Fat legs!!! Im a newbie!!!

[Terramona]

Ive recently started cycling everyday for work - Mon-Fri, which is five miles each way, along a canal path, and some road cycling. When I started I was 9 and a half stone. I am now 10 stone!!!

I eat quite healithily, apart from the occasional chocolate bar.

My theory is that as I have quite "chunky" legs anyways (as in the way theyre built) could it be that the muscle is building up, which weighs more than fat anyways, and the fat is yet to burn off??

Ive been cycling 2-3 times a week till this week. I started 5 times a week this week.

Oh, Im new by the way!!! HI!!! B)

 

[walker]

I'd Love to be 10 stone.

your gaining muscle yes, if you are noticing more fat on you then your are gaining weight.

Is it a theroy or are they big?

 

[Terramona]

Fat is dissapearing, slowly. My belly aint as podgy as it was. but the scales arent nice to me!!!

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I dream of being 10 stone...I lost 4 stone on the bike last year having started the year as a total nob newbie. Initially however I too felt I was gaining weight. Keep going the weight will come off as soon as you start to ride longer distances. ..oh yeah...cut out the chocolate...I now get my sugar rush from honey in tea followed by a 25 mile ride around the block each day.

 

[Terramona]

Is it a general assumption then that the more i cycle the more weight ill gain? I dont want to end up a fattie!!!

 

[Cathryn]

Hahaha...I'm guessing you're a girl!

My legs, in my own mother's words, are 'sturdy'. I'd say fat but they're not fat, they're just sturdy. I've just got back from a 1200 mile trip round Europe with my best ever legs...not thin, but solid muscle. They're unfortunately going rapidly downhill.

Muscle does weigh more than fat so that might make a difference, but it might worth taking measurements of your waist, hips, thighs etc and checking progress. Could be more encouraging.

 

[Terramona]

yep, Im a girl :-) my once baggy-ish jeans now fit niceand snuggly!!!

Ive just bought a sewing kit, so ill be taking measurements tonght!!

another weird thing - my bum is getting big!!! although I hardly had a bum in the first place, so thats ok!!

same has happened to my OH!! he's finally got a bum to grab!!!!

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

honestly...don't worry about it...just keep riding and before you know it you'll have a great body...erm...I mean...not that you probably already don't...(digs himself even bigger hole)...unfortunatly there dont seem to be that many female cyclists out there, but those that are, are fit.
I worried a lot about weight issues...peeps on these boards can vouch for that...but even though I am still a big guy (6'4" and 17 stones) and a mere shadow of what i was a year ago, that is ALL down to cycling. Just ride, keep riding and dont stop riding...trust me, I'm an expert on female cyclists

 

[Terramona]

Expert on femaly cyclists?!!!!! OOHH err missus!!!!

Im going to keep cycling simply for the fact that I love it, its environmentally better, and I dont drive, and the trains are way too expensive!!!!

Id rather spend my money on a much needed holiday abroad!!!

 

[summerdays]

I would say that perhaps you are adding the muscles at this stage ... and gradually the fat will disappear ... I'm fairly stable weight wise but I have lost a stone over the last 18 months and I'm nearly at the magic 10 (that will be magic as last time I was that weight was before I had 3 children). The thing I have noticed recently is that I definately have less cellulite, and hubby is approving of the new figure. I guess I'm saying that rather than the weight look instead at the measurements, and give it a bit of time for the differences to take place. (But note as a girl ... of course I had noted my weight - so I'm not even listening to me).

 

[Kirstie]

Well I never take my own advice as this happens to me all the time...you'll put on weight initially because you'll be gaining muscle mass as it weighs more than fat. The muscles which bulk up as a result of cycling are also big muscles ie your bum and your quads. Basically do what everyone else says = don't go by the scales. Take measurements too.

 

[Dayvo]

It won't happen overnight, but if you try spinning instead of grinding (by that I mean pedalling at a higher cadence in a higher gear - legs going round quicker) you will soon-ish develop leaner muscles. That's why indoor spinning classes are popular with people not interested in cycling per se, but just want to tone up/improve their shape.

 

[Kirstie]

Oh yes I'll add that one time I was doing the slimming world diet - stuck to it religiously, went on a long mtb ride, several gym sessions and put on 3lb. Got a bollocking at slimming world. I was mighty pissed off until I realised it was the slimming world fascism that was making me feel crap. Nothing wrong with the cycling...

 

[ASC1951]

the slimming world fascism that was making me feel crap.

Yes, people feel crap so they join, then it doesn't work so they feel crap and leave, then next year they join again. It's a very profitable industry with a wonderful business model. And all the research shows it doesn't work anyway.

As you say, two fingers to them and get some exercise instead.

 

[Kirstie]

Yes, people feel crap so they join, then it doesn't work so they feel crap and leave, then next year they join again. It's a very profitable industry with a wonderful business model. And all the research shows it doesn't work anyway.

As you say, two fingers to them and get some exercise instead.

[small hijack]
LOL yes it was actually cultish. Really quite bizarre. Sad thing was there were ginormous people there who had never cooked a meal in their lives and were just suffering on all fronts.
[/small hijack]