i think im too heavy?

Did you change the way you eat? drop the chips, cookies ,cakes, icecream,candy ect junk food has empty calories stay away from high fat junk food give that stuff up and eat healthy food and fat will have no choice but to fall off your body. im sure someone else here will give you more info good luck.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by kona
I now weigh about 90kg, which according to all the bmi things ive read is still way to high (im 33, 5ft 11, solid build) - i was hoping to get down to about 80 if possible. For all the training ive done in the last two months my weight has not changed and i expected it to keep dropping

first off, good for you for choosing a healthier life. losing ~30lb is no small feat! those last 20 pounds or so can be tough, though...let me make some suggestions.

1. soy protein. it really helped me eat better because i wasn't so damn hungry all the time. i like several different forms of it, in protein shakes, energy bars, or things like soy burgers.

2. get your bodyfat tested! it well may be that you are losing fat but not losing weight because you are adding muscle. added muscle means it will be easier to burn fat. also it will give you a good benchmark for your overall fitness and body composition.

3. consider crosstraining. I know you are wanting to do some longer distance stuff which does require significant time on the bike, but maybe one or two days a week do something other than cycling (swimming, running, even just walking) if you are trying to lose fat. your body gets accustomed to certain activities, so new activities shock your body into using more energy.

If you feel good, why worry about it. Some people will never look like the cover of OUTDOOR, CYCLING or any other magazine in the world. When I did my first cross country ride (from Connecticut to California via New Orleans) everyone told me that I couldn't make it because I was too fat and too old. Even my Dr. told my family not to worry that my knees would give out after 60 miles and that I'd be calling them to come and get me. At the time I weighed 244 pounds and was (and still am) 6 feet tall. Well, when I got to California, I weighed 240 pounds but was considerably slimmer in girth. Why worry about some chart made up by people who thing golf is a sport? Just go out and have fun... get a tan... smell the roses and watch the eagles fly.

At 5'11", you should be 175 lbs. Think about it.
Ask you Doc.
Oh yeah....I'm 5'11", solid build, 195 lbs. I need to lose 20.
I did weight 220 a year ago. Good Luck !

must admit - i still have the odd potato chip binge, but not often - maybe your'e right - if i do a month of very serious junk food avoidance it may do the trick...

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by epheme
first off, good for you for choosing a healthier life. losing ~30lb is no small feat! those last 20 pounds or so can be tough, though...let me make some suggestions.

1. soy protein. it really helped me eat better because i wasn't so damn hungry all the time. i like several different forms of it, in protein shakes, energy bars, or things like soy burgers.

2. get your bodyfat tested! it well may be that you are losing fat but not losing weight because you are adding muscle. added muscle means it will be easier to burn fat. also it will give you a good benchmark for your overall fitness and body composition.

3. consider crosstraining. I know you are wanting to do some longer distance stuff which does require significant time on the bike, but maybe one or two days a week do something other than cycling (swimming, running, even just walking) if you are trying to lose fat. your body gets accustomed to certain activities, so new activities shock your body into using more energy.

good points - thanks, I'm thinking it would be money well spent to go see a nutritionist, get the calipers out and see what my body composition is - and get a bit of an eating plan sorted out (dont mention diets - I dont do them - it has to be something i can keep up indefinately). Cross training is something i do already - ive got a rowing machine which helps keep some upper body tone. thanks for you ideas!

This question was recently covered in another topic: http://www.cyclingforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=114124

Just thought I would simply congratulate you on your changes. can't give you advices on this subject but .. keep at it.. you are way better off and the choices you are making now will have a huge impact on the rest of your life ..

Bravo ..

I am 5' 11" and two weeks ago weighted 220.

I joined Weight Watchers Online (I can not seat in these meetings...) two weeks ago and now I am more aware of what I am eating and i CAN also explain to myself why I did not loose weight all these Cycling Years...

So far I lose 8 pouds. My goal is 175lb

Its a simple "system" of points and the online tools make it easy.

WE GAIN WEIGHT BECAUSE WE EAT!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by little_chicken
Just thought I would simply congratulate you on your changes. can't give you advices on this subject but .. keep at it.. you are way better off and the choices you are making now will have a huge impact on the rest of your life ..

Bravo ..

Thanks for the encouragement!

Kona,

I would like to start by saying Congratulations on the weight lose and health changes. I have done the same thing in the past few years. I am 5'10" and started at 225 lbs. (102 kgs.). 2 years later I am at 185-190lbs (81-86kgs) at peak performance weight. It is tough for me to get any lower.

For me I just set goals like you have with long distance rides and races. Last year I competed in a 101 mile mtn bike race. My only goal was to finish, which I did. I also compete in Sport class mtn bike races. I ride on average 10-15 hrs a week, I am single w/ no kids. This past winter to keep the weight down and legs moving I bought a bunch of the CTS Train Right tapes. They worked out well for me.

As for the diet, I basically think of food as to how they are going to help me on the bike. I do have one night a week were I just eat whatever for dinner. But for the most part I just changed my thinking when it came to what I eat. And being that I eat less fatty foods I actaully can eat more for the for the calories that I take in, being that 1 gram of fat is 9 calories and carbs/protein are like 3 or 4 calories.

I wish you the best of luck on completing your goal.

Ron

Kona,

Even if you are heavier, by exercising regularly you will be healthier than someone who is skinny that lives a sedentary lifestyle. That's good news for many of us as our genetic code often determines our appearance. However, we determine our overall health!

I did similar to Kona. I took up cycling 2 years ago after an adult life of boozing and fagging it. I lost 2 stones but put a stone on over xmas. I am thin as a rake, except for a big beer gut - I am 6' 2" and weighed 16 stone, I got down to 14 but am now up to 15. I was cycling a 100 mile a week when losing the weight.
I reckon because I got fitter, I now need to work harder to lose the weight. In order to relose the weight I am now taking in a large hill (1.5 miles 14%) on the way to and from work. Doing the same distance but more hills, though I know this means more coasting down the other side (though it always seems shorter downhill)
Will this do the trick, or do I have to live with the gut.

I know this is an awful confession these days but I'm a sucker for mc'chicken sandwiches even though I also eat lots of fruit, nuts and chicken.
Every so often I commit the unpardonable sin. I eat a whole load of fish and chips from the chip shop but then I feel really guilty. I can lose weight anyway if I do more aerobics but I somethimes think junk food has always been my weak point.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by kona
must admit - i still have the odd potato chip binge, but not often - maybe your'e right - if i do a month of very serious junk food avoidance it may do the trick...

Hi!
Try eating your carbs by day and consuming protein by night, i.e. juggling your food. Same goes for your treats. If you succumb to the temptation of having a meal out and a couple of beers, better to do it by day than by night (when you'll be sleeping and inactive).
I confess I have a little bit too much fat round the stomach but it goes if I do enough riding. They say the best way to kickstart your fat burning metabolism is to do a ride first thing in the morning. Also it's better to cycle at a moderate pace for a longer period than for a short time at a high pace when on a fat reduction routine. After about an hour of steady riding your body will begin to eat into fat reserves.
Hope this helps.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Skunk
I did similar to Kona. I took up cycling 2 years ago after an adult life of boozing and fagging it. I lost 2 stones but put a stone on over xmas. I am thin as a rake, except for a big beer gut - I am 6' 2" and weighed 16 stone, I got down to 14 but am now up to 15. I was cycling a 100 mile a week when losing the weight.
I reckon because I got fitter, I now need to work harder to lose the weight. In order to relose the weight I am now taking in a large hill (1.5 miles 14%) on the way to and from work. Doing the same distance but more hills, though I know this means more coasting down the other side (though it always seems shorter downhill)
Will this do the trick, or do I have to live with the gut.

Congratulations!

I'll second that by saying the only thing you are doing wrong is doubting yourself.

Even without changes to your "unhealthy" lifestyle, adding cycling is a huge positive. Cleaning those things up only adds to the positive.

At the end of it all, you should be happy, or at least feel good about yourself and the effort.

As for weight, my BMI sets me a too heavy. I started a similar thread elsewhere (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=47129). This was more for equipment, but there is a lot of related conversation in there.

Some good stuff, but remember, muscle weighs more than fat. While getting more lean, and healthy, you are likely to put on weight. Think about your fitness and diet.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by kona
Hi - just joined the forum but have been watching for a while. I've been concerned with my weight, ive been cycling for about 7 months now and am hooked. I was 102kg when i started - after years of drinking and a rather unhealthy lifestyle - also antidepressants weren't helping. I started biking to help get off the medication, stop smoking, lower my drinking and bascially to make sure i was around when my 3 kids grew up. I gradually got hooked on it, and have trained regularly ever since, gradually building up. I now weigh about 90kg, which according to all the bmi things ive read is still way to high (im 33, 5ft 11, solid build) - i was hoping to get down to about 80 if possible. For all the training ive done in the last two months my weight has not changed and i expected it to keep dropping - ive done pretty hard training for a 100k fun ride/race which i did in 3hrs 30, riding between 5/6 hours a week. Ive just started the lance armstrong intermediate programme from his book which is 8-10 hours of riding a week, but at a much lower intesity that when i was training "my own way" - im doing a lot of it on the stationary trainer as its getting cold.

Long intro - but Im hoping someone may have some advice for me, my objective is to do a 5.5/6hr century late in the year over a hilly course - so i want to be at my best weight. Id classify myself as a fast recreational rider, ive got a family and work commitments so i cant go too over the top with the training....

thanks guys! (im sure theres a few "ex-lazy-buggers" out there like me having a crack at it!)

I just want to say I'm almost the same as you. I'm 30, 178 cm, big bones. I started from 103-105 kg and unhealthy sedentary living. Now after 8 years I'm 78 kg. I spent 4 months to go down to 83 kilos from 93 doing a lot of long rides (8-12 hrs/week). Now I do very well on rolling hills and flat road (courtesy of my beefy legs) but I'm MTBer by choice and want to be a good climber.

Try heavy weight training. If you've haven't done it before get a personal trainer. Or try the 'Body for Life" programme (only 12 weeks). You can cycle for the aerobic sessions. THe diet is a bit Nazi but it works. You'll find a big difference even if you don't follow the diet. The South Beach Diet is much easier to follow.

I'm currently 120+kg and have not lost a lot of weight BUT I've lost 200mm (8 inches) of my waist in the last 12 months. I can bench 120kg, do 300 situps. My resting heart rate is 54, max 195 not bad for 43 year old fat boy.

But! I CAN'T LOOSE WEIGHT!!!!!!!!! It's infuriating.

The most inportant thing is Never Surrender!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by kona
I now weigh about 90kg, which according to all the bmi things ive read is still way to high (im 33, 5ft 11, solid build) -

Mate, don't get too hung up on BMI. While it's OK for Joe Average (who I have yet to meet) if you're out of the norm it becomes a bit meaningless. According to BMI measures Schwarzenegger is "morbidly obese", Stallone is "obese" and so is Mel Gibson.
I'm 6'2" and about 125kg and have been much bigger (was over 300lb last july). I look ridiculous on a biker but I can mix it up with a few of the local bunches and raise a few eyebrows in "friendly" sprints. "Ideal" BMI would put me at 69kg - I haven't weighed that since I was 14. Playing weight in my football days was around 95.
I've had some pretty sophisticated (and expensive) body composition analysis done and 10% body fat, given current lean mass would put me at about 95kg. I'll never be a 70kg whippet, but I don't care.