Weight Watcher's Thread

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

It's mainly out of curiosity rather than a scientific approach to weight loss. Since cutting out gluten stuff and beer, my pants feel a lot loser, and that's in spite of the snickers bar guzzling (I hope that craving stops soon!).

I reckon I'm about 2 1/2 stone overweight (I'll never get to my recommended bmi, I'm just too big in build). I don't want to lose it too quickly and end up with excess skin.

When I first started commuting to uni and placements a few years ago, I lost weight so quickly I ended up with weird bingo wing things where my triceps are. I started over eating on purpose and it worked and steadied out at around 15 1/2 stone which I was happy with.

But I stopped riding as much and ballooned big style, I don't want to go thru the same problem of losing it too quickly, I'm not in a rush by the end of the year would be nice.

There is no reason you can't lose 2 1/2 stone. You just have to put the effort in and want to succeed. By thinking "I'll never" then you are self defeating and never going to crave the change that = results.

You definitely don't want to lose quickly via huge deficits again. Huge deficits burn muscle tissue too which effectively decreases your calorie expenditure at rest, thus when you begin eating more weight gain appears. (compounding starvation responses)

But I am always an advocate of using at least a little science. "Eat less and ride more" really isn't a good way to do things.

I have a few pic examples of sustainable and rapid losses if you'd like a look.(none of myself and none indecent)

 

[Becs]

When I first started commuting to uni and placements a few years ago, I lost weight so quickly I ended up with weird bingo wing things where my triceps are.

Combining aerobic activity with weight training will prevent this - and also increase the number of calories you burn in a day, as well as "improving your shape".

Last time I lost a fair bit of weight by just cycling more and eating less my torso remained quite flabby (smaller but not toned). This time I am doing weights 3 times a week (large weights with low reps) and I look much better at a given weight because my shape has changed. I didn't realise how by how much until I was trying on running leggings this afternoon and the all around mirrors revealed how much better my back looked - similar to how it would look in a stone or so's time on the old regime. Out of interest I tried on a new bra and I've lost a back size in a month without shrinking the cup - happy days!

My trainer (sounds pretentious but he's fixed my back pain so I'm keeping him!) reckons weight loss is 40% exercise and 60% diet so exercise alone is a very hard way to shift the squidge and it's easy to get demoralised. I don't really count my "exercise calories" unless I've worked very hard - for me (with asthma) if I can still talk I'm not working hard enough to eat the calories!

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Weighed myself and surprised to be under 17 stones according to my scales, clothed...

 

[RWright]

I weighed earlier, so far for the week I am up .8 of a pound since Tuesday. No Super Bowl Sunday flapjacks for me now. I think I will go for a Super Bowl Sunday walk instead. Damn it.

 

[ColinJ]

Is this right?

I weigh 17 stone (ish, I'll weigh myself later) and according to the well used figure I should eat 2500 calories per day. If I cycle 25 miles per day on average this month, I'll use an additional 2000 calories per day.

So if I just eat my 2500 calories per day as per guidelines, that means I'll lose 2/3'ds of a pound in weight per day or by the end of February....19lbs.

Or is that too simplistic?

I have measured how much weight I lost on long rides and it is pretty close to 1 pound per 100 miles (3,500 cals). You are slightly bigger than I was so you might lose (say) 5-10% more but no way will you burn 2,000 cals per 25 miles!

Surprisingly, the speed you do the miles at doesn't make as much difference as you'd think. Take a look at bike calculator and play about with the numbers.

 

[Rob3rt]

No change for me this week, possibly I have balanced out, possibly also related to other factors as last week I didn't feel great health wise (was feel very tired but not able to sleep well), my power was down on my Thursday training session so I ate quite a lot (not particularly unhealthily though) over the weekend in order to make sure I was well equipped to fend off any oncoming illness as I was already fatigued from my training load. I don't mind though, as I reached my initial target weight and having ate up I had a great tempo training session on Sunday and slept well last night.

 

[billy1561]

2 more of those fatty pounds off Starting to get a liking for fruit now where in the past it was a necessary evil or at least thats the kind of attitude i had. I did the dry january thing abstaining from all alcohol and as ive not missed it half as much as i thought. I'm continuing it although i won't be stricktly 'dry' to the point of being religious about it. My bigger picture is losing a few more pounds ready for the cycling sportive season.

 

[Becs]

Another pound bites the dust - that was a hard one though!

 

[RWright]

After week 5:

from 239.0 to 240.0

I gained one this week. I am pathetic. I knew things were not looking quite right this weekend but I made the flapjacks anyway. They were good. I am just glad I halved everything the recipe called for. I paid the price but I will try to get it back and then some this week!

I have not gone after cutting the carbs a lot yet. I was thinking about waiting until warmer weather to work on carbs but I may have to get started earlier. I also didn't get as many miles in on the bike this week.

 

[billy1561]

I tried cutting the carbs and it left me so flat i struggled on relatively easy rides. Even my commute home one day i bonked. How bad is that?
Decided to eat smaller portions and almost always take the healthier option. Still have treats as life is for living. I'm never in my lifetime going to make an athlete but i can make a difference to me.
Cutting the beer has made a difference too. I guess about 50% of my 10lbs lost has been through this.

 

[Biscuit]

Still at 89.2kg! Pfft! But in other news started marathon training. I will get into the 88kgs!!!

 

[ColinJ]

I went shopping today, filling my 25 litre rucksack with heavy items such as OJ, spuds, carrots, tinned food etc. I also filled a carrier bag with fruit and veg. I was thinking that it was a heavy load to lug about and then something occurred to me ...

When I got home I weighed myself holding the shopping bags - the total was what I weighed back in July 2012 when I got ill. I can't believe that I was walking around carrying that amount of extra weight as fat 6 months ago!

What is really scary is that I have to lose that amount of weight again to get down to the size that I'd like to be.

 

[Becs]

Another pound down - although I haven't been able to workout since sunday due to a stinking cold so it could just be muscle loss! Seems a bit odd as I have eaten a chocolate bar most days

 

[potsy]

1lb for me also, 13 in total since Jan 2nd.
Had a bit of a piggy weekend so will be getting back on the straight and narrow tomorrow

 

[ColinJ]

I have been eating too much chocolate recently so I resisted eating my last bar yesterday. Today is one of my fasting days so I am giving it away to avoid temptation. (CycleChatters need not apply - a friend coming round this evening has already baggsied it! )