Loosing weight vs eating for stamina

Jotjepoes

Hi, I'm female (40, 5 ft) and need to loose another 4 kg to be within the "normal" range, but ideally would like to loose another 9 kg. I've started cycling in the last few months (10 km) on weekday mornings, 5 km in the evenings and lately doing about 30 km on a Sunday to get fitter and loose weight.

I lost about 3 kg pretty quick but now having trouble taking off anymore.

My diet is generally pretty good:

Bkfst: juice and a banana, mango soy smoothie (sometimes with some oats thrown in)
Lunch: tuna or salmon salad (sometimes with some crispbread)
Snacks: a couple of apples and a tub of yoghurt
Dinner: tortelli with pesto sauce, or a casserole or curry with rice, plus fruit or yoghurt for desert.

(Although I sometimes succumb to the donuts, cakes occasionally being offered around at work for afternoon tea, or some dessert if i go out for dinner)

I know you basically need to expend more energy than you take in to loose weight, but when should you be taking in your calories?

on my week day morning rides, I generally will just have some juice and then have breakfast after the ride (but often get hungry through morning despite that and its a real struggle to get throught to lunch time on just my apples)

If i go on a longer ride on the weekend, i might have half my smoothie before the ride, the rest half way through the ride plus maybe some yoghurt and banana when coming back.

I find it easier to not eat before a ride, as I'm not that hungry anyway, but get terribly hungry after, but does that affect your fitness and stamina? I find it hard to eat less in the evenings as that is when i eat socially (there are people around me eating more).

Any thoughts out there are welcome.

Jotjepoes
(Melbourne, Australia)

STS901

every time you eat your metabolism gets a kick so try to move to the six meal plan. You wont feel the need to snack because every time you turn around you are eating. You didnt mention your water intake. How much are you drinking? The general consensus among we yanks is that 64 oz is the standard, just under 1.9L. It's great for moving everything through the system. Also, think about low-sodium water/broth based soups for dinner.

Example menu based on current consumption.
Bkfst: juice w/ banana & whole grain toast
MidMrn: mango soy smoothie w/ oats & apple
Lnch: ceasar salad w/ salmon, easy dressing
aftrnon: apple and yogurt
dinner: i suggest soup, but what you have said do not sound too bad.
apresdnr: yogurt

You mentioned eating at night being a social activity. One good suggestion I have heard if you are eating out is to ask for a to-go box when your meal comes. With the box sitting there you wont feel the need to eat as much as if you werent sure if you were going to take some of it home or just try to eat it rather than waste it.

Set aside one day where you eat the things you generally feel guilty about. Do not go and pig out on it by any means, but don't feel bad about having a donut or something. It will keep you from blowing it and binging. And keep the day the same every week, dont make it arbitrary.

When you do your ride on sunday, eat more carbs with every meal prior to your ride.

Just my two cents.

lischoux

Rice cakes, rice cakes and rice cakes..... I am eating those whenever I starve. Pretty cool though since if you eat rice cakes and drink a lot of water (or Diet Coke as in my case) you will feel full pretty quick.

Count calories and stick with your diet. After an initial loss of weight you will plateau out somewhat during a few days. This is when your body adapts from having too much fatty tissue to having more muscle mass. The good thing is: Your engine gets bigger! The bad thing is: You do not loose weight. A lot of people quit their Diet during this period. Stick with it... a few days later the loss will resume.

Speaking from personal experience ... I lost 30 lbs in 4 months.

Keep on riding more and more !

__________________
Driven, pushed, pulled, stretched, smacked, cracked and torn apart... by what's inside !
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Trek 5200, Specialized Allez Comp Intl., Trek 1200, Corratec Glacier MTB ... and since march 30th a BMC ProMachine Yeeehaaa!!!

ptooey

I find that eating a LARGE salad for dinner, 3-4 hrs before bedtime is helpful in losing weight. By large, I mean 4 cups of spinach or non-iceburg lettuce, 1 large tomato, 1 small red or green pepper, 10-15 baby carrots, and ~4 oz chicken breast. This amounts to only ~300 cals and really fills you up. I am a bit hungry when I go to bed, but don't notice it cuz I am sleeping.

Your diet seems to lack vegetables. Fresh (or frozen, to save time) veggies help to make you feel full and have almost no calories if you don't load them with sauce. Good low cal sauces include soy sauce, hot sauce, salsa and tomato sauce.

babylou

That's a pretty healthy diet unless the "sometimes I succumb to donuts, cakes...desserts" is not really twice a day. The only areas you could improve upon a bit are green and leafy vegetables and more protein. Protein is the source for tissue repair which is what you will need to do when exercising.

Jotjepoes

Thanks all for the suggestions. I've started to loose a bit of weight again, so I guess it's a matter of persistence and sticking with it.

I've started to be more conscious of drinking more. I'll give more thought to my dinners - generally less but with more protein and greens. (Although I tend to take in heaps of greens with my salad lunches).

One thing I've started having on my long bike rides is, in addition to my bottle of water, having a bottle of low fat soy milk with a touch of honey, which I have during a long ride (I tend not to have much before a morning ride).

I generally do my riding within about 20-30 mins of getting up in the morning (10km on weekdays, around 40 km on weekends) How much do people out there eat before, during and after a morning ride? What do you eat and when?

ptooey

Good job on getting started and sticking with it.

Yeah, I didn't see that about the salad - I would take in the heavier meal earlier in the day, when you are more active and do the huuuuge salad in the evening a few hrs before bed. You might aim to eat more complex carbs, too, instead of white pasta and rice, try whole wheat pasta (or a whole wheat blend), brown rice, yams,etc.

Im not too sure about soy milk on a ride - I think you would be better off drinking straight carbs. The best ratio for your stomach to be able to absorb and digest while training is ~50 calories per 8oz. Gatorade comes to mind as a "pre-mixed" drink at this ratio.

As far as a pre-ride snack, for your weekday rides, since they are short you could try just downing a banana or a gel 20-30 min before the ride and eating the rest of your breakfast afterward. On the weekend, maybe eat a bit more before and also eat a bit during the ride - gels, Gatorade, maybe a bar.