Weight Loss - why arent I losing more ?

[zak3737]

I'm a reasonably fit & healthy 56yr old, big build, 15'4lbs, 5'11.
Always been that kind of weight, I think I was 14.5stone when I left school, - Rugby player frame etc etc.
I carry a little round the middle, but not bad in reality, and certainly NOT what any BMI chart might suggest ! I'm a Chris Hoy kind of Build !

Took to Road cycling 3/4 years ago, regularly doing 60+ mile rides, at circa 15mph averages etc, but for one reason or another, did little last year.
So, picked up a Wahoo Kickr Snap Turbo Trainer back in November to get fit over the winter, as I know that my motivation to get out in bad weather is poor.
Since November, done at least 4/5hours per week, at an hour each time, and have kept all my stats since then, which to be honest, has been a great motivator, and my Power output average has climbed steadily month by month, whilst my Heart Rate average has remained reasonably constant. Some days I find it easier than others, as you'd expect perhaps, but overall, the stats show gains and increased fitness for sure, so all good.

The thing is, and this is whats puzzling me,...... I am perhaps 4/5lbs lighter, but after burning 60k Calories in the last five months, I expected to be a stone lighter !!!
My diet is the same, perhaps slightly better, and althoigh I dont deny myself anything in reason, I'm not 'eating more' than I was before, so the Nett Calorie intake is less.

Could it be that while I've lost perhaps more than 5lbs of Fat, I've put on a lot of muscle thats negating any 'weight' loss ? Undoubtably, my thighs feel significantly better/stronger/bigger, as they used to be, so maybe thats the reason ?

Incidentally, although my wattage/HR was careful at the start, its gradually bulding now, and at an Average HR over the hour of 119, Power output is up to circa 175W/hr, which I know will be moderate by a lot of your standards, but is hopefully reasonably respectable for a 56yr old !?!?

Any opinions appreciated,
Thx

 

[keithmac]

Start measuring your waist?.

Muscle weighs more than fat for the same volume so you could be trading body fat for muscle..

 

[screenman]

You burn a lot of fat off before you start to build any muscle, so forget that old excuse. You are eating too much, is the reason I would say you are not losing weight, do you keep a food diary? an honest one that is.

 

[Fonze]

I'm no expert by any means, but what worked for me was a quality breakfast, porridge and fruits .. then a protein shake with fruits and kale/spinach .. ride, banana, light lunch .. walk, tea before 5:30 at night, balanced meal .. then nothing at all after that ..
Weekend one of the days have a treat so not to feel like dieting, rather than healthy eating ..
Plenty water, I cut out even fresh orange that I love, usual suspects for tea like chicken, turkey, fish ..
Portion size too, eat slow, glass of water before you eat try to fill stomach ..

 

[HLaB]

My diet is the same,

You've answered your own question, you need to look at that

 

[Racing roadkill]

If you’re not losing weight, eating properly, and exercising properly, you don’t have the weight to lose. If you do lose weight, it’s going to be a forced effort, it won’t stay off, and will do more harm than good.

 

[zak3737]

You've answered your own question, you need to look at that

I take your point, but my Nett Calorie intake is less than it was before I started training so much......
As I said, I've kept all my stats, which includes Calorie's burnt on each session, which I would have thought is reasonably accurate as Wahoo seem to know what they are doing Fitness wise.
That Total is over 60k Cals burnt since 24 Nov, which makes my Nett Cal intake wayy less over the last 4.5months.

 

[si_c]

Keep a food diary, easiest way is using an app like MyfitnessPal. Your calorie deficit is probably not as great as you think, although you have lost weight.

I find I eat more when using the trainer without thinking about it.

 

[Red17]

You mention your average heart rate in the OP and to me as a fellow 56 year old and average of 119 on a turbo over an hour seems very low intensity (obviously all relative to what your max is).

Might be that you need to up the intensity of the workouts a bit (assuming this has no health risks).

I have found Joe Friel's book Fast after 50 a good read. One of the few books aimed specifically at older cyclists.

 

[zak3737]

You mention your average heart rate in the OP and to me as a fellow 56 year old and average of 119 on a turbo over an hour seems very low intensity (obviously all relative to what your max is).

Might be that you need to up the intensity of the workouts a bit (assuming this has no health risks).

I have found Joe Friel's book Fast after 50 a good read. One of the few books aimed specifically at older cyclists.

Thx, I'll see if I can get it and read.

What I generally do on a 1hr session is warm up for 5/10 mins at a steady pace, which might be 95-105......and then gradually build up, and really its
only after 20mins that I'm in the zone.
My Resting HR is circa 55, and based on the Zones, Wahoo shows that the Zone 2 (Fat burning) ceiling is 115, based on a Max Safe HR of 165 perhaps.
On that basis, I'd assumed that working at or around those averages for an hour would be quite good, but more recently, I have pushed up into the Burst zone more and more.
Yesterday for example, my average was 121, but after a steady start, when strangely my HR seemed lower than usual, I pushed it harder and was at 140+ for quite a while, and pushing out well over 220W. Average Watts for the Hour ended at 184.
It was the hardest hour I've done so far, a good sweat generated, but still felt good after an hour.

I hate starting like a banshee, going flat out early, perhaps I'm just an inherrently lazy fecker !

 

[vickster]

How many calories is your device guesstimating per hour, assuming 15mph equivalent?

Rule of thumb, 30 cals per mile for a decent effort which at 15mph (seems slow on a turbo unless you have hill equivalent resistance) would work out around 450 cals an hour optimistically I think

Get out and ride on the roads, much less sweaty and you actually go somewhere

 

[Drago]

Measure your key dimensions as well as your weight. I suspect the changes have been greater than you realise, particularly if you are a mesomorph.

 

[zak3737]

Vickster: I use the Wahoo Fitness App, connected by Blutooth to my Wahoo Kickr Snap, and tbh, the Calorie's used on each session seem entirely in line, and vary according to HR/Cadence/Power etc etc........I'll get in touch and ask them how accurate they think the figures are.

Yesterday: 1hr 22.7mph 22.7mls. 184W Cadence 62 736 Cals.
- so on your formula, 736 div by 22.7 = 32.4Cals/mile. - so about right ?

Drago: I hear ya. My clothes are fitting me better in some respects, but thinking about it, possibly jeans are more snug around butt/thighs etc,

 

[Tin Pot]

Calories in/calories out is a fantasy built on assumption. Don’t even bother!

Your weight, and general health, is primarily down to your nutrition - in short snappy one liner: you can’t outrun a poor diet.

Make small, liveable, but significant changes to your diet and some excess fat will start to come off.

 

[si_c]

Might be worth considering a virtual training tool like Zwift. There are a lot of training plans on there that you can follow which give you some structure.

I've found that I can ride more or less endlessly at a low intensity, and not lose significant weight (some of that is diet, I try, but fail), where I really see a difference is with high intensity work, so intervals or over/under FTP training (also SST sessions are quite good), which keep your effort levels really high. But if you are even slightly competitive, then the competitive races are superb, lots of high intensity as well as sprint exercises.

I had noticeable physical changes to my legs, particularly thighs and calves even without much weight loss, I'm a 32" waist (6'5") but I have to wear large sized jeans as otherwise I have trouble fitting my thighs in, one pair Mrs C really wanted me to try, I couldn't get my calves past the knee. As @Drago said above, physical measurements are a better indication of body composition change than measuring BMI or considering weight alone.