Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - What am I missing - gaining weight

ipm brought up fitday and I looked and at the link he posted and it got me looking over my days over there. Perhaps I'm sleep eating or my water is tainted with calories ;) Not sure what I'm doing wrong.

The only excersise I'm allowed is riding and walking. No weights, swimming, rowing, etc.
I usually commute by bicycle 42 miles round trip 3 times a week and recently I've been doing longer rides on weekends (75 miles two weeks ago, 200k or 127 miles this past weekend). For a while I was dropping weight but since the beginning of the year I've been steadily climbing back. I did change bikes but I'd hope going from a road bike to a recumbent wouldn't cancel out any benefits of riding.

Here is a pretty standard day of intake. Not perfect but pretty good I thought.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2164/2418124785_dfdb7d368e_o.jpg

Any ideas?

ipm brought up fitday and I looked and at the link he posted and it got me looking over my days over there. Perhaps I'm sleep eating or my water is tainted with calories ;) Not sure what I'm doing wrong.

The only excersise I'm allowed is riding and walking. No weights, swimming, rowing, etc.
I usually commute by bicycle 42 miles round trip 3 times a week and recently I've been doing longer rides on weekends (75 miles two weeks ago, 200k or 127 miles this past weekend). For a while I was dropping weight but since the beginning of the year I've been steadily climbing back. I did change bikes but I'd hope going from a road bike to a recumbent wouldn't cancel out any benefits of riding.

Here is a pretty standard day of intake. Not perfect but pretty good I thought.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2164/2418124785_dfdb7d368e_o.jpg

Any ideas?

Yes. How much to do you weigh? It could be you are at maintenance level, or simply stalled. Are you gaining pounds but losing inches? You could be adding muscle.

Well i dont really know what your current weight is but...i would say if you want to lose weight, keep the cals around 2000. Personally i have had a lot of success with low intensity cardio (eliptical) on an empty stomach in the morning. Doing 1 hour 3 times a week (with lifting in the afternoon) i am down to 204lbs, from 250lbs in february. I also kept my cals down, high protien, low carb intake. Do you have a goal weight or BF %?

Yes. How much to do you weigh? It could be you are at maintenance level, or simply stalled. Are you gaining pounds but losing inches? You could be adding muscle.
Well yeah that would help oops. I weighed 272 most recently. Straight BMI puts me at 34.9 and I have a 48" waiste so I'm not losing inches there.

Dude, you sure you're eating only 2Tbsp of peanut butter and a single serving of dressing?

I need at least 4Tbsp and a 1/4cup respectively to do anything worthwhile. :D

Might want to double check your measurements.

We're missing a lot of info though. Your weight for one. And weight loss is not a single day thing. Or even a single week. It's calories in vs. calories out over a long period of time. Average calorie consumption over a month or so would tell us more.

Also, if you did in fact commute 42 miles on that amount of food, you may be in some kind of starvation mode. I burn 5000+ calories on the days I do my 40+ mile commute. I eat about 4000 calories on those days.

And I'm not sure if it has anything to do with weight loss, but ditch that crap sweetened ice tea. 100% empty calories. :D

It seems to me that you're simply taking in to much. Almost 3000 calaries a day seems pretty high if you are wanting to lose weight. I'd start by shaving 500 off of there and see what happens.

2884 is LOTS of calories. Way too much if you want to lose weight. Quit drinking the Odwalla (the chicken should provide enough protein...you don't need a supplement) and the Nestea. Neither one is doing you any good, and they add greatly to the calories.

2884 is LOTS of calories. Way too much if you want to lose weight.


Not if you're riding 42 miles that day. ;)

Not if you're riding 42 miles that day. ;)

It's way to much on off days, period. Every person will need a different amount of calories on workout days. I've riden on far fewer calories than that and I'm still here to write about it. I think people tend to get scared of how many (or lack there of) calories they really need to take in. Remember there are plenty of calories that are currently being stored that need to be burned also. Eat enough to start the fire and repair tissure then let the fire burn the excess stored calories.

Yeah I really do need to drop the nestea.
I only drink it about once a week only on days I ride. My average calories per a day is 2500 this year and I'm sure I'm underestimating some pieces but I'd think cycling and around the house activities would cancel that out but maybe i'm hoping too much.

There are two ways to make the goal workable... either cut back on the food, or add in on the exercise.

I also think that the Odwalla and the Nestea may be unnecessary, and sugared iced-tea is definitely a killer in terms of empty calories.

Also, I don't know how the chicken is getting prepared in this context, but a single Tbsp. of Olive Oil can have a hundred calories plus...

So it's that, and the difference between a tablespoon of PB, and a heaping tablespoon can be a pile of caloric value...

Well yeah that would help oops. I weighed 272 most recently. Straight BMI puts me at 34.9 and I have a 48" waiste so I'm not losing inches there.

Maintenance. The old rule of thumb, if I have it correct, is ten calories per pound to maintain. Start trimming calories and you should start trimming again.

It seems to me that you're simply taking in to much. Almost 3000 calaries a day seems pretty high if you are wanting to lose weight. I'd start by shaving 500 off of there and see what happens.

Switching to water or unsweetened tea and ditching the protein drink gets him there and more.

Yeah I really do need to drop the nestea.
I only drink it about once a week only on days I ride. My average calories per a day is 2500 this year and I'm sure I'm underestimating some pieces but I'd think cycling and around the house activities would cancel that out but maybe i'm hoping too much.

Switch to water with some lemon in it on riding days.

I think you are in maintenance mode. Cut 500 calories a day from your diet and watch what happens. Remember the first big loss you had when you started dieting? That can happen again.

Yeah I really do need to drop the nestea.
I only drink it about once a week only on days I ride. My average calories per a day is 2500 this year and I'm sure I'm underestimating some pieces but I'd think cycling and around the house activities would cancel that out but maybe i'm hoping too much.

2500 calories a day while conservatively averaging 120 miles a week on the bike just doesn't seem to add up.

If you are entering everything, every day, as accurately as possible it would seem you just have a really weird metabolism and fitday may not be the proper tool.

Even given some pretty wide variation in my diet and exercise, the rule of 3500 extra calories burned = 1lb of fat burned has always held true for me.

It's way to much on off days, period. Every person will need a different amount of calories on workout days. I've riden on far fewer calories than that and I'm still here to write about it. I think people tend to get scared of how many (or lack there of) calories they really need to take in. Remember there are plenty of calories that are currently being stored that need to be burned also. Eat enough to start the fire and repair tissure then let the fire burn the excess stored calories.

BINGO!! You have a lot of glycogen stored, and by limiting the caloric intake, you will begin to tap into those stores and burn them.

BINGO!! You have a lot of glycogen stored, and by limiting the caloric intake, you will begin to tap into those stores and burn them.

Even the most highly trained athletes can only store 2500 calories or so of glycogen at any given time.

Assuming an average day of 2500 calories eaten, a 272 pound rider riding 42 miles should burn way more than 5000 calories even if he does almost nothing else.

Break even? I guess I can buy that.

Gain? Nope. The numbers don't make sense unless you have a godlike capacity for stored glycogen.

And lets not forget, the calories in that glycogen had to come from *somwhere*. They didn't magically appear out of nowhere. As I said before. It's not day to day or even week to week. It's the average over a long, long period of time.

Even the most highly trained athletes can only store 2500 calories or so of glycogen at any given time.

Assuming an average day of 2500 calories eaten, a 272 pound rider riding 42 miles should burn way more than 5000 calories even if he does almost nothing else.

Break even? I guess I can buy that.

Gain? Nope. The numbers don't make sense unless you have a godlike capacity for stored glycogen.

And lets not forget, the calories in that glycogen had to come from *somwhere*. They didn't magically appear out of nowhere. As I said before. It's not day to day or even week to week. It's the average over a long, long period of time.

There's always the chance he's underestimating calories taken in.

It varies with the individual, and the individual's weight, but very roughly, you'll burn perhaps 100 calories a mile walking and about a third that cycling. Your body is pretty efficient, and on a bike VERY efficient, at moving itself. Unless you're pushing yourself to the edge of exhaustion, think averages, not day-by-day. You don't have to eat more on days you exercise more. You have reserves (body fat), and what you're trying to do is tap into those reserves and use them up.

I think you need to find another protein drink, try a whey based one that mixes with water. Other than that if you can sub the nestea with water you can easily save 500 calories a day.

What intesity are these rides? I think we need to get an idea of how many calories are actually being burned on these rides.

I think you need to find another protein drink, try a whey based one that mixes with water. Other than that if you can sub the nestea with water you can easily save 500 calories a day.But if he's eating what he says, he's almost certainly getting enough protein without a supplementary protein drink...so why drink one at all?

But if he's eating what he says, he's almost certainly getting enough protein without a supplementary protein drink...so why drink one at all?

Protein drinks are good for dulling hunger aches, but you are right. There really is no need for the extra protein, nix the shake and the nestea for a savings of 732 cals.

Why can't you do any weight training?

Jim

What intesity are these rides? I think we need to get an idea of how many calories are actually being burned on these rides.
This mornings ride commute in.
1 hour 43 minutes
Averages Heart Rate 113
1707 calories per my HR monitor. I know is it crap but perhaps useful to compare rides.
This morning I did take it pretty easy because I didn't want to fight with the wind.
I am usually riding at a pace I can't talk at but with marfans well maybe that is lower then most.
Here is info on my 75 mile and 200k for comparison
200k
9 hours 34 minutes
Average Heart Rate 136
1369 calories?? (I'm hoping it rolled the odometer or something)
75 mile
5 hours
Average Heart Rate 149
6677 calories per my HR monitor

I gotta bring jugs of water in to work on my driving days so I can avoid ice tea. The water/ice I do drink but it does bad things to my system.


Why can't you do any weight training?
Jim
A bad case of Marfan Syndrome. Yeah me :(

Okay now we need your resting metobolic rate.

Per http://www.shapeup.org/interactive/rmr1.php (looks similar to what the classes at the gym come up with)
Enter your height: 6'2"
Enter your weight in pounds: 272 lbs.
Enter your age: 33 Male

Calculated Resting Metablolic Rate: 2239 Calories per day

Okay, what do you do for work and what is your activity level during the day besides your bike rides?

I am on permanent restricted work duty.
All I can do is sit working on the computer at my current job.
I use the stairs to get around and walk a bit but nothing worth counting.

I'll do light yardwork for say 4 hours a week but on most days it's commute-work-eat-sleep.

Super, now on your long weekend rides are you still only taking in the stated "2500" calorie average per day?

On those specific days I had 1917 for the 75 mile ride day and 3150 for the 200k. I ate a small breakfast and slowly ate calories during the ride instead of having meals. After the ride I didn't really eat more just collapsed when I got home.

On the longer ride I did grab a cupcake after I got to around 100 since it was my first century. I probably had a couple too many ensures also but I didn't want to crampup or bonk and such. It was more of a first long ride training rather then a weight loss adventure.

Hopefully getting more longer rides will allow me to burn more weight off. My quick commute probably isn't that helpful for weight.

Were you loosing weight when you rode the road bike..
I ride with a group of retired folks. The lady on the recumbent just sits and pedals as we go down the road.
The three of us on road bikes, stand up move around all the time using up more energy then the recumbent rider.

Anyone know how accurate the calories burned calculators are? I'm wonding if his numbers are accurate or not. I've never used one so I have no personal experience with them.

Anyone know how accurate the calories burned calculators are? I'm wonding if his numbers are accurate or not. I've never used one so I have no personal experience with them.

If you're talking about a heart rate monitor, I'd guess it's pretty accurate if you gave it accurate information on your age, weight etc. Otherwise, I'd guess most "calculators" are not very accurate at all (and also remember that a lot of people think they're working much harder than they are).

I would say fit day is accurate with the food calculations, but most people are not accurate with the AMOUNTS they are actually eating. Going from what I have done in the past with weighing food and comparing calories. the bicycle numbers of burning calories are no where close to what I burn. To ride at 10 mph, is nothing for me on my road bike at an easy pace, so the calories burned can't be anywhere close.

This is just my opinion, and take it as that.

I was losing the most weight in the beginning when I rode my xtracycle and had a shorter commute (20miles round trip) that I could do everyday probably at a higher intensity. That was also when I had the most weight to lose, it was hotter out and my diet changed the most.

The recumbent is easier in the wind and limits the full body movement I could use on the xtracycle or my road bike which I was using from january to february on my longer commute.

As far as stalling. I think I stalled after I went to my new longer commute in october and was yoyoing a few pounds back and forth. I stoped checkign my weight till a couple weeks ago and I was at 276. My recumbent riding started in march so It may have long term effects or maybe it caused the current blip.

Well no more ice tea or other sugar water for me and hopefully that will help me get back on the path. I really need to drop closer to or under 200. Since I can't really get all bulked up from lifting, since I can't lift, hopefully that is attainable.

Here's one small comment from an Ex-Army guy. Many people with a strenuous workout routine will gain weight from muscle faster than they lose weight from body fat.