Mountain Biking and Weight Loss?

Hey group, I'm an ex avid MTBer here and after a half decade hiatus I'm wanting to get back into this awesome sport. I bought a new bike, some gear, and have been hitting the trails here in Aliso HARD.

That brings me to my problem; In the past 10 years, after getting married, having kids, work and all, I've packed on about 40 extra lbs, and it really makes rocking the uphills a brutal affair. I'm well versed in basic physiology and get calories and all, but does anyone have any real stories of this sport and weight loss, or approximate timelines of when these runs I go on will get any easier?

Any similar stories would be great!

 

When I biked my weight was around 125-135. I haven't been on a bike in 3-4 months- my current weight is 155.

 

When I started riding 5 years ago I weighed 260. After less than two years or riding twice to three times a week and just cutting out the extra fast food. I got myself down to 205. After a winter of not getting to ride as much. I usually gain back 15 or so, then drop it again.

 

I probably lost around 15 lbs. in the first three months of riding , but that was maybe 5 or six years ago. Now I can pretty much eat anything and maintain my weight biking and surfing.

 

Wow, any particular challenges of riding at 260?

Did you find that on the steep ups, the other guys would whoop you?

 

It goes without saying that the more you ride, the easier the climbs will get. Stuff that seems daunting right now, you'll be able to do on auto pilot over time. If you are consistent with your riding and allow sufficient time between rides to recover, I'd be surprised if you haven't seen dramatic improvements in under a year from now.

The key is to stick with it, have patience, and don't get deterred by little setbacks

As for calories, I am a firm believer that if you burn more calories than you consume, you'll lose weight! Metabolism varies from person to person but if you eat a healthy, balanced diet and exercise regularly, you'll steadily lose the weight you've gained over the years. As with improving your riding skills, you have to achieve your weight loss objectives gradually; set yourself realistic goals.

Good luck with your plan and welcome back to the greatest sport on earth :beer:
PS. Since you used to ride a few years ago, it should take even less time for you to get your mojo on!

 

Thats why im BACK ON THE SADDLE! Ive lost total of 25 lbs in a month riding both bikes (dirt jumping and freeride DH).. yes I have paddled my nearly 40 lbs bike on some uphills at Syacmore Canyon in riverside.. it works!

 

25 lbs in a month? Dude are you eating? Well that's encouraging to hear but I think that's a little quick isn't it. (pssst, hey dude, hook me up with some of the stuff you're taking I want to drop a lb. per day too!)

 

i think the most important thing to help with weight loss is to monitor your heart rate. if you keep it in your target range you will burn the max amount of calories. if you need help with the ranges let me know.

 

From 180 lbs in April 2008 to 140 lbs by September 2008. About 7-8% body fat.

MTB on weekends and racing at every opportunity. Bought a road bike which I ride every day 2 hours after or before work (or after AND before work). Bought the Mountain Bikers Training Bible by Joe Friel. Found a USA Cycling certified coach (here on STR - his call sign is ZIPPY - and he's great!). Adopted a completely athletic lifestyle oriented around training and eating well (well actually life is oriented around my kids and work, but every other minute is all about the bike, no other hobbies or distractions).

Read Scott Tedro's story. Joined Team Shoair. Here's the story: http://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=3477

 

In my experience, the climbs get easier even without losing weight. If you have room to drop some poundage, it'll happen even faster.

But I hate to break it to you: the rides never get easier. You either go faster, further, or find a tougher trail.

 

:-s Stop scaring the newbies, vlad. :lol:

FWIW I'm thinking it's the road bike that's scary, not the every day bit. :?:

 

Wow what a story. That's inspiring to say the least. Thanks for sharing I have some thinking to do...

No I've been riding the road bike a few days a week too, and was worried about OVER training, but maybe won't be now and I'll hit it every day like he did. My route right now is a 23 mile loop with 500' feet in elevation change, and that's tough right now!

 

uuumm, when I first started riding, 3 years ago, I weighed 230...now I weigh 230. But I have pounded so many beers, burgers and burritos since then I cant even remember. The best part? I havent gained any weight!:lol:
Oh, :welcome:back to the best sport in the world!!

 

Heart rate

Just responding to the comment about target zone for heart rate. You want do what is called "HIIT" training so you can burn fat more effeciently. What you do is, you go 80-90% of your max heart rate for 20 seconds then back down to regular pedalling or at 70 % of your heart rate for a minute. Then back up again. These spikes cause massive energy requirements. Meaning fat for fuel. Do this for twenty minutes 3 times a week. At first it is gruelling as hell. In time it will pay off. You should work you r way up first and ask your doctor about it if you feel its too hard on you. If you want best results use weight training. It burns more calories than cardio because your muscles burn fat even after the workout is over. And clean up your diet. Oh ya get a heart rate monitor. Polar is best and it will record all you progress.

 

i have gone from close to 240lbs down to 155lbs. my weight came off in stages. first 25lbs or so came off fast. the weight since then has come off in chunks due to other changes in my lifestyle. cleaning up my diet = 20+ lbs and the final bit came off when my training changed.

5 years to go from 240lbs with moobs to 155lbs and totally ripped.

 

I don't want to sound gay or anything but do you have any before and after pics?

 

I hear the swine flu is the new rage for loosing weight. Everyone in Hollywood is trying to catch it.

 

I've been able to drop 15 lbs., from 215 to 200 with no dietary changes since I got more serious about my riding. The beginning is tough, there are no two ways about that. Once you're about a month into it, you find that the climbs that were tough in the beginning, aren't so tough anymore. I found a ride that I liked, that was easily accessible from my house, and repeated it. The ride itself gets boring, but being able to monitor my progress of being able to climb farther and faster is worth the monotony of repeating the ride.

I have a plan to take it to the next level, and it might be worth considering for yourself. I am now tracking my rides via a GPS and posting them on Geoladders. It gives me the ability to see how I'm doing versus the general population, and it shows me if I'm doing my route(s) fast or slower than I did previously. If you can afford it, there's a great deal on a Garmin 305 through Costco right now and that will give you everything you need to track your rides and your performance. If you happen to have a 3g IPhone, grab the Motion-X app. and that will give you most of what you need.

One more piece of advice from my own experience; find a riding buddy who's also into it. Many times I'm up for a ride and force him to join me, and many times he drags my butt out from the comforts of home when I wouldn't otherwise go.

When you finish your rides, take stock of where your mental state is. A huge benefit for me is the mood enhancement that accompanies a good, hard ride. Over time, the ego boost from dropping weight and feeling more fit will kick-in as well.

I'm currently in the process of having a new bike built, and when thinking about shaving a few grams off the build here and there, at usually major cost, I just think about the 15 lbs. that I took off of the build by dropping my own weight and put it all in perspective.

Best of luck to you.

 

Yeah, my high school buddy, who also has packed on some poundage in the past 10 years since, thought we should start undercooking the chicken at our bbq's in an attempt to catch salmonella. "That would get me shredded" he says!

Grinder, thanks for the info. I've been considering getting a 305 because I to am an information whore, but I've been worried about what people say about heavy vibration messing with the unit. My Stumpy is great and all, but it still rattles my teeth on the fast washerboard fire roads and I don't want to blow $250 on a computer that might break?

edit: wow, 179 for the 305! Maybe I will buy one, those things tell you estimated calories too right? I guess Costco's return policy is pretty stellar.