am i doing something wrong?

foo-fighter

Hi all, firstly im not sure if this post is in the right place.
i've been riding around the roads of Reading for a few (4) weeks now about 60 miles a week, not big millage but hey im just starting out. however dispite my efforts it seems my weight isnt budging. Can anyone offer any insight in to this or is it just a case of doing a LOT more millage a week to see any results. The main reason behind getting the bike was to loose quite a few pounds really, so as you can probably imagine its quite demoralising to do the weekly weigh in to find im the same weight or sometimes slightly heavier. Is there certian foods i sould avoid? and ones i should be eating?. Any help would be greatly welcome
thanks
Si

T-Rekster

You have not said anything about your food intake....? 4 weeks is a short time really, just stick with it. 60 miles a week along with a healthy diet should see the weight come down at a slow/steady/healthy pace.



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foo-fighter

thanks for that i will jsut waatch the calories i think and be a little more patient

antlaff

foo-fighter wrote:

thanks for that i will jsut waatch the calories i think and be a little more patient

I didn't lose anything for first 6mths as I toned up, a year later lost 25lbs
Keep at it

McBoom

I think what you eat will have a greater effect on weight than how much you cycle. It 's not really a case of actively counting calories but being aware of the makeup of those calories. Eating/drinking less carbs, particularly processed/quick release ones, and eating more natural fat and protein will help you lose weight.

Please don't believe that you must carbo-load before cycling 10-20 miles, it simply isn't necessary, and don't drink anything other than water during your ride. I regularly cycle 30-50 miles without having consumed many carbs at all. Being fat-powered ain't bad once your body has adjusted to it.

I highly recommend Gary Taubes - Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It for a read/listen.

graham.

I try not to "weight watch" to much. A sideways glance in the mirror tells me I'm a bit overweight.
The last time I was checked at the docs she said "yes you could do with loosing a bit."
I was'nt in the obese catagory (And you don't have to be VERY overweight to fall into that band!). But it was a warning. I try to go by how I look and how I feel.
I've just got back from a hard ride (For me! 27.6 miles, 15.8 mph ave, 1 hour 45mins. )
If I went onto the "Drops" I could feel my knees touching my belly. :oops: . That tells me all I need to know.
Try not to become scale obsessed.
Good luck with it. Graham.

ShutUpLegs

Interval training is best for losing weight.

Or stopping eating.

Or cutting off a leg.

Aggieboy

Have you left a 'd' off your username??

graham.

Aggieboy wrote:

Have you left a 'd' off your username??

Oh. Well spotted!

cyberknight

You are probably losing fat but the muscle tone you have developed has counteracted any apparent loss.Muscle weighs twice as much as fat so do not be downhearted, keep at it and i am sure you will see results soon !

gaddster

you need a calorie deficit ie 3 options: eat fewer calories while burning your usual; burn more calories while eating your usual; eat fewer calories while burning more calories at the same time.

fish cake.

McBoom

^I don't think this is a useful approach, and saying that you lose weight because you consume less calories than you burn is a redundant statement. It also gives the impression that all calories are equal when this isn't the case with regards their effect on your weight.

mattshrops

get on a calorie counting website where you can track what you eat and what you burn.
I used livestrong and that worked really well.
do some reading about nutrition and different types of fats etc. its your choice how seriously you take it, and how quickly/effectively you lose weight. the key is the combination of the right type of food and burning more than you eat. dont try to lose it all in one day.

MrChuck

I'd second what Graham said about the scales. I'm in about the worst shape I've been in for the last 10 years, and I know it because my trousers are too tight and things are flabby when they used to be toned. But I've no idea what I weight, in fact i probably haven't been on the scales for over a year.

Point is don't worry so much about your actual weight, and maybe try to go more on how you feel and whether you feel you're getting better on the bike- weight loss will probably follow. I'm assuming you're only sort of averagely overweight at the moment.

Ollieda

McBoom wrote:

^I don't think this is a useful approach, and saying that you lose weight because you consume less calories than you burn is a redundant statement. It also gives the impression that all calories are equal when this isn't the case with regards their effect on your weight.

What your saying about different types of calories is true - however this is a much more advanced level of weight loss. If someone is overweight and struggling to loose weight then simply eating less and exercising more is good advice. Once they begin to lose weight and understand then can more onto a more indepth analysis of food.

Jumping in at the deep end is more likely to confuse people and put them off. Slow and steady wins the race and all that! I've lost 5 stone so far this year, I'm only now starting to get into detail on nutrition as I'm reaching a point where the simple plan needs to be developed to continue fat loss. I know for sure if I had tried to look in depth at my diet right at the begining I would have given up and ordered takeaway!

OP: Keep cycling and slowly reduce the amount your eating (don't go to the extreme and starve yourself though). I'm moving back to Sandhurst next week so might be out cycling Reading way myself!

mattshrops

The two posters who said "dont worry too much about the scales" are by their own admission overweight. not the best reccomendation i ever heard. :?
The world is full of people who are struggling to lose a bit of weight- so it comes down to How seriously do you want to lose weight. If you're serious -take it serious -no excuses get it done. if you're not that bothered thats fine its your choice.

Alibran

It's all down to energy in vs energy out. If you take in more energy in food than you use in activity, you will gain weight, and vice versa.

Were you gaining weight before you started cycling? If not, and your weight had been steady for some time, all you need to do is not eat any more than you used to before you started cycling. That includes not using energy drinks, etc. You will start to lose weight because of the extra energy expenditure.

There are lots of tricks like low carb diets, exercising on an empty stomach, etc, but these have minimal benefit at best. The one thing that will guarantee you lose weight is controlling you calorie input and output.

There are plenty of websites that can help with this, but I don't want to seem like I'm trying to force my way of doing things on anyone, so ask if you want a link.

MrChuck

I'm just trying to point out that weight on its own can be misleading, especially if you're talking about improving at an activity where you might expect to put on a bit of muscle.

graham.

Yes. I said don't worry too much about the scales, not don't worry about being overweight.
I see so many (At work mainly.) treat weight loss as some sort of hobby, comparing the latest diets etc, but doing zero exercise.
If any off us who cycle to work suggest that as an option, they just laugh out loud!
Yes I'm a bit overweight, and I think my recomendations are as valid as anyone elses.
Graham.

DaveHudson

A the beginning of march I was 14st, 5'7" tall and carrying my weight around my torso and no where else. I cycle 5 days a week varying distances from 75miles on a easy week to 120 on a harder week.

I lost about a stone in 10 weeks by cycling and drastically reducing carb intake, Eating loads of protein and also cutting out fizzy drinks but now the weight has crept back up slightly due to muscle mass being formed. My legs are getting a lot bigger than they used to be.

I had been getting too obsessed with what the scales told me, but now I'm just going on how clothes fit and how I feel. I was wearing XL t-shirts at the en of last year as I was trying to cover up, then switched to L as they seemed ok if I watched my posture (belly pokes out if I slouch ) and now am buying medium shirts that are a good fit without looking like a sausage skin.

One of my mates popped into my work yesterday and his first words were "Bloody hell mate, You've lost loads of weight! It's really showing" Which was better than any digital readout.

MountainMonster

If you weigh yourself too regularly, i.e. every morning or so, you will be disappointed with what you see most of the time. Weight fluctuates up to 2kg per day, depending on how much water is still left in your, and other things. Weigh yourself once a week, and you'll certainly be happier with the results. You can get yourself disappointed if you focus just on the weight everyday, as you say you've burned 2,000 calories the day before but not lost any more than 100g. Realise it takes a bit of time for the weight to come off, not just overnight.

I personally much more prefer the good ole belly measurement, take a measuring tape and warp it around your belly, and keep track of that instead of weight alone. That's the most important thing. Nobody really cares what weight they are when they are a bit overweight, it's the size of the belly their worried about.

graham.

MountainMonster wrote:

If you weigh yourself too regularly, i.e. every morning or so, you will be disappointed with what you see most of the time. Weight fluctuates up to 2kg per day, depending on how much water is still left in your, and other things. Weigh yourself once a week, and you'll certainly be happier with the results. You can get yourself disappointed if you focus just on the weight everyday, as you say you've burned 2,000 calories the day before but not lost any more than 100g. Realise it takes a bit of time for the weight to come off, not just overnight.

I personally much more prefer the good ole belly measurement, take a measuring tape and warp it around your belly, and keep track of that instead of weight alone. That's the most important thing. Nobody really cares what weight they are when they are a bit overweight, it's the size of the belly their worried about.

Yep. That's kinda how I look at it!
Graham.

denzzz28

I started road biking regularly about 3 months ago when we move to away from where i work about 5.7 miles away. since then every school days i drove the kids to school near where i work and then my wife brings back the car so i cycle my way home. its a average 25miles on school days and 50miles on school holidays. not a lot of mileage but the terrain involves plenty of gradient up hills that is terrible to the legs. so even if its a short journey its has better effect than longer journey but on a flat road. (if you ride on a flat road try using high gears to give you more resistance). pedal harder than usual and avoid cruising.

before I was 85-88kgs (13.3 stones), Im 5'9", 35yo and I dont watch after my diet at all. but since cycling im do not exceed 80kgs anymore, it plays around 78-81kgs with no special diets, just my normal carefree eating. i dont really believe in diet as long as you have an active life style and do plenty of exercise you will loose or maintain a good weight. but having said that i dont eat like a pig LOL!!

give it some time, you may have slower metabolism than others but you will get there. as the other guy say "dont weight watch". the first indication that your starting to loose weight is when you start feeling light, you dont feel lazy anymore and you just want to to do something to keep you moving.

Im not an expert but im just sharing my 2p. good luck hope this helps

Richa1181

Get yourself a copy of 'Racing Weight' by Matt Fitzgerald if you want some good solid advice on the diet side of things. I'm not overweight but I decided to lose 4kg in order to improve my climbing and the book really is helping towards it. It will give you plenty of ways to go about hitting your goals and you can pick it up for about £7 online.

The easiest way to start isn't by limiting what you eat, but to improve the quality of what you eat already. Simple things like swapping out the Frosties for some whole grain cereal, swapping out the white bread for seeded etc. They're not massive sacrifices to make but things like that really help. You'll be taking on food that fills you up for longer and is also easy to convert into bike fuel at the same time - it's all win win

Stone Glider

Almost cerainly not. Deciding to take regular excercise is the most 'right' thing you can do. The point is, as made by others, do not expect rapid results when the change is working it's way through your system. You achieved the state you were in over a period of years, undoing that is bound to take time if you wish the change to stick.

Anyway, cycling is not the fastest way to lose weight. It is more about changing your shape and cardio-vascular performance. Give it time.

dirty*sanchez

Richa1181 wrote:

The easiest way to start isn't by limiting what you eat, but to improve the quality of what you eat already. Simple things like swapping out the Frosties for some whole grain cereal, swapping out the white bread for seeded etc. They're not massive sacrifices to make but things like that really help. You'll be taking on food that fills you up for longer and is also easy to convert into bike fuel at the same time - it's all win win

Good advise. I followed these principles, cut-out alcohol, sugar and all sh*t foods and lost over 8 stone over 15 months.
Did regular spinning classes during the winter which really does shift the fat.
I still have 7lb to go to hit my target weight, but not loosing it at the rate I was because I'm iridng harder now and therefore having to consume more (not to mention my addiction to Marmite cashews!). Still loosing 2/3 Ilbs a month though.