Weight Loss & Cycling - Help!!

[David Marsh]

[Interleaved quoting: please read to end for all comments] Peter B wrote in uk.rec.cycling: about:
Re: Weight Loss & Cycling - Help!!

> "Paul Rudin" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>> "Peter B" <[email protected]> writes:
>>
>> > My pet peeve is the amount of salt added some foods, why?
>>
>> It sells.
>
> Yes I know that you silly boy, but why is it my pet peeve?

Because you've been diagnosed with high blood pressure and told to cut down on your salt intake, and
you realise you can hardly eat anything unless you make it yourself from scratch? (As if many of us
have time to do that these days, sadly..)

--
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[Peter B]

"David Marsh" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >> "Peter B" <[email protected]> writes:
> >>
> >> > My pet peeve is the amount of salt added some foods, why?
>
> Because you've been diagnosed with high blood pressure and told to cut down on your salt intake,
> and you realise you can hardly eat anything unless you make it yourself from scratch? (As if many
> of us have time to do that these days, sadly..)

Part true. My blood pressure is "under investigation" <1> so yes, less salt may be better but in
fact for a long time I've felt my enjoyment of some foods was impaired by its' overdosing with salt.
But I still eat pretty much what I want and had cut down from several gallons (1 gallon = 4.55
litres approx) to a couple of mugs of coffee per day before the hypertension thing had reared its
head. Despite eating anything my cholesterol level is low and thanks to my active lifestyle, of
which cycling constitutes a fair bit, (back on topic, phew) my risk factors are low, more chance of
getting motored than a heart attack

<1> Blood pressure readings taken at the surgery are high but those taken at home are generally
below the level at which intervention is neccessary. Because of this my GP, bless him, has
referred me to a "Hypertension Clinic" at the local hospital which I'm attending in August. They
will fit me up with a 24 hour monitor as well as the usual taking of blood and ****.

Anyway, that's the story of my life. For anyone who's read this far I'm sorry to be a boring *******
and haven't you anything better to do?

Pete

 

[James Hodson]

On Wed, 30 Jul 2003 05:39:26 +0100, "Dave" <[email protected]> wrote:

>That'll be Rubenesque then James ?... We like Rubenesque......There used to be 2 large young ladies
>at work who became so much more attractive when I started describing them as Rubenesque....don't
>know why..One could almost imagine a Sid James type response rippling around the males in a room
>whenever they entered ;-)
>

LOL Rubenesque, indeed, Dave. I had a very quick Google but couldn't find a gallery of Ruben's
paintings. I wasn't too sure whether or not I was thinking of the correct artist, hence "Beautifully
rounded in the manner of a classical painting."

James

--
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/c.butty/Larrau.jpg

 

[David Marsh]

[Interleaved quoting: please read to end for all comments] Peter B wrote in uk.rec.cycling: about:
Re: Weight Loss & Cycling - Help!!

> Part true. My blood pressure is "under investigation" <1> so yes, less salt

Good luck..

> may be better but in fact for a long time I've felt my enjoyment of some foods was impaired by
> its' overdosing with salt.

This is true enough in any case. And when you consider that salt really is a Bad Thing, that the
manufacturers add so much is crazy: would they rather kill us or have us live longer and therefore
eat/buy more food? Duh.

> But I still eat pretty much what I want

Largely so do I, as my diet is generally pretty healthy, although I have a soft spot for crisps and
occasionally chips. *Must* cut down, nnggghhh..

> and had cut down from several gallons (1 gallon = 4.55 litres approx) to a couple of mugs of
> coffee per day before the hypertension thing had reared its head.

If you really were drinking bucketloads of coffee before, it might have been contributory. Still, a
little of what you fancy is what makes life worthwhile.. I'd rather have a shorter, happier life,
than a long miserable one, thanks (the first pills they put me on completely zonked me for weeks).

> Despite eating anything my cholesterol level is low and thanks to my active lifestyle, of which
> cycling constitutes a fair bit, (back on topic, phew) my risk factors are low, more chance of
> getting motored than a heart attack

Well, sort of likewise. If it wasn't for the cycling, I just wonder when I would suddenly have
fallen over otherwise.. Of course, if there were regular 'Well Man' clinics to balance 'Well Woman'
clinics, the bloody docs would have spotted this sooner. It's only because I changed docs that I got
spotted, what would have happened otherwise?

> Because of this my GP, bless him, has referred me to a "Hypertension Clinic" at the local hospital
> which I'm attending in August. They will fit me up with a 24 hour monitor as well as the usual
> taking of blood and ****.

Hooh, what fun (not really). Been there, done that. Well, apart from the 24 hour monitor bit. They
reckoned I was more than high enough for there to be no doubt :-( :-(

The Borg implant into your arm for blood samples on tap is an, umm, experience..

> Anyway, that's the story of my life. For anyone who's read this far I'm sorry to be a boring
> ******* and haven't you anything better to do?

Not right now. :-( They're still farting about to find pills and thrills that don't kill me, so
still not well enough to work (and too skint to do much else, including bike riding, as I can't
afford any repairs). Current pills have pretty heart logos on them, I guess I could make a fortune
flogging them off as e's to the gullible... ;-)

Hope it all works out ok for you,

David.

--
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[Peter Taylor]

I am another cyclist with high blood pressure - certainly I find cycling helps a lot to keep it
under control, and when I don't exercise I feel awful again, and then don't feel like exercise - a
viscious circle. Interested in the comments about feeling zonked on the tablets - I was on beta
blockers and it was like living life through bubble wrap - nothing was quite real. And resting pulse
rate fell from 60 to about 35, and I couldn't get it over
110. Which made for very odd feelings when cycling. Now on ace inhibitors and they work well.

And agree re salt and caffeine - much better sinc I cut down.

Regards

Peter Taylor

"David Marsh" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> [Interleaved quoting: please read to end for all comments] Peter B wrote in uk.rec.cycling: about:
> Re: Weight Loss & Cycling - Help!!
>
> > Part true. My blood pressure is "under investigation" <1> so yes, less
salt
>
> Good luck..
>
> > may be better but in fact for a long time I've felt my enjoyment of some foods was impaired by
> > its' overdosing with salt.
>
> This is true enough in any case. And when you consider that salt really is
a
> Bad Thing, that the manufacturers add so much is crazy: would they rather
kill
> us or have us live longer and therefore eat/buy more food? Duh.
>
>
> > But I still eat pretty much what I want
>
> Largely so do I, as my diet is generally pretty healthy, although I have a soft spot for crisps
> and occasionally chips. *Must* cut down, nnggghhh..
>
>
> > and had cut down from several gallons (1 gallon = 4.55 litres approx) to a couple of mugs of
> > coffee per day before the hypertension
thing
> > had reared its head.
>
> If you really were drinking bucketloads of coffee before, it might have been contributory.
> Still, a little of what you fancy is what makes life worthwhile.. I'd rather have a shorter,
> happier life, than a long miserable one, thanks (the first pills they put me on completely
> zonked me for weeks).
>
>
> > Despite eating anything my cholesterol level is low and thanks to my
active
> > lifestyle, of which cycling constitutes a fair bit, (back on topic,
phew) my
> > risk factors are low, more chance of getting motored than a heart attack

>
> Well, sort of likewise. If it wasn't for the cycling, I just wonder when I would suddenly have
> fallen over otherwise.. Of course, if there were regular 'Well Man' clinics to balance 'Well
> Woman' clinics, the bloody docs would have spotted this sooner. It's only because I changed docs
> that I got spotted, what would have happened otherwise?
>
>
> > Because of this my GP, bless him, has referred me to a "Hypertension
Clinic"
> > at the local hospital which I'm attending in August. They will fit me up with a 24 hour monitor
> > as well as the usual taking of blood and ****.
>
> Hooh, what fun (not really). Been there, done that. Well, apart from the 24 hour monitor bit. They
> reckoned I was more than high enough for there to be no doubt :-( :-(
>
> The Borg implant into your arm for blood samples on tap is an, umm, experience..
>
>
> > Anyway, that's the story of my life. For anyone who's read this far I'm sorry to be a boring
> > ******* and haven't you anything better to do?
>
> Not right now. :-( They're still farting about to find pills and thrills that don't kill me, so
> still not well enough to work (and too skint to do much else, including bike riding, as I can't
> afford any repairs). Current pills have pretty heart logos on them, I guess I could make a fortune
> flogging them off as e's to the gullible... ;-)
>
>
> Hope it all works out ok for you,
>
>
> David.
>
> --
> David Marsh, <reply-to-email is valid at time of writing> | Edinburgh, Scotland. [en, fr, (de)] |
> http://web.viewport.co.uk/ | Learn usenet and netiquette: read news:news.announce.newusers |
> >Please interleave & trim quotes otherwise your posts will be ignored.<

 

[Tony W]

"Peter Taylor" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I am another cyclist with high blood pressure - certainly I find cycling helps a lot to keep it
> under control, and when I don't exercise I feel
awful
> again, and then don't feel like exercise - a viscious circle. Interested
in
> the comments about feeling zonked on the tablets - I was on beta blockers and it was like living
> life through bubble wrap - nothing was quite real. And resting pulse rate fell from 60 to about
> 35, and I couldn't get it
over
> 110. Which made for very odd feelings when cycling. Now on ace
inhibitors
> and they work well.

And another. I am on beta-blockers and they work well for me. But, it is like having a rev limiter
that cuts in on the hills -- that's my excuse & I'm sticking with it.

In my case not cycling makes me feel bad. Even so it does take an effort of will sometimes to
get out on the bike -- rationally I know I will feel much better but the subconscious doesn't
seem to hear.

God knows what state I would be in if I didn't cycle -- dead, possibly.

T

 

[Michael Macclan]

In message <[email protected]>, toots <[email protected]> writes
>Beta Blockers...wonderful stuff..I'm similiar, my heart rate at full pelt measured in the gym
>doesn't get above 130, but sometimes when I forget to take them in the morning , I can get up to
>190, but boy do I feel sick. Just as a matter of interest I'm back cycling after an absence of 20
>odd years. Re-started again two years ago and am back to reasonable fitness. As well as cycling I
>do weights and spin. I'm now 42 and male, what kind of fitness level can I expect to get to if I
>trained reasonably hard. The reason I ask is that kids half my age who train less than I do can
>keep up with me on treks when I thought I would blow them away...Is father time a knocking????
>
>
I am not a doctor but I would think that one of the effects of beta blockers is to lower heart rate,
with the side effect that your power output is limited by them. I suspect that as long as you're
taking beta blockers you will not attain your potential level of fitness. On the other hand, if you
stop taking them you might not attain your potential level of fitness either, if you see what I
mean. ;-) or do I mean :-( ?
--
Michael MacClancy

www.macclancy.demon.co.uk

 

[Richard Bates]

On Tue, 5 Aug 2003 18:33:49 +0100, Michael MacClancy <[email protected]> in
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I am not a doctor but I would think that one of the effects of beta blockers is to lower heart
>rate, with the side effect that your power output is limited by them. I suspect that as long as
>you're taking beta

Correct. Beta blockers will also reduce the contractile force of the heart, which has an effect on
stroke volume.

Think of it like trying to pump up a punctured inner tube. To keep keep going you need to keep
pumping air into the tube but all the while air is escaping. If all the air escapes then you are
"buggered"
[1].

If the rate at which you pump slows down then you are on a slippery slope to becoming "buggered".
Also if somebody steals your track pump and replaces it with a minipump, which supplies less air
with each stroke, you are again on the slippery slope to becoming "buggered".

Beta blockers are unfortunately a bit of a double whammy.

[2] Can't think what the physiological term is for "buggered".

Love and analogies from Rich x

--
If ingnorance is bliss then I am the erm er luckiest thingy in the whatchamacallit. To mail me,
change the obvious bit to richard

 

[Richard Bates]

On Tue, 05 Aug 2003 19:10:02 +0100, Richard Bates <[email protected]>
in <[email protected]> wrote:

>[1] Can't think what the physiological term is for "buggered".

Remembered: Cardiac Insufficiency.

--
If ingnorance is bliss then I am the erm er luckiest thingy in the whatchamacallit. To mail me,
change the obvious bit to richard

 

[Michael Klontza]

On 28 Jul 2003 18:27:23 +0100, Paul Rudin <[email protected]> wrote:
>You don't "need" any particular mix of calorie sources to lose weight
>- if you burn more calories than you eat you'll lose weight - whatever the source.

Yes, and a little perspective: a single Mars bar supplies enough energy to undo 30 mins of high
intensity cycling. The exact figure may be slightly wrong but the point remains. Exercise alone does
practically nothing for weight loss (and that is confirmed by my personal experience) unless of
course you spend ridiculously long hours cycling every day.

The 20 miles/week mentioned by the OP are the equivalent of something like 3 Mars bars/week!

--
Michael Klontzas 'If everything seems to be coming your way, you're probably in the wrong lane'
(Borstelmann's Rule)

 

[Jim Price]

Michael Klontzas wrote:
> Yes, and a little perspective: a single Mars bar supplies enough energy to undo 30 mins of high
> intensity cycling.

Not far off my experience, if you also wash it down with a can of coke (this experience was before
all the energy bar/drink mullarky).

> The exact figure may be slightly wrong but the point remains. Exercise alone does practically
> nothing for weight loss (and that is confirmed by my personal experience) unless of course you
> spend ridiculously long hours cycling every day.

Unless you are 25 or under, when I found an hour cycling five days a week got me incredibly fit (but
a little stiff due to lack of education) and I lost loads of weight (5 stone in 5 months was the
most impressive due to a major accident and the following recovery). At 35, this seemed to go up to
around 3 hours 3 times a week, still with terrific weight loss, but nowhere near as impressive as 10
years before (only 20 Kg in 4 months). Now I just seem to get injuries. I have never consciously
changed my diet, only my exercise levels. YMMV.

--
Jim Price

http://www.jimprice.dsl.pipex.com

Conscientious objection is hard work in an economic war.

 

[Michael Klontza]

On Mon, 11 Aug 2003 23:49:43 +0100, Jim Price <[email protected]> wrote:
>Unless you are 25 or under, when I found an hour cycling five days a week got me incredibly fit
>(but a little stiff due to lack of education) and I lost loads of weight (5 stone in 5 months was
>the most impressive due to a major accident and the following recovery). At 35, this seemed to go
>up to around 3 hours 3 times a week, still with terrific weight loss, but nowhere near as
>impressive as 10 years before (only 20 Kg in 4 months). Now I just seem to get injuries. I have
>never consciously changed my diet, only my exercise levels. YMMV.

Additional exercise can certainly create a significant energy deficit over a long period of time if
everything else remains the same. Your 9 hours/week should burn 9 x 500 = 4,500 calories or a little
over 1/2 kg of body fat (IIRC 1kg = 7,500 calories). The problem is that despite the appetite
repressive effects of exercise, many people adjust their diet upwards (perhaps because they feel
they deserve that extra pint) and most don't do 9 hours/week in the first place -- it only takes
tiny adjustments to undo, say, 3-5 hours/week.

As for me, during my first year of cycling, at my most enthusiastic, I didn't lose any weight at
all. Then I made *very* small changes to my diet and lost 17kg in 4 months.

--
Michael Klontzas 'If everything seems to be coming your way, you're probably in the wrong lane'
(Borstelmann's Rule)

 

[Doobrie]

> Additional exercise can certainly create a significant energy deficit over a long period of time
> if everything else remains the same. Your 9 hours/week should burn 9 x 500 = 4,500 calories or a
> little over 1/2 kg of body fat (IIRC 1kg = 7,500 calories). The problem is that despite the
> appetite repressive effects of exercise, many people adjust their diet upwards (perhaps because
> they feel they deserve that extra pint) and most don't do 9 hours/week in the first place -- it
> only takes tiny adjustments to undo, say, 3-5 hours/week.
>
> As for me, during my first year of cycling, at my most enthusiastic, I didn't lose any weight at
> all. Then I made *very* small changes to my diet and lost 17kg in 4 months.

well, larger people also burn more calories - in my research i should burn just over 1000 calories
for each 15 mile ride done @ 12-15mph at moderate intensity

this should create enough of a deficit for me to increase calories on bike days and maintain a
decent weight loss program

over time as i lose the weight i wont burn as many calories so will probably have to adjust for this
every couple months or so until im superfit and can take on any of ya!

 

[Steph Peters]

Michael Klontzas <[email protected]> of £ wrote:

>On 28 Jul 2003 18:27:23 +0100, Paul Rudin <[email protected]> wrote:
>>You don't "need" any particular mix of calorie sources to lose weight
>>- if you burn more calories than you eat you'll lose weight - whatever the source.
>
>Yes, and a little perspective: a single Mars bar supplies enough energy to undo 30 mins of high
>intensity cycling. The exact figure may be slightly wrong but the point remains. Exercise alone
>does practically nothing for weight loss (and that is confirmed by my personal experience) unless
>of course you spend ridiculously long hours cycling every day.

This may be literally true, but it misses out the feel good factor. Start cycling, get to like
it, get a bit fitter (not necessarily any lighter). It soon becomes obvious that losing weight
makes cycling more fun. So cut back on the food a bit, lose some weight, hills get easier, so
cycle harder, want to do better, get inspired to eat a healthier diet..... And so on in a nice
virtuous circle.

I've never managed to lose more than a few pounds with diet alone, nor with just exercise, but for
me the combination of diet and exercise did work. It continued working to maintain a lower weight
till I stopped cycling and then things all went pear shaped.

Steph Fat (but formerly on slightly podgy) bird on a bike

 

[David Marsh]

[Interleaved quoting: please read to end for all comments] Richard Bates wrote in uk.rec.cycling:
about: Re: Weight Loss & Cycling - Help!!

> Correct. Beta blockers will also reduce the contractile force of the heart, which has an effect on
> stroke volume.

No wonder I was zonked when on them. They sound like a a 'cure' worse than the symptom! :-(

> Think of it like trying to pump up a punctured inner tube. To keep keep going you need to keep
> pumping air into the tube but all the while air is escaping. If all the air escapes then you are
> "buggered"
> [1].
>
> If the rate at which you pump slows down then you are on a slippery slope to becoming "buggered".
> Also if somebody steals your track pump and replaces it with a minipump, which supplies less air
> with each stroke, you are again on the slippery slope to becoming "buggered".

You're saying beta blockers effectively give you a minipump?

> Beta blockers are unfortunately a bit of a double whammy.

Glad I'm shot of them then, but I still feel like I'm functioning at, at best, 70% of normal at
present. Pooh. I really hope I can get free of these drugs at some point soon, I'm causing the
doctors enough hassle by refusing to take any pills with bits of dead animal in them, and I really
can't be arsed having to take them for the rest of my life. I'd rather have a fitter shorter life
than a long drawn out half-dead one, thanks.

> [1] Can't think what the physiological term is for "buggered".

Dead? :-( :-( Thanks for _not_ exactly helping to cheer me up..

--
David Marsh, <reply-to-email is valid at time of writing> | Edinburgh, Scotland. [en, fr, (de)] |
http://web.viewport.co.uk/ | Learn usenet and netiquette: read news:news.announce.newusers |
>Please interleave & trim quotes otherwise your posts will be ignored.<
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[James Hodson]

On Mon, 25 Aug 2003 14:04:08 +0100, "tby" <[email protected]> wrote:

>>>Can't think what the physiological term is for "buggered".
>>>
>>
>>It's "buggered"
>No need for big technical words <G>
>

Come now, Clive. It's the standard reply given by NTL's technical support team!

James

--
"Sorry mate, I didn't see you" is not a satisfactory excuse.

 

[Tby]

> > [1] Can't think what the physiological term is for "buggered".
>

It's "buggered" No need for big technical words <G>

Clive