Food/Diet Help me with my diet.

Chalkie

Likes Dirt
Few things that should help.

  • Cut out the fruit juice (heaps of sugar, not really needed). Have some water and a banana for some energy for your ride.
  • Big breakfast to get your metabolism going. Oats are good as is yoghurt. Add some fruit (i like strawberries) for flavour. Toast is fine, just make sure its wholegrain or similar. Avoid white bread. Jam has a lot of sugar so maybe sub it out.
  • If you eat eggs, have more whites than yolks (yolks are full of fat, although they are delicious)
  • Dried fruit and nuts are good but quite high calories / fats (albeit good fats, but can be too much of a good thing) . Can you swap your current lunch for a tuna sandwhich or wrap? being able to add a few veggies into your lunch would be ideal.
  • Swap wheat pasta for wholegrain - white rice for basmati or brown rice - sourdough for wholegrain. The key here is to eat less but feel fuller.
  • Plenty of water.
  • Ditch the up and go and buy some protein powder, something with some good BCAA's in it. (I like Optimum Nutrition 100% whey). Will make you feel just as full without as many carbs.
 

Garrath

Likes Dirt
Eat fat, loose fat, strange I know but if the body knows it's getting fat in the diet then it is happy to release fat. Otherwise the body is more than likely to want to store fat. Especially that last little bit of stomach fat you cant get rid off. The naysayers here will scoff but the paleo method is extremely effective at getting rid of that stomach fat.

Nuts contain enzymes that are either a bad for us or restrict other minerals etc from being absorbed. Activated nuts, that is nuts that have been soaked in salty water for 24 hours and dehydrated remove those enzymes.

Exercise is so very important, it only has to be 20 minutes long 2-3 times a week. This is telling the body, hey burn some energy. If you do a lot of cycling then I'm not sure I would count this. The body is extremely good at finding efficient ways of dealing with the same exercise. You have to mix it up.

Free weights, kettle bells, medicine balls, anything that is not a bloody exercise machine all work your core. Planks are silly.
 

driftking

Wheel size expert
Free weights, kettle bells, medicine balls, anything that is not a bloody exercise machine all work your core. Planks are silly.
Efficeinty and practical function wise planks are the best exercise. For weight lose no, but in terms of what the core does sit up crunches etc are crap. Planks and similar resistance workouts are the only ones that train the core to be stable all the other ones just build size but doesnt build stability through the core they all focus on contraction and rest.

I'm not saying don't use exercise balls etc but to say planks are silly you need consider what the core does, it's designed for stability why train it in a unstable manner?
Look at all the compound exercises we have. Whether its chin ups, dead lift, Rows, bench. They all engaged the core to be stable and strong. They Rely on the core for stability and a strong foundation for power. The plank teaches and trains the core in this exact way.
 

Garrath

Likes Dirt
The plank being silly is said because I think there are far better exercises for the 'core'. The plank hasn't been part of my 3 minute 'core' workout that I do at the end of each session for a long long time.
 

Mywifesirrational

I however am very normal. Trust me.
Exercise is so very important, it only has to be 20 minutes long 2-3 times a week. This is telling the body, hey burn some energy. If you do a lot of cycling then I'm not sure I would count this. The body is extremely good at finding efficient ways of dealing with the same exercise. You have to mix it up.
I'll counter; 3x20 minutes a week of exercise is not enough to lose weight or make any meaningful fitness gains. The national recommendations are 30 minutes of moderate+ intensity daily, preferably an hour or longer. Time is the most important aspect in exercise for weight loss, not distance, it takes the same energy to walk or run 1km (or further). So if you walk a certain distance in one hour, after you do this for a few months it gets faster, you need to increase the distance to maintain a minimum level of time.

There is also no need to change exercises to continue getting improvements, it may be good for adherence rates to relieve boredom, but there are many people who do not like variety. If we start a new activity as we learn to become more efficient at that activity we do use less energy at a sub-maximal rate, but being more efficient allows you to go harder for longer which in turn means you have a greater calorie output and fitness gains. Swapping exercises regularly may impair you total improvements over a given time, both in resistance or aerobic training.

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/Nutrition+and+Physical+Activity-1

I have made my views on core stability previously clear... it is a waste of time to train for it directly, although if i was planks would be at the top of my list. Any exercise that compromises posture (so you must maintain good form) is great for 'core stability' squats, dead lifts, latpull down with a posterior lean, tricep pushdown if you do the whole stack, seated row.... throw the balls out, it increases inhibition of the trunk muscles (and has negligible effects on weight loss).

I'm very slowly losing weight, but was wondering if there are any tweaks I could make to my diet to aid this.
You have done REALLY well so far, your BMI is now around 27 (from 32) and you are starting to find diminishing returns on you weight loss. This is normal and nothing to be concerned about, eat some 'bad' food now and then, take some of the decent advice on this thread, reduce your calorie intake by a small bit more and spend more time exercising (available time can make this hard), but always remember weight loss is mostly diet.
 

Garrath

Likes Dirt
Well it seems to work for me and a whole bunch of other people I work out with!! 20 minutes of high intensity is what you need, wrap either side with warming up and warming down will extend the workout, yes but 20 minutes is about right. After 20 mins you also start trading off damage done to muscles fibres than with any gains you make.

Back to planks. Do this with someone who can watch your form. Place your self in a full extension push up position, keep back straight and hips and shoulders level. Maintain this position and bring your hand up and touch your belly button and take it back to the ground, repeat with the same arm for 1 min. Have a break and do the other side. Form is critical with this and is super easy to cheat. This was part of a workout today that was all about single leg or arm movements, really working your balance.
 

jonozrx

Likes Dirt
Well it seems to work for me and a whole bunch of other people I work out with!! 20 minutes of high intensity is what you need, wrap either side with warming up and warming down will extend the workout, yes but 20 minutes is about right. After 20 mins you also start trading off damage done to muscles fibres than with any gains you make.
That just isn't correct.
 

scblack

Leucocholic
Well it seems to work for me and a whole bunch of other people I work out with!! 20 minutes of high intensity is what you need, wrap either side with warming up and warming down will extend the workout, yes but 20 minutes is about right. After 20 mins you also start trading off damage done to muscles fibres than with any gains you make.

.
As Jono said, thats just plain wrong. Muscle fibre damage is normal and promotes muscle repair/growth.
 

jonozrx

Likes Dirt
I noticed that garrath mentions paleo diets. Proponents tend to be contrarians, so they'll often advocate wacky methods.

As MWI has already mentioned, much 'core training' is largely useless as well.
 

Garrath

Likes Dirt
Re read the statement guys. I spoke of trade offs. You gain your most gains in increasing strength within the 1st 20 mins of high intensity exercises. At this point you have damaged enough fibres to maximise your gains. That is the point right to maximise your gains?
 

driftking

Wheel size expert
I noticed that garrath mentions paleo diets. Proponents tend to be contrarians, so they'll often advocate wacky methods.

As MWI has already mentioned, much 'core training' is largely useless as well.
I have read a lot of MWI post on core and I completely agree, though doing some extra endurance stuff like planks cant hurt your progress, it also will still improve your core strength.

Also the idea that core is trained naturally is true but only if you are doing these workouts, if your not hitting the gym like the OP said adding core workouts will add a benefit as he is not Doing these other core engaging exercises. On top of that from what I understand MWI when refering to core benefits is more relative to athleticism and not everyday use?
Correct me if I'm wrong there MWI.
I still advocate that core workouts are good if you need that extra work due to weaknesses or if you are not getting enough from your normal routine. For daily And overall improvement I still feel it is massively important, in terms of athleticism I am on the fence, MWI provides very good evidence that core training specifically won't increase athletic performance, in my head it makes sense to have a strong core, that said my core is not strong and I can comfortably ride with elite riders, do evidence would suggest core maybe isn't as important in performance.
Sure I still think its important but I feel that the core use we get from normal riding and training may be enough I am still going to lean on the caution side and train core at least once a week though training really uses the core a lot. I did pull ups the other day and my core hurt the next day.

In terms of injury prevention I have a very different view. :)

Garrath that makes no sense.
The only limit I know of it testosterone declines at 45-1hour during exercise. But this is focuse on muscle gains. Endurance not sure, though years of elite athletes would beg to differ that 20mins is ideal.

If you have enough nutrition to build and enough rest you can't go too far unless you start burning muscle which is very unlikely given proper nutrition. Only Lon marathon runs tend to start breaking down muscle for energy.
Note breaking muscle for fuel and stressing muscles are very different.
 
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Mywifesirrational

I however am very normal. Trust me.
Well it seems to work for me and a whole bunch of other people I work out with!! 20 minutes of high intensity is what you need, wrap either side with warming up and warming down will extend the workout, yes but 20 minutes is about right. After 20 mins you also start trading off damage done to muscles fibres than with any gains you make.
Please don't give advice on topics unless, you have at least some evidence to support your 'wacky' claims. If you do have evidence, myself and I am sure others on here would like to read it.

There is no magical time when muscles get damaged, exercise induced muscle damage occurs due to unaccustomed eccentric biased exercise. If you want to maximize the damage, include a heavy load, long muscle lengths and high speed contractions that attenuate the inertia.

There is also a thing called the repeat bout effect, once you have done unaccustomed exercise once or twice, it will no longer result in exercise induced muscle damage (damage is not a precursor to strength gains/muscle adaptation).

Have a read of Prof. Ken Nosaka's work, he's number one in the world on muscle damage... and a very humble man with a sly sense of humor.

http://www.ecu.edu.au/schools/exercise-and-health-sciences/staff/profiles/professors/professor-ken-kazunori-nosaka


EDIT
I have read a lot of MWI post on core and I completely agree, though doing some extra endurance stuff like planks cant hurt your progress, it also will still improve your core strength.

Also the idea that core is trained naturally is true but only if you are doing these workouts, if your not hitting the gym like the OP said adding core workouts will add a benefit as he is not Doing these other core engaging exercises. On top of that from what I understand MWI when refering to core benefits is more relative to athleticism and not everyday use?
Correct me if I'm wrong there MWI.
I still advocate that core workouts are good if you need that extra work due to weaknesses or if you are not getting enough from your normal routine. For daily And overall improvement I still feel it is massively important, in terms of athleticism I am on the fence, MWI provides very good evidence that core training specifically won't increase athletic performance, in my head it makes sense to have a strong core, that said my core is not strong and I can comfortably ride with elite riders, do evidence would suggest core maybe isn't as important in performance.
Sure I still think its important but I feel that the core use we get from normal riding and training may be enough I am still going to lean on the caution side and train core at least once a week though training really uses the core a lot. I did pull ups the other day and my core hurt the next day.
I cannot disagree with logic! :)

Core stability meta analysis was not exactly positive towards core training for athletic performance, but for the average person who does not go to gym or does not do more challenging exercises (squat, dead lifts, seated row with perfect form) and sticks to machines, throwing in an exercise like the plank can only be a good thing - but a decent trainer should make sure these are included from day 1.

If anyone wants a read, send me a pm.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22784233
 
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rhyno

Likes Dirt
Thought I'd update and say thanks again to all the posters who gave constructive advice.

I made a few small changes to my diet and am now down to high 77kg range and dropping. (BMI is now apparently "healthy"!)
I got an app on my phone to help keep track on calories (it's amazing to find out the difference between to seemingly [to me] "healthy" foods) called myfitnesspal.
Basically you tell it everything you eat, and all your exercise and it will give you a goal to hit for the day. On days when I am riding to work I struggle to eat enough to make it to the "goal" but I always eat enough to prevent it from warning me that I am eating too little.
Basically riding to work will double my daily calorie allowance.

For those following at home, the changes I made were:
- Greek Yoghurt instead of "low fat" Yoplait etc
- Cut out dried fruits, replaced with fresh fruit
- Cut out calorie containing drinks (OJ, etc) unless it's recovery food.
- Changed from up'n'go to multigrain porridge (have to leave 15 mins earlier for work so i have time to make it there, no great sacrifice)

Since I last posted the weather has improved too, so i've been back out on the trails. It's amazing the difference to my fitness from riding to work on average 3 times per week.

I've entered into the Otway Odyssey 100 for next year. Now that my weight is approaching my ideal weight (75kg's) i'm going to have to re-jig my calorie goals and focus on endurance training and maintain the weight. I wouldn't be surprised if I struggle to keep my weight at 75kg and have to check to make sure I am eating enough! Sure is a change from times past!

I also bought the bikejames.com Kettlebell workout package (and a 12kg Kettlebell) to get some strength training as was suggested, but am yet to get into that.
So I suppose my goal now has shifted to riding longer rides on road and off in preparation for the OO.
 
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