Getting in shape. Advice needed!

[kaiser]

Bought a Turbo Trainer today and a computer thing, hoping to do 20 miles a night to start with (with rest on Fridays). Been busy loading some podcasts onto my iPhone to break the boredom. Will give it a go.

Si

Si I have a couple of spinervals, cheesy and annoying but does make the turbo productive.

 

[MJN]

I hate the turbo but it does make a difference and in some of the sessions I do on it would be dangerous to repeat on the road :shock: I never do more than about 45mins and an I-pod is a good idea,although once you get to some of the hard interval and threshhold stuff time does seem to go a bit faster.
Its also better to chart training in time rather than distance and a training diary is a good idea to record your progress.
Also as a fitness test ride a circuit of about 10miles and record your time then say once a month re do this same circuit and see if you're improving,also recording weather conditions,how you felt before during and after etc
I now use a power meter for training but a heart rate monitor is a good idea,especially if your using a turbo,you can also record how your resting heart rate is dropping,a good sign that your getting fitter.
It all sounds a lot of work but riding is so much more enjoyable and there is a real sense of achivement when you see the gains

 

[reanimation]

Interesting thread, A dramatic reduction in the bodies addictions will naturally tell you your missing something I guess.

However I've had much the same kinda prob. I don't eat a lot compared to some chaps, certainly not the "belly buster" option

At Christmas the GF started on Slimming World, its actually a good diet, more proper food less crap, which TBH was what i needed as filling gaps with snacks and sweet things and chippy dinners is not best. the GF didn't have a lot to lose really, more toning, she's lost over 2 stone, no lager or crisps for 8 months, wow. I started off a similar weight and I've lost about 9lbs sown to just over 11st! eek just cutting out most crap and eating the same veggie SW teatime meals and less treats at night nothing as religious as the GF, that and spots of urban cycling and gentle exercise. On the epic peaks trip earlier this year, a big bolognese before with shooters of fruit and nut "trail mix" kept me going all day along with the chip butty and Gatorade, felt pretty great after that multimile triumph. the Dalby (recee) trip was a stepback. Yes I had the the 31lb SS bike running 38-16! and yes there were loads of cool fast riders, and yes it was hotish, but fark me, i had the worst 'hangover' for a full evening after that!
put me off a lot it did. Specially with back problems that I have since been working with. A mixed bag really but I suppose the working body does need some decent intake. Some good advice in this thread to try out.

 

[PurpleFrog]

Si, you've lost far too much too quickly. Your body is starting to think your starving and its instinct is to preserve itself. Unfortunately this means storing fat, slowing metabolism and wasting muscle for an energy source. 2lbs a week is a reasonable loss.

Weight loss at the rate of the OP indicates either dehydration or dodgy scales. Or just possibly a huge bowel movement.

I doubt it's possible to lose as much fat as that even on a starvation diet.

 

[Neil]

Make sure youre getting enough carbs to provide the energy for your activity, and enough protein to maintain and support muscles etc.

Lose weight through activity, and normal calorific intake, dont starve your body, if you see what I mean.

Thanks for that, so.... I need something high in protein and carbs, but low in fat and keep within recomended calorific intake?.

I skipped my home ecc. class at school (and most of my other lessons ) so what types of food have those specifics?

Cheers
Si

If you're trying to lose weight / fat, cutting carbs is most likely to help you, really - well realistically, the best / easiest to cut down on in your diet.

Protein and fats are essential - ultimately you'll die without sufficient. Carbs, not so - they aren't essential - you wouldn't die without them (all things being equal, and assuming you don't have some blood sugar / hormone disorder).

Too many people see fats as the big evil in their diet - and in some, perhaps many cases, they may be right, and it is more calorie rich than protein or fat. They're not called EFAs, though, for nothing - so make sure you are getting sufficient of the essential fats in your diet.

Factor in the amount of protein and fats that are essential (and where protein is concerned, supporting your levels of activity / exercise), and then use the difference - up to a little below maintenance calories - with carbs.

It's difficult, though, to not struggle with energy and recuperation from exercise when dieting. I realise what you've done is totally clean up your diet - and that can't be anything but a good thing - but I'd say two things:-

1. Make whatever diet you are following, something you can adhere to - don't forget the human factors and appetite control when dieting - either do that by simply cutting back on the bad stuff and counting calories, or by largely following a clean diet, and on occasion allow yourself a cheat day.

2. Make sure you haven't gone to extreme with cutting calories, because if you're cycling regularly, you don't want to find that you're not able to enjoy that. So for losing weight (assuming you're not following some IF type diet) just keep your calories a little below maintenance (and every so often - week / 2 weeks - give yourself a treat / cheat day).

 

[MJN]

I agree with this but when calorie counting its important to analyse how many calories a day you are actually burning,for instance guidelines say a male needs 2500calories a day but yesterday I burnt 3500calories in just over 4hrs so if I stuck to guidelines I'd be doing myself damage.

 

[Sidster]

1 stone in 1 month is a much better sum.

Find yourself one of these and work your way through the gears in sets of 5, every third day.

 

[fingers]

Eh? How will a lamppost help. Or do you mean an umbrella?

 

[Sidster]

I've got just the link for you fingers..

http://www.itv.com/games/tvgames/catchphrase/

 

[juiceboxx]

colonic irrigation :shock: