JojoK74

I’m 45 and about 40 lbs overweight. I’ve always exercise though just have eating and thyroid issues. I usually do at least 30 minutes 7 days a week. I maybe miss 1 or 2 days a month if that. Usually the elliptical or a walk outside or on the treadmill. My favorite when the weather is nice is a bike ride. I just got a Fitbit and it said I rode 32 minute. 4.35 miles at an average of 8.1 mph. Heart rate average 131. (When I checked it seemed to fluctuate between 125 and 142). 40ft elevation gain and 202 calories burned. I thought that seems pretty good (except I would think I would have burned more calories) and I feel like a get a good work out. But when I check online it’s shows 8 mph is beginner. I’ve been riding on an off for a few years. Not everyday because of weather and time (sometimes I can only exercise really early or at night when it’s dark). Is it still a good effort?

phughes

It's fine, you are doing something. Stick with it, you will get faster, if you want to, and you will see more results. Keep at it, and do so at a pace you enjoy, or you will get frustrated and quit. Combine diet with the exercise if you want to lose. Don't cut calories too much or you won't sustain it. All you want is a caloric deficit, and over time you will lose weight.

Okay, i'm going to go now, and take my own advice.

livedarklions

You get to define for yourself whether it's a good effort. Don't confuse being a beginner with quality of effort, you're doing what you're comfortably capable of, especially considering time conditions. If you bike more, it will get easier to go faster, but you need to determine for yourself how to balance your activities.

I totally agree with phughes that sustainability of effort is the key, and that the advantage for biking in this regard is, to me, that it's actually fun. If wanting to go faster inspires you to push a little harder, embrace it. If feeling like you're too slow discourages you, then focus on how nice it is to be able to do this outside and don't worry about your speed.

Ignore the "no pain, no gain" people. That's not reality, it's a sales pitch.

BobbyG

...that is a great effort!

As far as average speed and distance...what kind of bike are you riding, what kind of tires, and what kind of condition is it in..because that can make a huge difference in speed.

katsup

Out of curiosity, what is the bike make / model that you are riding? 8.1mph on a fat bike takes a lot more effort than a road bike.

The lights and street crossings will affect your average a lot.

Daniel4

If you're currently doing 30min 7 days a week, I've got nothing more to add.

Just make sure you're current diet cuts out junk food.

Kedosto

Just posting to echo the “sustainability” opinions. If you work within the bounds of “happy with what I’m doing,” you’re more likely to keep doing it. Eventually, whatever level you’re working at will get easier and you’ll be quietly and comfortably making progress. In other words, don’t worry too much about the numbers, just keep doing whatever it is you’re doing.

Or, you could dive into the deep end of the social media BS and try to compare yourself to a bunch of nonsense whereby you’ll soon feel inadequate and disappointed and end up unhappy with yourself on the couch.

I recommend the first paragraph.


-Kedosto

livedarklions

Also, hilly, flat, windy?

Never take the calorie counter on a Fitbit seriously, it's not even educated guessing.

I'm really encouraged that OP is doing this with thyroid issues.

NomarsGirl

You are lapping everyone on the couch! You will naturally be able to ride longer and/or faster as you keep doing it. The important thing for now is to keep it up.

livedarklions

I'm considering developing a fitness program whose main activity is running away from anyone who uses the phrase "muscle confusion."

phughes

bpcyclist

Just keep doin' what you're doin'. If you want to ride longer and burn more calories/fat, you will be able to do that as you get more fit. You're doing great.

canklecat

Don't worry about calories or weight loss. Do what you enjoy. Ride your bike your way.

My optimal weight is 150. almost 20 years ago, after I was hit by a car, breaking my neck and back, I was unable to ride a bike and for the next 15 years needed a cane to walk. I got up to 205 lbs. And I developed Hashimoto's, an auto-immune disease that attacks the thyroid. So I had chronic pain associated with Hashimoto's, and no energy to exercise anyway.

To lose some weight I changed my diet. I quit buying ready-made sweets and treats. I bought the fixings to bake muffins, cakes, etc., if I wanted those. Yeah, I cheated occasionally but mostly stuck with that plan and it worked. I cut way back on the beer. I ate a lot more high protein/fat foods to satiate my hunger. If I didn't let my blood sugar drop, I didn't crave sugar and junk carbs. But I'm an omnivore. I doubt I could succeed with a vegan or vegetarian diet. Tried it for several months, hated it.

That got my weight down to 175 by early 2015. And I was able to walk farther without the cane. So in summer 2015 I bought a bike, a heavy comfort hybrid with spring fork, heavily padded and springy saddle, and rode that thing for a year. Slowly. No diet changes. I lost maybe 5 lbs, but felt better.

Each year since 2015 I've made other changes to my diet and exercise routine, and each year rewarded my efforts with a new-to-me used bike that's a little lighter and a little sportier. In summer 2017 I got my first road bike in 30+ years. Weighed about 160 lbs then.

In 2018 I was hit by a car, again, breaking my shoulder and re-injuring the old neck injury. Diagnostics to check the injuries revealed my thyroid was calcified. Biopsies confirmed it was cancerous. I had surgery in late 2018 to remove it. No metastasis, no chemo, I got lucky. So far, so good.

Most of 2019 was a slow recovery. Zero energy for months. Weight dropped to 150, mostly because I couldn't swallow solid food for months. Lots of protein shakes, blenderized fruits and veggies, oatmeal, soup, etc. Bought my first carbon fiber road bike from a friend. Early 1990s Trek 5900. I've been enjoying the heck out of that thing. It motivated me to keep going and regain the conditioning I'd lost to injury and illness.

By the time I felt better and could swallow again, I figured I might as well try to keep the weight within the 150-160 lb range. So far, so good.

Took awhile but I'm much stronger and fitter than I've been in years.

But if weight loss or fitness had been my primary goal, I'd have failed.

I ride bikes because I enjoy it. The brain chemical buzz is the best drug I've ever found, and I've tried almost all of 'em. I don't worry about my weight. I don't worry about calories burned during a ride. My main motivation to work out a little harder is so I don't get dropped on every hill in group rides. Other than that, it's all for fun. Sometimes working harder to get faster is also fun. But if it becomes a chore to work so hard at it that it ain't fun, I'll refocus on my primary goal: riding bikes to enjoy riding bikes.

canklecat

Ditto. That little gland can wreak havoc on our entire lives when it malfunctions. And usually only people with thyroid problems can understand. Most folks just don't get it. And it takes for-freaking-ever to stabilize our metabolism with levothyroxine or other replacements for a failed thyroid.

After surgery to remove the calcified cancerous thyroid lobe in November 2018, I'd guesstimate it took me until late summer this year to finally begin to feel more or less normal again.

And my endocrinologist was very cautious about increasing my dosage. I also had early onset osteopenia and a family history of osteoporosis, sometimes severe. So my endo doc refused to authorize any drastic increases in levothyroxine just because I kept whining about having no energy. She just told me to be patient and let the therapy take its course. Too much levothyroxine ran the risk of aggravating bone density problems and they wanted to see if my remaining thyroid lobe and parathyroids would kick-start themselves and regain function.

I also take a fistful of supplements but who knows whether it actually works. I feel better now than I have in years, but maybe that would have happened without the supplements. I'm probably peeing 99.99% of it out. Whatever, it's my expensive urine.

Rajflyboy

Keep at it. You are doing great !!

DeadGrandpa

I agree that you are doing great. If you can extend your ride by 2-3 miles per day, you will probably have even better results. If you can extend it an additional 2-3 miles per day after that, you will feel the difference in your ability.

Your dietary discipline may be as helpful as your exercise routine. When I ditched soft drinks, I lost 10 pounds over 6-8 weeks. And artificial sweeteners are poisonous, so don't substitute. Your lifestyle choices are life choices. Choose strong and tough, not sweet and weak.

Above all, keep moving.

jadocs

Your doing great. Keep doing what you’re doing.

I’m trying to get down to my original weight of 7lbs 8 ounces, but don’t think I’ll ever make it.

MikeyMK

Those of us in wet countries have a higher percentage of obesity, and we bulk up our food with a higher percentage of a very abundant energy source.

The problem with slow-release energy is that you can't burn it. Eat a plate of spaghetti, go out for a two-hour ride, pedal your knees off. Get home, crash out on the sofa, and that spaghetti is still there, making you fat.

If you wanna burn off and get lean, you've got to run out of fuel. That means motivational energy that burns quick. You use the wind in your sails to get going, and you go the extra mile to start using your own energy reserves to keep going.

This works in other ways, too. It takes a lot of energy to digest meat. If you don't consume a slow-release energy source with it, it will require reserve energy. That's why the most fattening part of a cheeseburger is the bread roll...

In the case of the average person, reducing bread/pasta before exercise, and focusing on fruit smoothies for energy instead, can make their exercise go a hell of a lot further.

I should add i'm not taking any special circumstances into account, such as thyroid issues. And zero-carb diets such as Atkins are extreme, and extremes can be hazardous. Just use your sense, keep slow burners for the morning, get variety.

Incidentally, i'm also 45yo, nearly 6ft tall, and 143 lbs. I eat well and don't punish myself on exercise.

Gresp15C

I'd be doubtful of anything the fitbit claims to measure, except possibly your heart rate. How does it actually measure all of those other things? I'm a skeptic.

Flip Flop Rider

do you have the urge to go longer, farther?

livedarklions

I don't keep my disdain for the entire supplement industry a secret, but I don't doubt that someone with your history might need to compensate for problems processing micronutrients, and whatever you're doing is working incredibly well for you.. You have probably done this already, but be sure to check with your endocrinologist about any possible drug interactions with all of the supplements.

Wow, these posts are really amazing! You've more than recovered from two major simultaneous setbacks.

livedarklions

People's metabolisms vary so much that advice like this is basically useless. I find if I take a big hit of carbs right before a long ride, my energy flags in the first hour. That smoothie would be a complete disaster for me. I also find the claim that the same amount of calories consumed as complex carbs will make you fatter than simple carbs ridiculous. If you're burning a reserve during your two hour ride, it's more likely glycogen from your liver than fat. The difference in burn rate between complex and simple carbs is a matter of minutes, not hours, your stomach is very efficient at breaking down starches. The difference in calories you're bringing back to the couch is probably about nil.

Germanrazor

You are doing more than more than likely 90% of the population! Congrats! Do not get so caught up in what the internet or books say as to a effort and it being rated. Eat a healthy type of diet and do about 30 mins. a day exercise and when you can, get on the bike and see the scenery. Do not make riding a chore or you will come to hate it! I ride and enjoy the road for the scenery and smelling the country air (and road kill!).

Do not worry what others say your effort is equated to. Those people are usually schmucks that eat Ho Ho's and drink Cola and sit on their duffs while criticizing others because they feel inferior and that is what they are resulted to. I say to you...…..way to go and keep it up! I cannot stress along with exercise is a great diet. I will not suggest for you as we are all different in our likes but for me I love grilled fish; some red meats and veggies like squash and asparagus lightly grilled and even an every so often piece of PIE! Don't go totally cult on diet. It's okay to have a bit of goodies while riding and exercising.

Retro Grouch 

Anything that you do is better than nothing. A low key consistent program is better than a high intensity program only once in a while.