Weight loss strategy - how to use TR

I’m also a greedy b***ard who is almost incapable of not vacuuming up any food that is tasty and readily available - tubs of ice cream, cakes, cookies, packs of nuts, all disappear if I’m not careful. Luckily I’m also hooked on endurance training so my weight stays fairly steady at a level which isn’t exactly climber lean but doesn’t penalise me too much when the road points up.

I do think one drawback of indoor training is that there is no sense of having to carry your weight - rationally you know that W/kg is important but the numbers on the screen only show the watts so the temptation is to chase that. I find that regularly group riding with hills is a good reminder that the kg part of the equation is just as important and gives extra motivation to eat well (chasing a 60kg mountain goat up a hill is good for the soul!). Running has the same effect since you’re painfully aware of any excess pounds you’re carrying, plus I find that the pounding and rise in core temperature actually suppress appetite whereas cycling makes me ravenous.

I’ve also learned to avoid having too much snack food around the house and to try and have healthier alternatives (dried fruit, dates, nuts, trail mix, etc) handy. Also not having tasty things in family size packs, since I’m not all that good at stopping halfway through something even if it is the size of my head…

Other thing that helps me is buying nice, expensive and well fitting clothes and/or kit when I’m at a good weight that I can maintain. That way if things start getting too snug it’s a good daily reminder to skip dessert.

I do find that when I’m not training much it’s easier to eat clean since I know I don’t have the luxury of going out for a 2000+ calorie ride to burn it all off when I’m injured, ill, travelling, busy at work, etc. I quite often do intermittent fasting in these periods. But when the training ramps up again there seems to be no lasting benefit in terms of appetite and craving - the first long ride back and my body is demanding an all you can eat buffet.

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