# To those who have lost 30lbs or more…



## jlandry (Jan 12, 2007)

What excersise program did you do?

I want to lose 30-40lbs over the winter. I know all there is to know about the nutrition part, so I’m asking about the excersise part of the equation.
I won’t be on the trainer for another 2 months, so I’m looking for a regime in the meantime.
I’m currently in week 3 of “Insanity” and it doesn’t feel right. It’s a very difficult program to do when you’re overweight and the worst part is, I dread it all day long. So, to end this long story, what excercise program did you do?

Let me get the HTFU part out of the way for you. : )


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## JackDaniels (Oct 4, 2011)

I don't know what the insanity workout is, but my feeling is that you should be doing a lot of -very- low intensity cardio and running a large calorie deficit if you want to lose that kind of weight.


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## jlandry (Jan 12, 2007)

JackDaniels said:


> I don't know what the insanity workout is, but my feeling is that you should be doing a lot of -very- low intensity cardio and running a large calorie deficit if you want to lose that kind of weight.


Yeah. I'm thinking walking. Insanity is killing my 41 y/old knees.


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## Doc_D (Mar 16, 2006)

jlandry said:


> Yeah. I'm thinking walking. Insanity is killing my 41 y/old knees.


Your diet has to be spot on. Exercise without diet will get you no results. When I lost my weight I was at 1200 Kcals or less per day.

Your max heart rate should be around 179 BPM. I'd look for cardio exercises you can do that will keep you in the 130 - 140 BPM range for long periods of time. If you can do 2 hours per day even if they are in two sessions you'll see results.

I doubt walking will get you to that heart rate. It's easy to do on a bike or trainer though.


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## jswilson64 (May 20, 2008)

My wife and I started this together, almost 4 years ago now. Between the two of us we lost over 90 lbs. in about 18 months. I have put back about 10 since my lowest weight, but I'm working at it again to get down to my target weight by my 50th birthday in 2014. We're both relatively active, so for us it was more about nutrition and less about doing anything totally different exercise-wise. We started with Bob Greene's "The Best Life" book and website and keeping track of every calorie that went into our mouths. I'm talking weighing everything I packed in my lunch, figuring up calories per portion of meals we cooked, etc. After about 4-6 weeks of that we had several recipes that we liked and worked for us so we could stop being so anal about keeping track.

For me, along with that, I just walked more, and kept riding the way I had been riding. I have a 1.5 mile loop around my neighborhood, and I would do that every day in addition to whatever riding I did. Walked the dogs, too, and got one of our chunky dogs back to a healthy weight. After I got some lbs off, I started running too, in addition to riding. 

I would say if you feel like your workout program isn't right for you at your weight, it's probably not. I don't know what your weight is, but I know if you start with something that hurts too much, or is too hard, you won't stay with it. If you're taking in fewer calories, just concentrate on moving more - walking, riding, etc. After you get 10-20 lbs off, it becomes A LOT easier to move, and that same workout will be easier just because you're moving less of you around. Pick up a couple of gallons of milk and go about your business, then put them down. That's what it feels like to drop 16 lbs.

I realize you asked mostly about exercise, but for me the nutrition side has been more important. I'm still more than 40 lbs lighter than I was at my heaviest, and it has been mostly due to not putting as much food in. And getting used to going to bed hungry - for me that was (and is) the hardest part, not working out. And losing that much weight "over the winter" may be a bit of a lofty goal. You're much more likely to keep it off long-term if you concentrate on life-long changes in your nutrition, and a slower loss of weight.


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## mmoose (Apr 2, 2004)

I dropped from 225 to 165 (6') while adding some leg muscle. Ignoring the diet changes and focusing on the activity, I found that consistency and longer lighter workouts worked for me.
I did not focus on dropping during the winter months. I did lose some, but not much compared to the summer months. For winter, it was all about staying mentally fresh and maintaining consistency. Longer lighter works outs in the gym were my goal, but you get bored of it easy. I just focused on base (light aerobic work, 60-90 min x3/week, Saturday 2-3 hours). 
Maybe the best motivation was signing up for a week long ride in Colorado. Kept my mind on a goal. (And, also helped with the eating side of things..."this cookie isn't gonna help me get up Loveland Pass in 4 months..."

Also, after work out, I tried to stay active somehow. Shoveling snow was much better than sitting on the couch watching TV.

Once summer comes around, I'll be able to start with 3-4 hour rides (no food) and be in fat burning zone the whole time. I beleive that hours 4-5 are where I really lost weight quickly. (And, slow morning runs before breakfast helped also). 

(This peanut butter cup in my hand ain't gonna help me get up Cottonwood pass this summer....I'm a work in progress)


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## scottzj (Oct 4, 2010)

I have dropped around 125 lbs in the past few years down to 185-190 at 6'3. I plan on dropping another 20 before spring. My main thing was stay active (i.e. walking during lunches, running or cycling everyday or every other day, drop watching TV). The second was diet, I wasnt eating much at all, I didnt care for sweets much but just not much food during the day. I actually started eating tons more, having a good breakfast, snack on fruit before lunch, good lunch, snack on veggies before dinner and have a average dinner, oh and most important, DRINK TONS OF WATER! I never changed anything, I knew I couldnt maintain. Too many times people do things to loose weight fast, but there is no way they could keep it going and eventually it comes back (like a cabbage diet lol). Good luck on your quest and stay strong!


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## Fireform (Dec 15, 2005)

*To those who have lost 30lbs or more…*

Why can't you get on the trainer for 2 months? That would make it so much easier.


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## jlandry (Jan 12, 2007)

Fireform said:


> Why can't you get on the trainer for 2 months? That would make it so much easier.


I try to get on the trainer no earlier than February. Otherwise by the time the snow's gone, (I'm in Canada) I can hardly stomach even going for a real ride outside.


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## bikerjohn64 (Feb 9, 2012)

*To those who have lost 30lbs or more…*

There's a lot of inspiration here; and different methods which work for different bodies. 
My story is that at my heaviest point I weighed 240lbs around eight years ago. 
I biked; skied and played hockey with all that weight. To boot, I have no PCL in my knee and was in pain from wearing meniscus in that knee. 
Then I heard of a friend who lost weight using the "Zone" diet. It really isn't much a diet bit a change in eating habits and what happens when you eat certain foods out there. The important thing in reading that for me is that it made total sense and I got it. 
In reading that and changing my lifestyle, I lost 20lbs in around 6 months without any change in my exercise program. 
From there I tried several other programs (weight watchers-works but limited...lost another 10lbs) ; Bernstien (very limited caloric intake and dropped 15lbs very quickly under "supervised" sessions eating real foods). 
All of the above methods can work but for me it was an educational experience which brought me down to 180lbs but eventually crept up to 187. 
I am now currently signed up with a personal trainer who has set me up with a realistic dietary plan with weight training 3 times a week. The idea with this training is to build up lean body mass to increase metabolic rate to use fat as a source of fuel. 
I have had 13 workouts 1hr long and have dropped 10lbs of fat mass to my current weight of 176lbs. 
I can't tell you how amazing my knee actually feels and lifting things around the house is so easy now too. 
I can highly recommend that a personal trainer has been the best bang for the buck in achieving your goal. Find one that is a good fit for your needs by asking around. 
We live in a time when there is more and more PT around now. Good luck!


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## Fireform (Dec 15, 2005)

If you're burning enough calories via exercise, losing weight is a matter of limiting empty calorie intake. I did it with myfitnesspal:

View attachment 272292


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## pulser955 (Apr 18, 2009)

I did it 2 ways. First I started doing 4 to 5 hour low intensity rides with no food on the bike. You have to force your body to burn fat not sugar. It really sux for the first few rides. But once you get use to it then its really not bad. The second thing I did was go gluten free. But that was because of problems I was having with my body. But I took 30lb off rather quickly that way.


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## Buzzard (Sep 7, 2004)

Fireform said:


> If you're burning enough calories via exercise, losing weight is a matter of limiting empty calorie intake. I did it with myfitnesspal:
> 
> View attachment 272292


That trend looks quite similar to mine:

View attachment 272293


It's really a simple energy balance. Find the balance that works for you. I found that if I exercised too much, I would get uncomfortably hungry. And if I didn't eat enough calories, I would get light headed and feel like crap. Also key for me was consistency. I realized that one day of stuffing my face would set me back a week. Bottom line, you're going to be hungry. Embrace it.


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## Alaska Mike (Sep 28, 2008)

OK, give us a starting point. 

It was a lot easier for me to go from 240lbs to 210lbs (at around 6' and 35 years old) than 110lbs to 180lbs. That first part was all about getting moving. I didn't worry about diet or do anything out of the ordinary. I ate like crap, got horrible sleep, didn't follow any sort of exercise plan... That first 30-40lbs literally fell off. The other ones came much more slowly.

Now I'm looking at losng the next 10-15lbs. The problem is, I still eat like crap. I eat too much of all of the wrong sorts of things, so my weight has plateaued. If I ride more, I eat more. I'm at the point where I have to make a concerted effort to lose the weight, and I'm finding I don't have the willpower. The tools are readily available, but the weak link in the chain is me. I likes me some bacon. 

I ride the trainer 6 months out of the year, 6 days a week. After the first month, I feel weird when I don't get on the trainer.


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## gte105u (Aug 12, 2012)

I went from almost 290 in June of '11 to 174 this morning. I am 6'-1" tall, so that is a decent weight for me (though I may lose 10 more in the spring for racing weight). What kind of exercise program depends on a lot, but none of it is rocket science. To start things off, at 290 lbs, it was just moving. I started riding to work regularly. I did Wii Fit in the mornings just to get moving. Just getting my heart rate up was new. Having a more active overall lifestyle helped. Then that became easy, so I stepped up to EA Active 2 for Wii. It is a bit more intense, gave longer and more entailed workouts. When I felt like that had become stale, I started looking into different programs using resistance bands, plyometrics, and indoor cardio. Then I got an elliptical machine and a set of adjustable dumbbells. At that point it was spring of this year, and I moved my workouts outside as I was not embarassed by myself anymore. Started riding more, got a hybrid bike and started doing longer rides as a workout. Found out about Minimalist running shoes and took up running. Found I enjoyed that, started doing more and more running and biking, less elliptical and weights. Got an itch to do a triathlon, started swimming. Got hooked, started doing that a lot on top of swimming and biking. Started getting serious on running, did a half marathon and finished top 10 in a 5k recently. 

The point that I am getting at is that your exercise program should be customized for you, and dynamic to fit your health, fitness, and desires. You should not dread working out, you need to figure out ways to exercise which you enjoy. Walking is a great lifestyle activity. For people very out of shape, it can even be their exercise. But if you are reasonably healthy walking alone is not going to get the calorie burn you need to do any serious help (unless you are one of those hard-core power walkers). Whatever you do needs to build muscle and get your heart rate up. Walking doesn't do that very often. Good luck.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

I think a hair over 130lbs was my highest and I dropped to 120 after training to race. I'd typically get to 126lbs every year and back to 120 prior to race season. To be honest, this was the first year I decided to stay close to race weight and not lose weight during the winter trainer months. 

Anyway, I seemed most successful with a slow and steady plan. It requires some discipline, but isn't really painful. I fine tuned my diet to allow me to gain strength where cutting too much would make the workouts and recovery suck.


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

I dropped 100 - 110 pounds over the course of 1.5 years and have been able to keep it off since then (started January 1 of 2007).

For me, I started on my trainer during the winter months. I would do 45 minutes a day 5 days a week for the first month. Then I bumped that to an hour a day, 5 days a week. Then I went to 6 days a week ... and shortly thereafter was able to ride outside.

I can understand your frustration with a trainer, but from a cycling perspective ... if you live in an area where you can't ride outside every day, they are essential for getting back fitness, gaining fitness, maintaining fitness, etc.

I'm currently doing 8.5 - 9 hours a week on mine on top of the 7 - 8 hours of outside riding I get on the weekends.

The reality ... if you want to be fit for cycling in the spring ... suck it up! Put a TV and a fan in front of you and use the trainer. Walking/Running is great for losing weight in general, but doesn't do a whole lot for cycling fitness.

An hour a day on the trainer isn't very hard to do, it's more mental than anything and usually after 1 - 2 weeks of it, it starts to normalize and it's not to big of a deal. You just have to give it time and not treat it like the East German training camp of days gone by.

I actually find all the winter trainer time helps me in the summer because I appreciate being able to ride outside that much more and end up doing a lot more of it ... because I remember all the trainer time I did in the winter!


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## bikerjohn64 (Feb 9, 2012)

The "myfitnesspal" app is a great app ! You can search a vast library of food values and store repeat meals you have on a regular basis. It will also compensate for any calories used in workouts. You can even scan barcodes on packaged meals(which just sounds so wrong....)to find out the nutritional values on days when you need a little treat.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Wookiebiker said:


> I can understand your frustration with a trainer, but from a cycling perspective ... if you live in an area where you can't ride outside every day, they are essential for getting back fitness, gaining fitness, maintaining fitness, etc.


I don't think there's anyone who would prefer an indoor workout to nice roads and reasonable weather. With my job hours, additional work training this summer, and a newborn, I'm at an all time high with indoor training hours this year. I still did really well in the time trials, so something must have been working.


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## Srode (Aug 19, 2012)

I lost 40 lbs and it took about 9 months. Started out with 30 minutes on the ellipitcal machine in our exercise room every other day, made some progress but not much. Started watching what I ate more, lost some more. I did the elliptical 45 minutes 5 days a week, then made some more progress but hit a wall. Upped the time to 60 minutes for a couple weeks, nothing - maintained but made no progress. Made another change in diet - including portion control, no seconds - walk away from the table a little hungry, never full and then I hit my target weight. 

My lesson learned like others have said, diet is key, exercise helps but it won't do the trick by itself. You must cut calories so you are burning more than taking in. I also found I lost more on the weekends than during the week - I kept busier on the weekends than during the week at my desk at work. If you stay in motion all the time it can be as much if not more help than a hard workout.


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## jlandry (Jan 12, 2007)

Thanks for all the help so far.

Here's my info:
Age:41
Height:5'7"
Weight:192lbs. (Should be 150-160)

I usually ride my trainer in winter and do Road and MTB group/solo rides during cycling season. I'm still pretty good on the bike but, by losing the spare tire I could really fly. I used to eat anything I wanted but as I got older, metabolism slowed down. I'm also a junk-food addict. I don't do drugs but I use food the same as any junkie.

Anyhow, I'm learning a lot on this forum and thread that will be very helpful. Looks like I'll be getting on the trainer sooner than I thought.


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## ManxShred (Mar 6, 2009)

I lost most of my weight while I wasn't doing any structured exercise. I was walking more (walk to work and around town) but nothing else.
I ate better.


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## kmunny19 (Aug 13, 2008)

agree on the trainer use necessary evil concept. that aside, resistace/weight training can produce weight loss very effectively. tons of different ways to do it, and there are lots of ways to just use your own body, without machines or weights. look at livestrong, mens health, all sorts of other sources.


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## Doc_D (Mar 16, 2006)

jlandry said:


> Thanks for all the help so far.
> 
> Here's my info:
> Age:41
> ...


Depending on your frame size your ideal weight may be higher or lower than 150 - 160. I'm also 41 and 5'7.5" tall. I have lanky appendages and a short torso. I'm have a pretty slender frame. At 10% body fat I would be about 128 pounds. I know heavy framed people my height that would be 160 pounds with 10% body fat but they are very muscular and heavy framed.

My highest weight was probably 200 pounds. Because of my frame, I was REALLY fat and unhealthy at that weight.

I lost all the weight about 6 years ago. For cycling season I try to get down to 130 pounds (near 10% body fat). In the off season I go up 10 - 15 pounds.


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## Geedee (Jul 9, 2012)

In the summer I was 250+..at 5'10 ,52yrs things had to change.. Got back on the bike and reduce my intake. I eat what I want, just work harder on sweet days. Today I'm down to 220 with a goal of 175-185 by summer.. I ride out side as much as I can and on the trainer on days I work late or bad weather.


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## jlandry (Jan 12, 2007)

You're right about the frame size. Unfortunately my build is more of a Football player than Cyclist. I'm stalky with wide shoulders, but the fat is definitely there.

At 28, when I was fitted for my wedding tux, I was down to 150lbs. The tailor had to give a collegue my measurements on the phone and the guy on the other end thought there were mistakes in the measurements because my weight/shoulder width ratio didn't add up. : )


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## UniGeezer (Feb 27, 2011)

For me, nothing ever got me in shape faster and shed extra pounds more quickly than unicycling! Since there are no gears to help you climb, can never coast, and you are constantly making corrections for balance, it is a super core builder as well. And when you add technical trail riding it really burns up fat! 

A lot of my two-wheeled buddies took up riding unis to basically augment their regular riding schedule, and it helped them to shed considerably more weight than biking alone.

Btw, I started riding 7 years ago at age 50, and have lost (and kept off) 35 pounds, and I'm in the best shape of my life. :thumbsup:


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## Kristatos (Jan 10, 2008)

Another vote for myfitnesspal - it helped me get a handle on how to run a caloric deficit. The app counts all the calories for you - so you can just enter a meal/food you had for instance. Likewise you can enter in a workout by type and it will figure the calories for you, or if you have an HRM or some calorie measuring device you can enter the number yourself. 

As far as workout routines if you're in Canada can you cross country ski? The more you can burn the easier it will be to run calorie deficits even on the weeks where you slip up on the weekend a little and get carried away with the beers. It's easy to wipe out a whole week of being good with one day in front of the TV with the brews, chips and dip at hand! If I lived in the snow I'd get a x-country setup and ski my tail off all winter.


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## jlandry (Jan 12, 2007)

Realizing that I won't lose all the weight this winter, here's my plan so far:
Nutrition will be guided by Weight Watchers calculator. That's a calorie tracker with a deficit included. WW worked for me when I was younger, so I know it can help.
I'll try very hard to eat clean.
Will also follow the 16 Hour fast method, which to me is, don't eat between 6:00pm and 9:00am. (15 H)

I'm setting up the trainer in my Paincave and my workouts will include at least 1 hour or more of 130-140bpm on my HRM. I'll do 2h rides on the weekend. Will workout at least 5 days/week. I've also ordered some thermal booties/bib tights for the occasional outside ride when weather permits, just to stay sane. I'll add 15min/day of core work.

To add some incentive, I just purchased a Cannondale Scalpel at 21lbs. You can't be a fat guy on a weight-weenie bike. ; )


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## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

I used the Lose It app. 

Started with a lot of cardio and mixed in circuit training. 

If your gym has an Arc Trainer try that. 

While you did not ask about nutrition, I am a big fan of a south beach style diet.


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## frankdatank1337 (Jul 25, 2010)

I lost 50 lbs 2 years ago (210 to 160). 
I started by eating healthier and watching my calories. 

Also, making yourself have a more active lifestyle helps too. Park your car further, take the stairs, pick up hobbies like hiking etc.

As for exercise I did a ton of cardio. I mainly did jumping jax, jump rope, and running. I did intervals; 10min run, jump rope, 10min run, jumping jax, repeat until an hour has passed. 
I like those best because they are cheap and easy to do. Although, you have to be careful with your knees (start slow/listen to your body). 

Good Luck.


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## dkilburn (Aug 1, 2009)

Good Morning
If you can, if you want to get to example 150lbs, try about 1500 calories of intake. Do it in steps.
If you are at 200 and go to 170, take in about 1700 calories.
To get to your goal, will take a few months, slow is better to keep it off for the long term. Keep moving, if you watch tv, ride the trainer a little at the tv.
Cut the volume down, eat a healthy snack in between each meal. 
Cut the portion size down, an 8 oz chicken breast to 6 oz size. 
During the winter I ride two to 3 times a week, a hard work out for about 50 to 75 minutes. It hepls to keep your base. Find a few cycle work videos.

If you have snow, try a pair of snow shoes if you don't skie.

I lost about 35 lbs over 6 months. It is still off, for 3 1/2 years later.
You can do it.
.


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## RJP Diver (Jul 2, 2010)

jlandry said:


> What excersise program did you do?


People make weightloss out to be more complicated than it really is.

Eat less. Move more.

I lost ~50lbs in 6mo on this "plan" two years ago. Have kept it all off.


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## Cinelli 82220 (Dec 2, 2010)

jlandry said:


> I'll try very hard to eat clean...Will also follow the 16 Hour fast method, which to me is, don't eat between 6:00pm and 9:00am. (15 H)


Manage your macros, don't just cut your calories. Your training will be more effective if you are properly fuelled. The 16 hour fasting def worked for me, I'm down about 31 pounds for 2012.



> I'm setting up the trainer in my Paincave and my workouts will include at least 1 hour or more of 130-140bpm on my HRM. I'll do 2h rides on the weekend. Will workout at least 5 days/week.


Put a TV infront of the trainer, it will make time go by a lot faster. Do intervals a couple of times a week instead of long steady distance. Watch the TV and go at your regular pace and do an interval during a commercial break. 
Make sure you have a total rest day once a week, no cardio, no weights, no core. You don't want to burn yourself out from overtraining.



> You can't be a fat guy on a weight-weenie bike. ; )


I am, you can be too LOL


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## purplecu22 (Sep 25, 2005)

How i fell in love with the trainer!!!:thumbsup:

I finally upgraded to a fluid, i prefer the KK.
Second, add a computer or power meter from KK
next, you hold 400 watts for 20 minutes tell me if your done with your work out. No need to ride anymore junk miles. I actually rider harder now on the trainer than in real life with a group. Most of time. Sometimes i do seek out the really hard groups in town.


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## DesnaePhoto (Jun 11, 2009)

jlandry said:


> I try to get on the trainer no earlier than February. Otherwise by the time the snow's gone, (I'm in Canada) I can hardly stomach even going for a real ride outside.


Trainers can suck. Read up on Trainerroad - lots of info in the forums on it. Makes my winter a ton easier. If the insanity stuff is making you dread the workout, you will stop and start going backward. Also, what about yoga and/or Pilates classes?


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## rvcyclist (Dec 5, 2008)

For those who lost 30 lbs or more, what was the performance impact of your weight loss on things like average speed, climbing or personal bests?

Looking for some more motivation


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## scottzj (Oct 4, 2010)

Well not towing the 120+ lbs I lost up hills obviously made me a much better climber. Also since the legs were used to pulling the weight around, I gained tons more speed at less endurance. I was able to move from Cat-5 to Cat 4 in less than a season and hope to be Cat 3 mid season this year. So yes, it has made me faster, stronger and have absolutely tons of energy. Now, that I have tapered off, I hired a trainer to better tweek my strength and power and keep moving forward in my cycling skills.


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## SeaWolf (May 12, 2012)

Being a fellow Canadian, I feel your climate pain. I was in a similar situation last year having dropped at least 50 pounds. Starting last Jan 15th, I tracked my miles diligently and finished the year with 13,660 Km's, half of which were on a Spin Bike. The highlights of the year were conquering 7000 ft of Mt Haleakala (before I ran out of time) and finishing the Whistler Gran Fondo in the top half of all riders (a lot of which are a lot smaller than me). That equated to 108 lbs or so of Fat burned. I grind away usually 2 hours a day on the Spin Bike using a HRM, listen to music and read many books with a fan in front of me. From Jan 15th, I did 50 straight days of riding with a goal of burning 1200+ calories a day. A good chunk of weight came off from time on the trainer. By the time Road Season arrived I was in pretty good shape compared to the people just starting their season. There is no downhill on the Spin Bike although you can back off the tension, but you can also crank it up and simulate the uphills or a headwind. I do not hate headwinds near as much.

As for motivation, yeah it can suck but once it becomes a routine like others have said it becomes the norm and you feel like your cheating when you do not do it. It is a game of mental toughness, much like conquering that hill you hate. I lose myself in books and sometimes extend my ride to get to the next chapter. It works for me. Starting out saying you hate something is never going to lead to something good, whether it is the trainer or your current workout.

Set a goal, track your progress, and as the ad says "Just Do It", and quit throwing obstacles in your own way.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

I lost 30 lbs using a calorie tracker called LoseIt!.com and I've successfully maintained my goal weight for a year-and-a-half now. I had often heard that tracking was the best way to lose weight and it certainly worked for me.

LoseIt! was one of the first apps I downloaded when I got an iPhone, and it paid for the phone in my view. When you start the program, you enter in your age, weight, height and how much weight you want to lose at what rate. I selected 1 lb/week and lost at almost exactly that rate over the 8 months it took reach my goal. Once you select a goal, the app gives you a daily calorie budget, which you can achieve through your eating as well as exercise. That is, you record all of your calories eaten as well as burned through exercise. Anyway, it worked for me. There are lots of similar apps that will do basically the same thing.


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## dkilburn (Aug 1, 2009)

Good Morning
That is very good, 2 hours a day for 50 days. Wish I had that time.
Your doing great. I'm not into riding in the colder weather.

This is a difficult time of year, your body wants more fuel, but you are cutting back on the intake. I find for me that the cold weather just make me want more. 
Maybe I need more workouts.


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## InfiniteLoop (Mar 20, 2010)

I went from 210 to 155 over about 9 months. I've mostly kept it off for about 6 years now (got close to 170 last winter). Keep in mind that your metabolism is changing. What worked in the past won't do so well in the future. You don't want a diet, you want a change in lifestyle and you don't want to do anything too extreme to maintain for the next 40 or so years.

Based on recommendations from my doc, a nutritionist, and a trainer I did this: Reduced calories to 1800/day until I was at target weight. Ate at least 28g of fiber/day (healthier and helps you eat fewer calories). Seafood is good. Routine daily activity exercise of walking a lot more, riding to stores or other errands when I could, etc. Moderate exercise of about 2000-6000 calories per week if I wanted. All made it clear that the more intense but still moderate exercise was optional as long as I was doing the routine stuff. 

To maintain I eat about 2400 calories/day, same routine daily activity exercise, and same 2000-6000 calories per week moderately intense exercise (cycling, x-c skiing, water skiing, hiking, swimming). I generally vary from 155 - 165 (I'm 5' 11"). If I don't do the more intense exercise I should reduce calories to 2300 (my natural metabolic burn with routine activity exercise) but I'm not so good at that thus my varying up to 165 occasionally.


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## jlandry (Jan 12, 2007)

jlandry said:


> Realizing that I won't lose all the weight this winter, here's my plan so far:
> Nutrition will be guided by Weight Watchers calculator. That's a calorie tracker with a deficit included. WW worked for me when I was younger, so I know it can help.
> I'll try very hard to eat clean.
> Will also follow the 16 Hour fast method, which to me is, don't eat between 6:00pm and 9:00am. (15 H)
> ...


Lost 5 lbs in seven days. This seems to be working. The hardest part is not eating at night.


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## The Man (Dec 12, 2012)

I lost 35 pounds about 10 years ago by a combination of long and slow running and not drinking alcohol or eating french fries (seriously those were the only diet changes). It took about six months but it worked. I've been within 5 pounds ever since. When I start feeling fat I weigh myself and if more than 5 pounds over I reinstitute my "diet" and I'm usually back down in a week or two. There are lots of strategies for losing the weight, but once you do (which you will) make keeping it off a policy. It's a hell of a lot easier to maintain than to have to lose it all over again.

Good luck and stay active!


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## dkilburn (Aug 1, 2009)

Good Morning

Your correct, change in life style, is a must. I had very bad habits to change.
Treat yourself every now & then. Keep your eye on your weight goal.
Then at the goal weight, you will have changed your style and maintain will be a little easier to keep going.
.


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## GDeAngelo (Aug 9, 2009)

In the last three years I've lost around 110 pounds. Another 20 and I think I'll call it good. It's not ****ing rocket science. Calories in VS Calories out. If you want to increase that, work out. Keep the effort levels low and long. Running is great. Keep your meals clean and small. The brighter the meal the better it is. Sugar should be from fruit and fruit only. Don't over analyze and kiss it.


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## upstateSC-rider (Aug 21, 2004)

I know people swear by these calorie-counting apps (Myfitnesspal, Lose It, Livestrong, et al) but my problem is this...
Tonight I had a plate of spaghetti w/meat sauce, what do I do with something like that?
Think if I could just buy all pre-packaged food like that nutra-system deal I'd have a better idea of portion sizes and such.
Do you guys just do a "best-guess" by looking at 1-serving of spaghetti plus 1-serving of tomato sauce plus 1-serving of ground beef?
Thanks for your thoughts.


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## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

upstateSC-rider said:


> I know people swear by these calorie-counting apps (Myfitnesspal, Lose It, Livestrong, et al) but my problem is this...
> Tonight I had a plate of spaghetti w/meat sauce, what do I do with something like that?
> Think if I could just buy all pre-packaged food like that nutra-system deal I'd have a better idea of portion sizes and such.
> Do you guys just do a "best-guess" by looking at 1-serving of spaghetti plus 1-serving of tomato sauce plus 1-serving of ground beef?
> Thanks for your thoughts.


Well you could measure. But i usually estimate. I base it on a restaurant i am somewhat familiar with and use their portion. For example olive garden for your spaghetti dinner.


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## Alfonsina (Aug 26, 2012)

learning portions by weighing is a good exercise for any of us. The fact that your serving size is just that, it is yours. Guessing is what is the real problem for us all, and I refuse to believe that calorie counted packet food is actually healthy. Try weights and measures of your portions for a couple of weeks, it is an eye opener. Apply the same measuring tactics to alcohol too. Restaurant calorie guides are questionable at best,


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## upstateSC-rider (Aug 21, 2004)

NJBiker72 said:


> Well you could measure. But i usually estimate. I base it on a restaurant i am somewhat familiar with and use their portion.  For example olive garden for your spaghetti dinner.


That's what I was thinking of also but most restaurants give us a distorted view of "portion size".



Alfonsina said:


> learning portions by weighing is a good exercise for any of us. The fact that your serving size is just that, it is yours. Guessing is what is the real problem for us all, and I refuse to believe that calorie counted packet food is actually healthy. Try weights and measures of your portions for a couple of weeks, it is an eye opener. Apply the same measuring tactics to alcohol too. Restaurant calorie guides are questionable at best,


As much as I hate to admit, this is probably the best way. 
Even if only for a couple of weeks, it may re-calibrate my eyes.


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

rvcyclist said:


> For those who lost 30 lbs or more, what was the performance impact of your weight loss on things like average speed, climbing or personal bests?
> 
> Looking for some more motivation


I'm a little late in getting back to this thread, but I'll throw some motivational experience from my weight loss when it comes to cycling.

I didn't start riding again until I was 36/37 years old and dropped my 100 pounds or so after I started riding again.

The first ITT I did on a flat 11 mile course during my first year back riding, I averaged 23.49 mph on a TT/Tri bike. Last year (about 50 pounds lighter than my first ITT) my best 20K average was 28.1 mph and I usually run low 54 minute range in 40K ITT's ... though I'm hoping to run low 53 minute range in the 40k's this year.

So ... Similar conditions, much better shape and I was almost 5 mph on average faster in an ITT over a similar distance.

On top of that, though I was 196 pounds at the time (normally race about 4-5 pounds lighter) I was able to win my age catagory last year (40-44) in the OBRA Uphill ITT championships (Oregon Bicycle Racing Association) ... Yes, a near Clydsdale won a hill climb 

My first year back racing (after a year getting back into shape) ... I had 10 wins and another 10-15 top 5 placings in various types of racing (road, cross, MTB, ITT). Since then, I've had my fair share of wins on the road and TT (stopped riding MTB and cross).

So ... yea, losing weight and consistant training can make a pretty big difference 

Overall though, my general training speeds are not vastly faster then when I started back and was way overweight, but the intervals are much, much harder and faster ... and when I do group rides now, I just stay at the front for a good tempo pace and hit the hills hard for some threshold+ work. 

Basically ... I can go fast when I want, but still go slow when I need to.


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