REALLY Confused - Advice Please

[ColinJ]

There are probably all sorts of factors at work. Perhaps you were dehydrated when you got the low readings, or perhaps you ate something which is making you retain extra fluid when you get the high readings.

The timing of toilet visits relative to weighings is an obvious factor. Temperature sensitivity of digital scales is another one (mine are definitely affected by heat and cold).

Accuracy of scales - mine absolutely refuse to indicate certain weights. For example, I have been hovering around 15 stone for a couple of months now but my weight is always shown as 14-13 or 15-01, never 15-00.

The most obvious thing to try is weighing yourself multiple times in quick succession. I have seen readings from 14-12 to 15-02 within minutes of each other. Once you've observed that, you realise that cheap scales can't actually be trusted to the precise pound or half kilo.

My suggestion is to do what I was doing - weigh yourself first thing in the morning, always under the same conditions i.e naked or wearing PJs, pre-toilet visit or post. Write down the reading. Accumulate readings for a week, then take the average of them. That is your official weight for the week. Doing that tends to smooth out the daily fluctuations which will otherwise do your head in! The overall trend will be obvious though.

The best gauge of progress is a belt. Find one with notches at (say) one inch intervals. Put it round your waist and do it up so that it is comfortable without you breathing in! Mark each hole as you use it. Ideally, you always use the hole you used last time until eventually you can tighten it another notch.

Keep up the good work and don't let the scales distract you.

 

[ASC1951]

Looking back at my weight loss charts it seem I have a big week of losing (4-6lbs) then the following week always seems to be 1 or 2 lbs at max, is this normal ?

Yes. Losing 4-6lb in a week is a fair bit more than most dieticians recommend, so it's natural to drop back the following week.

Going back to your confusion -

why then in a week when I have cycled, further, faster and harder while eating the same have the scales not moved at all ?

- how do you know you are eating the same? Have you weighed it? Checked the precise calorie content? If not, you are quite possibly eating slightly more than before, because of the exercise; and don't forget that as you become fitter you metabolise more efficiently i.e. extract more calories from the same food.

Either way, it's very impressive. I'm within the 'overweight' range, but only just, have to drop to the lightest I have been for 30 years if I want to creep into 'normal' and despite doing a 100 miler yesterday I'm still the same weight I was last Saturday - even with standing on a special corner of the scales, which is usually good for a pound or two.

I suggest (if you need any suggestions) that you concentrate more on the food than the exercise. Getting fitter is will motivate you and is certainly A Good Thing, but once you are out of your early twenties it is very difficult to shift significant excess weight by exercise alone. Most people get best results from keeping the exercise level and reducing the food.

 

[toroddf]

Yes, the food intake is most definate the key to slimming.

Prepare your own food/don't buy any ready meals or micro wave oven meals, go for vegs and fruits, eat slowly and stay away from chips and chippie foods. It is very hard, but that and cycling is the only way to loose weight - and stay slim.
This is very, very hard here in Great Britain. There is no coincidence that Scotland have the biggest obesity problem in the western world. It just takes me ten minutes to find out why. A stroll down a high street, that is.

Make your own food instead.

 

[Banjo]

Last week I cycled a little over 100 miles and lost 4 lbs, This week I have already done 120 miles and I will finish on arounf 135 miles for the week, however the scales have not moved a single pound, now I have eaten the same this week as last week, gotten the same amouint of sleep etc and its not like I dont have the weight to lose ( I have another 5 stone to go at least if I base it on Gov guidelines) so why then in a week when I have cycled, further, faster and harder while eating the same have the scales not moved at all ?

Confused doesnt come close.

Gaz

I am lucky enough to be close to my ideal weight now but when losing weight I noticed that some weeks I would take great care about what i ate do loads of miles on the bike and then lose nothing or very little,other weeks when not expecting to lose i would lose a few pounds.

Dont know if its due to muscle mass hydration or what but it can be disheartening ,so long as the general trend is towards getting lighter the odd week of no loss or even a small gain shouldnt cause you to beat yourself up over it (easier said than done I know ).

Stick with it Gaz your story inspired me to lose 4 stone and has probably helped other people as well.

 

[gb155]

First off, Thanks again everyone for your advice, there are some bits that I hadnt even thought of so will learn from this.

Secondly it does seem I have proved to myself that my weight loss goes in 2 weekly cyycled, Yesterday I had dropped 0.5lbs in the previous 7 days, however after yesterdays commute (27.6 Miles) I have dropped 2 lbs (Consistant with how my weight loss has worked inthe past) so will report back and see how it goes this week but I suspect I now have my answers

Thanks Again All

 

[TheBoyBilly]

I've lost just under a stone in 5 weeks and, to be honest, the reading of scales can be very frustrating. I like Colin's take on things by averaging out a weeks readings. I think I will give that a go. All in all though I feel much, much better in myself and a particular hill on the commute home that gave me problems at first now holds no real fear. I don't exactly fly up it yet but I don't feel anywhere near hopping off the bike halfway up anymore. My HRM reading for this little stretch always seems to top out at 131 bpm now....any thoughts?

 

[gb155]

PANIC over peeps, This week I am already down 5 lbs, I have cycled around 80 miles, it really does seem my body works in a way that I have one very very low loss and one very high loss.



Billy: Seems you are doing everything you need to mate, just keep at it !!!

 

[potsy]

So what do you weigh now Gaz?
I tend to weigh myself every week but only log it every 2 weeks so I can see a bit of progress,can get a bit frustrating if you don't see immediate results when you know you've had a good week.Keep it up pal

 

[jimboalee]

Have a read up on "Hypertrophy".

There are two kinds.

Myofibrillar is the RAW STRENGTH type that increases the number of active fibres. This type is achieved by low rep/high load work.

The second, and our type, is 'sarcoplasmic hypertrophy'. High rep/sub max loads.
This type produces a build up of sarcoplasmic fluid in the muscles and causes a weight gain without necessarily a gain in muscular strength.


Increasing the mass of the muscular fibres themselves is a long and painfull ordeal.
Myofibrillar hypertrophy may see gains of 50g per week, and an increase in physical strength accompanies the gain in mass.


PS. After a good endurance workout, it is a good idea to have the sarcoplasmic fluid massaged out. Some folks call these "Tension nodules" where the fluid has built up in 'bubbles' within the muscle.
The Trapezius muscle is a favourite for 'tension nodules'....