Weight loss through cycling

Forum rules
The information / discussion in the Cycling Health Forum is not qualified medical advice. Please consult your doctor.
User avatar
Summernight
Posts: 2073
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2012 3:40 pm
Location: Melbourne

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby Summernight » Wed May 08, 2013 12:35 pm

queequeg wrote:Fitting into Jeans is a problem for me too. If I buy a size to fit my waist, I can't get my legs into them. If I buy for my leg size, the waist is about 3 sizes too big. So, I have to use a belt on the larger sized jeans.
I wonder if anyone does a line of jeans cut to take large legs/small waist into account? I am by no means huge. It must be a nightmare for sprinters to find clothes that fit!
I have never been able to buy long knee-length boots because my calves have always been too big for the fashion shops' normal sizing. I never used to buy skinny jeans for the same reason that every time I tried to fit them on (my correct size) the size of the pant was too small for my calves. As a result I always bought boot cut.

Recently I took the plunge and tried on a pair of skinny leg jeans... And they fit! They must have widened the leg or elasticised it to kingdom come. :lol:

I still can't fit into knee-length boots though. Stupid horse-riding. :P

Tony6463
Posts: 67
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2011 9:02 am
Location: Bungendore.

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby Tony6463 » Wed May 08, 2013 1:15 pm

clackers wrote: A high intensity exercise may require you to stop too quickly, where you would have been better off with low or medium intensity for a longer time. You just have to do the math - walking is a great way to lose weight for this very reason.
Not true. Both forms of exercise are good but to say High intensity is not the same as lower intensity for longer is simply misleading. They are just different. You will still burn a lot of energy during high intensity training, albeit for a shorter period, because you are working a whole lot harder, but the metabolic effect will last longer and continue to burn calories. Both are very good and both burn energy. For a good over all result you should use both methods of training as they both target different energy systems and muscles fibres.

Oh and walking is very good, but wondering along isn't as good. It is still about getting the heart rate up for a period of time for a given activity. FITT principal - Frequency, Intensity Type and Time.

michelle_s
Posts: 103
Joined: Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:42 pm
Location: Perth wa

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby michelle_s » Wed May 08, 2013 2:42 pm

I try to stick to 1200 calories a day also, I'm finding it very hard.

User avatar
clackers
Posts: 2065
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 10:48 am
Location: Melbourne

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby clackers » Wed May 08, 2013 3:08 pm

Tony6463 wrote:
Oh and walking is very good, but wondering along isn't as good. It is still about getting the heart rate up for a period of time for a given activity. FITT principal - Frequency, Intensity Type and Time.
No.

FITT is relevant for fitness, Tony, not weight loss.

Calories expended is what counts.

If after 15 minutes of vigorous weight lifting you have to stop, that was for say, 100 calories.

Embarrassingly, that's the same as walking the dog for 30 minutes.

It's possible to calorie count physical activity just as much as food:

http://www.nutristrategy.com/caloriesburned.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

User avatar
mikesbytes
Super Mod
Super Mod
Posts: 22143
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2005 11:42 pm
Location: Tempe, Sydney
Contact:

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby mikesbytes » Wed May 08, 2013 3:11 pm

I know a guy who has lost a tad over 100Kg's. He blames beer for his former 205Kg self.

How he lost the weight was by going 100% Alcohol free, cleaning up his diet and doing lots of cycling.

On the leg thing, do you want skinny legs or awesome legs? Look up Victoria Pendleton, track cycling is the extreme of what can happen with your legs and she's the british womans track champion.

Image
If the R-1 rule is broken, what happens to N+1?

User avatar
clackers
Posts: 2065
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 10:48 am
Location: Melbourne

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby clackers » Wed May 08, 2013 3:19 pm

michelle_s wrote:I try to stick to 1200 calories a day also, I'm finding it very hard.
This is how hard, Michelle.

According to the Livestrong site, to lose half a kilo per week is to somehow take in 550 less calories daily than you did in the past, do 550 more of exercise, or some combination thereof.

You look outside and it's too wet and cold for an hour's cycling? You've just done your budget by maybe 400 calories.

Three slices of pizza? 800 calories. You put yourself right under pressure to compensate!

User avatar
Comedian
Posts: 9166
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2010 7:35 pm
Location: Brisbane

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby Comedian » Wed May 08, 2013 3:42 pm

I've lost a lot of weight through cycling. Recently however both myself and the wife started to struggle a bit with the weight.

I traced it back to a new found love of ciders. After a little digging I found one particular favorite was equivalent to the calories in half a bottle of wine per stubbie. :o

We are back on track again now. :)

Also I've found a 0 carb beer called "bighead" that is 88 cals per stubbie. That's less than most low carb lites... ;)

michelle_s
Posts: 103
Joined: Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:42 pm
Location: Perth wa

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby michelle_s » Wed May 08, 2013 3:53 pm

How bad does it taste though?

Tony6463
Posts: 67
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2011 9:02 am
Location: Bungendore.

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby Tony6463 » Wed May 08, 2013 4:10 pm

clackers wrote:
Tony6463 wrote:
Oh and walking is very good, but wondering along isn't as good. It is still about getting the heart rate up for a period of time for a given activity. FITT principal - Frequency, Intensity Type and Time.
No.

FITT is relevant for fitness, Tony, not weight loss.

Calories expended is what counts.

If after 15 minutes of vigorous weight lifting you have to stop, that was for say, 100 calories.

Embarrassingly, that's the same as walking the dog for 30 minutes.

It's possible to calorie count physical activity just as much as food:

http://www.nutristrategy.com/caloriesburned.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Hey Clackers,

Fitness and weight loss should be looked at together. Yes you can have one with out the other but is that the ideal way to go? Diet is essential and a major part of weight loss, no arguments there at all. But to burn more calories you need to make the machine work harder and smarter, which is where FITT comes in. Weight lifting is not a cardio activity at all (unless you do crossfit or similar) so therefore burns less calories; but it does build the engine (muscles) which then require more calories to run, (Base Metabolic rate).

Cardio is the calorie burner and the heart rate monitor is your speedo so to speak. If you are only burning 100 calories after a 30 min walk then I would suggest that you weren't walking very hard at all. If weight loss is your goal with training then you need to work the machine at a level that burns the fat and that is gauged by HR x time. The longer you work at a given level the more you will burn over that time. With high intensity stuff you might not work as long but you are pushing harder and thereby burning more for the time worked. All sessions, particularly hard ones, will elevate the metabolic rate for a period of time after activity which prolongs the benefit of exercise.

FITT is a great tool and it can be used in weight, high intensity or long slow distance. All are good and none better than the other for general fitness and weight loss.

It still comes down to calories in versus out though. Work harder but seriously look at diet. A lot of people think that because they work harder they can eat more then wonder why they aren't losing weight. They have upped the out but also upped the in as well.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter what you do to raise your heart rate as long as you enjoy it. That way you will have fun and are more likely to stick to it. Fitness is a relative thing. You can only give 100% of you own ability, but over time and effort that 100% will be bigger as you adapt and get fitter.

User avatar
biker jk
Posts: 6998
Joined: Tue Nov 17, 2009 6:18 pm
Location: Sydney

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby biker jk » Wed May 08, 2013 4:35 pm

michelle_s wrote:I try to stick to 1200 calories a day also, I'm finding it very hard.
An active female of your age should consumer around 2400 calories per day. Are you really aiming for just 1200? Have you used a diary of what you eat and measured the calories?

User avatar
cyclotaur
Posts: 1782
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2011 1:36 pm

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby cyclotaur » Wed May 08, 2013 4:37 pm

I reckon it's all behavioural - you lose weight by adjusting your eating and improve fitness by exercising. The fact that most people try to adjust both behaviours at once creates an interplay that confuses things a bit I think.

If you're not massively overweight (ie. a huge eater) then increasing exercise will drop some kgs, as long as you don't eat any more. (Coffee/cake/bakery shops can be dangerous places to stop when out riding ...) But in the end you will settle at a different (lower) weight which may still be a little higher than ideal. Then you realise you need to make some dietary adjustments to lose the last few kgs.

My recent experience is I was about 20% heavier than I should have been. Started regular cycling and dropped 10% in 6 months and settled there .... I've lost another few kgs recently by cutting way back on cheese. To lose the rest I would need to make some more changes, which maybe I'm not willing to. But since I'm only 6-7 kgs over ideal and now very fit I'm not too concerned. My legs are more muscle-y than before, but my waist is smaller - just bought new jeans (straight leg) a size smaller and they look pretty good compared to the old baggies I wore before.

Both my eating and my exercise are more thoughtful and considered than before, which is good, and neither feels like a particular burden. The changes I have made are simply integrated into the daily routine now - normalised, if you like.

So, lots of factors involved - gender, basic body type, start weight, target weight etc etc ... every experience is unique, just don't hope for something you can't achieve, accept what you can and take it.

Just my opinion... :wink:
2023 Target: 9.500kms/100,000m
My old blog - A bit of fun :)
"Riding, not racing...completing, not competing"

michelle_s
Posts: 103
Joined: Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:42 pm
Location: Perth wa

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby michelle_s » Wed May 08, 2013 5:03 pm

Yeah I've been using myfitnesspal

michelle_s
Posts: 103
Joined: Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:42 pm
Location: Perth wa

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby michelle_s » Wed May 08, 2013 5:11 pm

Mikesbytes my legs are very similar to that photo.

User avatar
Comedian
Posts: 9166
Joined: Mon Aug 09, 2010 7:35 pm
Location: Brisbane

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby Comedian » Wed May 08, 2013 5:59 pm

michelle_s wrote:How bad does it taste though?
Seems ok to me. :)

User avatar
winstonw
Posts: 1793
Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2011 7:18 pm
Location: Brisbane

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby winstonw » Wed May 08, 2013 8:54 pm

michelle_s wrote:I try to stick to 1200 calories a day also, I'm finding it very hard.
I thought it was 1400 Calories a few posts back? except when you do lollies and booze. :lol:

The money you save on booze, takeaway and other empty Calories, you might spend on a consult with a sports dietitian.

Some reasons for finding a Calorie deficit diet hard are:
- macronutrients are not taken in a healthy balance.
- not getting sufficient micronutrients due to inadequate intake of fibrous carbs and fruit.
- eating too high a portion of easily absorbed carbs, and too low a portion of slow release carbs (fibrous carbs and whole fruit)
- you have developed insulin resistance and your blood sugar swings unhealthily
- an enlarged stomach has dampened down sensations of satiety
- dehydration has impaired capacity to transport blood sugar to lean tissue.

My personal favorite tip for weight loss is to commit to getting out of bed early and ride or walk for at least 40 minutes. This should get you tired earlier in the evening, and into bed at a decent time. Staying up late is a sure way to sabotage a diet ime.

If you see a dietitian, you'll not only more likely lose weight, but learn sufficient to increase your chances of riding and walking into your 70s.
I'd also suggest you prioritize a dietitian consult over a Garmin 810, esp if the purpose of the 810 is to get you healthy and lose weight.

User avatar
trailgumby
Posts: 15469
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:30 pm
Location: Northern Beaches, Sydney
Contact:

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby trailgumby » Wed May 08, 2013 9:57 pm

michelle_s wrote:Mikesbytes my legs are very similar to that photo.
In other words, drop dead gorgeous. :P

User avatar
Apple
Posts: 3513
Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2010 4:00 pm
Location: sydney

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby Apple » Wed May 08, 2013 10:01 pm

1200, I thought it was 12000, so that explains it :mrgreen:
I am twice the woman I was once. :?
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.
Speak your mind,Those that mind dont matter, Those that matter dont mind!!

User avatar
trailgumby
Posts: 15469
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:30 pm
Location: Northern Beaches, Sydney
Contact:

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby trailgumby » Wed May 08, 2013 10:15 pm

FWIW, I have the big thighs small waist problem. It was a major drama buying new business suits late last year - anything that was remotely close to fitting me around the waist I was going to split the seams on the legs when I sat down. Eventually I got something nice, but only after visiting 4 or 5 shops.

Now this isn't from cycling*. I don't have big legs, in fact my nickname at school was "stick insect" and the joke when the teachers asked where I was ran like this: "He's here, sir, he's just standing side-on" :lol: It wasn't until I spent 18 months in the gym pushing heavy weights and eating *seriously* that I put on some bulk and started to look normal instead of painfully skinny.

The thing is I just have a small waist. or big legs for my hip size ... compared to the general population. You may just have comparatively smaller hips, too, which is not uncommon with gals of athletic bent.

*Actually, that's not strictly true. The last 18 months-2 years I haven't dropped a lot of weight but my waist has shrunk and I've lost most of the love handles / gut that afflicted me from my sedentary period where I did little exercise for most of my thirties, so it's more of a shrunk my waist than bulging thighs problem. As yu can see below, I certainly don't have Anna Meares' legs! :lol:

Image

User avatar
rdp_au
Posts: 563
Joined: Wed Feb 07, 2007 5:45 pm
Location: Hornsby, Sydney, NSW

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby rdp_au » Thu May 09, 2013 8:54 am

Alas no, trailgumby. Those legs are not drop dead gorgeous

User avatar
trailgumby
Posts: 15469
Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:30 pm
Location: Northern Beaches, Sydney
Contact:

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby trailgumby » Thu May 09, 2013 9:36 am

rdp_au wrote:Alas no, trailgumby. Those legs are not drop dead gorgeous
Dang, I shaved them and everything. There's just no appreciation any more :wink: :lol:

User avatar
Summernight
Posts: 2073
Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2012 3:40 pm
Location: Melbourne

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby Summernight » Thu May 09, 2013 9:37 am

rdp_au wrote:Alas no, trailgumby. Those legs are not drop dead gorgeous
For you, maybe. I like them. :lol:

RomanTheCube
Posts: 47
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2012 8:48 am

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby RomanTheCube » Thu May 09, 2013 9:47 am

trailgumby wrote:FWIW, I have the big thighs small waist problem. It was a major drama buying new business suits late last year - anything that was remotely close to fitting me around the waist I was going to split the seams on the legs when I sat down. Eventually I got something nice, but only after visiting 4 or 5 shops.
I know that feeling.

I was competing in olympic weightlifting after also being an ice hockey player for most of my life. My quads were definitely outside the normal quad:waist ratio. I hate buying jeans/pants/suits etc and always have!

Right now i'm sitting here at work with my suit pants at least 3 inches larger around the waist because that lets me bend my legs.. But when I walk around I look like I've gone for the awesome baggy pants look....not a good one unfortunately! Comfort > Aesthetics for me these days though

User avatar
clackers
Posts: 2065
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 10:48 am
Location: Melbourne

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby clackers » Thu May 09, 2013 12:34 pm

Tony6463 wrote:
Hey Clackers,

Fitness and weight loss should be looked at together. Yes you can have one with out the other but is that the ideal way to go? .
Personally, I'm with you, Tony - see the disclaimer in my earlier post. But the OP I think is like most people, agonizing over weight in a way they don't about other quality of life measures such as aerobic fitness, strength, flexibility or even nutrition.

If that's the one goal they've set themselves, it's still a valid one, and a bike can be used to lose weight, not just race.
Tony6463 wrote:Weight lifting is not a cardio activity at all (unless you do crossfit or similar) so therefore burns less calories
Have a look at that list of activities I posted.

15 minutes on a rowing machine or 12 minutes of jogging (feel free to put in your own example here, it doesn't matter) is still only the same as around 30 minutes walking the dog, or an hour of watching TV, which I bet the ordinary Joe doesn't realize.

And which are they more likely to persist with, given as Cyclotaur points out, the real issue is behavioural?

I think a lot of gym memberships slide because weight loss hasn't occurred attempting aerobic and anaerobic activities, that are easy for athletes, and tough for ordinary people. I cringe when I see what the trainers inflict on Biggest Loser contestants in front of the cameras.

I personally do aerobic riding on the weekends when I can, with lots of benefits such as lowering my resting HR by twenty and raising my power output in a real way that I don't have numbers on, but it was the lengthy commuting at recovery level HR zone during the week where I lost my weight. That's purely the duration trumping activity thing.

User avatar
winstonw
Posts: 1793
Joined: Sun Apr 10, 2011 7:18 pm
Location: Brisbane

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby winstonw » Thu May 09, 2013 1:08 pm

clackers wrote:I think a lot of gym memberships slide because weight loss hasn't occurred attempting aerobic and anaerobic activities, that are easy for athletes, and tough for ordinary people. I cringe when I see what the trainers inflict on Biggest Loser contestants in front of the cameras.

I personally do aerobic riding on the weekends when I can, with lots of benefits such as lowering my resting HR by twenty and raising my power output in a real way that I don't have numbers on, but it was the lengthy commuting at recovery level HR zone during the week where I lost my weight. That's purely the duration trumping activity thing.
I agree with your general sentiment here. I see people all the time, including three this morning who are signing up for a gym membership to help them with their weight loss. (These are staff of a local bakery) One is down from 100kg to 83kg (goal 65kg). another is down from 84kg to 76kg (goal 60kg). However they are now starting to worry about lack of tone and loose skin. The third has struggled to rein her appetite in and she has to cook for a domineering husband who doesn't like fruit and vege. I think much of the advice she has received goes in one ear and out the other too. She is the one who is the major instigator of getting the others to join the gym. Never ceases to amaze me that some people buy into the messages delivered by populist culture, and ignore health professionals. I told her quite straight this morning gym isn't going to offset her current eating pattern. Ah well....some people just need to be told and told again, until their ready to "get it"....then the penny drops, and off they go. The girl who has lost the most just cannot believe the change in her wellbeing - no more snoring, or fatigue from sleep apnoea, no more zits or oily skin, she can "feel her ribs and hip bones", needs new clothes, etc. Incidentally the only exercise this girl is doing is walking about 3-4 hours a week. though I am going to take her for a walk and show her how to intersperse pushups, pullups, lunges, planks, core, and stretching....no gym required.

User avatar
casual_cyclist
Posts: 7758
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:41 am
Location: Kewdale

Re: Weight loss through cycling

Postby casual_cyclist » Thu May 09, 2013 1:17 pm

biker jk wrote:
michelle_s wrote:I try to stick to 1200 calories a day also, I'm finding it very hard.
An active female of your age should consumer around 2400 calories per day. Are you really aiming for just 1200? Have you used a diary of what you eat and measured the calories?
My experience with weight loss, dropping from 110+ kg to 85kg over a number of years is that if my food intake dropped too low then I stopped losing weight. At a plateau, I had to eat more to continue losing. I am at a sustainable normal "weight" now. I don't calorie count, never have and never will. I got to my goal by eating decent food and maintain by eating well but not too much. I drank too much over christmas so quit alcohol for Feb Fast. I'm now in my my fourth month of no alcohol and not missing it at all. Here are my tips:
* I don't lose weight at all through exercise, only by changing what I eat.
* If I don't eat enough, I don't lose weight.
* Snacking is a bad habit for me. If I want to eat well I stick to 3 meals a day, no exceptions.
* When I eat too many refined carbs (especially sugar) I feel hungry and eat more.
* Protein and fat with vegetables are a better meal for me.
* I dropped my portion sizes over time by switching to a smaller plate then putting less food on the plate.
* I trained myself to eat more slowly, chew my food and take my time to enjoy a meal. This takes a lot of practice.
* Years of overeating means that I don't really register "full" after I have eaten so I don't rely on that as an indicator of when to stop eating.
* Sweet potato and coconut milk are awesome.

The biggest thing for me over the years was not really exercise or diet, it has been to change my attitude and behaviours. I won't say that it has been simple but I found it to be achievable.
<removed by request>

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: piledhigher2