What can I expect?

Hi all, I'm new here and to the world of cycling.

Before I ask my question I'll just give you some background info. I'm 34, male and 175lbs. Up until 7 years ago I was fit and active with a 32" waist, and around 1/2 a stone lighter than I am now maybe more.

Since then I've done nothing fitness wise, and although it's not alot I've put weight on, a couple of inches on my waist and lost any definition that I had and most of all, I've got a bit of a gut coming. So I thought it was time for a change.

So I decided I would see some of the country side and go out on my bike. The problem I have is with two small children time can be a problem. I've been going out twice a week for 1 hour at a time (15 miles dependant on my route) I feel like I push myself hard even downhill, I just go faster obviously. As well as this I'm also doing crunches and pushups. I've also tried to cut out chocolatey snacks and cut down on my meal size (which were to big) I am still eating the same food though, I do eat my greens but I also like the odd pizza or curry.

My question is will this basic routine do anything for my fitness/ gut etc or do I need to do more.

I am really enjoying it so far ( apart from a sore bum lol) but I need to know if I will see any results, because otherwise I'll expect them and be disapointed when they don't come.

Thanks in advance for any help guidance you give me. And sorry it's such a long post.

Cheers
Mark

 

Of course your new fitness routine will help. Keep up the work. Remember, losing weight is as simple as burning more calories than you eat.

 

Sure it will help provided you don't eat anything extra. Just don't expect huge changes to occur overnight.

You didn't say you were cutting back on the pints though. Lots and lots of calories there.

 

Cheers Yojimbo,

To be honest I don't drink that much anyway, probably around 8-10 pints a week (that's not much is it) maybe I could have a couple of glasses of wine instead on one of the nights, would that help?

Cheers
Mark

 

Mark, you didn't mention how many weeks you've been doing your new exercise routine or what body/weight changes you've seen so far.

Adjustments to your exercise routine and eating habits should be based on the results you're getting.

If you've only been doing this a couple of weeks, then you may need to go another 2 weeks before you decide if you need to make adjustments.

If you've already been doing this for 4 weeks or more and you aren't seeing any positive gains....then you may need to start adjusting your nutrition and exercise intensity....

 

Frankly, on 2 x 1hr of biking a week, I would not expect your 175 lbs to drop at any significant rate. Maybe 1 lbs / 2 weeks, assuming you've cleaned up your diet somewhat. Just my guess.

 

Cheers everyone,

I've only been doing it 3 weeks, which I know isn't long enough to see any gains + the weight I mentioned is what I am now not when I started.

Losing weight isn't really my main goal anyway, at 6ft tall I'm not overweight anyway. I've just gone soft mainly around the middle (up from 32 to 34 waist)

I mainly wanted to know if it would tighten things up. As far as I can tell it can't hurt.

So I'll keep doing the little I'm doing, and you never know maybe I'll find time to do a bit more.

Winter months are a worry though.

Cheers
Mark

 

It might be a bit early to worry about the winter months yet, depending on exactly where you live of course, but even during the winter I think you'll find that a lot of folks on here have some low cost solutions to stay fit.

A lot of that depends on having some room in your house to exercise, and as always, the time and desire to exercise.

Just keep doing it for now and let us know how your routine is working for you.

 

Good stuff. Always good to hear when a person realizes that a little exercise isn't going to hurt. especially once you hit the mid 30's, at least that's when i started noticing that i couldn't eat a lot and expect the mid section to go away1hr post meal....like it used to!!

I think you'll definitely start seeing some improvement shortly. just keep it up. don't be afraid to push yourself every now and then. A little muscle burn and some soreness later on won't be so bad. you'll probably want to go a little further and faster in no time.

 

Thanks everyone,

Yes it seems I'm now at the stage of my life when I can't just eat what I like, when I like. So that's why I decided to do something, I have so much wonderful countryside and national parks near me that I thought biking was the best option to keep me fit and interested at the same time.

I live in the UK so winter months, or just bad weather is never far away (it's raining heavily now)

Pushing myself is not a problem, I've played sport to a high level up until around 8 years ago, and am no stranger to working hard on fitness. So now I've got the motivation back I will certainly push myself. Finding the time is the main problem and thats why I'm only setting myself the goal of twice a week I didn't want to set the bar to high this early.

Cheers
Mark

 

I think 8 - 10 pints a week is considerable. Let's say 230 calories a pint (which is correct for some beers I'm familiar with). Over a year that's about 34 pounds. It all adds up over time.

 

I suppose 8-10 pints is considerable, but it's not something that I'm going to stop. When I was fit I'm sure I used to drink more than that, I just don't get time now I'm usually busy with the kids rather than going out with mates.

Hopefully the changes I have made will make the difference I'm after, and if not I'm sure I will feel much better about myself. Plus I could always try and up the routine if it's really not working.

Cheers
Mark

 

Eating less + moving more = weight loss. Just be careful to really eat less, I can't tell you how many times I've heard a woman in Starbucks ordering a coffee milkshake and the most fat laden baked good while saying I ran 3 miles I earned it.

There are so many calorie dense foods that can un-do all your hard work.

But good on you, Shorty. Keep at it. and if riding is still hurting your bum after three weeks there may be a fit issue, swing by your local bike shop and have them check you out on your bike to make sure your seat is at the right height.

 

In your first post you mentioned a gut that is starting to appear. Where I live we call that a beer gut and if you are really serious about doing something about it you also have to start watching how much you drink.

It's your life man and you set the priorities, but it looks to me like your body is trying to tell you something and you aren't entirely listening.

 

If you've already been doing this for 4 weeks or more and you aren't seeing any positive gains....then you may need to start adjusting your nutrition and exercise intensity....

​

 

I'm making a big effort to eat less, I'm not snacking and my meals are a bit smaller. I thought this was a good place to start. I can't change it completely, I already eat plenty of fruit & veg, the only problem days are when my kids may have a club to go to, on those days we may just throw a pizza in the oven. I know this is not ideal but at least I have cut down it is a start.

The seat was giving me trouble which was leading me to the same conclusion, so I bought a new 1 yesterday. I went for a ride last night and no problems at all it's much better.

I'm trying not to be obsessed with weight etc I'm going to check maybe every week or 2. The main thing is I want to get back down to a 32inch waist, my wife said I looked thinner last night and I did weigh myself, 172lbs so it's a good start.

Yojimbo, you are right and yes we call it a beer gut as well. I do agree with what your saying, but I'm very wary of giving myself an achievable amount to do, I can't see this lasting if I cut out everything I enjoy just to loose 2 inch and 1/4-1/2 stone. I need to enjoy it. Plus I am seeing some gains already.

I have a physical job, I also play golf so I walk a lot. I've added less food, the work on the bike and press ups and sit ups everyday, I think that is quite a big change. Jumping into the deep end makes no sence to me. If after a while I'm still enjoying this and I feel I need to do more then I'll try to, but for now I think I've already made a pretty big change.

Cheers
Mark

 

I would definitely not get hung up on the weight alone unless you were wanting to get into competitive cycle. It's all about cardio/muscular fitness and endurance and stress relief for me. Well, those and (most importantly) fun and a sense of achievement when I hit the goals that I set for myself.

I try to keep my diet healthy (ie: getting the necessary nutrients, avoiding heavily processed foods, moderating fat and processed sugar intakes, eating appropriate portions, etc.) but don't stress out about being "bad" every once in a while. I'm of the strong opinion that worrying about every bit of food or beverage I consume is way less healthy than the additional calories and fat they might bring. I'd rather ramp up on the calorie burning activity I enjoy than entirely eliminate some of the foods/drinks I enjoy as well. People have different priorities, goals and metabolisms though, so of course YMMV.

Adding situps/crunches/leg lifts, pushups and pullups to a post cycling stretching routine definitely seems to lead to faster results for general fitness and body sculpting.

Keep at it, maintain a sensible diet, and don't over do it too much (ie:gradually ramp up to avoid injury/burnout) and you can't help but be healthier than you would be if you didn't.

Just my humble .02

 

I'm guessing from the venacular used that the guy might be British in which case he drinks real (20oz) pints and not the mini-me two gulp (16oz) American fraudulent version that masquerades as a pint.

I used to drink and race, sometimes 8+ (20oz) pints a night and was still ~145lbs. Just because you drink all those extra calories doesn't mean you're gonna put them on.

 

Cheers guys,

That is the way I was thinking, I used to keep fit and drinking was never a problem.

I need to still have a little treat, or I'll just get bored.

Also I've just got dressed for golf and the trousers I've put on were starting to get tight but they fit perfect this morning, result!!!!

Cheers
Mark

 

True....except the OP says he's starting to get a gut.