How to lose that last bit of weight?
dave milne
Posts: 703
My current weight (10st 3lbs) isn't far off my optimal but I can definitely lose a few more pounds safely as I still have excess fat round my chin and in the "love handle" area. I'd certainly like to lose this last bit before I do the Marmotte in 12 weeks time.
Any ideas on how to do this safely without losing muscle mass? Is it as simple as just cutting down on my carbs for my regular (not before training) meals.
Any ideas on how to do this safely without losing muscle mass? Is it as simple as just cutting down on my carbs for my regular (not before training) meals.
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Be sure to let us know how that goes.
Just like carbohydrates, protein, etc, I know that the "average person" needs to eat a certain amount of fat per day. As a cyclist, carbohydrate/protein/vitamin/etc requirements obviously rise, but i'm unsure about if the fat needed by the body also does... Can anyone shed some light on this?
Are you 5 feet tall?
Mind you, it is all muscle - except for the bit that isn't...
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You took the words out of my mouth.Either that or he`s a stick insect.
Try swimming regularly as well as cycling. You'll soon see those love handles disappear.
Do you have any muscles?
Could it be that your scales are inaccurate then? I mean, you're BMI is right at the bottom end of the 'normal' range, I assume you do a reasonable amount of exercise, and yet you still have 18% body fat? Trying to lose 10% of your body weight on that basis sounds a bit dodgy to me, but then for all I know you may have a very slight build.
I would suggest starting a weights program, but that won't help you with the marmotte, the only thing that will help there is riding your bike a lot.
i'm doing the marmotte too. did the white hoss challenge and struggled a bit. still need to be fit in july not april!
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Alberto Contador is 5'10" and weighs 10 stone. And he IS stick thin.
If you think you have 18% body fat AND that you could lose another stone - you either have broken scales or no muscle. At all.
I'm 160 lbs (around 14% fat) now and am 37 i.e. fat(ter) and old...so take the above with a pinch of salt if you want.
nope i'm 5' 11'', very slim build and arms like bits of spaghetti
That's insane. I'm 5'11" and weigh 14 stone!
Granted I'm overweight for a cyclist - but a good weight for a human being.
I know you asked in a friendly way about losing a few more pounds - but you are dangerously underweight for your height - spaghetti arms or not.
Now i would say you are overweight
I'd agree - except for the arms like tree trunks.
I am not dangerously underweight. I just have a very slim build. I went for a sportstest in December and I weighed about 10st 7lbs then and I had body fat of 11.8%, seeing as I can get down to 6-8% I don't see this as an issue. If was too underweight I wouldn't have love handles
Doubt it'll be easy though. Keeping fat% is going to be essential. If you are training hard - which i expect you are in the build up to marmotte - then I would suggest increase protein. Read somewhere recently that hi-protein/lo-carb leads to v.slightly more weightloss than hi-carb/lo-protein, but more importantly the hi-protein option lead to less muscle loss.
Ultimately it'll come down to hard training and focus on the diet.
Love handles or loose skin!? I've seen lots of underweight people with fat deposits in really odd places!
To state that you are dangerously underweight was wrong of me to say. I have no basis for this whatsoever. You are, however, on the lower end of what is considered to be a healthy weight for your height. But that isn't taking into consideration muscle mass.
I assume you have some decent leg muscles that will compensate for your lack of upper body muscle.
Without preaching, I'm guessing you really DON't need to lose any weight. But to shed more weight - it's a simple formula: less calories in, more calories out.
You've managed to drop some weight since you took that sportstest - keep doing what you're doing and the last few pounds will come off.
cheers guys
I dropped 6 stone on a low-carb/high protein diet. The downside was that with so few carbs in my diet, I lacked the endurance needed for long cycling efforts. I was good for a few hours a day though and it only lasted for 3 months.
Are you familiar with a condition called Anorexia Nervosa Dave?
It's when you look in the mirror and think you have love handles when in fact you're stick thin
I have tried the low carb / high protein diet for weight loss and also found my ability to ride more than 3hrs severely impacted.
Is there a way to beat this, or are the two irreconcilable?
Supplements can help. Not the best for your body. I believe that your body relies greatly on carbs for energy - and when you starve the body of carbs - it turns to burning fat. Thus the rapid weight loss on a low carb diet - especially when you are burning lots of energy.
I have used various supplements to give me artificial energy for long term cycling efforts. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone though. Hopefully someone else has some bright ideas on how to keep energy levels high without carbs...