Need a proper plan to reduce weight also increase my Road Cycling performance

Download Myfitnesspal and log EVERY calorie you eat. It will scare you into realising what a greedy pig you've been.

I've been using it for 58 days now and try to only just under eat as I'm trying to get stronger as well as lose weight. I've lost 8lb so far to get to a weight I haven't been since I was 15.

I haven't even bothered eating healthily yet but that calorie deficit each day is all that matters. My next step will be trimming out the crap and getting my daily balance better.

I realise now, I've been in denial- losing weight is easy if you're honest about what you have eaten.

OK so sorry for the long boring post but I have typed it now so it is going up anyway
This is how I lose weight after a long lay off. I started training on late May and weighed 91.4 Kg at the time.
I know from experience it will take me 5 to 6 months to get to race weight which is under 80kgs.

Start by riding for an hour every other day. This should be on flat terrain where possible. The intensity should be 'steady' by steady this means working at what is also known at the 'Gossip threshold'. If you can buy a heart rate monitor and work in zone 2. http://www.digifit.com/heartratezones/training-zones.asp?MaxHR=178&Age=5... use the Zoladz modified column. Whilst this is not the most accurate way, if you are unfit it is too early (in my opinion) to start doing proper max heart rate test and the above is good enough.

Increase these one hour sessions to at least 4 times a week. During this you need to be careful what you eat. My diet is something like the following.

Breakfast - I shredded Wheat and one slice toast and marmalade/

Lunch - I make a salad with chopped leaves, tomatoes, green pepper, that kind of thing and add a little quinoa and some tuna or something. An apple for desert.

If you need to snack in the day because your hunger pangs are so bad, eat another apple.

Before training I will eat a little carbohydrate like a fig roll biscuit.

Then I will train for the hour

Evening meal - Similar to lunch just a slightly more interesting protein and a yoghurt and fruit for dessert.

After a month start to push one or two rides up to an hour and a half each week. Same intensity, and then when you are ready once or twice up to two hour rides.

All the time eating as above. If you crack on the diet, no worries just enjoy feeling full and go back to the diet.

After you have done 1000 mile you should start to actually enjoy riding the bike and you will be reaping benefits now.

Intensity can raise a little now and you can start doing hills and some harder efforts occasionally but generally keep it the same up to 2ooo miles which is a basic minimum for base training.
All this time be monitoring your weight. Weigh yourself naked the same time of day for consistancy. This is not about accuracy but consistancy and record every Sundays weigh in for future reference. If you stick to this exercise and diet you will lose weight.

For the record here is how my weigh went over several weeks recorded every Sunday.

Week1 - 91.3 Kgs
Week2 - 91.7 Kgs (the day before it was 90.9)
Week3 - 90.7
Week4 - Holiday no riding for a week
Week5 - 90.4
Week6 - missed the weigh in
Week7 - 88.4
Week8 - 86.9
Week9 - 87.2
Week10 - 86.0

I finally hit 80Kgs my target by week 17. You can see some fluctuation and week 2 I am almost half a Kilo heavier despite training and hunger pangs all week. There was further fluctuation on mid week weigh ins so probably best to ignore these if you weigh yourself every day and just record the same day once a week.

Some basic cardio work where your vitals are monitored. If they go too high for the test, then off to see the doctors before you can start at a gym. My brother in law had one, he failed the blood pressure test so wasn't allowed to workout in the gym until a doctor signed him as fit to do so

Someone earlier mentioned MY FITNESS PAL. Its brilliant and works if you use it and stick to it. You still eat, and eat lots. It's just that you decide to have that bar of chocolate or something else less healthier.

If your honest with yourself and don't cheat it works really well and if you combine this with a Withings scale which has an app and weigh in every morning after sleep you get really motivated.

My situation was that I was a little over weight a few months ago and read an article on buying light weight stuff for you bike. Article made the very valid point that we could all loose some weight before buying stuff. Lost 14kgs over three months and it's changed what I do now as far as eating habits go. Now 11st 9lbs and I can gaurantee that with no other measures you will get faster, you will want to ride more because you're faster and the weight stays off.

I still weigh myself every morning as I am now weight stable. That's it for me, just need to stay where I am at 11 9

So my advice is don't worry about the training as that will follow. Tackle the weight with fitness pal and buy a Withings Scale, which is better value by far than a pair of carbon wheels if you want to go fast.

Good luck.

It's also worth noting that once you understand your diet better, along with the impacts of what you eat - any weight you loose tends to stay off - unlike with fad diets.

I dropped from 15.5 stone to 10.5, for the last couple of years I haven't really had to watch what I eat carefully as I've gotten in good habits for the most part, yet I've stayed @ 10.5 stone without any bother.

The occasional night when I have a drink (generally twice a week) or fancy some chocolate aren't a big deal once you hit your ideal weight and as long as you keep up the cycling/exercise/vaguely balanced diet.

There's a wealth of informative and practical information on the Precision Nutrition website, including this infogram:

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/fix-a-broken-diet-infographic

Check out their blogs here:

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/blog

I was in the same weight range as you in February of last year (same height as well). Without any real guidance I just started riding my bike-a lot. At first, I could only do 10 miles and climbing over freeway overpasses presented real challenges for me, but gradually I cycled 15, then 20 miles and those overpasses soon became afterthoughts. Here I am now at 180 lbs. and riding 80+ miles and 4,000 feet of climbing for my long ride. The key is staying consistent and keep doing it. It doesn't hurt to avoid processed foods. A little now and then won't hurt, but don't make it the foundation of your diet. When you get discouraged (and those days will come), remember "a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step". Good luck to you!

After going over all that....

1: Christmas is coming get a coach for six months as a present.

2: you should always be slight.....just slightly be edging on the side of hunger anyway.

Here's how. If you follow it, it will be a complete and proper plan to reduce excess weight, bring you down to the right BMI and also raise your pace.

Because of your weight of 242lbs (109kg) I recommend biking rather than running...So let's focus on the bike.

Side note: Go to your doctor and tell him you ‘had’ some chest pains recently that happened when you were not doing anything strenuous, he will send you for a “stress test” and if necessary an echocardiogram. Either way you will find out whether you’re healthy enough for the training plan, as well as finding out both your 1. Resting heart rate, and: 2. your 90 to 100% BPM range. You will also find out if you have any blood pressure issues at elevated heart rate levels, and if yes, you will also then know at what point you should back-off when training. Armed with that information you can now get a heart rate monitor to keep tabs on your ticker.

First thing to note is that you need to be committed and ready to change your lifestyle. Basically, you need to do whatever it takes. Right? This means changing your sleep patterns, eating differently and training conscientiously. All this must be done with unwavering commitment. You need to live the plan for 5 months - I do it from May to September. You will learn to go to bed at 9:30pm and wake up at 5:00am.

5:00am - wake up and have a pint glass full of water. I personally prefer Robinsons or Sunquick or any similar juice/syrup dilute. You could add a pinch or two of sea-salt (NOT table salt) to bring up your electrolytes, especially if you have consumed any alcohol the day before. Try and stay off the grog.

5:20am - Breakfast. Eat 2 or 4 biscuits of 'Shredded Wheat' in 200ml of unsweetened 'Soya Milk'. You can add fruit if you like. Don't drink normal milk at all.

5:40am - On your bike. Take a bidon of water. You want to ride only about 10 miles (16km) and take the first 3km easy until you begin to warm up. Once you feel you've warmed up sufficiently you begin to push hard for 2 to 3 minutes or for as long as it's comfortable. Then back off to about 50 percent (like you’re jogging). Think, walk =25%, jog =50%, stride =75% and sprint =100%.

Relax and catch your breath at 50% for 3 minutes. When recovered enough, start striding (75%) for as long as you can. Keep an eye on your heart rate. I have a fairly low resting heart rate for my age, which is 51(bpm), and my heart rate climbs to between 155 and 165 while I’m striding and I keep it there for up to around 20 minutes before backing off. For you it will be different and you may have to back off earlier - back off to 50% and recover. Then keep repeating the process…all the way home.

When I get home - after a bit of stretching and some hydration – I have a shower and have a small glass of warm (high protein) unsweetened ‘Soya milk’ and a sandwich before leaving to work at 7:30am.

11:30am – Lunch. I usually have Pizza and a large green salad with boiled egg in it for lunch.

5:20pm – Back home. I usually grab a Snickers Bar at the station and have it on the way home. When I get home I have a spoonful of virgin coconut oil, which helps burn fat as well as increasing energy expenditure - but this is a personal choice – it’s a helpful little trick I learned from the Samoan rugby sevens squad.

6:00pm – On your bike. Once again try and do the same as the morning. 20 miles a day is not too much, but if you feel it’s too much to push in intervals, then you can take it a little easy. Try and pace yourself at about 60% of max for your entire ride. Don’t overdo, you are not trying to compete in a grand tour, just lose weight and increase your pace.

As you lose weight your pace, endurance and climbing ability will increase. This is a given, so don’t worry about breaking records right now.

7:00pm – Home. You should be back in an hour.

8:00pm – Dinner. Here you want to forget about low-carb bollocks and make sure you consume 10g of carbs per 10kg of bodyweight (if you want to be a healthy cyclist). I’m 82kg and 6ft tall, and consume around 80g of pasta, rice or potatoes as staple, with grilled chicken breasts, grilled fish, chicken curry, chilli con carne with lean mince and lots of kidney (red) beans, etc. You can also remove the lean mince and eat soya meat if you prefer. Look up some healthy pasta/rice recipes you like. Refrain yourself from fatty pork, sausages and all that’s processed. Always add a salad.

After dinner have a bit of chocolate and coffee…it will help your muscles recover while you sleep.

9:30pm - Bedtime.

Now, before anybody starts picking holes in this plan let me tell you that this is what works for me. I have tried to explain my plan without using technical scientific jargon like “reduce long-string saturated fats” because most people don’t know or care about what those are in the first place. If you feel you have a better plan, please share it. Thanks.

Also, check out brianmac.co.uk and topendsports.com for a wealth of information you can use to become fitter and faster.

I wish you success and hope you pull it off.

I used the MyFitnessPal App to shed 3.5 stone and over a year later I have kept the weight off. I think that it just got me into good habits. Eat a little less and exercise a lot more.

Best diet is to cut out all the cr@p, which means refined carbs (including alcohol) and hidden (processed) fat.

Do that. Ride your bike. And the weight will drop off. Then you can start to think in more detail about recovery food etc.

At 5' 7" and > 200lbs initial weight loss should be easy. Analyse what you did wrong to get to that weight in the first place.

'Calories in calories out would work if we were sealed calorimeters without feedback loops and such, but we're not. '

shhh. Don't come round here with your common sense and facts and experience gained from many years coaching Olympic athletes.

I was in a similar situation to the OP (5'7" and 229lbs) until June this year, when I realised I had to do something to shift the weight ahead of RideLondon.

By the day of RideLondon, I'd dropped 31lbs and managed to complete the ride without any issues, which I was pretty bloody happy with.

Along the way, I realised for me that the key to weight loss is mainly diet. I love cooking and I treated myself to nice meals, but the portions were too large and the balance of carbs vs fat vs protein was all wrong.

I chose to sign up to a meal delivery service and having researched a few, I chose JanePlan, which when I signed up had just been given a glowing review in a comparison test run by The Good Housekeeping Institute, so I couldn't go wrong! A four week program delivered breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack and dinner. On top of that, I bought skimmed milk and 0% yoghurt, plus fresh fruit and veg, totalling an additional £15 or so a week.

I ate smaller portions of meat and carbs, but hugely increased the amount of fresh veg and fruit. I was eating around 1400-1600 calories a day and it really worked for me. I also cut back on the alcohol.

As for the performance side of things, I joined my local club and went on club runs, where they both helped me get used to the miles but also pushed and encouraged me to go faster and further in my riding. They also taught me how to ride in a group and how to draught!

Of course, this is just my experience, but it certainly worked for me!

Have a read of Gary Taubes book, "why we get fat and what to do about it?" It was a real eye opener to me. There is also an Emglish doctor called Briffa who has written a couple of books on the subject. Check out his website. Do your research then make your own mind up.

Personally, I'm high carb, low fat - diet is predominantly fruit, veg, salads, brown rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, no meat, no dairy. Works great for weight management and for fuelling the cycling. But, I can understand most people not wanting to go down this route.

On the other had, high fat / low carb has its followers, but again, it is quite extreme (especially if followed properly as protein needs to be limited to a low level for this to work long-term).

Paleo seems like quite a broad brush - I know some people who claim to be Paleo whilst eating a Big Mac (they leave the bun!). True Paleo should be very high in fruit n veg, with smaller quantities of quality lean meat, no dairy, no grains.

Or, you can just go for the standard Western diet!

But, the main thing (as others have said), to lose weight you need to put your body in a calorie deficit. Therefore, download an app onto your phone to help count calories - there are loads out there. Eat normally for a few days, and enter everything into the app to get the total calories for the day (including drinks, and any fuel taken whilst cycling / exercising). After a few days calculate your average daily normal calorie intake. Then, set a daily limit which is 20% less than this. After 1 week, check if weight is dropping. If not, then cut a further 10%, and so on. Aim to lose between 2 & 3 pounds per week initially, dropping to between 1 & 2 per week as you get leaner.

Oh - and drink LOTS of water - you'll be surprised how much weight is water retention (If you are dehydrated a lot your body will retain water - i.e. you're in survival-mode. When you are constantly fully hydrated your body will start releasing the retained water). Plus, it's good for you. Also, if you usually drink soda or juice, replace these drinks with pure water and you're already dropping calories!

'Eat less, exercise more' has only a 5% success rate long term. Calories in calories out would work if we were sealed calorimeters without feedback loops and such, but we're not. Eat differently, exercise differently is more effective. Organise both to reduce hunger, start the day so that your body prefers fat as fuel. Ignore the foods that contribute to weight gain, just don't buy them, don't go where they're sold - you must know what lifestyle made you overweight and unfit? Try doing the opposite.

In general train like f**k.

Guys that train a lot (12, 14 hours a week, even more) are almost always skinny bastards. There's a reason for that.

One specific thing you could do is to cycle first thing in the morning for an hour and a half or so. Have nothing more than a cup of tea. You will be eating into fat stores that way. Boxers do this as they approach a competition to keep their weight in check (although they run mostly and not cycle - same principle though).

Take an energy bar with you in case you get the hunger knock.

Have a light breakfast when you return (cereal or tea and toast).

If you eat three meals a day , eat 5 smaller meals instead. You won't feel hungry and snack on rubbish. Don't eat after 6pm, drink water to put off hunger pangs

Give up beer.

And Wine.

Take Shane Sutton's advice - "If you want to lose weight, be prepared to feel hungry"
Cut back your meal portions by just 1/4 BUT cut out any snacking between meals.
Job done.

Cycling faster is a different question, but light weight helps EVERYWHERE.

Be aware that your impression of what is a "normal meal" is probably not, otherwise you wouldn't have put on so much weight.
A flatmate of mine went on a "just 1 meal a day" diet. Fine, except that his one meal was piled so high on the plate that it would have fed the other 3 of us!

READ BETWEEN THE LINES:

Fit your nutrition around your activity levels: HIT days require more cals than rest days and so on.

Even though I don't agree with many of the Crossfit methodologies' I was involved with them from 2000 and disassociated myself from them a number of years later due to professional differences. However I still hold with much of the nutritional methodology.

The CrossFit dietary prescription is as follows:
Protein should be lean and varied and account for about 30% of your total caloric load.
Carbohydrates should be predominantly low-glycemic and account for about 40% of your total caloric load.
Fat should be predominantly monounsaturated and account for about 30% of your total caloric load.
Calories should be set at between .7 and 1.0 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass depending on your activity level. The .7 figure is for moderate daily workout loads and the 1.0 figure is for the hardcore athlete.

What Should I Eat?
In plain language, base your diet on garden vegetables, especially greens, lean meats, nuts and seeds, little starch, and no sugar. That's about as simple as we can get. Many have observed that keeping your grocery cart to the perimeter of the grocery store while avoiding the aisles is a great way to protect your health. Food is perishable. The stuff with long shelf life is all suspect. If you follow these simple guidelines you will benefit from nearly all that can be achieved through nutrition.

The Caveman or Paleolithic Model for Nutrition
Modern diets are ill suited for our genetic composition. Evolution has not kept pace with advances in agriculture and food processing resulting in a plague of health problems for modern man. Coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, obesity and psychological dysfunction have all been scientifically linked to a diet too high in refined or processed carbohydrate. Search "Google" for Paleolithic nutrition, or diet. The return is extensive, compelling, and fascinating. The Caveman model is perfectly consistent with the CrossFit prescription.

What Foods Should I Avoid?
Excessive consumption of high-glycemic carbohydrates is the primary culprit in nutritionally caused health problems. High glycemic carbohydrates are those that raise blood sugar too rapidly. They include rice, bread, candy, potato, sweets, sodas, and most processed carbohydrates. Processing can include bleaching, baking, grinding, and refining. Processing of carbohydrates greatly increases their glycemic index, a measure of their propensity to elevate blood sugar.

What is the Problem with High-Glycemic Carbohydrates?
The problem with high-glycemic carbohydrates is that they give an inordinate insulin response. Insulin is an essential hormone for life, yet acute, chronic elevation of insulin leads to hyperinsulinism, which has been positively linked to obesity, elevated cholesterol levels, blood pressure, mood dysfunction and a Pandora's box of disease and disability. Research "hyperinsulinism" on the Internet. There's a gold mine of information pertinent to your health available there. The CrossFit prescription is a low-glycemic diet and consequently severely blunts the insulin response.

Caloric Restriction and Longevity
Current research strongly supports the link between caloric restriction and an increased life expectancy. The incidence of cancers and heart disease sharply decline with a diet that is carefully limited in controlling caloric intake. “Caloric Restriction” is another fruitful area for Internet search. The CrossFit prescription is consistent with this research.
The CrossFit prescription allows a reduced caloric intake and yet still provides ample nutrition for rigorous activity.

There are two parts to the OPs question:
1: Improve performance
2: Lose weight

Everybody is answering 2, just assuming it will fix 1.

My first question is where do you need to improved your performance most:
1 Sprints up to 15 seconds
2 Short hard 2 to 5 minute efforts
3 Medium 10 to 30 minute efforts
4 Longer hour plus efforts

Because knowing where you want to improve impacts on diet choice and training.

You need to understand how your body works, how it fuels itself and how you monitor it. ie buy a heart rate monitor (or power meter)

If you need to improve in areas 1 to 3, you can not cut carbs out your diet, you can not afford to go into significant calorie deficit (ie more than 500 calories a day out more than in) As you need to train at that level, get your heart rate monitor, learn about zones and do 15 second Zone 7 interval for sprinting, 5 minute Zone 6 VO2max intervals for 5 minute or so efforts and 20 minute threshold sessions at zone 5 for longer.

If you want to get strong rider over an hour plus , then is long zone 3 rides with burn fat more than carbs, so you can afford significant (ie 500 calorie plus deficient diets).

So set your goals, where do you need to improve your performance, how do I need to fule my body. How do I decrease my energy intake sensibly.