Weight Watcher's Thread

[Steve H]

I've been in and out of this thread a few times in the past, but have struggled to sustain weight loss efforts. I've always thought that as long as I was cycling then the diet side would kind of not matter all that much. I've hovered between about 17 stone and 17 stone 6 pounds over the last year or so, sometimes at the lower end sometimes at the upper end.

More recently I've been trying to regularly track my calorie intake using the MyPlate app. It's quite amazing when you log absolutely everything how easy it is to see the kinds of food decisions you make and the impact they have on calories. Also a massive shame that pints of bitter / lager have such a massive calorie impact, especially when its easy to do over 1000 calories in alcohol on a semi-decent night out!

Anyway, this morning I weighed in at 16 stone 9 - so things are going in the right direction. Just been out for a 40 mile ride in the sunshine. Not sure if it was psychological, or literally because I was a bit lighter, but the ride felt great. Was able to power up some of the rises and just felt a lot more confident on the rises.

I hope things continue in this direction and eventually I might just make that mythical 16 stone target that I set many moons ago.

 

[Sittingduck]

Nice one Steve. Nice when you get some momentum going, as I found it really helped to motivate me (to keep it up). Shame about the beer, I know

 

[doctornige]

I too am having success at losing weight.

I am a freelancer working from home with a love of French food and red wine recipe for disaster.

I have dropped 5.5kg in about 8 weeks doing this:

Breakfast: fruit with a dollop of low fat nat yoghurt, glass of orange, skinny cappuccino.

Lunch: sub-300 cal sandwich

Dinner: decent portion of something Italian. Wee bit of cheese, and maybe an Eton Mess made with fruit, a meringue nest and some more of the yoghurt.

I snack on about two bourbon biscuits, and drink espresso and 1 cal soft drinks.

At the weekend, do all that, but also have a restaurant meal, a full English roast and a couple of bottles of wine.

On the output end, I walk 10,000 pedometer steps a day and do 450cal on the road bike with more at weekends, weather allowing

In all, that is not many sacrifices for some pretty spectacular results. 4kg to go.

N.

 

[ColinJ]

Keep it up Steve!

I think of you as being like a bigger version of me and I've been through the weight loss cycle a few times in the past so I can tell you that getting a decent amount of weight off will make a huge difference to your cycling in the hills round here.

I know that 16 stone seems like a tough target for you at the moment, but as soon as you crack that, you will start to look at lower targets. I'd say that ideally, you'd be 13.5-14 stone. You probably haven't been down at that kind of weight for a long time but it is doable and you'd be flying if you were fit at that size!

You are definitely right about the alcohol. I've been told that I can drink within the government guidelines while on my Warfarin treatment, but I don't want to be boozing while I have a serious health problem so I packed it in over a month ago and the results have been dramatic!

I'm aiming for 12-12.5 stone. I got down to 11-10 in 2002 and looked ill. My cycling was great but I hated looking in the mirror and people were worrying about me. Low-12s will be low enough!

I'm currently at 14-9 but some of the reduction is muscle-loss due to my illness. Still, I'm not going to have a better chance than this to sort my weight out so I'll carry on losing weight until I hit my target and will build the muscles back up when I am well enough to start exercising again.

 

[Speicher]

I am now carefully tracking my calorie in-take using womanandhomedietclub.co.uk.

I now have porridge for breakfast. Some protein, ie chicken or tuna etc, with salad for lunch. Half a grapefruit at about 5 pm and a (comparatively normal) meal in the evening, but carefully watching the portion sizes. I think the grapefruit helps to reduce the "sweet tooth" that I have. I have also cut out the late night attack of the munchies.

Yes, I agree about the alcohol. Fortunately I was not a heavy drinker* and have cut out the alcohol completely. I am also taking gentle exercise each day. I have a special treadmill in the field behind my house. I estimate the gradient to be about 7 to 10 degrees. I prefer using a treadmill in the fresh air, with the countryside to admire, rather than a gym.

* Well I am a "heavy" drinker, as I was about ooo err um at least three stone overweight. I am now only two and a half stone overweight.

 

[Bryan_Cymru]

Within a very short time I ballooned to an unknown weight. All I know is I started dieting around May, then on June 12th I asked a nurse in hospital to weigh me & I came in at 22.2 stone, a tad too heavy for my 6' 1” frame.

July 19th I joined a gym & on the 21st July I bought a 2nd bike - Raleigh Lizard All Terrain Bike. It took a few weeks to get used to, but now I'm mad for both. I'm in the gym everyday & the bike is my all round workhorse from shopping to full on training in rain or shine.

The rewards of all of this training plus healthy eating is, when I weighed earlier today I came in at 17.4 stone. That's nearly 5 stones since June.

12 Stones is my goal to which I hope to achieve in the early New year (that's if the world has ended . Plus I will be treating my Raleigh to a well deserved rest as I treat myself to a new skinny bike to go with my skinnier self.

The down side of losing all this weight is having to get a whole new wardrobe that will eat into my bike fund. My fund is already shrinking with all the add-ons that are needed.
An expensive hobby!

 

[WobblyBob]

Just found this thread so might aswell add my 2 penny worth.
I saw some pictures of myself in the new year of Christmas time etc & i was distraught ha ha so i decided to bite the bullet & get myself to WW in Early Feb, i weighed in at 14st 10lb's which was ridiculous for my 5' 7" frame...i resembled a weeble !!
I did'nt really partake in any excersize at all in the first few months of dieting but it still came off relitively steadily but then i stalled during June time....so that's when i decided that it was excersize that i needed so i went out & bought my bike in July & now i'm absolutely hooked on it & feel terrible if i miss a day, anyway i got weighed a couple of days ago & i'm down to 12st 1lb now........which now i've just wrote it down does'nt seem all that great compared to alot of you...but its made a huge difference being a short arse, i think i would love to get down to 10st 10lb which is what i was for years when i was young & fit , but not sure if that's a bridge too far.
I'm down from a 38" waist to a 34" (& still reducing) & feel miles better in myself but definitely want to keep going so i can get up those bloody hills !!!!

 

[Typhon]

Great work Bryan and Bob.

And yes Alcohol is terrible for calories. 500-550 in a bottle of wine, 200 in a pint of beer and 2000 in a bottle of scotch from memory. Plus it means that when I've had a drink I end up snacking late at night, whereas normally I would never eat after dinner. Late night eating is really good at making you put on weight so it's a bit of a double whammy.

I've been a good boy this month so I'm actually looking forward to upgrading my progress here and in other places on Sunday!

 

[SimonJKH]

2000 in a bottle of scotch

Ah, but what a way to intake 2000 calories
How much just for a wee dram, anyone?

 

[Typhon]

Ah, but what a way to intake 2000 calories
How much just for a wee dram, anyone?

Indeed, reminds me of my student days.

Well if a 1 litre bottle is roughly 2000 then a 25ml measure must be about 50. Not bad, until you start getting into doubles and trebles..

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I Not bad, until you start getting into doubles and trebles..

By which time one cares less about diets

 

[Typhon]

Condensed quote

I'm going to post my progress here every month for a bit of extra motivation. Here it is so far:

Height 6' 2"
Start: May 28th - 15st 10 lbs
Started cycling: 5th August - 14st 11.8 lbs
12th Aug: 14st 10.2 lbs
19th Aug: 14st 9.0 lbs
26th Aug: 14st 7.8 lbs
2nd Sep: 14st 6.4 lbs

Goal 12-13 stone, not quite sure yet. I have also started to do weights and combined with the cycling I will build up some muscle so it depends how far I go with that.

Another 4.2 lbs lost this month so now I am 14st 2.2. This now means my BMI is down to 25 so I am no longer medically overweight which is a good feeling.

I am particularly pleased that I've been able to stick to my goal of 1lb a week. Especially as I went on holiday to Menorca for almost two weeks and sampled plenty of the local tapas and vino. Normally I would put on about half a stone on holiday but I rented a bike and did a couple of hours riding per day plus an hour and a half of vigorous swimming so managed to keep the weight loss going despite the massive increase in calories.

Now I have just opened a nice merlot and am not feeling guilty about that at all. Quite a novelty!

 

[Typhon]

By which time one cares less about diets

Haha, very true. Until the next morning at least!

 

[MattHB]

Probably time for me to post an update, been quite a while.

I've now lost a total of 44lb in a little over a year. Body fat (on my electronic scales and backed up with calliper measurements) is about 15.6% at 14st 1lb it's been a damn expensive exercise (no pun intended) as I've had to replace all of my wardrobe and a lot of my bike gear!

Will maintain between here and about 13st 11 over the winter then look to lean up for next years season. Of course ill be riding through the winter as well, but I'm feeling the cold SO much more I want a little bit of insulation for the colder months.

 

[4F]

Really struggling at the moment to get under 14 stone. For the past 4 months I have been hovering between 14 stone 3 and 14 stone 8 and seem to have good week / bad week.

Still from a start of 18 stone 6 I am pleased but still a way off my goal of 12 stone 5.

More will power required.