How to cycle for weight loss - Page 11 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

06-06-2004, 05:03 PM

Well gaining muscle weight is a good thing... the more muscles you have
higher you BMR is and easier it is to loose fat weight.

"psycholist" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:c9tpin$4ru3$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
>
> "Gooserider" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> news:2Vswc.46566$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].c om...
> >
> > "psycholist" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> > news:c9t7vt$4k91$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> > >
> > >> Daniel,
> > >
> > > I see lots of folks who take up cycling for weight loss and never lose
> > > weight. Frankly, it's not exactly the best choice for weight loss
> because
> > > it's a non-weight-bearing activity and most folks who have real jobs
> can't
> > > do enough of it, or won't work hard enough at it, to get much benefit.
> >
> > I agree that most people can't devote racer-like hours to training, and
> that
> > many people do not possess the intensity to burn lots of calories
cycling.
> > However, weight-bearing has little effect, I think. The reason people
> don't
> > lose weight when they cycle is because they are consuming more calories
> than
> > they burn. Didn't we have a 100+ thread about this very subject not long
> > ago?
> >
> >
> > > What I've read and what I believe based on years of observing various
> > > riders, reading tons of stuff, etc. is that you absolutely will not
lose
> > > weight if you don't ride with some intensity ... at least a couple of
> > times
> > > a week. There was a long time when the popular theory was that, if
you
> > > spent all your time training in a certain, relatively easy, heart rate
> > zone,
> > > you were using fat as your fuel source instead of sugar. Therefore,
> > staying
> > > in that range all the time would make you lose fat. Great theory, but
I
> > > never EVER saw that work for anyone.
> >
> > Because they ate too much. It's easy to do---Powerbars, Gatorade,
pre-ride
> > pasta gorge, post-ride beers and pizza. If they ate at maintenance level
> > calories and rode like you say, they will lose weight.
> >
> > > If you want to lose weight on the bike, you have to work HARD on the
> bike.
> > > Lots of mile, lots of intervals of intensity, etc.
> >
> > Long slow distance seems to be the rule. Of course, some Poliquin-type
> > interval training helps, too. But calories are the key. As bodybuilders
> say,
> > "great abs are made in the kitchen".
> >
> > > I don't have a "real" job. I'm self-employed and have a farm. I have
a
> > > flexible schedule and can ride alot. I get in 250 to 300 miles per
week
> > > pretty much all year round. I don't race, but I do centuries with the
> > racer
> > > folks and turn in sub-5 hour rides regularly. That's intensity for
this
> > 48
> > > year old body. I say all that to say this ... even with all those
miles
> > and
> > > near-race intensity, if I don't eat right, I gain weight. Carbs like
> > pasta
> > > can be great fuel before a big ride, but most of the time, if you want
> to
> > > lose, you've gotta discipline your diet. I recommend you look at the
> Zone
> > > diet and learn its principles. It's not really one of the fad diets.
> I'm
> > > not a dietician, but the Zone principles seem to make sense ...
> balancing
> > > your fat, protein and carbohydrate intake to keep your blood sugar at
> > > optimum levels. It's really worked for me.
> >
> > Good for you. But tricks aside, you cannot escape The Law of
> Thermodynamics.
> > If anyone consumes fewer calories than burned, weight loss will occur.
The
> > key is burning fat and not excessive amounts of muscle.
> >
> > > One last thing. Crosstraining. Bicycling is great, but I find it
> really
> > > helps to add a second activity when I want to lose weight. For me,
it's
> > > just walking. As I said, I live on a farm and I simply walk the
> property
> > > each morning. It takes about 20 minutes and gets the motor going.
For
> > some
> > > reason, the addition of a second activity like this really pushes
things
> > > into higher gear for me and I lose weight quickly.
> >
> > Weight lifting would be ideal. Growing muscle helps to burn fat.
Everybody
> > should strength train, if for no other reason than to maintain bone
> density.
> > I don't want to end up a stick-armed old man with great cardio ability.
I
> > want to end up a strong old man with great cardio ability! :-)
> >
>
> I do core strength work. I believe that's important. Weight training,
per
> se, can actually result in gaining weight. If the goal is strictly weight
> loss, I'd opt for some core strength exercises that don't involve much in
> the way of weights. You can do a lot with crunches, pushups, chair dips,
> etc.
>
> Bob C.
>
>

06-06-2004, 05:09 PM