Getting Fit & Losing Weight

[mallrat666]

Alright peps,


Thought I would join up and get some advise from people who have some insight!
I've started cycling 5-6 times a week (since Dec)
I've got 3 regular routes I take which are all up and down, which are good work outs

1) 8 miles > 30/35min
2) 12 miles > 45/50min
3) 20 miles > 75min

I use a old mountain bike (18 gears)

My question is really - are these times ok? - should I be doing them quicker?

I'm doing this to improve my fitness and help shed some pounds

 

[gb155]

Alright peps,


Thought I would join up and get some advise from people who have some insight!
I've started cycling 5-6 times a week (since Dec)
I've got 3 regular routes I take which are all up and down, which are good work outs

1) 8 miles > 30/35min
2) 12 miles > 45/50min
3) 20 miles > 75min

I use a old mountain bike (18 gears)

My question is really - are these times ok? - should I be doing them quicker?

I'm doing this to improve my fitness and help shed some pounds

How much do you weigh ? How old are you ? how fit (or unfit) are you ?

TBH the times do seem ok, but it depends if the route is flat, is it commuting ? or is it somewhere with no traffic and no traffic lights ?

Cycling is only half the battle too, food is the other half, as you can see from my Sig, I have LOST 25 stone, my blog might be of some use to you ?

Either way, feel free to ask me anything if I can be of further assistance

and Good Luck

Gaz

 

[Banjo]

Alright peps,


Thought I would join up and get some advise from people who have some insight!
I've started cycling 5-6 times a week (since Dec)
I've got 3 regular routes I take which are all up and down, which are good work outs

1) 8 miles > 30/35min
2) 12 miles > 45/50min
3) 20 miles > 75min

I use a old mountain bike (18 gears)

My question is really - are these times ok? - should I be doing them quicker?

I'm doing this to improve my fitness and help shed some pounds

Welcome to the forums.

+1 to gb155 .Gaz is the proven expert on cycling for weight loss.

The times you listed sound quite good to me on a heavy old mtb but why worry about times?
There are so many variables that a simple time /distance is fairly meaningless .

Your not racing just trying to get fitter/lighter, if your breathing heavier on the climbs then getting off the bike with a bit of a sweat on you know you have had a work out, dont worry about the computer stats.

Good Luck

 

[jarushby]

Welcome to the forums.


Your not racing just trying to get fitter/lighter, if your breathing heavier on the climbs then getting off the bike with a bit of a sweat on you know you have had a work out, dont worry about the computer stats.

Good Luck

+1

 

[tyred]

Just a word of warning. If you really increase your mileage, it is very easy to end up eating to compensate. Gentle exercise and a food intake reduction is the probably the best approach to losing weight.

 

[oliglynn]

those times sound good to me - 16mph avg on a mountain bike is pretty good going! I generally average 15.5-18mph on my rides (road bike), and am now commuting to work again to lose some weight and get fit etc.

I don't push it too hard on commuting (7 miles each way, which I aim to do 4 days a week), otherwise I knacker myself out and it just gets harder. I just go at what feels like a reasonable pace and stick with it. Would recommend this tact if you're out 5-6 times a week!

 

[mallrat666]

Great, thanks for the advice

I've just hit 30, I'm 5" 7 and my weight is 85kg (around 89/90kg when I started this) - my plan is to get down to between 73/75 kg as my first goal.

It depends on the day, but I push myself one day then take it easy on the next - is this a good or bad thing?

On the food side of things, I don't know a lot to be honest, I've stopped drinking (alc%), and have cut out snacks all together, my problem is I don't drink water (I have to have cordial - but it is no added sugar stuff)

Any advice on does and don't on the food side would be great
( gb155 - i'll check out your blog, and great work by the way - thanks)

On the rides them self, I feel great doing them and when I've finished, def get a sweat on.

Thanks for all the replys and advice.

 

[Garz]

What typical foods do you eat daily? and don't forget to tell the truth about the snacks!

Sensible portion sizes are in order, try to eat soon after you exercise. Eating thick soups or porridge are great for making you feel fuller for longer. Always drink a glass of water with your meals. There is lots of stuff to go through but to begin with keep it simple and steady.

Crash weight loss is not required as you can fool your body into starvation mode. Aim to drop a couple of pounds a week.

Most of all good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Holdsworth]

When I first started cycling again in the summer, it was purely to get to a job as I had no other way to get there at 7 in the morning. I was chucked in at the deep end and started a 5 mile each way commute on an old MTB that felt like riding a sack of bricks. At first it was only to get to work and back but then I started to lose some weight doing it. I was about 15.5-16 stone at the start and really unfit having not done any exercise in a couple of years, not to mention bad eating habits over time.

When the job finished at the end of the summer and college started again (work was at the college by the way) I continued cycling instead of the getting the college bus in and just kept that up every day I was in (4 days per week) up until December when I left prematurely.

Whilst I was doing the cycling my eating habits remained relatively unchanged from what they were before. I was having smaller portions and trying to avoid over snacking and eating excess fatty/sugary foods. I made sure I had a good breakfast in the morning before I set off to keep my energy levels up, a snack mid morning to replace what was lost on the ride and doing activities in the morning and also something for when I got home to keep myself filled up until dinner.

Try and keep your pace constant whilst riding, knackering yourself at the start or in the middle of a ride isn't a good thing as I have learnt myself over the past few months. I also tend to be like you and start to sweat noticeably at the end of ride when I heat up and need to strip down to avoid a boil in the bag situation

 

[mallrat666]

What typical foods do you eat daily? and don't forget to tell the truth about the snacks!

Morning: Chocolate Shreddies with Skimmed Milk

Lunch: Most day's 2 slices of Bread with a spread (egg n bacon or BBQ chicken)

Dinner: A main meal really, anything from - home made stir fry, spaghetti, smoked haddock, macaroni and cheese, all with 1 or 2 veg

Stayed away from Alc%, take-away, and snacks since Jan 1st

I want to try and eat well, but don't want to just eat steam veg ect… (i like my food) i've been using a calorie checker and am always under 1200 each day, but add my bike rides into that and im burning half or more

so what can i do to help my weight lose in a good healthy way ?

 

[Banjo]

Morning mallratt all sounds pretty good at 1200 cal /day and cycling you will start to lose a bit of weight but as has been said dont try to lose it too fast .If you just average 1 or 2 lbs loss /week thats healthy.

Also dont beat yourself up if you dont lose or even put a pound or 2 back on.If it started creeping up over a few weeks then you would need to check what your doing wrong but one week is nothing.

No mention of any fruit there. A lot of cyclists swear bananas are good cycling fuel maybe you could change the chocolate shreddies for plain cereal with a banana on some days.

Good Luck

 

[Garz]

Also I would swap out the choc shreddies for porridge (I add honey). The sandwich with spreads wont be particularly healthy with all the preservatives etc, so if possible try to pre-make pasta sauce meals at the weekend to take to work instead.

Agree with banjo if you can force in a banana/apple and more veg instead of crips/snacks then it's easier to eat what you like for a main meal. The occasional treat wont hurt and trimming off the unwanted snacks will benefit you over the long term. This is the hardest to change in your diet, avoiding the alcohol and getting on your bike is the easy bit.