Weight loss after long injury

xcMuttley

Hi, this is going to be a long one so i apologize in advance.
More than two years ago i came down with back pain whilst in turkey since then i have had numerous tests, scans and treatments but unfortunately most of the time was spent in a wheelchair or struggling on crutches.
Obviously this has had serious implications on my health and i put on a lot of weight.
But now im back to very nearly full health due to a miracle tablet and accupuncture.
Unable to go back to rugby or Hockey it only seemed to make sense go to my second love which is cycling!!
I have always enjoyed cycling and it used to be part of my training for rugby but i have never been a lightweight so never felt it was a sport i could compete in as well as i did rugby.
But leaving rugby has been very hard i was becoming a good player and was playing for North yorkshire and yorkshire at points but now unable to go back after such a serious injury i cant help but think would cycling have been worth following earlier?
Now at nearing 16 stone and 6ft3" at the age of 16 (17 on the 21st of this month!!) I want to find something new to do
i have always had good stamina so i have decided i would like to enter long distance rides/sportives etc.
But obviously my weight is holding me back a little bit I have bought a 2010 gt gtr series 2 and have begun cycling nearly everyday at least 20 miles but usually over 30 and upto 50 before my back normally starts to ache but i havnt lost any weight? or very little anyway, i do my "Big ride" + 30 minutes on the static bike and 30 minutes of weights, im also eating very healthy too. But my weight isnt going down, i have built up a lot of muscle as most of my muscles had wasted away whilst in the wheelchair and i no muscle weighs much more than fat but i still want to decrease my weight. Will my muscles stop building as quickly allowing me to see on the scales that i have lost some weight? Is there something im doing wrong? Should i be doing sprints instead of longer rides? Any help in my mission for weight loss would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks for reading sorry it was so long

t.m.h.n.e.t

Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat.

How much do you eat in a day?

dw300

If you want to look like a cyclist, you need to eat and train like a cyclist, not a rugby player.

ShutUpLegs

Rugby build?

cyco2

You're probably one of those people who exercise consistently and not lose and oz. of weight. Well here's what you do. Stop eating rubbish food like crisps,sugar snacks (cakes & biscuits) and pies. Learn not to eat between meals. So you can ride use an energy drink. Only when you have got some discipline in your eating habits will you lose a few pounds. You do say you eat healthily. But do you really know what that means ?. Nearing 16 stone is telling a completely different story!!!!

xcMuttley

Im eating a lot less than i should not entirely sure how much in kcal but cereals for breakfast, sandwich for lunch+fruit and then a healthy tea not red meats just chicken really(And lots of cous cous im getting sick of the stuff lol) I havnt eaten any crisps or biscuits cakes etc. in 3 months no unhealthy food just the good stuff and no eating between meals, I dont mean weighs more than fat i meant the density Very much a rugby build but my muscles in my legs wasted away a lot so im not so much of a rugby build anymore. I have only been out of a wheelchair for 3 months so please dont be to harsh my back is holding the excercise back a little but i am trying my hardest!! What excercise should i be doing then i thought what i was doing is what i should be doing?

xcMuttley

Also cant have to many energy drinks the caffeine messes with my tablets pretty badly

jim453

Is there any particular reason why this guy is getting such a hostile reception?

Jesus, he's asking for help.

Write down what you're eating for a week and work out your daily intake of calories perhaps?

If you're using more than you're putting in, your weight will drop. If it doesn't, you are not using more than you're putting in.

Stay out of the gym. There's nothing for you there.

Don't give up.

OfficerDigby

Hi,
I think you should continue what you are doing, sounds like a good recovery to me well done.
Try to enjoy your riding. Probably try to train that long ride distance 50miles odd once a week say with a club
hopefully the back will improve (with the other stuff you do for it).
You can use the sportives and clubrides to see how you are progressing. Starting riding with other
is a good way to check where you are.

The weight obsession is not needed at this level IMO. You are 16! Cycling as far you say you will sort out
any weight issues over time.
If you want to change a few things then try going as fast as possible on a few rides, blasting up hills etc.

Might have to build up distances in the spring to cover yourself for typical sportive distance.

t.m.h.n.e.t

xcMuttley wrote:

Im eating a lot less than i should not entirely sure how much in kcal but cereals for breakfast, sandwich for lunch+fruit and then a healthy tea not red meats just chicken really(And lots of cous cous im getting sick of the stuff lol) I havnt eaten any crisps or biscuits cakes etc. in 3 months no unhealthy food just the good stuff and no eating between meals, I dont mean weighs more than fat i meant the density Very much a rugby build but my muscles in my legs wasted away a lot so im not so much of a rugby build anymore. I have only been out of a wheelchair for 3 months so please dont be to harsh my back is holding the excercise back a little but i am trying my hardest!! What excercise should i be doing then i thought what i was doing is what i should be doing?

You should be doing none until you work out your BMR, and your calorie deficit.

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calcu ... -equation/

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calcu ... weight.php


If you need to, plan out a few days in myfitnesspal or a similar app. Then and only then are you ready to choose exercise.

chrisaonabike

xcMuttley wrote:

But my weight isnt going down, i have built up a lot of muscle as most of my muscles had wasted away whilst in the wheelchair

If you had lost a lot of muscle mass while you were injured, but now since you've been cycling you've built the muscle back, then if your weight hasn't changed much it's likely you've lost fat and gained muscle.

Sounds like whatever you're doing, it's having mostly the right result.

fearby

dw300 wrote:

If you want to look like a cyclist, you need to eat and train like a cyclist, not a rugby player.

Agreed.

Fausto Coppi said the most important muscle for a cyclist is the forearm for waving the hand to refuse when someone offers you food.

cyco2

xcMuttley wrote:

Also cant have to many energy drinks the caffeine messes with my tablets pretty badly

Unfortunately when ever an energy drink is mentioned Red Bull comes to mind but in fact an energy drink does not need to contain caffeine, just a sugar. Which is a natural food where as caffeine is a stimulant of the nervous system and is definitely not an energy supplement. So, keep on your diet of healthy eating which if successful should enable you to lose weight without lifting a finger but to enjoy your cycling drink an energy only drink. Getting the balance right can be tricky due to at times low blood sugar levels (bonk) but with practice you should be able to get it right.

dw300

fearby wrote:

dw300 wrote:

If you want to look like a cyclist, you need to eat and train like a cyclist, not a rugby player.

Agreed.

Fausto Coppi said the most important muscle for a cyclist is the forearm for waving the hand to refuse when someone offers you food.

Precisely .. you want to eat the absolute minimum amount of food that allows you to recover for your next training sessions. And only when you know more or less how much that is should you be trying to eat 'the right foods' in order to tweak the macros.

If I had a pound for everyone that thought adding fruit and veg to their diet would help them loose weight I'd be rich. Well .. I'd have some nice wheels.

Barbarossa

xcMuttley wrote:

?..a healthy tea not red meats just chicken really(And lots of cous cous im getting sick of the stuff lol)...

Cut down on the cous cous, pasta, rice, potatoes...?

t.m.h.n.e.t

Barbarossa wrote:

xcMuttley wrote:

?..a healthy tea not red meats just chicken really(And lots of cous cous im getting sick of the stuff lol)...

Cut down on the cous cous, pasta, rice, potatoes...?

Why?

xcMuttley

Dont understand the cutting down of the cous cous, pasta etc. surely i should be eating slightly more of them if anything? Did 45 miles today on my own in the pouring rain but i feel the better for it, everytime i begin to think how crap the weather is etc. i just think of how much i hated being in the wheelchair and how much better it feels to be out in the crap weather haha.
Thanks for all the help most of it has been useful, sounds like i just need to be strict with myself and do as much exercise on as little food as possible as i have been doing and eventually my weight will start to decrease heres hoping anyway!!

bobones

What worked for me was to count calories on my iPhone using the American app "Lose It". I think the app "My Fitness Pal" does much the same thing. Basically, you tell the app your current height, weight, age, your target weight, how fast you want to lose weight (e.g. 1.5lbs per week) and the app gives you a daily calorie budget. You log your food intake and exercise calorie burn on the phone or website and try to stay within the budget. You log also your weight from time to time. It's really easy to do and becomes second nature, and you become really aware of how the calories mount up if you eat snacks or calorie dense food. If you're going over budget it makes you get out there and burn some calories on the bike to make up for it.

I lost a stone in 7 weeks and it didn't seem that hard. I had a calorie budget of around 1700 but I would typically eat 2300 calories but burn 500 cycling. This was back in April/May. I stopped using the app after a while and my weight is stable at around 11st4 down from 13+. I cycle around 150miles a week and eat pretty much what I want. Might be worth a try if you've got a phone that can run these apps.

Trev The Rev

bobones wrote:

What worked for me was to count calories on my iPhone using the American app "Lose It". I think the app "My Fitness Pal" does much the same thing. Basically, you tell the app your current height, weight, age, your target weight, how fast you want to lose weight (e.g. 1.5lbs per week) and the app gives you a daily calorie budget. You log your food intake and exercise calorie burn on the phone or website and try to stay within the budget. You log also your weight from time to time. It's really easy to do and becomes second nature, and you become really aware of how the calories mount up if you eat snacks or calorie dense food. If you're going over budget it makes you get out there and burn some calories on the bike to make up for it.

I lost a stone in 7 weeks and it didn't seem that hard. I had a calorie budget of around 1700 but I would typically eat 2300 calories but burn 500 cycling. This was back in April/May. I stopped using the app after a while and my weight is stable at around 11st4 down from 13+. I cycle around 150miles a week and eat pretty much what I want. Might be worth a try if you've got a phone that can run these apps.

Does the app take into account the nutritional value and balance of the food consumed or calories only?

xcMuttley

Thanks but unlike most people my age i dont own an iphone or a smart phone i would rather spend the money on my bikes i own just a cheap bog standard one, thanks anyway!!

t.m.h.n.e.t

xcMuttley wrote:

Thanks but unlike most people my age i dont own an iphone or a smart phone i would rather spend the money on my bikes i own just a cheap bog standard one, thanks anyway!!

Use the website perhaps?

ut_och_cykla

Eat healthily AND be careful with portion sizes. Don't think that just because you're exercising every day you need loads more calories! It's a common mistake - an hour a day of raltive hard effort is only about 500-600 kcal - easily added to the day's meals in 200kcal chunks :-(
It will take a little while but find a level of food intake that allows you to exercise and stay healthy(cold free etc) and go down in weight gradually - like a pound or two a week. You didn't get big overnight and you shouldn't expect to get small overnight either.
With regard to muscle - if you don't use it it will eventually disappear or at least get smaller. But obviously where this end point is is very personal - some guys are 'beefy' whatever they do - others thin as snakes - all to do with hormones and genes I suppose.
At 6'3" you are never going to be small. Something you will have to learn to live with! But you can get good and fast on a bike....good luck!

Trev The Rev

xcMuttley wrote:

Im eating a lot less than i should not entirely sure how much in kcal but cereals for breakfast, sandwich for lunch+fruit and then a healthy tea not red meats just chicken really(And lots of cous cous im getting sick of the stuff lol) I havnt eaten any crisps or biscuits cakes etc. in 3 months no unhealthy food just the good stuff and no eating between meals, I dont mean weighs more than fat i meant the density Very much a rugby build but my muscles in my legs wasted away a lot so im not so much of a rugby build anymore. I have only been out of a wheelchair for 3 months so please dont be to harsh my back is holding the excercise back a little but i am trying my hardest!! What excercise should i be doing then i thought what i was doing is what i should be doing?

Trying to be constructive here.

You say you are eating a lot of couscous. Couscous although a better choice than pasta or rice is still mostly carbohydrate so you need to be careful with the portions.

16 stone at 6' 3" means you are a big bloke but without seeing you or testing for fat percentage I would not like to say how much weight you should lose.

Beware fad diets, just try to eat nutritious food. You will be exchanging fat for muscle (hopefully) so perhaps after another 3 months it would be worth looking at your weight again. But for now I wouldn't get too bogged down in worrying about weight.

Do not measure yourself against someone like Wiggins. To be his height & weight with so little body fat is not to be recommended for normal people leading a normal life.

The world is full of calorie counters who get thin then fat then thin then fat again - do not get hung up and depressed or obsessed with counting calories. The world is also full of people making money or trying to make money out of diets & calorie counting apps etc - beware.

Think about the quality and nutritional value of the food you eat and cut down on the over processed crap, the sugar, pizza, bread, rice, and yes couscous.

If in another 3 or 6 months you still feel you need to lose weight have a good long think about it, consult a nutritionist and see your doctor. Make plans to change your eating habits permanently for the better but avoid fad diets.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Just for the record Trev. Fat can't turn to muscle

zx6man

I lost 5 stone by cutting the crap, and just eating the right amount of portion. It was never a diet so didn't feel restrained.

Trev The Rev

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Just for the record Trev. Fat can't turn to muscle

No, but hopefully, now he is training, he will be losing fat but gaining muscle. So without splitting hairs his body fat percentage will improve.

Trev The Rev

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat.

T.M.H.N.E.T

Care to elaborate?

I edited the post to read 'exchanging fat for muscle'. Are you happier with that?

Trev.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Trev The Rev wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Just for the record Trev. Fat can't turn to muscle

No, but hopefully, now he is training, he will be losing fat but gaining muscle. So without splitting hairs his body fat percentage will improve.

Splitting hairs has nothing to do with it. ^That statement is as misleading as "muscle weighs more than fat"

Trev The Rev wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat.

T.M.H.N.E.T

Care to elaborate?

Trev.

Sure. 1lb of fat weighs the same as 1lb of muscle. If you take an equal volume of either, say a bucket of each - the bucket of muscle will weigh more due to density.

Therefore. Muscle is heavier than fat, by volume only.

A common mistake made,one that is always worth correcting. Did you miss the OP's post where he suggested this?

Trev The Rev

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Trev The Rev wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Just for the record Trev. Fat can't turn to muscle

No, but hopefully, now he is training, he will be losing fat but gaining muscle. So without splitting hairs his body fat percentage will improve.

Splitting hairs has nothing to do with it. ^That statement is as misleading as "muscle weighs more than fat"

Trev The Rev wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat.

T.M.H.N.E.T

Care to elaborate?

Trev.

Sure. 1lb of fat weighs the same as 1lb of muscle. If you take an equal volume of either, say a bucket of each - the bucket of muscle will weigh more due to density.

The original statement made by the original poster was reasonable, I'm sure he was aware a pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle and so was everyone else, this is a forum and people will use everyday rather than scientific terminology, there is no need for you to split hairs and point out tiny inaccuracies.


A common mistake made,one that is always worth correcting. Did you miss the OP's post where he suggested this?

No

t.m.h.n.e.t

Trev The Rev wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Trev The Rev wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Just for the record Trev. Fat can't turn to muscle

No, but hopefully, now he is training, he will be losing fat but gaining muscle. So without splitting hairs his body fat percentage will improve.

Splitting hairs has nothing to do with it. ^That statement is as misleading as "muscle weighs more than fat"

Trev The Rev wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Muscle doesn't weigh more than fat.

T.M.H.N.E.T

Care to elaborate?

Trev.

Sure. 1lb of fat weighs the same as 1lb of muscle. If you take an equal volume of either, say a bucket of each - the bucket of muscle will weigh more due to density.

The original statement made by the original poster was reasonable, I'm sure he was aware a pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle and so was everyone else, this is a forum and people will use everyday rather than scientific terminology, there is no need for you to split hairs and point out tiny inaccuracies.


A common mistake made,one that is always worth correcting. Did you miss the OP's post where he suggested this?

No. It was completely incorrect. He said

i have built up a lot of muscle as most of my muscles had wasted away whilst in the wheelchair and i no muscle weighs much more than fat

Trev The Rev

You seem to have included my words as part of your reply.