need to go on a diet

So I am working up to my first SS1000 ride, did 600 miles today in 10.5 hrs...Since I plan on doing more LD rides after my first, I figure it would be a great reason to lose a few pounds....Well I can stand to lose about 25...Also need to cut the caffenine intake...As it stand right now I am using a cup of coffee and 2 5hr engeries to get though my days here on this planet...Welcome any advice....

thanks in advance

Dan

I am 75lbs into a 99lb weight loss regimen. Change your diet...but add some physical exercise into your program. I don't care if its a long walk...add exercise...you will be amazed how fast things happen with a modicum of movement. I am often asked, "What program are you on?." I reply the same way each time..."I am on the ELMM program. Eat Less Move More." My life change was at the behest of a Dr. and my family. 324lbs is now 250lbs. By the end of summer my goal is 225. Not sure if I will make it but I will be in the ballpark. I couldn't go a mile on the treadmill when I started. I am now running 6 miles a day 4 days a week and weight training also. Amazing what it does for a whole bunch of things in your body. Almost 10 inches off my waist. Clothes do get spendy as you replace them...the biggest drawback. My avatar is me at 330...here is the new me on my way to 225.

I read your post topic in the headings and thought, "somebody's trying to tell me something." We've got a ride to Montana at the end of August and my back's been hurting and I've just not felt great for the last few weeks. I blame lots of things but like you, I also need to lose 25 lbs and I know if I lost even 10 lbs, it would help more than anything. It does keep getting harder to lose weight the older you get.

My daughter's in nutrition so I get tired of all the official crap from people that think they have all the answers and then next year, they find new studies and think something else. But having people around you that encourage your weight loss seems to be a major factor to success. Even your post and the replay has motivated me more than anything this go round.

As to the caffeine, I think the jury is out on how bad that is, but like any chemical it doesn't help in mass quantities. I cut it out cold turkey a couple years ago and I don't think I'll do that again. Felt like withdrawal, with body aches, headaches and crazy stuff. I drink a lot more water now and cut back on soda. But don't take my coffee away.

I agree with MNFJR that the exercise is important too. But my doctor says that after 40 and then especially after 50 there is this layer of fat in your lower stomach you can't work off with exercise. That's when you get into carbohydrate management, which is the part I hate most.

I wish you success in your endeavors,

Paul

Exercise is the key. Being sedentary is what hurts you the most. The difference in those two pictures speaks volumes! Congratulations and Good Luck!

Try to include plank pose in your routine. Get into top of a push up position amd hang out as long as you can. Try to increase the amount of time each day. Keep your belly tight. When you lose form, stop. This will strengthen your core, which will help with your back issues. Many back issues are due to a weak core. The back has to step in to support you.

Good luck!!!

You're kinda new around here. Welcome aboard. I was approached years ago with a slick presentation for miracle weight-loss coffee. They bragged that Dr. _ _ (on TV) had given this stuff some favorable comments that they considered to be as good as an endorsement. I was skeptical. I learned long ago that there is no such thing as a miracle cure when it comes to weight loss. After asking several questions, I learned that this "amazing" product contained a "buffered" ingredient. After some online research, I learned that I wasn't the only one wondering about this "life changing" product. I never bought any. Now I find out years later that this product and its promoters are under the scrutiny of the government for false advertising.

Don't be fooled by short cuts, or all the miracle diets and easy fixes that you might pick up along the way in your quest. I'm guessing that this forum is not the only advice you have sought, nor the only advice you will receive.

A huge factor that might help: concerning your exercise, don't go it alone. If you're like me, you'll find yourself much more consistent and less likely to quit or skip if you schedule this with a buddy or two. Stuff like racquetball, swimming, karate, or joining a team of some sort work a lot better than just heading for a gym... for many people. Sooooo many people begin an exercise program, only to quit after a month or two. EVER NOTICE HOW MANY LIGHTLY USED EXERCISE MACHINES ARE FOR SALE?

Hope that helps.

Gary

darksider #44

I have gotten off caffeine, be very careful about going cold turkey. At least for me it gave me splitting headaches at first. my suggestion would be to taper down rather than cold turkey. also know you will be very tired for about 2 weeks when your off. After your body catches up, it's actually nice not to have to be tied to getting coffee / energy drinks. If I get enough rest I never miss it. when I stay up late I get tempted but the headaches are a good enough reminder to not do it.

I move around quite a bit at work....I am in construction (electrician), lot of walking.... In my case I am pretty sure its the 1 to 2 micro brews I liketo enjoy after work, and sometime more on the weekeneds....Need to also purge the house of oreo cookies ect.....I eat way to much, most times I am stuffed and need a nap after dinner...So I am gonna start to change these habits....Oh no that mean the triple shot carmel lattle @ Starbuck has to go too....this is gonna be rough....

Dan

Thomas Jefferson

" Walking is the best possible excercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far"

I'm in the over 40 and overweight club as well. I dusted off the bicycle last week and have been riding around the neighborhood. I'm hoping to get my gut under control, and while I don't expect to rock 6 pack abs next summer, I do want to improve my overall physical condition. For me, using the Map My Ride app has been helpful to track my activity; it's a free app for iOS and I think they have an Android version as well.

Boating season kicks my diet all to hell. We drink happy from/during the normal eating times (6-8pm) and then we all decide to have dinner. Eating that late is bad for any diet. The summer with extended hours just seem to make this happen more often than not

As you can see, my g/f Debbie is very thin (her and I on far right). She has a salad if eating late, I can't resist the full menu w juicy steaks and such. Oh well, be happy I guess right?

I once took off over 100 lbs in a year with the Atkins diet. For whatever reason that diet gave me lots of energy and I exercised a lot while on it. I'm sure the exercise was more responsible for the weight loss than the high calorie bacon diet. Once I started eating carbohydrates again I slowly gained a lot of the weight back, so now I'm back on a diet. This time I simply try to only eat when I'm actually hungry, I put a smaller portion on my plate, and I don't reach for seconds. It is working, slowly, but I have lost enough that my friends and family notice it, and that always helps with the motivation.

I recently just shed 50 lbs myself. This is what I did to lose the weight, I used the 'myfitnesspal' app and just tracked (calories) of everything I put in my mouth. This made me realize how much bad crap I was shoveling in my body each day, and helped me make better choices. I still ate some of the bad stuff- just not as much. I also would alternate my caloric intake every few days- two low days, one high day, two low days, one medium day, repeat. This helped my body not to plateau- so the weight loss was steady. It also fit into not punishing yourself and be able to eat out once in a while or splurge on something and not feel guilty about it.

At first I thought this would be tedious and too time consuming, but the app has a lot of the foods already entered in, too make searches easier, you can also scan bar codes and it auto fills in stuff, it also would keep a data base of stuff that I eat on a regular basis.

Like many others here I have used an app to track my food and calories. It works for a lot of people and worked for me for a long time. But when I stopped tracking I started gaining. Now I'm eating only if I'm hungry and not waiting until I feel like I'm starving. The tricky part is quitting when you're satisfied rather than stuffed.

Eat Less Move More is definitely where it's at. And drink fewer (most days none) soft drinks and beer - drink water instead.