Weight Loss?

[jonny jeez]

One of the reasons that I took up cycling was to get in shape (again) having got out of shape over the last 3 years. I spent ages in my car...sitting still ....and ages in my office (or clients offices) doing the same.

Ultimatley, I aim to compete in a few triathlons with some pals (something that has been beyond me for 3 years)

So I got on the bike and started using the time that I previously spent sitting in traffic, to better effect ....and was interested (as a measure of success) to see how huch weight I would drop as I rode in each week.

Although initially I lost a fair bit (around 3/4 of a stone) I've found that my body has just kinda "got used to it" and refuses to budge down the scale any more.

I'm staggered by this as my commute is pretty long and even if I only complete it 3 days in a week, I'll still rack up 114 miles a week....which is not too shabby (IMO).

Has anyone else noticed this?...I'm not really after suggestions of how to loose weight, I just want to see if this is common with cycling?

Jonny

 

[BentMikey]

Fairly normal I think. Your body just gets used to it and better at being efficient. I've noticed that my own similarly long commute seems to have little effect on my weight, but my skating lessons have a huge effect on my calorie needs and my weight loss. Low intensity and long hours of exercise seem to be key.

 

[Archie_tect]

.... and eating less.

 

[BentMikey]

Eating less might be the key for most people, but it wouldn't suit my needs. The other problem with the skating lessons is because of the long duration and low intensity it seems extra effective at suppressing my appetite, and I struggle to consume enough kcal every day.

 

[Theseus]

Yep, when I first started regularly commuting, I was getting a lot of people saying that I had lost weight. Personally that has never been my goal, I weigh what I weigh, in fact I don't know how much I weigh as I have not been on any scales for years. I was primarily interested in not commuting by car or bus with general fitness a secondary consideration as opposed to weight loss.

However I am probably at about the same weight as I was after the first 6 months. I think your body adapts to the energy you use and you end up taking on more. If you really want to continue the downward trend, keep a careful eye on what you eat.

 

[MacB]

I've found similar but have realised that I'd eased back and maybe upped the calory intake a bit. I never eat before my morning commute(20 miles) and then have a bowl of cereal on arrival. Snacks through day should be fruit, balanced lunch and another bowl of cereal before leaving for home. Then a lightish balanced meal after I'm home. This works if stuck to, but what I've noticed:-

Speed - as I got fitter I was able to maintain same speed for less effort. Have now upped the gearing I'm selecting and plan on introducing some interval style stuff. Will also do the odd ride single speeding.

Food - I started out all fruit etc but cakes and chocolate seem to have crept into the mix. Also need to watch my intake on non-cycling days/periods.

Exercise - though the cycling is a lot it's also specific, I'm trying to phase back in chinups and swimming.

 

[BrumJim]

Using the muscle-turning-to-fat excuse is also a good way of justifying the lack of weight loss.

I think that once you have burnt off the puppy fat, the only way to get further loss is to make a concious effort, e.g. eating less and staying hungry, or cutting out significant quantities of fat from your diet - avoiding red meat, halving all other meat and fish in your diet, no butter, full fat to skimmed milk, no fry-ups or mars bars (or both).

Me, I'm happy at a steady 78kg, BMI of just above 23 (WiiFit? yes!), and don't really want to loose any more weight.

 

[jonny jeez]

Seems like a pretty common thang then.

weird.

I do play squash twice a week as well so am "rotating" my exercise, I also feel a lot fitter and can crack on a lot more with the riding than I first could, although I find myself taking it easier as the road jam up.

dont eat any more than usual really, although i do tend to "let it go" at weekends with the family. I was just hoping that i would be this super fit athletic looking guy (Hi Blazed) within a few months and feeling/looking all the better for it...

Mad really that with over 8 hours of solid exercise a week I look about the same as i did ....with virtually none..

I think actually I need to be more consistent as i tend to take each day as it comes, sometimes taking the motorbike, sometimes riding hard, sometimes just drifting along....I feel a "regime" coming.

......blimey

 

[jimboalee]

Here it comes….

The amount of work you do is
1/ lifting your weight against gravity, and
2/ shifting air as you move across the Earth's surface.

If you are not losing weight, you can either
1/ do more work.
2/ consume less food.

 

[MacB]

Here it comes….

The amount of work you do is
1/ lifting your weight against gravity, and
2/ shifting air as you move across the Earth's surface.

If you are not losing weight, you can either
1/ do more work.
2/ consume less food.

Jimbo, I fall at your feet in awe, excellent summary that man and not a hint of a homespun equation

 

[iacula]

It strikes me that buying a cycling computer might help, you may enjoy cycling less though I suspect. I'm toying with buying one myself, as the same cycle route everyday is getting boring as well as there being no weight loss at all since I started cycling a year or so ago.

 

[jonny jeez]

It strikes me that buying a cycling computer might help, you may enjoy cycling less though I suspect. I'm toying with buying one myself, as the same cycle route everyday is getting boring as well as there being no weight loss at all since I started cycling a year or so ago.

always had one, it took over my life for a bit (started moving its clothes in and redecorating)!

Now try to ignore it on the whole as the difference between 17mph and 19mph reflects as about 5-10 minutes reduction in journey time...whats the point in "pushing hard" just for that, its barely enough time to make a cup of tea!

Maybe thats the attitude i need to "adjust"

 

[jimboalee]

always had one, it took over my life for a bit (started moving its clothes in and redecorating)!

Now try to ignore it on the whole as the difference between 17mph and 19mph reflects as about 5-10 minutes reduction in journey time...whats the point in "pushing hard" just for that, its barely enough time to make a cup of tea!

Maybe thats the attitude i need to "adjust"

This might be your problem, you're becoming lazy.

 

[goo_mason]

I lost quite a bit of weight when I started cycling, but recently it has all sneaked back on again.

This morning I went for a free mini health check at work, where they took my height, weight, did my BMI, blood pressure and cholesterol. I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and the BMI chart says I'm overweight (which I am, I'd like to be 13 stone rather than 15.5). I'm now massively cheered up, and looking forward to Magnatom pointing at my belly again and saying "What's THAT?!"

There'd better be someone proficient in CPR in the CC team on PfS!

In the meantime, I'm off to cheer myself up with some comfort eating....

 

[twowheelsgood]

Entirely normal, known as "plateauing".

All you have done by introducing exercise to your diet is shift the net calorie intake downwards.

Now the calories you burn in any activity are more or less proportional to your weight. So your weight drops until it matches that that can be supported by your new net calorie intake.

An obese person for example will burn many calories per hour simply walking. This is why on many of these fitness programs on TV, initial weight loss can be extremely dramatic (simply because the weight takes so many calories to maintain), but usually those last few stone are a real struggle.

Sadly, very few people who have weight management issues ever achieve a genuinely "lean" physique. (which is me snookered for a start).