masi61

I am barely holding my weight under 200 into November despite having continued to ride around 125 miles per week and doing 2 or 3 "body works" and yoga classes at the gym each week. I would love it if I did not relapse to a winter Clydesdale but it seems to happen over the colder months each year. I am capable of running and did run nearly 4 miles last week one day. It was my first run like that in about 2 years.

I don't ride as many miles in the colder weather, choosing to wrap things up in under 2 hours when temps are below 40. I do like to stay active with my cycling hobby during the cold season by planning future bike builds and doing ongoing mechanic work but its the weight gain that happens every time that sort of stinks.

So my question is: How do you maintain your summer gains when cycling miles taper? For me , I hope to implement my plan of adding some running to the weekly combination of workouts. I also plan on continuing with regular yoga practice and "body works" classes where medium dumbells are used.

I am 5'11 and my weight can vary between 265 at the highest down to about 180 at the lowest. Presently I am at 195# BTW.

PS: I just realized I made no mention of my diet. When at work I don't show very good restraint when it comes to snacks. If they are available and free, I will consume a lot and then feel rotten about it later. Obviously this leads to more weight gain.

cyccommute 

I know not of this “off season” thing you speak of

Below 40°F? Keeping rides to under 2 hours at 20°F is probably prudent but 40°F? That absolutely balmy! Get more and better clothes and go ride. Feet have always been my downfall but that varies by person, of course. Find what bothers you most in the cold and get the proper clothing for it. We do live in a golden age of technical bicycle clothing and you shouldn’t have a problem with keeping most any body part warm.

masi61

Thanks for the reply!
I’ve already done a few rides recently where the early temps were in the high 20’s (heavy frost)
Also, I do have winter cycling boots (Fizik Arctica) and they do keep the toes a lot more comfortable but they aren’t waterproof like they claim to be,

seypat

You have to control the diet/food intake and keep on exercising. Make it a common event in your life. It doesn't have to be cycling. I belong to a gym. If the weather's too bad, I go to the gym and cycle on a stationary bike. Same for running. Mix it up. I also swim or take a yoga/fitness class to do something. If you don't belong to a gym you can find virtual exercising online. Find a yoga/core/exercise class you can watch and participate in. The resources are there. It's up to you to find and use them. You have something planned for this evening? Good time to do something for an hour. You have to get past the feeling that exercise is work. Find something to do and make it fun.


I do run/bike from home, but, I don't have any exercise equipment at home. If it's at home, I won't use it. It just becomes a clothes/towel hanger. Going to a gym makes all the difference. That's just my personality. That and participating in gym/court sports.

downtube42

Triple whammy: Fewer miles, increasing dining out, more days in the office with the snack vending machine.

Yesterday I intended to go for a 25 mile ride after work. After work, I looked out and it was dark, 50F, and raining. In January that would be great, but I'm not there at the moment.

I've crossed back over into the clyde zone

cyccommute 

I can’t speak to the Fisk boots but I have Lake MX145 and MXZ303 boots which are both very waterproof. The MX145 is for shoulder seasons down to about 30°F and the MXZ303 have been used down to -5°F. The 303s have been used in deep snow conditions as well as melting snow. Both are comfortable for those temperature ranges, although nothing is that comfortable at -5°F.

masi61

+1. I have heard that Lake makes good winter cycling shoes. I might want to look into the MXZ303's. The Fizik Arctica boots are already good down into the 20's so long as it doesn't start raining. It looks like Lake is currently on the MXZ304 model now and they sell for $329.99!

Edit: if I do get a second pair of winter cycling boots for the even colder temps, I would like them to be for Shimano SPD-R road cleats (look 3 hole drilling pattern). Also, I have seen the 45NRTH winter cycling shoes on the Treefort Bikes website and these look like they might be nice too.

base2 

For myself, (& you already responded to my other thread) I found that finding a source of motivation to be instrumental. My motivation was the bike parts I was considering had defined weight limits I was dangerously close to.

For method, I re-fired up my MyFitnessPal subscription. It was shocking to see how many calories I became accustomed to allowing myself. The scan barcode function has really, really improved from my first & second (& successful) experiences with the app. If you have a standard fitness watch, that service can be used for both positive & negative calorie adjustments. Thus far it has kept me honest.

On more days than one, I have found myself hungry & if I were to satiate that need meant time on the Zwift. Coincidently, a walk to the local beer store uses the same amount of calories to be found in said beer.

For the Zwift, their workout plans also provide a sense of obligation to get off the couch & get on it. The plans don't do themselves & offer a nudge towards commitment.

Good luck, wherever you find your motivation.

rumrunn6

I'm in the process of reducing actually. slowly. one has to stop eating so much. for me I've been able to reduce my breakfast and lunch limiting myself to a big meal once a day. building a little muscle back simultaneously has helped the calorie burn as well

cyccommute 

Yea. They aren’t cheap. On the other hand, they last forever. Mine are around 10 years old and will probably go another 20 or 30 years.

Too bad you weren’t in need of them and in Tucson about 2 years ago when Performance closed. They had about 2 dozen in their store for a song. That’s where I got my MX145 for about $50. Who needs a subfreezing boot in Tucson?!

Your choice but I find the SPD style boot to work best on slick roads. More contact area which slips less.

Another thing to consider for your winter arsenal is studded tires. Those will keep your going when the roads get slick. I run them on a mountain bike but only ride them when it is slick and/or snowing. Otherwise, they are a pain to ride and I have other bikes with knobs that I ride in the winter.




Those are my Lake boot tracks in the foreground.

I would also suggest, if you don’t have one, getting a mountain bike for winter riding. One, they are slower and harder to ride (quite a bit more rolling resistance) so you do more work as you ride. Two, they are more sure footed in the slick. And 3, riding in snow like in the picture, is really hard. It’s a bit like riding in sand.

dieselgoat

It took me a long time to figure this out, but for me, it's at least 80% about what I eat. I rode 13,069 miles in 2017 and gained 10 pounds.

masi61

Good point. But for me I can run and do yoga (a couple sessions of each per week) and man does this sort of re-set my perception of how my fitness is almost there. When I run, I use muscles that don't come into play as much with riding. Then those unused muscles become sore and since they are sore I can actually feel where my defecits are. And suddenly I sort of know what is holding me back from improving further and also gives me an awareness of how I am carrying extra weight. Today is Thanksgiving and I am eating poorly but it could be worse. It know my weight will be slightly higher but with any luck, I may just be able to keep it below 200# between Thanksgiving and New Year's day.

masi61

2021 weight/ annual mileage update: 199.4 pounds/5350 outdoor miles. I have been eating brownies, ice cream, drinking egg nog, choc milk, etc... tomorrow is Christmas and I'm not sure if I'll be exercising much tomorrow. Hello Clydesdale status ... arghh...