Making up for past mistakes

cooper.michael1

Up until i was about 16, i was lazy and about 4 stone over weight. I could barely run 500m, a pathetic example of a human being.

Now at 25, im much fitter than average. I train currently for an hour per day 6 days a week, (bike, turbo trainer, running or swimming). Im now about 6foot 1inch tall and weigh around 11.5 stone, BMI is around 21-22 so all is ok.

However i still feel 'fat' in a way my chest and stomach still have noticable amounts of fat. I think my problem is the harder i work in training the more i eat. I definately think the amount of sugar i consume is too high.

So my real question is this, approx how much should i eat/how should i train to loose this final fat? (office job 1hr a day training) And because my weight is pretty low already i was thinking should i weight train to compensate somewhat, would longer steady sessions help?...Has anyone else got to the final hurdle and just stopped?

Any input would be most appreciated. Mike

phil s

From my laymans perspective as someone who tried to get from 71-72kg to 68-69kg just by exercise alone, I'd occasionally lose a bit of weight but not properly. Then I tried a different approach - worked out my rough calorie needs at rest first -- there are plenty of guides to do this if you google it. Then started keeping a food diary for a couple of weeks and wrote down everything, and I mean absolutely everything, that I ate or drank and at what time. Also write down how much I trained, when and how I felt before/afterwards.

I spotted patterns and then changed a few things - cut out chocolate and sugary crap, though I'll occasionally allow myself dark chocolate (important not to live totally like a monk). I cut out random snacking and if I was really hungry then go for stuff like natural low-fat yoghurt with raisins or seeds, or fresh fruit or carrots. I also cut down on a carb-heavy evening meal and also subsituted stuff like white rice for brown, changed to a healthier bread, etc.
If I find the weight creeping back on then i just start the process of a food diary again for a week or two.

ut_och_cykla

I think Phil s is on the right track - its the little everyday things that are keeping the weight on, not teh odd bit of chocolate. An honest food diary will help reveal this. More exercise might help but as you've noted you eat more when you train so I would stick to your exercise; keep it enjoyable, don't skip, don't overdo it and adjust your daily diet downwards a bit.

Weight training might help as muscles burn more calories at rest than than fat does but its only a marginal effect and may well leave you heavier instead of lighter.

Think about eating around training in a way that keeps you from feeling absolutely famished afterwards - reschedule meal times or snacks, buy low calorie nibbles to have at hand etc.

Bear in mind too that the flabiness might be just that - flabiness left after being much more overweight.
Good luck and try not to get too obsessed - you're already doing as much as you can to keep healthy according to current guidelines!

danseur

Your weight is perfect!

Remember that all those models / weight lifters rip right down to unhealthily low levels of body fat to look like they do in those photos. They only maintain it for the competition / photoshoot.

Weight training (low reps with big weights) will give you bigger muscles which may give you the body shape you are after but remember that muscle is heavier than fat.

You say that you are fitter than average and train for six hours a week, so relax, eat a healthy diet and enjoy your cycling.

cooper.michael1

A month on, ive been eating almost spot on despite it being christmas, no more pies and Yorkie bars for lunch.

With around the same level of exercise ive got down to about 68kg, now based on what a trainer has outlined to me i should be looking to loose around 4kg of fat and replace that with around 2-3kg of muscle to hit the optimum lean toned balance.

He has outlined around 12 weeks as a target time to do this in. It is amazing what your diet does to your body. Here is an outline of my old versus new diet:

Old:

Breakfast - Bowl of crunchie nut cornflakes
Lunch - A pie and usually a number of chocolates in the office. Piece of fruit.
Dinner - Large portion of pasta/rice based meal or meat and 2 veg. Plus a Muller corner yogurt.
Supper - Another bowl of crunchie nut cornflakes, couple of biscuits, a few sweets.

New:
Breakfast - Bowl of crunchie nut cornflakes. Piece of fruit.
Lunch - Poached egg on brown bread. Piece of fruit.
Dinner - Much smaller portion of pasta/rice, with plenty of veg.
Supper - Yogurt, Dried fruit, an odd biscuit.

The only real slip this week was going out, and having a bit to drink (3-4pints and some crisps/nuts) which felt awful afterwards. I dont want to become a complete health freak though. Im taking a girl out later in the week too, i cant just order salad and some tap water...

Not really radical changes overall, and i do miss the chocolate and sweets to be honest but im sick of nearly being there and letting it slip. Ive lost 3-4kg in a month doing that. If i get to a lean toned 67kg as planned it should do me well come the spring when the really plesurable cycling season starts.

cooper.michael1

...and super size me is on tonight, so that should help the motivation to stay away from the biscuit tin tonight!

ut_och_cykla

Well done. Glad to hear you're feeling well on it too. Don't worry about occaisional 'slip ups' (tho' clearly if they make you feel ill its easier to give them a miss!!)
And don't get too much leaner. You might find that you've lost some power on the bike and that you get colds and snivels more often.
Unless you actually want to eat sallad and water everytime you go out you'll have to find a way of having fun without feeling bad afterwards - moderation is the key adn not too often - and the money you save can buy you a nice bit of bike bling?

Mike Willcox

You sound too thin too me. At 11.5 stone you were probably OK. I raced at 12.5 stone and 6ft 0ins in my prime and didn't have an ounce of fat.

You are one inch taller than me and now weigh only 10 stone 8lbs or so. And you want to lose more? Bloody Hell!

cooper.michael1

its not really about loosing more now, its about loosing the fat round my gut...which i do still have (i know it is unbelievable to me too!) and putting on muscle.

My frame is very small, yes im tall, but there is nothing to me really. I dont want to go any lower overall weight becuase i think id start suffering with power.

However for cycling and looking purposes, like i say a personal trainer outlined about 4kg fat to loose, to get me to about 10% body fat but compensate that by hitting the weights and putting on a equal amount in that respect.

Trust me at 12.5 stone im getting lardy, start getting two chins... most of my friends are around that mark, i suppose that is normal bloke weight...but like i say my frame is pretty small. Many people say i look a bit like Ivan Basso, in the face and body and his tour weight was around 68-69kg, just wish i could pedal as well!

PhilofCas

My two penneth, I think you should worry less about fat or flab and just concentrate on overall bodily fitness, have you tried sit-ups/crunches, press-ups, weightlifting etc ?, no they won't shift flab but they will build muscle and tone you up, so that even though you have the same amount of fat your muscles underneath will be larger and it'll give you the look of having less fat. I know from personal experience i can be a flabby 11 1/2 stone or i can be a much fitter/firmer looking 11 1/2 stone, muscle mass perhaps plays a bigger part than you think