Why am I not losing weight?

[Glover Fan]

I'm on my phone so can't be bothered to type loads, but as someone who runs, cycles and swims. Running is the best way to lose weight. Cycling only comes into it's own if you are doing longs distance cycling where you can be exercising for over 3 hours flat, which is why all of those audax types like myself can devour cake at every control without a care in the world!

To be honest I don't think anybody needs to worry about feeding on the bike on anything under 35 miles and I can ride 50 miles comfortably on just a litre of squash. So long as you are eating well balanced meals your body should be able to cope, but by all means take a cereal bar as an emergency ration.

 

[Fiona N]

... which is why all of those audax types like myself can devour cake at every control without a care in the world!

...

Except some of us can't So far, since March I've done 1 x 400km event, 1 x 300, 6 x 200. Have I lost weight? - not a gram despite a very careful cake intake

 

[yello]

Cycling only comes into it's own if you are doing longs distance cycling where you can be exercising for over 3 hours flat, which is why all of those audax types like myself can devour cake at every control without a care in the world!

Humour me for a moment and let me unpack that statement based on my vital statistics...

Three hours - let's say 75km, ball park that at 2400 calories burnt. My base metabolic rate would have me burn around 200 calories for 3 hours if I stayed in bed. So a 2100 generous additional burn, because I actually do get out of bed though in reality would easily burn more than 300 just pottering about the garden. Chocolate cake at say 350 calories a slice (8 slices per cake say) gives me 6 slices... if I have nothing else. A cup of instant with sugar with that cake? Maybe 50 calories. An energy bar between controls perhaps? Probably down to 4 slices of cake now. My point is I'm not quite sure that I'd say "devour cake without a care in the world". Got to be careful, it soon adds up doesn't it!

Then those post ride munchies? The reward for all that exercise? You see you can quickly negate any calorie burn without even really trying!

For 100km, I'd take a banana and maybe a bit of flapjack. Plus water in the bidon. Less than 100km then it'd just be water. I either ride before breakfast or am back just before dinner simply to avoid the munchies. I do enjoy my morning coffee and cake though.

 

[MacB]

For what it's worth I have been eating less than 25g of carbohydrate per day since the end of April. In those five weeks I have shed 20lb. A high protein content, a high(non starchy) vegetable intake and plenty of fluids means that I don't get hungry, and can snack on previous horrors like pork scratchings and lumps of cheddar.

Today's menu has been two scrambled eggs and a rasher of grilled bacon, a handful of mixed nuts for elevenses, lunch was a tandoori chicken leg quarter with an iceberg and onion salad, and tea was a keema and mixed veg rogan josh. I've cycled to work and back and will be going to the gym with Cubester to do some upper body work this evening. A quality protein shake will be a nightcap.

According to t he reading I've done, a low-carb, high protein diet ensures you burn fat, and not muscle like some diets do.

Way to go that man!!!! and it totally backs up what Yello posted above

 

[Fiona N]

Humour me for a moment and let me unpack that statement based on my vital statistics...

Three hours - let's say 75km, ball park that at 2400 calories burnt. My base metabolic rate would have me burn around 200 calories for 3 hours if I stayed in bed. So a 2100 generous additional burn, because I actually do get out of bed though in reality would easily burn more than 300 just pottering about the garden. Chocolate cake at say 350 calories a slice (8 slices per cake say) gives me 6 slices... if I have nothing else. A cup of instant with sugar with that cake? Maybe 50 calories. An energy bar between controls perhaps? Probably down to 4 slices of cake now. My point is I'm not quite sure that I'd say "devour cake without a care in the world".

While I absolutely agree with you for a 75km ride (for which I wouldn't usually plan to eat anything extra), I think Glover Fan's point was for Audaxes where 75km is between two controls. So a piece of cake or even two every three hours, for most people, is not an issue. Besides, over long events ( ca. >8 hours, but depends on the intensity), the energetic requirement changes so late miles require more calorie intake than early miles - I seem to recall this is partly a function of a tiring system as fat burning decreases with fatigue so more sugars need to be supplied.

 

[yello]

I think Glover Fan's point was for Audaxes where 75km is between two controls. So a piece of cake or even two every three hours, for most people, is not an issue.

I'd agree with that, if we're talking a ride of say 150/200km in total.

energetic requirement changes so late miles require more calorie intake than early miles - I seem to recall this is partly a function of a tiring system as fat burning decreases with fatigue so more sugars need to be supplied.

I didn't know that. I'll have to investigate. I'd certainly like to know the rate of decrease because it'd make a difference to my refuelling strategies. I tend to maintain a regular eating pattern for longer distances when I could well be needing to increase it after a point in time. It'll also require a menu change too, I get 'sugared out' after a while!

 

[Lizzy]

Except some of us can't So far, since March I've done 1 x 400km event, 1 x 300, 6 x 200. Have I lost weight? - not a gram despite a very careful cake intake

Awe, careful cake eating is a bummer....change your work out, been skipping a week and it is paying off so far (far more so then cycling). I agree with the other poster, long cycles are the only way I actually loose weight from it, the rest of the time it is just fun no weight loss.

Jogging works too, because your mobilising your whole body. Although I love it, Ice Skating is great for a small time, because you have to use your body more, but ultimately the blades take on your body weight.

Good luck and hopefully your care free cake consuming days are only a few weeks away

 

[screenman]

Skipping, watch out for your joints if like mine they are getting on a bit. Lizzy, can I ask how long you advise to skip for? I presume it would be hours.

 

[Dan B]

Jogging works too, because your mobilising your whole body. Although I love it, Ice Skating is great for a small time, because you have to use your body more, but ultimately the blades take on your body weight.

Not clear what you're saying here - ice skating is good or is not so good? I inline skate a lot and I'd guess it's roughly as effective as cycling (per time, not by distance) with the difference that you can't sit down and your knees are bent more or less all the time.

Mind you, I'm talking about speed skating, and I think from your previous comments you're more into the artistic side?

 

[amaferanga]

Cycling burns calories. Simple as that. The harder you work the more you burn. The longer you ride the more you burn. Cycle HARD for an hour every day and you could lose 2lb/week. Cycle less hard for an hour a day and you could lose 1lb/week. Cycle at a pottering pace for an hour a day and you probably won't lose any weight.

I think I'll stick to cycling over skipping....

 

[Rafreg]

I would also add make sure your carbohydrate intake is not too high! Although we need carbohydrates especially when exercising, too much and the body will store the excess carbohydrate as body fat. This could be a likely reason why your weight loss is slow. Your body will naturally use carbohydrate for energy. Once the carbohydrates have gone it will start to use fat for it's energy. This is when you start to burn the fat off and start losing weight quicker. If you don't eat carbohydrates you will stay in a state called Ketosis. This is where your body is purely using fat for it's energy. This is not very efficient and will cause tiredness. Be careful that you don't drop into this state too much and for a long period. There is no real prove that it is safe or unsafe.

Bottom line is make sure your diet is well balanced. Only you know if it is, and only you know if you're cheating or not.

 

[Lizzy]

Rafreg, the issue with prolong low carb is what you replace it with. Prolonged very low carbing means you end up eating large portions of proteins and fats. Fat have more calories, and are lower down the threshold for burning... so you in fact make the problem bigger.

Lots of carb sources have other nutritional benefits prolonged non consumption of caby veggies....carrots, turnip, fruit, etc means you are denying your body of a vast array of antitoxins, and other nutrients.

Rather than being in ketosis for prolonged time, it's better to focus on lowering the % of carbs in your daily intake and the total daily in take. even with low carbing, if you are eating too much fat you wont loose weight or it will be super slow.

I appreciate that short term low carbing can kick start, but mass issue over any prolonged time of doing it.

 

[Lizzy]

Cycling burns calories. Simple as that. The harder you work the more you burn. The longer you ride the more you burn. Cycle HARD for an hour every day and you could lose 2lb/week. Cycle less hard for an hour a day and you could lose 1lb/week. Cycle at a pottering pace for an hour a day and you probably won't lose any weight.

I think I'll stick to cycling over skipping....

I think I'll stick to professional advice on the last part...


Consistent messages from folks cycling 7 hours a day for over a year - your body become use to the effort and your weight normalizes so you loose very little. Yell above pretty much says the same thing.

I cycle at a higher heart rate than my skipping and I STILL loose more weight with the skipping.

 

[screenman]

I asked you how long you should skip for, could you please answer that question. How many more calories does low level skipping burn up compared with high or medium level skipping? Skipping is a full load bearing impact exercise I think we should maybe warn that is is not good for joints, as told to me by my very experienced physio and my knee surgeon.

Now I am a true amateur with the experience of losing 4 stone last year, I have spent 40 years in cycling and know may people for whom cycling has helped lose weight safely. Would you please tell us where your professional opinion comes from, this would help others decide if your information is helpful to them.

I am not saying skipping does not burn calories I just feel that it is safer to cycle and you can keep it up longer, meaning more calories burnt overall.

without keeping a very accurate food diary I feel it hard to say that you lost weight just becuase you skipped.

 

[Lizzy]

Don't get me wrong cyclings if fabulous for fitness and will help lots of people,but for many the body normalises and you stop loosing weight (the hours I've spent on a stationary to loose practically zero)

There is and activity calculator here..... you plug in your weight, the activity (there are loads of different ones - click on activity link middle of the page).


http://www.caloriesp.../index_burn.php


Like most calculators they give fairly blunt repose (which needs to be kept in mind with your daily life activity level). You need to differentiate for your own body, the impact of activities where your body weight is begin moiblised by something else (ice skating, roller balding, cycling) and the ones where your body is carrying the mass, jogging, skipping etc. If I want to loose weight and get thin, I do skipping and ballet. I love cycling but it simply doesn't burn weight for me (and for many others - I also love ice skating which burns more than cycling does).

Skipping is usually called jumping rope on these things. It's hideous when you first try it, but build up is super quick.

I do 40mins a day - spread out in 3 or 4 blasts. I can cycle 2 hours a day and not get the same weight loss the skipping will give me.

Personally I think skipping slower regular beats kills me more than fast... but hell it is all pretty intense.

Skipping is not good for joints, not is jogging and to a lesser extent cycling. If you have bad joints then brisk walks again where you are carrying your own body weight is again effective.



Professional opinion was the dietician last week who instructed me to cut way back on cycling and ramp up on skipping (I might add I'm a pretty healthy person).

My bro and his partner cycled from Edinburgh to Tasmania a few years back, and both of them concur that cycling will only help partly because your body nomalises

Finally a boxing gym savvy mate also says the reason cycling wont loose weight is due to the bike carrying your weight (much like skating), and your body working out limbs rather than your limbs carrying the full impact of your body weight.

I keep an accurate food dairy on my phone and exercise via HRM/Cadence Unit and various diaries over time, so yes I can see what impacts more than others