Why aren't I losing weight?

neilo23

10 years ago I was riding 3 - 6 hours a day, 6 days a week, and weighed 72 kilos. I'm now 40, and after a few months off the bike, I started riding again about 8 months ago and weighed 85kg. Still look slim as I'm 1.83m (6 foot 2?) but I'd like to be lighter. A couple of months after starting again I cut cakes, chocolate, alcohol, and various other naughty things from my diet.

I am eating less (and healthier), training more, look slimmer, especially facially, don't think I've gained much muscle (and if I have I'm sure, at least from my appearance, that I've lost more in the way of fat than I've gained in muscle) but don't weigh a single gram less than when I started riding again.

I vary my training and do all of the things which years of riding have taught me will shed the pounds to no avail. I know that the metabolism slows down with age, but this is ridiculous and frustrating.

t4tomo

neilo23 wrote:

10 years ago I was riding 3 - 6 hours a day, 6 days a week, and weighed 72 kilos. I'm now 40, and after a few months off the bike, I started riding again about 8 months ago and weighed 85kg. Still look slim as I'm 1.83m (6 foot 2?) but I'd like to be lighter. A couple of months after starting again I cut cakes, chocolate, alcohol, and various other naughty things from my diet.

I am eating less (and healthier), training more, look slimmer, especially facially, don't think I've gained much muscle (and if I have I'm sure, at least from my appearance, that I've lost more in the way of fat than I've gained in muscle) but don't weigh a single gram less than when I started riding again.

I vary my training and do all of the things which years of riding have taught me will shed the pounds to no avail. I know that the metabolism slows down with age, but this is ridiculous and frustrating.

so what is the problem? - weight is just a number, muscle is heavier (more dense) that fat. you feel healthier and your wobbly bits wobble less. just enjoy riding.

neilo23

Because the main reason I ride is to cycle up hills. Not interested in time trialling. In my head I like to think I'm Contador (very acute symptoms of delusion) and I clearly remember enjoying the hills a lot more when I weighed a lot less.

t4tomo

In that case stop eating carbs in the evenings then, that works for me when I want to shed a few pounds, and get yourself some of that there infected beef - Contatdor went much faster up the hilss when he was eating that.

chrisaonabike

neilo23 wrote:

I know that the metabolism slows down with age, but this is ridiculous and frustrating.

Only because of reduced muscle mass. Which you haven't got if you're leaner, stronger, fitter, etc, compared with when you were 30.

You'll have to eat less and/or exercise (a lot) more to lose yet more weight.

t4tomo

ChrisAOnABike wrote:

neilo23 wrote:

I know that the metabolism slows down with age, but this is ridiculous and frustrating.

Only because of reduced muscle mass. Which you haven't got if you're leaner, stronger, fitter, etc, compared with when you were 30.

You'll have to eat less and/or exercise (a lot) more to lose yet more weight.

I'm the wrong side of 40 as well - whether its metabolism or whatever it is harder to shed pounds or easier to gain pounds in your 40's that your 30's and b0!!ox to any scientific reasoning that says otherwise.

Kubotai

neilo23 wrote:

10 years ago I was riding 3 - 6 hours a day, 6 days a week, and weighed 72 kilos. I'm now 40, and after a few months off the bike, I started riding again about 8 months ago and weighed 85kg. Still look slim as I'm 1.83m (6 foot 2?) but I'd like to be lighter. A couple of months after starting again I cut cakes, chocolate, alcohol, and various other naughty things from my diet.

I am eating less (and healthier), training more, look slimmer, especially facially, don't think I've gained much muscle (and if I have I'm sure, at least from my appearance, that I've lost more in the way of fat than I've gained in muscle) but don't weigh a single gram less than when I started riding again.

I vary my training and do all of the things which years of riding have taught me will shed the pounds to no avail. I know that the metabolism slows down with age, but this is ridiculous and frustrating.

While your metabolism might slow down with age, something doesn't make sense. You cut a lot of calories from your diet only a few months ago. Which means you did it at a higher age when your metabolism had already slowed down. You also increased you level of activity. While changing your diet will prompt your body to slow down its metabolism, I doubt it would be enough to compensate for both the lower calorie intake and higher calorie expenditure.

A factor could be simply eating more of the healthy food, drinking more (if not water), or decreased physical activity outside of training.

I'm getting a bit older now at 34 and noticing it is more difficult to lower my weight. It used to be easy, but these days it takes a lot more effort. Likely this is because I have an inactive desk job, long days and outside of training I prefer to put the feet up and relax with a good movie or series on tv. I also find that I'm hungry all the time and simply eat a bit more, even if it's just a bowl of muesli it does add up in terms of calories. The whole balance makes it difficult to get rid of even just one kilo. (I'm 1.83m and 76kg... well 77kg. I gained a kilo due to an injury preventing me from running.)

diamonddog

neilo23 wrote:

10 years ago I was riding 3 - 6 hours a day, 6 days a week, and weighed 72 kilos. I'm now 40, and after a few months off the bike, I started riding again about 8 months ago and weighed 85kg. Still look slim as I'm 1.83m (6 foot 2?) but I'd like to be lighter. A couple of months after starting again I cut cakes, chocolate, alcohol, and various other naughty things from my diet.

I am eating less (and healthier), training more, look slimmer, especially facially, don't think I've gained much muscle (and if I have I'm sure, at least from my appearance, that I've lost more in the way of fat than I've gained in muscle) but don't weigh a single gram less than when I started riding again.

I vary my training and do all of the things which years of riding have taught me will shed the pounds to no avail. I know that the metabolism slows down with age, but this is ridiculous and frustrating.

I am a good deal older than you and have had to alter my diet to keep to the same weight. The food I ate when your age and was running & cycling etc would actually make my fitness regime a waste of time, back then my weight never changed excercise or not, so now by cutting back on everything and cutting out the booze :roll: I have the same measurments as when I was in my 20's, unfortunately the lungs are not as good as they used to be (years of scuba instructing and developing asthma) bit it is just more of a challenge and slowly slowly I still keep improving.
My thinking is this go out and do the best you can do on the bike for fitness, for weight you need to alter your diet.
Good Luck don't give up trying.
PS I am only a little gadger at 51kg

bockers

Well said DiamondDog

Your metabolism does change but not by much. What does change as you get older is your activity levels and the amount you eat. The eating issue is normally portion size and also "forgetting" the snacks eaten throughout the day. Much as I like to think I do more exercise now that I did in my teens I also know i do a lot more sitting on my arse doing nothing too. When I was a a teen I never sat still for a second and all that nervous energy adds up to burning calories far more than I do now even on a busy weekend.

It also does not take much to gain weight. 5% reduction in metabolic rate say, 5% greater portion size and over a week that pobably adds up to 1/2 a pound. That's way over a stone a year and very easily done without even noticing.

PhunkyPhil

Are you cycling at a decent intensite or just plodding about?

Over the winter I did a lot of high intensity interval training on my Turbo as this is supposed to be good for weight loss as you are working extremely hard.

Maybe get a check up at your doctors and see what he has to say, there may be some medicle condition preventing your weight loss.

ric/rstsport

I'm in my 40s, and recently upped my training volume, and intensity. my diet has stayed pretty much the same. 2 months into some proper training and my power is up 8% and my weight has most likely come down. Previously, i was cycling but not doing much and had put on a few kg (and didn't want to weigh myself!). And while i still haven't weighed myself my jeans that were a little tight are now loose, and i'm two notches tighter on my belt. I look significantly slimmer as well. I'm aiming for the same weight as when i was in my late 20s.

It's just a question of training with sufficient volume/intensity and making sure you're diet is reasonable.

Hackneyed

I've been reading a lot about nutrition and what we eat vs. what we *should* eat in the last few months, and started implementing some of it on myself with decent results. I'm 39, 6" and weigh about 83kg (I think that with my build, my ideal weight should be about 73-76kg). In the last 6 weeks I've probably lost about 2-3kg, which shows, and I'm continuing down.

So in terms of my approach - well, it's sort of a modified LCHF jobbie, where I cut out nearly all starchy foods such as bread, pasta, rice etc. and replace with fish, chicken, meat, eggs, pulses, various types of green veg, some dairy, nuts and so on. I combine this with a bit of fasting in-between. What I've found fairly remarkable is how easy it's been to maintain this eating strategy; I never have any hunger pangs, I never get uncomfortably full (even after eating a large plate), the way you do after sinking a pizza or a large spag bowl, my energy levels are up and I feel fitter and stronger.

Last weekend I actually 'fell off the wagon' - I helped a mate move and after we went for pizza and a couple of pints, after I felt awful, over-full and lethargic. And to boot, the next morning I was starving! To me it just confirmed how that type of nutrition isn't good for me and that I should stick to what I described above. It's very calorie dense, makes the body burn just easy carbs (converting them to glucose) and not fat, and it makes you very hungry very quickly.

In terms of some of the stuff I've been reading online, Peter Attia (MD) is doing a good job of putting the latest science as well as his own experience as a self-experimenter behind what we eat. This video is interesting (albeit perhaps OTT for some): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqwvcrA7oe8 There's a Swedish MD (Andreas Eenfeldt) who writes a blog called the diet doctor who has a good approach to nutrition as well, and he also cares a lot about the science. http://www.dietdoctor.com/

Maybe watch a few videos, read a bit and make some (further) dietary changes to see if that works?

Also, just to make a point about what I eat, I don't count calories and I should imagine that I under-eat a little, but as I don't get particularly hungry (well, I do, and then I eat, but I don't get pangs of hunger, like you do if you're on a starchy diet) I find it reasonably difficult to over-eat. Though there's plenty of evidence to suggest that if you move to a diet that is species specific you can over-eat calories yet still achieve your 'natural weight' (introducing the notion that calorie in/calorie out is a gross simplification).

vorsprung

To neilo23, the OP I'd say find out your BMR plus work out how many calories you burn during exercise.

Then keep a careful food diary for about a week or so and add up exactly what you eat. You will see that the amount of calories is more than you thought and that exercise is not greater than the food energy input.

To Hackneyed in response to your comment

.. just to make a point about what I eat, I don't count calories and I should imagine that I under-eat a little, but as I don't get particularly hungry (well, I do, and then I eat, but I don't get pangs of hunger, like you do if you're on a starchy diet) I find it reasonably difficult to over-eat.

I kind of agree that it's easiest to overeat if you have a load of carbs ready to hand. Other aspects of your diet are limiting your input. I would guess that there is a bit of psychology though. Some people would overeat regardless

bahzob

vorsprung wrote:

..

Then keep a careful food diary for about a week or so and add up exactly what you eat. You will see that the amount of calories is more than you thought and that exercise is not greater than the food energy input.

Seconded. The only reliable way I have found to lose weight is to get anal and keep a detailed food diary. (Though I would suggest keeping for more like a month.)

It can be depressing to see how little food equates to how much exercise but that's reality. Also it's the only way to get a handle on your actual BMR and see if/how it changes with time. (Rather than use an average that, by definition, will be wrong for most individuals.)

gryfon23

Have been trying a similar plan to Hackneyed (read Peter Attia's blog and also Marks Daily Apple). All low to very low carb. I can confirm that when using fat and protein as fuel I really don't get hunger pangs like I used to and my energy is far more steady during the day. I have lost 4-5kg without trying. There can be some yukky periods in the first few weeks when you feel crap, but not everyone gets it.

Toks

neilo23 wrote:

10 years ago I was riding 3 - 6 hours a day, 6 days a week, and weighed 72 kilos. I'm now 40, and after a few months off the bike, I started riding again about 8 months ago and weighed 85kg. Still look slim as I'm 1.83m (6 foot 2?) but I'd like to be lighter. A couple of months after starting again I cut cakes, chocolate, alcohol, and various other naughty things from my diet.

I am eating less (and healthier), training more, look slimmer, especially facially, don't think I've gained much muscle (and if I have I'm sure, at least from my appearance, that I've lost more in the way of fat than I've gained in muscle) but don't weigh a single gram less than when I started riding again.

I vary my training and do all of the things which years of riding have taught me will shed the pounds to no avail. I know that the metabolism slows down with age, but this is ridiculous and frustrating.

It sounds like you're doing all the right things and you just need to give it time. However i did wonder about the "training part". I've been helping train some very unfit work colleagues for a September sportive (Yes imagine, fairly fit club rider @ 12-13mph for 4-5 hours :x ) and despite tons of rides at, the so called "fat buning zone" :roll: ( recovery/conversation pace) I lost no weigh whatsoever.

Once I returned to my typical threshold/tempo efforts my weight came down quite quickly. 78Kgs to 71.7kgs over 3 months.I got into cycling 10 years ago and the "training" that initially got me from 82KG's to 72Kg's would not do that now. Oh and I never diet I just eat all sorts of crap continually whenever I want. If the tummy start protruding then training sorts it out. So for me its the intensity of the rides that really helps burn those calories. I wonder if that's something you need to consider too.

Ric/RST SportT wrote:

I'm in my 40s, and recently upped my training volume, and intensity. my diet has stayed pretty much the same. 2 months into some proper training and my power is up 8% and my weight has most likely come down. Previously, i was cycling but not doing much and had put on a few kg (and didn't want to weigh myself!). And while i still haven't weighed myself my jeans that were a little tight are now loose, and i'm two notches tighter on my belt. I look significantly slimmer as well. I'm aiming for the same weight as when i was in my late 20s.

Cool, sounds like that racing come back is not far away Ric

ric/rstsport

Shhhhh!

dilemna

As was said at the top of the thread, don't eat carb rich food in the evenings, in fact eat very little except protein or veg or salad and keep hydrated. Take in carbs earlier in the day, the amount depending on how much intense activity you anticipate doing that day. Also take these carbs as slow release carbs NOT refined carbs ie wholemeal bread, porridge, spuds and not cakes, biscuits or crisps or similar such snacks. Actually losing weight or keeping to a lower weight is a state of mind. You have to be extremely single minded and not in denial about what or how much of what you do actually eat which is what many who claim to be on diets are in denial of. If you are not riding comfortably at 95-105 cadence then you need to be.

LegendLust

dilemna wrote:

As was said at the top of the thread, don't eat carb rich food in the evenings, in fact eat very little except protein or veg or salad and keep hydrated. Take in carbs earlier in the day, the amount depending on how much intense activity you anticipate doing that day. Also take these carbs as slow release carbs NOT refined carbs ie wholemeal bread, porridge, spuds and not cakes, biscuits or crisps or similar such snacks. Actually losing weight or keeping to a lower weight is a state of mind. You have to be extremely single minded and not in denial about what or how much of what you do actually eat which is what many who claim to be on diets are in denial of. If you are not riding comfortably at 95-105 cadence then you need to be.

This is quite generalised advice. Majority of Carbs should be consumed AFTER any training ride. Therefore if someone trains in the evening then they should be consuming carbs then. I agree that the amount of carbs should be varied depending on activity – but the key to recovery and fat loss is carb timing as well.

And refined white carbs do have their place – I always have a tin of rice pudding as part of my recovery after 3 hours plus rides. It's the only time I have them though, when your body needs the quick replacement of glycogen

kajjal

I am very similar just over forty and even now I am back to a good fitness level after a shoulder injury the weight is not dropping off like it did 10 years or more ago. I do mountain biking and road biking which provides differing physical workouts. I just put it down to age and liking too many curries etc

I cannot be bothered with eating a very restricted controlled diet but do eat healthily enough.

ric/rstsport

It's possible that your "weight is not dropping off" like it did 10 years ago because you're not as fit as you were 10 years ago? The fitter you are, the more energy you expend (because you'll be training harder). It takes time to build this fitness to a higher level. Very approximately, i'm expending about 25% more energy per hour in training now that i'm fitter than i was several months ago. This, plus, the fact that i can now train more regularly (because i'm fit enough to handle the new load) means that i've lost a few kg in the last few months. I'm also over 40!

If you train and maintain your diet then your weight (fat mass) will start to reduce. How much it reduces by will depend on how hard you train, the total volume of training (and any other exercise you do) and the content of your diet.

Ric

bahzob

Ric/RSTSport wrote:

It's possible that your "weight is not dropping off" like it did 10 years ago because you're not as fit as you were 10 years ago? The fitter you are, the more energy you expend (because you'll be training harder). It takes time to build this fitness to a higher level. Very approximately, i'm expending about 25% more energy per hour in training now that i'm fitter than i was several months ago. This, plus, the fact that i can now train more regularly (because i'm fit enough to handle the new load) means that i've lost a few kg in the last few months. I'm also over 40!

If you train and maintain your diet then your weight (fat mass) will start to reduce. How much it reduces by will depend on how hard you train, the total volume of training (and any other exercise you do) and the content of your diet.

Ric

This just goes to show how useful it is to keep an accurate record of cals in vs cals out. It can be very instructive and I have found it the only reliable way to lose weight and keep it off.

This is true regardless of age. I'm 54 and have shed 3kg over the last couple of months to get down 68.5kg, the lowest I have been since I was a teenager using this method.

Wobblehead

So, to help me understand what is happening to my body....

As posted in another thread, I am running hard at the moment, coupled with intermittent cycling with the aim of losing weight.

So far so good I think, not been on scales for two weeks as been away, back on sun but think I have lost circa 5kg based on what I did before leaving and what I have done since I got here, trying to be good with food and drink too and keep to 2500 cals or threabouts

If my calculations are right, say I exercise every day, run hard for 7.5 miles in an hour plus lots of walking and a bit of the other....., i will be shifting circa 950 cals doing this per day.

If a lb of fat is equivalent to 3300 cals then I should be burning 2lbs of fat per week, that's the equivalent to 4 blocks of lard, in a week????

If that ain't enough motivation to keep going dont know what is, half a block of lard a day... I have excercised for 36 days like this out of around 45 so I could have lost the equivalent of 18 blocks of lard if calorific intake is constant.

(Still got a few blocks to lose, but the shorts I bought before I came out are getting loose and I can see the bottom of my rib cage without breathing in)

bushpixy

I'm 31, 5'9 and I cycle 80-100 miles a week averaging around 18mph.

I started out at 79.3kg (12st 6lb) on the 5th of July and in almost 8 weeks I'm down to 72kg (11st 4lb).

I eat mainly fruit, either whole or smoothie for my breakfast. I'll make my own smoothie if I have the time. 300-600 Kcals.
Lunch is often rice or pasta with veg and Tuna 600-700Kcals
Snacks, if any are fruit. Often Bananas, blueberries, dates.
Drinks are mainly water or tea with no sugar and soya milk or hot chocolate
Dinner is always made fresh and home made. Veg is usually from the garden. Condiments are limited, ie a tiny blob of salad cream.

My plan is to stick to as much natural and wholesome food as I can keeping the packaged food to a minimum wherever possible. I don't eat bread or cheese for this very fact. My animal products are kept very low. I eat meat probably once a month, although I eat fish. This is a personal choice rather than a dietary one. My drinks on the bike will be water if the ride is under 30 miles or SIS GO if it's warm or long. I use SIS REGO after my rides if it's been hard or long.

I aim to keep my ratio's around 80/10/10 (Carbs/protein/fat), although this probably sways to 70/10/20 at times.

So far so good. My goal is 70kg (11st) so only 2kg to go

kajjal

Ric/RSTSport wrote:

It's possible that your "weight is not dropping off" like it did 10 years ago because you're not as fit as you were 10 years ago? The fitter you are, the more energy you expend (because you'll be training harder). It takes time to build this fitness to a higher level. Very approximately, i'm expending about 25% more energy per hour in training now that i'm fitter than i was several months ago. This, plus, the fact that i can now train more regularly (because i'm fit enough to handle the new load) means that i've lost a few kg in the last few months. I'm also over 40!

If you train and maintain your diet then your weight (fat mass) will start to reduce. How much it reduces by will depend on how hard you train, the total volume of training (and any other exercise you do) and the content of your diet.

Ric

It's more the food intake, going down the highly controlled / measured food intake route is not for me

dilemna

LegendLust wrote:

dilemna wrote:

As was said at the top of the thread, don't eat carb rich food in the evenings, in fact eat very little except protein or veg or salad and keep hydrated. Take in carbs earlier in the day, the amount depending on how much intense activity you anticipate doing that day. Also take these carbs as slow release carbs NOT refined carbs ie wholemeal bread, porridge, spuds and not cakes, biscuits or crisps or similar such snacks. Actually losing weight or keeping to a lower weight is a state of mind. You have to be extremely single minded and not in denial about what or how much of what you do actually eat which is what many who claim to be on diets are in denial of. If you are not riding comfortably at 95-105 cadence then you need to be.

This is quite generalised advice. Majority of Carbs should be consumed AFTER any training ride. Therefore if someone trains in the evening then they should be consuming carbs then. I agree that the amount of carbs should be varied depending on activity – but the key to recovery and fat loss is carb timing as well.

And refined white carbs do have their place – I always have a tin of rice pudding as part of my recovery after 3 hours plus rides. It's the only time I have them though, when your body needs the quick replacement of glycogen

So. And your's isn't ???!!

It wasn't meant to be prescriptive.

dilemna

bushpixy wrote:

I'm 31, 5'9 and I cycle 80-100 miles a week averaging around 18mph.

I started out at 79.3kg (12st 6lb) on the 5th of July and in almost 8 weeks I'm down to 72kg (11st 4lb).

I eat mainly fruit, either whole or smoothie for my breakfast. I'll make my own smoothie if I have the time. 300-600 Kcals.
Lunch is often rice or pasta with veg and Tuna 600-700Kcals
Snacks, if any are fruit. Often Bananas, blueberries, dates.
Drinks are mainly water or tea with no sugar and soya milk or hot chocolate
Dinner is always made fresh and home made. Veg is usually from the garden. Condiments are limited, ie a tiny blob of salad cream.

My plan is to stick to as much natural and wholesome food as I can keeping the packaged food to a minimum wherever possible. I don't eat bread or cheese for this very fact. My animal products are kept very low. I eat meat probably once a month, although I eat fish. This is a personal choice rather than a dietary one. My drinks on the bike will be water if the ride is under 30 miles or SIS GO if it's warm or long. I use SIS REGO after my rides if it's been hard or long.

I aim to keep my ratio's around 80/10/10 (Carbs/protein/fat), although this probably sways to 70/10/20 at times.

So far so good. My goal is 70kg (11st) so only 2kg to go

You only ride 80-100 miles a week and you are on such a diet? Something doesn't add up. You should eat a normal balanced heathy range of food paying attention to portion size and you will be fine. Drink more water. You don't need a special or fad diet for the miles you are riding.

StillGoing

I'm fast approaching 52 and in my younger years was very fit. I could eat crap and drink like a fish, but still fit enough to undergo SF selection. As the years go by, we do get more sedentary without realising it. Promotion at work for a lot of us means a desk job more often than not with further lack of activity. Losing weight seems to be simple enough to reach a point, but the nearer you get to your target, the harder it gets.

ugo.santalucia

Are you a secret eater?

johnmcsorley

The problem for me is, if you are going out at the weekend and doing say, 60 miles on the Saturday and another on the Sunday is that you need to eat carbs (lots of!) to fuel these rides. Without carbs in your body, your body has no fuel, right? But how can you eat just enough carbs to fuel the distance and lose weight at the same time? I don't think for a moment that this will be solved here because everyone is different and it's all trial and error (more a rhetorical question).

There are lots and lots of threads and blogs and posts about carb loading before an event which compound the fact that a high intensity exercise like cycling your body needs fuel to perform, if not then you are asking for trouble and the bonk will find you !

LegendLust

johnmcsorley wrote:

The problem for me is, if you are going out at the weekend and doing say, 60 miles on the Saturday and another on the Sunday is that you need to eat carbs (lots of!) to fuel these rides. Without carbs in your body, your body has no fuel, right? But how can you eat just enough carbs to fuel the distance and lose weight at the same time? I don't think for a moment that this will be solved here because everyone is different and it's all trial and error (more a rhetorical question).

There are lots and lots of threads and blogs and posts about carb loading before an event which compound the fact that a high intensity exercise like cycling your body needs fuel to perform, if not then you are asking for trouble and the bonk will find you !

No you don't. If you eat the majority of your carbs in the hour after your rides, then you are getting the 'fuel' into your body at the optimum time, when it will convert and store it as glycogen and NOT fat. This will make sure your 'fuel' levels are topped up, ready for your next ride. If your 'fuel' tank is then full to the brim, why would you need to keep putting more in?

I've put the word 'fuel' in comma's, because you shouldn't see food as just fuel – you need to start seeing food in a different light - understanding it's nutritional value, in helping you recover better and stay healthy with a strong immune system.