how to get body fat down?

[recneps]

I have a friend that my height that does Tri's and weighs 10lbs less than me.

I know not to compare to others, but I realized I could get lighter than I am right now by losing just fat. I'm currently 136ish 6'. Pretty light, I'm riding 150 miles or more a week but not losing any weight.

Can somebody suggest and diet changes? cutting out bread and dairy? I would love to get down to 132 and be able to keep putting out the same amount of power.

Would swimming or running help?

[ericgu]

136# and 6' seems pretty light to me. I'm 6'2" and at 160 I'm pretty gaunt.

My advice? Well, more whole foods, less processed food, and pay special attention to your recovery nutrition.

[grebletie]

Eat more often, but in smaller portions. Right now I'm seeing if I can drop 2 lbs in body fat by late May. I've made some progress, though hardly measurable. Though I wonder how it'll go now that I have a chocolate mousse cheesecake in my fridge. :eek:

Just avoid the large meal. And eat whole, clean foods, which should fill you up.

[Pat]

Exercising more might help. But people can consume calories a heck of a lot faster than they can burn them.

You are getting a significant amount of exercise with 150+ miles per week. I would suggest that you closely examine your caloric intake.

A good way to drop calories is to get a book that gives you the calories, grams of fat, grams of carbohydrate and grams of protein for nearly everything you consume. Then keep a journal of what you eat, when and calories, and grams of the carbos, fats and proteins. That should give you a pretty good idea of where you can shave off some calories.

I have had good results with reducing my fat intake and dropping out "empty" calories.

Another thing, is be patient. A rule of thumb is that any time you are losing more than 1 lb per week, you are losing weight too fast to sustain the method. So when you stop, you will go back to your old routine and gain it all back and then some. It is better to lose weight slowly and keep it off by adopting a whole different eating habit. Good luck to you.

[bac]

I have a friend that my height that does Tri's and weighs 10lbs less than me.

I know not to compare to others, but I realized I could get lighter than I am right now by losing just fat. I'm currently 136ish 6'. Pretty light, I'm riding 150 miles or more a week but not losing any weight.

You're 6' and 136 lbs, and you want to LOOSE weight? Okay, here's my opinion:

You really should determine your body fat level, and IF it is above 6/7% or so, then you can afford to loose some fat. However, if your body fat level is already at or below 6/7%, you will have to sacrifice muscle to drop weight. If you're already at a good body fat level, I wouldn't try to lose any more weight. It very well may end up slowing you down instead of making you faster.

Of course, that's just my opinion, and I could be wrong. ;)

[aikigreg]

You're 6' and 136 lbs, and you want to LOOSE weight?
Of course, that's just my opinion, and I could be wrong. ;)

Yup. File this in the "something's not right" pile.

Dude, you need to gain weight, not lose it. You just need that weight to be in the form of muscle. Muscle will make you faster, and your bodyfat percentage drops. You will be lean, ripped, and muscular as well as fast. So you can beat your friend in the tris, and not be laughed at by the ladies when your back is turned.

[JPradun]

Hit the gym and gain 10lbs of raw muscle. I promise, it won't slow you down.

I'm 5'8" and 150lbs and people are starting to call me skinny. I'm not, but you still need a reality check.

[evanyc]

being 136lbs and 6" and wanting to lose more weight sounds kinda wacky to me. i really don't think you'd gain much from losing more weight. simply judging by BMI - which can admittedly be kinda off - you're already considered underweight.

[trace22clawson]

Dude?? are you nuts? The only way I think you "can" lose 10 lbs is to cut off your right leg. I mean, I know that would be extreme, but at your height and weight and thinking about losing weight is already extreme! If you want to be competitive, build yourself up to look like an athlete. Put on some muscle. If you want to walk down a runway looking all gaunt and wear a skimpy dress.. then yeah, go ahead and lose the 10 lbs (yes, gettin' the runs would help in this endeavor.) Is this on the other end of the spectrum as steroid use for wanting to be competitive?

[ivegotabike]

im too small and im 6 foot 1
145 lbs

you need to look into therapy if you think you need to loose weight, you dont.

[recneps]

I'm not really interested in losing weight only uneccesary body fat. I plan to start running and watching what I eat more.

[bac]

I'm not really interested in losing weight only uneccesary body fat. I plan to start running and watching what I eat more.

It's just difficult for us to believe that you have any extra body fat to loose @ 6' and 136 lbs. By way of comparison, the rule of thumb for good climber's weight is to come in around 2 pounds for every inch of height. Given that, you can lose 4 inches of height, and still be within these guildlines for a skinny climber!

... Brad

[grebletie]

Might be a body image thing. I know that I think I could stand to lose 1-2 lbs of body fat. It would take lots of work, and probably have adverse consequences for my weekly race recovery. But I'm convinced it's something possible.

Yet, anyone else looking at me would describe me as gaunt, what with the prominent rib cage and shoulder bones. The latter assessment is probably more right, considering I'm no where near my genetic limit.

In regard to what you want to lose then, I think the trouble of losing a couple % points might be more trouble than its worth. Plus, given the rigors of racing season, it might be counter productive. I've found the best time to work on that aspect of cycling is during the winter base miles, when you're getting those long fat burning rides in anyways.

[aikigreg]

Sounds like anorexia nervosa. Yes, guys can get it too. Be careful!

[DannoXYZ]

It appear from that height & weight, you'd be faster by going to the gym and adding some muscle...

[supertj]

It appear from that height & weight, you'd be faster by going to the gym and adding some muscle...

I agree or go see counseling :D

[ratebeer]

These guys are right. You need to gain weight. I'm 6'1" and was 138 as a marathoner and triathlete. I'm 197 now and am way faster on a bike than I was as an ultralight weight.

Gain weight. You'll be stronger, happier, healthier and more attractive.

If you really want to get on a good track. Start doing a lot of short intervals, start a high protein diet and add more olive oil, non-lean fish (salmon) and avocado -- your body requires fat for proper hormone production. Your body will tenaciously cling to your remaining body fat and cut out muscle if you don't increase your nourishment. If you keep your intensity high, riding hard sprints, and the duration low -- keep your max workout an hour total including rest -- your body will balance out your hormones quicker, your mood will improve and you'll start putting on some mad muscle. Oncethose hormones kick in and you gain some muscle, you might even see some fat loss.

Best of luck!

[foehn]

I have a friend that my height that does Tri's and weighs 10lbs less than me.

I know not to compare to others, but I realized I could get lighter than I am right now by losing just fat. I'm currently 136ish 6'. Pretty light, I'm riding 150 miles or more a week but not losing any weight.

Can somebody suggest and diet changes? cutting out bread and dairy? I would love to get down to 132 and be able to keep putting out the same amount of power.

Would swimming or running help?

Geeze, my son is 6'2" (maybe 6'3") and he weighs around 145lbs. He looks like a scarecrow. He works out with a friend down the street and he has a definite six-pack think going on, but he really doesn't have an ounce of fat on him, nor many muscles. He is 16 this year, so he has some filling out to do.

Sounds like 136lbs at 6' is a little light. I say keep riding and try to eat right and don't worry about losing weight, worry about your technique and endurance.

[SSP]

At 6', 132 lbs, your Body Mass Index is 17.9...this puts you in the "Underweight" category per current guidelines (by about 4 lbs). It's also less than what most professional cyclists of your height weigh.

For many of us, losing weight is a viable way to improve on-the-bike performance. But, at your weight you're performance is probably limited because you don't have sufficient muscle mass.

Have you ever been assessed for an eating disorder?

[entukay]

low intensity, long duration exercises burn fat best.

actually just walk more, thats pretty much the best thing you can do to burn fat.

[SSP]

low intensity, long duration exercises burn fat best.

actually just walk more, thats pretty much the best thing you can do to burn fat.

Yeah, if you've got hours and hours of spare time. :rolleyes:

The "Fat Burning Zone" is a myth that has been thoroughly debunked.

While it's true that low intensity exercise burns a higher proportion of fat per unit of time, it burns a lot less total calories. And for weight loss, it's the daily calorie deficit (Calories In vs. Calories Out) that matters.

So, a brisk walk would burn 250 or so calories per hour, with most of that being due to fat metabolism.

But, a brisk bike ride would burn 500+ calories per hour, and a brisk run would burn 600+ calories.

Bottom line...for weight loss, if you can't go long, go hard.

[sonyaj87@hotmai]

I have a friend that my height that does Tri's and weighs 10lbs less than me.

I know not to compare to others, but I realized I could get lighter than I am right now by losing just fat. I'm currently 136ish 6'. Pretty light, I'm riding 150 miles or more a week but not losing any weight.

Can somebody suggest and diet changes? cutting out bread and dairy? I would love to get down to 132 and be able to keep putting out the same amount of power.

Would swimming or running help?

This sounds crazy.... You are already light. This is how anorexics think.... Are you loosing wieght to get faster or just to be leaner than your friend? What's really the advantage to loosing the wieght? :rolleyes:

[EJ123]

4+ grams of CLA supplement pills will do the trick, well it's not guanteed, but many have claimed so. Check it out!

[sonyaj87@hotmai]

That's sick and retared

[slagjumper]

That's sick and retared

I couldn't agree more. So I deleted it.


The Height you entered is 6 feet, inches. The Weight you entered is 135 pounds.
Your Calculated BMI is: 18.3

Emaciated = UNDER 15 BMI
Anorexic = Under 17.5 BMI
Underweight = Under 19 BMI
Normal = 19 - 24 BMI
Overweight = 25 - 29 BMI

[kmckay]

http://www.simplefit.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=184 (http://www.simplefit.org)

[entukay]

Yeah, if you've got hours and hours of spare time. :rolleyes:

The "Fat Burning Zone" is a myth that has been thoroughly debunked.

While it's true that low intensity exercise burns a higher proportion of fat per unit of time, it burns a lot less total calories. And for weight loss, it's the daily calorie deficit (Calories In vs. Calories Out) that matters.

So, a brisk walk would burn 250 or so calories per hour, with most of that being due to fat metabolism.

But, a brisk bike ride would burn 500+ calories per hour, and a brisk run would burn 600+ calories.

Bottom line...for weight loss, if you can't go long, go hard.


yeah it's true about the calorie loss being less with lower intensity but the OP asked about body fat loss.

[cbaronzzi]

I agree with other posters here. Rarely can anyone tell whether a person needs to lose weight simply from height and weight measurements but I just don't see how you could need to lose weight. I had a buddy who was skin and bones and who thought he needed to lose weight. Pretty soon his hair was falling out and his heart did not have the strength to efficiently pump blood around his body. His ankles would become swollen with fluid after exercise on account of his weak heart. I rode with him regularly and had first hand experience of his decrease in speed and power on a bike as he lost weight. SOme of his close friends finally had a sort of intervention with him and got him to snap out of his illusions. He got some counseling and medical treatment and it may have saved his life.

So what is the point? The point is that it is easy for a serious cyclist to become obsessed with weight and exercise and become deluded about what is a healthy weight. Every once in a while you need to step back and try to be objective about your weight and your goals. Sometimes what you really need is more food and weight in the form of muscle rather than more aerobic exercise and less weight. I suggest you ask your trusted cycling friends to give you their objective, honest opinion about whether you should lose weight and LISTEN to them.

[sonyaj87@hotmai]

I agree with other posters here. Rarely can anyone tell whether a person needs to lose weight simply from height and weight measurements but I just don't see how you could need to lose weight. I had a buddy who was skin and bones and who thought he needed to lose weight. Pretty soon his hair was falling out and his heart did not have the strength to efficiently pump blood around his body. His ankles would become swollen with fluid after exercise on account of his weak heart. I rode with him regularly and had first hand experience of his decrease in speed and power on a bike as he lost weight. SOme of his close friends finally had a sort of intervention with him and got him to snap out of his illusions. He got some counseling and medical treatment and it may have saved his life.

So what is the point? The point is that it is easy for a serious cyclist to become obsessed with weight and exercise and become deluded about what is a healthy weight. Every once in a while you need to step back and try to be objective about your weight and your goals. Sometimes what you really need is more food and weight in the form of muscle rather than more aerobic exercise and less weight. I suggest you ask your trusted cycling friends to give you their objective, honest opinion about whether you should lose weight and LISTEN to them.

I couldn't agree more