SkinGriz

Define high energy aerobic work.
Was the human body designed to do what you define as high energy aerobic work?

guachi

The human body wasn't designed. It evolved.

And it evolved to use carbohydrates and fat as an energy source. It evolved such that fat can't be directly used by the brain as an energy source (glucose and ketones can). It evolved such that above about 65% of VO2 max carbohydrate usage increases dramatically. It evolved such that it can generate energy from carbohydrates faster than it can fat.

unterhausen

Just like any other form of exercise, cycling alone isn't the main factor in losing weight. Eating less is. If you look at the number of calories burned on a ride it's just not that significant, so it's fairly easy to maintain your weight while cycling.

OTOH, as shown in this thread, it can help you develop an eating disorder.

SkinGriz

Did it evolve to do what you consider heavy aerobic exercise? Do you have evidence our ancestors were running marathons or outrunning prey?

To the OP. Help your friend get to ketosis. She’ll lose fat.

DreamRider85

It does if you put in many hours. Though, in the wintertime, it's harder for me to stay in the same kind of shape because I'm not out doing many 40 or 50-mile rides. When you're putting in lots of miles, I don't think you need to diet crazy, you just have to be a little bit careful. But if you're goal is only to not gain weight or a lot of weight, then you can loosen up if you're riding.

cjenrick

it is very simple to lose weight by cycling.

you simply ride and ride and feed yourself so little so that when you are riding, you feel really hungry.

if you do not feel really hungry and close to a bonk, then you will not lose weight, or lose weight very slowly, which is discouraging.

it is not easy staying in tip top shape. your teeth will rot out due to lack of nutrition and an overworked immune system, you will constantly crave food, and when you quit your program, you will blimp out like the goodyear, but it is fun going fast and humiliating strangers that could have been your friends.

i had Greg LeMond steal half a BLT off my plate, he's like, "wow, look at that hot chick" and when i went to look, the BLT was gone. Pros don't chew their food. They just pour it down in nuthin flat. So it is hard to catch them in the act.

livedarklions

My understanding is that the effectiveness of increasing calorie burning as a weight loss strategy varies a lot from person to person as there's huge genetic variation in metabolism.

I find my health and weight are best balanced with a lot of cardio exercise and carrying some "excess" weight as muscle. I eat a high protein diet, which works well for me. I lost 140 pounds basically by moving from incredibly poor eating habits and inactivity to my current regimen a step at a time. It was gradual but extremely effective, and involved quite a bit of trial and error.

Paul Barnard

Seems we have had a rash of 'em lately.

Bearhawker

I agree broadly and in fact I haven't consumed more than 20 net grams of carbs in a day for more than 2 years. Never felt/been better.

Bonk-proof!

Diabetes-proof. And if the studies showing that Alzheimer's disease may well be "type-3 diabetes" (essentially chronic untreated metbolic syndrome/insulin resistance) Alzheimer's disease-proof too. One can hope!

I just read your solution as a proposed problem - hence my confusion. lol

As a side note and a benefit Ididn't anticipate from being Keto: I got taken off my bike riding to work almost 2 years ago. Fortunately I was only back up to 40 km/h after climbing a hill when the dog came running across the road into me. 9 broken ribs (15 total fractures), collapsed lung (bleeding at the bottom, leaking air at the top) and unknown head trauma (loss of consciousness at least twice). I was riding back to work (on a different bike) within 4 weeks and 2.5 months after the crash I was riding a 3-day, 300km 4100m climbing ride.

Incredible recovery time for someone over 50 by all accounts. My family doctor was astounded - she said she's had patients with 1 or 2 CRACKED ribs out of commission for months. I had a floating plate ("flailing segment") of broken ribs!

The only suggestion I have is that since I eat essentially nothing inflammatory my body could focus on healing. Dr agrees.

Bearhawker

Calories in / calories out is WAY too simplistic a concept without any framing, context, time spectrum, etc. Overall I think it is correct, but you have to factor everything else in - including genetics and biology.

For instance I rode a 3-day ride where I burned more than 15,000 calories but ate only ~3000 over the three days.

I gained 3 pounds over those three days.

I can lose 3 pounds in a week of no exercise (literally sitting on the couch "working" from home) just by modifying my food intake. Not "starvation" as I'm fat-adapted and burn fat as a primary food source... if I stop eating it I start burning it - FAST.

livedarklions

I'm not going to get into the usual argument with the keto evangelists except to note that pretty much every serious study done on the subject ends up with the conclusion that almost no one can maintain it over the long-term. YMMV, but anyone who's telling you that their way is the only way is full of crap.

SkinGriz

Why can’t they?

Bearhawker

I'm not telling anyone what they should do if that's directed at me. I share my personal experience, and reasoning. It's working great for me.

Either way I'm not sure what long-term means in this case. More than 2 years for me and unless I have a specific medical reason that counters the medical reasons I'm doing what I do, there's very little chance I will ever change. I have so successfully eliminated sugar from my diet that my taste palate has changed - even fresh berries are disgustingly sweet to me now.

If I were into racing I might be into a different situation. Maybe. But what I do is more endurance related and not being tied to refueling is very liberating.

Gresp15C

Something to consider is that cycling is probably not the friend's only lifestyle change in the past year. All of our habits have been disrupted by the pandemic, including our eating.

SkinGriz

What I noticed. Almost immediate fat loss. Increased mental clarity. No sugar HI/Crash.

Other interesting side effects. No burps, no farts, no BO.

guachi

Yes. Humans are built (or evolved) for long distance moving and running. Long legs and short arms. Using our brains and our legs humans could run (or walk) prey to death. Few predators use this type of hunting, humans being one of them. Some humans still do. A fit human could probably do this (and probably did) using stored fat. They probably did this using stored carbohydrates, too. The fact that humans can switch from using carbohydrates when it has them to fat when it has it is an indication humans are adaptable. It's just that humans process carbohydrates faster and preferentially so if you need to move faster having stored carbohydrates is a definite plus.

Or, humans could use the ability to run to scavenge prey before other carnivores got there. In any event, the modern human is darn good at running.

In fact, among mammals humans excel at long-distance aerobic travel. I'd put our stamina right after our brains as a trait that sets us apart from other mammals.

From an article on wikipedia on the topic is the note that "Such a long hunt requires high amounts of dietary sources of water, salt, and glycogen."

SkinGriz

The humans that figured out habitat management, horticulture, and fatal funnels passed on more genetic material than humans that out ran prey.

coffeesnob

correct bad diet doesn't trump good exercise.

SkinGriz

https://www.marksdailyapple.com/did-...tance-runners/

I get it now. We see what we want to see. It’s like how engineers make emotional decisions for things like what kind of car to buy, then find the numbers to back up the decision.

Of course someone into endurance sports believes the theory that we evolved to run prey to death.

guachi

Humans have numerous evolutionary adaptations for running and for continuous aerobic effort. The theories just try to explain why that is. Whether the theory is right or wrong in no way change that we have them.

Refusing to take advantage of our ability to use multiple fuel sources and the ability to process them efficiently would be like someone deciding not to take advantage of our stellar thermo regulatory ability. Why do that to yourself?

Bill in VA

Cycling can definitely lead to weight loss. But cycling AND eating better is much, much more effective. Additionally, cycling will add muscle (heavier than fat) so do not focus only on the scales, but also on your appearance and how you feel. Loosing inches in girth and gaining increased endurance and cardio-health, beats mere scale readings. Hard fact: You have to give up what made you fat. I HATE that fact!!!

For me, more exercise and less carbs (and hidden carbs) will always result in weight loss. Carbs are my nemesis so they must be avoided. I will lose weight just cutting carbs, but adding more exercise speeds my weight loss and tones the body. (even at 68 years old)

RihanaB

As for me, I never lost weight cycling until I also cut my calories to recommended levels (less than 2k a day, for me). When I ride, then I can eat more.

wolfchild

I eat a crapload of calories and drink beer everyday, I never count how many calories I eat, I never count how many calories I burn, I don't use any apps that tell me how to eat, what to eat , when to eat and I was never overweight yet. I must be doing something wrong

AlanO

Calories in, calories out.

altondavis2

Muscle mass weighs more than FAT. Thats the way it works.