Look at me, I am a Vegan! Can I persuade you to become one too?

[durianrider]

How to melt the body blubber and keep it off and eat all you want!

What are CN forum members tips for people wanting to keep the body blubber off and or reduce it?

For me, Ive found my diet has been the biggest factor. Sure ECA stackers and other stimulants work short term and at a sacrifice of long term health (hence why so many top athletes eventually chub right out ) but what have you's found as a longterm, healthy, sane and smart choices to maintain trim and fit longterm?

Please share your experiences this is mine.

Im 33, 6ft and 65kg plus or minus 10% and been that weight range for the last decade. It just depends if Im doing more bike racing or kick boxing etc.

As a personal trainer with my main focus on weight loss for my clients, I can honestly say that dieting NEVER works longterm. Sure anyone can starve for a bit but it never works lonterm. Even anorexics that dont die, mostly blow out in the end.

So what works in this western world where 70% of us are overweight? Time and time again we have proven that calories are not calories. Its not as simple as energy in, energy out. If you eat 4000cals a day from fast food you aint gonna look, feel and perform as good if you ate 4000cals a day from a low fat, high carb plant strong wholefoods diet? Everyone knows that but everyone forgets that unfortunately.

My advice to you would be to eat as much of your fav wholefood carbs as you care for. Cut out the oil, animal products and greasy foods that just add 'weight' to the body.You wont find a sumo wrestler that is on a low fat, high carb vegan diet!! Maybe thats a youtube vid I can do sometime..me spreading my plant strong propoganda to some sumo wrestlers that are laughing me out of the training den..

*Eat over 10g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per day.*Keep your fat & protein intake under 10% of total calories.

*Count your calories SO you get enough and dont starve yourself all the way to KFC or the steak house. If you want to be fit and trim for the rest of your life then you need to exercise and last time I heard, exercise burns up a lot of glycogen! So carb up and count them calories just like you count the litres of petrol in your car so you can go the distance..

*Drink enough water each day so your urine is clear. If its yellow or straw, you need to drink more. Aim for at least 10times a day clear urination and a few times a night. Get a fruit juice bottle and wee into that. Thats what the 'pros' do.

*Eat a low sodium diet. Its ironic that the people that cramp the most are the ones that eat the most sodium in their diet...just get any average jim or jane out on a hot day and they are cramps on wheels wait'n to happen.

Now just watch the body blubber and salt retention just melt away from your high carb, low fat healthy diet that ramps up the metabolism and helps you stay motivated for exercise as your glycogen stores are stocked each day. Nothing kills motivation quicker than dehydration and glucose exhaustion..

Remember the more fat we have, the less hydrated we will be as fat requires way less water than muscle. So if we are over fat, we are dehydrated for sure. Be easy on yourself and have big health plant strong feasts each day. Hungry people are low standards people when it comes to what they will shove in their gob.

Sure everyone knows the person that 'eats whatever' but behind closed doors they are on the edge or breakdown sadly. Look at all the longterm health and fitness freaks out there..they are always healthy diet focused..

What we eat is what we are..eat the best to feel the best and eat more to live more.

Your a big guy and trying to eat weight watchers junk will not work. Big wholefood carbs feeds each meal of your fav choices.

Read books by Dr McDougall for great simple tasty recipie and the medical science behind it. Dr Esselstyn has a book called 'heart attack proof' and his son Rip Esselstyn (http://www.engine2diet.com) also worked with Lance to help get him back to health. The solution is simple, so simple that many are shocked at the answer.

The fat we eat is the fat we wear and the carbs we eat is the glycogen we get to stay fit with..just look at how fat and unfit our carb phobic society is...

I know hundreds of people personally that have tried to cut back on the carbs and just lost all motivation for a longterm fitness lifestyle and just blown out big time. I know guys with ripped abs turn into beer guts and the hottest fit chicks become fat and frumpy. Its sad to see. Carb phobia doesnt work longterm but high carb, low fat plant strong eating habits do..

I walk my talk, I stay trim and fit all year round with no stimulants, appetite suppresants, crash diets or other techniques that some of my industry peers unfortunately must do cos their dietary choices fail em.

 

[redtreviso]

I've lost 30 lbs from 160 to 130 in a year.. I started avoiding big meals..cut way back on soft drinks. avoided sweets and ice cream or snacks. No drugs no salads..

 

[the big ring]

1. of course diet is the biggest factor. diet means "what you eat". if you did not "diet" (ie "eat") you would die. if you eat more calories than you burn, you get fat. if you eat less, you lose weight. it's really not rocket science.
2. ECA blah blah blah is not the reason top athletes chub out. diet is. and old age. your metabolism slows down as you age. your lifestyle changes. if you were a top athlete you can probably afford to eat good food - steak, fish, caviar, whatever else is good, to excess.
3. i am pretty sure i read somewhere you knew about physiology. so to profess that a beanpole ectomorph (6ft / 65kg) manages to stay skinny due to his diet seems incredibly disingenuous.

if i didn't know any better, i would say this thread is an excuse to espouse your vegan "religion".

the simple truths for healthy weight loss are:

a. eat a balanced diet
b. increase your metabolism
c. get good sleep
d. drink plenty of water

to increase your metabolism, the following work well:
* exercise
* increased lean muscle mass
* multiple, small meals / day
* multiple daily workouts. 6-12 hours apart seems to work well

when i got back into cycling after a bad accident i went from 200 lbs (91kg) to 165 lbs (75kg) @ 5'10" in 4 months by pegging my food intake and slowly increasing my exercise duration and intensity. i'm an endo mesomorph, so pecs are easy - i have them for free, getting rid of upper body muscle weight is nigh on impossible for me. diet is irrelevant in this.

 

[Greyhound Velo]

Just ride a lot. Back when I was racing* (anywhere from 2 to 5 days a week) I could eat anything I wanted and couldn't keep my weight level, much less gain any. I'd usually start the season at 170lbs and end it at 150, and this was while eating 5-6000 vegetarian (not vegan) calories a day. Nothing burns off weight faster than, well, burning it off!


*Unfortunately I'm now just a recreational cyclist that logs less than 100 miles a week, and I weigh 195 pounds . I really need to find more time to ride...

 

[Andrichuk]

I puke and starve myself.

Edit: Oh ya, lots of coke and cigarettes too.

 

[Boeing]

It's a good question for me because I have trouble counting calories when in full training mode. I am always a couple of bagels over a good weight

I just can never get a grasp of counting calories when I am in full ride mode/ Long ride require food and I eat after and the night before so I can go again. Counting calories in and out gets complicated especially when you are off the bike in the shower and out the door to work, no time to prepare wha you need to prepare. I know guys who weigh their food and spend hours cooking and prep. I can never do that

sure I cut alchoal and sugars someone told me to cut coffee but not sure how that helps

Losing true weight, not water weight, is difficult. I prefer to think in terms of leaning out first and weight will follow but it is slow and I maintain a lean weight if there is such a thing

I can lose weight in the off season easier than the on season.

Spinning at tempo to maintain base November through February seems to burn fat and I don't need to eat as much before during and after a ride. FOr what ever reason I just keep eating when I am going hard because I never want to have a bad day so I tend to stay the same weight

I think my down fall is the carbs. I tend to go for the easy carbs thinking I need them and will burn them anyway.

How does one get quality carbs that don't turn to sugar when they hit your tongue.

How do you tune out carbs when riding?

say you are lean like the guy above, how do you lose lean mass?

 

[S2Sturges]

I've lost 30 lbs from 160 to 130 in a year.. I started avoiding big meals..cut way back on soft drinks. avoided sweets and ice cream or snacks. No drugs no salads..

Could be something in that, I heard in radio interview with this guy who cut out fructose from his diet, not glucose or naturally occurring sugars and he had substantial weight loss, most of the items you mentioned are heavy on the fructose. Apparently too, one can get a pretty harsh withdrawal if you go on a fructose free diet, headaches, nausea the lot..

 

[tubularglue]

eat very little

as above no drugs no booze no snacks

varied diet so no insanity

 

[fatandfast]

Make friends with fruit. Eat oatmeal. Watch out for the sugar blues from loaded simple stuff like candybars,soda,ice cream it will make you feel awesome for 20 minutes. As long as the major components of meals are fruit and veg everything will work out. Don't get drunk and eat double downs and pizza. Have go to stuff in your fridge. Tabouli,Salad, pesto something ready so when you are hungry you have good choices at the ready

 

[redtreviso]

Could be something in that, I heard in radio interview with this guy who cut out fructose from his diet, not glucose or naturally occurring sugars and he had substantial weight loss, most of the items you mentioned are heavy on the fructose. Apparently too, one can get a pretty harsh withdrawal if you go on a fructose free diet, headaches, nausea the lot..

My worst offender was cokes....I had a coke for breakfast at a fast food restaurant and refilled it during the meal and then for the road.. That's like 500-600 calories for breakfast alone in cokes. I might do the same at dinner..I started ordering water at sit down restaurants to avoid them refilling it 1000 calories worth. I started adding up my calories intake in cokes for a week and it was astronomical..Now I might have one 8oz a day 90 calories. I do need some of the sugar but if I am ever going to lose 8 more pounds I will look to cut more of it out.

When I said no drugs I meant no weight loss drugs..Sounded like no drugs as in no street drugs but I don't do that either..no alcohol either..Alcohol slows metabolism.. Many moderate drinkers will always be 10 lbs overweight completely due to their alcohol consumption.

 

[Polyarmour]

I'm 6ft1 and 80kgs but I used to be 100kgs. To lose the weight I pulled every trick in the book. I rode 6 days a week, measured and weighed my food, ate 6 times a day, drank before every meal, never allowed myself to get hungry, no alcohol, avoid parties, etc etc. Something else I read which worked for me is to stick to boring bland foods. Tasty foods stimulate the appetite to eat more. I'm still losing weight and I think I'd like to stop around 75kgs. The bike has been central to the weight loss though, without it I'd still be fat.

Oh and no tuna melts or triple baconators.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/lifesty...food-meals-in-us/story-e6frfhk6-1225903266006

 

[180mmCrank]

My tip: I bought some digital scales... it was very motivating I could see every gram drop off.

There are lot's of good tips above and to be honest it depends how much effort you want to make. The bottom line is if you eat less and cycle more you'll lose weight. Keeping it off is more about developing good eating habits... you don't want to have to live like a monk for ever!

 

[fatandfast]

Pubs and bars are a good place to find out about weight loss. Go on a short ride and end up at a pub with outdoor seating. If people are displeased to see you in your kit..keep cutting the calories.digital scales are cool but the approving look of some area women is much more motivating . 1 weiss beer fits into any diet

 

[Elegant Degenerate]

It's not rocket science. Once you start paying attention to what you're eating, then you're 95% of the way there (if you continue to do so long term).

When we've had food pyramids (however imperfect) shoved down out throats our entire lives, I wonder how some people are so clueless.

I'd be wary of any diet that completely cuts out something (unless it's something really bad soft drink, fast food, alcohol, etc., but even those in moderation won't be a huge setback).

-- Just do the right thing most of the time --

If you say you don't know what that is, I don't really believe you (if you've just come out of a coma, into which you fell the day you were born, or are american, do a google search for food pyramid). And if you find that this isn't working, either give it more time or redefine your definition of 'most of the time'.

There's a saying I like: 'only eat what you're grandmother would recognise as food'; translation: eat minimally processed foods. I think that's a pretty good place to start.

Losing that last bit of weight, to take you to what most of the general public would consider underweight (though, I would think this is the vast minority), however, particularly for (amateur) endurance athletes is a slightly different issue; but even then, the same methodology would get you there (albeit, perhaps requiring a little more discipline and attention to specific quantities).

 

[2beeDammed]

Every one knows that to loose weight you must consume less calories than you burn (or burn more than you consume).
If you can't loose weight it simply gets down to two things:

1. Discipline, that is to control the calories you consume.

or

2. Motivation, that is the motivation to burn the calories.

So take the time to think which applies to you situation and focus on that.

 

[durianrider]

1. of course diet is the biggest factor. diet means "what you eat". if you did not "diet" (ie "eat") you would die. if you eat more calories than you burn, you get fat. if you eat less, you lose weight. it's really not rocket science.
2. ECA blah blah blah is not the reason top athletes chub out. diet is. and old age. your metabolism slows down as you age. your lifestyle changes. if you were a top athlete you can probably afford to eat good food - steak, fish, caviar, whatever else is good, to excess.
3. i am pretty sure i read somewhere you knew about physiology. so to profess that a beanpole ectomorph (6ft / 65kg) manages to stay skinny due to his diet seems incredibly disingenuous.

if i didn't know any better, i would say this thread is an excuse to espouse your vegan "religion".

the simple truths for healthy weight loss are:

a. eat a balanced diet
b. increase your metabolism
c. get good sleep
d. drink plenty of water

to increase your metabolism, the following work well:
* exercise
* increased lean muscle mass
* multiple, small meals / day
* multiple daily workouts. 6-12 hours apart seems to work well

when i got back into cycling after a bad accident i went from 200 lbs (91kg) to 165 lbs (75kg) @ 5'10" in 4 months by pegging my food intake and slowly increasing my exercise duration and intensity. i'm an endo mesomorph, so pecs are easy - i have them for free, getting rid of upper body muscle weight is nigh on impossible for me. diet is irrelevant in this.

Good to hear on your progress champ, what are you weighing today?

Genetically a bean pole? Tell that to my brother (same mother and father) that is 95kg and has a budda belly.

 

[durianrider]

I remember I was talk'n with Cadel after a race once and he started drinking this bottle of brown stuff. I said 'you forget to change the water filter or something? what is that!'

Cadel said 'Its a carb drink to kickstart the glycogen process'. I was like 'glycogen? what is that?' and did my own homework. That was in 2001.

In 2000 I asked Stuart Ogrady what is the most important thing in the TDF. Stu said 'Hydration, cos if you get dehydrated just one day, your not gonna be recovered enough to be on top of your game for the rest of the tour..'

In 2003 I took out ONCE for a week training. I got to eat with them a lot. I saw IGDG reading the back of everything he ate. I asked an english speaking rider what he was doing. He said 'Why eat fat if you want to burn fat? eat carbohydrates so you can keep training to burn off the fat..'

In the last decade Ive riden with the riders, talked with the coaches etc and made some youtube vids about it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5HjL7yMc_U

Ive not met a top rider that doesnt know how many calories they are eating each day, when to eat and how much per hour to eat racing. (1g of carb per kg of bodyweight). They dont leave it up to chance. Im lazy, I just steal the good info rather than learning the hard way.

 

[daviel]

For me, no soft drinks, no or very little bread or rolls, nothing else white except cauliflower, no white rice - wild rice is ok; very little red meat; no sugar; main thing smaller portions. no alcohol (I do not drink anyway). I think the smaller portions are the real key. I just started on a 25-30 lbs. weight loss program

 

[Boeing]

Question for the experts. Lets assume someone is lean and at a good weight.

I have figured out how to lose the excess weight put on over holidays or beer etc.

How does one go about losing mean mass and maintain strength. Say if you wanted to lose another 10 to compete in the hills....

 

[Fieldsprint]

Every one knows that to loose weight you must consume less calories than you burn (or burn more than you consume).
If you can't loose weight it simply gets down to two things:

1. Discipline, that is to control the calories you consume.

or

2. Motivation, that is the motivation to burn the calories.

So take the time to think which applies to you situation and focus on that.

Unfortunately, it's not quite that simple. Study fructose metabolism in the liver, as compared to glucose or sucrose, and you will see what I mean.

If I were trying to lose body fat, rather than asking a professional rider/coach/physician, I would make it my new hobby to study and understand the inner workings of the endocrine system. Of course it's more work, but once you understand the role of insulin, and leptin (to name just two of the major players), what Cadel or any other statistical outlier does becomes irrelevant.

Additionally, read up on sleep hygiene and stress management techniques. Both are often given lip service in regards to health, but can actually have profound effects on whether the body gives up the fat or not.

Finally, mix in some reading on evolutionary biology and paleoanthrolopology in regards to human nutrition to see whether evolution has caught up with what many people regard as a 'good diet.'

You will probably be surprised.

Oh, and my body fat? Probably around 6%.

 

[Tapeworm]

...Oh, and my body fat? Probably around 6%...

Is that calipers/digital scales/other mumbojumbo fat of 6%? Or a dexa scan 6%?

If the former - it WILL be higher. If the later... NICE!

 

[durianrider]

Bike touring/commuting/training tips.

Here are some Ive typed out on my blog, feel free to add yours.


Ive cycled all over 170 000 as a vegan, have cycled all over the globe and am currently racing Div 1 and my advise is:

*Drink a litre of water before breakfast each morning.

*Drink enough water during the day so our urine is clear and at least 10times a day. If its yellow or straw, we need to drink more.

*Eat unlimited amounts of your fav carb sources. Be it rice, potatoe, corn, millet,pasta etc. Snack every hour or 2 on something high carb, low fat like butter/marg free jam sandwichs, dried fruit, fresh fruit. Carb up to keep up. Many people undereat carbs and get heaps of fatty stuff and then wonder why motivation drops. Its all about keeping daily glycogen stocks high. Real high! I find that fruit is the ultimate fuel before, during and after exercise so thats my staple everyday of the year.

*Eat 10g of carbs per kg of bodyweight as a daily minimum. Even on recovery days. When exercising for over 1hr, eat 1g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per hour.

*Keep fatty greasy food away and keep high carb meals in bucket sized bowls to stay.
High carb,low fat vegan/fruit based raw vegan diets best serve athletic function.

*Set up camp before sundown so you can make sure your not camping on an ants nest and get a wake in fright response at 2am. I like to sleep in really natural settings away from drunks. Ive talked with Heinz Stucke in Belgium 2003 and in 23 years of cycle touring he has never had one issue camping out. He says 'I camp where nobody goes..'.

*Mark your seat post and handle bars to make sure they dont slip over time and give you knee/back issues. Use a white out pen.

*Get fitted up before you go by a good bike fitter. Use the white out pen again. Mark your cleats too if your using clip less pedals.

*If your riding a mountain bike, get some 'ergon grips'.

* Slap a mirror your bike. I use my uber light race bike with a bob trailer or carradice 'slim' depending on the trip. Mirrors are handy when you are wearing ear phones and listening to tony robbins over and over. It aint aero but its safe.

*Get out the saddle every few minutes for a few seconds to let blood flow be proper. I learnt this riding from Adelaide to Perth. Its 2800km and virtually flat for 2100km of it.

Your gonna have moments when you want to scream. 99% of the time this is cos we are undercarbed/dehydrated/underslept. So when we want to freak out, just carb/drink and rest up for an hour. Cry if you have too, but dont let it get in the way of eating more carbs, drinking more water or having a nap.

*Remember that they call head winds head winds cos its just in your head how you decide to feel about them. I see a stiff head wind as a fitness builder vs a day wrecker . Its just a choice in the moment.

*Remember that the journey is the gift, not the destination.

*Remember that happieness is ONLY experienced in the present moment. Not when you get some food, not when the rain stops, not when stop for the day..happieness is just a choice in the moment and only experienced NOW!

*Get heaps of rest. Eat lots of carbs before your hungry, drink water before your thirsty. Take lots of photos. Talk to lots of people. Make days to remember the rest of your life. Be in the moment. Be nowhere on the road to nowhere.

 

[craig1985]

It might be cheaper to buy a banana plantation instead

 

[durianrider]

Question for the experts. Lets assume someone is lean and at a good weight.

I have figured out how to lose the excess weight put on over holidays or beer etc.

How does one go about losing mean mass and maintain strength. Say if you wanted to lose another 10 to compete in the hills....

I can climb well cos I climb a lot. We must train specifically to how we want to perform. Sprinters sprint, climbers climb.

 

[durianrider]

We went to Ecofarms organic wholesaler in Brisbane today and got 7 13kg boxes of bananas for 7:50$ each. They aint even close to being ripe though and we have got em sitting in the van to speed up the process and a few in the house to stagger the ripening so we have ripe bananas for every day over the next fortnight.