Best way to drop 12kg of fat = cycling or weight training 3x per week?

[UphillSlowly]

I've done the opposite.

I no longer bodybuild as such, but still lift 6 times a week, about 45 or 50 minutes a session. I've tidied up my diet, cut down on the sugars and fats, upped the clean bulk proteins (ie, a lot of grilled chicken and protein shakes! ) and veggies.

I've also backed away from some of the isolation movements and gone back towards more compound work, lighter weights (and out 2/3 one rep max) to exhaustion. I also do about 20 mins on the rower at very high resistance - that is a helluva workout.

I'm now up to 126kg, 19 inch neck, 55 inch chest, 35ish inch waist (I'm 192 tall) and have a very impressive lat spread - my back has always been one of my best points. With my rather long beard ive been told that these days I strongly resemble Odin. Boredom and the gift of a very bloody minded determination once I have set a goal are dangerous things.

I'm starting to find it difficult to get off the shelf clothing. I'm into a bit of lean bulk but also functional strength - I very much follow the Peter Koch philosophy on that score.

https://www.muscleandfitness.com/at...ife-bodybuilding-acting-and-playing-football/

Are you Khal Drago?

 

[icowden]

Exercise makes you fitter, dieting makes you slimmer. Doing both is a great combination to get in shape.

Not according to Penn Jilette and Ray Cronise:-

View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Presto-Pounds-Disappear-Other-Magical/dp/1501140183


The science says either lose weight or gain muscle. You can't do both - well, unless you take it to absolute extremes. My BiL lost about 3 stone but that was by running 10 to 15 miles daily and cycling 120 miles a week minimum.

 

[Gwylan]

The original post git n'y attention.
In about the same space, 1.75m or so and drift between 82 and 85kg.
We tend to eat home prepared food.
Manage my calorie intake.
Do cardio gym thing weekly.
Knock off about 60km cycling a week.

Suspect that less or no gin and wine might be a start.

75 to 78 would be my goal. Motivation is just not there

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Not according to Penn Jilette and Ray Cronise:-

View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Presto-Pounds-Disappear-Other-Magical/dp/1501140183


The science says either lose weight or gain muscle. You can't do both - well, unless you take it to absolute extremes. My BiL lost about 3 stone but that was by running 10 to 15 miles daily and cycling 120 miles a week minimum.

I'm going to put an ime in my post.

 

[gzoom]

It wasn't that long ago I was sitting at 20%+ body fat, its now static around 15%, with no drop in muscle weight. I've not really changed my diet, red wine still goes down too easily as do cakes.

Consistent, simple strength training has worked far better for me to help maintain a steady health weight. Doing lots of cardio I find hard to sustain, and it than becomes too easy to 'reward' your self with a cake/etc post session.

 

[bonzobanana]

Well of course you store protein, it’s called muscle!

Yes but its not automatically stored like excess sugars and fats as body fat, to store more protein you have to exercise hard to damage your existing muscles so the body will replace them with upgraded larger muscles. If you eat a almost exclusively protein diet without exercising i.e. Atkins diet you will lose a huge amount of weight very quickly with no increase in muscle mass.

 

[Baldy]

The body does not store proteins as protein, to store proteins the body has to first convert it to fat. Basic biology.

 

[bonzobanana]

The body does not store proteins as protein, to store proteins the body has to first convert it to fat. Basic biology.

The body can store amino acids from protein as fat but it is a grossly inefficient process so difficult to gain weight with excess protein which again is why the atkins diet is so successful. In comparison highly processed carbs, simple carbs are extremely easy for the body to store when there is more than the body needs. Complex carbs is a different matter and more difficult for the body to make use of such sugars trapped in fibres so it only manages to use some of those sugars, most are used to feed bacteria in the body.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I'm currently 88kg 5ft10 with 24-25% bodyfat, so i need to drop 12kg to be abut 16% bodyfat. Hope to reach that by December (currently early June 2023). Goal is 12 stone (76kg).

I've looked at Stronglifts 5x5 weight lifting on a calorie deficit (1600 calories per day), i've seen people lose nearly 0.8kg of fat a week doing this. The problem is its for gaining muscle size and strength, which means eating more, not really eating less and weight loss. The program is 3x a week with a day off between workouts, i.e. FRIDAY/SUNDAY/TUESDAY. Each session takes about 50 minutes, which i do have time for.

I have kettlebells (2 x 20kg) and looked at doing 500 squats a day with 1600 calories. I also have a "jump box" to stand off/on while working with kettlebells. Also have a punch bag in the yard (pear bag).

I see other articles that biking will help you lose weight better (cardio), but i assume you'll have to put in 90 miles a week to lose 0.8 kg (3 x 30 mile rides). I simply don't have time for that as cycling takes up more time (probably two hours for a 30 mile ride).

Put the fork down....

 

[CXRAndy]

I like keto, intermittent fasting. I don't eat breakfast anymore and try and keep my eating to a 6 hour window. Like others carbs trigger ravenous desire for more carbs, so I try and minimise their intake. Once into low carbs ,, I can drop weight quite easily. Also endurance rides whilst fasted are a doddle . Beware cardio workouts increase appetite whilst high intensity workouts suppress appetite. Eat good nutrition to replenish the body after hard workouts but watch how many calories you're consuming

 

[Jon in Sweden]

I'm currently 88kg 5ft10 with 24-25% bodyfat, so i need to drop 12kg to be abut 16% bodyfat. Hope to reach that by December (currently early June 2023). Goal is 12 stone (76kg).

I've looked at Stronglifts 5x5 weight lifting on a calorie deficit (1600 calories per day), i've seen people lose nearly 0.8kg of fat a week doing this. The problem is its for gaining muscle size and strength, which means eating more, not really eating less and weight loss. The program is 3x a week with a day off between workouts, i.e. FRIDAY/SUNDAY/TUESDAY. Each session takes about 50 minutes, which i do have time for.

I have kettlebells (2 x 20kg) and looked at doing 500 squats a day with 1600 calories. I also have a "jump box" to stand off/on while working with kettlebells. Also have a punch bag in the yard (pear bag).

I see other articles that biking will help you lose weight better (cardio), but i assume you'll have to put in 90 miles a week to lose 0.8 kg (3 x 30 mile rides). I simply don't have time for that as cycling takes up more time (probably two hours for a 30 mile ride).

1600 kcal a day is too little. You'd be looking at losing a kilo every week there, which is much too quick.

Don't be in a hurry to lose the weight. The quicker you strip it off, the more likely to you are to regain it.

3-400 kcal a day deficit is ample. With that, you'd be losing a kilo a month, which is healthy and sustainable.

Weight training is ideal in conjunction with cardio like cycling. I currently train weights a couple of times a week (coming from a weight training background, and happily managing a decline in strength and mass) and cycle 300-350km a week. The combined calorie requirement of those two activities is around 15,000 kcal, so I can eat as much as I want really. I'm still losing flub very slowly, but I'm in no hurry and it's an organic and unrushed process. I eat 7 times a day usually, 6000 kcal. I'm 103kg and 203cm tall.

If time is a constraint, try supersetting your lifts to shorten your session. 5x5 is unncessary unless out and out power and strength is the goal. It's also taxing on your central nervous system (CNS) and will require longer rests between sets. Stick to a higher rep range (12-15) and superset everything. I can get through a fairly comprehensive session in my home gym in 25 minutes or so.

In terms of food, stick to simple whole foods and don't worry too much about sugars and fats. If you're exercising, you need fuel. Creating situations where you're excessively hungry might be counterproductive in the end.

Good luck!

 

[CXRAndy]

This may help some to understand the reasons for lack of weight loss, insulin resistance

View: https://youtu.be/N1gdlO_3lWA

 

[Electric_Andy]

I'd disagree with the

View attachment 693204
Suggest pick a diet you will enjoy. I did keto for a bit. Got me more interested in cooking but apparently was quite miserable. Got down to 69 kg (I am 1.70 m, was 44 at the time) just before lockdown when I was very much into rock climbing

I'd disagree slightly with the Keto one. When you are in ketosis, your whole metabolism changes i.e. you are using fat as your primary fuel source all the time even when not moving/exercising. You are also not in a calorific deficit; that's how I can eat 1lb of meat a day with various salad, mayo etc which would be nearing 2000ckals, but because you're burning away fat at a high rate, it doesn't get stored around the body.

I would also ask why weight is important, or is it body shape you want to improve? I lost 2 stone on keto just because I have a small frame and the last place it seems to come off is my belly. Strengthening my abs would improve matters but I don't have the motivation to do that, and it also hurts my back

 

[CXRAndy]

I use keto (not strictly) (lower carb, high fat/ protein mainly) and intermittent fasting to primarily control my glucose/insulin levels. This improves my insulin sensitivity, so if I want to drop weight, I can do so readily by being stricter with carbs and weight drops

The weight loss is a welcome benefit also my ability to carry on with daily life whilst fasted, not have any energy crash feeling.

I last ate at 6pm yesterday and will begin eating around 2pm today. This is my regular routine

 

[Mazz]

Speaking from experience, if you want to lose weight, take up running to complement your cycling.
Start with running say up to 5k. Progress from there, the weight just dropped off.