Weight Loss? Help!

Cormac

Hi Everybody,

I've recently started training again on the bike because I want to do a couple of races in the summer. To give a bit of background about myself, I was reasonably fit but let myself go this winter as I was committed to other things and didn't have the time and I've put on about a stone and half weight. I now weigh 13st, 6lb (I'm 5ft 11 in height and 28 years old) and want to get back down to 12 st. I've started my diet a week ago today and in the mean time I've being training fairly hard. I've cycled just under 200km, climbed a 760m mountain and also went for a twenty minute run (I hate running!) this week.
I weighted myself this morning after a weeks exercise and I hadn't lost an ounce!

Now to explain my diet, I get up have two bowls of Special K cereal and a cup of coffee, then for lunch or dinner I've either eaten an omelette, a load of fruit or chicken and pasta or fish (I've eaten my main meal at lunch time as I need to be fuelled up for exercise and on rest days eaten it in the evening. I haven't eaten any junk food or sweet things at all and all my food has been cooked at home.

I'm flabbergasted why I haven't lost any weight, ok I'm a bit fitter than I was the week before and I've rediscovered the joy of saddle sores!

Any body got any dietary tips?

Thanks,

Cormac

ronthechef

Cormac

I'm far from an expert, but did you weigh yourself at the same time?? ie first thing in the morning, It could be possible you are carrying more fluid than the first time you weighed yourself? I'm always lighter after a long ride

Weight loss is pretty simple if you keep a detailed diary of calorie intake and calories burnt, I have dropped 14kgs over the last 8 months,, its boring and you look like a bit of a freak counting everthing you eat, but stick with it, I'm sure with your training if you keep your diet balanced the weight will drop off.



Have a google for RichA marmotte blog, its a good read

Cormac

Hi Ron,

Yeah, I made sure to weigh myself at the same time as last week, between breakfast and lunch. I've absolutely no intention of quitting either as I'm competing with a few of my friends racing and I want to win at all costs!

Cheers,

Cormac

Fifer

Hi and welcome!

Ty and eat 6 smallish meals during the day rather than what you are eating just now. I would start of by changing your breakfast to something other that Special K. Try Porridge with some fruit. Try and avoid sugary foods and concentrate on low Gi foods which will keep you feeling fuller for longer.

You should also drink at least 2ltrs of water everyday.

Keep on excerising and the weight will come off.

Cormac

HI Fifer,

I can't eat Porridge. I think its rotten - it reminds of the food that they serve in the Gulags! I am drinking plenty of water, I haven't being counting though but I'd be surprised if I'm drinking less than two litres a day.

Would Muesli be a good substitute for breakfast?

I have dieted this way before a couple of years ago and lost a stone in month so I am surprised why I haven't lost anything this week. I might try the smaller meals and see how I get on.

Thanks,

Cormac

brighton-biker

Muesli is high in sugar. You want to stabilize your blood sugar by eating a low sugar breakfast.

Shredded wheat is the best there is for a low sugar healthy cereal. Also very good is weetabix, malted wheats, and anything with less than 5 grams of sugar per 100 of product. Read labels!

As for your mysterious non-weight loss, it could be that you've replaced the weight lost through fat lost, with weight gained through recent muscle growth, caused by your return to training.

Check yourself out in the mirror. You'll see fat loss one week to the next if its happening. You'll look healthier and leaner. If you can see your abs, then who cares what the scale says eh?

Fifers tip is very valid, as eating 5-6 smaller meals a day will turbo charge your metabolism and turn you into an unstoppable fat burning machine.

Most importantly : Keep going!!!

Infamous

Rome wasn't built in a week.

ut_och_cykla

Infamous wrote:

Rome wasn't built in a week.

It isn't finished yet!

brownbosh

'ive cycled 200km'

Has that been lots of small shorter or rides or a couple of decent training rides? If you want to start burning fat longer rides are required to start with. Also remember thatyour puny leg muscles will be bulking and getting heavier. Finally were you fully hydrated with evacuated bowells at both weigh ins?

Alex_Simmons/RST

Infamous wrote:

Rome wasn't built in a week.

Indeed. Sustainable weight loss is a matter of months and years, not days.

Cormac

Cheers Lads for all the advice and encouragement,

I'll be changing my cereal tomorrow as I'll have finished the Special K by then.

My 200km was, One 23km ride first, two 45km rides and on Sunday, an 85km ride, in that order.

I took a rest day as my saddle sores are absolutely killing me and I couldn't possibly sit on a bike, just did 100 sit ups and stretched for about 20mins. I'll probably go for a run this evening.
On the subject of saddle sores has anybody got any good advice? I don't remember then ever being this sore and I don't really fancy sitting on a bike for a few days but don't want to lose momentum either as I've a wedding to go to this weekend and as it's out of town won't get much training done.

And yes, I have weighted myself after I've gone to the jacks!!

Infamous

cycling shorts? if you already wear them, try 2 pairs at a time.

wouldn't bother with sit ups.

Cormac

I wouldn't go out without my bib shorts on.

MAXTHEDOG

My twopenneth...I was the same as you Cormac - exercising but not seeming to lose any weight till I splashed out some money on four sessions with a personal trainer.Long story short and some of these points have already been mentioned above -5-6 small meals per day.Breakfast,snack,lunch,snack,dinner,snack.

Breakfast - I do porridge with dollop of honey,you can't get on with porridge so the best plan is to start reading food labels of cereals and look for levels of sugar,carbo,and protein.Choose one and give it a month.Also my PT recommended having in every main meal a certain amount of all three main food requirements - protein,carbo,AND fat.I weight 90kg,am 6'1" and he recommended that I have 45grams of carbo(not the same as 45grams of pasta!!),35grams of protein and 15grams of fat(I think am at work so haven't got the figures here).The snacks can be things like nuts,avocardo(for protein)with yogurt,rice cakes!!(for carbo)the fat takes care of itself.
To do this properly you'll need to get aquainted with the food weighing scales too.....One other thing I've recently discovered is that you may hear about slow release carbo but apparently there is the same for protein in the form of casein(i.e cottage cheese).This is good last thing at night for the last snack.It sounds a bit of a thing but if you keep remembering that lean muscle burns more calories just to exist then that should be all you need to keep motivated  Try not to get too hung up on not losing weight per se,as has been mentioned,you'll be building muscle so the fat coming off is probably being cancelled out by that.You'll soon know you're doing it right 'cause none of your trousers will fit any more and your shirts won't button up properly!!   Hope all this has helped.

nic_77

I think you need to try and quantify your diet vs the exercise you are doing more accurately... I would recommend the website http://www.foodfocus.co.uk - it lets you count the calories going in and offset them against the calories you are burning through exercise. Providing you balance the equation you can lose weight, put on weight or stay the same in a controlled manner!

It does require a bit of discipline to record all the food you eat (and you mustn't cheat!), but it should pretty much guarantee results... and best of all it is free to use!

Good luck
Nic

mjhale

Infamous wrote:

Rome wasn't built in a week.

Exactly - there is a lag of several weeks between you doing something and the benefits starting to be seen. You need to have patience.

Try not to change too many things too often otherwise you might lose what is actually working for you.

On the food side of things you can work out what your calorie and nutritional intake is and compare them to what you need. There are some articles on the bikeradar site about nutrition that you might want to look at.

robmanic1

Cormac wrote:

C
On the subject of saddle sores has anybody got any good advice? I don't remember then ever being this sore and I don't really fancy sitting on a bike for a few days but don't want to lose momentum either as I've a wedding to go to this weekend and as it's out of town won't get much training done.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Assos_Chamois_Cream/5360031286/

This is the only stuff that works for me, it's a bit exy but you don't need to smother it on. Also a good wash around your undercarriage with anti-bacterial soap post-ride should keep your gusset problem-free.

Cormac

I guess I'm just going to have to be patient! It's just I've dieted this way before a couple of years back and I lost a stone in a month and kept it off me until just after Christmas, when I pigged out on junk food and stopped training due to work and study commitments.

I'm definitely going to order some Assos Cream I was talking to a mate and he advised it as well, but from Chain Reaction - they've free delivery in Ireland!

TomF

Porridge - most porridge sold in the supermarket is horrible ground up stuff. By far the best form is porridge made of jumbo oats. Because the oats are whole, they take longer to break down, and so release the energy more slowly.

For breakfast, I have 50g jumbo oats with 225ml of skimmed milk. Into the microwave for 3 minutes and stirred and allowed to cool a little (I hate that way the microwaves keep cookimng the food after they've gone ping!).

I avoid cereals, and especially the likes of Special K: it has about a third more sugar than when it was first released....

The general key to weight loss is, as others have pointed out, a long term effort. It also requires a change in attitudes to food types - I'm terrible for eating chocolate and other sweet stuff. Rather than ban myself completely, I have gradually reduced the amiunt I eat. You need to break down what you eat and make the changes over time. Psychologically, that's much more effective.

Also, you are now a couple of years older than when you last dieted. As you get older, so weight loss becomes harder. In your early-mid twenties, you still have the ability to make drastic changes to your body shape. I found that after the age of thirty, weight gain has become easier, and weight loss harder.

Finally, your exercise regime looks - on the face of it - somewhat bull in a china shop. Battering yourself into fitness and weight loss isn't going to work very effectively. Cycling fitness in particular, requires a good fitness base before race speed can be built up. Simply knackering yourself over short distances (23km isn't worth getting out of bed for IMO) won't have much effect. You need to think about longer, steadier rides to build a base.

One of the best ways Ihave found to get some combinaiton of weight loss and assistance to base building is a steady ride of 60-90 minutes first thing in the morning. This is then followed by breakfast and the six meals a day routine. Try this by riding the "wrong" way to work.

Soni

Hi, i'm presently training and dieting for my holiday on 16th July.......

I've lost nearly 2 stone in a month, i've come down from 18st - 16.4 1/4 this morning....

Up until this week, i've been training every morning for at least 50 minutes, on hills, on the road by 05:10, without eating any breakfast before riding, and then sticking to 1500 calories per day.

I've been riding around 12 - 15 miles every weekday morning, but at weekeds i've been doing around 30 mile rides on Sundays, however last Saturday, i broke my rear wheel, the spoke broke and i've only just got the wheel back last night, so haven't been out on the road bike this week but have been using my mountain bike off road whilst take my dog for a run, which lasts about 1/2 hr - 1 hour.....

I'm wanting to get down to at least 15.5 stone, but the way the weight is falling off, i might be able to achieve 14-14.5 stone with a bit of luck....

I've received comments from my Mrs and mates about the weight i've lost, and my stomach, which used to be bloated, has got a lot flatter and my trousers can be taken down without undoing them anymore. Also, i've noticed my double chin has got a lot smaller.

Some of my mates have asked if i've been taking diet pills.....i couldn't believe it, i said no, just been restricting my calories and training every morning....

boneyjoe

Sounds like you're doing most of the right things, though it takes time as you noted. Don't go purely by weight, as things like muscle gain and fluid retention will definitely have an influence. Is your gut getting a bit smaller; are you feeling better? Then it is working!

Just stick to the basic formula and you will get there: calories in minus calories burnt = weight gained/lost. Key points for me are also to:
- cut down the alcohol (very high in calories)
- cut down the animal fats, such as chicken skin and chorizo (again, v high calories)
- go for a mix of quick and longer burning carbs (eg oat cereals) for more energy
- definitely have a small/healthy mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack (apples are great!) to help maintain sugar/energy levels and avoid bingeing at mealtimes.

And when you fall off the wagon - don't worry, just get on again - we all break the rules every now and again! Best of luck!