Finally losing weight

watts4speed said:

The best way I've found is to track you weight loss. ...SNIP... If you are actually burning 3000 cals/day and your diet is 1200 cals/day I'd be surprised if you were not light headed and feeling lousy since your in a starvation mode which is what I've seen reputable articles on dieting recommend against.

3,000 seemed high to me, too. I actually upped the calories a little over the last week and lost a little less weight, but still lost. Again, I "knew" everything you are writing about but didn't "connect" it all. I guess it's all just information until you apply it.

Thanks again, this will take a bit of patience and watching. Now I know why many cyclists log everything they eat. Before it just seemed tedious and obscessive, but I'm beginning to get it.

You've all been a big help.

Interesting thread. I started exercising 4 years ago, and riding about 9 months ago. About 6 months ago I started really working on losing weight. I am 6' 2" with a large frame and I weighed about 280.

I cut my intake to 2100 calories and seemingly overnight lost 30 pounds. I was coming up on some events so I want to drop some more quickly. I dropped my calories to 1800, did not lose weight. Dropped to 1500. Dropped to 1200. Finally dropped to 1000 and was skipping days sometimes and was not losing weight.

Then I went on a week long business trip and out of aggravation decided to eat "normal". I got back and had gained 8.5 pounds!

I am reading a book right now that summarizes much of what you guys are saying. I had bought into the calorie reduction lie when you actually should ear more to burn more. You need to know your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), cut 500 calories off the top, exercise and you will lose weight and retain muscle.

I went into this knowing my metabolic rate was horribly slow. I should have eased into it but 4 weeks ago I just went for it. I have gained about 8 more pounds in the last month but I am leveling out. My metabolism should be catching up. I am going to give it two more weeks, then we are going to start really hammering it.

You do have to count calories. Also, eat REAL food. Keep the protein bars, etc. to a minimum. Lean protein, lowfat dairy, fruits and vegetables. Also, many reputable articles I have read suggest a MAXIMUM of 1000 calorie a day deficit, any more and you risk triggering your bodies starvation defenses.

Good conversation. I would welcome any tips you guys have. I am at 268 right now. Kinda depressed since I have taken a large step back, but trying to stay positive knowing that what I am doing at this point IS the right thing. Fighting the urge to cut calories again. 🙂

nosduh said:

SNIP...I cut my intake to 2100 calories and seemingly overnight lost 30 pounds. <SNIP> I dropped my calories to 1800, did not lose weight. Dropped to 1500. Dropped to 1200. Finally dropped to 1000 and was skipping days sometimes and was not losing weight...SNIP

Good information. Just to put in all in perspective, how old are you and what kind of training were you doing through all this? I'm 48, 244# now, and during the diet I'm keeping training rides to a minimum.

Mike Jacobs said:

Good information. Just to put in all in perspective, how old are you and what kind of training were you doing through all this? I'm 48, 244# now, and during the diet I'm keeping training rides to a minimum.

33 years old. Was riding pretty hard during some of these periods. Cutting back and keeping the heart rate in the 135 range for now.

Mike Jacobs said:

Good information. Just to put in all in perspective, how old are you and what kind of training were you doing through all this? I'm 48, 244# now, and during the diet I'm keeping training rides to a minimum.

52 yrs, 164lbs right now and 5'10" tall . Went down to 150lbs this winter which was too low. Lowest weight I can maintain without having problems is probably around 155-158. Have counted calories for 2.5 yrs to maintain my weight.

myfooddiary.comdefault.aspOpen ↗
Takes all the brain work out of it. Has a large data base of food, charts your progress and also makes suggestions for improved nutrition based on what you ate.

The thing I most like is it has "if every day were like today" you would weight XX amount by XX time. Try it out for only $9 dollars a month and cancel anytime.

Watts4speed - I am eventually going to get a power meter. What brand do you use and has the accuracy for Calorie usage based on power been proven? Is it more accurate than HR.

Austin Flyer said:

myfooddiary.comdefault.aspOpen ↗
Watts4speed - I am eventually going to get a power meter. What brand do you use and has the accuracy for Calorie usage based on power been proven? Is it more accurate than HR.

I use a Powertap which is an accurate power meter. Without going into the details since there's lots of material on the forum on how to do this, I convert my Kj to dietary calories and add that to my baseline. It has worked extremely well over the last 2.5 years once I get my baseline set correctly. I also count my calories pretty accurately with a piece of S/W I have. As long as I count my calories and use the power meter my weight stays under control. As soon as I stop forget it. Weight start shooting back up.

Mike Jacobs said:

I gotta remember, priority is losing the weight. Only then will I start training again. One thing I need ti consume more of is PATIENCE.

Yes, and less of these. [img]i34.photobucket.comchipbutty1.jpgOpen ↗[/img]

[img]i34.photobucket.comeusa naughty1.gifOpen ↗[/img]

Mike,

don't know your ht and wt but 1200 calories is just not enough. (might be ok if you are 120lbs)Try going to a website to demonstrate your metabolic rate. Then maintain that and excercise your weight away. You are taking lean muscle off as well. This diet is unsustainable. It is wonderful that your decreased your portion sizes just eat more frequently and small dishes. Make your you are taking a vitamin suppliment as well.
Your rides are tougher because you are probably bonking from the get go. I'll be if you take in a few more calories and ride more frequently you can get that HR down. Tough to maintain a HR 160.
Good luck.

I posted without reading most of the other responces. Looks like you recieved some sound advice. Good luck

muxy said:

I posted without reading most of the other responces. Looks like you recieved some sound advice. Good luck

When I graduated college an eon ago I was 190 pounds, I am 6' in height. Over the years it seems that pounds crept up on me and finally last Christmas I weighed 245, the most I had ever been.

I used to ride but with work and a sedentary lifestye I gave it up 10 years ago.

Anyway, I became very depressed about being a LARD ASS and PORKER, so one day I finally said enough is enough. I began a program based on the South Beach plan but had it modified by my physician to include a more rounded use of carbs.

I began riding a few months ago and now ride approximately 70-80 miles a week averaging 15.5-16.5 mph.

My weight had dropped from 245 to my current 218. My waist went from 40" to 34".

About 3 weeks ago I hit a plateau and had not seen any change, in fact I would vary up and down 1-3 pounts over a week. Then I read this forum with regard to logging everything I eat, exercise and counting calories. I started with counting about 5 days ago.

This week I lost 1.5 pounds.

My goal is to hit 185 by next Christmas and increase my riding to 125 miles per week.

I appreciate the advice here, my doctor has me on vitamin suppliments and I can honestly say I feel alive again. Previously, I hated going out with friends, the weight was a killer and nothing fit. My face was round and my chin was a double maybe more. Now my clothes hang and I am spending a fortune buying pants and shirts every couple of months for work. I guess however, that is good.

The fat clothes are being donated to the needy.
Everyone wins.

9202 said:

When I graduated college an eon ago I was 190 pounds, I am 6' in height. Over the years it seems that pounds crept up on me and finally last Christmas I weighed 245, the most I had ever been. I used to ride but with work and a sedentary lifestye I gave it up 10 years ago...SNIP...The fat clothes are being donated to the needy. Everyone wins.

Congrats- our stories are very similar (and size too). The first 15 came off easy and I'm waiting to see what 3 nights of celebrations have done this week (I behaved though, so no rollback expected).

Funny how I've always "pictured" myself in the 175# range (my racquetball weight in college before I discovered beer and loose coeds) - even now while at 240 I have a good "fit" body-image in my brain!! Only pictures tell the truth, especially in cycling gear. My wife met and married me at 240, so my goal weight of 200 should be a real surprise.

Though on charity rides I don't see a lot of 240-pounders like me, our story must be very common. I'll bet MOST cyclists over 40 have at one time been 30-50% over their 20-year old weight and took up the sport initially to lose it. Just a guess.

Mike Jacobs said:

Congrats- our stories are very similar (and size too). The first 15 came off easy and I'm waiting to see what 3 nights of celebrations have done this week (I behaved though, so no rollback expected).

Funny how I've always "pictured" myself in the 175# range (my racquetball weight in college before I discovered beer and loose coeds) - even now while at 240 I have a good "fit" body-image in my brain!! Only pictures tell the truth, especially in cycling gear. My wife met and married me at 240, so my goal weight of 200 should be a real surprise.

Though on charity rides I don't see a lot of 240-pounders like me, our story must be very common. I'll bet MOST cyclists over 40 have at one time been 30-50% over their 20-year old weight and took up the sport initially to lose it. Just a guess.

Ah, "LCS" (Loose Coed Syndrome), always thought that was considered a fat burning exercise.

9202 said:

Ah, "LCS" (Loose Coed Syndrome), always thought that was considered a fat burning exercise.

Actually, as you can imagine, it just leads to increased consumption of beer, pizza and junk food.😄

Mike,

I notice that you are located in Pompano Beach....I am in Boca Raton. Glad to meet another local Roadie.

So this week I have been counting calories with FitDay. I am finally beginning to see what everyone was talking about. I now know exactly how many calories I an consuming v. a good estimate of the calories burned. When I stepped on the scale yesterday morning I was pleasantly surprised.

This forum has proved to be extremely helpful and full of information.

Mike
9202

Fitday and the other sites mentioned look like a good investment. They're on my list of round 'tuits.

BTW Mike 9202 you have better roads up there in PB County, but ever gotten a ticket for running a stop sign up there? I couldn't believe it the first time I saw a Boca police car pull a cyclist over.

Forget round 'tuit and do it now! Fitday works very well, because it makes you think about what and how much you are eating. You can also use the activities section to log your exercise and get an overview of calories burned vs calories ingested.

A couple of things about Fitday however, firstly if you don't put in sleep as one of your activities, you get a wildly overestimated basal rate. Secondly, if like me, you prepare all your food from fresh, it is really cumbersome putting in all the ingredients and the custom foods section isn't flexible enough.

matagi said:

Forget round 'tuit and do it now!

lol now you sound like my WIFE. Funny how many excuses I came up with in an instant when I read your first line - four in the moment it took to get past the period and into the second sentence. I guess I'm well rehersed!

We're at the end of our season here in Florida and I'm stealing some time from riding to catch up on all the chores I didn't get to January through April... stuff like buying a house, computer and software upgrades for my business, and a long string of etc's. This is all stuff that you just can't through enough time at.

HOWEVER, now that you've made it personal, I suppose I could check the site out this morning and rough out an off-season goal. My wife and I are on a meal plan now (no guessing) and we have a great gym downstairs so any way you look at it I have no excuses.

All right, dammit. Do they give you anything for making a referral? Ah, another excuse... I have to wait for matagi's referral...

=======================

OK, I joined the free account for now. It does look great!

Mike Jacobs said:

Fitday and the other sites mentioned look like a good investment. They're on my list of round 'tuits.

BTW Mike 9202 you have better roads up there in PB County, but ever gotten a ticket for running a stop sign up there? I couldn't believe it the first time I saw a Boca police car pull a cyclist over.

Mike,

Nope, never got a ticket whild riding my bike. This morning my wife blew through a red light at A1A and Palmetto Park Road. I almost soiled myself because there was a police car sitting right there. Neither off them saw each other.

We have bike lanes pretty much all over the county.

Mike

Mike Jacobs said:

I'll bet MOST cyclists over 40 have at one time been 30-50% over their 20-year old weight and took up the sport initially to lose it. Just a guess.

I'll put my hand up on that , but once the initial hard yards were over and i had a reasonable lvl of bike fitness i found that i was addicted to cycling. I have good and bad days on the bike but every day i ride i feel great. On the days i lack motivation the hardest part of the ride is actually getting on the bike, once im on my way i get into it.