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Fat bio season

FatPhilM

'Nova Nation Sensation
Feb 7, 2009
705
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I'm looking to drop from about 202 to around 185 by September. It seems ambitious since I haven't been that weight in 18 years. I put in some serious physicality this weekend in hopes of kick starting things. Anyone else on a mission? Post your updates and tips.
 
Phil, one easy thing is to get rid of any "wasted" calories like soda. Choose water instead of lemon aid, iced tea, Etc.
 
I'm looking to drop from about 202 to around 185 by September. It seems ambitious since I haven't been that weight in 18 years. I put in some serious physicality this weekend in hopes of kick starting things. Anyone else on a mission? Post your updates and tips.
Phil, this goes back 50 years but I'm sure it would work today. When I got out of school, I weighed 235 pounds. I was fat. Barely fit into a sz 44 suit. So, I decided to lose weight. I went on a protein diet. I could eat lots of salads, red meat and fish. I didn't have to kill myself exercising. I just did some sit ups, push ups, knee bends and stretching exercises. I did them for only about 20 minutes 2x a day. In six months I lost 65 pounds and have basically never gained it back.
 
Phil, this goes back 50 years but I'm sure it would work today. When I got out of school, I weighed 235 pounds. I was fat. Barely fit into a sz 44 suit. So, I decided to lose weight. I went on a protein diet. I could eat lots of salads, red meat and fish. I didn't have to kill myself exercising. I just did some sit ups, push ups, knee bends and stretching exercises. I did them for only about 20 minutes 2x a day. In six months I lost 65 pounds and have basically never gained it back.

"Alt"
 
Phil, this goes back 50 years but I'm sure it would work today. When I got out of school, I weighed 235 pounds. I was fat. Barely fit into a sz 44 suit. So, I decided to lose weight. I went on a protein diet. I could eat lots of salads, red meat and fish. I didn't have to kill myself exercising. I just did some sit ups, push ups, knee bends and stretching exercises. I did them for only about 20 minutes 2x a day. In six months I lost 65 pounds and have basically never gained it back.

You shoulda turned this system into an infomercial. Could have crushed it in the 80s
 
Don't eat things that come in a box.
Do 3 Long Runs (3-5 miles depending on ability) a week.
Do 2 Sprint workouts a week (1 of them up hills).
Only drink once a week.

Should lose 10-15 lbs in your first month, 5-7lbs 2nd month. 2-3lbs 3rd month.
 
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Don't eat things that come in a box.
Do 3 Long Runs (3-5 miles depending on ability) a week.
Do 2 Sprint workouts a week (1 of them up hills).
Only drink once a week.

Should lose 10-15 lbs in your first month, 5-7lbs 2nd month. 2-3lbs 3rd month.
Never get less than 12 hours of sleep
Never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city
Never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body

Stick to that and everything else is cream cheese.
 
Never get less than 12 hours of sleep
Never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city
Never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body

Stick to that and everything else is cream cheese.
Never get involved in a land war in Asia
Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line
 
finstock2.jpg
 
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I don't think my shins or knees would hold up running 5 days a week. I am starting out running twice a week and mixing in some weights and cycling.

I was a runner back in the day and used to run 6 days a week. I am well past my prime.
 
Cycling barely a fraction of the calories of most cardio exercises. Doesn't build much muscle either.
 
Ride faster. Ride up hills. Ride longer. You are doing it way wrong if cycling doesn't do anything. The only thing it doesn't do is tear up your knees causing life long pain like running does.
 
Cycling can be effective as an activity to do on a rest day, but generally speaking it takes around 10X the distance to get the same calorie burn and workout as running.
 
I've always understood it to equate to 1 mile swim = 3 mile run = 9 mile bike ride....which makes sense as it takes me about 30 - 35 mins to do either one of them.
 
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I've always understood it to equate to 1 mile swim = 3 mile run = 9 mile bike ride....which makes sense as it takes me about 35 -40 mins to do either one of them.
I think that's low, have always been told much higher. My 10 to 1 might be high, but generally you've got a better workout efficiency in running than cycling.

Cycling isn't worthless, however. It just takes more to get an equivalent workout, and you're really isolating certain muscles in the legs.
 
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I mountain bike. I don't know how road riding compares but trail riding is a good cardio workout. It is like interval training with easy flat and downhill areas but the hill climbs can be brutal. Anyone who believes otherwise hasn't done it.

I do it more for fun than exercise anyway. The exercise is a bonus. I also get a lot less impact strain like knee and shin pain. I have had bouts of tendonitis in my wrists from biking though.

I know running is good for losing weight but my body can't hack a lot of miles anymore. Maybe if I drop 15+ pounds, running won't cause so much skeletal pain. I do force myself to run because it works most of the muscles in your body. I mix things up to avoid injury, keep things interesting and to maintain some strength.
 
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Mountain biking climbs on rough terrain is one of the toughest leg workouts I've done.
 
Biking is definitely good cardio and the ratio is much lower than 10:1 biking to running. Much closer to 5:1. A full out 20 mile ride takes a bit over an hour and feels like running about 4. Problem is that it's way too difficult to get that kind of ride in during the week, and the gym bikes are not really a good approximation of a real ride.

Anyway, on OP, losing weight has much much more to do with not eating than it does with exercising. Go with light exercise and 1200-1400 calories per day for several weeks to kick things off. You'll lose 5 pounds the first week and 2-3 each of the next 2 and be well on the way to goal. Then you can eat more and ramp up the fitness program.
 
Biking is definitely good cardio and the ratio is much lower than 10:1 biking to running. Much closer to 5:1. A full out 20 mile ride takes a bit over an hour and feels like running about 4. Problem is that it's way too difficult to get that kind of ride in during the week, and the gym bikes are not really a good approximation of a real ride.

Anyway, on OP, losing weight has much much more to do with not eating than it does with exercising. Go with light exercise and 1200-1400 calories per day for several weeks to kick things off. You'll lose 5 pounds the first week and 2-3 each of the next 2 and be well on the way to goal. Then you can eat more and ramp up the fitness program.

Using that math, in 1 hour of cycling vs 1 hour of running, you're at 10x1
 
I think there are to many variables for a good comparison. This isn't the best science either but according to my heart rate monitor, I burn 800 to 1000 calories an hour mountain biking depending how hard I ride. I ride single track with a lot of hills. I couldn't run for an hour straight without extreme joint pain but, according to my heart rate monitor I will burn about 450 calories over 3 miles of jogging (about 6.5 mph). The two are pretty close in calorie burn if my heart rate monitor is to be believed.

Again, the biking is more for fun than anything but it does provide a strenuous workout. I can run until the pain forces me to stop but I can bike until muscle failure is I chose to. I wouldn't be so quick to write it off, especially for people with joint pain. However, I do believe that running is a better exercise overall.
 
Anyway, on OP, losing weight has much much more to do with not eating than it does with exercising. Go with light exercise and 1200-1400 calories per day for several weeks to kick things off. You'll lose 5 pounds the first week and 2-3 each of the next 2 and be well on the way to goal. Then you can eat more and ramp up the fitness program.

This.
 
I've done casual non competitive biking of decent lengths - up to 80 miles, nothing too hilly in the greater CoP/NJ area. It's a good time. I've heard too many horrific crash stories to get into it seriously. Running gives me a gr8 workout, low equipment cost, I bring some music/podcasts along if needed and I can do it without thinking about how some texting teen's Escalade is going to launch my mangled body into a ravine. That's my analysis.
 
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I think there are to many variables for a good comparison. This isn't the best science either but according to my heart rate monitor, I burn 800 to 1000 calories an hour mountain biking depending how hard I ride. I ride single track with a lot of hills. I couldn't run for an hour straight without extreme joint pain but, according to my heart rate monitor I will burn about 450 calories over 3 miles of jogging (about 6.5 mph). The two are pretty close in calorie burn if my heart rate monitor is to be believed.

Again, the biking is more for fun than anything but it does provide a strenuous workout. I can run until the pain forces me to stop but I can bike until muscle failure is I chose to. I wouldn't be so quick to write it off, especially for people with joint pain. However, I do believe that running is a better exercise overall.

Agree, and I'm not trying to knock biking. It's better than sitting on your ass all day, I just think if it's pure weightloss you want, and you are pressed for time, it's a better minute for minute choice. Mountain biking is a blast, but isn't realistic for most of us on a daily basis, nor is it a fair comparison to running.
 
I would give that a try but I can't make myself puke. I tried it once when I had a stomach ache and I would just gag but couldn't puke.
 
Using that math, in 1 hour of cycling vs 1 hour of running, you're at 10x1

What???? If 20 miles biking ~ 4 miles running --> aka 5:1

So you say 1 hour of biking v. 1 hour of running is like 10:1? I'm not sure what your ratio is, but I said you get about 4 miles worth of running effort for doing the hard 1 hour bike ride. So you run 40 miles in an hour? Impressive!!

Yes, you can run 4 miles in less time, but 10:1 is not the ratio by any means. Running 4 in 30 minutes is pretty solid, so yes you can get the running exercise in about half the time of cycling. And I said it's not realistic during the week.. But don't knock how good a solid 20 mile bike ride is, and it's way easier on the knees.
 
What???? If 20 miles biking ~ 4 miles running --> aka 5:1

So you say 1 hour of biking v. 1 hour of running is like 10:1? I'm not sure what your ratio is, but I said you get about 4 miles worth of running effort for doing the hard 1 hour bike ride. So you run 40 miles in an hour? Impressive!!

Yes, you can run 4 miles in less time, but 10:1 is not the ratio by any means. Running 4 in 30 minutes is pretty solid, so yes you can get the running exercise in about half the time of cycling. And I said it's not realistic during the week.. But don't knock how good a solid 20 mile bike ride is, and it's way easier on the knees.


Mea culpa, I was wrong there. Not sure what math was going through my head at that point. I guess 5 to one, then double since you can run 4 miles in 30 minutes quite easily. But that's just lazy on my part.

Ive already looked it up and posted it above. It's 5-6 times better workout for someone, a more efficient use of time, and works out more muscles across the body. I've praised cycling above, not putting it down at all. If you're looking to lose weight though, it's not the most effective route.

And for the record. I've trained at +70 miles per week and never even had soreness in my knees. A proper running routine and plan can be used into your 50s to 60s with little to no long term damage. A dumb plan can wipe you out in a few weeks.
 
When I start running 20+ miles a week, my achilles get all effed up. I hate it, because I enjoy running.
 
When I start running 20+ miles a week, my achilles get all effed up. I hate it, because I enjoy running.
You probably need to stretch out the rest of your back side - hamstrings, glutes, hips, maybe back. My experience has been that if those are tight, it will put undue stress on you calf/Achilles/Ankle/plantar fasciitis. I'm talking out of my ass though. I'm not a doc.
 
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