Why am I not losing weight?

[screenman]

This may give you some idea's about calories used. Now walking slowly uses less calories than cycling fast, well I am sure you can work out the rest.

Take in less calories than you use and you will lose weight. The majority of people massively under estimate how many calories they take in each day.

 

[amaferanga]

I hook up my monitor and it SAYs I'm burning 1000 calories and still the scales don't budge very much.... bikes carry your weight - thats not debatable. If you believe its rubbish all good, but running, walking, skipping will be MUCH more effective at LOOSing weight. Any of the weight bearing activities cause the weight to come off quicker.... cycling very good for overall fitness, rubbish for weight loss.

I have a bro who cycled from Edinburgh to Tasmania concurs that actually your body becomes very efficient with cycling. So if you believe its rubbish - all good to you, but the scale don't lie and the person posting the OP is having issue with trying to loose weight.

You do know that its LOSing and not LOOSing right? And LOse as opposed to LOOse?

Anyway, HR monitors are notoriously crap at telling you how many calories you burn - most overestimate hugely. I suspect that when your HR is telling you've burnt 1000 kcal you've probably burnt maybe half that amount. So if you were basing your calorie intake on what your HR monitor is telling you you'd probably end up eating too much.

My calorie estimates come from a power meter so are just about as accurate as you can get. I know that if I properly monitor the number of calories I consume (no kidding myself or underestimating) and the calories I burn cycling from my power meter I will drop weight. Simple as that.

Not sure what makes your brother an expert just because he cycled from Edinburgh to Tasmania. The efficiency of the human body is pretty much fixed - you can't train it. Doesn't matter how fit you are - cycling at a given power output will burn a given number of calories (+/- a few %).

So yes, I still reckon you're talking rubbish.

 

[Lizzy]

You do know that its LOSing and not LOOSing right? And LOse as opposed to LOOse?

Anyway, HR monitors are notoriously crap at telling you how many calories you burn - most overestimate hugely. I suspect that when your HR is telling you've burnt 1000 kcal you've probably burnt maybe half that amount. So if you were basing your calorie intake on what your HR monitor is telling you you'd probably end up eating too much.

My calorie estimates come from a power meter so are just about as accurate as you can get. I know that if I properly monitor the number of calories I consume (no kidding myself or underestimating) and the calories I burn cycling from my power meter I will drop weight. Simple as that.

Not sure what makes your brother an expert just because he cycled from Edinburgh to Tasmania. The efficiency of the human body is pretty much fixed - you can't train it. Doesn't matter how fit you are - cycling at a given power output will burn a given number of calories (+/- a few %).

So yes, I still reckon you're talking rubbish.

I'm dyslexic, so spelling is not a strong point, but a long way short from stupid...


I use a HRM and a cadence unit, I then come home upload it, ignore the calories, then put it into mynetdiary - where I calculate my calory intake, which is always different from the heart rate monitor, I plug in the different mins spent at 5 different speed bands.

For what its worth I was at a dietitian on Thursday who cut back my cycling and asked me to spend 40mins a day skipping (in two parts) - 4 days a week. She didn't explicitly say that cycling means the bike is carrying your weight around, but three fairly knowledgeable people have explicitly said as much...
A friend of mine who does a lot of boxing and actually knows a scary amount about gym and work out methods
My Bro and his girlfriend who cycled from Edinburgh to Tasmania - ultimately says your body very quickly gets use to average daily speed so you don't loose weight, and that is in addition to the dietitian.

I do appreciate that other people have different opinions, but I'll stick to my professional's advice and the experience of the above people.

Some metabolisms have triggers into fat production therefore is it more difficult than a simple calorie in and out. The book The metabolic Miracle (AWFUL book for a variety of issues), basically points out that there is more than one type of metabolism, one which functions very well on the calories in and out equation... the other has created cells that actively cling onto fat.... this concept concurs with the idea in "The Fat around the Middle book (again wouldn't recommend this book), which basically says you've increased your cortisone, which in turn turns your body into a fat producing machine.

So basically the alternative metabolism simply doesn't work with the calories in and out equation,and you ave to re-train your body to process foods in a more normal way. The book I would recommend is one called "The insulin resistance diet book" by Cheryle Hart (and another woman).

The original poster is saying they are not loosing weight, I'm suggesting they change how they work out. Obviously they can make up their own mind.

The benefits of cycling is that my general fitness is very good and I look a lot slimmer than my actual weight, however that doesn't prevent health issues.

 

[Aperitif]

Hello Lizzy, I didn't see you when I passed you this afternoon...
ONLY joking. A good post.
For me, I ride and feel hungry. To satiate that hunger 'anything goes' whether that is Coke (full-fat, not the Aspartame rubbish) chocs, a sandwich or whatever...
The last ride I did that involved stopping to eat and drink was excellent, and a pointer for me - I chose 'nicer' food rather than chocs etc...
I completed the ride in good 'form' and reflected that I thought about what I NEEDED to eat... (doesn't often happen). (It was London - Cardiff, then Cardiff- Swansea... for breakfast - then we had beer afterwards... )
And I'm the antidote to 'martyrs' about all this stuff about eating.
Take time. Things will change as long as you let them change. Bintanman - let it happen, but never start a ride without fuel in your tank. Think of your cyclist's body as a coal-fuelled fire - an 'Ideal' boiler. When you cycle, you can drop anything you like into the open top of the 'Ideal' and it will burn to nothing. If there is no flame in that 'boiler' then you will be the first to realise it.
Enjoy your riding - whatever your weight.

 

[Lizzy]

Hello Lizzy, I didn't see you when I passed you this afternoon...
ONLY joking. A good post.
For me, I ride and feel hungry. To satiate that hunger 'anything goes' whether that is Coke (full-fat, not the Aspartame rubbish) chocs, a sandwich or whatever...
The last ride I did that involved stopping to eat and drink was excellent, and a pointer for me - I chose 'nicer' food rather than chocs etc...
I completed the ride in good 'form' and reflected that I thought about what I NEEDED to eat... (doesn't often happen). (It was London - Cardiff, then Cardiff- Swansea... for breakfast - then we had beer afterwards... )
And I'm the antidote to 'martyrs' about all this stuff about eating.
Take time. Things will change as long as you let them change. Bintanman - let it happen, but never start a ride without fuel in your tank. Think of your cyclist's body as a coal-fuelled fire - an 'Ideal' boiler. When you cycle, you can drop anything you like into the open top of the 'Ideal' and it will burn to nothing. If there is no flame in that 'boiler' then you will be the first to realise it.
Enjoy your riding - whatever your weight.

I don't snack like that, I cycle have breakfast (which is usually very healthy) and then cycle again.... If you don't drink enough dehydration can cause you to snack/get the munchies, but if you drink enough water you don't snack so much (but might need to pee).... The body can confuse dehydration with hunger, so even if not working out sorting out your hydration is massive. Asparimine = evil in my book, but it is in so much. Bliss is a really nice natural one which is low cal.


Don't get me wrong, I have lost a stone in 6.5 months so technically I am loosing it, just tediously slowly, to the point I was referred to the dietcian... who basically put me on c.200 less cals per day (1200 - no joke).

When I've had a similar amount of weight to loose (about 5 years ago)....I lost a similar amount in about 5 weeks when skipping 4 times a week (in comparison to months of cycling and a total of 2kg lost).

I do have a metabolic disorder so I'm an extreme case and platue at the drop of a hat, there are much more efficient working out methods that cause weight loss than cycling, because of the body weight being carried. The last time I moved onto skipping (which is extreme I agree), I'd been cycling a stationary bike each evening with pitiful results, so unless you are doing proper spin classes there are significantly more effective methods of weight loss.

PS I'm no saint when dieting I do fall off the bandwagon just like anyone else, but in comparision to other dieters I can be eating 1400 cal and working out 1400 cal and still wont much/any loose weight...

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I've been with Slimming World for over a year - lost three stone (and put one back on) - good breakfasts for me are scrambled eggs (with smoked salmon or LEAN bacon as a treat) but no bread/toast or butter. A good fry-up (with Frylite) mushrooms tomatoes bacon eggs and baked beans (NO hash browns or fried bread) is great - the basic thing is to eliminate fat as much as you can (fat free yoghourt, fruit and muesli is my "normal" breakfast). Cut out dairy - God I miss my cheese! Eat loads of fruit and veg - weirdly fruit JUICE is banned - something to do with complex sugars - way over my head. I treat myself to a Bloody Mary for brunch every Sunday - beer is out, sadly. The mantra is that you won't stick to it if you don't enjoy it...

With great respect - and I should say that I'm pleased that this has worked for you - I'd sooner be a bit of a porker than cut out beer and fried bread, and eat fat free yoghurt (yuk). It's all very well being thin, but hell, you've got to enjoy life a bit too!
I've found the best way to lose weight is to not own any scales.

 

[Madcyclist]

Over the past 4 years my weight has dropped from 17stone to just under 11 stone by cycling alone. My eating habits have changed as my fitness increased, particularly cutting out take aways and late night snacks and simply eating smaller meals more often as hunger/exercise patterns dictate.
Ironically I enjoy logging my rides purely from a distance point of view but just haven't got the patience to estimate calories consumed against expenditure.

The point of my post is that with patience cycling is an excellent way to lose excess weight, get out and enjoy the countryside, meet like minded people and most importantly low impact compared to walking/skipping/jogging.

The only negative for me is that it's cost me a fortune in clothes, waist size has reduced from 42 to 30 inches.

Keep cycling, enjoy it and the results will come !!!!

 

[Lizzy]

Over the past 4 years my weight has dropped from 17stone to just under 11 stone by cycling alone. My eating habits have changed as my fitness increased, particularly cutting out take aways and late night snacks and simply eating smaller meals more often as hunger/exercise patterns dictate.
Ironically I enjoy logging my rides purely from a distance point of view but just haven't got the patience to estimate calories consumed against expenditure.

The point of my post is that with patience cycling is an excellent way to lose excess weight, get out and enjoy the countryside, meet like minded people and most importantly low impact compared to walking/skipping/jogging.

The only negative for me is that it's cost me a fortune in clothes, waist size has reduced from 42 to 30 inches.

Keep cycling, enjoy it and the results will come !!!!

With the greatest respect, cutting out take away (massive calories in those) and snacks (additional calories in those).... is a diet.... cutting out take alone will typically see weight fall off because they are so bad for you - check out pizza hut calories per pizza (small), v's chinese take out, or McD's, .



I will shut up, cycling is great for fitness and health, but there are more efficient weight loss methods

 

[screenman]

Whilst not disagreeing that skipping can use up more calories per hour than cycling, how many hours could an over weight person skip for without causing any damage to joints? Also it is easier on the body and mind surely to cycle for 2 hours and burn say 800 calories than it is to skip for 1 hour and 10 minutes for the same calorie use.

4 stone lost last year on 1800 calories nett per day.

 

[Baggy]

The other thing to keep in mind (and I've not read this entire thread so apologies if it's been mentioned already) is that if really want to loose weight then don't fuel your rides. By that I mean don't go preparing special meals to have before and after riding. On bike fuelling on longer rides, sure, but don't go carbo loading or anything daft. Look to change your regular (hopefully healthy!) meals rather than add new ones.

It's a mistake I feel a lot of people make. They think the extra effort, in terms of miles on a bike, allows them leeway for extra eating. It doesn't if your aim is weight loss. I think that we believe we burn more calories than we actually do. When you consider that exercise gives you the major munchies (the body's going into restocking mode), it can be very very easy to actually PUT ON weight after upping the exercise.

This is fairly key for a lot of people who count calories - e.g. if you burn 600 calories in an hour of cycling, you need to remember that this includes calories that you burn just from being alive anyway (background calories). For me, that's about 100 calories, so in an hour's cycling I burn 500 extra calories. I can easily see how my weight had crept up in spite of regular cycling, I was just eating too much!

Heart rate is also important for weight loss, if you exercise at a higher heart rate for a short period you won't be burning into your fat reserves, but a lower heart rate over a longer period of time will. So, am sure if Bintanman keeps up a long, slower ride at weekends as well as shorter rides through the week the weight loss inch loss will continue.

After keeping a stricter eye on my calorie intake, plus eating more fruit and veg, less carbs and a little less fat I've shed over a stone since January. The weight loss has slowed, but the inches are still going, so that's fine by me. If I didn't eat 6 packs of Tunnocks Teacakes in one sitting I'd probably lose/tone more quickly, but what the hey!

 

[Baggy]

Have I seen more positive results this past week? Yes I have. My jeans are definitely looser and some of my t-shirts feel much nicer. The most rewarding thing is I feel MUCH fitter on my bike, to the point where I'm enjoying it immensely. I went out this lunchtime in all the wind and showers and I'm getting the same buzz I got from those long runs I used to do a few years ago. Do my legs ache? Oh yes, but it feels magic again

Missed this in amongst everything - the feeling that you're getting fitter is so important, and it's imo far better to cycle because you enjoy it than to cycle to lose weight - and great that both are happening It's a good state to get to as we go into summer which will hopefully be good enough to let us all get some good miles in...

 

[Andrew_P]

I hook up my monitor and it SAYs I'm burning 1000 calories and still the scales don't budge very much.... bikes carry your weight - thats not debatable. If you believe its rubbish all good, but running, walking, skipping will be MUCH more effective at LOOSing weight. Any of the weight bearing activities cause the weight to come off quicker.... cycling very good for overall fitness, rubbish for weight loss.

I have a bro who cycled from Edinburgh to Tasmania concurs that actually your body becomes very efficient with cycling. So if you believe its rubbish - all good to you, but the scale don't lie and the person posting the OP is having issue with trying to loose weight.

Cycling for one hour @ 75-80% of your predicted MHR will burn the same as any other workout @ the same avg HR.

The mistake I made could well be what you are doing and that is you are using the flat and slight downhills as rest breaks. I Try to put the same effort in on the flat and downhill as I do climbing and aim to have peaked @ 90% up hills and averaged 75-80% for the hour commute. I would reckon that is 450-500 calories

 

[yello]

Take in less calories than you use and you will lose weight.

This is true. It is very simplistic (a broad scale truth if you like) and it is worth looking a little beyond that simple statement. Your body does not store all 'extra' calories consumed, not necessarily anyway. Fat retention is a little more complex than simple calorie counting. Certain body chemicals - most notably insulin - are involved in the fat retention process. That is why low carb diets tend to be more successful for weight loss. It's not because carb is calorific (fat is more so for instance) but carb causes insulin production. Particularly the fast sugars.

The majority of people massively under estimate how many calories they take in each day.

Again true. And the sad truth is that those forgotten extras tend to be of the carby snack variety; the chocolate bar, the bit of toast, etc. Kind of a double whammy (with cheese of course!)

The other (self?) deception is the amount of calories we burn. Baggy mentioned it above; we have a base level of energy burn. That just for our normal functionality. But when don't burn a whole heap more than that in exercising. Our bodies are pretty darned efficient when it comes to power consumption (which makes sense from an evolutionary perspective). I read somewhere (and if I could remember where, I'd link to it, just for the exact numbers if nothing else) that a 30 minute jog burns not a great deal more than just pottering around the garden for the same length of time.

And what do we do after our 30 minute jog? Reward ourselves with some carby treat in the name of restoring glycogen levels or somesuch! We've just consumed more calories than we've burnt. And not just calories but carbs. Wouldn't have been so bad if it were protein, or even fat. Btw, whilst I think of it, did you know that some doctors/nutrionists say that there is NO daily requirement for carbohydrate - nada, zilch. Not so of protein or fat. The brain is the only organ that requires carb, but it's requirement is negligible. For that reason, other docs say there a small requirement. All agree there is much less need for carbohydrate than our normal diets contain. The body can source energy from all food types (even alcohol!), carb tends to be the readiest source. Hence it being of interest to athletes.

I know I've said this before, and I'm a bore on the subject, but if you're serious about weight loss (and have no will power!) then avoid carbohydrate and strenuous exercise. Ideally, you want to keep your body chemicals nice and stable. Keep insulin levels in-check and don't go creating boom-bust cycles where you body craves food. If you do like a work out then be prepared to wage a war against appetite too! Think of exercise just before your normal eating times; ride before breakfast for instance. Let your normal eating patterns also be your post ride refuelling.

 

[Lizzy]

Yea to Yello.....

 

[Cubist]

For what it's worth I have been eating less than 25g of carbohydrate per day since the end of April. In those five weeks I have shed 20lb. A high protein content, a high(non starchy) vegetable intake and plenty of fluids means that I don't get hungry, and can snack on previous horrors like pork scratchings and lumps of cheddar.

Today's menu has been two scrambled eggs and a rasher of grilled bacon, a handful of mixed nuts for elevenses, lunch was a tandoori chicken leg quarter with an iceberg and onion salad, and tea was a keema and mixed veg rogan josh. I've cycled to work and back and will be going to the gym with Cubester to do some upper body work this evening. A quality protein shake will be a nightcap.

According to t he reading I've done, a low-carb, high protein diet ensures you burn fat, and not muscle like some diets do.