2018 Winter Weight Loss, General Fitness, and Goals Mega-Thread

[MattTuck]

We're a few days away from the new year. Most of the way through the 'bulking' period, I need to get some discipline in what on my fork and what I'm doing with my body.

Short-term goal is to drop about 10 pounds by my friend's wedding in February.

Working my way up to 100 push ups a day, by doing 3 sets daily. I'm up to 15 on each set, adding 1 to each set each day. One I hit 33, I'll do that for a month before the wedding.

Also starting up a bit more core work. and planning a more regular gym program to start after christmas.

Hoping to be under 180 pounds by Paris-Roubaix 2018.

If there is interest, I can set up the weight loss spreadsheet that we've used in years past. But right now, looking to make a thread to put out ideas, challenges and encourage others as we move through the cold months.

[jimcav]

to successfully run again. Haven't been able to since Achilles surgery 2 years ago. If I do, I know I will lose the 20 lbs I've put on, which in turn will make my cycling much better, plus I can drink more IPA's. I'd add swimming, but the last time I tried my cervical pinched nerve thing went nuts for 3 days and set me back 3 months of progress I'd made in PT.

[fmradio516]

Intermittent fasting helps.

Also MyFitnessPal helps give you an idea of how much you're overeating.

[Clean39T]

I’m in, but also on vacation and mowing through chips n guac at the moment...so, let’s have this thing start in a week or so, k?

[seanile]

we had 200 cupcakes delivered to our office of 140 from a supplier. i ate three.
and then we got some free pizza for a lunch & learn.
and chocolates from another supplier.
(and a fruit basket! from another supplier)
and edible arrangements, with chocolate covered items, from another supplier.
and then some cookies, from another supplier.

all of this today. we've been getting this **** for a week plus now, and there's still a few days to go.

halp.
this is the plan i am most intending to pursue.
to successfully run again.
i may ignore my bikes for anything other than commutes. and even at that, maybe park the bike along my commute and run the rest of the way.

i'd love to get back under 200lbs, currently at 214. haven't been down there for 2 years now.

[gasman]

Intermittent fasting helps

I fast every day from 7 pm till 6 am.

It doesn’t seem to help ;)

All the goodies at work and home are my downfall every winter.

[Gummee]

The roll round my middle got bigger thru CX season 'cause I wasn't doing the volume of earlier in the year.

Gotta watch what I eat more closely. I'm not necessarily planning on fasting or eliminating food, but portion control, portion control, and portion control.

M

[mhespenheide]

6'4", 44yrs, and probably pushing 190# right now.

If I'm honest with myself, it's been a general slow creep upwards in weight for almost a decade. I'd like to reverse that. The first item of business after the holidays is to get a new pair of custom orthotics and get back to running. The second is to continue to dip my toes into strength work, which I kind of hate.

The two big performance goals coming up in the new year are (possibly) riding the full heroic route for Eroica California in April, and running across Zion National Park in June. Then doing a bunch of backpacking over the summer.

[marciero]

I am pretty good going into the new year. After months and months of bad eating, including one and two pints of gelato or ice cream most nights, I finally seem to be back on track with clean eating. For me this means 95% vegan, lots of raw salads, and no sugar or flour with the occasional exception on the bike. I've also picked up with yoga again. This has been really key for me. I dont know what I weighed at peak but I was down to one pair of pants that I fit comfortably in. Am at 174 with a goal of 160, at 5'10" age 54.

[weisan]

Still living the success story (https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=211467) and loving it!

[Nooch]

Starting another Whole30 (http://www.whole30.com) January 1st. After the last 'biggest loser' at work and cutting down to 168 for the weigh-in, I let loose and am hovering around 183. I'll be happy when I can lock it in and walk around between 170 and 180, although the goal as always with the W30 is no the number on the scale -- it's putting good stuff into your body and letting it work the way it's supposed to. (but, as a cyclist, eh, I still concern myself with the number)

Another goal is to get back to a power lifting routine. I'm 'skinny-fat' right now -- I want to add strength and muscle, really change my composition.

[Likes2ridefar]

I’m about 162 at 6’ and want to get to 155. I gained a lot (for me) when I was in school and generally not exercising. Started commuting via bike last August 12 miles one way and went from 170+ to current 162.

What is working for me is skipping breakfast until after the morning bike commute. But then breakfast is just a nut filled paleo bar that is about 200 calories. Lunch is a wrap with tuna and eggs or perhaps lentils with macadamia nuts and a fruit.

I’m rapidly losing weight doing this with not much else changed...beer at night, etc.

[GonaSovereign]

Intermittent fasting helps.

Also MyFitnessPal helps give you an idea of how much you're overeating.

+1 on MyFitnessPal.

Riding and working out gets me fit. Watching my diet drops the weight. MFP is helpful for the latter.

[shovelhd]

Stay within +10lbs. of my race weight in 2015
Ride 2x-4x/wk.
Increase FTP to >= 80% of race FTP, =+30w
Continue to be a factor in the WNW A field
Take my travel bike on every work trip

[C40_guy]

Intermittent fasting helps.

Also MyFitnessPal helps give you an idea of how much you're overeating.

Yep. Quite an education for me on "normal" portions. :)

Not so sure, though, about intermittent fasting. Your body sees it as a sign of nutrition scarcity and will store fat accordingly.

Take a look at your carb/protein/fat mix. I lost almost 15 pounds by reducing carb intake, in favor of good fats. No dieting.

[velofinds]

I fast every day from 7 pm till 6 am.

It doesn’t seem to help ;)

All the goodies at work and home are my downfall every winter.

Maybe try to go for a longer window if you can swing it. I think the IF "best practice" calls for a 16hr fast (e.g., 7pm-11am in your case).

[C40_guy]

Take my travel bike on every work trip

Great idea, wasn't practical for me. So four years ago I started running. That's made a huge difference in my overall fitness.

And I get to run in some really interesting places, whereas before I'd just sit in my hotel room and exercise my fingers on my laptop. :)

[John H.]

My goal for 2018 is to toe the line for more events.

Not necessarily race per se- Because I feel like my race days are over. But participate in at least one gravel/mtb type event per month. Might be a race- might be more of an adventure type grand fondo.

And at least one trip to do similar-

[Tony T]

…What is working for me is skipping breakfast until after the morning bike commute. But then breakfast is just a nut filled paleo bar that is about 200 calories….

Whatever works, but…. wouldn't it be better to have the 200 calories just before, or during the commute?


I’m rapidly losing weight doing this…

I think I found that weight you lost. LMK if you want it back ;)

[old_fat_and_slow]

we had 200 cupcakes delivered to our office of 140 from a supplier. i ate three.
and then we got some free pizza for a lunch & learn.
and chocolates from another supplier.
(and a fruit basket! from another supplier)
and edible arrangements, with chocolate covered items, from another supplier.
and then some cookies, from another supplier.

all of this today. we've been getting this **** for a week plus now, and there's still a few days to go.

halp.


Dayum, I pity you. That's a tuff sitch 4sure.

Even without all that temptation, I'm still packing it on. What is it about getting old, that makes your weight just constantly increase?

When I was in high school, I couldn't gain weight no matter how much I ate!

[carpediemracing]

I'd like to get to 160 lbs. Currently just broke 180 lbs.

My weight goals have two aspects to them. One is bike racing, where 160 lbs is very light for me (but not crazy in terms of body fat, probably 13% or so). At 160 lbs I don't have to be very fit yet I feel really strong relatively speaking. In 2015, at 163 lbs, and barely any training, I had a very satisfactory year of racing.

The other weight thing is kart racing. There's a 160 lbs class and a 180+ lbs class. The 160 lbs class is ballasted to 160 lbs driver weight. This means lighter drivers must carry weight to make them 160 lbs. The 180+ class is ballasted to 220 lbs, but with a minimum driver weight of 180 lbs. If you're in the middle then you have to race the lighter 160 lbs class, by definition handicapped by any weight over 160. Apparently the performance deficit of 15-20 lbs is substantial. Therefore I want to be 180 or 160, not in between; it would be terrible to be 179 lbs and race the 160 lbs class, for example.

As far as riding goes, in 2017 I raced for the first time with 35 hours training for the year and it was a disaster. Within a few races (maybe an hour total of races, meaning hard efforts and such) and a total of 50 hours for the year, I raced well enough to place highly in a crit, even if I blew up during the sprint. So my riding goals is to have 50 hours of riding by the time I do my first race, probably in May, so that's, what, like 12 hours a month?

[exapkib]

Last year I spent my indoor days on rollers and noticed how much sharper I was on the road when the snow melted. I want to keep doing some roller work this winter, but I've also inherited a trainer and powertap wheel, so I want to try integrating that into my winter workouts. I'll be doing some reading here to learn how to best leverage these new tools.

In my mind, having more clearly defined goals for next season would help me to make the most effective use of the new toys, er, tools. I've never raced, though a bunch of the guys I ride with have tried to talk me into pinning a number on for the local CX series. I think next year is the year I try out some road races. That sounds like a goal to me. I remember some good threads about beginning racing . . . I'll have to dig those up.

[daker13]

Hoping to be under 180 pounds by Paris-Roubaix 2018.


Wow, you have really lost some weight over the last couple years. (Don't ask me why I know this... just my recollection.)

I'm down 15-20 lbs over the last year or so, but my fitness has really taken a nose dive the last couple months...

[Likes2ridefar]

Whatever works, but…. wouldn't it be better to have the 200 calories just before, or during the commute?




I think I found that weight you lost. LMK if you want it back ;)

Back when I was racing, during the off season my coach had me go for rides in the early morning with just water and ride at an endurance pace for 2 or so hours. I don’t know the exact reason, or perhaps forgot what he told me, but it was something along the lines of forcing the body to use fat for energy.

I have no idea if this works, but eventually I stopped feeling hungry on those rides and like I was going to run out of energy.

[echappist]

Normal goal: back to 300W FTP and 69 kg. Lost 20% due to knee injury, which has also caused change in body composition (though not as much increase in mass). Still 10-15% to go.

Reaching: back to 320W FTP and 68 kg of two years ago when I last participated in mass-start races.

[gasman]

Maybe try to go for a longer window if you can swing it. I think the IF "best practice" calls for a 16hr fast (e.g., 7pm-11am in your case).

I'll have to try that but probably once a week is all I can handle.

[MattTuck]

Wow, you have really lost some weight over the last couple years. (Don't ask me why I know this... just my recollection.)

I'm down 15-20 lbs over the last year or so, but my fitness has really taken a nose dive the last couple months...

I've been as low as 183 in 2008, and as high as 230s during/right after my divorce. Hovering just a little over 200 now, but have life stuff going on in my family that is reminding me that health is the most important thing... and nutrition needs to become a bigger focus.
After this weekend, the culinary extravaganza should be over and it'll be easier to keep a focus on diet.

[berserk87]

I gained a bunch of weight this season. There were a lot of contributing factors, injury among them, which kept me off of the bike for most of the summer. The hardest thing about riding a bunch is that if I have time off of the bike for awhile, my appetite remains the same (but my caloric burn drops). I do a poor job of ratcheting back on intake.

My first goal is to enter the pre-season healthy (February-March). I have not been able to do this for the past 3 years. Always chasing some kind of orthopedic issue, it seems.

Second goal is weight loss. I'm at about 210 right now. My normal in-season weight is 193 to 196. My ideal goal would be to get to 185 (and pie-in-the-sky would be 180, but I'm not sure if that's realistic given my build).

I don't have any FTP kind of goals yet. This is my first season training with a power meter. I'm enjoying the meter and the training, but don't have enough of a baseline to know what I can do yet.

Third goal is to be healthy enough to actually compete this year.

[Jdg68]

I did the Danette May 30 day challenge with my girlfriend about six weeks ago and we are on more of a long-term plan of smaller portions and clean food. Went from 164.5 to a lowest of 147 so far.
It (weight loss/healthy eating) really requires a long-term change in how you approach food. Sweets are more of a treat to look forward to when not a daily indulgence. We've been eating well for a long time but a focus on meal planning and portion size reduction is pretty huge.

[Likes2ridefar]

I did the Danette May 30 day challenge with my girlfriend about six weeks ago and we are on more of a long-term plan of smaller portions and clean food. Went from 164.5 to a lowest of 147 so far.
It (weight loss/healthy eating) really requires a long-term change in how you approach food. Sweets are more of a treat to look forward to when not a daily indulgence. We've been eating well for a long time but a focus on meal planning and portion size reduction is pretty huge.

I argue the sweets aren’t even something you should be looking forward to. Just don’t eat them...

[cderalow]

After two winters of having messed up some aspect of my legs, I’m hoping to start 2018 with some serious training. While not wanting to race, I’d like to get back down to 175 (from current 193).

Re-upped a membership at the local health club to do strength training. Hoping to work heavily on my very squishy core.

It could be worse. In 2012 I was so out of shape I had hit 213lbs. Had gotten myself down to 185 before tearing my Lcl.

Stretch goal is 170lbs. Realistic is 180 and better composition.

I’m planning on riding the PMC again next August and want to up my average speed by 2mph (up to 18mph average or so).


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[dem]

Well this thread convinced me to sign up for some events in 2018, otherwise I just get lazy, sit on the couch and eat pizza. Currently 169, would like to be back down around 160 by:

March - Solvang Double Century (never done more than 110 miles, so this will be interesting!)
July - Markleeville Death Ride (record ascent/miles, plus everyone always asks if I have done it.. so.. check mark ride!)

Some where in 2018 I'd like to do a trip to Owen's Valley and ride the big climbs there, but that's more ad-hoc.

[54ny77]

zoom zoom.

http://www.freakingnews.com/pictures/101000/Fat-Woman-Riding-a-Bicycle-101269.jpg

[cpamplin]

I just bought into a weight loss challenge at work to lose 8% of my bodyweight by June 1st. I've been intermittent fasting and riding to work year round for four years, so it's all going to come down to managing my diet in the evenings. I think it's doable but at 44 I'm going to have to get lighter than I've been in ~15 years. Dark days ahead... [emoji1]

[tmarcus1076]

I've read that weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise. Not sure of the correct figure but it was something like that. I do many hours a week of riding and running along with resistance training with no difference in weight. It's not until I did IF and Keto that I started to drop fat. Tony

[RoadWhale]

My goal weight by the end of 2018 is 100 kilos. I'm too embarrassed to say where I'm starting from but you can get a sense of it by my user name. 2017 was disappointing on many levels and I realized a few days ago I didn't have to wait until 1 January to make the changes. 1 day at a time for me now but at least I've got a few good days behind me rather than none.

[carpediemracing]

For me diet is 100% of weight loss. I can say that confidently because the first and only real time I dieted in my life was in 2009 when I had a double pelvic fracture (and a soft tissue damaged shoulder). I was literally unable to ride the bike for two months, could only do minor riding for another two months, but lost about 34 lbs (183 -> 149 lbs) during that time.

Up until then I never dieted, I just trained more. In March 2009 (the season start before my pelvic fractures) I thought I was doing okay to be at 178-179 lbs or so at my first race of the season. The reality was that I was using a yet-to-be-realized 10 lbs optimistic scale and I was really approaching 190 lbs.

In March 2010 I'd built myself up to 158 lbs from a low of under 150 lbs in December. This on an accurate scale.

My power was no different in March 2010 but my racing was night and day. By the end of 2010 I'd upgraded to Cat 2, absolutely not a reality in my head in March 2010, but a fantasy dream I'd had from when I started racing in 1983, 27 years prior. I'd resigned myself to be a forever Cat 3 after 15 solid years of racing and never quite making the cut, always a few points short of an upgrade.

The tough part is that I know that diet is the key but it's hard to diet. I don't eat potato chips and such compulsively but I enjoy a small portion of ribs or a large portion of steak or some Coke now and then or various other "nickel and dime your weight up" foods.