The real reason why older cyclists struggle with weight (and the fix)

Diet. Saved you five minutes.

On top of the calorie intake, don't forget about lifestyle changes. I have a three year old in my life. If I'm not sick, I'm about to become sick. If I have a free morning, it is quickly taken up by a trip to the park. I'm not complaining. Consistency in riding has sucked this year, so I've come to accept that I'm not going to be in my prime as a cyclist anymore. I've prioritized being prime as a dad...and good enough as a cyclist! 😊 Cheers and great video!

I’m a firm believer in you can’t out train a bad diet

You hit the nail on the head. The biggest push we have to do is to push away from the table. I’m 72 and always rode casually and 6-7 years ago,I got serious and dedicated as friends started getting sick and dying. I ride 30 miles a day and take every 4th day off as a recovery day. I was 6’ 190 lbs. I got down to 165-70 quickly by riding and eliminating bread, bagels, eating more fruit, snacking on popcorn in front of tv. Eliminated as much sugar as possible except for some dark chocolate. No late night eating. Just discipline and it worked. Btw about 5 years ago I switched from road hikes to recumbent racing trikes(Catrikes ) as I find them much easier on all parts of my body and much safer as balance can be an issue as one ages. I also do a century ride the last week of each month. It takes discipline and a little food denial.

My riding buddy use to always say after a big ride “Just think, tonight you can eat as much of anything that you want”…He is considerably overweight now 😢

nearly 55 years old, and in the absolute BEST physical condition of my entire LIFE! dropping weight week after week, despite heavy lifting multiple times a week. including upper body. i do every ride totally fasted. never eat before 3pm. calories consumed per day: don't care. i eat what ever i want. luckily i don't want to eat or drink junk. meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, seeds, nuts. and barely any bread or other process food of any kind. including sugar (that makes the biggest difference) tearing off PRs every time i go out. i'm eff'ing unstoppable

Started riding again four years ago. At 65yrs 6'1" went from 220lb to 180lb. Still had fat and man boobs. Cut out all refined sugars and carbs and lost the last of it, down to 165lbs now. I've traded my keg for a six pack. I don't count calories, I count protein and carbs.

I switched to a whole foods plant-based diet, and I’ve never had an easier time with weight management. And I recover faster from workouts, too. I’m 50 and recovering faster than I did in my 30s (due to less systemic inflammation in my body, the science says). I eat foods with low caloric density, and weight management is a breeze. And once I’d detoxed from processed foods, I discovered subtleties of flavour and texture that I hadn’t noticed before, so I’m enjoying my meals more than every before too. It’s been win, win, win for me!

Thanks! I’ve had a very good laugh, you’ve made a very good presentation of a real situation and I often find myself in it.

I'm eating a packet of ginger biscuits while watching this. Skipped the workout today because it's a bank holiday ;-)

Yep, hitting the nail on the head. My eating is good during the day but I have this night/sleep snacking thing that I need to get out of my system. Good video, liked and subscribed.

Great video that summed up my issue, under fuelling on my rides and then over eating of the rest of the day with sore legs the next day. Then with guidance from a top sports scientist fuelled correctly for each hour of riding in Girona with electrolytes and carbs, food,gels and bars on a long ride and wow what a diffidence.Energy all ride, not hungry on the bike and no over eating in the evening, and great legs each day.Great video, very well presented.

Hi! Thank you for taking the time to share this. Turnin’ 40 real soon. Its taken a LONG time for me to accept - and thereafter take action on - the fact I have absolutely been over eating for a long time. Videos like this help put it all into perspective. Thanks again!

My wife has a masters in nutrition from her first career. Every time I would talk about diets like Atkins, etc., she would always say the same thing. It's calories in vs. calories out. That was always her starting point even if it she knew it was an oversimplification.

Bang on Simon. I am guilty. Managed to crack it last year. Then slipped again over the winter. Now I have regained some of my fitness it is time to be strict again. And yes, you definitely did a very very crazy thing! 👏

Great video and how you can be overeating without realising, although i suspect many who do are fully aware of it (i know i am!). Life can get complicated and arguably in your 40s and 50s you have the maximum amount of push-pull demands and time constraints around you (career, ageing parents, growing kids etc.). Diet and exercise shouldn't, but often take more of a back seat. Cycling is a great baseline activity though if you can keep at it. Subbed 🙂

Thank you, helpful as I need to improve my eating habits 😊

Love the 30% incline picture! I immediately recognized the spot from my holiday in Cornwall last year because I stopped there to take that picture myself. The climb itself was really not that hard if I recall correctly.

Great video. I get 6 months of good weather riding and absolutely love the long, early morning weekend rides. But then I have a 12 hour battle with the refigerator. The shorter, weekday evening rides are much more beneficial to me for weight loss. As for the long weekend rides, carb replenishing on the bike helps for the rest of the day. But I really need to keep track of calories.

Absolutely spot on, we all know what we’re doing wrong, but the practice is way harder than the theory. Great video. 🚴‍♀️🍕