Originally Posted by
minimalistDave
I have poked my nose in a few threads about "Why we are Fat" etc and besides being moderately insulted by the inference I am "a tangle of ... psychological problems" and being told the problem is (pictures of) big greasy burgers. Believe me, this sort of thing is really, really counterproductive.
I am 53, 5'9" and I weighed in this a.m. at 245# -- five pounds heavier than I weighed thirteen weeks ago when I started cycling to work. I have been averaging 18 miles a day of vigorous riding; I built up to it ever the course of the first five or six weeks and I now ride 25 miles/ day. I have seen _no_ weight loss. I have kept the same breakfast -- two slices of whole wheat toast and some peanut butter -- have halved my lunch portions of soup or sandwich (again whole wheat bread); remove 80% of the "white carbs" from my diet; seriously reduced snacks, almost eliminating them.
Here's the question: I understand muscle tissue is more dense than fat, but for crying out loud, how can I not be losing some weight after this much exercise? Is my weight going to be stable until my legs look like Charles Atlas and there's no more muscle left to build and _then_ see some weight loss?
I live in the Pac NW, and jeez, the season to reasonable cycle to work and pile on the miles is limited. It gets wet and dark here for a long time, and it's not too far off... I was hoping to drop at least 20 pounds this summer. I guess that was a futile dream.
So... if a nutritionist or physiologist can help me understand how much more "muscle replacing fat" folderol I have to go through before I see results, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks in Advance,
Dave,
A few thoughts...
1) I'd suggest tracking your measurements (typical is right arm, right thigh, waist, and a couple others I forget) and look at those over time. If those are going down, you are losing fat. It's not uncommon for people to stay weight neutral for a while, but I wouldn't expect it to continue for very long.
2) Lots of people have good luck with food logs. It may be that you are eating too much. It could also be that you are eating too little. If you were approximately weight-neutral (not gaining, not losing) before you started cycling, cutting your lunch portions in half and adding in cycling may make your body want to hold onto the fat.
3) The vigorous riding that you are doing may be too fast for the best weight loss. You want to be training your body to be better at burning fat (and not carbs) on your rides, but if you work out too hard you are burning lots of carbs and not that much fat. When you're done, you're low on carbs and it's hard not to eat.
4) There are physical conditions that can make weight loss hard. Have you asked your physician about that?
5) It would be helpful to know what you are eating during a day, and how many calories you think it is.