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

06-05-2004, 12:29 PM

Hello,

I am wondering if there is an easy way to dose my efforts toward weight
loss. I could buy
a HRM but I have already spent 600$ on my bike this month and would like to
stop spending
for a while.

Any trick that can tell me I am using the right effort for weight loss?
Someone told me that if I cannot
speak without feeling a little out of breath that is the right zone... is
that true?

Also I am been trying to pedal faster. I used to pedal slow and hard but
after reading some books
I now understand it's a really bad way to do it. I have no idea what my
current cadence is since my
computer doesn't have that feature but I think I am at around 1.25 turn per
second... that is of course
an approximate... it would mean 75 turns per minute which is close to what
is recommanded... I cannot
see myself pedaling faster, already feels like I am spinning way too fast

How do you guys do 100 turns
per minute? Must be a mental issue, the legs don't seems to mind but geez
at a 100 I am not sure I could
even keep my balance hehehe!

Last thing... what should I eat before and during training? I love pasta.
I know they contain a lot of calories
but that is the food I like. On the other hand they give lots of carbs so
that can't be bad while training right?
Should I eat something different the days I train?

How about during training? I normal bring a Nutribar which is an meal
replacement designed for weight loss.
I has a balance of carbs, fats and proteins. Should I use something with
more carbs?

06-05-2004, 12:47 PM

"Daniel Crispin" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:rapwc.210963$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] ...
> Hello,
>
> I am wondering if there is an easy way to dose my efforts toward weight
> loss.

<bunch of stuff snipped>

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I hope some of this helps. I'm sure I'm going to get flamed 'cuz I'm not
offering any specific data to back up what I'm saying. This is just based
on personal experience and a decade of observation and "study."

Good luck.
Bob C.

06-05-2004, 12:47 PM

"Daniel Crispin" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:rapwc.210963$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] ...
> Hello,
>
> I am wondering if there is an easy way to dose my efforts toward weight
> loss.

<bunch of stuff snipped>

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I hope some of this helps. I'm sure I'm going to get flamed 'cuz I'm not
offering any specific data to back up what I'm saying. This is just based
on personal experience and a decade of observation and "study."

Good luck.
Bob C.

06-05-2004, 12:47 PM

"Daniel Crispin" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:rapwc.210963$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] ...
> Hello,
>
> I am wondering if there is an easy way to dose my efforts toward weight
> loss.

<bunch of stuff snipped>

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I hope some of this helps. I'm sure I'm going to get flamed 'cuz I'm not
offering any specific data to back up what I'm saying. This is just based
on personal experience and a decade of observation and "study."

Good luck.
Bob C.

06-05-2004, 12:47 PM

"Daniel Crispin" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:rapwc.210963$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] ...
> Hello,
>
> I am wondering if there is an easy way to dose my efforts toward weight
> loss.

<bunch of stuff snipped>

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I hope some of this helps. I'm sure I'm going to get flamed 'cuz I'm not
offering any specific data to back up what I'm saying. This is just based
on personal experience and a decade of observation and "study."

Good luck.
Bob C.

06-05-2004, 12:47 PM

"Daniel Crispin" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:rapwc.210963$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] ...
> Hello,
>
> I am wondering if there is an easy way to dose my efforts toward weight
> loss.

<bunch of stuff snipped>

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I hope some of this helps. I'm sure I'm going to get flamed 'cuz I'm not
offering any specific data to back up what I'm saying. This is just based
on personal experience and a decade of observation and "study."

Good luck.
Bob C.

06-05-2004, 01:30 PM

Daniel Crispin <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> I am wondering if there is an easy way to dose my efforts toward
> weight loss. I could buy a HRM but I have already spent 600$ on my
> bike this month and would like to stop spending for a while.

How about free? And probably less biased than most, because it's not
selling anything:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

> Any trick that can tell me I am using the right effort for weight
> loss? Someone told me that if I cannot speak without feeling a little
> out of breath that is the right zone... is that true?

Not necessarily. Ride. Recover. Ride more.

> Also I am been trying to pedal faster. I used to pedal slow and hard
> but after reading some books I now understand it's a really bad way to
> do it.

As long as the pressure on your knees is low, I don't think it really
matters how fast you spin.

> Last thing... what should I eat before and during training? I love
> pasta. I know they contain a lot of calories but that is the food I
> like. On the other hand they give lots of carbs so that can't be bad
> while training right? Should I eat something different the days I
> train?

Read the book above. If you want to lose fat, you need to eat fewer
calories than you burn. In that book, cycling is rated at about 300
calories per hour. The good news is that is probably for what most
people think of as cycling--slow, easy rides on a bike path. Most of
the readers of this newsgroup will burn more.

> How about during training? I normal bring a Nutribar which is an meal
> replacement designed for weight loss.
> I has a balance of carbs, fats and proteins. Should I use something with
> more carbs?

How about something less manufactured and more grown? Bananas are good.
So are apples. So are fig bars, for that matter. (I have mixed
feelings about the current low-carb fad.)

--
Warren Block * Rapid City, South Dakota * USA

06-05-2004, 01:30 PM

Daniel Crispin <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> I am wondering if there is an easy way to dose my efforts toward
> weight loss. I could buy a HRM but I have already spent 600$ on my
> bike this month and would like to stop spending for a while.

How about free? And probably less biased than most, because it's not
selling anything:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

> Any trick that can tell me I am using the right effort for weight
> loss? Someone told me that if I cannot speak without feeling a little
> out of breath that is the right zone... is that true?

Not necessarily. Ride. Recover. Ride more.

> Also I am been trying to pedal faster. I used to pedal slow and hard
> but after reading some books I now understand it's a really bad way to
> do it.

As long as the pressure on your knees is low, I don't think it really
matters how fast you spin.

> Last thing... what should I eat before and during training? I love
> pasta. I know they contain a lot of calories but that is the food I
> like. On the other hand they give lots of carbs so that can't be bad
> while training right? Should I eat something different the days I
> train?

Read the book above. If you want to lose fat, you need to eat fewer
calories than you burn. In that book, cycling is rated at about 300
calories per hour. The good news is that is probably for what most
people think of as cycling--slow, easy rides on a bike path. Most of
the readers of this newsgroup will burn more.

> How about during training? I normal bring a Nutribar which is an meal
> replacement designed for weight loss.
> I has a balance of carbs, fats and proteins. Should I use something with
> more carbs?

How about something less manufactured and more grown? Bananas are good.
So are apples. So are fig bars, for that matter. (I have mixed
feelings about the current low-carb fad.)

--
Warren Block * Rapid City, South Dakota * USA

06-05-2004, 01:30 PM

Daniel Crispin <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> I am wondering if there is an easy way to dose my efforts toward
> weight loss. I could buy a HRM but I have already spent 600$ on my
> bike this month and would like to stop spending for a while.

How about free? And probably less biased than most, because it's not
selling anything:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

> Any trick that can tell me I am using the right effort for weight
> loss? Someone told me that if I cannot speak without feeling a little
> out of breath that is the right zone... is that true?

Not necessarily. Ride. Recover. Ride more.

> Also I am been trying to pedal faster. I used to pedal slow and hard
> but after reading some books I now understand it's a really bad way to
> do it.

As long as the pressure on your knees is low, I don't think it really
matters how fast you spin.

> Last thing... what should I eat before and during training? I love
> pasta. I know they contain a lot of calories but that is the food I
> like. On the other hand they give lots of carbs so that can't be bad
> while training right? Should I eat something different the days I
> train?

Read the book above. If you want to lose fat, you need to eat fewer
calories than you burn. In that book, cycling is rated at about 300
calories per hour. The good news is that is probably for what most
people think of as cycling--slow, easy rides on a bike path. Most of
the readers of this newsgroup will burn more.

> How about during training? I normal bring a Nutribar which is an meal
> replacement designed for weight loss.
> I has a balance of carbs, fats and proteins. Should I use something with
> more carbs?

How about something less manufactured and more grown? Bananas are good.
So are apples. So are fig bars, for that matter. (I have mixed
feelings about the current low-carb fad.)

--
Warren Block * Rapid City, South Dakota * USA

06-05-2004, 01:30 PM

Daniel Crispin <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> I am wondering if there is an easy way to dose my efforts toward
> weight loss. I could buy a HRM but I have already spent 600$ on my
> bike this month and would like to stop spending for a while.

How about free? And probably less biased than most, because it's not
selling anything:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

> Any trick that can tell me I am using the right effort for weight
> loss? Someone told me that if I cannot speak without feeling a little
> out of breath that is the right zone... is that true?

Not necessarily. Ride. Recover. Ride more.

> Also I am been trying to pedal faster. I used to pedal slow and hard
> but after reading some books I now understand it's a really bad way to
> do it.

As long as the pressure on your knees is low, I don't think it really
matters how fast you spin.

> Last thing... what should I eat before and during training? I love
> pasta. I know they contain a lot of calories but that is the food I
> like. On the other hand they give lots of carbs so that can't be bad
> while training right? Should I eat something different the days I
> train?

Read the book above. If you want to lose fat, you need to eat fewer
calories than you burn. In that book, cycling is rated at about 300
calories per hour. The good news is that is probably for what most
people think of as cycling--slow, easy rides on a bike path. Most of
the readers of this newsgroup will burn more.

> How about during training? I normal bring a Nutribar which is an meal
> replacement designed for weight loss.
> I has a balance of carbs, fats and proteins. Should I use something with
> more carbs?

How about something less manufactured and more grown? Bananas are good.
So are apples. So are fig bars, for that matter. (I have mixed
feelings about the current low-carb fad.)

--
Warren Block * Rapid City, South Dakota * USA