Losing too much weight

[Chris08]

Alright guys, so i have been road cycling for around 3 months now doing an average of 40 miles a week. I am 16 years old and 6ft 3 and slim. I have found that i am losing weight and getting skinnier as my jeans do not fit as well as they did 3 months ago. I am eating quite a lot of food so that's not really an issue.
Some people may be happy and that losing weight is a positive, however for me it is a negative as i don't want to be skinny i want to put on some muscle and put on weight.

Let me know what your thoughts are.

Chris

 

[ColinJ]

How slim is 'slim' - how much do you weigh and what is your waist measurement?

I'm 2 inches shorter than you and a medium build and I'd be happy to be 12.0 - 12.5 stone.

I'd have thought that if you are a slimmer build then roughly the same kind of weight range would be right for you.

What do you eat and drink in a typical day?

 

[cyberknight]

Assuming you do not have a health problem then if you want to put on muscle cycling is not going to help you as want to be looking at weight work .

 

[Pale Rider]

Weight control - gaining or losing - is mostly to do with diet.

Forty miles a week on the bike is great, but it won't burn a lot of calories - you need to eat more.

You say it has taken three months to notice the fit in your jeans, so it looks like you are losing weight very gradually, or in other words, you are not far out of balance.

Might be worth having a word with your GP who, depending on how cranky the health services are in your area, can get you an appointment with a dietician.

Won't cost you anything, and the advice should be sounder than you will get from people on the internet with stupid names like Pale Rider.

 

[lulubel]

As a 16 year old male who is active (40 miles a week is very active compared to the majority people) you'll lose weight really easily. I know lots of people your age who can eat and eat and eat and not gain any weight. It's fairly normal.

If you don't want to lose any more weight, you're going to need to eat more, I'm afraid. (There are plenty of us here who would be very happy to have that problem!) Try to add some healthy, calorie dense foods like nuts, seeds and avocado to your diet. They will help to up your calorie intake without making you feel stuffed.

 

[wanda2010]

Cheeseburger with bacon, chips and guinness! Repeat at intervals

 

[Jimmy Doug]

I used to have your problem; then I reached the age of 25 and found that I could no longer eat whatever I wanted. Don't worry about it. However, if you have any concern, I can only echo what Pale Rider has said to you.

 

[MattHB]

the likelihood is that your metabolism is running on high anyway, and exercise is only going to speed that up. Eating more will help, but isnt likely to bulk you up in any way whatsoever.

If I were you, Id enjoy being a racing snake while you can, get some serious power in those legs and go racing!

 

[ianrauk]

Oh to be young again

 

[HLaB]

Weight control - gaining or losing - is mostly to do with diet.

Forty miles a week on the bike is great, but it won't burn a lot of calories - you need to eat more.

You say it has taken three months to notice the fit in your jeans, so it looks like you are losing weight very gradually, or in other words, you are not far out of balance.

Might be worth having a word with your GP who, depending on how cranky the health services are in your area, can get you an appointment with a dietician.

Won't cost you anything, and the advice should be sounder than you will get from people on the internet with stupid names like Pale Rider.

What they said^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[Kins]

Really, all you need to know is a bit of nutrition and the difference between Aerobic and Anaerobic exercise unless you have an underlying medical condition. Do Anaerobic exercise to bulk up and Aerobic to lose weight generally.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Really, all you need to know is a bit of nutrition and the difference between Aerobic and Anaerobic exercise unless you have an underlying medical condition. Do Anaerobic exercise to bulk up and Aerobic to lose weight generally.

Putting on muscle will have as much of an effect as aerobic sport through BMR increases. Something to consider.

 

[boydj]

Agreed. The only way for you to put weight on in your situation is to do some real weight-bearing exercise to build up some muscle. Simply eating more might put weight on, but probably not in a healthy way. I'd suggest doing weights or some circuit training, or even swimming (which isn't really weight-bearing) to build up the muscles in your upper body.

 

[Chris08]

How slim is 'slim' - how much do you weigh and what is your waist measurement?

I'm 2 inches shorter than you and a medium build and I'd be happy to be 12.0 - 12.5 stone.

I'd have thought that if you are a slimmer build then roughly the same kind of weight range would be right for you.

What do you eat and drink in a typical day?

Just weighed myself and it came to exactly 11 stone.

In a typical day i would eat/drink:

• Breakfast: Bowl of Cheerios (cereal) with milk, Glass of orange juice.
• Mid-morning snack: Chocolate bar
• Lunch: Sandwich, bottle of coke, maybe a packet of crisps/ fruit.
• Throughout afternoon/ evening: 2/3 cups of tea/coffee & 5 biscuits?
• Tea/ evening meal: Main home cooked meal- spaghetti bolognese/ chicken & rice etc.
• Bowl of cereal before bed.

Maybe starting doing weights would be a good idea and i think the main problem is my waist because again, my jeans don't fit. My jeans are a 34/ 32 but now i think it would be best for a 34/30, don't even know if they make them but haha. and i can feel certain hip bones/ rib bones that i didn't normally notice if that makes sense?
Just when i put my hand on my hip/ rib all i can feel is bone and i feel really skinny.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Not great is it?