Issue with obsessing over weight

Finegan

Hi I am by far a typical girl but this post is going to make me sound like one!
I recently took up cycling after loosing 2 stone in weight. Both my mother and her mother died young due to weight issues and illness. I took it upon myself to face the problem before it got out of hand. I did the Slimming World diet and once I lost the weight I started cycling. Every since I have been watching what I eat and exercise. To the point of recording calories in and out.
Now I still call myself a newbie to cycling but I am now clocking 50 mild rides and in August I am doing RideLondon as part of my cycle club team. Because of this I have started looking at my nutrient but I can not get out of the mind set of calories and weight. I know I need to focus on what I eat for cycling but I still keep looking at the scales and they are increasing. I stick to around 1700 calories a day and cycle 3 times a week must weeks.

I need advise or even a slap in the face and told to stop obsessing.
Thank you

steve6690

Actually I don't see anything wrong with what you're doing, as long as you're not bolting to the bogs after a meal and sticking your fingers down your throat.
I tried Slimming World and it didn't agree with my digestion even though I lost a fair bit of weight. I'm back on "food combining" which agrees with me better, and is IMHO better for someone who trains regularly.

http://www.kathrynmarsden.com/the-compl ... ining.html

Nothing wrong with caring about what you put into your body, just make sure you're getting the right nutrients. My wife lost loads on Slimming World but she was basically just eating pasta every day. She got thin but looked ill, like a ghost. Not a good look...

Doris Day

Could you not just eat healthy, ride and do weights. Forget about weighing yourself and calories.
Replace pop with water and put your body to good use.

Have a look here for some positive tips

http://fitspiration.tumblr.com/

sloppyschleckonds

Finegan wrote:

I know I need to focus on what I eat for cycling but

Who told you this?

Finegan

As I am upping the mile and heading for RideLondon I feel I need to concentrate on what I am eating to best fuel me. I have read I need to double my fibre and up my carbs and protein . I am aware that if I restrict what I am eating and calories I may not have the fuel in the tank and after a bonk at 50 miles once already it seems important. Thank you for the links, the food combining is interesting.

P.s I am only tiny at 5.2 and just under 9stone

steve6690

I've bonked on a hilly 55 miler last year. As a novice that's a big ride for me (4 hours or so) and I discovered the need to take food to eat during the ride. All I took was a bottle of water with electrolytes and another bottle with Hi-5 Energy. It was a hot day and I didn't plan for that either.

sungod

general comments/suggestions (not rules!)...

you say "double my fibre and up my carbs and protein", fibre is indigestible, it slows down digestion, it's typical of the 'complex carbs', these are generally a good thing to have in your diet, typically wholegrains, beans, oats, wholewheat pasta, brown rice etc.

the less desirable carbs are white bread, white rice, etc. where the fibre has been refined out, and of course sugary drinks, these are absorbed faster and can cause large swings in blood sugar

it's generally recommended that active people get more protein, especially when exercising hard, there's a wide range of opinion on the right amount of protein, if you are very active maybe aim at 70-80g/day

for a long ride, in the preceding days, prepare by eating well - complex carbs, some protein, fresh veg (lots of colours) - to build up your reserves

once riding at a reasonable pace, the body can't absorb food as fast as it is being used, typically around 60g/hour for glucose, 90g/hour for a 2:1 glucose:fructose mix, consuming at higher rates won't help and the excess may give you indigestion

glucose and fructose have different metabolic pathways, in excess, fructose ends up stored as fat (table sugar, sucrose, is metabolised into glucose and fructose), glucose is stored as glycogen in muscles and liver

anyway, that's about 230 and 340 kcal/hour respectively (for carbs assume c. 3.8 kcal/g, you can extrapolate to other foods based on this)

for a long hard ride, your body's reserves will inevitably be depleted, but by planning to replenish what you can along the way you should be able to avoid problems

have a good breakfast, complex carbs, just plain rolled oats with skimmed milk and some fruit can be nice

on the ride, aim for 60g of carbs/hour, this is where less fibre is better, you want the energy to be absorbed faster, so white bread, rice etc. are more common (look for the garmin rice cakes recipe, they're a great savoury snack)

have solid food early on, it tastes nicer, just work out portion energy, avoid fatty/hard to digest stuff

energy gels can be better after you've been going a while as they're quick and easy to eat (some taste vile, look for one you like, imho high5 orange isogel is most palatable), a cold coke can also be extremely lovely at the right time

watch your hydration, you need water to digest food as well as replacing losses

have fun

LegendLust

Finegan wrote:

Hi I am by far a typical girl but this post is going to make me sound like one!
I recently took up cycling after loosing 2 stone in weight. Both my mother and her mother died young due to weight issues and illness. I took it upon myself to face the problem before it got out of hand. I did the Slimming World diet and once I lost the weight I started cycling. Every since I have been watching what I eat and exercise. To the point of recording calories in and out.
Now I still call myself a newbie to cycling but I am now clocking 50 mild rides and in August I am doing RideLondon as part of my cycle club team. Because of this I have started looking at my nutrient but I can not get out of the mind set of calories and weight. I know I need to focus on what I eat for cycling but I still keep looking at the scales and they are increasing. I stick to around 1700 calories a day and cycle 3 times a week must weeks.

I need advise or even a slap in the face and told to stop obsessing.
Thank you

Forget about getting advice off here and speak to a professional nutritionist.

I went to see this guy a few years ago and he was worth every penny http://www.optimumnutrition4sport.com/

ollie51

Finegan wrote:

P.s I am only tiny at 5.2 and just under 9stone

I'm 5'10" and a tiny bit more than 9 stone. Unless you're intentionally making yourself sick after eating, I wouldn't worry. Don't be afraid to eat a bit more on training days, though.

kajjal

As you begin to get fit you will lose weight and then after a point as you get fitter you will start to gain weight again as you put on more muscle. If you are feeling fit and healthy then that is the main thing. As you can cycle 50 miles then you are much fitter than most.

Some riders on here are very focused to the point of obsession with their weight and nutrition which is not what you need with your past experience. Your GP would be a good start as they can reassure you and if you feel the need provide you more detailed information around nutrition etc. I think you just need reassuring by someone who is professionally trained and knows what they are talking about

Lookyhere

Kajjal wrote:

As you begin to get fit you will lose weight and then after a point as you get fitter you will start to gain weight again as you put on more muscle. If you are feeling fit and healthy then that is the main thing. As you can cycle 50 miles then you are much fitter than most.

Some riders on here are very focused to the point of obsession with their weight and nutrition which is not what you need with your past experience. Your GP would be a good start as they can reassure you and if you feel the need provide you more detailed information around nutrition etc. I think you just need reassuring by someone who is professionally trained and knows what they are talking about

See your GP? I see my GP when I m ill...not to be reassured on my diet..... no wonder people who are actually ill cant get an appointment so flood AE departments

kajjal

Lookyhere wrote:

Kajjal wrote:

As you begin to get fit you will lose weight and then after a point as you get fitter you will start to gain weight again as you put on more muscle. If you are feeling fit and healthy then that is the main thing. As you can cycle 50 miles then you are much fitter than most.

Some riders on here are very focused to the point of obsession with their weight and nutrition which is not what you need with your past experience. Your GP would be a good start as they can reassure you and if you feel the need provide you more detailed information around nutrition etc. I think you just need reassuring by someone who is professionally trained and knows what they are talking about

See your GP? I see my GP when I m ill...not to be reassured on my diet..... no wonder people who are actually ill cant get an appointment so flood AE departments

Read the original post on the thread and then think very carefully about what you have just posted. You are either very young or did not read it properly.

DeVlaeminck

I think the best advice is that for most amateurs we don't need to go into too much detail about diet for cycling. So assuming Finegan has an otherwise healthy diet and she's happy with what she is eating there is zero need to see a GP, nutritionist or worry in any way about what she eats on the bike.

As a general rule don't ride fasted, so don't go out before eating breakfast or skipping lunch. If you stick to that you can easily go up to 2 hours on the bike without food unless you are putting a race effort in, if you find it helps just stick a banana in your pocket that is unlikely to have a major impact on your diet. For longer rides stick two bananas in, maybe a muesli bar or flapjack. You do not need gels and energy drinks for training though you could use them instead of the other stuff for the long rides, not for the sub 2 hour stuff.

What you do not need to do is eat more before a ride or adjust your diet because you are cycling, you aren't burning huge amounts of calories so just eat your normal diet and then have something on the bike for longer rides as above. If you find you have a problem maintaining weight just have a snack when you get in from a ride, most of us probably grab something after a longish ride but don't make it another meal, a glass of milk and a piece of fruit or a small bowl of cereal after a long ride is fine but exercise doesn't give us carte blanche to eat a couple of mini rolls, plate of pasta and half a pack of biscuits after every ride more's the pity.

Lookyhere

Kajjal wrote:

Lookyhere wrote:

Kajjal wrote:

As you begin to get fit you will lose weight and then after a point as you get fitter you will start to gain weight again as you put on more muscle. If you are feeling fit and healthy then that is the main thing. As you can cycle 50 miles then you are much fitter than most.

Some riders on here are very focused to the point of obsession with their weight and nutrition which is not what you need with your past experience. Your GP would be a good start as they can reassure you and if you feel the need provide you more detailed information around nutrition etc. I think you just need reassuring by someone who is professionally trained and knows what they are talking about

See your GP? I see my GP when I m ill...not to be reassured on my diet..... no wonder people who are actually ill cant get an appointment so flood AE departments

Read the original post on the thread and then think very carefully about what you have just posted. You are either very young or did not read it properly.

I am not and I did but you are condescending and appear to answering a question the op hasn't asked.

the OP isn't ill, hasn't said she has symptoms worrying her and you don't know her age or anything else about her or her genetic pool, generic advice such as (she has ONLY asked about nutrition) "see your GP" for what? " Dear Mr GP, I ve lost some weight and am watching what I eat and have taken up exercise, what do you recommend?"

Given the breadth of a cycling forum, sounds like she is doing a great job in looking after her own health, any short term obsessions with weight etc will no doubt lessen as she achieves her own goals. go to your GP if they don't

Other advice given on this thread is far more useful and less likely to cause her unnecessary worry.

mpatts

My advice:

Don't ask a bunch of cyclists for advice on normal eating. I think a lot of us are a bit obsessed, for example when I saw a couple of mates I hadn't seen for a few months. Reactions were:

Cyclist mate: "Blimey, you're looking lean"
Non-cyclist mate: "Blimey, you're looking skinny"

slowbike

Putting on weight doesn't always mean getting fatter. If you've just started out on a sport you'll quite likely be building muscle mass too. You'll be able to see more definition in the muscle in your legs. This isn't a bad thing - and unless you do specific training it won't carry on unchecked.

Food before and during a ride - I tend to have a slightly larger breakfast (cereal) if I'm doing a big/fast ride otherwise it's just normal food/portions. I've ridden 40 miles with nothing but water, but could certainly feel it after about 30 miles - if I was going for a longer ride then I'd should've taken food with me and started on it earlier.

Training for these longer rides is as much about getting the food intake right as it is fitness - you need to practice so you know what your body is telling you. We've started on raw jelly as it's high in carbs and low in cost - plus it's easy to measure. Little and often on the ride is better.

You shouldn't obsess about calories in vs out whilst riding - and don't take any notice of the "calories burnt" shown on many devices - this is usually completely nonsense and a random number generator would be more accurate. I'd almost suggest that any calories you can carry and eat whilst riding don't count - ie not the cake stop cake - but any food you carry in bottles or in your pockets (without being silly!) should sustain you for the ride.

There are scales that measure your body fat %age - no idea how good they are or if they actually work - but if they did, perhaps that's a better measure than pure weight.

diamonddog

Finegan wrote:

As I am upping the mile and heading for RideLondon I feel I need to concentrate on what I am eating to best fuel me. I have read I need to double my fibre and up my carbs and protein . I am aware that if I restrict what I am eating and calories I may not have the fuel in the tank and after a bonk at 50 miles once already it seems important. Thank you for the links, the food combining is interesting.

P.s I am only tiny at 5.2 and just under 9stone

You are not overweight IMO, eat slightly smaller portions if you feel the need to lose a bit more weight it shouldn't be a problem. Keep putting in the miles and make sure you eat on the ride and you will be OK on the day.

Finegan

Thank you everyone. I certainly don't feel I need to go to the doctor, all the advise on here has been very useful. I actually went to work today and my boss who is also a cyclist comment on how fit I am looking which surprised me as I have recently gained a few pounds. Other members of staff also commented on how good I was looking so I think perhaps I am now building muscle mass and that is the extra few pounds gained. I do have scales that measure body mass and water % (?) and they are all spot on for age and height so I am going to stop worrying and eat the rest of my Easter eggs!!! Thanks again