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ok so, i have a stationary bike. i just got it 7/7/09 and i've been using it every day. the first day i went for 8 miles and today i did about 4. my question is, how much weight could i lose by the start of school, 9/8/09, if i bike anywhere from 4 miles? should i do more? what should i eat? also, is 5 pounds a week too much to lose? if so, what is the maximum weight to lose in a week?
*im a vegetarian, so if youre going to make meal suggestions (i would like that :]) please no red meat or bird. thanks!

Hey there.

How much weight you lose depends on your calorie balance. Of course exercise helps a lot, and it has countless health benefits, but in the end your diet makes or breaks it.

In regards to how much you can lose, well that varies a bit. Extremely obese adults can push their weight loss above the typical 2 pound/ week recommended max. I dont know how over weight you are, but I can see you are 14 according to your data. In general at your age its not very good to stress the system too much (since you are growing). I would tentatively suggest one pound a week.

So, your exercise routine sounds ok. I dont know how long this takes you, but to get optimal cardio benefits I would say you should train at least 4 times a week, for over 20 minutes, at a pace where you could still just carry a conversation. You can go longer of course, and more frequently, but this is just to get the best cardio benefits for your system.

In terms of food, stick to wholesome non processed foods. Base your meals around a good protein source. In your case, that could be low fat dairy products, egg whites, fish, beans (all sorts but soy are particularly good), lentils, tofu.

If you get most of your protein from plant sources, make sure you eat varied each meal (including secondary sources like nuts, seeds, etc) since plants are incomplete protein sources.

Moderate your carb intake to match your activity level. Carbs are something we tend to over eat on. Also, eat most of your carbs before periods of activity rather than afterwards.

I think google can do a better job than me for coming up with vegetarian meal options. Even though i was a vegetarian for many years, I was not a picky eater, and I am not sure that what I ate would go down well with everyone :)

Just make sure that 1. you dont overdo the carbs, 2. you limit saturated fat BUT include small amounts of essential fatty acids daily 3.have a negative calorie balance 4. exclude empty calories from junk foods, stuff with sugar added etc.

Good luck

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