As a cyclist, weight gain and loss are key factors that affect every rider. In flat races, there is less of an issue with carrying around some extra weight. When the road points up, it can be a huge issue. As a bigger rider, I’ve always ridden in the high 180′s and low 190′s. This season, I raced in the low 170′s and will target high 160′s in the 2012 season. The key to weight loss is simple calories in and energy expended. I used the Livestrong Calorie Tracker app with a ton of success in 2011. The key is monitoring the unconscious eating and calorie intake. In many cases, it is a sport drink or an energy bar packed with 200 useless calories. If you can eliminate a few of those a day and watch a couple other items, then you quickly cut out 500+ calories and have started the journey. Here are the major mistakes that CyclingTips blog highlighted which I also observe others doing:
There are some common mistakes I see when athletes try to lose weight:
- Eating large amounts of foods that are high in “healthy fats” such as avocado, oils, nuts and seeds. Whilst this is quite healthy from a cholesterol perspective, a gram of fat has the same calorie value no matter whether it’s from pig fat or olive oil. Half an avocado contains the same calories as a Mars Bar!
- Snacking on sports bars, drinks and lollies when they’re not actually training. These foods pack a lot of energy into a small, easy to consume package. Not ideal for weight loss.
- Overeating protein shakes or other recovery foods when it’s not necessary (eg. after an easy recovery ride or an easy roll to the coffee shop with your mates)
- Not adjusting their calories for periods of lower training loads, or when you’re injured or taking a break from the bike
- Excessive calories coming from sports foods and supplements you don’t need
