Tips on losing weight and keeping it off

Fat To Fab Pro cyclists might get their bike clothes for free and have VO2-max ceilings the rest of us can only dream about, but many of them are like us in one surprising way: If they don'****ch what they eat, they gain weight fast. Their tips are refreshingly simple and undeniably effective. I LOST 55 POUNDS The Racer: Dan Schmatz The Body: 5-foot-10, 160 lb. The Team: BMC The Secret: "Exercise early, abstain late." Schmatz's hard-core routine isn't for the faint of heart: He doesn't eat after 7 p.m., and he often does a 30- to 60-minute run, ride or hike before breakfast. Some studies show that low-intensity exercise before breakfast helps the body burn more fat than usual. Schmatz cautions that if you try this, don't cancel the benefit by pigging out: "A lot of people don't realize that a breakfast of a gourmet coffee drink and a bagel can pack 1,000 calories," he says. I LOST 10 POUNDS The Racer: Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski The Body: 6-foot-1, 150 lb. The Team: Subaru-Gary Fisher The Secret: "Eat dinner like a pauper." The winner of four consecutive national mountain bike championships, Horgan-Kobelski says, "The single biggest thing that has helped me lose weight has been eating a light dinner. Even after a huge day of training, if I fueled properly throughout and after the ride, I can usually get away with eating just some salad or steamed or grilled vegetables with a small amount of lean protein." I LOST 10 POUNDS The Racer: Betina Hold The Body: 5-foot-6, 125 lb. The Team: Cheerwine The Secret: "Chew more." When she was desperate to lose weight to transform herself from muscled-up competitive rower to lean cyclist, Hold stumbled onto one of the simplest ways to lose weight. Studies have shown that simply chewing your food longer--as many as 100 times per bite, in some research--results in reduced caloric intake. Hold also began chewing gum at the first craving for food. She says it gives her time to decide, "Am I really hungry or am I bored, nervous or stressed? I find in many cases, I just chew some gum and I don't really need food." I LOST 80 POUNDS The Racer: Jack Seehafer The Body: 5-foot-6, 145 lb. The Team: Einstein's cycling The Secret: "The simplest way: Ride more, eat less--and drink less beer." Seehafer packed on 100 pounds during seven years of inactivity when he stopped cycling after high school. After he started riding again, the weight came off, which motivated him to cut calories from his diet. This can be as simple as using smaller plates at home, always leaving several bites on your plate, or waiting 15 minutes before deciding whether to go back for seconds. When Seehafer met lean pro Kori Kelly, whom he eventually married, he adopted her eating habits and chiseled away more weight. Today, he keeps the pounds off with vigilance: "As soon as I notice that I've gained a couple pounds, I immediately adjust what I'm eating and increase my exercise," he says. I LOST 16 POUNDS The Racer: Brooke O'Connor The Body: 5-foot-8, 142 lb. The Team: Hub Racing The Secret: "Drink water." O'Connor lost weight when, she says, "I started drinking water, not caloric beverages." Now pregnant (and starting to show), she's less focused on being lean. I LOST 60 POUNDS The Racer: Mike Jones The Body: 6-foot-2, 175 lb. The Team: jelly belly The Secret: "Ride base miles to blast fat." Jones says that when he was at his heaviest, he used his bike mainly as "transportation to and from pizza shops, burger joints and bars." One winter in Upstate New York, he began logging lots of slow, steady miles on his bike (out of boredom) and noticed the pounds burning off. "The more base miles you can put in, the better," he says. "Not only does it prepare your aerobic engine for higher-intensity work, but also the sheer volume of exercise means you burn tons of calories." Once he had some momentum, Jones increased the rate of weight loss by downsizing his portions and cutting "empty" liquid calories such as beer and soda. I LOST 22 POUNDS The Racer: Tomarra C. Muhlfeld The Body: 5-foot-3, 116 lb. The Team: Trek/VW The Secret: "Eat at home." Studies have shown that people who eat out the most also weigh more than normal--a stat Muhlfeld proved to herself. When she stopped eating out most nights, she began losing weight. "When you eat at home you're in control," she says. "You know exactly what you're eating, the portions and how it's prepared. When you eat out, there are so many hidden calories, even when you try to order healthy choices."

Thank you for a strong serious post.  I've told you that my brother, an amateur rider who often rides for causes, was shocked to find that he actually gained weight on his first big ride from Boston Commons to Central Park.  That's when he found that you can't assume that exercise will eradicate the effects of too much carbohydrate loading. I've also found it interesting to hear most professional athletes these days talk about the strict food regimens they follow while in season for their sports.  Yeah, the linemen can get away with some junk, but I don't think we want to look like them.  The men in the "skill" positions eat properly to have an edge.

You are so right. What and how much we eat has a far bigger impact on our weight than exercise does. That said, we all need to certainly exercise (or move) to be healthy. Following is a chart of calories burned by exercise type. It's mind boggling to me how much exercise you have to do in order to burn off the 850 calories in a Big Mac. 

Activity (one-hour duration)	Weight of person and calories burned
	160 pounds (73 kilograms)	200 pounds (91 kilograms)	240 pounds (109 kilograms)
Aerobics, high impact	511	637	763
Aerobics, low impact	365	455	545
Aerobics, water	292	364	436
Backpacking	511	637	763
Basketball game	584	728	872
Bicycling, < 10 mph, leisure	292	364	436
Bowling	219	273	327
Canoeing	256	319	382
Dancing, ballroom	219	273	327
Football, touch, flag, general	584	728	872
Golfing, carrying clubs	329	410	491
Hiking	438	546	654
Ice skating	511	637	763
Jogging, 5 mph	584	728	872
Racquetball, casual, general	511	637	763
Rollerblading	913	1,138	1,363
Rope jumping	730	910	1,090
Rowing, stationary	511	637	763
Running, 8 mph	986	1,229	1,472
Skiing, cross-country	511	637	763
Skiing, downhill	365	455	545
Skiing, water	438	546	654
Softball or baseball	365	455	545
Stair treadmill	657	819	981
Swimming, laps	511	637	763
Tae kwon do	730	910	1,090
Tai chi	292	364	436
Tennis, singles	584	728	872
Volleyball	292	364	436
Walking, 2 mph	183	228	273
Walking, 3.5 mph	277	346	414
Weightlifting, free weight, Nautilus or universal type	219	273	327

The one thing that is deceptive about this chart is that, on the surface, it looks like there's little reason for weightlifting since it burns so many fewer calories per hour than the aerobic exercises.  That may be true while you are exercising, but I've read that the effects of weight loss over the long term are quite good with weight lifting.  You increase the size of your muscles, your muscles burn more fat, and you lose more weight. Hopefully, some of the weightlifters on the Forum can comment about this.

The one thing that is deceptive about this chart is that, on the surface, it looks like there's little reason for weightlifting since it burns so many fewer calories per hour than the aerobic exercises.  That may be true while you are exercising, but I've read that the effects of weight loss over the long term are quite good with weight lifting.  You increase the size of your muscles, your muscles burn more fat, and you lose more weight. Hopefully, some of the weightlifters on the Forum can comment about this. Totally agree!

great post and agree with SJ that there's tons more benefit from lifting when it comes to building good bones. also, the more muscle the more you'll burn calories just sitting there.

all sound advice from the bikers and i would add just one more that has worked for me. stop eating when full. this is a cardinal rule for me. i try to stop eating when full and i had to LEARN this. i always want to stuff my face. now, if i make too much food, i give it to the dogs, hell they never seem to get fat! if you can learn to stop early i believe that's going to pay off big time. you won't stretch your pouch so much either. i use all the tricks too. i eat on a small plate with a small fork or spoon. hey, whatever works right?

Wow.  Very interesting!  That chart you showed sjbob was, too. Thanks for sharing!