent the massive hunger for carbs developing in the hour or two afterwards ...

in terms of keeping weight down, the one thing that has always seemed to work for me is exercise before breakfast most weekdays - even if it is just a 20-min jog, or a commute ride. Over and above actual training hours that is.

anecdotal, not scientific, but I don't care, it seems to work ...

mz__jo

About 18 years ago when I got out of agriculture I was down to 76kgs, mainly due to a period of 5 months of broken nights and not eating enough (I am 6'3"). It was great for getting back into cycling but completely unhealthy and it seriously affected my judgement. I went through a period of eating complete bars of chocolate just to get my weight back up (+ sugar in coffee which I hadn't done since I was 10) and eventually found my fighting weight at around 81-82kgs which I managed to more or less hold until about 2 years ago (when the start of an arthritis problem with my knee cut down my physical activity).
I am now at 87kgs and struggling to reduce it before I am immobilised by an operation to ease theknee problem. I know the problem, no activity, too much time next to the biscuit tin. Question of willpower really.
Moral of the story: eat sensibly, exercise properly, sleep enough and above all listen to your own body rather than looking at the bodies of everyone else. Going too light can be just as bad as being too heavy.

MeridiaNx

I'm broadly the same as you in stats, 6'3" and fluctuate between 90-95kg (200-210lbs). Similarly to coombsfh, that's mainly because weightlifting is my primary exercise, and my diet is focussed towards that. Cycling is a secondary sport, and I use it to help me keep as trim as possible, but I'm aware that I'm carrying more muscle than is useful to really get good at cycling.

Anyway, imo the most important thing is that you find a way to change your diet, not go on 'a diet'. Others may disagree, but I'm not a fan of following a plan that isn't sustainable in the longer term and/or destroys your enjoyment of meal times.

In general, if your problem is avoiding eating rubbish and staving off hunger pains, I don't see why the sort of gym type diet advocated in Men's Health or similar would be too bad. By this I mean the types of food, with quantity scaled down accordingly if you aren't trying to add muscle. Rough guidelines I follow are:

- 5/6 smaller meals per day (mentioned in the thread already)
- Fresh food. Find the time to shop for ingredients and cook
- Prep lunches/snacks the night before, or cook double/triple quantities and take the leftovers to work
- Aim for good meat/fish in your main meals, where possible, with plenty of fruit and veg
- Have the right snacking foods within easy reach so I don't have a biscuit when I'm peckish (good fruit/nut mix, cottage cheese, peanut butter on toast, fruit, yoghurt, things like that)

These mean that I'm never hungry because I'm eating often (but I'm never full either), and I enjoy the variety I can include in what I eat. I hope that's not too broad an answer. Let me know if you want an example day's food/meal or snack ideas.