I wonder how long it will take to pass through my latest phase?

My weight loss seems to have stopped dead in its tracks and I don't even seem to be getting any fitter even though I'm doing longer rides. I almost feel as though I'm wasting my time. I still enjoy biking but it doesn't seem to be doing what it started to do.

Anyone else been through this and how long did it take to jump back on with joy?

How long have you been at this, a month???

It could be that you're replacing fat with muscle, so the weight loss may have slowed a bit.

Prolly six weeks now and the knees are marginally better. I feel a bit fitter but it ain't progressing and that's the worst part for me. Sh1t 12 years of sedentary work has left me totally stuffed up.

As you lose fat, and keep excercising you are going to be gaining muscle ... keep in mind the saying muscle is heavier than fat is true .. you might even gain a few pounds after a while.

Keep at it and try to eat healthy .. eat little meals 5 or 6 times thru the day instead of one or two big meals

To me a "longer ride" itself suggests increased fitness.

Is your "joy" in losing weight or cycling? For me the joy is in the ride. Losing weight I ascribe to diet even though intellectually I realize it's both.

If you really find joy in riding your bike - ride it. If less weight however, is your only pay-off you needn't force yourself to ride to achieve that.

Six week isn't going to undo something that took 12 years to develop. The fix isn't that easy and simple, otherwise everyone would be doing it as the "quick fix".

Be patient, Haags. You do plateau on the way through. I think also you might try finding other positive reasons to cycle. You seemed to doing all right with that a couple of weeks ago. Look at cycling as a lifestyle choice.

By the way, you are using a moderately high pedalling cadence, aren't you? Two reasons: It will be better for your knees, and your heart rate will be in a fat-burn zone more often. Maybe also take to using the tape measure on legs, arms, waist, hips, etc. As has been pointed out, muscle mass is heavier than fat. There is a good chance you'll be replacing adipose tissue with larger muscle fibres.

Oh, and stay off the grog if you want to see a real and more rapid improvement. Just some personal advice that works for me.

Be Patient HD it takes a while. Did you change your diet too? Or anything else? Did you do any on line research about cycling for weight loss? Taking it easy on the knees may keep your loss a little slow for a while. Just keep on riding. If you can't push hard on the knees, if you can keep increasing the distance that will help over time.

About the gain from increased muscle, maybe there is a place to get your body fat measured? Or are you getting slimmer?

I enjoy the ride but I took up riding for several reasons. 1. Mobility, I sit here all day at work on my fat arse and couldn't go anywhere. Now I can - fantastic. 2. Wanted to get fit, that's happening albeit too slowly for me. I know, I know... slowly, slowly. 3. I wanted to lose weight really badly. Once again yes, it's happening but too slowly .

I am noticing the difference in my shirts. Once upon a time they were tight, now they're loose. Even my gut is starting to dimple, I assume that's caused by fat disappearing.

Anyway, it seems to have stopped and the effort almost doesn't seem worth it. I guess I'm just a bit down that's all. I'm sure it will pick up.

I know how you feel. We have all hit plateu (sp?) at some point. When this happens to me, I like to change things up a bit. Try different excercises, do something different. It is ok to take a short break from the bike. Or change up the type of riding you do

Are you eating better? A good diet is an important part of the weight loss process. Be sure to treat your self once in a while, something that you like but know you can't eat all the time.

Forgot to mention my diet. Yeah, I haven't changed it so much but I've cut stuff out. I'm off the cookies (up to three a day) also cut out sugar in my hot drinks. Worked out to a cup of sugar a week that I'm not quaffing down my guts. I did some very basic maths and worked out that a cup of sugar is equivalent to your daily required intake of joules. So if I'm cutting out a day's worth of eating I'd expect a more apparent weight loss.

You're on the right path!

Wise Merton has spoken simple truths...again!

Yes, instead of thinking about what you can't eat, think about what you CAN...apples (yum), bananas (yum on Special K), raspberries (double yum), carrots, pears, fresh lettuce from the garden. I swear that good things happen when one eats an apple a day.

And WATER--DRINK alot of water every day. Eight big, tall glasses per day. That will help.

It took years for the flab to gather; it'll take more than 6 weeks to get it off. Try walking, as long as your knees can handle it, and keep biking. You're getting stronger, healthier, and fitter! Don't stop now.

Yup, plan to keep it up. The diet isn't that bad and I'm walking and riding. I guess I just want it all to happen faster when it seems to have stopped. Guess I need to pull my head in and keep at it.

If you've been at it 6 weeks, you've barely begun! I've been cycling seriously for 15 years now. There are good days and there are occasionally some bad days, but the trick is to stick with it!

Many times I've found that even if I really don't feel like going out for a ride, I do anyway and within a few minutes I'm enjoying myself so much I can hardly believe I considered not going out.

Also, you might need to consider doing some things like:

- changing your route. EXPLORE! I've just moved to a new province, and my current goal is to ride every paved road I can find in about a 100 mile radiius (or possibly more!). Where I lived before, there were a grand total of 24 paved roads (out in the country). Here, it seems every other road is paved. Every time I go out I see a new paved road I haven't tried yet, so I make a note of it for next time.

- joining a club. Check for a local cycletouring club with whom you can ride once a week or so.

- setting a goal. Don't set something like, "I want to lose weight and gain fitness" - that has to be one of the worst goals out there because it is so vague. Set a goal like ... "I want to ride a century in September", or "I want to do a 3-day, 100 km/day tour in July" or something very tangible like that. Then you've got something to work toward.

And most importantly, don't forget to go out and have FUN while riding. Riding isn't supposed to be a chore - take a look at the scenery around you, bring a camera to capture it, talk to the cows, do your thinking and dreaming and planning ...

Fitness gains happen in fits and starts. When you start out, you get a rapid improvement for a few weeks. Then the fitness curve flattens out. Don't worry. Keep up the riding and the curve will move up again.

Below is an excerpt from Arnie Baker, ACE Training.

If the cows talk back, take a couple of days off.


HD....
It is a good idea to take a day off the bike once in a while. It's good physically and mentally.

you really do need to change what you eat, not just cut back.

brown rice, oats and other whole grains, legumes, fruits, fish, vegetables, soy protein, lean dairy, minimal sugar, monosaturated fats...

and keep riding

HD I feel for ya, I'm in the middle of a plateau myself (though it took me 11 weeks to get here rather than six). I gave myself a goal: a two-day 150mi ride for charity in June (link. The training rides alone are going to be longer than I've ever ridden, and I get to notch a couple metric centuries to boot. It's also gotten me biking with other people, something that helps get through these plateaus. I know all too well how it feels to want to binge and give up, have a few Milky Ways and then hit Carl's Jr/Hardee's on the way home from the bar, but ya gotta stick it out. Mental fitness is part of the game too

You're on the right track, cutting things back (like the sugar). Little stuff like skim milk, brown rice, whole wheat anything over white, and more fruit/veggies will do wonders. Having a cornerstone meal may help too. (yes, I just made up the term) It's a meal that is basically the same, day in and day out. Mine is breakfast: a bowl of Fiber One or uncooked oats, some raisins with skim milk, and a yogurt. Having a cornerstone can be an anchor when you think your other meals may be slipping. I know I'm doing my body good with breakfast, it gives me a positive mental outlook on doing the rest of the day like that

Hang in there, if you need to take a day or two away from the bike, that's cool. Don't lose the love of cycling (or exercising in general) over a plateau. They're normal, and you're doing great

Scott

A cup of sugar is most definitely *not* equivalent to the daily required intake of joules (or, calories, depending on your units of measure). 1 cup of sugar (192g) contains 720 calories, or 3014 joules. A 6' tall, 50-ish male who weighs 190 lbs and is lightly active can expect to burn 10406 joules per day (2485 calories).

It sounds like you are on the right path, but are a bit impatient. As others have pointed out, you did not get overweight and out of shape overnight...don't expect to lose your excess weight and get "buff" overnight either. Successful weight loss requires patience and persistence.

For long term success, you need to achieve a modest daily energy deficit. A deficit of 500 calories per day (2093 joules) should result in weight loss of about 1 lb (0.45 kg) per week. This is considered a safe, and healthy, rate of weight loss. But, even smaller deficits can result in substantial weight loss if maintained over time...and, they're easier to achieve.

As for achieving the energy deficit - it can be done via dietary control, or exercise, or (ideally) both. But, be aware that dietary control is far more important than exercise - it's very easy to subvert a good exercise program with a few poor food choices.

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As many have mentioned above, your weight loss plateau might be due to muscle gain. So, you might think about getting your body fat percentage tested, so that you have a baseline, and then checking back periodically to see if you've made gains (that is, losses in your body fat percentage). My wife recently found out that after 3 months of regular exercise, she has reduced her body fat percentage by 10 points, a fact that means a lot more in terms of fitness than her weight, which has gone down all that much. And it was very energizing and motivating for her!

Wow, this was a really good thread! Lots of good info. A suggestion that I would add is trying to put other muscle groups to task. Can you do some swimming in between the cycling? The plateau that I hit in my weight loss efforts took nearly 12wks to get past...I think that a lot was due to the building of dense muscle in areas that were sadly lacking.

If you quit I'm gonna quit too.

Row a real boat in a real lake. Row hard for 30 minutes, then drift on the water for 30 minutes. Give your mind a break and your knees a rest. A lot of parks rent rowboats real cheap.

Quit worrying about plateaus. that's just the way our bodies respond to new situations. You're normal!

I'll keep at it. I'm sure it's all happening, I actually feel slightly trimmer today and I don't care if that's only a mental thing. Gonna change my route home tonight just to give myself something new to look at.

My diet is already pretty good. I could do better I suppose and will look at ways of doing that too.

Fitness is improving and i guess I am expecting a lot.

Thanks for all your help people.

God God, I love the grass-fed beef you get in Argentina... butterflied churrascos seared in garlic butter...

I just rode 25 miles into work, I am damn hungry now.