Burning stomach fat and training harder

MountainMonster

OK so here's my spiel. I have started riding fairly strongly the past few weeks after having bought a new CUBE LTD Pro to be able to ride here in the mountains and on the trails with my father in law, who is BIG into the MTB scene. I've lost a bit of fat, and in total maybe 2kg over the few rides we have had so far, about 200km spread over 3 rides with about 7,000m of climbing in total. I finish the ride, wake up in the morning, weigh myself and feel extremely well about my loss. then I eat a normal size meal and the next morning when i weigh myself i've gained most of the weight right back.

Is there maybe something I could try to keep the weight off. I'm sitting right now at 88-89kg, with a target weight of 80 set for myself at the end of September. I eat fairly healthy, have been eating lots of low fat joghurt as snacks throughout the day, and watching fat and calorie intake as well. I also hit the gym for an hour a day 3 days a week, and normally do about 20-30 minutes of HIIT training while there then a full body low weight but high rep msucle workout.

I love seeing myself lose the weight, wake up feel extremely confident and then the next day I see the weight is gained straight back after what seems like barely eating anything. It is extremely frustrating to have this happen, and almost kills the urge to lose weight anymore and just deal with getting stronger, but I want to look good in my gear, not not have the belly sticking out.

Any recommendations?

77ric

well 2 points, with exercise you are building muscle so really weighing yourself isn't the best method of judging weight loss, a tape measure and some measuring is a better method.

and could your weight loss that your seeing after a ride be caused by dehydration? as you lose water you lose weight, but as soon as you drink any fluids your body reagins that weight as it holds onto that fluid to rehydrate you?

MountainMonster

77ric wrote:

well 2 points, with exercise you are building muscle so really weighing yourself isn't the best method of judging weight loss, a tape measure and some measuring is a better method.

and could your weight loss that your seeing after a ride be caused by dehydration? as you lose water you lose weight, but as soon as you drink ant fluids your body reagins that weight as it holds onto that fluid to rehydrate you?

With the weight training i'm not lifting to get big, only to maintain the muscle i've got right now, and with the actual KG weight loss i'm weighing myself the morning after I ride when I first wake up, and days after I have a hard ride i'm normally about 86kg, and then 2 days after the ride, after I havn't ridden for a day and only been to gym and done hit training, I automatically gain back any weight I lost while riding.

I'm genuiely baffled by this phenomnon, maybe something is wrong with my metabolism cause me to gain and lose weight way too fast, and i'm actually supposed to just stay this size and it is the smallest I will ever be

77ric

MountainMonster wrote:

77ric wrote:

well 2 points, with exercise you are building muscle so really weighing yourself isn't the best method of judging weight loss, a tape measure and some measuring is a better method.

and could your weight loss that your seeing after a ride be caused by dehydration? as you lose water you lose weight, but as soon as you drink ant fluids your body reagins that weight as it holds onto that fluid to rehydrate you?

With the weight training i'm not lifting to get big, only to maintain the muscle i've got right now, and with the actual KG weight loss i'm weighing myself the morning after I ride when I first wake up, and days after I have a hard ride i'm normally about 86kg, and then 2 days after the ride, after I havn't ridden for a day and only been to gym and done hit training, I automatically gain back any weight I lost while riding.

I'm genuiely baffled by this phenomnon, maybe something is wrong with my metabolism cause me to gain and lose weight way too fast, and i'm actually supposed to just stay this size and it is the smallest I will ever be

sounds like your immediate weight loss is due to loosing fluids during your ride, and your body is regaining its fluid levels over the few days after you ride. how much fluid do you consume while on the bike? after a ride and during a regular day?

MountainMonster

77ric wrote:

MountainMonster wrote:

77ric wrote:

well 2 points, with exercise you are building muscle so really weighing yourself isn't the best method of judging weight loss, a tape measure and some measuring is a better method.

and could your weight loss that your seeing after a ride be caused by dehydration? as you lose water you lose weight, but as soon as you drink ant fluids your body reagins that weight as it holds onto that fluid to rehydrate you?

With the weight training i'm not lifting to get big, only to maintain the muscle i've got right now, and with the actual KG weight loss i'm weighing myself the morning after I ride when I first wake up, and days after I have a hard ride i'm normally about 86kg, and then 2 days after the ride, after I havn't ridden for a day and only been to gym and done hit training, I automatically gain back any weight I lost while riding.

I'm genuiely baffled by this phenomnon, maybe something is wrong with my metabolism cause me to gain and lose weight way too fast, and i'm actually supposed to just stay this size and it is the smallest I will ever be

sounds like your immediate weight loss is due to loosing fluids during your ride, and your body is regaining its fluid levels over the few days after you ride. how much fluid do you consume while on the bike? after a ride and during a regular day?

I normally ride around 1pm, so by that time i'm normally at around 1.5 litres of water, which is about all I drink during the day apart from a beer from the night. On a ride normally lasting about 2 hours I consume about another 1.5 litres of isotonic drinks, depends on how long i'm riding though. I normally plan on about 100ml of drink for every 15minutes of riding. Then after wards I load back up on tons of water. Daily intake of water is about 4-5 litres per day.

77ric

ok it's not fluid loss then.

hmmm strange.

MountainMonster

77ric wrote:

ok it's not fluid loss then.

hmmm strange.

Yeah that was the first thing that came across my mind, but then I started actually counting how much I was drinking per day, and it's just at the right amount.

Could it possibly be something wrong with my metabolism? It does seem as if I lose weight very fast but also gain weight very fast.

I've literally been baffled by this, as well as everyone else I have spoken to who does alot of fitness things. I lost my first set of weight very fast without dieting and watching what I eat, then I started dieting and upped the exercise and stayed basically the same weight give or take 1 or 2kg either way for a few months. And it's frustrating me so much, because I want to get my belly down but it seems impossible now for me to get it any smaller, and i've still got a gut there which is what is pissing me off.

77ric

i would think its unlikely to be a problem with your metabolism, there would be other symptoms too, but it would be wise to speak to you GP, (s)he may be able to shed some light on the matter.

mobilekat

OK, really odd question..... But do the electrolytes + cycling have the effect on you that they often do on others.... (ie you end up with a more 'fluid' digestion.....)- as many people end up 'emptier' after a decent bout of exercise (runners can really suffer this!)- but this is often not an issue with gym based work outs.

Also is there a difference in what you eat on cycling days compared to non-cycling days.

And while you are hydrating well on cycling days are you hydrating properly on the other days? as if you consume less fluid on those days then you body will hold onto fluid and cause short term weight increase.

MountainMonster

mobilekat wrote:

OK, really odd question..... But do the electrolytes + cycling have the effect on you that they often do on others.... (ie you end up with a more 'fluid' digestion.....)- as many people end up 'emptier' after a decent bout of exercise (runners can really suffer this!)- but this is often not an issue with gym based work outs.

Also is there a difference in what you eat on cycling days compared to non-cycling days.

And while you are hydrating well on cycling days are you hydrating properly on the other days? as if you consume less fluid on those days then you body will hold onto fluid and cause short term weight increase.

I do normally feel very empty after a ridebut figured this is just because of the amount of hill climbing i'm doing.

Not really much of a difference in what I eat between days either, sometimes I'll eat a bit of pasta for lunch before I go riding, but this is about the only small change I make to my diet. My diet is quite controlled, and normally eat the same things over and over throughout the week.

Cycling days I hydrate a bit more, but still maybe only an extra .5-1litres so not a huge difference.

MountainMonster

mobilekat wrote:

OK, really odd question..... But do the electrolytes + cycling have the effect on you that they often do on others.... (ie you end up with a more 'fluid' digestion.....)- as many people end up 'emptier' after a decent bout of exercise (runners can really suffer this!)- but this is often not an issue with gym based work outs.

Also is there a difference in what you eat on cycling days compared to non-cycling days.

And while you are hydrating well on cycling days are you hydrating properly on the other days? as if you consume less fluid on those days then you body will hold onto fluid and cause short term weight increase.

I do normally feel very empty after a ridebut figured this is just because of the amount of hill climbing i'm doing.

Not really much of a difference in what I eat between days either, sometimes I'll eat a bit of pasta for lunch before I go riding, but this is about the only small change I make to my diet. My diet is quite controlled, and normally eat the same things over and over throughout the week.

Cycling days I hydrate a bit more, but still maybe only an extra .5-1litres so not a huge difference.

counterculture

could it not just be that this is your ideal weight, you could boil down to the 80kg that you want but would take alot of hard work but it would take too much out of you in the process, if your excercising and eating healthy then apart from beasting yourself good and proper regularly then you might just be at your ideal weight.

MountainMonster

counterculture wrote:

could it not just be that this is your ideal weight, you could boil down to the 80kg that you want but would take alot of hard work but it would take too much out of you in the process, if your excercising and eating healthy then apart from beasting yourself good and proper regularly then you might just be at your ideal weight.

It could be, I was thinking about that the other day. Unfortunately according to every person i've spoke to has said that i'm still about 10kg overweight. Most people my height are between 75-80.

If maybe I am at my ideal weight now, what should I do about attempting to lose my belly? Just keep chugging on and hope that eventually it disappears, or should I maybe just accept that I won't be the amazing body that I want to be?

I do come from native american descent, and my grandfathers tribe lived up in the very north of the U.S. so everyone has very short and stocky builds. I've gotten a bit of the white side from my dad and have ended up being taller than expected, but maybe i'm just heavier due to build? I don't feel like my build is any bigger than anyone elses, but maybe my bones are extremely thick or something

mobilekat

If its just your belly you are having issues it may be worth getting some advice down the gym from one of the trainers that are bound to be around.

I think it tends to be a combination of stomach crunches, - in all their different ways, and making sure in general the weight work you do is lots of reps with low weights to tone rather than bulk up, muscle is very heavy and thats why athletes are almost all 'Overweight' according to the BMI type charts.

Also sounds daft, but think about your posture!- we are all prone to slouching and if you make a point of 'holding your belly in' all the time it does help!
Even remebering to hold it in when cycling!!- plus stornger stomach muscles make hill climbing easier!

Good luck- let us know how it goes.

cooldad

Stomach crunches won't help you lose weight, just tone the muscles. You cannot target specific areas to lose weight.
To lose weight you need to excercise the large muscle groups, which use more energy - backside and thighs basically. Running (or treadmill) is the best way.

njee20

On a ride normally lasting about 2 hours I consume about another 1.5 litres of isotonic drinks

What do you drink? And do you eat anything on the bike as well? Many energy drinks contain a lot of sugar, and that's a fair bit to consume, 3 bottles in 2 hours. It's quite plausible that you're not really burning anything off. IME a lot of cyclists over estimate how much calories they're burning and what they need to replenish that energy.

ride_whenever

You're unlikely to see any meaningful weight loss over a training session.

You'll see a drop in weight from any fluid loss (remember that you need to drink 1-1.5 times what you've lost in dry weight [ie when you weigh yourself dry] to maintain hydration) quite quickly, but you're not really able to see the effects of training that quickly, because the effect of one session (excluding hydration aspects) are well inside the error of weighing yourself day to day. Effectively the weighing you're doing is a touch meaningless, Instead weigh yourself only once a week.

If i were you i'd stop getting hung up on weight and go off body fat percentage, as that's much much much more meaningful for anyone who does any sort of training at all than either weight or the god-awful BMI.

Remember it is just calories in calories out, and it is supposed to be unpleasant.

As a goal, just under a kilo a week should be a manageable target however if you're building strength then you're unlikely to see all of that. That equates to between 3 and 5 percent body fat if you want to go down that route instead.

MountainMonster

njee20 wrote:

On a ride normally lasting about 2 hours I consume about another 1.5 litres of isotonic drinks

What do you drink? And do you eat anything on the bike as well? Many energy drinks contain a lot of sugar, and that's a fair bit to consume, 3 bottles in 2 hours. It's quite plausible that you're not really burning anything off. IME a lot of cyclists over estimate how much calories they're burning and what they need to replenish that energy.

I normally bring 2 bottles of normal tap water that has been cooled in the fridge overnight, as well as another bottle of electrolyte drink, which if I remember correctly 2 portions of the scooper thats in it has about 150 calories.

And ride whenever:

I don't focus on a losing weight through individual training sessions, but this has been a problem for months now. I've literally stayed within 1.5kg of what I am now for months, even when training and eating completey healthy and drinking tons of fluids.

Are there any body fat measuring devices you can recommend for me for home use?

Most of my gym sessions happen about 6:30 because my wife works in a hospital and starts work then, so I go to the gym after cycling with her to work. Since i'm there so early, i'm normally the only person in there at that time, and nobody else comes in until about an hour after I am done with my session. Having a body fat measuring device at home would be quite useful.

Omar Little

dont weight yourself as often as you are doing just now but keep up the good diet and exercise regime, then weigh yourself again in a couple of weeks time. You'll likely notice a difference then. Weighing more than once a week can be disheartening do to the fluctuations with water retention and whether you need a crap or not.

MountainMonster

Omar Little wrote:

dont weight yourself as often as you are doing just now but keep up the good diet and exercise regime, then weigh yourself again in a couple of weeks time. You'll likely notice a difference then. Weighing more than once a week can be disheartening do to the fluctuations with water retention and whether you need a crap or not.

Disheartening to say the least. I normally create ym morning glory and release the fluid before weighing myself so as to try to keep things consistent. Think i've decided i'm going to weigh only once a week, and start measuring daily instead. MAybe that will help keep me motivated.

Paulie W

I dont think there is any great mystery here. Body weight, as others have said, can vary depending on when you weigh yourself during the day, on what you've eaten that day and when (different foods are digested at different speeds and in different ways), fluid intake (including type of fluid), etc. These are not 'real' weigh gains or losses just natural variations.

The account of 'losing weight' following a ride and then subsequently putting it all back on again is almost certainly about fluids. You say you drink enough but actually your weight loss says otherwise.

ride_whenever

Right, if you've stayed at this weight for months then you've plateaued.

Either up your training load or intensity or reduce your calorie intake further.

I'd try notching up your training load.

MountainMonster

Paulie W wrote:

I dont think there is any great mystery here. Body weight, as others have said, can vary depending on when you weigh yourself during the day, on what you've eaten that day and when (different foods are digested at different speeds and in different ways), fluid intake (including type of fluid), etc. These are not 'real' weigh gains or losses just natural variations.

The account of 'losing weight' following a ride and then subsequently putting it all back on again is almost certainly about fluids. You say you drink enough but actually your weight loss says otherwise.

Weighing times have been exactly the same time everyday. 6:15am everyday, and I don't weigh myself right after a ride, I always do it in the morning. Feels like I eat F**k all during the day, do a huge cycle ride, and throughout the week and with continual riding and gym sessions I never seem to shed any kgs.

And ride whenever:
I've included in HIIT exercises a few weeks ago, as well as a bit of jogging, and still the same lack of results. Eat same amount as before when only cycling, have thrown in much more cardio, and still nothing else. What would you recommend to see the kgs come off on top of what i'm already doing?

MattMTB

MountainMonster wrote:

beer from the night.
about another 1.5 litres of isotonic drinks
loads of low-fat yoghurt as snacks

These are your sticking points I think mate. Beer, isotonic drinks and yoghurt contain massive amounts of calories / sugar. Although it's hard, if you really want to cut to 80kg from 88kg (which is a relatively massive 10% of your body weight!) you need to cut out the beer and get your energy for your rides / gym work from slow-release carbs and have plenty more protein to fill you up.

Porridge in the morning and a protein shake
Cottage cheese / fish / chicken / vegetables / brown rice or pasta during the day
Fish / chicken and vegetables in the evening
Plenty of water, cut out the sugary isotonic drinks and the beer and you will lose the weight. 8)

MountainMonster

Well a bit of an update for people. I've not got myself broken into the 86kg range finally, and needless to say i'm starting to feel a bit better about getting the weight off. I think the main problem was the low fat joghurt drinks and normal joghurt that I was eating were balancing out the calories I was burning. Stopped drinking those about 2 weeks ago, and have finally lost another 2kg from when I last posted.

I figure by the end of winter I should be at my target weight, or hopefully by xmas if I keep going at this pace.

MattMTB

Good man - keep it going!

BigJimmyB

One thing that stuck out to me is that you mention beer.

How many beers a week do you drink?

You'd be suprised how calorific beer is.......and guess where it tends to deposit the weight? The belly.....

I've lost 4 kilos (not much I know) and my belly is visibly smaller since halving my beer intake from 40 units (20 beers) a week.

I do love beer, I'd drink it in preference to anything else (I even drink 0 alcohol beer when driving), so it's been bloody hard!

Chingbling

My two pence.

It sounds like your exercise is building muscle = some weight gain.
Therefore some weight loss will be due to water loss immediately post-exercise plus ongoing small fat loss.
Two choices- ditch the exercise and go on a diet of around 1500kcals daily until you've lost the weight or cut down to about 2000kcals daily while still doing the same total exercise.
Either way you won't lose much without reducing your overall calorific intake. The exercise will chip away at the belly but any overindulgence will undo the fat loss pretty quickly.
Get the Complete Guide To Sports Nutrition for some good advice.
Don't beat yourself up though as you're probably more toned, muscular and healthy now.

scrawsh

Hi - Following an Healthy Lifestyle the results will vary and sticking to seeing what the scales say everyday is very disheartening and can lead to self-sabotage:
Using measurement achieved by results will be by far the better option.
Stick to a sensible (controlled) low fat diet.
Exercise the recommended amount (3-5 times a week for 30+ minutes)
Only weigh yourself once a week/fortnight/month on the same day (we all can weigh differently from day to day)
Take measurement of your body - let's say once a month!
Make a note of how you look and feel on a regular basis (and refer back occassionally)
Listen to what other positive people are saying to you - "you're looking good these days"
Do not listen to anyone that may cause you to self sabotage - "you're looking good these days, but I think you've lost enough weight now"
But most of all enjoy what you are doing because "everyone knows if we don't enjoy what we do then we stop doing it"

Cheers
Steve

MountainMonster

BigJimmyB wrote:

One thing that stuck out to me is that you mention beer.

How many beers a week do you drink?

You'd be suprised how calorific beer is.......and guess where it tends to deposit the weight? The belly.....

I've lost 4 kilos (not much I know) and my belly is visibly smaller since halving my beer intake from 40 units (20 beers) a week.

I do love beer, I'd drink it in preference to anything else (I even drink 0 alcohol beer when driving), so it's been bloody hard!

I don't drink normally, but average maybe 5-6 in a normal week. Sometimes It jumps up to 15 or so, but that is on rare occasions.

Also thanks for the input everyone. I got myself about 6cm smaller in the belly region now as well. So very happy.

Bar Shaker

Cut out the drink additives and just drink water. Don't have anything but water for at least an hour after the ride or your work out. This will keep your body burning fat after you have finished.

Diet tricks that work... No carbs after 2pm and grill any meats to reduce their fat content. Eat normally one day and half your calories the next and repeat repeat.

If you can, go to the gym before work in the morning, without breakfast. Do an hour of cardio and only drink water.

I did this regime after an op and lost a stone in 10 days. It took much less work to keep it off.