Rob P.

I started riding in 2006 at 240 lbs. I dropped 10 lbs that year while riding 2000 miles and watching what I ate. In the summer of 2008 I weighed 230 lbs and I started seriously counting my calories. 2300 miles later I weighed 221 lbs as of May 2009.

I only eat about 2600 calories per day (counted on fitday). In the last 2 weeks I have cut out one meal and have replaced it with a protein shake (whey powder drink mix). I am also using a pre-exercise performance drink mix (1 glass 1 1/2 hrs before riding). I now weigh 229 lbs.

I know that I'm building muscle and burning fat. My pants size has gone down and I can see the difference in how my birthday suit fits me. All of that doesn't help when I see the numbers on the scale GO UP!

I think I need therapy.

Greg_R

This will keep up for a bit and then all of a sudden the fat will fly off (more muscle to burn more calories). What are you using to measure your body fat %? I track that (not my body weight) to make sure I'm making gains in the right area.

CliftonGK1

You don't need therapy. You need a bodyfat monitor instead of a scale.

MIH-Dave

Weight is a terrible measurement of fitness level. If you look / feel better, then who cares how much gravity pulls on you.

Ga. boy

The first thing to keep in mind is that muscle is a lot denser than fat. If you are looking into getting lean then you need to be very careful with the whey protein. Than stuff can really bulk you up with the right dosage and amount of workout. Personally I say forget the scales if you are using all that. You just need a way to measure. Yeah you may gain a few pounds on the scale but then you realize that your calves and thighs are bigger and your waist is smaller and that may help you understand better.

If your only concern is making the numbers on the scale go down you may need to decrease the amount of protein you are taking in ( unless you are taking it in before a few hours of riding) and maybe increase your cadence. I do not know much about biking but I do know weight lifting. Heavy weights and fewer reps equals one swollen fella, lighter weights and a lot of reps equals one tone fella that is not really all that big.

wunderkind

Maybe you live in a gravity well? Heard it can increase the weight measured by a factor of 1.4!

Gromulus

I concur. Having been a competitive bodybulder in my younger day I can say that my (non-competition) weight has varied by less than 10 pounds over the past 25 years, although my fitness level has been all over the map! Forget the scale and judge yourself by how you feel, your fitness level, bodyfat percentage, and how your look (in and out of clothes).

Having been visiting this forum for a short time I quickly realized the "skewed" benchmarks and standards of weight and fitness compared to the power-lifting and bodybuilding world I spent so much time in. Even though I like riding I would still rather have a weight trained physique than a skinny runner/cyclist one! My wife asked me (in fear) if I was going to end up looking like the skinny cyclists she sees while riding! I'll give up some riding endurance and speed for heavier benchpresses and squats anyday. I used to handle dumbbells heavier than some of the roadies on this site!

jim10040

And a few of those roadies are sincerely dumbells!

Bikeforumuser0022

If your clothes fit better and you look better naked, then donate those stupid scales to a second hand charity store.

The weight doesn't matter until you're calculating weight and balance in a small aircraft.

hairnet

:/ I wouldn't want to give up a meal for a protein shake. Instead I'd just make each meal a little smaller

TechKnowGN

Trust me, Im going through the same thing. I have to watch what im eating better (were moving so lots of people trying to buy us dinners), but the swimming and biking are reforming my body. Under my moobs, I found a chest, and it's pushing away the fat in the upper half of my torso. The belly is still there (sigh) if anything it feels bigger, but im guessing thats just a mental thing.

My pants definitely fit better around my rear (ive never had much of a rear, but its getting better in the seat and sides), so im happy about that.

Just keep working and eventually the muscle will kill off the fat.

pcmike

Where do you get a body fat monitor?

ban guzzi

+1

when you spend so much time focused on numbers on an angry littel box, it can be difficult to shift perspective.

rideorglide

I was kinda dismayed at a similar circumstance, but recently had dropped bodyfat by around 2%, and was looking a lot better, after having spent more time in gym recently with weights.

dobber

Weigh yourself after a good dump. You'll be much happier.

JonnyHK 

One meal a day is a mistake. Look up some of the research and you'll see that plenty of respectable sources suggest multiple small meals each day.

The body reacts to getting one meal a day as if it is being starved, so perversely you can see a decline in your weight loss.

Multiple small meals keeps the 'fires' burning so that the body is more satisfied, this in turn leading to quicker/greater weight loss.

Rob P.

Ahh, you misunderstood what I said. I'm not eating one meal per day. Instead I'm swapping one of my regular meals for a protein drink.

120 Cals, 23 gr protein and it fills me up until dinner on days I don't ride. On riding days, I have the protein drink AND something like bread or rice leftovers AND a pre-workout drink (about 1 hr before riding for this) plus regular meals.

The protein drink drops my daily calorie intake by 200-300 cals. depending on whether I mix it with milk or water. Plus it helps repair/build my muscles.

I guess I'm just whining about only losing 20 lbs and then gaining 10 back after all the thousands of miles I've ridden. That and I still suck at hills are my biggest complaints.

Velo Dog

I thought that was my problem, too, but it turned out to be the ice cream.

JonnyHK 

Whoops! Yes, I did mis-read that.

Greg_R

Get one from Amazon. For true accuracy you'd get a submersion test (weight you in water and compare to your displacement). However, these electric meters do a pretty good job at tracking your trends if you follow directions (namely, take measurements at the same time of day).