Paceline 2022 Weight Loss Challenge

[snah]

Another here that's heavier than I've ever been. First year of covid I held even, 2021 didn't go as well. Hoping holding myself accountable somewhere makes a difference.

[KonaSS]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

I'm in.. down from 192 to 186 since Thanksgiving-ish. Goal is to get back to 170-175, which I haven't seen in a long time, and stay there. Intermediate goal is 180 by mid-Feb. Eating clean off the bike and fueling my workouts so I can keep hitting my power targets on the bike. Should get it done. FTP is around 290W now, hope to push that to 310-320W this year.

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

Respectfully, see above. Some of those numbers are chimeric. What will it take to reach (and sustain) those numbers, and will it lead to self-fulfillment?

Respectfully, WTH? What is chimeric about any of these numbers? We all have our own way of enjoying the bike. I like pushing myself and attaining new levels of fitness. That incorporates body weight and true fitness measurements like FTP. I really enjoy the process, which does lead to self-fulfillment for me. I don't shame people just go out and ride and don't care about or know their FTP. I am not about to suggest to anyone that they are doing it wrong. But that would bore the hell out of me. I would quit. I have to be working towards something or it isn't interesting to me. We are all wired differently, there is no one right way.

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by KonaSS

Respectfully, WTH? What is chimeric about any of these numbers? We all have our own way of enjoying the bike. I like pushing myself and attaining new levels of fitness. That incorporates body weight and true fitness measurements like FTP. I really enjoy the process, which does lead to self-fulfillment for me. I don't shame people just go out and ride and don't care about or know their FTP. I am not about to suggest to anyone that they are doing it wrong. But that would bore the hell out of me. I would quit. I have to be working towards something or it isn't interesting to me. We are all wired differently, there is no one right way.

No shame implied or stated. I've been a personal trainer for almost fifteen years now. In my experience, someone who needs to lose fifty pounds or more will find the scale a very helpful (or necessary) tool. For someone who needs to lose five pounds (wants to is probably more apt) the scale is much less helpful. After a certain point, your body weight fluctuates from two to three (or so) lbs. It becomes very difficult to control that. And not very rewarding, ultimately.

Also, regarding my other point, I think that performance-oriented cycling is not the most effective way to lose weight. It can add muscle, for example, which is denser than fat. I think cycling is a fantastic way to stay fit, OTH. Along with complementary activities such as yoga and resistance training.

[wattsdaproblemo]

I have found success with the intermittent fasting method. I was never one to wake up hungry in the mornings and I like to take my coffee black. The hardest part was planning for longer days on the bike, e.g. weekend rides, where it would disrupt the fasting schedule. I could find myself riding for less than 1 1/2 hours without needing to eat or feeling 'bonked'. But anything longer than that I would succumb to low energy levels. So eating something before longer rides, and also refueling while on the bike, I found necessary or I would come home wanting to eat everything in sight. Also, I could probably do better personally if I were to cut back on the weekend beer consumption.

[jlwdm]

I am no expert, but I think achieving a proper weight and being healthy are somewhat simple to achieve without being to regimented. I just am not very good at doing what I should be doing.

Basics:
1.Eating: Eat foods that are good for you in proper portion sizes. I don't believe in structured diets or counting calories. Eat good foods that you like - don't make it hard by eating things you don't enjoy. In the US portions are huge - it should be easy to cut back. Most fruits and vegetables have few calories.
2. Stretch: I have never been flexible so I don't even try. I need to start doing something.
3. Resistance Training: good at all ages
4. Aerobic Exercise: what ever is fun for you and at what ever level you enjoy. On this forum cycling is dominant, but it is good to do a variety of things.

What works for one person does not work for another. Get ideas from others but the program needs to fit your needs. Enjoy life and enjoy doing these basics. Don't worry or criticize what others are doing.

I know my body and where my weight needs to be, and I am going to get to that point this Spring.

Jeff

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by KonaSS

Respectfully, WTH? What is chimeric about any of these numbers? We all have our own way of enjoying the bike. I like pushing myself and attaining new levels of fitness. That incorporates body weight and true fitness measurements like FTP. I really enjoy the process, which does lead to self-fulfillment for me. I don't shame people just go out and ride and don't care about or know their FTP. I am not about to suggest to anyone that they are doing it wrong. But that would bore the hell out of me. I would quit. I have to be working towards something or it isn't interesting to me. We are all wired differently, there is no one right way.

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

No shame implied or stated. I've been a personal trainer for almost fifteen years now. In my experience, someone who needs to lose fifty pounds or more will find the scale a very helpful (or necessary) tool. For someone who needs to lose five pounds (wants to is probably more apt) the scale is much less helpful. After a certain point, your body weight fluctuates from two to three (or so) lbs. It becomes very difficult to control that. And not very rewarding, ultimately.

Also, regarding my other point, I think that performance-oriented cycling is not the most effective way to lose weight. It can add muscle, for example, which is denser than fat. I think cycling is a fantastic way to stay fit, OTH. Along with complementary activities such as yoga and resistance training.

Scale weight and FTP are just available metrics - they are the map, not the territory.. After all, W/Kg doesn't win races, tactics and disc brakes do

My goal is my goal because I know what my body comp is like at around 170-lbs and I like it for riding, so that's my metric-based target - but as I approach it I may need to adjust above/below.

And I do like using a scale even though I'm not obese. It's a daily reminder, like food logging, that I have mid-range goals that are more important to me and a greater reward than overindulging in xyz counterproductive activity. I can't wear a Livestrong bracelet anymore, so that's what I've got.

[tuxbailey]

Originally Posted by wattsdaproblemo

I have found success with the intermittent fasting method. I was never one to wake up hungry in the mornings and I like to take my coffee black. The hardest part was planning for longer days on the bike, e.g. weekend rides, where it would disrupt the fasting schedule. I could find myself riding for less than 1 1/2 hours without needing to eat or feeling 'bonked'. But anything longer than that I would succumb to low energy levels. So eating something before longer rides, and also refueling while on the bike, I found necessary or I would come home wanting to eat everything in sight. Also, I could probably do better personally if I were to cut back on the weekend beer consumption.

I find that once your body has adapted a set schedule for IF it is easy to vary depending on your activity level.

I do 16:8 most of the days (at least 6 days a week) but some weeks I will have pancakes and eggs for breakfast in the weekend if I am cooking for the family.

Last week I went on a skiing vacation and I knew I will be expending a lot of energy so I eat a regular breakfast everyday for a week. And I didn’t gain any weight. When I came back I got back to 16:8 with no problem.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Pumablk]

Did anyone else step on the scale and do a double take? 189 is the heaviest I have ever been. Really crappy diet since Thanksgiving has me +5lbs. Very much an eye opener.

The plan
- better diet
- start intermittent fasting
- I currently play hockey once a week, but might try for 2 or 3
- start stretching regimen/yoga so when I play goalie, I am not going to pull groin going down in the butterfly, etc
- rowing machine as indoor/rainy day exercise
- cycling as a mode of transportation, not just exercise

I know it’s unrealistic to implement everything at once, but by end of February would be nice.

[bronk]

I weighed the most I ever have last year. By mid October I got tired of it and I started eating a High Fat/Low Carb diet and by the end of 2021 had dropped 25 lbs. I know HFLC diets aren't sustainable (or even healthy) for most people and I'm pretty sure a strict HFLC diet won't work long term for me either. However, I've learned quite a bit over the last couple months that I think I can carry forward. For one, I can feel a huge difference in my hunger levels. I broke the carb dependency and my body no longer craves carbs every 2 hours to sustain itself. I now wake up in the morning and don't slam the first banana and muffin I can get my hands on and, when I'm on the bike, I don't feel as fuel deficient. I believe by starving my body of easy to metabolize carbs, it has learned to convert stored fat to fuel and steadied my insulin levels.

So, although I still have a good 20 lbs to go to get to my fighting weight, I believe carb control is part of the story to a more healthy, sustainable diet.

One other thing I'm doing is High Intensity Interval Training. My bike rides are typically less than 1 hour/day but when I get back to the house, I jump on the trainer and top off with 10-15 minutes of HIIT. This practice has allowed me to really enjoy the actual bike ride and not use it as a means to lose weight but also feel like I've pushed myself by finishing my ride with HIIT on the trainer. I've never been able to do long stints on the trainer without getting bored and focusing on a short, high intensity session works for me.

Just a few thoughts. YMMV

[ripvanrando]

2021 was horrible for my fitness/fatness ratio due to two significant injuries and 3+ weeks of what was presumably the Flu.

I have found using the scale and a simple power test weekly to be all I need until this 63 yo 6'4'' gets to about 190 and then it has to be skinfold calipers. I am thinking of doing a dexa scan at that point instead. When I was younger and racing, I found 170-172# was a good weight. I cannot get below 182 nowadays and that is at 9% BF and that level feels very unsustainable. 11-12% or around 190 feels better. I have so much weight to lose, it would be too embarrassing to write it down.

[marciero]

Re weighing yourself- Back when I cared about "training" this was just something you did every day. It was one metric that you recorded every day, along with your resting heart rate, number of miles ridden, workout completed, and notes on how you felt. A number on a given day was not that useful by itself. But trends, along with other indicators, may indicate onset of overtraining, or suggest a change in the planned training for on a given day.

I weighed myself a few times a week when I did the 2020 PL weight loss challenge. It was fun to see the progress and I lost about 23 lbs over four months, ending up at 155 and 5'11" I am probably between 165 and 170 right now. Scale is broken but will be getting a new one.

Re eating- Apparently calorie counting works for some so I will "walk back" my earlier comment. For me it has not been useful if I am eating clean, which for me means >95% vegan and no processed food. Also no flour, no wheat, no sugar with exception of fruit and a little maple syrup in oatmeal. I will say that my reasons for avoiding wheat and flour that have nothing to do with weight. I do sometimes make occasional exceptions during long rides.

Re what Clean said about maladaptations- I definitely have trigger foods that can lead me astray. Corn or potato chips for example. These are processed but minimally. Garden of Eatin blue corn chips- how bad could that be? just ground corn. But I will eat compulsively once I start, overeat them, and then crave sweet. Again, on the bike it may be different. A small bag of potato chips in the middle of long brevet is fine. Or even a Starbucks cold mochachino for a nice energy burst. Yum.

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by marciero

Again, on the bike it may be different.

For sure. The ONLY time I drink, or even crave soda is when i'm on a long hot ride and know my body is hurting. An ice cold coke is like a magic bullet in those circumstances.

generally speaking soda is so sweet is makes me nauseous to think about drinking just sitting on the couch or something.

[Hellgate]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

For sure. The ONLY time I drink, or even crave soda is when i'm on a long hot ride and know my body is hurting. An ice cold coke is like a magic bullet in those circumstances.



generally speaking soda is so sweet is makes me nauseous to think about drinking just sitting on the couch or something.

Agreed. I "never" drink soda however, if I'm totally whipped during a ride and I still have an hour plus to go my remedy is a Red Bull and Snickers bar. Back in the day it was Jolt Cola and a Snickers.

[madsciencenow]

Originally Posted by Hellgate

Agreed. I "never" drink soda however, if I'm totally whipped during a ride and I still have an hour plus to go my remedy is a Red Bull and Snickers bar. Back in the day it was Jolt Cola and a Snickers.

+2 for sentiments expressed and exceptions


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Nick12]

I'm in!

I also added a starting and target FTP, for those who want to also track this. (Hope the OP doesn't mind!)