Building up the miles

[ColinJ]

Since I was 16 I had been a 28” waist until a few years ago and now I’m between 30-32” depending on the brand. Ideally I want to get back down to a 28” waist so I can feel myself again. Is it too late for me to do that?

Unlike BigMeatball, I'll assume that you are genuine...

I'd say that you definitely sound like someone who is at risk of developing risky weight loss issues, so be vigilant!

If you could stick at no lower than 11.5-12.0 stone then that would probably be healthy as long as you eat and exercise healthily to get there but I doubt that you would have a 28" waist at that kind of weight. I am 2 inches shorter than you and I was pretty slim at 12 stone but still had a 33-34" waist...

I think you will probably crash diet down to 12 stone and be disappointed with what your waistline looks like and carry on down to 11 stone and so on!

The best thing you could do would be to eat a full healthy diet of (say) 2,000 calories a day and use a sensible amount of exercise to get off any more weight than the slightly reduced calorie intake achieves. (Where 'sensible amount of exercise' is no more than 10-15 hours a week.)

Oh, and well done on reducing your booze intake - definitely stick to that!

 

[Globalti]

Hey, thanks for your reply.

I don’t want to look ill, but I want to look lean/slim so when I look in the mirror I look straight up and down (skinny). What is annoying me is that my waist size hasn’t increased that much, but my belly sort of hangs over a pair of jeans. Of course I’m exaggerated the size of my beer belly because it’s in my head and I feel fat and I hate the fact my physical appearance has changed.

I have cut down drinking alcohol a lot, I used to drink 15+ pints at a pub and then quite often drink a bottle of whisky every night. These days I’m lucky if I drink four cans of lager.

That's a prodigious amount of booze and even four cans of lager is more calories than you need. Unfortunately alcohol suppresses testosterone, a double whammy as men enter middle age and testosterone levels diminish naturally. This allows our natural oestrogen level to predominate meaning we tend to accumulate body fat including breasts.

I would give up alcohol for a month, cut portion sizes especially carbs and cycle three times a week to give your muscles time to recover in between efforts. A brisk local walk on the other days is fine.

 

[PaulSB]

Since I was 16 I had been a 28” waist until a few years ago and now I’m between 30-32” depending on the brand. Ideally I want to get back down to a 28” waist so I can feel myself again. Is it too late for me to do that?

Well I was 28-30" as a young man. At 66 I'm very happy with 31". It's about how you look and feel not the measurement.

 

[alicat]

I want to lose a couple of stone. I used to drink quite heavily so I have put on a bit of weight, well at least enough that I have noticed it. I’m not proud to say it, but I have what is known as a beer belly,

My wife and I are going shopping later. Should I buy mainly fruit and vegetables? What else should I buy?

A non-cyclist of normal weight wants to know how to get rid of a beer belly. My advice for what it's worth is 'anything but beer'. Next.

 

[CXRAndy]

You've got a 31" waist.

Forget it, you're wasting our time

 

[LemonJuice]

Unlike BigMeatball, I'll assume that you are genuine...

I'd say that you definitely sound like someone who is at risk of developing risky weight loss issues, so be vigilant!

If you could stick at no lower than 11.5-12.0 stone then that would probably be healthy as long as you eat and exercise healthily to get there but I doubt that you would have a 28" waist at that kind of weight. I am 2 inches shorter than you and I was pretty slim at 12 stone but still had a 33-34" waist...

I think you will probably crash diet down to 12 stone and be disappointed with what your waistline looks like and carry on down to 11 stone and so on!

The best thing you could do would be to eat a full healthy diet of (say) 2,000 calories a day and use a sensible amount of exercise to get off any more weight than the slightly reduced calorie intake achieves. (Where 'sensible amount of exercise' is no more than 10-15 hours a week.)

Oh, and well done on reducing your booze intake - definitely stick to that!

Ignore him, he has had it in for me ever since I declared myself to be a self-proclaimed perfectionist.

When I was 11.5-12 stone I was a 28” waist, but quite often I had to buy a 30” waist pair of jeans and wear a belt because I am a 34” leg. I used to be straight up and down (slim) and that is how I want to be again.

Do I always have to eat a meal prior to the exercise or may I go for a walk or bike ride and then have a meal once I get home?

 

[LemonJuice]

Well I was 28-30" as a young man. At 66 I'm very happy with 31". It's about how you look and feel not the measurement.

Granted. But, if you wanted to, do you think you could lose more weight and be a 28” waist again?

 

[ColinJ]

Do I always have to eat a meal prior to the exercise or may I go for a walk or bike ride and then have a meal once I get home?

I'm ok for a couple of hours worth of exercise on an empty stomach but anything much beyond that I like to eat first. I prefer to wait at least an hour and preferably 2 hours before going out on my bike but that is because it is very hilly here and heading off uphill immediately after a meal doesn't feel good.

 

[LemonJuice]

You've got a 31" waist.

Forget it, you're wasting our time

What do you mean?

 

[alicat]

These are the facts as I see them:

This is a forum for cyclists and people interested in cycling.

The OP is not a cyclist.

The OP tells us that he has a beer belly that he is interested in getting rid of.

The OP has a BMI of 22 and a waist measurement of 31".

The OP claims to be practically a teetotaler but drinks four cans of lager in a sitting.

The OP wants advice on what to eat for breakfast and what to buy when he and his wife go food shopping.

Six pages of questions about how to do basic daily tasks.

I know a troll when I see one. Go on, report me too if you haven't taken @BigMeatball's advice to chop your arms off.

 

[LemonJuice]

I'm ok for a couple of hours worth of exercise on an empty stomach but anything much beyond that I like to eat first. I prefer to wait at least an hour and preferably 2 hours before going out on my bike but that is because it is very hilly here and heading off uphill immediately after a meal doesn't feel good.

I wasn’t sure if eating after a ride would interfere with trying to lose weight.

 

[LemonJuice]

The OP claims to be practically a teetotaler but drinks four cans of lager in a sitting.

I used to drink a lot but now I have four pints in the evening on a Saturday. I would say most people could comfortably drink four pints in an evening. The statement about being a teetotaller was a tongue in cheek remark about how much I used to drink to how much I drink now (if I do).

Do you enjoy taking things out of context?Similarly, if you want to think I’m a troll then so be it, but I know that I am not a troll.

 

[ColinJ]

I think you doubters are missing the obvious signs that I alluded to above, which are that LJ may well be genuine and is potentially at risk of developing an eating disorder, so why not be kind and try to be helpful?

I wasn’t sure if eating after a meal would interfere with trying to lose weight.

You definitely ARE overthinking things!

It isn't hard to lose a healthy amount of weight a week. If you eat 2,000 calories worth of healthy food a day at ANY time of day, exercise regularly, and keep your alcohol intake down then you will lose 1-2 lbs a week. It is nicer to eat the food over (say) 2 or 3 meals a day rather than all at (say) 06:00 or 22:15, but just fit the meals in when they suit you.

You won't want to go on a hard 4 hour bike ride on an empty stomach, and you won't want to eat 2,000 calories in one sitting and then race up a huge hill either!

 

[vickster]

I wasn’t sure if eating after a meal would interfere with trying to lose weight.

There’s no need to eat after a meal...

 

[ColinJ]

There’s no need to eat after a meal...

Ha ha - I didn't notice that typo!