THE # NUMBER GAME! How focusing on Pounds, Kilograms and Calories may keep you from losing weight.

I am no fan of diets. And as I wrote previously here on VeloDiet, I think dieting kept me from losing weight for years before I found out that the key to losing weight and keeping that weight off is to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Looking back at my many battles with the bathroom scale, I realize how much of that effort was useless. After all, the goal is not to weight an "x" amount of kilograms or pounds, not even to reach your optimum BMI (body mass index). The goal is to live an active and healthy lifestyle with good eating habits. And focusing solely on numbers of kilograms or pounds lost can get on the way of reaching that goal.

Experiment Data Entry#1 - my weight this morning

During my long journey of losing 135lbs (61kgs), I spent years without stepping on the scale. I stopped weighing myself after getting frustrated when my weight loss plateau'd at 285lbs (130kgs). It took me about 3 years before I finally decided to weight myself and I was seriously concerned the results would cause me to fall back into a "fast results" oriented routine. The scale read 217lbs (98kgs) and thankfully I did not change a thing from what I was, and still am, doing.
Diet culture, which we generally associate with weight loss, teaches us to directly link your success to the rate of lbs/kgs you are losing. There are many problems with that direct link. First, the human body does not lose weight at a constant rate and you will experience plateaus. You must give your body that time to adjust and know that the weigh will continue to drop on its own time. Second, depending on your lifestyle and activity, you may become healthier and actually gain weight. Muscle is three times more dense than fat, so as you tone up and become fitter, your weight may stay the same or even increase, specially if you start lifting weights and resistance training- but you will be healthier. Another interesting problem with focusing strictly on the scale, is that your body goes through quite drastic weight variations on a daily basis. I conducted an experiment this morning and weighed myself (first time in about 2 months, by the way) soon after I woke up. The weight was a respectable 80.3kg (177lbs), which is generally where my body has leveled off over the last 2 years or so. I then ate my usual breakfast, drank 2 glasses of water, took a shower and weighed myself again - the digits now registered 81.4kg (179lbs), a 1.1kg (2.4lbs) gain in about 45 minutes. The point is, if you are adopting a new active lifestyle, your rate of weight loss will probably be very slow. I estimate that I lost all my weight at a 2-3lb (1-1.5kg) per month ratio. So if I happened to have a "monthly weigh-in" at the wrong side of a denser meal, I would have to deal with the psychological blows of "wasting a month" or "it's not working" or "I have to starve myself". All for no reason.

Experiment Data Entry#2 - my weight after breakfast and a shower.
Hellllooo Fatso!

Another possibly dangerous Number Game is "Counting Calories". The problem is not keeping track of what you eat numerically, but keeping a set number for your daily calorie intake based on the 2,000-2500 daily calories guideline is unrealistic and could even slow down your metabolism if you are living a very active lifestyle. Everybody is different, everybody's metabolism is different and everybody's activity level is different, so setting a fixed caloric intake off a chart makes no sense. Not only that, the amount of calories your body needs will change from day to day based on how much activity or recovery your body needs. For me, the key was learning to listen to your body and adjusting your eating to what and how much your body is asking for - it's my old guideline again: never be full, never be hungry.

About 15 years ago, I went from 250lbs to 175lbs in about a year, eating 800 calories a day in one single meal and running about 3 miles daily. Not only was I miserable and hungry all the time, I had no energy as my body was starving itself. The result was ballooning back up to 310lbs as soon as my diet ended. No wonder I am not a fan of number-based result-oriented diets.

But not all numbers are bad for you! A much better Number Game is the "get to know your enemy" game. The goal of the game is to understand how unhealthy some of your favorite treats are so that you can budget their intake - you still get to eat those goodies though, as mentioned in this previous post.  My enemy has always been fat, so I started studying my food choices focusing on 2 aspects of the nutrition label - calories and fat, the latter being most important ( sugar is another common enemy you can keep an eye on as well). "Calories" would just give me an idea of how much of the treat I could eat, and "Fat" would tell me if it would be worth eating it at all. You get to know your enemy then by determining the ratio of deliciousness to evil. If something that doesn't taste fantastic turns out to be incredibly bad for me, it became much easier for me to pass on. I would then save those evil points for something more delicious that I truly wanted after the bike ride. All of a sudden, the "hostess mini-donettes" became much easier to resist!

Get to know your enemy - I personally focus on calories and fat content.

Everyone is different and some people need the structure, the encouragement or just the sense of responsibility that a graph/chart and numbers can give. I have a feeling I might be the odd one out here ( not the first time) and that most people actually will need to keep track of their current weight. The key is to find a tracking technique that will enable you to keep your new lifestyle, not only in terms of what you eat, but also how active you are. There are apps out there that not only will keep track of your calorie intake but will also take into account your calorie outtake by keeping track of your activities and exercises (Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker by Myfitnesspal.com, for example).
If you do decide to keep track of your weight loss, it is crucial to always remember that weight loss has its up's and down's and plateaus and that is a normal part of being a human being. You must be patient, keep being active and keep eating good food.
As the saying goes, slow and steady wins the race.

WANT TO RIDE BIKES? JOIN THE CLUB! Literally, join the local cycling club!

Most of us learned to ride our bikes as children, and still remember the exhilaration and shear fear of the first time we were pedaling our bike without its training wheels. And although the saying goes "you never forget how to ride a bike", I can say that I never really learned to ride a bike until I joined a Cycling Club. There is much more to cycling than pushing on the pedals while staying upright and being a member of cycling club can introduce to new skills and to the other many aspects of cycling. 

We Ride - Warsaw - my current cycling club in Poland.

If you are just getting back on the bicycle after years of riding the couch, a cycling club can offer skill rides to get you riding comfortably, further and faster than you ever imagined. The rides will not only involve basic cycling techniques, but should also offer you advice on basic bike fit and safety guidelines. As you learn, it is important to ask questions - don't be shy, even the most experienced riders once had the same questions you do! Cycling clubs also organize group rides for many skill levels where you get to learn not only from other members, but you also get introduced to the best cycling routes in the area, and often the best coffee shops as well.  But more importantly, you get to ride with and meet new friends, who in turn become your mentors, coaches and riding buddies - or simply great friends! As you develop as a cyclist, other benefits of cycling clubs become more evident - you can go on training camps and ride in beautiful new places, or try track cycling in an International Velodrome used by many national teams (an opportunity I took advantage of recently through my current cycling club, We Ride - Warsaw.)

Wolverine Cycling Club - my first cycling club
and the team I raced with.

And if you are the competitive type, as you become faster you will surely want to try racing. Amateur cycling races are popular, very accessible and take place in closed roads. But being a member of a cycling club, and later a racing team, is almost a prerequisite to become a good racer. Racing requires a different skill level and having the support of teammates is crucial if you want to do well in races. Through my short racing career, the moments I enjoyed most were playing your team tactics and working for teammates.
But even if you are a lone-wolf, who just enjoys the solitude and peace of long solo bike rides, a cycling club also offer many advantages. Clubs are generally associated with a local bike shop which in turn offers discounts on parts, services and new bikes. You also get discount cycling uniforms from team orders. And if you have many racers in your club, you may be able to buy cycling gear used for a single season at a significant discount - the faster you race, the bigger the discount!
But possibly the most valuable aspect of becoming a member of a cycling club is that you become a member of the cycling community. In my opinion, the social aspect of cycling (meeting new friends, drinking coffee mid-ride or beers post-ride, going to watch races while supporting teammates or racing yourself, offering your spare tube to a friend after his third flat tire and the club's social outings or annual awards dinner) is an integral part of being a cyclist.

Team O2 / Cadieux Bicycle Club - the cycling club I joined
after my early retirement from racing.

If you are interested in joining a local cycling club, a simple internet search can give you a list of the clubs in your area. You could also ask your local bike shop as you are preparing to buy your bike if they have any connection with a cycling club or any feedback to which cycling clubs in your area would better fit your skill level. Or, next time you are riding your bike and come across a cyclist wearing a local club jersey, feel free to ask him or her! ( hint: if they don't tell you more about the club and how to get in contact, you probably don't want to join that club anyways!)

WHERE TO RIDE YOUR BIKE! aka. "Why do we ride bikes on the road" aka. "Bike and their Invisibility Cloak"

Yes, cyclists ride their bikes on the road. And no, we really don't want to be near cars. The perfect scenario for cyclists would be to have a complete separate road system dedicated exclusively for bikes, but until that utopian dream comes along, we need to share the roads with cars. And since cars are much bigger, heavier and faster than cyclists, our first priority is safety. The first instinct then would be to stay on the sidewalk, as far away as possible from vehicular traffic. But quickly you find out that every intersection becomes a game of Russian Roulette, as cars can't see bicycles travelling down sidewalks when approaching a street corner, or even their driveway. Bicycles riding on sidewalks are just not visible to car traffic.

Dream Scenario - an exclusive bicycle road system throughout
the world (just substitute gas stations for coffee shops!)

In order to be visible to cars, cyclists ride on the road, where drivers focus their attention on (at least, we hope they do!) Regardless of safety though, it's also worth mentioning that the Law typically requires cyclists to do just that: ride on the road! Although every country, state or city has their own traffic code, generally, a cyclist is to be treated as any other vehicle and ride on the road while obeying all traffic laws. It also calls for cyclists to ride as far right as practical as they are slower traffic, but allows cyclists to take the entire lane for safety reasons. That's right, "Share the Road" is not a plea, it's the LAW!
When Bike Lanes are provided, cyclists are then typically required to ride in them, but only if they are unobstructed and in good conditions (safety again is the key).
As more communities accept and embrace cycling as a legitimate mode of transportation, more bike lanes are being implemented throughout the world. Bike lanes are a win-win situation as it allows for a safe environment for cyclists while allowing for free-flowing car traffic. But even bike lanes can be treacherous places to navigate, especially in high volume traffic areas on intersections or when bike lanes must interact with pedestrians. This is much more evident on bike lanes systems implemented on sidewalks or in conjunction with pedestrian infrastructure.

Even Bike Lanes sometimes can be treacherous places to navigate.

Other cycling infrastructures now being implemented include separate Bike Paths and Paved Trails. These are also ideal places to ride as cars are generally not allowed, but are expensive and not as practical for daily cycling use (unless you are lucky enough to commute or live near a paved trail.) If you own a Mountain Bike or a Cyclocross bike, bike trails on forests or secluded dirt roads become an option as well. Especially if you are riding for sport or pleasure, this is an attractive alternative - but beware, although you won't find cars on single tracks, trees don't give when you ride into them.

Riding a Mountain Bike on a Trail can be quite challenging, even
though no cars are involved. But getting lost in a forest can be a lot of fun!

But not all roads have bike lanes, and the dedicated paved trails are far and few between. So, which roads should we ride on that would provide the safest and most enjoyable experience. For this, we can look at Rule #4 - Look for the road less travelled. The key is to find roads with less traffic and lower speed limits - this strategy will also allow you to find some incredible places hidden in your backyard. 
There are a few strategies for finding such cycling gems. If you have joined a Cycling Club, you can go on their group rides or ask other members for good cycling routes. You might be surprised how some small unknown out-of-the-way roads are very known and popular to the entire local cycling community. Sometimes some cycling routes will feel like labyrinths in order to get from point A to point B without riding on high-traffic roads, but there are tools out there that can help you unlock the Marco Polo within you. Google Maps is a great tool to find smaller roads which may run parallel or adjacent to busy roads - sometimes you can even find some nice shortcuts too. Their "street view" tool allows you to check the road conditions, so you can check if the road has shoulders or if it is paved at all (although road bikes can handle lots of dirt roads as well). Strava , a cycling software which allows cyclists to track their rides, also compiles its users' routes and has recently released Strava Global Heatmap, which graphically shows which roads are more typically ridden by cyclists throughout the world.

This secluded country road is a local favorite with Cyclists.
Last time I rode here, it took over 20mins to come across a car!

Finding the right roads, however, is only half the battle when it comes to riding safely with traffic. Being visible, as mentioned before is crucial, so many cyclists like to wear bright colored jerseys to insure cars can see them. I've found that bicycle Tail Lights / Blinkers to be very effective. I ride with a rechargeable blinking tail light even during daytime every time I ride solo. Not only I am more visible, but somehow, motorists tend to be much more polite.
Safe riding should be a habit to all cyclists, and that goes far beyond which roads we ride on and how visible we are. Practicing strategies such as riding as if no one can see you, being predictable or avoiding sudden maneuvers, and being polite to all users of the road will also insure that your bike ride will be as enjoyable as possible! Ride on!

EAT YOUR CAKE AND KEEP IT TOO! How I lost weight and still ate what I like!

FOOD, or what and how much food you eat, is only half of the equation for losing weight and being fit. Actually, is less than half of the equation. If you've read the last few posts here on VeloDiet, you know that being active on a daily basis really is the key to a healthy weight and a healthy lifestyle. In fact, my daily calorie intake today is probably very similar to what it was when I weighted 135lbs more. The more active I am, the more I can and should eat. By riding my bike daily, all I had to do was make a few changes to my eating habits.

It helps to be married to a great cook! Lunch:
Salmon with Pasta topped with Spinach and Feta Cheese and a side of Brocolli.

MORE OF THE GOOD, LESS OF THE BAD. Along with "never be full, never be hungry", those were the only two eating rules I followed while losing all my weight. Since I don't believe in diets, I knew I was going to eat what I liked, and since I liked "bad" food, moderation was key. But since I realized I could eat more of the "good" food, all I had to do was find healthier food that tasted good!

THE BAD: my approach to eating unhealthy tasty foods, was to budget how much of these "bad" foods I would eat. I never thought of food as a reward, but I knew that I had burnt enough calories to justify eating what I wanted to eat. I also never wanted to feel "guilty" about eating my favorite foods - associating a negative feeling with food is not something I wanted to have for the rest of my life.
Budgeting the "bad" food involved knowing how much leeway my activities afforded me, and how unhealthy the food was. I started employing simple tactics like eating half the piece of cake now, and saving the other half for tomorrow after the bike ride. Or if out dining and wanted a desert, I always split it with the wife - after a year or so, the full order became too much food for me to eat alone! Also, I stopped eating the bad things that I didn't like too much but used to eat out of habit. I was never a fan of potato chips or chocolate fudge for example, so I would skip on those and save those "calories" for a treat I really wanted after my ride. Doing this budget also made me feel accountable, so that I would ride the longer loop a little faster than usual because of the brownie - keep in mind, that "brownie" and "riding a few extra miles" are all fun things to me!



Light Dinner (this is usually part of my breakfast):
Granola with Berries, 2% Milk and sliced Bananas

THE GOOD: yes, you get to eat more...of healthy tasty foods that are good for you. Now, taste is a personal thing, and everyone will find different foods tasty. The key is to keep an open mind: healthy food can be delicious, and finding a few favorite tasty healthy foods were essential for me to lose weight. I always liked meat, and substituting red-meat for salmon or chicken breast was easier than I thought. My weaknesses always revolved around fatty foods, but since I was riding my bike so much, I could eat more carbs - so I started eating more pasta and rice. Finding a healthy snack to keep you from getting hungry and opening that Snickers bar was also key, and it turns out that fruits were my way out! Not only did I always have fresh fruit around the house, I found a 100% fruit puree smoothie (no fat or sugar added) that I swear tasted like a milkshake! Vegetables were my mortal enemy, but I found that a Greek salad with chicken breast is incredible even without salad dressing - it turns out I really enjoy beets and spinach! You could be surprised how food can still taste pretty fantastic without the dressings or sauces. Next time you eat a salad, try to enjoy the food without the dressing, or order your favorite Thai dish with very little sauce - it might taste even better than the original!

Also, a big part of healthy eating does not actually involve food - small changes such as drinking lots of water, eating a good breakfast, not eating too late and not keeping junk food around the house, were pretty easy to incorporate into my routine. But more of the non-food-related stuff later!

Healthy Snacks:
Having fresh fruit nearby is always handy when the cravings arrive.

Those were strategies that worked for me to psychologically change my eating habits. They made a lot of sense given my sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits. With time, I started craving less of the bad and more of the good - and this happened naturally and effortlessly. So nowadays, I do crave fruit or a salad and will feel nauseous if I eat 2 heavier meals in 2 days - that was unthinkable 6 years ago.
A balanced nutritious diet with more vegetables and fruits, less fat and sugar, is the end-goal - but shifting into that diet would've never worked in my old days. Starting by concentrating on eating more of the healthy foods and less of the unhealthy foods worked for me. Regardless, the food you eat should always taste good - if it doesn't, try something else! Bon Appetit!

GETTING FIT IS A SOCIAL ACTIVITY! This winter, be like penguins and find some friends!

Most of my memories of riding a bike when I was a child involved long rides with friends, unsanctioned group races to the next corner, and yes, crashes involving my brother (there were multiple crashes, and we both took turns causing them!)  Once you grow up and become more responsible, the crashes are (hopefully) fewer, and the races take place on closed streets as part of sanctioned events - but the long rides with friends are still pretty similar!

Where are your friends when you are caught in the middle of a
snow blizzard!? Right next to you, that's where!

Cycling is a team sport - you are safer, faster and more efficient riding as a group of cyclists. And although solo rides are also great and offer great introspective stress relief, the appeal of being with a group of friends during an outing makes the occasion much more fun! I am working on my ode to cycling buddies and cycling clubs, but since Winter is upon us, I wanted to write about how being social will help you stay active when the weather turns ugly.

It's much harder to break a commitment to others than to just yourself. When the weather is a few degrees colder than expected and being under the blanket feels a few degrees warmer than anticipated, knowing that you are supposed to meet 3 other friends for that bike ride might just be enough to get you out of the bed (you won't regret it!)

The epic is always more "epic" with friends. Although you can always post a selfie of your frozen beard online, or point to your Strava file as proof of the out worldly conditions you encountered on your ride, nothing beats having your friends brave through the blizzard with you! Plus as a group, you can keep each other protected from the wind, and provide words of encouragement to keep each other going (those words of encouragement may come in the form of groans and cuss-words, but they are always translated to smiles later on).

Winter is also the time to take it slower on the bike and to just ride for the pure enjoyment of it (in racing training programs, they call it "Base Miles".) And nothing is more enjoyable than a bike ride with your loved one to the coffee shop!



Most of the times we hired a babysitter, bikes and coffee were involved!

Don't get me wrong, I recommend riding with your loved ones throughout the year, but for cyclists who race, train or just ride faster than their partner, this time of the year presents a great opportunity to join them on the bike, or whatever their physical activity may be. My wife and I enjoyed riding bicycles together so much during this time of the year, that almost all of our dates were planned around the weather forecast.

This is also a great time to spend time being active with your children. If you have children, you know that this time of the year can be challenging to keep them engaged in some form of physical activity in order to keep your house from being destroyed. So next time the roads freeze over, and the snow and ice make even the craziest cyclists head to their Trainer, grab your kids and go sledding. Or get them to go play on the snow while you shovel so they can use you as target practice for their next snowball fight! And if you don't have children, call your friends, buy some sleds and find a local hill! There is no age limit for sledding (at least I haven't found any signs stating otherwise).

Get bundled up and go play outside! -10C (14F) and too much ice
 for bikes was the perfect scenario for some sledding with the kids!

Regardless of the weather, being social through cycling is just another way to enjoy being active! You also get to make friendships that will last a lifetime,  become a more active partner and parent who gets to spend quality time with your loved ones. It doesn't even sound like exercising, does it?!

New Year's Resolution: "EXERCISE" LESS, "PLAY" MORE!

This is the time of the year when many of us embark on our annual journeys into failure. Yes, the New Year Resolutions have started, and Gym's everywhere are bracing for a tsunami of new clients, or old clients who they remember only through monthly invoices. For the next few months, many brave souls will force themselves to drag their tired or sleepy bodies for an hour of exercising at the gym (at least 3x a week!) By the time March rolls by, the routine gets to be unbearable, work too busy, and the weather too cold for yet another trip to the local treadmill temple. And by the time April comes along, well, let's face it, we don't even remember our New Years Resolutions in April!



Not all Indoor Activities involve Dumbbells and Treadmills
That's me riding a bike on what seemed like a wall at the Velodrome!
(courtesy of HopCycling)

I believe that most exercise-based resolutions (or diets for that matter) fail because people simply don't want to do them. So, I propose another way to look at a life-long resolution: "EXERCISE" LESS, "PLAY" MORE! It's time to start playing that sport you loved in High School once again, or try your hand at that other sport you always wanted to do, or even join your spouse for a dance class! Whatever it is, get moving! You are alive, make the best of it! The key is to become active on a daily basis, and there is no better way to do that than to have fun, to play!

Now, if you happen to live in the Northern Hemisphere, mother nature will appear to do everything in her power to stop you from being active (if you live in the Southern Hemisphere, please bookmark this page and check back in June - in the meantime, go out and play!) Being a Brazilian who lives in cold climate countries, I struggle tremendously with the weather during this time of the year. So, I decided to embrace it! I try to make the best of it - shoveling snow can be a timed event, and dragging your laughing children on a sled is a heck of an exercise! But let's face it, "making the best of 10F or -10C" is never going to be the kind of playing that will keep you coming back for more!

Since this Blog is about cycling, I must mention that there are tons of cycling gear out there that will make you comfortable on even the worst types of winter conditions, so riding your bike is always a good option. For me, riding my bike during the winter is almost a meditative experience. You become much more aware of your surroundings: the sounds are crisper, you are more aware of your breathing and how your body interacts with the bicycle. The rides are slower, you ride just for the pleasure of being outside, breathing fresh air. And the coffee, the recovery meal, and the warm shower after a sub-freezing bike ride are as epic as the weather you just endured! But I am not going to be delusional to expect people to ride their bikes during a blizzard and "have fun" doing it! The point is to find something that makes you smile so that you look forward to it! 

Getting lost in a forest to start the new year! I highly recommend it!

And if your favorite activity is somewhat hampered by the cold or snow, Winter is a good time to experiment new things!

Not all cycling needs to take place outdoors! This week, the Cycling Club I am a member of here in Poland, We Ride Warsaw, hosted a track night at an indoor velodrome. I couldn't pass on the opportunity of riding a bicycle wearing only my summer gear, and the experience was phenomenal. And the -10C snowy weather did not bother me a bit!

But I really enjoy riding outdoors, and my road bike tires (measuring 2.5cm - an inch in width) is not the best tool to brave snowy and sometimes icy roads. So I was able to secure a mountain bike, and with it, I can not only ride in the snow (it takes some practice, but it can be done safely!), I can also go on trails that are out-of-reach on a road bike! My first ride this year involved me getting lost in a forest south of Warsaw - but being among the trees this time of the year was phenomenal!

I've even started jogging just to be outdoors when I only have an hour or so available for exercise. Now that I am a lighter person and with proper running shoes, I've found that jogging is no longer too hard on my joints (something that would've been impossible for me to do during my +300lbs years).

My local jogging path during Christmas. Even a simple jog can
make you realize that Winter can be a beautiful time to be outside! 

I will be writing more about my ventures into Track Cycling and Mountain Biking along with their culture in future posts, but for now, these activities just enabled me to stay being an active, sane human being. (Note: you might also want to consider winter sports, such as cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, or ice-skating - but I am Brazilian, and that disqualifies me from discussing such sports any further)

Chances are that if you adopt an active lifestyle revolving around fun activities you enjoy and look forward to, many other Resolutions such as "smile more often", "be a more positive person", or  "learn to handle stress" will just take care of themselves!