JohnKScott

Interesting. I was just thinking about this during the weekend. I have consciously been trying to eat more protein over the last 2 months and do some strength work (all fairly easy body weight stuff for now) as well as keep a small calorie deficit and ride the bike. My protein intake previously was pretty low. So low, in fact that, my increased protein number is somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.3 g/kg (a bit higher perhaps on bigger workout days as I eat more) Interestingly, I can definitely tell I'm getting stronger and can actually see more muscle mass including in my legs (that's a good thing - I needed it). However I have not lost a bit of weight over the last month despite running about a 2400 calorie deficit per week over the last 5 weeks. Heck even call it a 1500 calorie deficit per week for bad math and I would think I would have lost at least a couple of pounds. I've never really bought into the I'm not losing weight because muscle weighs more than fat but I'm beginning to wonder. I'm not totally shook up about it but I was kind of hoping my little gut and love handles would have started disappearing.

Thoughts?

globecanvas

How old are you?

JohnKScott

52

globecanvas

I don't have any generalizations to make, but about 8 months ago I started doing some strength work 2-3x per week, paying attention to protein intake, and counting calories. I lost a couple of pounds, nothing significant, felt like I was building muscle and definitely looked leaner, but my perception was that I was still "too fat", perception backed up by the fact that the scale wasn't moving much. It wasn't until I looked at a photo that I realized how much fat I had lost and how much muscle I had built. Even still, I see the fat in a mirror, but not in photos. Body image is a weird thing. Age 47 here.

carpediemracing 

I live 10 min from MA, no longer in the Fancy CT area. Part of the reason for moving the Series north was so I could drive down the morning of the event, not the day before.

I think in Fancy CT there's not much room for a race. Primary problem in securing a venue? Impossible to find one that is closable and not too costly.

The Missus called with the final numbers. CDR lost money last year, even with my side jobs. I thought I made up the losses sustained at Bethel but I didn't. I hope to reverse the trend in 2015. Hope.

carpediemracing 

My weight has plateaued at about 160. I started eating more and more protein/meat, started some minor upper body lifting, and have had to do some snow removal workouts. I am a bit stronger I think - same weights/barbells just 2-3x as many reps. However I'm definitely still fat.

One thing about protein that makes me think is the whole hydration vs kidney stones things. Two friends had kidney stones (both a few years older than me) and both said it wasn't fun. Keeping hydrated basically prevents it but I'm not good with hydration.

caloso

You and I could be twins. I feel leaner: stomach is flatter and race photos show a fair amount of muscle definition, but the scale has barely budged. 47 also.

Ygduf

I look like a bike racer with 20lbs of modeling clay smoothed over the muscle definition. all this talk of vascularity and definition makes me indignant.

JohnKScott

Nice work! Yeah...I can definitely see more muscle but my shirts and pants still are fitting the same. That middle area just wants to hang around

JohnKScott

Haha...and all my modeling clay seems to be around the middle. I'm sitting at about 184 at 5'10" give or take a couple pounds. I would like to get back down to maybe 165ish. I was there a two or three years ago. Just seems harder to get get back there now. Considering I dropped close to 100 lbs from the heaviest to lightest points (since after high school) I thought I had a handle on how to get there. Just seems a bit "harder" right now. But my legs look good (under all the hair) .

bmcphx

I went to donut man and had the strawberry donut. Thx ferret

ridethecliche

This post and CDR's post made me think about my family a bit.

My mom's dad had a stroke a bit ago and family has been going there to visit recently. My dad's there now and my mom's heading there in a week or two. I just got a text from my dad saying that his father passed away earlier today. He couldn't get a flight to his parents town fast enough so he's going to miss the cremation which is sad. It all feels so weird since I've feel like I never really got to know his parents as I grew up more with my mom's side of the family and my dad's mom doesn't speak much english or hindi so communication was always hard. Neither of my dad's parents were doing well when I was last in India, so this isn't a surprise. I'm pretty sure dementia had onset to a pretty big level when I was there a few years ago. He kept telling us the same story over and over again every 15-20 mins, but he did remember who we were.

Still sad though, but I don't know if I've even gotten around to thinking about it.

Yep

I'm about 6 pounds over last year and I just can't move the needle. I'm not sure if I had a sudden onset metabolism slow down or I'm just not riding enough, but I feel your pain.

JohnKScott

Sorry for your troubles as well.

echappist

i've lost almost all sense of taste doing zicam intervals. gosh i hope this thing ends soon...

otoh, i'd still take loss of taste of over sore throats

misterwaterfall

For the first time in 20k+ miles I have some knee pain the front of my left knee. sucks! Hoping its just overuse or something but the heat and ice intervals have been strong as of late.

echappist

check your insoles, etc. I use a Specialized (in both sense of the word) insole to prevent my knee from diving inward, and after a year of use, the foam got so compressed that the insole was no longer doing its job

carpediemracing 

On the flip side of the family thing Junior is just incredible. He'll be 3 shortly, in a couple weeks. I am pretty sure he's about average in development so for any of you parents it's no big deal. For me, though, to see it happen, it's just insanely cool. He remembers stuff that just boggles my mind. Heck, he remembers his books better than me - when I went to read one book I didn't realize that two pages were stuck together. Instead of saying what I was about to read he was saying something else. It took me a good minute to realize that I'd skipped a page. I kept reading the page and he was telling me it should say something else. Sure enough, when I finally got back a page, I realized that Junior had been saying everything on that page (Skippyjon Jones).

TheKillerPenguin

My love handles are filled with maple syrup and hatred.

tetonrider

honestly, modeling clay looks a lot less funny on the top step of a podium, right? guessing you wouldn't trade those photos/experiences for a few pounds.

if you're not going to win, it's more important to look the part.

revchuck 

Well, it's finally gotten bad enough down here that I had to email my coach for an alternate trainer workout for tomorrow.

That's what I get for being smug. This would qualify as a break in the weather for the folks in the Northeast.

Wylde06

So I have a TT bike now...going to do intervals on it tonight and see how the tt position feels with how I have it set up, saddle position/height feel right so now I think its just getting the bars adjusted.

bmcphx

My ride today has more than four turns and I'm in an area in unfamiliar with. Prepared to be lost!

ridethecliche

Currently doing revisions for a manuscript and it's making me hate research. Why why why why why.

Aw thanks.

TheKillerPenguin

Phoenix is Long Island but transported into the desert. Everything is a 90º corner except for like 3 turns around the fountain hills or that cool as all hell mountain road that goes past the turn off for Bartlett Lake.