Why am i not losing weight?

[Paul_L]

OK, i'm a tad under 6ft with a medium build. I'd like to get down to about 78 to 79 kg. At the turn of the year i weighed 86kg. I then slipped my disc which led to a boat load of pain but then a lot of comfort eating. By the time i got mobile i was just over 88kg. I wasn't able to do any exercise but through dieting i got the weight down to about 82kg.

Over the last 2 months i've been able to return to cycling and initially my weight dropped to about 80.5kg but recently - coinciding with returning to commuting to work twice a week (30mile moderately hilly round trip) - the weight is creeping back up towards 82kg.

I don't feel like i'm putting on, and my waist line doesn't feel like it's widening, but it's very very frustrating to get so close to my target weight only to start putting on.

I'm guessing due to my injury i'll have lost a lot of muscle mass. Could it just be i'm building that muscle back and that's why the weight gain?

Any feedback and advice greatly appreciated.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

your body composition is changing. if you're worried then get some fat % weighing scales.

 

[speccy1]

If you have ordinary scales, put them in the bin

 

[screenman]

I am confused by all this muscle weighing more than fat thing, personally although I know it does I feel it is often an excuse for not losing fat, not the reason. I have lost weight almost every week since January, apart from a couple when on holidays etc. Now certainly my muscles are growing January I could not do 1 press up not 100+ same with sit ups, cycling is coming along nicely from 5 miles in paint to 30+ comfortable. The only reason I see it that I am still losing fat is due the the important part, I am eating less calories than I use.

I think most people do not have a clue how many calories they put in their mouth each day, I know my previous guesses were a long way out.

I now use the Mydaily plate site, not every persons taste I know but being honest with it will give you a mass of information and you will see straight away where you might be going wrong.

Give it a go, nothing ventured nothing gained.

 

[TheBoyBilly]

From what I can gather (and I too stopped losing weight for a few weeks) is that your body acclimatises to your workout/diet and tries to protect its energy store by keeping hold of it's fat reserves for as long as possible. A way of overcoming this is by shocking your motabolism by eating MORE calories for say, a week or upping your bodies demand for energy (i.e. work harder on the bike) You can also trick your body by varying workouts and not just stick to cycling. It is quite natural for your weight to fluctuate during a fitness programme - even gaining weight - as there are so many factors that decide how much energy you need etc. Drink plenty of water, get plenty of rest and try not to get too hung up on figures. As many have told me, it's what your body tells you that matters not scales or tape measures.

Bill

 

[jimboalee]

your body composition is changing. if you're worried then get some fat % weighing scales.

Fat % scales tell lies if the subject is dehydrated.

Skinfold calipers however, tell the truth, but are 48 hours in delay.

Therefore, you can use skinfold calipers in any state of hydration and they will tell you your body's response to food and exercise two days previous.

The full length bathroom miror tells the truth ALL THE TIME.

 

[ColinJ]

The full length bathroom miror tells the truth ALL THE TIME.

Especially when combined with a 'Jump up and down naked and only certain obvious*** bits should wobble' test!












*** Okay, I'll spell it out for you - Male = genitals; Female = breasts!

 

[Banjo]

Erm...Thanks for the image I cant get out of my mind now Colin :-)

The OP doesnt sound seriously overweight so the muscle weight gain will slow down any weight loss but shouldnt stop it.

I think the problem with the muscle/fat weight idea is that people who are carrying seriously too much fast can use that as an excuse when it only really applies to people who are quite close to their ideal weight.

Having gone from Obese to healthy weight in less than a year I have used all the excuses myself. Even photographs of my old fat self didnt convince me I had a problem, I would use the excuse that the camera angle puts weight on you.

It was only after starting to lose weight mainly through cycling that I faced up to reality prior to that it was to hard to think about so you just file it away at the back of your mind and your mental image of yourself is nothing like the flabby reallity.

Good Luck to everyone trying to lose the flab by cycling. If you eat sensibly and ride often it will go.

 

[Crankarm]

I think the OP already knows the answer to his post. He's still eating too much and not doing enough exercise. It's not rocket science. Your eyes and mouth are still out of control when it comes to judging food quantity. Cut down your intake, stop troffing, and ride your bike. Oh and when you ride don't just plod along. Set yourself some goals such as sprinting at intervals say for 2 mins at 1 minute intervals. Go find your favourite hill and ride it 5, 6 or 7 times in succession. It will teach you that you need to get your weight down which means ditching the excess kilos of fat you are carrying on your body. The more weight you lose the faster you will be as your power to weight ratio will increase dramatically.

 

[Alun]

I think the OP already knows the answer to his post. He's still eating too much and not doing enough exercise. It's not rocket science. Your eyes and mouth are still out of control when it comes to judging food quantity. Cut down your intake, stop troffing, and ride your bike. Oh and when you ride don't just plod along. Set yourself some goals such as sprinting at intervals say for 2 mins at 1 minute intervals. Go find your favourite hill and ride it 5, 6 or 7 times in succession. It will teach you that you need to get your weight down which means ditching the excess kilos of fat you are carrying on your body. The more weight you lose the faster you will be as your power to weight ratio will increase dramatically.

You might be right Crankarm, but a bit harsh ! Some people don't need to troff to put on weight, just eat the same as others who don't put on any weight. I think it does all come down to calories in/calories out, but we all have different thresholds. I would be surprised if it's an increase in muscle mass that accounts for the weight gain, never seems to work that way in practice.

 

[Chrisc]

You can only add very small amounts of muscle at a time. It might be noticeable over a long period but not short term.
Less in more out is the only way it works.

 

[Crankarm]

You might be right Crankarm, but a bit harsh ! Some people don't need to troff to put on weight, just eat the same as others who don't put on any weight. I think it does all come down to calories in/calories out, but we all have different thresholds. I would be surprised if it's an increase in muscle mass that accounts for the weight gain, never seems to work that way in practice.

Don't think so! And your avatar pic shows you with ......... a huge glass of beer? LoL.

 

[Paul_L]

cheers for all the replies, especially the ones which suggest what the OP knows or does not know

Reading the replies i would appear that because of my back injury and slow recovery into bike training, i've probably taken on too much food for the amount of training i'm doing so must keep an eye on that.

I've ordered a pair of body fat scales so will see what that shows when it arrives.

I guess whatever your target weight, the last few pounds or couple of kg are the hardest to shift!

What is nice though is the no. of comments from friends and colleagues who i only see every few weeks or so, remarking on the weight loss so far.

Onwards and upwards!!!

 

[ColinJ]

Don't think so!  And your avatar pic shows you with  ......... a huge glass of beer? LoL.

He was carbo-loading before one of my hilly forum rides!  

I've ordered a pair of body fat scales so will see what that shows when it arrives.

I wouldn't take too much notice of the body fat readings because they won't be that accurate. The scales will be measuring the impedance of your body between two pads on the scales and something as simple as how hydrated you are or whether you have dry or wet feet will affect that.

 

[UKCyclist]

I think the OP already knows the answer to his post. He's still eating too much and not doing enough exercise. It's not rocket science. Your eyes and mouth are still out of control when it comes to judging food quantity. Cut down your intake, stop troffing, and ride your bike. Oh and when you ride don't just plod along. Set yourself some goals such as sprinting at intervals say for 2 mins at 1 minute intervals. Go find your favourite hill and ride it 5, 6 or 7 times in succession. It will teach you that you need to get your weight down which means ditching the excess kilos of fat you are carrying on your body. The more weight you lose the faster you will be as your power to weight ratio will increase dramatically.

I feel like this is the answer too.