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Staying lean.. how do you do it

8K views 98 replies 52 participants last post by  chuckha62 
#1 ·
How do you keep the fat off? I still ride and I eat healthy but my weight keeps creeping up. Looking for age specific suggestions that worked for you.
 
#20 ·
I have recently been trying to keep weight off. I'm 60+ and have a very sedentary, desk-bound job. Adult-onset diabetes has been stalking me for the last 15 years.

What works for me is to eliminate starches (bread, flour, potatoes, rice, corn, etc.) and sugar. I replace any "lost" calories in my diet with vegetables, protein, and some fruit. When regularly exercising I merely eat more of the correct things.

When cycling I break a Cliff bar into 6 pieces and eat 1 piece about every 10-15 minutes. Just enough to give me a boost, but not enough to load up the belly.

It is very easy to maintain a decent weight (and even loose some) following this simple routine. I can actually have larger portions with no penalty. Cocktails and treats (within reason) can still be enjoyed a couple times a week, but you will be surprised how quickly the Starch addiction can return, so you learn to think of the implications before indulging.

Side benefits include:
A big reduction in annoying aches & pains
A calm & efficient digestive system
I'm no longer anemic (!)
Mood swings (anger/depression) eliminated
No more hunger pangs

This works for me, but Your Mileage May Vary.
 
#83 ·
At 50, I was 6-2, and #185...had back problems(bulged disks) and I was soft. I was not exercising.

At 51 I started riding.....with in a season I dropped to #165, and my back stopped hurting. I became a decent climber, and did some CAT 2 & 3 racing as well. My wife said I was too skinny.....she was right.

At 55 I started lifting with a trainer.....within a year I gained 10+ lbs of muscle mass. My race times improved, and my wife really liked the way I look. The trainer not only coached me on lifting, he also coached me on diet, which for me mostly meant more protein.
I eat moderate portions of food, , but I could be more careful on my choices. I have about about one drink a day.....It's a nice finish to any day.

I'm now 60 yrs old, still 6-2, & weigh #175. I work full time, I ride(or on a trainer) 3 times a week, and I lift weights 2 - 3 times a week. I chase around 5 grandkids that live in town, and my my wife chases me around the house!
 
#93 ·
Or exercise more. I'm also a trail runner and in the summer I'll increase my mileage and my weight will start dropping.

If you're still drinking them, quit the soft drinks, they have zero benefit.
same here

there is no mystery with me...no thought needed more than 'get on the bike and ride'

I eat the same but 'number of bike miles per unit time' is how my weight is set

if i ride 150 miles a week or more I am a rail. if I sit on my arse and do only 30 I'll fatten up. eat whaever.
 
#5 ·
There's only one way - you have to eat only the amount of calories your body requires on a daily basis to maintain weight. If you want to lose weight, then you have to eat at a calorie deficit on a daily basis to lose weight. You might be eating healthy, but if your weight is or has been creeping up, that means you are eating too many calories than your body needs on a daily basis.

Count calories (as in honestly count them by measuring, weighing and tracking what you eat), and you will quickly learn why your weight is creeping up. Make adjustments to eat fewer calories and you'll be golden at staying lean and how to do it. Simple apps are available to help you do this (MFP - MyFitnessPal) is free and easy.
 
#8 ·
Like most here

Eat less ride more...

But really it involves a little bit more than that...

Most evenings before bed I am hungry...so I top up with some carbs maybe some vegetables as required...

Basically that means that I ate a little less than I needed during the day.

If I am not hungry in the evening I have basically over eaten calories.

I drink beer, I drink the odd sweetened drink....I eat empty carbs...

But I don't over eat.

Find some signals from your own body and follow them.

I have been in between 180 and 185 for the last 12 years...heavier before that...I could stand to be 175 to 180....but that just doesn't work for me I don't fell well and I ride slower
 
#9 ·
Over the last year I've gone down to me NCAA lacrosse playing weight. As much as I could I eliminated 'white' carbs like flour and white sugar, I never drank soft drinks anyway, but the hardest part was eliminating beer during the week. I still have a few beers on weekends but that is what has worked for me. It took about a year and a half to really develop, and stick with the diet routine, and I only tried doing one thing at a time. Example I stopped eating as much bread as possible, sometimes a sandwich on the go is necessary, but at all possible I do not eat bread. Then I quit mid week beers, and replaced them with water, that was hard, but now I really enjoy my double IPAs on weekends even more! For the white sugar, I just cut back on anything sweet, this wasn't too hard for me as I don't generally have a sweet tooth, but being conscious of sugar intake made me refine some eating choices.

Like I said, I think what really helped me was taking one dietary change at a time until it was established before trying to fix another.
 
#11 ·
Lean is good, but not too lean. We are supposedly over fifty on this forum and many of us are over sixty and some, like me, are pushing 70. Like it or not, health problems crop up as we age along with wrecks etc.

I want to be a little bit over weight, not Jim Fix skinny, because I will need resources if I have a health emergency like a heart attack or finally going on chemo. If you can't eat, skinny risks death.
 
#12 ·
As everyone said eat less. I lost a bunch of weight (60+ lbs) when I went from road to mountain a few years ago, not because of the exercise only, but because you can't work around too much weight riding in the dirt. I'm up over 5 lbs and working back down. This time for surfing. I'm 65.

But the biggest advice is to eat early and don't snack... a 2 meal day. Eating a late lunch and nothing the rest of the day works best for me. You really have to get away from the chips and munchies. There are not enough riding hours in the day to overcome snack food. I never drank much beer, so that is a non-issue for me, but probably goes in the same category.

John
 
#14 ·
^^^ yep, according to some recent studies. If old (I don't remember the ages but certainly 70+) and admitted to a hospital with a significant medical issue, you stand a better chance of survival if you have a little pudge.

A quick google came up with this: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/558227_4
"...In the present study of an 80-year-old population, total mortality in the overweight group was significantly less (52%) than that in the normal-weight group, whereas mortality from CVD, pneumonia, and cancer did not differ significantly between the overweight and normal-weight groups. These results are consistent with previous findings obtained in a study on elderly (≥ 65) Canadians,[SUP][19][/SUP] indicating that higher BMI is associated with lower mortality rate..."
 
#21 ·
Veggies veggies veggies and protein. Stay away from processed/fast food and starches. Eat minimally, and keep your self from drinking caloried. Water is your friend.

Another minor improvement i am trying is switching from beer to wine. On wine i tend to consume less compared to beer whose hops tend to make me wanna snowball more.



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
 
#23 ·
Veggies veggies veggies and protein. Stay away from processed/fast food and starches. Eat minimally, and keep your self from drinking caloried. Water is your friend.

Another minor improvement i am trying is switching from beer to wine. On wine i tend to consume less compared to beer whose hops tend to make me wanna snowball more.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
This, I have lost weight at a time of year where I usually gain weight by eliminating/greatly reducing carbs in my diet. I addition to other benefits, it trains your body to burn fat for energy. As a result I no longer need energy bars/gels/Gatorade on rides.

The best part is that I have not had to give up beer to see the improvement.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 
#35 ·
haha..

Crock..you bring up a good point. when i moved i switched doctors. the new doctor noted my history of weight loss and was asking the funniest questions. took a bit for my mind to calibrate to her line of questioning to figure out she was checking to see if i had an eating disorder..hahah.. in a nutshell, she said i lost enough.
 
#37 ·
I'm seeing more patients with eating disorders and misuse of supplements that are contraindicated with the meds they have been prescribed. When a MD runs into someone athletic it raises some questions.

When I did my medical rotations with the VA they made me take a full physical before the first day. I was a fast Cat II roadie with shaved legs (I was delish!) and the doc asked me if I have a history of diabetes. Hairless lower legs being a symptom.
 
#36 ·
So, here is the painful truth for me and me alone: Breakfast every day: homemade whole grain bread, banana, coffee, steel cut oats with nuts & fruit and a glass of skim milk. Lunch is what ever is around from last night's leftovers-which means that I almost never eat out. Dinner is a wide variety of beans, fish, poultry, pasta, rice,vegetables potatoes and fresh salads from the coldframes. We don't eat beef or pork and try to limit the amount of protein as we believe that protein is great for cell division but at my age I'd just as soon not have a crazy cell division. There is always fresh fruit around & never any grocery store prepared meals. I stay active all day and try to hit the MTB trails at least 3 times per week and try to get some anaerobic time during those rides. Alcohol, yeah, I like beer but limit my intake to one a night. Funny thing when you are asked how many beers in a week or a month-sounds like a lot. This routine works for me- knocking on 68 at 150 lbs & 5-9.
 
#41 ·
Eat less, eat better? More fruits, green leafy veggies. Beer and bourbon in moderation. Bike lots. Mt bike every weekend, ( almost) Bike commute about 2,000 mies per year. Small steps add up. Gave up soda( except for the occasional bourbon/coke) Lowest weight since Regans' first term.
 
#48 ·
I know you aren't trying to loose weight but some of this may help you maintain your weight. After years of letting myself go, I started road biking 2 years ago. Didn't change eating habits. Virtually lost no weight. I then cut out most of my sugar intake. No soda, no sweet tea etc. red meat only once every week or two. I also cut down on my portions. I ate mostly chicken and vegetables and ate pork once every week or two. I don't like fish but could have added that. I lost 30 pounds since then. I am at the right weight for my height but need to firm it up. A few months ago I was finally able to get on a mountain bike and am now trying to build some muscle as well.
 
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