weighty question

kev2b3

i have been cycling for 5 weeks so basically still a beginner.I started to cycle so that i could lose some weight , my current weight is 21 stone. I cycle around 70 miles weekly at a avg speed of 9.8 mph. Now some of my workmate have said that i look like i have lost weight and my clothes feel loose but my scales tell me i have not lost anything at all. Can anyone tell me whats going on

rf6

I know there's the old saying about fat cells being reduced in size, and muscle being built, so you stay same weight, but are healthier, but I'm not sure if that is just an old wives tale.

I do know most scales are rubbish - do you have a good one? It may be worth upgrading. At the end of the day if you can see and feel the benefit, then you must be heading in the right direction.

deptfordmarmoset

With luck, it'll be fat changing to muscle, which is denser. You're doing a fair weekly distance and you're pretty weighty - you're going to need strong legs for that. Keep at it and once your muscles have reached a certain density the weight will go down. Maybe try to slowly push your average speed up by increasing your cadence rather than using a more ''muscular'' gear. (Rider: I really have no expertise in the subject - gaz might be the best person on this forum to give you advice.)

Zombie_donkey

Same happened to me. More leg muscle, less flab.

I seem to have plateaued though. I'll be knocking the beer on the head after the world cup. That should help

My average speed started at the same as yours in April and now I can keep up a steady 16mph on the flat and 10mph up hill.

Your doing a bit more distance than I do on my commute. Heck, it can only be doing good in the long run.

Buckled_Rims

Weight loss is a difficult thing to measure despite people saying this and that and how they lose 6 lbs a week. Rubbish. Weight lose occurs over months and even years, not days and weeks.

In simple layman's terms, you need 2500 calories a day to survive (on average). If you eat less then 2500 cals then you'll lose weight (fat and muscle). If you bike at a decent pace you'll lose about 600 cals per hour. 600cals x 7 hours = 4200 calories. As you can see it can take a long time to lose weight.

The pitfall many fall into are:

1. weighing straight after a ride when water lose through sweat, only for you to drink the weight back on soon after.

2. Heavy activity actually promotes you to eat more. Control your diet.

You will be losing weight, it's just the scales lie no matter how accurate. To get a true figure you'd need a full body immersion to calculate how much fat you have.

Carry on biking and eat slightly less = weight loss (over months, not weeks).

There's actually a guy on here who lost over 20 stone, but I can't remember his name - doh. He's got a blog with advise.

deptfordmarmoset

There's actually a guy on here who lost over 20 stone, but I can't remember his name - doh. He's got a blog with advise.

Gaz, forum name of gb155. Here's his blog : http://theamazing39stonecyclist.wordpress.com/about/

too slow to go

Buddy, the scales lie!!!!!!!

Never go with the scales, your weight will fluctuate throughout the day.

The best advice i can give would be to say to yourself "F**k-it, i`m cycling because i enjoy it and i`m having fun while doing it"

and if you still need the fact and figures then use the following......

1. Cloth tape measure (belly, bicep, thigh, calf) and measure bi-weekly.
2. mirror - if you and others can see a difference then thats good enough!
3. Clothes - if your clothes feel looser and you need to knock the belt down a notch then its all good


So as i said "F**k the scales"

andy83

Two years ago i weighted just over 18 stone. I knew there was no quick fix to reduce my weight and it would take a long time.

last year i got back into cycling and i decided this year id kick on. I had lost just over a stone and half by decemer. at this moment im 14 stont 13 and it has been a long slog.

there has been times when my weight doesnt change for around 4 - 5 weeks but i notice my definition and muscle density improving. You should weigh yourself once a week first thing in the morning, but more importantly dont expect massive sudden drops in weight, it will take time but if you do it gradual it will stay off

itsbruce

Get some scales that measure bodyfat percentage and see how that changes.

Mr Messy

deptfordmarmoset wrote:

With luck, it'll be fat changing to muscle, which is denser. You're doing a fair weekly distance and you're pretty weighty - you're going to need strong legs for that. Keep at it and once your muscles have reached a certain density the weight will go down. Maybe try to slowly push your average speed up by increasing your cadence rather than using a more ''muscular'' gear. (Rider: I really have no expertise in the subject - gaz might be the best person on this forum to give you advice.)

Maybe you intended to say this, maybe you didn't but having worked in the Fitness Industry for years this sort of thing pisses me off.

You cannot change fat into muscle lol.

deptfordmarmoset

Not literally, but in terms of fat to muscle ratio you can.

And read the rider....

Rider: I really have no expertise in the subject

gb155

kev2b3 wrote:

i have been cycling for 5 weeks so basically still a beginner.I started to cycle so that i could lose some weight , my current weight is 21 stone. I cycle around 70 miles weekly at a avg speed of 9.8 mph. Now some of my workmate have said that i look like i have lost weight and my clothes feel loose but my scales tell me i have not lost anything at all. Can anyone tell me whats going on

Its all normal mate, keep at it and the numbers will drop with the sizes, I can lose 4-5 lbs in a month but a good few inches but then the following month I can drop 8/9 lbs and nothing in inches.

gb155

deptfordmarmoset wrote:

There's actually a guy on here who lost over 20 stone, but I can't remember his name - doh. He's got a blog with advise.

Gaz, forum name of gb155. Here's his blog : http://theamazing39stonecyclist.wordpress.com/about/

That be me ! Ow Do

Buckled_Rims

gb155 wrote:

deptfordmarmoset wrote:

There's actually a guy on here who lost over 20 stone, but I can't remember his name - doh. He's got a blog with advise.

Gaz, forum name of gb155. Here's his blog : http://theamazing39stonecyclist.wordpress.com/about/

That be me ! Ow Do

Hi, gb155, yes you are the guy I was thinking of and have read your excellent blog but lets face it your nickname doesn't exactly trip off my tongue.

rjsterry

too slow to go wrote:

Buddy, the scales lie!!!!!!!

Never go with the scales, your weight will fluctuate throughout the day.

The best advice i can give would be to say to yourself "F**k-it, i`m cycling because i enjoy it and i`m having fun while doing it"

and if you still need the fact and figures then use the following......

1. Cloth tape measure (belly, bicep, thigh, calf) and measure bi-weekly.
2. mirror - if you and others can see a difference then thats good enough!
3. Clothes - if your clothes feel looser and you need to knock the belt down a notch then its all good


So as i said "F**k the scales"

I was going to say something like this, but too slow to go has put it more pithily. As far as I understand it, it's the fat that's the problem and the weight is just an indicator of this. Size is a better indicator than weight alone of what is muscle and what is fat, especially waist measurement (where us chaps tend to store it). If this is going down (which looser clothing would seem to suggest) then you probably are losing fat and getting fitter.

gb155

Buckled_Rims wrote:

gb155 wrote:

deptfordmarmoset wrote:

There's actually a guy on here who lost over 20 stone, but I can't remember his name - doh. He's got a blog with advise.

Gaz, forum name of gb155. Here's his blog : http://theamazing39stonecyclist.wordpress.com/about/

That be me ! Ow Do

Hi, gb155, yes you are the guy I was thinking of and have read your excellent blog but lets face it your nickname doesn't exactly trip off my tongue.

LOL No problemo mate

PS Thanks for the shamless plug LOL

chigman

You need to put yourself on a nice healthy diet. Eat sensibly and train hard, and not just cycling. I've managed to lose 5.5 stone in 32 weeks by cycling, cross training and brisk walking, so it can be done fairly quickly if you are determined and you put your mind to it. 8) Good luck.

Steve

DevUK

The problem I have is diet. It's not like I eat very badly, but I think the food I tend to eat is high in carbs. definitely a bread lover! I don't tend to drink much (go months without beer) so that's not an issue. Cooking for one also means portion size can be an issue. Again, something to work on.

Any good dietry tips?

I need to get that in check and I think I'll be shedding more. I want to get under the 20st mark (will be a first for maybe 10 years?) Currently I'm hovering around 20st 6lbs but my scales are pretty crap. They claim I've lost about 2st in the last 3 or 4 months. I've definitely got a lot more muscle in my legs and have been working my arms a little. I ride a fixed gear 20 miles most days (though the last week has been light on the cycling unfortunately) and try to go out at the weekends with my flat mate.

dhope

DevUK wrote:

The problem I have is diet. It's not like I eat very badly, but I think the food I tend to eat is high in carbs. definitely a bread lover! I don't tend to drink much (go months without beer) so that's not an issue. Cooking for one also means portion size can be an issue. Again, something to work on.

Any good dietry tips?

I need to get that in check and I think I'll be shedding more. I want to get under the 20st mark (will be a first for maybe 10 years?) Currently I'm hovering around 20st 6lbs but my scales are pretty crap. They claim I've lost about 2st in the last 3 or 4 months. I've definitely got a lot more muscle in my legs and have been working my arms a little. I ride a fixed gear 20 miles most days (though the last week has been light on the cycling unfortunately) and try to go out at the weekends with my flat mate.

Disclaimer: I know sod all about this.

From what little I know, a good rule seems to be carbs earlier in the day for energy and then cut them out in the afternoon/evening.
My diet if I'm going to the gym (which isn't recently) tends to be along the lines of protein shake first thing, cycle to work, porridge around 10am, sarnies for lunch, snack mid afternoon, gym (+ protein shake if gym), cycle home, dinner (tends to be chicken/veg)

Breakfast is important. Eating little and often is better than just a couple of big meals.

If you're exercising a decent amount though then you'll lose weight and certainly improve fitness so don't get too hung up on the diet (as long as it's sensible)

unixnerd

I took a mate who's over 20 stone mountain biking for the first time yesterday, I was very surprised how well he did. He used to be about 30 stone and in the process of losing weight he goes to the gym a fair bit and does spinning classes. So just because someone's heay doesn't mean it's all fat.

acidstrato

do you feel like you've lost weight? that feeling is what will motivate you to keep going.
the scales will just hold you back.

keep up the training, weigh yourself less frequently and the results will come.

its when the trousers get baggy and the belt moves up a notch when it really matters