Commuting to lose weight.

kev2b3
kev2b3 Posts: 159
edited June 2009 in Commuting chat
Hi there
i have been a very small time cyclist for a few years, In April my first grand daughter was born and since that day i have been commuting to work aiming to lose weight and to get fitter . I am 45 years old and weighing in at a huge 21 st. The commute into work takes around 1hr 25 mins and the distance i am covering is 15 miles i catch the train home .The problem i am having is once i arive at work i just can't stop eatting, i was just wondering if anyone out there have the same problem and what do they do to stop it.

Many thanks
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Comments

  • AndyManc
    AndyManc Posts: 1,393
    kev2b3 wrote:
    .The problem i am having is once i arive at work i just can't stop eatting, i was just wondering if anyone out there have the same problem and what do they do to stop it.

    Many thanks

    Yep, it's a big problem for many.

    Get home from work and then stand in front of the fridge for 10 minutes :shock:

    I know many on this forum don't believe cycling is the best way to lose weight.

    I'm very partial to jam butties and chocolate biscuits after my commute.

    I'm fortunate because I'm at the top end of a normal weight BMI, but I would like to be at the bottom end.

    How to stop it ? :roll: , good question, drink plenty instead of eating, also choose low fat foods and fruit to pig out on, instead of hard cheese pick low fat cottage cheese instead , swap chocolate biscuits for malt loaf.

    Eat skinless chicken instead of red meat , basically substitute high calorie/fat foods , for low cal low fat .

    If anyone else has got any tips .... I’d be very interested to know. :roll:


    .
    Specialized Hardrock Pro/Trek FX 7.3 Hybrid/Specialized Enduro/Specialized Tri-Cross Sport
    URBAN_MANC.png
  • jonginge
    jonginge Posts: 5,945
    Yep, very common. Exercise produces cortisol which triggers appetite.

    The choice of foods is said to be crucial in reducing intake. Swapping high-carb foods for high-fibre or some protein is supposed to stop the hunger pangs; you fool your stomach that it's got loads of energy-rich food in it.

    I'm the other way. Normally don't have much of an appetite after exercise so need to remind myself to eat. Probably need to work harder ;)
    FCN 2-4 "Shut up legs", Jens Voigt
    Planet-x Scott
    Rides
  • downfader
    downfader Posts: 3,686
    I'm not exactly skinny myself and know how you feel. You just have to distract yourself from fridge and try and forget about the loverly food in there. :P

    I find after I've ridden home its the worst time for me. I usually down a pint of Special R squash. Having a banana and strawberry, or kiwi and apple smoothie helps after that as the mush fills up your stomach.

    Eating higher protein food mushed up is supposed to help too, something about it was on the telly the other night.
  • Aguila
    Aguila Posts: 622
    kev2b3 wrote:
    Hi there
    i have been a very small time cyclist for a few years, In April my first grand daughter was born and since that day i have been commuting to work aiming to lose weight and to get fitter . I am 45 years old and weighing in at a huge 21 st. The commute into work takes around 1hr 25 mins and the distance i am covering is 15 miles i catch the train home .The problem i am having is once i arive at work i just can't stop eatting, i was just wondering if anyone out there have the same problem and what do they do to stop it.

    Many thanks

    Dont worry about it!! Being able to gorge is one of the joys of riding! I started commuting to work 18 months ago to lose weight. I always stuff myself when I get home and I have lost 1.5 stone.

    Weight loss is actually a very simple business, all this stuff about hormones etc is window dressing.
    If you use more calories in a given period than you consume you WILL lose weight, likewise the reverse.
  • downfader
    downfader Posts: 3,686
    Someone at work (a Dr I think) said a snickers bar is a 2 hour bike ride. :shock:
  • doog442
    doog442 Posts: 370
    downfader wrote:
    Someone at work (a Dr I think) said a snickers bar is a 2 hour bike ride. :shock:

    thank god i swear by Yorkie bars :shock:
  • downfader
    downfader Posts: 3,686
    doog442 wrote:
    downfader wrote:
    Someone at work (a Dr I think) said a snickers bar is a 2 hour bike ride. :shock:

    thank god i swear by Yorkie bars :shock:

    Not to send this OT but I cant get Yorkies here. :(
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    I'm the same. Bananas or granola bars work for me.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • AndyManc
    AndyManc Posts: 1,393
    downfader wrote:
    Someone at work (a Dr I think) said a snickers bar is a 2 hour bike ride. :shock:

    Call it a Marathon instead then :P


    .
    Specialized Hardrock Pro/Trek FX 7.3 Hybrid/Specialized Enduro/Specialized Tri-Cross Sport
    URBAN_MANC.png
  • Cafewanda
    Cafewanda Posts: 2,788
    ............. or a Twix :D
  • JGS
    JGS Posts: 180
    downfader wrote:
    Someone at work (a Dr I think) said a snickers bar is a 2 hour bike ride. :shock:

    My doctor also claims that cycling for an hour only burns off 300 calories, then again he's only stating the guidance for an average "leisure ride" and not a hell for leather road ride.

    As for the hunger, trying drinking a fair bit more water than you normally do, and gorge on apples, pears or other fruit. Try having a banana and a handful of almonds as a mid morning snack.

    Using a typical online calorie counter (this one is my fave: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calories.php) you're burning off about 1100 calories on your way to work. This means your daily intake of food should total around 3000 calories for weight loss as your body will need about 2000-2500 for it's normal functions. I personally go for 2000 + excercise calories per day, and I've lost 2.5 stone in 7 months without needing to go on any fad diet and without feeling excessively tired or hungry, because it's normal to feel a little hungry if your body needs calories. It's really important to make sure you don't go overboard and eat too little, as putting your body into starvation will just make it store food, and will make gaining fitness a lot harder.

    I personally find that having a huge breakfast (2 weetabix, bowful of bluberry shredded wheat topped with oats and covered in whole milk) is a good way to go, aim for about 7-800 calories (about a third of your total recommended daily intake of food). Cut out sugary drinks and sugar in general if you can help it, the less processed sugar you have the less you crave it, and once those cravings are gone your hunger is usually because your body genuinely needs food.

    The best thing to remember is that if you lose the weight slowly over a period of time, eating well and not feeling like you're on a diet, you'll find it easier to keep up. If the biking does cease for any reason you'll not put the weight on as quickly either as your eating habits will have changed.

    Hope this helps, and keep it up, it's a tough road but definitely worth it in the end.
  • doog442
    doog442 Posts: 370
    cyclings no good OP

    not unless you are going to stretch out hard 40 milers 3 times a week

    get used to it :(

    running is the answer, no questions asked....i commute to keep fit, i run to lose weight
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    I agree, but after a certain point i.e. when you've plateaued (dodgy spelling?!). The OP is 21st atm, so it's probably better to cycle than run atm to avoid any adverse effects on the joints. No harm in good, long walks in addition to the commute though. Loads of walkers/speed walkers in the park near me.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    I have to say, I think if you eat well you can lose weight cycling. I know I did, and (slowly) continue to do so.

    But when you get those hunger pangs after a ride you have to treat them sensibly.

    I, for example, drink a litre of water and wait 20 minutes before I act on those pangs, and even then I tend to have a banana or a bowl of fruit and fibre (no milk because I dislike it) or some rice cakes with vegemite and cottage cheese and then wait another 20 minutes. By then, I'm generally not hungry, or not hungry enough to eat much.

    I can only suggest you try something similar. You also have to get rid of the idea that because you're cycling you can eat what you like, it's simply not the case.

    HTH!
  • weedy1
    weedy1 Posts: 143
    Strange but I also used to find running trimmed me more until a dodgy knee made me cycle more run less.

    I went from 10K 4 times a week and 50 miles on the bike to 10K once a week and 100ish miles a week*

    All of a sudden my bod started looking like a greyhounds ! I think its when I go more than 2hours at 80-85% max HR as opposed to 40-45min runs. I probably don't replace all the cals.

    Just don't feel like eating after a couple hours on the bike but hungry after a run.

    *averaged over 2 weeks as as I work shifts so week 1 50miles, week 2 150miles.
  • prj45
    prj45 Posts: 2,208
    Me too.

    I do over 100 miles a week, but recently I've been putting on weight and that's after cutting out all chocolate (although I think doing this might've adversely affected my sweet stuff intake, i.e. these days I eat more sweet stuff).
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    I've been struggling to shed my, ahem, "winter weight". Two reasons, I think: (i) I developed a taste for cookies in the afternoon (i'e put an end to that), and (ii) doing less (read none) 5k runs on the treadmill. The result is that I'm around 80kg rather than 78kg.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • Rockbuddy
    Rockbuddy Posts: 243
    I agree with a few of the posts here that being slightly dehydrated can be mistaken as hunger. It can be hard to distinguish so part of the key is to keep hydrated or re-hydrate as much as possible (with water mainly not energy drinks). Especially if you are doing over an hour of riding I bet you are loosing alot of water. However, the thing you have to bear in mind about loosing weight is it is very specific from person to person. The 300 calories burnt in 2hrs (snickers bar) would only be true if you were super fit / cycling at 5mph. Calories burnt per hour range from 200 - 1000 depending on your intensity, weight and fitness. Your weight and fitness play an important role in the amount of calories burnt per unit of excercise. The lower intensity excercises (like cycling) would be a better fat burning excerise for most people. However, the fitter you are the harder it is for you to loose weight (you are more efficiently burning energy and find it harder to get into the fat burning heart range, 60-70% of max heart rate). I also agree that the worse thing you could do is undereat as mentioned starvation mode would be engaged but that's not a license to eat anything. It's all about common sense, a good balanced diet (carbs, protein and fat - with lots of water) and trying to eat more things like bananas (also a good sorce of potassium - which combats cramp) and less chocolate and crisps. OK, that's my 2p for what it's worth, good luck and welldone so far.
  • gb155
    gb155 Posts: 2,048
    Kev, Have a good old drink of water just before and just after you arrive, I used to have to do the same, your body will get used to it though, its not an issue these days but took me about 4 months to get over.
    On a Mission to lose 20 stone..Get My Life Back

    December 2007 - 39 Stone 05 Lbs

    July 2011 - 13 Stone 12 Lbs - Cycled 17851 Miles

    http://39stonecyclist.com
    Now the hard work starts.
  • bomberesque
    bomberesque Posts: 1,701
    +1 for a litre of water at the end of the ride. Put a bottle of fresh cold stuff on your desk and drink as you want, you'll surprise yourself with how much you down.

    That said, I found the same when I started commuting; my appetite was voratious.

    The result was that I got phenomenally fit (at least compared to before I started) but didn't lose weight. Now for me this was OK, I'm overweight (180cm and 86kg) but not badly so. What I wanted was the fitness and I got it in spades.

    Then the weight started to come off. The first clue was Christmas, about 6 months after I started commuting 130km per week, I took 2 weeks off work, did nothing but eat and drink for that fortnight and didn't put any weight on at all. Starting back on the bike in January, I found that the weight was coming off. I'm going by shape here rather than kilos, coz I really don't watch the kilos.

    What I think happened is that my body has changed gear. My apetite is about back to normal but with the increased output of doing the commute (which my Edge says is worth about 1500 Kcal per day).

    The upshot is be patient. feel the benefits that the commute is giving you now (fitness) and have faith that this will lead to weightloss in time. I feel the it when I go mountainbiking, for example, for you it could be something different. Before long if you're like me, your metabolism will change gear and you'll find you're doing more excercise with less fuel, then the weight will start to fall off. Whatever you do don't starve yourself, you'll just be grumpy and knackered and blame the bike, which is a short route giving up the bike completely.
    Everything in moderation ... except beer
    Beer in moderation ... is a waste of beer

    If riding an XC race bike is like touching the trail,
    then riding a rigid singlespeed is like licking it
    ... or being punched by it, depending on the day
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    The fundamental thing is: if you don't exercise, you can't just eat what you want and expect to lose weight. If you DO exercise, you STILL can't just eat what you want and expect to lose weight, because in all likelihood what you want to eat will probably have grown a fair amount!

    As ever, you need to be aware of what you're eating and, where necessary, make active plans about what to eat and when. On the plus side, you have far more of an excuse for an occasional blowout; it's just having a blowout every time you ride that defeats the purpose!
  • jedster
    jedster Posts: 1,717
    I developed a taste for cookies in the afternoon

    That's the killer for me too. I find that if I'm cycling 100 miles per week at high effort levels then I can eat big meals and still lose weight PROVIDED I avoid goodies between meals. The approach that works for me is three fairly hearty but healthy meals and if I'm really hungry between meals then eat fruit.

    However, the last few months I have lost my snacking discipline and it shows :oops:

    J
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    jedster wrote:
    I developed a taste for cookies in the afternoon

    That's the killer for me too. I find that if I'm cycling 100 miles per week at high effort levels then I can eat big meals and still lose weight PROVIDED I avoid goodies between meals. The approach that works for me is three fairly hearty but healthy meals and if I'm really hungry between meals then eat fruit.

    However, the last few months I have lost my snacking discipline and it shows :oops:

    J

    I am back on the soup and bread. And have brought bananas in to replace the cookies and the post-commute-in-granola bars. And I'm going to chuck on an extra lap or so in the Park on the way home this evening (extra 6.7 miles). This should see my weight creep down closer to 12st. It better had anyway...
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • Greg T
    Greg T Posts: 3,266
    My failed salad for lunch initiated bonk-a-thon death march of last week has prompted me to re-open the nutrition battle.

    The top ten things you need to know about losing weight on BBC (now i-player) that was on last week was good viewing.

    I find it's a very fine line getting your nutrition right so you can get home without ploughing in when you are trying to lose weight.

    I'm experimenting with a carb drink straight after I get to work circa 0830 and an egg sandwich on brown at my desk circa 0930. To get my refuelling going early doors with a carb / protein mix and hopefully having the go juice to get me home.

    Also I'm into the low fat mueller yogurts at 100 cals a pot after lunch and breakfast - not sure about this dairy calcium bonding to fat thing but I'm willing to give it a try.

    I'm aiming for 1,800 cals a day as experience tells me anything higher just doesn't get me dropping anything.

    I'm off the sauce through the week as well - it's been a long morning.


    15 miles, circa an hour and ten mins each way, everyday.
    Fixed gear for wet weather / hairy roadie for posing in the sun.

    What would Thora Hurd do?
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Greg T wrote:

    15 miles, circa an hour and ten mins each way, everyday.

    If I may make a suggestion, Mr T, sir:

    Have you thought about extending your journey home slightly, say, twice a week, by fitting in a half-loop of Richmond Park?
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • Greg T
    Greg T Posts: 3,266
    cjcp wrote:

    Have you thought about extending your journey home slightly, say, twice a week, by fitting in a half-loop of Richmond Park?

    I've just been dashing back to take over screaming Bianchi duties from Mrs T - however now that we've got her maintenance programme on track and the weather's better I'm thinking about it again.

    It's nuts but 30 miles a day just isn't enough.

    I know that what I should do is mix up my training to change the load on my body and challenge my metabolism but my motivation for the gym at lunchtime is low.....

    Swimming and running - forget it - just don't start.
    Fixed gear for wet weather / hairy roadie for posing in the sun.

    What would Thora Hurd do?
  • Stuey01
    Stuey01 Posts: 1,273
    Get thee to a gym my friend.

    If you can manage a couple of weights sessions a week on top of your cycling it will help you no end. Lifting weights doesn't burn as many calories as cycling whilst you're doing it but done with enough intensity can result in your metabolism remaining raised for several hours after you have stopped working out.
    In addition muscle is active tissue, the more you have the higher your basal metabolic rate. Lifting weights whilst in a calorie deprived state won't lead to massive muscle gain but it should help to retain what you have got.

    If you are calorie deprived your body will make up the shortfall by metabolising muscle as a preference, what you don't want to do is waste away your muscle and end up with less muscle and a lower overall calorie requirement, thus making you more likely to gain fat in the future when you start to increase your calories eaten.
    Not climber, not sprinter, not rouleur
  • cee
    cee Posts: 4,553
    as most have said here...drink water first...

    I eat a couple of carrots a day chopped into batons as well....I guess other low calorie vegetables would work as well...celery sticks perhaps.
    Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.

    H.G. Wells.
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Greg T wrote:
    I've just been dashing back to take over screaming Bianchi duties from Mrs T - however now that we've got her maintenance programme on track and the weather's better I'm thinking about it again.

    It's nuts but 30 miles a day just isn't enough.

    I know that what I should do is mix up my training to change the load on my body and challenge my metabolism but my motivation for the gym at lunchtime is low.....

    Swimming and running - forget it - just don't start.

    I'm with you on sharing the screaming duties - I do mine in the morning because I can never guarantee an on-time departure from work, so I find that it's easier (in terms of motivation and the time impact on home life) to do an extra lap of the Park on the way home than it is to go to the gym.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Greg T wrote:
    I know that what I should do is mix up my training to change the load on my body and challenge my metabolism but my motivation for the gym at lunchtime is low.....

    Swimming and running - forget it - just don't start.

    P.S. Try squat thrusts and leg exercises at home. You will entertain Banchi at the same time.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."