Discussion
OneDs said:
Can you clarify what you mean by intensive interval training.
I think you'd struggle to achieve an intensive interval workout on a bike unless you found a 1km 10% climb and went up and down it as many times as you could in 30mins.
Normal cycling, even quite hard isn't intensive.
Of course.Short bursts of very intense,high heart rate exercise followed by a recovery period.A typical interval training/HIIT (same thing,modern jargon) programmeI think you'd struggle to achieve an intensive interval workout on a bike unless you found a 1km 10% climb and went up and down it as many times as you could in 30mins.
Normal cycling, even quite hard isn't intensive.
would be warm up 10 mins,then 5x2 mins intense,each fast period followed by 3 mins slow recovery =25 minutes of 5 intervals.Obviously you can play with this.
TBH though you're right,not easy to do cycling outside..but easy on a stationary bike.
Best thing for weightloss on a bike outdoors is long and intense,but you can play with this a bit.
OneDs said:
Can you clarify what you mean by intensive interval training.
I think you'd struggle to achieve an intensive interval workout on a bike unless you found a 1km 10% climb and went up and down it as many times as you could in 30mins.
Normal cycling, even quite hard isn't intensive.
Try to break the hour for a 25 and you will feel intensive! I think you'd struggle to achieve an intensive interval workout on a bike unless you found a 1km 10% climb and went up and down it as many times as you could in 30mins.
Normal cycling, even quite hard isn't intensive.
Weight 1 = 200 pounds
Weight 2 = 280 pounds
Weight 3 = 225 pounds
Diet A = Breakfast of beans on toast (reasonably often with a couple of pieces of bacon), lunch of soup & baguette, evening of several pints and a Burger King supper. Repeat with great regularity & more lager at the weekend, along with kebab/pizza and the like.
Diet B: Breakfast = bowl of cereal, lunch = healthy salad type thing, evening meal = mix of stuff of around 400 cals (plus a treat), plus a few whisky & diet pops at the weekend (possibly a few too many). Occasional big night on the lager
Diet C: Brekkie = bowl of cereal, lunch = typical sandwich (with a healthy bias) and a packet of crisp, or, the occasional soup as well, evening meal = more sarnies & second packet of crisp. Weekend brings a few shandies and then a few tinnies on return from driving to the boozer. Occasional big night out on the lager.
Levels of exercise generally similar - i.e. not much. Also, for the obvious point, 1 isn't A etc.
Weight 2 = 280 pounds
Weight 3 = 225 pounds
Diet A = Breakfast of beans on toast (reasonably often with a couple of pieces of bacon), lunch of soup & baguette, evening of several pints and a Burger King supper. Repeat with great regularity & more lager at the weekend, along with kebab/pizza and the like.
Diet B: Breakfast = bowl of cereal, lunch = healthy salad type thing, evening meal = mix of stuff of around 400 cals (plus a treat), plus a few whisky & diet pops at the weekend (possibly a few too many). Occasional big night on the lager
Diet C: Brekkie = bowl of cereal, lunch = typical sandwich (with a healthy bias) and a packet of crisp, or, the occasional soup as well, evening meal = more sarnies & second packet of crisp. Weekend brings a few shandies and then a few tinnies on return from driving to the boozer. Occasional big night out on the lager.
Levels of exercise generally similar - i.e. not much. Also, for the obvious point, 1 isn't A etc.
johnxjsc1985 said:
How did you get to 16stone 8lbs if your diet is ok ? talking from experience its a worthwhile exercise to wwrite down everything you eat and drink for a week or so.You might be surprised by your intake.
Think harder, from lots of experience! Age, metabolism, what you consume & doubtless other factors play a strong part. However much some will preach a totally linear relationship between size, consumption and movement, I'd suggest forever and a day that things are a touch less clear cut. Not just from my own experience either.robsti said:
OneDs said:
Can you clarify what you mean by intensive interval training.
I think you'd struggle to achieve an intensive interval workout on a bike unless you found a 1km 10% climb and went up and down it as many times as you could in 30mins.
Normal cycling, even quite hard isn't intensive.
Try to break the hour for a 25 and you will feel intensive! I think you'd struggle to achieve an intensive interval workout on a bike unless you found a 1km 10% climb and went up and down it as many times as you could in 30mins.
Normal cycling, even quite hard isn't intensive.
Least of which the amount of anaerobic effort and lactic acid build up to make that one single effort even for a seasoned roadie would be not necessarily a complementary way to sustained weight loss.
As I said in the beginning increase your hour long ride to 2 hours over time, as someone else mentioned don't try and do 6/7 rides a week, 2 long & 2 shorter if you can fit them in would be more than adequate. Most of all enjoy it.
goldblum said:
That's not really true,as one effect of that type of training (intervals) will be a continued elevated heartrate and metabolism and so calorie burn for quite some time after
exercise has finished.Running at higher intensity burns less fat cals in favour of glycogen but more total calories are used,as I previously mentioned.
Hence the more intense the exercise the more calories burned,the better for slimming.
Staying in the fat burning zone -c.60% MHR- is the easiest way,but not the best or quickest way to burn calories.
I think, for someone starting out with a key focus on body fat burning it is true. The intensive sessions will push you to lactic threshold (tiring you quicker) and/or past fat burning far too quickly... With a core aim of fat loss and not just weight loss you want to keep as much muscle as possible not have the body screaming for energy and starting to decompose muscle tissue to get energy. A far better session would be a sustained session of cardio then if you really want a metabolism "boost" then weights at the end... Once you're on the journey and want some variation and the body is used to regular exercise again then introduce some intervals.exercise has finished.Running at higher intensity burns less fat cals in favour of glycogen but more total calories are used,as I previously mentioned.
Hence the more intense the exercise the more calories burned,the better for slimming.
Staying in the fat burning zone -c.60% MHR- is the easiest way,but not the best or quickest way to burn calories.
When I've looked on the net for stuff about HIIT vs. Maintained heart rate cardio there are still varying opinions, best way to do it is find what works for you to get your mind into it then try the various methods out to see what works for you and your body as we're all different... Basics are the same but after that you tune it to your body/lifestyle/goals
We seem to have strayed from the "I'm a bit of a porker and need to get some weight off" thread, to discussing the merits of interval training vs sustained effort, lactic threshold and the like. The OP probably would be better spending time establishing an exercise routine - ANY exercise routine - and tweaking his diet a bit. The rest comes later when he's got 2 to 3 stone off.
khushy said:
my advice - GET DIVORCED - when I did I lost 10KG in 3 months, was down the gym every day - squash every day - cycling every day - ate what I wanted to and (at 40) was the fittest I had ever been!
+1Although I didn't lose weight after divorce, I put it on.
I weighed what looked like an almost anorexic 12 1/2 stone when married, and 12 months after moving out, joining a gym and cycling 50 miles (commuting) per week, I went up to what colleagues and friends said was a very healthy looking 15 stone.
Pretty much stayed around that weight for the last 4 years, I'm feeling better than I've done in years (basically since before getting married).
Original Poster:
Eat regularly and don't deviate from times. Your body will otherwise react to this and store energy rather than using it, which could be stored as fat. If you wanted to put on weight, varying your food times is a good idea and one which is sometimes used by bodybuilders.
Better to 'graze' more often as mentioned above rather than three solid meals. This has the benefit of raising the metabolism and helping you burn calories.
Cycle isn't necessarily the best sport to lose weight. Whilst it's good, you should consider other excercises to help, along with your diet. 30 mins running 3x a week would be a very good start.
'Time' should be the aim rather than the distance in the beginning. Don't overdo it, make it sustainable but make sure your heart is getting a continued work out for the entire period. Mix it with medium and high intensity to utilise the two different energy stores e.g. fat and carbs so you're not running into a deficit.
If you want rapid gains then you'll need to be operating on a calorie deficit but first you'll speed up your metabolism with exercise so don't do anything drastic until your body gets used to things and you can see if the weight is shifting.
As you mentioned that you don't do much exercise only increase your distances by around 10% each week and take it easier on the 4th week - 'Rest Week' in order for your body to physiologically adapt to the exercise. By the end of the month you should feel pretty happy running 5km 3x a week, for example.
Eat regularly and don't deviate from times. Your body will otherwise react to this and store energy rather than using it, which could be stored as fat. If you wanted to put on weight, varying your food times is a good idea and one which is sometimes used by bodybuilders.
Better to 'graze' more often as mentioned above rather than three solid meals. This has the benefit of raising the metabolism and helping you burn calories.
Cycle isn't necessarily the best sport to lose weight. Whilst it's good, you should consider other excercises to help, along with your diet. 30 mins running 3x a week would be a very good start.
'Time' should be the aim rather than the distance in the beginning. Don't overdo it, make it sustainable but make sure your heart is getting a continued work out for the entire period. Mix it with medium and high intensity to utilise the two different energy stores e.g. fat and carbs so you're not running into a deficit.
If you want rapid gains then you'll need to be operating on a calorie deficit but first you'll speed up your metabolism with exercise so don't do anything drastic until your body gets used to things and you can see if the weight is shifting.
As you mentioned that you don't do much exercise only increase your distances by around 10% each week and take it easier on the 4th week - 'Rest Week' in order for your body to physiologically adapt to the exercise. By the end of the month you should feel pretty happy running 5km 3x a week, for example.
OP:
1) Portion control
Keep a diary of exactly what you eat for a month, then use an online guide (there are loads) to quickly spreadsheet your calorie intake. It's a big shock! Don't forget the 'hidden calories' Sugar in tea, butter on toast, that's where your calorie intake takes a hit. Then, build a sensible sustainable diet around it. I find that I can't do silly diets, I just have to eat less of the stuff I enjoy - hence why I cann it portion control. The first month of not exceeding 2,000 calories a day is hard, after that it gets easier. I took more time to cook really nice meals so I got the most benefit. Don't skip breakfast ,It's the most important meal of the day.
2) Build exercise into your daily routine, little bit first, then more. Cycling your commute is ideal if you can.
16 stone and 6ft is far from massive. A few months of graft and effort and you'll feel loads better and be much fitter.
1) Portion control
Keep a diary of exactly what you eat for a month, then use an online guide (there are loads) to quickly spreadsheet your calorie intake. It's a big shock! Don't forget the 'hidden calories' Sugar in tea, butter on toast, that's where your calorie intake takes a hit. Then, build a sensible sustainable diet around it. I find that I can't do silly diets, I just have to eat less of the stuff I enjoy - hence why I cann it portion control. The first month of not exceeding 2,000 calories a day is hard, after that it gets easier. I took more time to cook really nice meals so I got the most benefit. Don't skip breakfast ,It's the most important meal of the day.
2) Build exercise into your daily routine, little bit first, then more. Cycling your commute is ideal if you can.
16 stone and 6ft is far from massive. A few months of graft and effort and you'll feel loads better and be much fitter.
OneDs said:
robsti said:
OneDs said:
Can you clarify what you mean by intensive interval training.
I think you'd struggle to achieve an intensive interval workout on a bike unless you found a 1km 10% climb and went up and down it as many times as you could in 30mins.
Normal cycling, even quite hard isn't intensive.
Try to break the hour for a 25 and you will feel intensive! I think you'd struggle to achieve an intensive interval workout on a bike unless you found a 1km 10% climb and went up and down it as many times as you could in 30mins.
Normal cycling, even quite hard isn't intensive.
Least of which the amount of anaerobic effort and lactic acid build up to make that one single effort even for a seasoned roadie would be not necessarily a complementary way to sustained weight loss.
As I said in the beginning increase your hour long ride to 2 hours over time, as someone else mentioned don't try and do 6/7 rides a week, 2 long & 2 shorter if you can fit them in would be more than adequate. Most of all enjoy it.
WeirdNeville said:
good stuff about Portion control
To my mind no food should be taboo. That way lies resentment about not being "allowed" to eat X, Y or Z. Little things sometimes go a long way. e.g. don't have tons of crisps, biscuits, sweets in the house. Then you can't eat them. Never take a big bag of "treats" with you to the sofa. Take a handful / small bowl out the packet, and put the rest back. Then if you want some more you have to get up and fetch them. There is a pyschological effect to doing so. Put all the treats in a high cupboard - same rationale. Don't not eat these things, just make it a defnitive decision each and every time you do rather than sitting watching X-facor pigging your way through a pack of jammie dodgers. I did laugh at the comment about intervals on a bike.If you have ever done them properly your first one would probably have you passing out.
Finding a balance between food intake and exercise is difficult and lifestyle always has an effect ,not always positive.But keep on trying to add distance or intestity to your training and it will keep it fresh.
Finding a balance between food intake and exercise is difficult and lifestyle always has an effect ,not always positive.But keep on trying to add distance or intestity to your training and it will keep it fresh.
WeirdNeville said:
OP:
1) Portion control
Keep a diary of exactly what you eat for a month, then use an online guide (there are loads) to quickly spreadsheet your calorie intake. It's a big shock! Don't forget the 'hidden calories' Sugar in tea, butter on toast, that's where your calorie intake takes a hit. Then, build a sensible sustainable diet around it. I find that I can't do silly diets, I just have to eat less of the stuff I enjoy - hence why I cann it portion control. The first month of not exceeding 2,000 calories a day is hard, after that it gets easier. I took more time to cook really nice meals so I got the most benefit. Don't skip breakfast ,It's the most important meal of the day.
2) Build exercise into your daily routine, little bit first, then more. Cycling your commute is ideal if you can.
16 stone and 6ft is far from massive. A few months of graft and effort and you'll feel loads better and be much fitter.
Pretty much the method that worked for me - Eat less, Move about more.1) Portion control
Keep a diary of exactly what you eat for a month, then use an online guide (there are loads) to quickly spreadsheet your calorie intake. It's a big shock! Don't forget the 'hidden calories' Sugar in tea, butter on toast, that's where your calorie intake takes a hit. Then, build a sensible sustainable diet around it. I find that I can't do silly diets, I just have to eat less of the stuff I enjoy - hence why I cann it portion control. The first month of not exceeding 2,000 calories a day is hard, after that it gets easier. I took more time to cook really nice meals so I got the most benefit. Don't skip breakfast ,It's the most important meal of the day.
2) Build exercise into your daily routine, little bit first, then more. Cycling your commute is ideal if you can.
16 stone and 6ft is far from massive. A few months of graft and effort and you'll feel loads better and be much fitter.
I didn't change what I ate, just reduced all my portions by ~25%. Instant 25% calorie reduction. Coupled with a slightly more active lifestyle the weight just fell off.
I also with eating earlier in the day, for the simple reason of hunger management.
Hunger is nothing to do with calories, it is simply your bodies reaction to your stomach being empty. If you are reducing your food intake then until you get used to it, you'll end up feeling hungry if you aren't careful. The trick here is that you don't feel hunger while you are asleep, so spread your meals over the early part of the day (aiming to go to bed slightly peckish, therefore waking up ready for a decent breakfast) and you won't have to suffer.
Back to to original point of the topic, I find cycling a very good way to burn calories, but only if you put the hours in. If it is possible then try commuting by bike. I could never find the time to go for an hours ride every evening when I get home, but it's easy enough when I'd normally be spending that time in a car/train regardless.
dubbs said:
goldblum said:
That's not really true,as one effect of that type of training (intervals) will be a continued elevated heartrate and metabolism and so calorie burn for quite some time after
exercise has finished.Running at higher intensity burns less fat cals in favour of glycogen but more total calories are used,as I previously mentioned.
Hence the more intense the exercise the more calories burned,the better for slimming.
Staying in the fat burning zone -c.60% MHR- is the easiest way,but not the best or quickest way to burn calories.
I think, for someone starting out with a key focus on body fat burning it is true. The intensive sessions will push you to lactic threshold (tiring you quicker) and/or past fat burning far too quickly... With a core aim of fat loss and not just weight loss you want to keep as much muscle as possible not have the body screaming for energy and starting to decompose muscle tissue to get energy. A far better session would be a sustained session of cardio then if you really want a metabolism "boost" then weights at the end... Once you're on the journey and want some variation and the body is used to regular exercise again then introduce some intervals.exercise has finished.Running at higher intensity burns less fat cals in favour of glycogen but more total calories are used,as I previously mentioned.
Hence the more intense the exercise the more calories burned,the better for slimming.
Staying in the fat burning zone -c.60% MHR- is the easiest way,but not the best or quickest way to burn calories.
When I've looked on the net for stuff about HIIT vs. Maintained heart rate cardio there are still varying opinions, best way to do it is find what works for you to get your mind into it then try the various methods out to see what works for you and your body as we're all different... Basics are the same but after that you tune it to your body/lifestyle/goals
The intense sessions will NOT push you to the lactic acid threshold,if they do then you're doing it wrong! They are designed to be short enough to avoid this and allow you time to recover.
Threshold/Tempo training is another kind of training system altogether and is designed to keep the HR at c.70% MHR for up to c.40 minutes.
"with a core aim of fat loss and not just weightloss" ..what are you talking about? Losing water or muscle? You're not seriously suggesting 'intensive' sessions promote catabolism are you?
These training protocols are designed to produce the safest and most efficient range of improvement across a broad spectrum of athletic pursuits cycling,running,rowing etc.
BTW Always do weights followed by cardio,never the other way round.The benefits to your cardio are increased and it's safer.
20-30 mins in the 'fat burning zone' (c.60% MHR) =easiest way to burn fat.(as in least effort required.)
20-30 mins 'interval training' (c.70% MHR for the speed intervals,much less for recovery) =best way to burn most total cals,as HR stays elevated afterwards.(you don't have to be a professional athlete,it's just the difference to your HR between cycling fast or slow.)
HIIT is becoming increasingly popular for weightloss for the reason mentioned above it's just that people new to exercise don't really understand how it works.
dubbs - would you mind explaining what you mean by muscle tissue 'decomposing' to get energy?
Oh FFS!
The poor bloke just wants to get fitter and weigh less. Less food, more exercise will do this. He doesn't need to exercise in the absolutely most efficient way, he just needs to do something... Anything! Most important thing is that it's enjoyable and sustainable, or else he'll just go back to his old ways and it'll be 5 years before he tries again.
Too many frustrated sports scientists in this world...
The poor bloke just wants to get fitter and weigh less. Less food, more exercise will do this. He doesn't need to exercise in the absolutely most efficient way, he just needs to do something... Anything! Most important thing is that it's enjoyable and sustainable, or else he'll just go back to his old ways and it'll be 5 years before he tries again.
Too many frustrated sports scientists in this world...
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