Weight loss and riding

I'm not losing the weight I thought I would by riding. On a good week, I ride 5-6 times, on a not so good week, it might be only 3. I ride hard, for at least 40 minutes to an hour and a half. I'm also on the Slim Fast diet and replace breakfast and dinner with shakes. I'm not a grazer, and my one meal is generally well balanced. I do my best to stay away from the sweets. In about 3 months, I've lost 15 pounds. I'm interested as to why the weight loss isn't coming faster. I know this is a very general question, but I didn't know if I was doing something so obviously wrong that I could change right away before consulting a nutritionist or some other outside source. Oh, and I'm a 200+ lb. female.

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Permalink Reply by Ali on April 7, 2009 at 1:11pm

What is your definition of riding hard? Are you mashing or are you keeping a good cadence...Cardio is the trick to burn calories and to get your heart rate up you need to have an cadence of atleast 70. Cadence is how many times a minute you rotate your pedals. Most beginners will tend to mash their pedals meaning they will keep a lower cadence thinking it is better for them...Don't be afraid to use your gears...

-Ali

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Permalink Reply by RodimusPrime on April 7, 2009 at 1:33pm

cardio is the best way to lose weight, you also have to be sure you're semi-sweating, exerting yourself for the full time you're working out. or else its just wasted effort.

another idea, might be that maybe you're not feeding yourself enough. which sounds weird, but when I started riding again my metabolism bolted up pretty far.

and 15 pounds is actually a good amount i think. . you're not going to lose like. . 50 -100 pounds in a month or whatever. its unrealistic.

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Permalink Reply by justJason on April 7, 2009 at 2:05pm

Hey Dana! I can DEFINITELY dig it. I rode all my life, but lapsed into vealdom during my college years. I ballooned up to close to 300 lbs, with a lovely 44 inch waist.

It hit me one New Year's day: it was TIME TO RIDE AGAIN! And I was pretty much along the same path as you are now. But what I've learned o'er the course of time is this: muscle is badassedly dense and weighs much more than fat. So if you have gone from being basically sedentary to riding 'til your legs are screaming, then you have probably gained a ton of (weighty) muscle mass while doing so.

But what about this way to monitor your progress: How are your clothes fitting these days?

And if you ARE riding hard, you may want to rethink the diet shake/supplement idea and start eating like someone who is active and full of 2-wheeled zest! I'm definitely not the best one to give you advice on this front, but there is a wealth of info out there (and HERE!).

And all in all: Keep up the great work and enjoy yourself! :-)

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Permalink Reply by Bill G on April 7, 2009 at 2:12pm

Congrats on the progress, keep up the good work!

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Permalink Reply by Curt H Moore on April 7, 2009 at 2:14pm

I rode everyday 10 to 20 miles and 30 to 60 on the week ends , felt good and lost weight to the point I was losing a pound every 60 miles. I started out at 272 and made it to 243 then hit a wall. It was at that point I went to the Doc...thyroid out of wack haven't lost a pound and gained back most of what I lost, despite riding. So it might be worth talking with a Doctor...curt

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Permalink Reply by Michael on April 7, 2009 at 2:49pm

Dana, you are doing fine! 15 lbs in 12 weeks is great. Healthy weight loss is 1-2 lbs/week, so you are right on the money. Faster weight loss can actually cause other health problems. Be patient and keep up the good work!

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Permalink Reply by Rachel on April 7, 2009 at 2:54pm

You described a GREAT success - 15 pounds in 3 months. I belong to Weight Watchers, and a healthy, lasting weight-loss pace is a half pound to two pounds per week. If you lose at a faster pace, it may come back on too easily when the diet is "done".

So, supposedly, those of us with these weight-loss goals are never "done" with dieting, but instead learning new long-term habits of exercise and eating in moderation. It's also normal to get stuck on temporary plateaus during weight loss, and it slows down frustratingly. I've heard of people who broke the plateaus by shaking it up with new things like adding healthy oils (olive, fish, that actually help break down fats), or juicing for a day, adding more greens, etc.

but you haven't done anything wrong - your discipline is inspiring - I wish I had yours!

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Permalink Reply by millenial removing Bernie tattoo on April 7, 2009 at 3:01pm

15 pounds in three months is about 1 pound a week. This is a healthy, sustainable weight loss. Rapid weight loss has negative effects such as loss of muscle mass.

It may take you 2 years to hit you target weight. How many years did it take you to reach 200+ #?

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Permalink Reply by Vondo on April 7, 2009 at 4:44pm

From what I've read, 1 or 2 pounds a week is right on target, anything more aggressive and your body will adjust its metabolism. Basically what happens is your body will start storing EVERY calorie you eat as fat since it senses that you're losing weight too fast. Also, a way to work through a plateau is to change your workout. Your body adapts to your workouts, you might have noticed that riding farther and faster gets easier, because your body adapts to it. A way to work through your plateau is to challenge your body by doing different things, try swimming or weights to use different muscles and make your body work in a new way so it doesn't get too efficient at just cycling and stops burning as many calories as it did when you started.

Just my two cents...

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Permalink Reply by Kevin on April 7, 2009 at 5:03pm

If it's within your means a nutritionist is a great resource for everyone, whether you're looking to lose weight or learn how to fuel endurance competitions. I won't knock Slim Fast or other diet plans as many find success with them, but a common theme among those who take and keep weight off is a change in lifestyle that you can maintain for life. Two shakes and one meal every day seems like a tough life commitment, a nutritionist might help you find other ways.

Outside of nutrition, everyone hits plateaus while losing weight. As others have said your body can become very efficient with something you do often, so change it up with other types of cardio. A heart rate monitor was really helpful for me to stay in the right heart rate zone, particularly when trying something new. I hated running, so I started walking with spurts of jogging mixed in. Soon enough I was jogging more than walking, then running more than jogging, and so on.

More info than you probably want to know about these zones:
http://walking.about.com/cs/fitnesswalking/a/hearttraining_2.htm