Posts Tagged "cycling"

I Ate How Many Calories?!

Posted by Bryan on Feb 18, 2010 in Blog, Featured, Nutrition | 18 comments

I’ve been very truthful in that my diet is horrible. Have I tried to eat better? Sure but I always have problems with eating too much and eating the wrong stuff. I knew it was a problem but was too lazy to fix it. I made some half-heart attempts but never put anything permanently in place to correct the problem.

This is further mind-boggling because I knew that I needed to be counting, or tracking, my calories in order to solve my weight problems. So why don’t I do it?

Why Don’t We Count Calories?

Is it because we’re lazy? Maybe but I think the biggest problem is because we think it’s too hard. We’ve all seen the books available that show nutritional information for particular foods (calories, fat, carbohydrates, etc.). You have to look up your food, figure out how much you ate, and then write it down in whatever you were tracking it in (legal pad, moleskin, or perhaps excel). Then you had to add up everything and see how you were doing. Now you needed to figure out your balance of carbs, fats, and proteins. Good luck!

It Doesn’t Have To Be Hard

These days there are online tools (both free and paid) that let you do all this. They have big databases of pre-loaded foods with all the nutritional information already entered. All you have to do is figure out how much you consumed and the rest is done for you. Some of these online tools even track goals (weight loss per week, total weight loss, goal weight, etc.) as well as your exercise. They’ve taken all the hard work and made it easy.

I’ve used Fit Day in the past but was never really sold on it. Their database had a lot of food in it but you still had to enter a lot of stuff manually. Maybe that’s why I quit using it. Two days ago I was on Livestrong.com and found The Daily Plate. I looked at it but didn’t sign up. Then I read over on Jason Kearney’s blog, Out Here In The Middle, that he used The Daily Plate. so I headed back over there today to sign up (for free) and see what it was like.

I’ve only experimented with it a little bit but already love it. It pulled up my brand of oatmeal right away so I started putting in the rest of the things I’d eaten for the day. It tells you how many calories you’ve eaten for the day, how many calories you have left to eat based on your goal (for me it’s losing 2 pounds per week), and a nutritional breakdown. It also lets you add how many glasses of water you’ve consumed for the day. It’s got a ton of features I haven’t even explored yet.

Needless to say, I like it a lot. I’m going to give it a go, see how it works, and write a more detailed review later.

You Still Have To Measure

These online tools are great but in order to make them work we still have to measure how much we’re eating and exercising. For those of us cycling we have our trusty cyclocomputers to tell us how far and how fast we’ve ridden. What about food? We guess right? Wrong!

I’m just as guilty as the next person when it comes to measuring food intake. Some items are easy (1 packet of artificial sweetner has this many calories). What about that big bowl of noodles last night? Or that container of chicken I had for lunch? Or the taco dinner at your favorite taco joint. When left to do our own guesswork we always underestimate. Especially when it comes to food and counting caloric intake!

How can we, I, take our weight loss seriously if we can’t be honest with ourselves on how much we’re eating? The answer is that we can’t. Period.

That’s why I’m buying a food scale today.

Are You Counting Calories?

I’ve included a small poll below to see how many of my readers are counting their calories. Do you do it manually using the old book method or do you use one of the online tools?

Leave us a comment below if you have any good tips or recommendations for counting calories. Or maybe leave me a comment because you love my blog so much.

Vote Now! I guarantee there will be no hanging chads!

Feature image courtesy of Alan Cleaver.

Why We Need A Beech Mountain

Posted by Bryan on Feb 17, 2010 in Blog, Featured, Motivation | 11 comments

Beech Mountain near Boone, North Carolina was made famous in Lance Armstrong’s book It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life. His bicycle ride up that mountain was the culmination of his recovery from cancer and the re-launch of his cycling career. He flipped a switch on that mountain and faced down some demons that were holding him back. We all the know the story that unfolds afterward.

I think we all have, or need, a Beech Mountain.

Whether it’s life, weight loss plans, or cycling goals each of us has either had, are experiencing, or will experience a Beech Mountain.

Why We Need A Beech Mountain

A Beech Mountain is nothing more than symbolism for an event in our lives in which our actions will define us. Perhaps it was an ascent or group ride that we struggled with. The loss of a relative or close friend due to illness. Or the loss of a job.

How we react to those situations will shape our lives.

We need a Beech Mountain because it rips off the scabs in our life and exposes the bleeding sores that reside at our core. It can put our faults on center stage and test our morals, ethics, and values. It shows us what we’re capable of and what we’re willing to do in order to achieve what’s right in our lives whether it’s family, career, or health. A Beech Mountain reveals the man or woman we truly are.

Cycling Is My Answer

I can remember three distinct Beech Mountains in my life. The loss of a 16-year military career in 2006, the loss of my job in October 2008, followed by the loss of my dad in November 2008. For the most part I think I’ve reacted to those situations well but know I have a long, long way to go in one particular area in order to summit my Beech Mountains.

I’ve ridden a bicycle ever since I was a little kid. I took many years to off due to the military but returned to it again in 2008 because I needed help. It was going to be my tool to overcome significant health issues I have. It works but there are days when I feel like I need a reminder of why I’m cycling. A workout or ride that will re-awaken the drive and determination to ride hard, watch what I eat, and train. Train like there’s no tomorrow. To follow through with plans that have only made it as far as a thought but need to come to fruition in order to achieve success.

I need a ride. A reminder. I think we all do from time to time.

Are You On Beech Mountain?

I invite you to share your thoughts or experiences below. What was it that got you over the summit or reminded you why you’re doing it?

Feature image courtesy of Frenchy.

Three Things You Don’t Need To Start Cycling

Posted by Bryan on Feb 15, 2010 in Blog, Cycling For Beginners, Featured | 26 comments

When starting out in the sport of cycling, it’s very easy to get overwhelmed by everything involved. The types of bicycles (their respective sizes, components, price points, materials), the myriad of clothing choices, training recommendations, and the list goes on, and on, and on. It doesn’t have to be that hard.

When first starting out, I think folks may jump a little overboard as far as buying equipment before they fully understand what they’re getting themselves into. I think this is why we see so many bicycles on Craigslist due to new cyclists quitting. Or they don’t even start because they’re too overwhelmed about perceived ‘requirements’.

What you DON’T need

If you’re new to the sport of cycling, I wanted to provide you a list of items that I think you DON’T need when you first start out. They are:

1. An expensive bicycle. Some would disagree with me on this and we could get into a long discussion regarding the ability to upgrade later, comfort, and quality. Maybe we’ll talk about that someday. But I believe that if you’re just starting out, you don’t need to drop $2500, or even $1500, on the latest bicycle (Bicycling Mag says $1500 is the minimum a new rider should spend – March 2010, page 48). I think my first road bicycle, which I bought brand new, cost me $500 back in 1996. I rode it off and on for 15 years until some problems with it last year forced me to retire it. I looked at some brand new bikes as a replacement but would have had to spend at least $1200 to get exactly what I wanted. I know that isn’t much on the bicycle price meter but when you’re on a budget that’s a lot of money. I found a great deal and pulled the trigger on a used bicycle last month for $500.
2. Expensive cycling clothes. This is another touchy subject amongst cyclists. I’m all about saving money so, yes, I have issues with spending $300+ on cycling bibs (or even a $100). Just like everything else, cycling clothing has price points and the quality you get certainly affects the price. I’ve heard that those $300+ bibs are unbelievably comfortable but I just can’t do that. Would I review them if they were sent to me? Absolutely but there’s no way I’d buy them myself. I don’t think I’ve ever paid more than $50 for a set. There are places out there where you can find cheaper cycling clothes. Look for the sales too. I never buy clothes, of any kind, unless they’re on sale. Also, if you’re new to cycling and overweight like me, you’ll find that as the price in clothing goes up, you’re less likely to find anything that fits. I’ll have some posts in the future that discuss places to find cycling clothing that’s inexpensive and fits both Clydes and Athenas.
3. Fancy electronics. These days you can buy computers for your bicycle (called cyclocomputers) that not only record your distance, speed, and time but they’ll also store all that information for download later, display your route via GPS on a color screen, show how many feet you’ve climbed, the current temperature, what your heart rate is, and make you a nice steaming cup of coffee. Ok, I was kidding about the coffee but I think you get my point. If you’re just starting out, you don’t need all that extra stuff. I’ve survived on a simple cyclocomputer that has speed, average speed, ride distance, ride time, and an odometer for years. It’s not as fancy some of the nice stuff but it’s basic and gets the job done. Don’t get me wrong, do I want a nice computer that offers downloading and heart rate? Sure, but that’s because I think that will be my next big step in my cycling training and not because it’s required.

What do you think?

Ok readers, there’s three things. I know many of you have opinions on this subject so I’d welcome them in the comments below. Think back to when you started cycling and apply what you know now. Some of you may disagree with me and that’s OK. Let me know why below.

Tomorrow’s post is going to be on ‘Things you need to start cycling’. If you have recommendations for that list, send them to me at bryan[at]bikingtolive.com.

Feature image courtesy of daniele_satori.

50 Reasons To Start Cycling

Posted by Bryan on Feb 12, 2010 in Blog, Featured, Motivation | 20 comments

I’ve started a list of reasons to start cycling. I want to hear yours in the comments.

1. You can lose weight.
2. You can improve your fitness.
3. You get to wear skin tight clothes.
4. You get to drink lots of water.
5. You can meet cool people (which, in turn, makes you cool).
6. You can satisfy your urge to compete.
7. You get to rub silky smooth concoctions in your nether regions.
8. You can raise money for a charity.
9. You get to buy cool toys.
10. You can buy bicycles that cost more than your car (if you want to).
11. You can play with CO2.
12. You can improve your maintenance skills.
13. You can quit driving a car.
14. You can save money.
15. You can ride 100 miles in one day.
16. It’s an excuse to buy things made of carbon fiber.
17. It’ll help improve your cooking skills.
18. It’s great for your self-esteem.
19. You can ride in the rain.
20. It gets you outside.
21. It’s great to do with the family.
22. You can go downhill really fast.
23. Breaks at the local coffee shop are awesome.
24. Riding a paceline is exhilarating.
25. You get to wear padded shorts and they aren’t Depends.
26. You can get an awesome tan (on half your legs and arms so you might look like a freak).
27. You get to ride up mountains.
28. You get to eat energy bars.
29. If you’re a dude, you have a reason to shave your legs (maybe).
30. You get to drink electrolytes.
31. You can ride the Tour de France route.
32. You can actually buy a product called DZ Nuts (for him or her) and not feel creepy (maybe not).
33. It’s environmentally friendly.
34. You can avoid traffic jams.
35. It can build confidence.
36. It’ll help you make friends.
37. You’ll build mental toughness.
38. You’ll have more stamina for all kinds of things (I’m not going there).
39. You can brag about how many miles you road over the weekend.
40. You’ll sleep better.
41. It’s a stress outlet.
42. You can lower your blood pressure.
43. You get to eat tons of bananas (the most awesomess of fruits).
44. You get the best parking spot.
45. You get to learn a new language called Weiland.
46. You can develop a hard a$$.
47. You can have GPS on your bicycle (how cool is that?).
48. You get to play with oils and lube (don’t you go there).
49. You get to listen to Phil Liggett call races (best ever).
50. It’s fun.

I know there’s more. Let’s hear’em.

Image courtesy of takomabibelot

Five Ways to Measure Cycling Success

Posted by Bryan on Feb 11, 2010 in Blog, Cycling and Weight Loss Report, Featured, White Rock Lake | 9 comments

As we ride our bicycles we need to know how we’re doing, if we’re getting better, and if we’re on track to meet goals we’ve set for ourselves. The way to do that is to take measurements to see if we’re on track to success.

Five Ways to Measure Cycling Success

1. Keep a log. This can be as elaborate or simple as you want it. It can also be free or available for a price. I’ve used both Excel and online tools and it’s a matter of personal preference and requirements as to which method you choose.
2. Use a cyclocomputer. You don’t need anything fancy but if you’re a numbers nut there’s high-tech computers available. Some of the nice cyclocomputers have options to download data into logs for convenience. Bike Noob recently wrote a good article on What’s the Best Cyclocomputer?
3. Note how your clothes are fitting. I found out last year that one of my best indicators that I was making progress was how my clothes were fitting. Because I was riding so much, and building some muscle, I wasn’t losing a ton of weight but my clothes were fitting so much better. I was even able to get into clothes I previously couldn’t wear.
4. Listen to people. Are co-workers asking if you’ve lost weight? Is your family asking if you’re still riding all those miles? If people are taking an interest then they’re more than likely noting change. It also means they care.
5. Listen to your body. I think this is huge. Only you know your body and only you can tell how you’re feeling. I can notice significant changes in how I feel when I haven’t been riding.

What I Noticed Last Year

While training for my first century ride last year, I spent a lot of time riding a bike trail here in Dallas that loops around White Rock Lake. It’s right at nine miles per loop. When I first started training it took me around 45 minutes to make the loop. As I neared the end of my training program, and on days when the riding effort was required to be hard, I was able to cut ten full minutes off that time. That was a huge number to me and was a great measurement of the success I was seeing in my training.

How Do You Measure Success?

Now I want to hear from you. How do you measure your success on the bike? What worked and what didn’t?

Image courtesy of orcmid

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