Weight Gain, Whats going on?

markos1963 · April 2009

I can't understand it, the original purpose of getting back into cycling was to get my weight back down to a reasonable amount. I am 5'11" and was 90kg, at the end of last year I got down to 83kg and it was starting to look good. This year I have trained harder and I am riding harder than last year, I did nearly 200 miles last week, today I did 65 miles in 4 hours with plenty of hills. The upshot of all of this is I now weigh 85kg!! Whats going on for gods sake?

Anonymous · April 2009

Putting on some muscle there my friend!

You are probably losing (sorry, this is teh interweb, I should put loosing) fat too. Don't worry about it.

Pokerface · April 2009

Muscle weighs more than fat?

You're eating too much?

Water weight?

You need a REALLY long trip to the toilet?

Weight fluctuates depending on a lot of factors. Without providing more info (and tracking your weight over a regular period), it's hard to say WHAT the problem is.

But if you are training harder and getting faster - then I would guess it's a case of gaining muscle - and not eating less calories than you are burning off. Even the TIME of day you eat can make a difference...

ride_whenever · April 2009

muscle weighs more than fat.

Get naked, look in the mirror.

Do you look better than last year?

If so then be happy, if not then eat less junk.

markos1963 · April 2009

I suppose I am thinner as my clothes fit better and I have a healthy diet but being a shift worker its difficult to space out my meals. I was just worried as I had lost weight but then started putting it back on. I always try to weigh myself at the same time of the day though.

Sirius631 · April 2009

Have you been doing enough lower level endurance work? Perhaps you have been working at or above what is your level 3, thus tending to put on muscle, rather than teaching your body to burn fat.

derekwatts · April 2009

markos1963 wrote:

being a shift worker its difficult to space out my meals.

Do you work nightshifts by any chance?

I work about 4-5 nights a month, and by the next morning my weight is usually about 1-2kgs higher. Fluid retention? I go for a good sleep during the day, then by the next morning it is usually back down to normal.

markos1963 · April 2009

Sirius631 wrote:

Have you been doing enough lower level endurance work? Perhaps you have been working at or above what is your level 3, thus tending to put on muscle, rather than teaching your body to burn fat.

You could be right, I have been 'going for it' a lot more as I have set myself some performance targets and been riding a lot faster with my club on days I would have gone for a long slow ride.

markos1963 · April 2009

derekwatts wrote:

markos1963 wrote:

being a shift worker its difficult to space out my meals.

Do you work nightshifts by any chance?

I work about 4-5 nights a month, and by the next morning my weight is usually about 1-2kgs higher. Fluid retention? I go for a good sleep during the day, then by the next morning it is usually back down to normal.

My shifts are all over the place, as a train driver I can start a week on nights and finish it on earlies an absolute nightmare. Look at most train drivers you don't see many thin ones!

nasahapley · April 2009

I can only reiterate what others have posted already; if you're eating right, doing a fair bit of exercise and feeling good, 85kg at 5'11" is nothing to worry about (at least I hope not - it's what I am too!) Neither is a 2kg fluctuation - my weight varies between about 84 and 87kg but as long as I feel good, I don't worry about it.

jairaj · April 2009

i've found the same thing. After deciding i should exercise more, at first i saw the weight drop then hold steady and then go up a bit, no matter how hard i trained. Then I noticed that im actually starting to look a bit better too, more definition in the leg muscles, stomach looking smaller etc ... Keep an eye on the weight but don't worry about it too much, as long as your fitness is good and your clothes are fitting better doesn't matter too much i guess, unless you're properly into racing and going for the whole power to weight ratio thing.

markos1963 · April 2009

Cheers guys, don't feel quite so bad about it now.

shockedsoshocked · April 2009

I've averaged about 200 miles a week since October, trained harder than I ever have and am much stronger on the bike than I was at the start of winter. I'm visibly slimmer but i've put on 2kg over the winter, so i'm putting it down to building leg muscle.

fuzzynavel · April 2009

jairaj wrote:

i've found the same thing. After deciding i should exercise more, at first i saw the weight drop then hold steady and then go up a bit, no matter how hard i trained. Then I noticed that im actually starting to look a bit better too, more definition in the leg muscles, stomach looking smaller etc ... Keep an eye on the weight but don't worry about it too much, as long as your fitness is good and your clothes are fitting better doesn't matter too much i guess, unless you're properly into racing and going for the whole power to weight ratio thing.

I'm the same.....lost 2 stone to get from 17 st to 15 stone over a period of about 2 months...I have held constant since about the end of november. I will echo your sentiment regarding the looking good. I have lost noticeable weight but not measurable if that makes sense. I had set my heart on reaching a non-obese BMI of 25 but I guess it is not always possible. Maybe best to chagne the goals to something more achieveable

Mettan · April 2009

I've found that eating much smaller portions has more than contributed to a significant drop in weight over the last year and a half - used to eat 3 meals a day, now down to 1 meal a day and bits and pieces around that - now down to ~ 10 stone 12 lbs - in combination with regular training, its worked for me - can be hard to discipline yourself, but the performance payoffs more than make up for it.

(not to suggest, of course, that it's suitable for everyone).

rickhotrod · April 2009

It's easier to lose weight with modest amounts of exercise each day. Too much exercise and you get real hungry...followed by eating too much.

Controlling your diet is crucial. Have as many calories/day as you can get away with, but not more. If the weight is coming off a little each day, don't be tempted to speed things up by going hungry.

Plot your daily weight on a calendar with weigh-ins just before breakfast. Make sure the digital scales give a consistent reading. If the readings vary by more than 0.4 lbs, get better scales!

antfly · April 2009

ride_whenever wrote:

muscle weighs more than fat.

Get naked, look in the mirror.

Do you look better than last year?

If so then be happy, if not then eat less junk.

Saying muscle weighs more than fat doesn`t really make sense, muscle is denser than fat.

fatbee · April 2009

"I suppose I am thinner as my clothes fit better"

And you've lost over ten pounds. I'd bet that's mostly fat, and that you've put on muscle too.

Well done! Don't worry - congratulate yourself.

Beware he tyrany of the scales, and always remember

"the clothes knows"

Weight Gain, Whats going on?

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