Weight Loss the lazy way... couple of questions

A light bike doesn't replace good fitness.

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Shiversolitude
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Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2011 5:54 am

by Shiversolitude

Im currently about 215 pounds @ 6'1" tall 31 years old. I would like to drop about 20 or 30 pounds preferably 30. However between work, wife, kid, and another kid on the way Im not going to have the time to put in a huge workout schedule.

Ive started commuting to work every day, which is about a half hour ride each way. I was also going to try and get in another 1-3 rides per week of an hour or two each if possible. I really dont feel like doing weight training, or going to the gym... Ive been there and done that before and kind of just burned out on it. I also hate running. So Im being realistic and saying Im either going to get my excersize in from kayaking, or riding... two things I actually enjoy.

So Im wondering, how many calories should someone my size be taking in each day. Also is the amount of excersize Im getting going to be sufficient to induce any weight loss or am I going to need to do some huge calorie cuts to compensate.

Years ago I used to ride 7 days a week, 250+ miles a week. Never had a problem keeping in shape then but I just dont have the time to do that anymore. Any advice would be appreciated.

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voodoojar
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by voodoojar

Sometimes it's hard to make time but I love riding so I make the time. I don't know if you take lunch at your job but I run hill intervals for an hour at lunch 3 days a week or if I'm feeling extra energized I'll hit the park and have a 1 man cyclocross race. The other 2 days a week I do core exercise in the gym. Combining that with riding to and from work everyday 25 mile round trip gets most of my training sorted. Also eat less bad food.

kevinkalis
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by kevinkalis

Stop making excuses. There's no reason you can't lose weight without any exercise involved. Eat less than your body needs and you'll lose weight. Incidentally, maintenance kcals for you would be ~3200kcal/day so you should be aiming for about 600kcal/day less than that.

Eating less saves valuable time too, which gives you more time for training. Simple.
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Do you suffer more when you train, or cannot train?

rustychain
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by rustychain

Stop eating processed foods. Learn to cook. No time? Cook multiple meals on Sunday and use them during the week. Find an activity you like and do it. The hard part is getting off the sofa. Find a training partner to keep motivated. Make realistic goals and tell people about them. If you have a bad day don't dump on yourself. Start over and make the next day good. When you eat be mindful, eat slow and taste your food. No food while watching TV. Ask yourself what triggers your eating. For example do you eat when bored? Upset? Stressed? Eat a good breakfast.
I bet you already knew this but you asked
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Shiversolitude
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Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2011 5:54 am

by Shiversolitude

obviously I know that eating less + excersizing more = more weight loss.

Im kind of wondering how many calories Ill need to cut to start making more of a difference. I simply CANNOT make the time to get out and ride more than I stated already. My wife is ready to kill me already for the time I am away from home, and with another kid on the way Im not going to be riding more than I am now.

metanoize
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Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 5:53 am

by metanoize

Shiversolitude wrote:obviously I know that eating less + excersizing more = more weight loss.

Im kind of wondering how many calories Ill need to cut to start making more of a difference. I simply CANNOT make the time to get out and ride more than I stated already. My wife is ready to kill me already for the time I am away from home, and with another kid on the way Im not going to be riding more than I am now.



Maintenance: 2731 Calories/day
Fat Loss: 2185 Calories/day
Extreme Fat Loss: 1720 Calories/day

rustychain
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by rustychain

Your approach is misguided. Counting calories does not mean your eating healthy. Specific calorie projections also require more information then you give to be valid and fluctuate with activity levels

Diets don't work Follow the steps I suggest and you will loose weight. A change in lifestyle does work in both the short term and more importantly the long term. Read up on the glycemic index!

FYI I'm a certified health and nutrition councilor.
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majklnajt
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by majklnajt

paleo diet

astardotcom
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by astardotcom

Do some H.I.I.T workouts right when you wake up. I love doing Tabata sprints which are 20 seconds of work/10 seconds of rest x 8 but if you hate running, replace sprints with burpees.

After that, just ride whenever you have time.

Oh, make sure you eat right as well.

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strobbekoen
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by strobbekoen

100% agree with rusty.
You can't just give someone a number of kcals based on this info..
Also, starving yourself creates a yoyo effect. You'll gain even more weight if you fall back to eating more again.
You gained weight because your lifestyle has changed over the years from very active to normal activity but didn't adjust the calories you take in, and/or the kind of food you eat.

Slowpoke
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by Slowpoke

I certainly understand about balancing your exercise time with home life. What I did when my kids were young was find ways to exercise while playing with them. I used to pull my 2 kids around in thier wagon, getting in 2-4 miles of walking pulling that wagon. They loved it, I got a good workout, and it gave the wife time to herself, which went a long way to her accepting the time I did spend on the bike. I also had a spare cheap bike that I put a child carrier on. Climbing hills with a kid in tow really helped my climbing abilities!

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jmilliron
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by jmilliron

Black coffee, baby carrots and a little HTFU.
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Shiversolitude
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Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2011 5:54 am

by Shiversolitude

Slowpoke wrote:I certainly understand about balancing your exercise time with home life. What I did when my kids were young was find ways to exercise while playing with them. I used to pull my 2 kids around in thier wagon, getting in 2-4 miles of walking pulling that wagon. They loved it, I got a good workout, and it gave the wife time to herself, which went a long way to her accepting the time I did spend on the bike. I also had a spare cheap bike that I put a child carrier on. Climbing hills with a kid in tow really helped my climbing abilities!


Yeah Im going to get a trailer for my kid so I can take him with me when I ride. That should help.. give me a reason to get out and ride more and still stay out of trouble with the wife because itll free her time up some when I take the kid.

As far as calories and food type etc... yeah I know its a lot more involved than just x number of calories.. but I was just looking for a ballpark figure. Im gonna try and cut out all the crap from my diet and then start counting cals.

shotgun
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by shotgun

I was about your age when I my wife was expecting our daughter. I gained close to 25lbs during that time. I lost most of it doing stuff off the bike (while riding about 100miles on weekends only), more specifically running. 30mins 4 times week. Lost it 25 in under 6 months coupled with no drastic changes in my food intake except maybe choosing healthier food.

Good luck.
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by Weenie


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Jameslee92
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Joined: Thu Sep 02, 2010 5:54 pm

by Jameslee92

jmilliron wrote:Black coffee, baby carrots and a little HTFU.


You ride 400 miles a week and are barely old enough to pee standing up. You could subsist exclusively on Ben and Jerry's and still maintain the build of a meth addict. STFU. :D

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