# A bit overweight



## GmanUK65 (21 Jul 2013)

I am a bit overweight (I think). My belly is a bit bigger than I would like and I need to make it look flatter than round. All this has happened in about a year and I am putting it down to not riding my bike as much and eating a bit more than used to (I suffered from stress for a couple of months and was off work with it' since then I have been eating more; I am fine now where stress is concerned). I know cycling is helpful in bringing down weight though it cant be just riding a bike that brings it down. There must be methods in riding a bike to lose weight else anyone who cycles who is not overweight would be underweight. Does anyone know any of these methods or know any web sites with this information? I ride a hybrid bike.


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## ianrauk (21 Jul 2013)

I was 4 stone overweight. I did not exercise and ate crap.
I started cycling and eating healthier. There was no other method to it for me.
I lost near 4 stone in less then a year.


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## jim55 (21 Jul 2013)

so in summary your question is ,,,,,,,?


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## jim55 (21 Jul 2013)

ianrauk said:


> I was 4 stone overweight. I did not exercise and ate crap.
> I started cycling and eating healthier. There was no other method to it for me.
> I lost near 4 stone in less then a year.


^^^^^
this


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (21 Jul 2013)

GmanUK65 said:


> There must be methods in riding a bike to lose weight else anyone who cycles who is not overweight would be underweight. Does anyone know any of these methods or know any web sites with this information? I ride a hybrid bike.


None exist. Somewhat ironically, weightloss is done in the kitchen. Exercise only supplements loss, but is not the whole cause of it.


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## Garz (21 Jul 2013)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> None exist. Somewhat ironically, weightloss is done in the kitchen. Exercise only supplements loss, but is not the whole cause of it.


 

I will go out on a limb and add exercise (in this case cycling) will help you get better at it, help reduce stress and tone those stagnant muscles. Dieting alone will not be beneficial to your c.v system or muscular development.


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## uclown2002 (22 Jul 2013)

GmanUK65 said:


> I am a bit overweight (I think). My belly is a bit bigger than I would like and I need to make it look flatter than round. All this has happened in about a year and I am putting it down to not riding my bike as much and eating a bit more than used to (I suffered from stress for a couple of months and was off work with it' since then I have been eating more; I am fine now where stress is concerned). I know cycling is helpful in bringing down weight though it cant be just riding a bike that brings it down. There must be methods in riding a bike to lose weight else anyone who cycles who is not overweight would be underweight. Does anyone know any of these methods or know any web sites with this information? I ride a hybrid bike.


 

It's really quite simple; calories in vs calories out is key to weight loss.

So eat less and move more!


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## GmanUK65 (22 Jul 2013)

What do people mean by eating healthier. I am a vegetarian, though I do eat a bit too many chips (oven at home, fried elsewhere). What other non-meat products should I cut down on?


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## BigonaBianchi (22 Jul 2013)

23 stone > 16 stone here

cycling a lot more more eating less that my friend is all there was to it.


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## Supersuperleeds (22 Jul 2013)

I've lost 3 stone since November time last year. I am probably eating more now than then, but I do spend a lot of time on the bike. I need to kick another stone off and I know I probably will have to reduce my food intake to achieve it.


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## Mo1959 (22 Jul 2013)

Supersuperleeds said:


> I've lost 3 stone since November time last year. I am probably eating more now than then, but I do spend a lot of time on the bike. I need to kick another stone off and I know I probably will have to reduce my food intake to achieve it.


I'm thinking about cutting my mileage back a fair bit, so I will have to be careful and eat slightly less again no doubt.


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## tyred (22 Jul 2013)

No easy fix I'm afraid. I managed to put on a stone last year despite cycling around 5,000 miles. You can lose weight sitting watching Coronation Street. The tried and tested formula is to eat less calories than you consume.

What exercise will do is tone you up so you look better and improve the health of your heart and lungs, etc. The other thing to be aware of is that being physically active, especially for someone who's not used doing a lot of exercise, will work up and appetite and the risk of developing the "munchies" afterwards.


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## Ben M (22 Jul 2013)

There is a big secret to weight loss. All the diet programmes don't want to tell you about it because it's such a secret, and it's magical. Here it is:

You need to consume fewer calories than you burn off.

a.k.a. eat less and cycle more, fatty.


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## amasidlover (22 Jul 2013)

Whilst it is a simple as consuming fewer calories than you burn, knowing how to do that without some form of help was beyond me...

I suggest you try one of the calorie tracking apps/websites e.g. myfitnesspal, myfatsecret or similar - I lost around 7 stone doing that and still track all my exercise and my food consumed. It will also tell you which your high calorie foods are, even as a veggie, you'll be having; nuts, seeds and oils (all very energy dense), complex carbs (bread, pasta, cereals) which are quite energy dense...

Once I'd got on top of my weight (which I'm now happy with), I started looking at protein vs. carbs vs. fat etc.

For some people it does seem to be trivially easy and they have an innate 'feeling' for when their in vs. out balances - for me I either never had that, or managed to lose it somehow - maybe after a few years of recording everything I'll be able to just 'know' but for the moment, I'm keeping the diary.


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## cyclewick (22 Jul 2013)

I wanted a flat stomach, i was around 12 stone and just under 6 ft, so I decided to cut some fat out of my diet, only eat when im hungry and regularly, and cycle 20 miles a day, but the advice that I know for a fact works to lose lots of weight, is just have a bigger calorie deficit, maybe burn around 500-600 calories more then you are eating. and cut your intake of sat fats . also having muscle helps you burn more calories even at resting. Good luck


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## Hont (22 Jul 2013)

If you are cycling purely to lose weight, then I'd recommend long, steady rides rather than shorter intense ones. You might burn the same calories using the two different methods, but the slower ride will burn more fat compared to sugars so you finish the ride not feeling as hungry/energy depleted, so less likely to stuff your face.


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## Ben M (22 Jul 2013)

Hont said:


> If you are cycling purely to lose weight, then I'd recommend long, steady rides rather than shorter intense ones. You might burn the same calories using the two different methods, but the slower ride will burn more fat compared to sugars so you finish the ride not feeling as hungry/energy depleted, so less likely to stuff your face.


Citation needed.


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## Hont (23 Jul 2013)

This aint wikipedia.  Google whichever part you don't trust.


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## Peteaud (23 Jul 2013)

cyclewick said:


> I wanted a flat stomach, i was around 12 stone and just under 6 ft,


 

I wish i was that fat


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## Ben M (23 Jul 2013)

Hont said:


> This aint wikipedia.  Google whichever part you don't trust.


 
As far as I see it, the onus is on you to prove your claim, not on me to disprove it.


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## ThinAir (23 Jul 2013)

uclown2002 said:


> It's really quite simple; calories in vs calories out is key to weight loss.
> 
> So eat less and move more!


^^^ +1 to this.
Remember to eat clean though.... 

It's great to watch what is going in your body, but remember, if you limit calories, eat the right food!

Who will lose more? Someone who eats 2000cal of lean meat and veg, or someone who eats 2000cal of ice cream??


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## ThinAir (23 Jul 2013)

Hont said:


> If you are cycling purely to lose weight, then I'd recommend long, steady rides rather than shorter intense ones. You might burn the same calories using the two different methods, but the slower ride will burn more fat compared to sugars so you finish the ride not feeling as hungry/energy depleted, so less likely to stuff your face.




This is good too, but remember that your body learns and adapts, so introducing some intervals into this type of training will benefit you. Get your heart rate up. High. Then take things a little easier to let it drop a little, then push harder again. This will help to burn more fat than steady state cardio. 

No doubt someone will be along to correct me or argue with me or something else, but there's research that backs this up. 

Try doing say half a mile at a high intensity, and then a mile at a nice steady pace. Repeat. Repeat. To etc etc.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (23 Jul 2013)

ThinAir said:


> This is good too, but remember that your body learns and adapts, so introducing some intervals into this type of training will benefit you. Get your heart rate up. High. Then take things a little easier to let it drop a little, then push harder again. This will help to burn more fat than steady state cardio.
> 
> No doubt someone will be along to correct me or argue with me or something else, but there's research that backs this up.
> 
> Try doing say half a mile at a high intensity, and then a mile at a nice steady pace. Repeat. Repeat. To etc etc.


The effects of interval training are well known,versed and documented. I'm not sold on the burns more fat bit though, perhaps more calories overall as a result of increased BMR would be more appropriate.


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## ThinAir (23 Jul 2013)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> The effects of interval training are well known,versed and documented. I'm not sold on the burns more fat bit though, perhaps more calories overall as a result of increased BMR would be more appropriate.



I think that's what I was getting at, but didn't 'put it' very well...

Your body will spend longer recovering as well, so you are burning calories long after you stop riding.

If you are using the gym, then compound exercise are better than isolation ones for the whole calorie/fat burning "thing"....

Have a look at some of the exercise you can do using ViPR. If d them really useful, and they get the heart rate right up there :-)

Check out this... 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1239943/The-ViPR-new-way-work-out.html


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (23 Jul 2013)

GmanUK65 said:


> What do people mean by eating healthier. I am a vegetarian, though I do eat a bit too many chips (oven at home, fried elsewhere). What other non-meat products should I cut down on?


 
Not all vegetarian lifestyles are healthy ones. Most veggies fall into the trap of substituting meat/fish with dairy products which are high in fat and calories. Add in butter, milk, yoghurt and the likes with cheese for flavour and suddenly you don't have a very healthy vegetarian lifestyle. So, ironically I would be less concerned about the chips, than I would be about your dairy intake. Cut that back (and I don't mean the low fat horrrible tasting stuff, just eat less of the nice stuff) and you will find your calorie intake drop dramatically. Watch out on eating too much fruit, it is not a great thing to snack on from any point of view (sugar, acid, tooth decay, calories to name a few.) and don't snack attack on nuts either, unless out cycling in which case they are great. Raw veg is a much better snack. Keep a diary of what you eat and when for an entire week: then look at it in detail to the ingredients and work out exactly how many meals you eat that contain dairy - I would expect you to come back around 100% once you start looking at ingredients in things like margarine (buttermilk). I'm not saying stop all dairy, just seriously analyse how much dairy is actually in your diet - that is where a considerable amount of your calories are probably coming from.

Oh I became a vegetarian 28-29 years ago, developed an intolerance to cow's dairy products back 15 years ago and now am allergic to all dairy for the last 4-5 years. Actually getting dairy out of your diet is a mine field in this country. It turns up everywhere including in bread, margarine and of all places soya style cheeses (as caesin to aid melting).


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## ThinAir (23 Jul 2013)

^^^^ nice post


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## GmanUK65 (24 Jul 2013)

Yes I agree, when I think about it dairy products are a big factor in my diet. Especially cheese. I eat yoghurts also though they are low fat. I will check on their fat content. I work in a supermarket so this can easily be checked. What about skimmed milk, is that, OK.


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## vickster (24 Jul 2013)

Skimmed milk is pretty much fat free


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## GmanUK65 (24 Jul 2013)

I think I will be using skimmed milk from now on. I was dubious in drinking it in the past as it looks like white water but now Ive tried it, it tastes fine


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## ThinAir (24 Jul 2013)

GmanUK65 said:


> Yes I agree, when I think about it dairy products are a big factor in my diet. Especially cheese. I eat yoghurts also though they are low fat. I will check on their fat content. I work in a supermarket so this can easily be checked. What about skimmed milk, is that, OK.


Skimmed milk is good. Try and get your hands on some natural Greek yoghurt as well 

If you need to sweeten things, try sweetening them with honey instead of refined sugar.


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## Tcr4x4 (19 Aug 2013)

Ive lost over a stone in around 3 weeks. I'd just tipped 13 stone, and as Im only 5'7, was condsidered overweight by quite a bit.

I simply stopped eating chocolate, stopped drinking beer, coke, fizzy drinks and started eating more balanced healthy meals. I also cut out as much sugar as I could and cut right down on milk.
I started cycling about a week into it, so thats obviously helped too.

Im now 11 stone 10lbs, and hoping to get down to about 11st 5 at least.

I still have the odd takeaway and a glass of beer every now and then, but the key is moderation. Also as people have said, take the time to note down what you eat, so you can actually see it. Its far to easy to snack throughout the day with out reaslising just how much you are eating.
List every single thing you eat and drink, honestly and then change whatever needs changing.


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## GmanUK65 (19 Aug 2013)

I am doing most of the things you are doing. A week ago I was 14 stone 9 pounds, I replaced chips in my meals with salad, cut out most of my sugar by using sugar alternatives such as Canderel in my coffee. In one week I have lost 4 pounds. My target is to get down to 12 stone. I'm sure cycling has helped too.


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## ianrauk (19 Aug 2013)

Tcr4x4 said:


> Ive lost over a stone in around 3 weeks. I'd just tipped 13 stone, and as Im only 5'7, was condsidered overweight by quite a bit.
> 
> I simply stopped eating chocolate, stopped drinking beer, coke, fizzy drinks and started eating more balanced healthy meals. I also cut out as much sugar as I could and cut right down on milk.
> I started cycling about a week into it, so thats obviously helped too.
> ...


 


That's great going. Well done. A new life beckons.


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## bozmandb9 (19 Aug 2013)

Sorry but some of the posts above contain completely erroneous information. In particular:

_"It's really quite simple; calories in vs calories out is key to weight loss._

_So eat less and move more!" 

_This is just wrong. If you eat crap, even with a calorie deficit, you'll still acquire fat, especially if you're stressed, but at the same time your metabolism will slow, and you'll lose muscle mass, and possibly leach calcium from your bones, and exhibit other symptoms of malnutrition. The only way to lose weight, is to eat properly, give your body the nourishment it needs, and stop causing it to store fat. It stores fat for two reasons, one because you starve it, putting it into fat storage mode, as a survial instinct, and secondly, to store toxins from the crap you eat.

Also this is wrong:

"cut your intake of sat fats"

Sat fats are not necessarily bad for you. I can't quote the research, but I can point you towards the book which does. Sat fats don't cause weight gain, or heart disease.

Weight gain is caused by an excess of refined sugar and carbohydrates. There is plenty of evidence if you want it, but common sense will also confirm this if you think about it.

50 years ago there was no obesity epidemic, and people ate massively more saturated fats, and much less refined carbohydrates, and a fraction of the sugar now consumed. The food industry blamed fat when the obesity epidemic began, because it was convenient. It enabled them to create a new market to get us to buy even more packaged and processed food 'low fat and diet versions' which are entirely counter productive. Ever seen anybody lose weight eating that crap?

Counting calories doesn't work. 

Calories deficit doesn't work and is dangerous for your physiological and mental health.

Short term diets don't work.

Long term diet change, eating a balanced natural diet, and taking plenty of exercise does work, and worked for thousands of years before we invented all the processed junk and complex 'solutions' above.

And before anybody says 'It's not that simple because we all live sedentary lives nowadays', well sorry but it is, and weight gain/ loss is at least 90% down to what you ingest, and 10% down to what you do. The facts speak for themselves, we ingest 20 x more sugar than we used to, and masses more refined carbs, and we have an obesity epidemic, at the same time we eat less animal fat than ever before, so you do the math!


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (19 Aug 2013)




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## Sittingduck (19 Aug 2013)

What a load of old cobblers^^


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (19 Aug 2013)

Sittingduck said:


> What a load of old cobblers^^


The 6stone I lost through some basic calorie counting and calorie deficit must have been a dream I guess.

Oh no... It actually happened


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## Ghost Donkey (19 Aug 2013)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


>


 
Superb 



Sittingduck said:


> What a load of old cobblers^^


 

What a load of old cobblers^^ 



Bozmadb9 has hit a few good points and I'll throw my support behind this post with one caveat and then clear off from this thread as an argument on the points raised here will run and run forever. My caveat is that I wouldn't say counting calories doesn't work. Calories in/out has been around a good while and has stuck because it works as a good guideline and gets results. It isn't necessary to loose weight or the easiest way to loose weight depending on your eating habits. Four stone lost and kept off and not a single calorie counted in my case. It isn't the exact science people can think it is as your body does not treat all calories the same. Definitely more than one way to skin a cat. There are books, scientific journals, blogs, web articles and all sorts of writings covering this. I won't begin to pretend to understand it fully enough to argue it and don't wish to have an argument, just sympathise with where Bozmadb9 is coming from. The men who made us thin (two episodes broadcast so far, available on iPlayer) covers a lot of this in a basic outline but has no where near the detail to be a good reference to win an argument.

Lots of good reading to be had on the fat and cholesterol out there. So so many books. Dr Malcolm Kendrick's The Great Cholesterol Con is a good one to start with. Read the stuff which says fat will kill you, the stuff which says carbs will kill you and the stuff that says animal protein will kill you for a good information balance. Alternatively you could not bother and get a life then you won't be a boring f*ck*r like me .

Cheerio


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## bozmandb9 (19 Aug 2013)

Sittingduck said:


> What a load of old cobblers^^


Intelligent comment clearly well researched!


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## Sittingduck (19 Aug 2013)

To say that keeping track of calorie intake and deficit does not work is untrue. Maybe it didn't work for you but it certainly works for many people.


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## bozmandb9 (19 Aug 2013)

Sittingduck said:


> To say that keeping track of calorie intake and deficit does not work is untrue. Maybe it didn't work for you but it certainly works for many people.


It's not a bad thing to keep track of exactly what you're eating, but in general, trying to lose weight by creating a calorie deficit is a bad idea. If it's worked for you, it's more likely due to just being conscious of what you eat, and eating more healthily.

I'm afraid it's just fact, that the body acts very intelligently, and when you create a calorie deficit, it slows your metabolism.

To be clear, I'm not saying you can't lose weight by creating a calorie deficit, I'm just saying you can't lose weight healthily, by doing so. By giving your body less nutrition than it needs, you simply make it perform under par, it would be lovely it the body would just keep working at exactly the same rate, and use stored fat to make up the deficit, but it does not. Furthermore, if you don't eat enough you can create deficiencies in certain nutrients, which can have serious health effects.

As I said, to lose weight healthily, for the long term, you just need to eat a healthy balanced diet, along with plenty of exercise. The only problem is most people have no idea what a healthy balanced diet is. But it's easy, if you just focus on foods which have been available for at least a few hundred years.

Edited to add: it really isn't about the quantity, it's about quality. That's my big gripe about the whole calorie deficit theory, that it ignores quality of calories. Get the majority from refined carbohydrates, and it will be massively unhealthy, and that's what so many people do!


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## Mickthemove (1 Sep 2013)

Funnily enough, I have not been specifically counting calories as such, but tried to eat much less fat etc, I have lost two and a bit stone in twelve weeks from 18st 13.
In the last two weeks, I have decided to cut out refined sugar from my diet , I used to have roughly 20 decent sized teaspoons of the stuff every day! ( kilo a week) lol
Now I have no doubt in the long term this will deffo have a very good effect, in the meantime my metabolism has virtually gone! No matter what roughage I throw in, nearly nothing happens, ummm
It's not affecting my cycling though as my mileage is improving and hills are getting a bit easier (80 miles) on sat morning


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