Weight loss/training for L-C-L

[Alan O]

I started cycling again towards the end of summer last year, and so far I'm only back up to 15-20 mile rides. I signed up for the 100-mile Liverpool-Chester-Liverpool in July as a target, and I've been riding once or twice a week, coupled with walking (~12,000 steps per day) and other exercises (turbo, elliptical trainer).

Last month our old mechanical scales finally broke (big heavy-duty ones, but about 40 years old), and I got a new digital set - and was shocked to find the old ones were under-weighing by around 5 kilos and I really weighed 99.7kg! At a height of 1m 74 that's far too heavy to ride 100 miles.

So, my first target is to get below 90kg, and steadily increase the cycling mileage with my next goal a 30-miler. And I'm not allowing myself any alcohol until I break 90kg (which is tough for a home winemaker).

As usual when I start a weight loss drive, the first two weeks started well enough (-1.6kg and -0.6kg), then it flattened out the next week (-0.1kg). Usually what then happens is my weight continues to drop gradually, but eventually the loss slows and pretty much stops and I lose motivation after a couple of months - and I start getting heavier again.

From week 4, I decided to try low-carb (it's worked for me quite well in the past), and I'm pleased to say the first week on it saw a 1.6kg drop, giving me a 3.8kg fall in 4 weeks - I'll weigh myself again on Monday for week 5.

What is interesting is that I find I can consume far fewer calories without feeling hungry - a 400 kcal cheese omelette can leave me feeling sated for much of the day, and very low-cal all-veg foods fill in gaps quite nicely. I also find I've slept better this week, and I'm waking in the mornings not feeling hungry.

For the first few days I did feel quite tired and it took serious effort to get into my exercises, but that seems to have worn off. It does take me a little longer to warm up properly than before (although after less than 2 weeks, it's still too early to be sure), and I take beta blockers and they slow down the warmup too, but once I get going I'm fine - a 6-mile walk yesterday (at about 4mph) went well and I felt full of energy.

Anyway, I hope you good folks don't mind indulging me with this thread as I target the 100 - it will motivate me more to know I'll be exposing my failure in public if I don't make it

Alan

 

[Racing roadkill]

Eat less, move more.

 

[marzjennings]

Don't worry about your weight and focus on training to ride a 100 miles comfortably. I weigh 8kg more than you and can ride a 100miles, plus I've friends shorter and heavier than you that can ride 100 miles. Yes being lighter will make the ride easier, but building up base fitness is more important.

 

[Alan O]

Eat less, move more.

Indeed - the ELYFB diet

 

[S-Express]

Eat less, move more.

This advice is plain wrong, to the point of being insulting to the OP's intelligence. You have no idea how much he eats, or how much exercise he takes, because he hasn't specified with anything like the kind of detail needed for you to suggest he should 'eat less'. Consequently, you have no clue as to whether the OP is in calorie credit or deficit.

 

[Alan O]

This advice is plain wrong, to the point of being insulting to the OP's intelligence. You have no idea how much he eats, or how much exercise he takes, because he hasn't specified with anything like the kind of detail needed for you to suggest he should 'eat less'. Consequently, you have no clue as to whether the OP is in calorie credit or deficit.

Oh, I took it in good spirit - if someone wants to lose weight and improve their fitness, "Eat less, move more" has to be the core of it

 

[S-Express]

"Eat less, move more" has to be the core of it

Not necessarily - that's the point I'm making. For example, it would be quite feasible to suggest 'eating more' in some circumstances.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Oh, I took it in good spirit - if someone wants to lose weight and improve their fitness, "Eat less, move more" has to be the core of it

Yeah, but @Racing roadkill could have been more diplomatic about it
Good luck in your quest, Alan.
As said up thread, it is not necessary to be under 100kg in order to ride 100 miles, indeed you never knew about you correct weight before the new scales and were just going to ride more.
If you're lighter though, hills are so much easier.
We shall encourage you all the way.

 

[Alan O]

Yeah, but @Racing roadkill could have been more diplomatic about it
Good luck in your quest, Alan.
As said up thread, it is not necessary to be under 100kg in order to ride 100 miles, indeed you never knew about you correct weight before the new scales and were just going to ride more.
If you're lighter though, hills are so much easier.
We shall encourage you all the way.

Thanks for your encouraging words - they're much appreciated. It is good to know there are fatter folk than me who can manage a 100-mile ride. So yes, fitness has to be the priority over weight loss. I do notice the weight even on short ascents - I did a 10-mile ride yesterday evening, but only at an ave 10.5 mph because I was so slow on the uphills. So as long as I feel my fitness is improving, I'm going to keep trying to shed the kilos too - at least until I've lost enough to have a beer

Cheers,
Alan

 

[Alan O]

Today is the end of week 5, and a weight loss of 0.8kg for a total of 4.6kg in 5 weeks.

On the exercise front it was a good weekend, taking advantage of the break in the 6 Nations. I only did 10 miles on the bike, but I walked 16 miles (with 4 of those pushing my mum in her wheelchair). For the week, I managed a total of 930 active minutes (per fitbit), which doesn't seem too bad.

Alan

 

[mjr]

That's good. What's stopping you riding a bit further? The snowdrops and crocuses are out now and there's probably a country house or churchyard somewhere near you that's worth seeing.

 

[Alan O]

That's good. What's stopping you riding a bit further? The snowdrops and crocuses are out now and there's probably a country house or churchyard somewhere near you that's worth seeing.

Yeah, I've been watching the snowdrops and crocuses round the local parks - and we have the first daffodils in flower now too. And yes, there are plenty of destinations and routes of various distances I can go for.

I'm limited for a few reasons, but it's partly because the weather seemed more conducive to walking this week, and I have to fit things round various obligations - I should be able to get some longer rides in over the next few weeks.

 

[si_c]

Plenty of decent rides down by you. If you fancy doing a bit of the LCL route sometime give me a shout, only over the water, and I've ridden it all at one point or another.

As for training, you just need to pace yourself, find the speed at which you can just ride all day, then it just becomes a Mexican standoff between your arse and willpower. I found that once I'd done a few 100km rides that an imperial century is not that much harder. The LCL is as flat as you are going to get, it's a little lumpy around frodsham-weaverham, but draggy bit steep. Otherwise it's the Wirral. Not noted for its gradients.

Also I'd suggest doing @nickyboy's Manchester to Llandudno ride, it's in may, but it's flat, 100miles and plenty of good café stops, plus riding with friendly people.

 

[Alan O]

Plenty of decent rides down by you. If you fancy doing a bit of the LCL route sometime give me a shout, only over the water, and I've ridden it all at one point or another.

As for training, you just need to pace yourself, find the speed at which you can just ride all day, then it just becomes a Mexican standoff between your arse and willpower. I found that once I'd done a few 100km rides that an imperial century is not that much harder. The LCL is as flat as you are going to get, it's a little lumpy around frodsham-weaverham, but draggy bit steep. Otherwise it's the Wirral. Not noted for its gradients.

Also I'd suggest doing @nickyboy's Manchester to Llandudno ride, it's in may, but it's flat, 100miles and plenty of good café stops, plus riding with friendly people.

Thanks, that's a kind offer - I'll try to take you up on it when I get my distance up a bit

Manchester to Llandudno sounds good, but I don't think I'll be up to a 100-mile ride as early as May - I do take your point that it's all about finding a pace that you can ride all day, but I wouldn't want to join a group ride until that speed is getting to something reasonably respectable.

I used to ride round the Wirral and North Wales quite a lot when I was a lot younger and before I moved away from the area for much of my working life, and I'm looking forward to revisiting some of those old haunts.

Cheers,
Alan

(Very pleasant 12.5 mile ride today in light rain, but not cold and no wind)

 

[si_c]

Even if you don't want to do the whole run, if you aim for 60ish miles, by May, then you could do the Manchester -> Eureka first half (52miles), you'd then have a gentle 7 miles or so to the station in Chester. I wouldn't worry too much about pace, from what I remember it was a gentle 13 or so mph for the full route, and there were plenty of people who took longer. Plus you always ride faster when on a group run, and its a lot more fun.