Weight loss has stalled

[casual_cyclist]

OK, so I'm back at work and hoping to get into the usual routine again now after 4 weeks off work. I've left myself with 2.8kg to lose before 29/12 to meet my goal weight.

My diet hasn't been modified so I guess that's one area I could help myself but can anyone else offer any suggestions on what I can do to definitely reach my goal on time?

The usual routine is as follows:

Weekday mornings ~3.6km power walk with the dogs in ~30min.
Weekday lunch times ~20km ride around Lake Tuggers (AT) ~30km/h.
Weekend mornings ~5km power walk with the dogs ~45min.

I'm going to try to sneak in some after work and weekend rides from home which will be 30km in under an hour down to Lake Ginninderra and back.

I'm guessing that moderating intake will do more for me than increasing exercise, but I'm happy to hear people's thoughts.

Moderating intake will do more for you than increasing exercise.

[ColinOldnCranky]

OK, so I'm back at work and hoping to get into the usual routine again now after 4 weeks off work. I've left myself with 2.8kg to lose before 29/12 to meet my goal weight.

My diet hasn't been modified so I guess that's one area I could help myself but can anyone else offer any suggestions on what I can do to definitely reach my goal on time?

The usual routine is as follows:

Weekday mornings ~3.6km power walk with the dogs in ~30min.
Weekday lunch times ~20km ride around Lake Tuggers (AT) ~30km/h.
Weekend mornings ~5km power walk with the dogs ~45min.

I'm going to try to sneak in some after work and weekend rides from home which will be 30km in under an hour down to Lake Ginninderra and back.

I'm guessing that moderating intake will do more for me than increasing exercise, but I'm happy to hear people's thoughts.

Moderating intake will do more for you than increasing exercise.

Agree 110%.

Because of the combination of my advanced age, the fact that I still look pretty lean and pretty solid (no false modesty here ) and that I am seen to exercise a lot many friends and acquaintenances will strike up a conversation in which it is apparent that they think it is because of the excessive hours of exercise.

And my most common reaction is to make it clear that what I eat is what is the major determinant. My diet is nothing special with lots of baddies, so I do it mostly with reducing my eating according to the scales.

Yep, for most people, even those with a good level of exercise, excess of food with high energy will still send them to purgatory.

[TonyMax]

I'm back on track, only half a kilo now to get under the magic 82 before the end of the year. I hope to do that this week as then Christmas and the associated lunches will get in the way.

Sadly I've only had 7 weeks since June that I've done more than 100km of exercise. When you consider that my usual lunch time ride is now 20km and my cumulative walking week totals almost 29km I have much room for improvement next year.

Although in saying that I don't really want to weigh less than 80kg and I would actually like to put some muscle on my chest/shoulders/arms, so there might be a few push ups etc. done and a little weight added, but maybe this will be negated by the few kg I still carry around the middle which could disappear and it wouldn't hurt me.

[Wakatuki]

Well done Tony,

My weight is teetering around 95.8-96.2kg. At my current progress it will no doubt be around 94.8 and 95.2kg in about 10 days.
This is because of me! I have been a bit more slack than usual with the diet. But I have also been gaining muscle, in particular in the upper body.
In a totally vain moment I thought gee if my arms and chest looked as good as my legs I would be very happy. I am not interested in being a gym junkie, or 'ripped ‘or heavy bulky muscle man, more Ironman/ tri athlete physique, so I am just doing simple home exercises. Planks, different style push ups and using the local playground for over hand pull up(s) more than one coming soon! I can do a few assisted, but that’s not what I am after

I am happy with the progress and I believe that slow and steady will win the race, a colleague of mine did a fad diet and he is constantly up and down, he did the HCG, it’s all back and more already, 2 months diet and 6 weeks off it and back to before square one.

Anyway, well done Tony. Nice to hear you have reached your goal.

[ZepinAtor]

A bit of advice Wakatuki (not that I'm an expert, but was almost exactly in your position in 2010 (105kg) & reached my goal to be sub 85kg 12 months later).

Try cutting out those "SLACK" days you keep mentioning especially leading up to the festive period. Be as strict as possible to achieve optimum results "THEN" when you reach your goal slack days become acceptable not regrettable.

I found having absolutely "NO SLACK" days achieved amazing results with life long lessons learnt in doing so.

Now that I'm averaging around 82kg I can enjoy a good binge on rubbish without any long term effects. I find due to being very strict for a long period of time has permanently re-trained my brain allowing me to revert back to being strict whenever I chose to.

It's a tough stance to adopt, but the results speak for themselves. Size 40" down to size 32". From sloppy to firm, I'm never going back

[Wakatuki]

Well, good news, still loosing weigh in the festive season

[TonyMax]

I managed 80.9 on Monday morning which smashed my goal by more than 1kg. This Monday will be interesting .

[Tank1252]

Since taking up cycling in April i'd lost nearly 8kg's up to September. I was 80Kg & went down to just under 72kg. I'm 5'7" & have big thighs/41" chest so i'm never gonna get to look like a climber. From September to now i've lost nothing more, despite not changing anything. I just can't lose any more. I'd like to get down to around 68kg.
Now i've just checked my weight again (always at the same time of week) & i've put on 2kg. This is despite cycling 400km this last week (nearly double the weekly norm). I did eat more than usual, but I was not stupid. I definitely kept an eye on my alcohol intake.
Not sure what i can do other than just plod along, but it does bug me that my weight loss stalled.

[clackers]

I did eat more than usual

But what will you do now that you've identified your problem, Tank?

Promising to exercise more to compensate for increased calorie intake is fraught with peril.

[TonyMax]

Go for a brisk morning walk every day for the next week to make up for it. Try for ~3.5km in half an hour before breakfast.

[Wakatuki]

What an idiot, drank to much, rites amazed about my bodies reaction to alcohol 1.5kg gained!
Never mind back too it.
Oh and as said even an extra anything works wonders, mix it up. At work I can't get a lunch very often so when I get lethargic I find a quiet corner drop and do 20 push ups!

[clackers]

What an idiot, drank to much, rites amazed about my bodies reaction to alcohol 1.5kg gained!
Never mind back too it.
Oh and as said even an extra anything works wonders, mix it up. At work I can't get a lunch very often so when I get lethargic I find a quiet corner drop and do 20 push ups!

9 calories per gram of alcohol ... a lot of push ups, Wakatuki.

[Wakatuki]

9 calories per gram of alcohol ... a lot of push ups, Wakatuki.

yup and the way my head felt it was more like..............

[chriscole]

Hi all,
Over the past 2 months my weight has dropped from 125 to 116, mainly thanks to riding. We've been eating a bit healthier, too.

I used to see almost a daily change/trend downwards, but over the past week my weight loss has stopped. If anything, I've put a little bit back on.

Given the same diet and exercise, should weight loss be close to linear*? I've certainly got a lot more "padding" to lose.

I know that upping the rides will help, I just didn't expect things to plateau at this stage.
thanks

* I know it can't be linear from 125kg to 0kg. I meant from 125kg to an ideal weight of say, 85kg.

Eat less/better. Exercise more, and not _just_ cycling.

[Wakatuki]

The bad news is that the more you loose the less fuel your body needs, so you constantly have to shave calories off your diet. I have been at for 18 months now, I am now still sitting at 96kg from 118, I know I got heavier than that at the start but I did not weigh, I was that disgusted with myself. Anyway keep at it I tried running but really hurt my shins and knees, so I stuck with cycling till I hit 100, then I started running. Swimming is a great way of burning calories too. Simple things I changed too, I always walk to the other departments rather than call or email. Can I ride or walk to the shops? Park further away from the plaza..ETC. It is worth it, keep at it.
Oh an reward yourself. 94kg for me = new wheels. Clothes too, it feels good to fit into 36 jeans and shorts from 42! Casual shirts L slim fit vs XL baggy or XXL in some styles. Don't buy a lot though my $130 super special rodd and gunn shorts are getting loose! EEK!
Don't be to worried about fluctuations, muscle mass gains = fluid gains. I love seeing my body fat go down and my water up, look different but weight stays the same.
I am sure the pro's on here will correct me but, this is how I see it.... in the mirror!

[shashicyclewala]

I was 93 KGS in Mar 2013 when I moved here to Darwin. It may not look much of a weight but: I am just 5 feet 7 in and 54 years in age. I had been running for some years, but not regularly, I managed to run two marathons. I used to eat the typical Indian meal of rice , roti and curry and vegetables. Of course tea ,coffee with sugar, occasional ice cream , biscuits. Meat or poultry once a while ( fortnight). Never smoked or consumed alcohol. I never realised that I was obese or unhealthy till such time my son pointed to me that I looked old and my clothes did not look nice on me and I gave a look of a unhealthy person.

Well I did realise that when I started looking at other people around and saw that how right he was. I needed to do something soon.

I started running , the thing which I could do and needs no skills. With my background of 26 years in the Indian army , I had no issue with determination and will power. I started running 5 km then 10 then 12kms daily and within a month I was running 12 kms daily and half marathon on saturday.

Now on to nutrition. As I was with my son here and had no support of my wife ( as far as cooking was concerned, since she is in New Zealand) I quickly gave up Indian food and switched to healthy boiled diet of chicken, eggs, vegetables , fruit , milk , nuts and wheat bix, museli. Looks pretty standard for many but was a change which I had never imagined. No rice and no roti , no oil , no sugar, no coffee , no tea.. It was life changing.

So what did I achieve , I went down to 82 kgs in 6 months. I continue to be on that diet and I have not lost any further.

In the month of Oct I developed a pain in my heel and and feet and it pained like mad. I had overdone on my running

What do I do now. Well I joined a gym. Now I walk to the gym and do one hour of weight training. I have gained a lot of muscle in my arm, chest , shoulders and abs. I look lean , I definitely look younger. I have not bought new clothes yet

Have I achieved my aim? Not yet. I need to be 73 kgs. I think I can do that by cycling an hour and gym an hour . Both these activities are sustainable. I can see the fat on my back, abdomen which needs to go.

That is why I am on this forum. I have not yet purchased the bike , but will be buying one on 20 Jan . Giant Talon 27.5 MTB.

The aim of sharing the story was that the weight loss is not possible in a few months and one should be happy if you took away 10% in the first year and 5 % in the next and then stick with it.

I will share with you all how I go on cycling and how I manage to lose the rest of it. I am 80-81 kgs now.

[shashicyclewala]

Just forgot to mention : That I do not eat Maccas , fast food, fried food, chips , sugar in any form and no oil. Just eat fresh and you will see a life time change.

[warthog1]

Weight gain has accelerated.
One week off the bike due to saddle sores/nether region rash and I've whacked 2 kilos straight back on Not eating any crap either.

[clackers]

Weight gain has accelerated.
One week off the bike due to saddle sores/nether region rash and I've whacked 2 kilos straight back on Not eating any crap either.

Sorry to hear that, Warthog.

But if one week off the bike without junk food is enough for you to gain weight, your 'normal' calorie intake is still too much!

[shashicyclewala]

Dear warthog1 do not worry , just continue,
The weight fluctuates by 1.5 kgs from morning to evening
One trick: no carbs or eating after 5 pm, infact no carb at dinner, just see the magic then

[casual_cyclist]

The bad news is that the more you loose the less fuel your body needs, so you constantly have to shave calories off your diet.

*lose* not *loose* but apart from that, what you say is 100% correct. I have maintained a steady weight loss for a couple of years and have reduced, reduced and reduced the size of my main evening meal over that time. My current serve looks like a joke serve compared to what I used to eat and I'm still not sure it will fill me up and keep me going. It does though. Amazing!

[casual_cyclist]

One trick: no carbs or eating after 5 pm, infact no carb at dinner, just see the magic then

No carbs at dinner doesn't work for me. In fact, I used to do the opposite... no carbs except at dinner. Carbs at night can help you sleep well as long as the portion size is appropriate. Carbs only at night worked really well for me while I could make the effort to make my own food. Now I am back to eating bought lunches (heavy on the carbs) and my weight loss has stalled. I am hoping to have the energy to make my own lunches again once I have finished renovating my investment property.

[shashicyclewala]

Just be at it and it will work. My battle with this continues. I am dead sure that this new passion : Cycling will do the rest for me; I am buying three cycles: One will be in Darwin, one in New Zealand and one India, so that I do not miss even a day of cycling

[warthog1]

But if one week off the bike without junk food is enough for you to gain weight, your 'normal' calorie intake is still too much!

Probably is. I do like my food though. Probably half the reason I ride. I can still make a guts of myself.

[Wakatuki]

The bad news is that the more you loose the less fuel your body needs, so you constantly have to shave calories off your diet.

*lose* not *loose* but apart from that, what you say is 100% correct. !

Whata mistaka to maka