How to modify my plan to help lose weight

Thanks guys. You have given me plenty of ideas.

I’ve gone with aiming for 1k calorie deficit but realistically accepting 500cal deficit is workable. I’ve been using my fitness counter for a couple of weeks to help.me judge what I’m taking in. This has given me a much better idea and I don’t use it as much anymore.

On the training front I’ve been doing a cycling plan based around a low volume traditional build doing 3-4 workouts a week on the bike. I’ve supplimented this with 2 running sessions, one endurance and one interval session. This seems a manageable level and I’m really enjoying it. Xmas was an excess so a few pounds went on but it has quickly come off again and hopefully it will continue. I’ve also accepted that I’d rather lose weight than maintain or increase FTP. I’m still managing to do the workouts on my current FTP and I’m happy with that and burning plenty of calories at the same time.

Thanks again everyone.

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The best way to modify your plan to lose weight is to hire a sports dietitian to work with you to improve your diet and sport specific fueling.

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I wish you the best of luck on this journey as I am on one myself. I would be careful of doing 1000 calorie deficit a day. There is a lot of evidence that cutting that amount of calories in your diet can have a negative effect on your metabolism. I would agree with another poster that you should look into intermittent fasting where you can cut a lot of calories be reducing the amount of meals you are taking in. Using IF you can cut the calories by skipping a meal because you are not creating an insulin reaction by eating the same number of meals as before just with less calories. This way you can end up with the same reduction but it allows your body to adapt better to the reduction by missing a meal and leaving its systems alone.

As with everything I reserve the right to be completely wrong.

Best of luck!

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One hour at 45% = TV watching time :smiley:

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I’ve been using 45% for an 30 min to an hour when I taking it easy and I like it. I also used it after I got a cold, it was easy enough that I didn’t feel like I was pushing too hard before I was well but just enough to see how I felt and get a little sweat going.

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Hi Rob, you don’t want to be running like that, particularly if you are - and I don’t think you’ve stated either way, but I’m assuming - overweight.

Running should be 80-90% very easy, about 10% hard (tempo and/or intervals). So, in every hour run, about six minutes hard work. 50/50 is an express train to injury, and with extra luggage it could be a hard landing.

If you are overweight, you have been eating more food than you need to maintain that high body fat percentage. Simply reducing it to all you need will lead to some weight loss. Eating a healthy diet will also reduce excess body fat, and make you healthier.

Can I ask what is driving you to aim at calories, and at a massive 1,000cal deficit (plus who knows more than that, given your body is used to eating much more than you need), while moving to a Build phase, AND adding a run plan that likely to injure you?

:slight_smile:

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Hi JoeX,

My aim is 1k calorie deficit. I’ve never actually managed to hit that on any day and end up roughly 500cal down which I’m happy with. I guess if I aimed for 500 then I wouldn’t hit that target so the thought behind it is aim high and accept something less. I know 1k is too much.

With regards the running, I have to do that to keep me sane. They are runs with a local club where I can socialise and to be honest I prefer to run than cycle indoors. I was a runner before taking up cycling 2 years ago. I actually find the two activities compliment each other well. If I mix up the training it has less stress on my body. A year ago I did a mid load sweet spot plan and my body just shut down after a few weeks-i got tendonitis in my right knee. As my goal is to slim down I’ve decided to follow a low intensity cycling plan and really forget about FTP for the foreseeable future.

To clarify almost all of my sessions are in the endurance zone, maybe tipping into tempo on the bike- simply low intensity calorie burning. I don’t see myself moving onto a build phase for quite a while. I usually spend 6-7 hours a week on the indoor bike.

I’ve been doing this custom plan of mine for 6-8 weeks now and my FTP has remained at 322, my weight has dropped 2kg and my 5k run time has gone from 26:19 to 20:42. I’ve had no injuries so far (touch wood) and I’m enjoying my training. I even beat my sister up a climb last week which made me feel great.

I definitely need to continue to improve my diet. It has improved but I need to do that in small steps otherwise I’d just crash!

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Sounds like you know what to do but you’re having difficulty reigning it in? Eg You know your diet will take small steps but you still want to target a 1k deficit.

I’d advise patience. Nevertheless that’s good progress and you’re faster than me, so what do I know :grinning:

Good luck!

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This just seems bad.

  1. 1000cal deficit is far too much daily.
  2. Having an unrealistic goal and then not achieving it can’t be good
  3. You’re almost self sabotaging by knowing you won’t hit your target which means you aren’t planning properly.

Set an achievable and realistic/healthy goal. Then work and structure your meal plan to achieve it. You’ll set yourself up for longer term success and habits, not to mention you will actually feel like you are accomplishing your goals properly.

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Thank you both for your comments. I already use a meal planner and it works very well. I don’t go into too much detail. I guess I know a healthy meal from an unhealthy one.

To Rondal, since I posted 23 days ago I’ve lost another kg and my FTP has gone up from 324 to 348w so I’m pretty happy with the progress. I also smashed my 5k PB. Granted the weight loss isn’t as quick as I’d hoped but I’m now training for around 10 hours a week, mixing up cycling and running. I’m having to fuel for it so the 1kcal deficit isn’t a goal anymore. I’m enjoying my training again and slowly the weight is coming off. By my calculation 1kg is 7700kcal. Divide that by 23 days that makes a calorie deficit of 334kcal per day. I’m happy with that.

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Way to go Rob! Awesome to see your success!!! Also glad to see your not hitting such a huge calorie deficit. That reminds me of the biggest loser contestants whose metabolisms have been permanently destroyed by that show (from what I’ve read!)

Keep up the great work!

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Just to share my experience, I’ve found good success in:

  1. eating according to what training Im doing that day

  2. either doing all my sessions early morning before breakfast or adding a prebreakfast easy ride eg Dans everyday, then doing the main session later in the day

Thought I would add my experience.

Before stating TrainerRoad 12 weeks ago I was 100kg, I’m not 93kg and halfway through general build low volume (but extra ride at the weekend bringing me upto approx mid volume TSS).

This rate of weight loss is easy for me to sustain and I’m getting fitter and fitter.

My FTP may not be going up as quickly (know way of knowing) but the rides that were hard no longer are.

I’ve been using MyFitnessPal and I bought 3 recipe books from here: https://www.foodforfitness.co.uk/

They have a bunch of free recipes but all the ones I tried are good.

The best thing about them is they have a barcode you can scan so no need to input the calories/recipe into your tracking app of choice - but I really think you must track calories even if you think you know what you are consuming.

Best of luck.

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I have never found cycling, t least road cycling to give me any form of weight loss characteristics. If weight loss is the goal through cycling then Mountain Biking is the way to go. The heart rate is up and down. You exercise different muscles in your body. You pay a lot more attention to staying upright and its out and out darn good fun. If you want to keep up with road cycling then hit the gym and do circuit training. The body needs shocking into place. Steady state cardio and all that is total garbage IMHO…

At the end of the day the caloric deficit is what’s going to dictate your rate of loss. Shocking your system doesn’t exist and road cycling can burn a hell of a lot of calories. 90 minutes of threshold and that’s, for a lot of people, close to or even more than 1000

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You should get on a MTB then. Weight drops off you. Who wants to sit on an indoor trainer for 90 minutes when a 40 min MTB ride does far more for you. You exercise totally different muscle groups when MTB’ing. Your HR is in different zones all the time, you engage your brain. Its a total body workout. Aint no way indoor riding can ever replace that. Dont get me wrong I do a heap of indoor riding but not for weight loss

hey boys, I’m in the same same boat but take 100 watts from ftp… I’m astounded at your numbers! I’m using a power meter with power match and am gobsmacked by people that have ftp over 280watts.

I have same goal for 90kg and 300 watts. It sucks toe be hungry all the time.

You don’t have to be on an indoor trainer all the time on a road bike as well … Your HR goes crazy during crits as well

Depends what you mean by “sit on an indoor trainer”. If you mean noodling along then I agree with you. But if you’re doing structured TR workouts then 40 min of those is much more productive than 40 mins mtb, let alone 90 mins of structure

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