Lots of Cycling and Little Weight Loss
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What worked for me was calorie counting and aiming for a nominal 1000cal deficit Monday to Thursday then pretty much having Friday-Sunday off. I find if I'm working it's pretty easy as I don't really miss the food, but if I deny myself nice things at the weekend then I get grumpy. Also if I get a big ride in at the weekend I feel like it balances out. I did try the 5:2 but 600cal days were just too much for me, I'm not good at being starving all day. Find it much easier mentally to burn (say) 2500cal and eat 1500cal, because 1500cal chosen well still feels like a reasonable amount of food.
These days I seem to be able to manage my weight just by doing as much cycling as possible (and running in the winter) and eating fairly sensibly...0 -
I've been having problems with what feels like muscle strain in my back, seats especially seeming uncomfortable to sit on. So I'm wondering if I'm having some muscle loss issues, or just the fat cushioning has gone!
I have lost 13kg in 4 months, (85kg to 72kg) perhaps I might need to go onto more of a maintenance diet for a while to let things stabilise, although I would prefer to get to 70kg as at least my BMI would be 'healthy'.
My real goal is around 63kg but I suspect that might have to wait a little longer.
I do wonder if my protien intake is sufficient, I tend to revert to carbs rather than protein, and from what I've seen at 160lb I need something like 80g-125g of protein per day. Not entirely sure how much I'm getting but I wouldn't be surprised if it was half of that. I could change what I'm eating or add in some of that protein power you see in massive big vats.0 -
Our eldest son is a bit of a gym bunny. While at Uni in Loughborough he shared accommodation with some sports scientists, and I suspect that's influenced his attitude to nutritional supplements. He can't run upstairs without wanting a recovery drink with whey protein. I've told him all he needs is a balanced diet of proper food but the maximuscle stuff keeps appearing. The whey protein is harmless enough, but I'm not so happy about the creatine.
He is built like a brick $hithouse though.
If you think your diet is lacking protein then a scoop of whey protein in a glass of milk is an easy way of upping it. Proper food's tastier though.0 -
Keef66 - its fine when they are young, no real risk of harm under 30. But eventually they need to watch what they put in their body to promote growth.
A lot of the muscle mass is water btw.
However, IMO supplements are really a gateway to nastier stuff. Body Building is highly addictive. Its easy to become obsessed. In my 20s I was training twice a day 6 times a week. I ate so many supplements, that I never ate normal food as I was never hungry between shakes
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Haha. I couldn't be any less interested in body building tbh. My back not hurting would be nice
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I lost about 18kg in 2014, it definitely made seats and saddles less comfortable for a while!0
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markhewitt1978 wrote:I've been having problems with what feels like muscle strain in my back, seats especially seeming uncomfortable to sit on. So I'm wondering if I'm having some muscle loss issues, or just the fat cushioning has gone!
I have lost 13kg in 4 months, (85kg to 72kg) perhaps I might need to go onto more of a maintenance diet for a while to let things stabilise, although I would prefer to get to 70kg as at least my BMI would be 'healthy'.
You have a history of back and bike fit problems and issues with weight and snacking and yet you think your issues are to do with muscle loss issues due to dieting?0 -
Escher303 wrote:You have a history of back and bike fit problems and issues with weight and snacking and yet you think your issues are to do with muscle loss issues due to dieting?
The back issues aren't the same as they were before and the problem is I really suck at explaining what I'm feeling! Before my back pain felt like it was deep seated, in my spine and was a definite ache as and after I was riding. I've now made fit changes on my bike - mostly putting the saddle right down, and it's changed, it feels like the muscles are bruised somehow and are tender when sitting.
In any case since I've lost two stone in 4 months going onto maintenance for a month can't hurt, might give my body a rest from being in calorie deficit. Although maintenance almost seems harder than losing, you're not just trying to eat less than you need but spot on the right amount!0 -
When I shed 18 pounds I noticed I had less padding on my @rse and I could get painful sitbones on a longer ride. Your body adapts though; I don't notice it now.
If the pain persists though it might mean there's something else going on.
Good work on dropping 2 stones! Do you have an ultimate target weight in mind? My general objective is to get down to just below 10 st which for my height / build should be do-able. And accept that I'll put on a bit of weight around holidays, Christmas etc because when food and drink is freely available I'm a bit like a labrador.0 -
keef66 wrote:When I shed 18 pounds I noticed I had less padding on my @rse and I could get painful sitbones on a longer ride. Your body adapts though; I don't notice it now.
Yes, I don't notice it so much on the bike but certainly in bed, driving etc my back does feel quite sensitive, if that's because of muscle strain or lack of fat padding I have no idea. I figure much like the way your backside adapts to cycling my back will adapt given time, but that's kind of why I'm pausing at the moment just to give my body time to work things out.Good work on dropping 2 stones! Do you have an ultimate target weight in mind? My general objective is to get down to just below 10 st which for my height / build should be do-able. And accept that I'll put on a bit of weight around holidays, Christmas etc because when food and drink is freely available I'm a bit like a labrador.
Pretty much exactly the same! I'm 5'6" started at 13st 6lb, and now at 11st 6lb still have a belly and boobs, although not as big as they were before! I'd hoped to get to 11st before pausing but needs must. My aim is to get to and stay just below 10st as I think that would be an ideal weight for me.
Christmas is a particular issue as that combined with winter meant that about from the end of October last year I was just like 'what's the point' and scaled my cycling right back and basically had two months of Christmas eating! Hence putting on a stone! I accept I'll put on weight over Christmas as eating is all part of it, but I want to limit it to no more than a reasonable diet couldn't get rid of before the end of January.0 -
so since last year i have been doing fasted rides 3/4 mornings a week and for 6 days a week i keep my calorie intake to a net of 1500 calories (more exercise = more intake) and its been wonderfully effective and totally sustainable, I've lost 22kg (3.5 stone) in 15 months and feel great.... but since feb i have totally plateaued and cannot get under 69kg. Im loathe to go under the 1500 cals as i feel its really a nice balance of eating enough of what i want but with much smaller portions. Is it simply my body has become accustomed to this and is very efficient at using the 1500 cals? or do i need to just bite the bullet and drop down to 1300 cals? or is WHAT i am eating need to alter (i.e. no carbs). i would struggle to up my time on the bike given i have a 1 year old.
any advice/tips appreciated.
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Do you need to be under 69 kg . How fat do you think you are I.e. If you stand naked if front of a mirror and jump up,and down does anything wobble that shouldn't. You ride 3 or 4 times fasted how far and for how long.0
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As above. How far and for how long? Big difference between 20 mins easy and 2 hours full gas
And yes you're right as you get fitter your body adapts to the load you're putting on it so if you're doing the same distance and intensity the calorie usage will drop as your fitness improves.
I generally do fasted turbo rides 3-4 mornings a week but only 30-45 mins a time. I have a 5 month old and a 4 year old so time is a precious resource!0 -
ride fasted 9/11 miles (depends which way, which is generally decided by weather) takes about 35/40 mins. i push it pretty hard and always feel pretty empty by time i get to work. i don't NEED to be, but defo a bit of love handle left over and still feel a bit lumpy.0
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To be honest 9 to 11 miles in 35 to 40 mins unless it's all up hill is not going that hard. 15 mph isn't going to burn that many calls when you are are a regular bike rider.
Also I don't know what age you are but as you get older you get wider round the waist without weight gain, everything gradually goes south.0 -
so i train with a HRM and i am pretty much 160+ after the initial warm up - should i look to do more interval based - so come back down to 140 but smash closer to 180 on the 3/4 sprints/climbs i do? or better to just up the gearing and keep it high?0
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Have you tried eating more . Maybe your body thinks you are in starvation mode. Given your heart rates and time and distance, again unless it's all up hill or you are sprinting to 30 mph the recovering at 5 mph something doesn't seem quite right0
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hmm maybe, never thought about it like that. maybe the fasting is the cause of my problems! maybe something quick in the morning to cover a couple of hundred cals before cycling might help?0
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If you follow diets like weight watchers or sliming world you end up eating lots of food. Mainly protein low carbs and fat but what seems like a lot of food if you are used to a calorie controlled diet. So it's worth thinking about if you are struggling.0
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cheers, ill give it a try. "little and often" i suppose. i think real issue is that i didn't really need to think or plan my diet and training - just ensure it was under 1500 cals. ill need to start thinking and planning things a bit more.
thanks for the tips guys.0 -
You say you're eating a net of 1,500kcal? Presumably that means you're actually eating more than that and counting your exercise calories? If so how many are you counting? My 45ish minute rides in the mornings seem to net 350-400kcal and that's from using a HRM and power measurement from my Tacx Neo which is as accurate as you're likely to get.0
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Webboo wrote:If you follow diets like weight watchers or sliming world you end up eating lots of food. Mainly protein low carbs and fat but what seems like a lot of food if you are used to a calorie controlled diet. So it's worth thinking about if you are struggling.
I'm doing WW at the minute, it's alright actually when you get your head around it. At first you're given like 30 points and if you eat your normal diet you feel like you're starving, especially when a 'normal' mean can crack 15 points easy. But the fact that fruit and most veg are zero points means you tend to aim to bulk it out with those instead. Or simple things like I've done in changing cheese sandwiches for ham/beef sandwiches saves about 4 points a day!
The fitness tracking aspect could do with work, it will automatically track your steps (through Apple Health), but doesn't pull info from Strava for my cycling, which is annoying as I have this detailed measure of my power output, heart rate, cadence, all that, and all they want is how many minutes at what intensity! It would be useful to type in a kcal figure manually.0 -
so i have 1500 cal base, and generally earn between 650-800 extra cals with my cycles in and out of work (HRM, Garmin and Strava say so!). I track everything i eat (and drink) and i dont eat carbs after 6pm. i have taken spells of going vegan monday to friday (love meat and cheese too much to deprive myself at weekends) which was really effective, but a total pain to plan out.
im defo going to try eating every couple of hours from breakfast till 7pm.0 -
Mccrear wrote:so i have 1500 cal base, and generally earn between 650-800 extra cals with my cycles in and out of work (HRM, Garmin and Strava say so!). I track everything i eat (and drink) and i dont eat carbs after 6pm. i have taken spells of going vegan monday to friday (love meat and cheese too much to deprive myself at weekends) which was really effective, but a total pain to plan out.
im defo going to try eating every couple of hours from breakfast till 7pm.
If you weigh <70kg and are doing the kinds of distances / times you say, you are almost certainly not using anything like that many calories.0 -
so how else can i calculate it? 70-90 mins of cycling a day at an average 160HR/16-18 MPH cant be too far off that?0
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Try taking at least 10% off your estimated calorie expenditure and see how you get on.0
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Herzog wrote:Try taking at least 10% off your estimated calorie expenditure and see how you get on.
Second this - I find if I hit a nominal 500cal deficit per day I don't really lose weight.
The calorie calculations are only models and models are never truly accurate - but so long as it produces consistent results it can still be useful.0 -
I find the difference between me losing and staying the same is no more than about 200kcal i.e. a bag of crisps.
In general with calorie estimations from cycling you have to take them with a pinch of salt and only eat back half the number stated - at most.0 -
markhewitt1978 wrote:I find the difference between me losing and staying the same is no more than about 200kcal i.e. a bag of crisps.
In general with calorie estimations from cycling you have to take them with a pinch of salt and only eat back half the number stated - at most.
I've found that over a long period the Garmin HR-based estimates seem to be about right (for me) but the BMR estimates I get (e.g., from google) are way out. If I sat at home and ate nothing but the BMR estimate's worth of calories I'd gain weight.0 -
ok, ill give it a try and aim for 1300 net a day.. i do have to say that it has made a vast improvement to overall cycling performance and experience - losing the equivalent weight of 3 emondas certainly makes hills easier.
cheers for all the advice guys, ill be like froome* in no time.
*by which i mean ill be staring at my stem and being incredibly boring.0
