Weight loss help!!!

msdbking

Ok, heres the deal. I got into cycling to get back into shape and to drop some weight too. I have been riding now for about 4 months and I ride 5 to 6 days a week. Though the week I will ride about 15 miles a days and on Sat. about 25 to 30 miles, with an average speed of about 16 to 17mph. Well in the first month or so I lost about 15lbs, but in the last 3 months I have not lost anything! Can anyone help me? I didn't really change my diet when I started riding, I just cut back the ammounts I was eating. But with as many calories as my computer is saying that I am buring, I didn't think it would matter. Any idea's for quicker results? Thanks alot!

eric_the_red

Hitting a plateau in weight loss in fairly common, keep at it and don't get discouraged. Maybe up the mileage on Saturday if you have time.
Also maybe don't focus on just weight, if you're gaining muscle in you legs you may weigh the same and still be losing fat. You may be better judging progress by waist size and body fat.

RedSky

Start calculating a calorie budget. Calories in minus calories out. As long as you burn more than you take in, you will be losing weight. Unless you are already skinny as a rail, in which case you should be on a maintenance diet.

My experience in weight loss shows that there will be plateaus, and they are usually attributable to:

1. Normal fluctuations that last for about a week or so, but then weight starts dropping again.

2. Losing too much weight too fast will put your body into weight conservation mode by slowing your metabolism. Best thing to do for this is chill out on the cardio for a bit, eat more but healthier and in smaller meal chunks, and drink more water.

3. You may be eating more calories than you really need. If you have lost weight, you need to take in less calories then you did before you lost the weight. Do a realistic assessment of what you have been eating and compare it to what you have been burning.

4. It is possible that you have been putting on muscle. But usually intense cardio training won't add more muscle faster than it burns fat, unless you are eating a lot of food.

5. You may have an alien growing inside your stomach. Have you been to any planets besides Earth in the past six months?

jhuskey

You have probably gained muscle mass which has more weight than fat.
I agree that you should concentrate more on size and conditioning that weight.

__________________
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randori68

Hi there. I read your post and had to write. I started biking in April and almost do the same regimen as yours. And I was stumped about the weight plateau too. I just couldn't lose any more weight, but I was riding stronger and faster (that I definitely could tell). Then last week I added 10 extra miles to a couple rides a week and kept my regular 20 miles on my other 3 rides a week and now the weight is melting off again. I don't know if that will work for you, but I was disappointed until I switched my routine up and then things changed. Maybe some of the more experienced riders can verify their methods to get past the plateau?

msdbking

Thank you guys so much for the help. Yes, I have noticed I am alot stonger and faster since I have started. I'm just going to keep riding, maybe add several more miles to each ride and start counting calories alittle better. And RedSky, I don't remember going to any planets lately, hopefully they didn't come and get me while I was alseep and I just don't remember the encounter. :-)