Author Topic: Weight Loss Discussion Thread (Read 1300828 times)

GruB · « **Reply #5600 on:** 11 June, 2015, 10:23:25 am »

For the last 6 months I have been putting on weight. Alarmingly so for me. At each of my diabetic reviews I mentioned it and was weighed and noted - but nothing changed. At my last review in April I had put on 5 more kilos and yet my mmol was the best ever. I felt like shit with no energy as I was controlling my sugars so well but that didn't explain the weight gain.

In the chemist after leaving the surgery I was discussing my diabetes with a fellow diabetic - my pharmacist. I made a flippant remark about weight gain and he said "Yes - that is a side effect of the Glicazide drug you are on. It is weight positive for some people". He then produced a drug bible and showed me several references to this and also to alternatives.

I contacted the surgery and expressed my concerns. I am now on one of the new inhibitors that is weight neutral. So far I have lost a stone in just over a month. I already feel better but have quite a way to go on this tricky road.

sojournermike · « **Reply #5601 on:** 11 June, 2015, 01:54:36 pm »

Quote from: Lady Cavendish on 11 June, 2015, 08:50:31 am

That all sounds good news to me Mike.

Despite 2,000+ mile months on the bike, plus I'm also running, and doing gym stuff, and there is a lot of 'quality' stuff in there as it's TT season, I'm still fighting a huge battle with keeping my weight down. I'm doing it, and fluctuating within a kg- I did see my lowest weight again this morning (I'm 8 st 10) but it does involve me being hungry literally the entire time. I feel like I can't stop eating/wanting to eat, and am getting totally pre-occupied with food, so I just don't think my body is wanting to stay here.

I'm faster here, definitely running, and also TTing, so not sure how to deal with this really. I want to stay this weight, but not sure I can handle the constant battle. I have forgotten how amazing pizza/pasta/bread are, I just want to eat them but won't. Not easy, this.

Got a 10k race tonight, but then will be taking it fairly easy tomorrow before a 600k this weekend (I've only ever done one, so this isn't a usual ride for me!) and will have to accept a day of 'overeating'. I might even have my first rest day of the year (tho I'm sure I'll crack!)

Cheers.

A couple of thoughts that may or may not be relevant, and not in any particular order. I'm not sure really.

1. Overtraining - been there many years ago. Like overuse injuries it's arrival is insidious and you'll feel good until you start trying to work though it and it all goes wrong. You may be fine, we all have different load capacities, which evolve over time in any case. Also, don't forget that load includes the rest of life, so a tough time at work will reduce the level of training load you can accommodate. Only you can judge this, unless you have a very good coach and access to regular physiological analysis

2. Training and intensity - give the volume and intensity you're doing it's no wonder you are hungry. It is very difficult to train hard and lose weight at the same time. You just need a lot of calories to train hard and without that support you're more likely to lose muscle mass. High intensity doesn't help either, as it burns through glycogen so you will always be hungry for replacement carbs - I'm sure Chris S will fill you in on the physiological impact there, although the in-out balance does seem to work in lab testing. I read that Cancellara's positive was allegedly related to the use of the steroid with thyroid medication to help him maintain training load, while losing weight and not muscle. Don't even think about this. It is genuinely dangerous, even with N*** labs backing you up.

3. You're probably hungry because you're working hard. I put on weight when I married, worked harder and had kids because I was an habitual eater due to both childhood and lots of exercise, but had stopped doing enough to use all the food. But it was habit rather than true hunger. Training harder creates hunger and it's entirely natural physiologically to over compensate. We 'grew up' with scarcity and live with excess. Our relationship with food is complex I'm afraid.

4. There is an old athletics dictum that it is best to go as fast as possible on as little training as possible. This to avoid overuse/overtraining issues. It's also helpful to avoid the approach of increasing volume in order to lose weight, which turns it all upside down. Food for the activity is fine, but activity for food may not be.

FWIW, I am 6ft 1in, used to weigh 157lbs and run 2 min 800s and was able to turn out a sub 70 half marathon if I had the inclination to run that far. 20 years on I'll be perfectly happy to be back under 175lbs and to stay healthy.

Lady Cavendish · « **Reply #5602 on:** 11 June, 2015, 02:18:25 pm »

I do appreciate the comments, of course.

I've been overtrained more than once in my life, and once made myself incredibly ill with it. I'm miles away at the moment, I don't feel even vaguely overtrained, or near it.

I do want a magic solution to stop hand to mouth syndrome though

LEE · « **Reply #5603 on:** 11 June, 2015, 02:24:12 pm »

Quote from: Lady Cavendish on 11 June, 2015, 08:50:31 am

Despite 2,000+ mile months on the bike, plus I'm also running, and doing gym stuff, and there is a lot of 'quality' stuff in there as it's TT season, I'm still fighting a huge battle with keeping my weight down.

Are you sure you aren't just turning into 100% muscle? I'm sure I'd have the consistency of mahogany if I did all that training.

What's happening to your body shape?

Chris Hoy probably comes out as overweight by simple Height:Weight BMI

Lady Cavendish · « **Reply #5604 on:** 11 June, 2015, 02:31:15 pm »

I'm 18lbs lighter than about 18 months ago. But in the last 6 months ish, it's just been a fight to stay where I am.

I have huge stupid legs, standard cyclist ones, except I think exaggerated as I naturally pack muscle on my thighs. I hate them but can live with them, I just don't get them out. Of course I'm not saying I'm fat at this weight, I do think I could lose a little more, but I'm more interested in staying where I am without quite so much effort! I'm just not naturally thin.

Of course my body shape has changed a lot in 18 months, I have no boobs at all, always the first place it goes from FFS lol, and my hips have shrunk but I sure ain't perfect. I've dropped from a 10-12 to a 6-8.

BrianI · « **Reply #5605 on:** 11 June, 2015, 06:59:38 pm »

Been on "light duties" for the past 4 weeks at work.

Shame I've been eating like I've been out on delivery (4 - 6 miles walking delivery) for the past 4 weeks.

Now feeling rather tubby, trousers getting tight! Developing moobs as well

sojournermike · « **Reply #5606 on:** 17 June, 2015, 06:36:50 am »

Bit more off this week, down to 85kgs and, yesterday, went back to 34 inch waist trousers for the first time in a few years. Suit jacket is now noticeably baggy too - noticeable enough to have it pointed out to me by a colleague yesterday.

Just need to keep it up now.

Mike

Marmitegeoff · « **Reply #5607 on:** 17 June, 2015, 06:40:23 am »

Well I have made goal, albeit a couple of weeks late. Now to reassess and KEEP IT OFF.

velosam · « **Reply #5608 on:** 17 June, 2015, 09:39:59 pm »

Quote from: sojournermike on 17 June, 2015, 06:36:50 am

Bit more off this week, down to 85kgs and, yesterday, went back to 34 inch waist trousers for the first time in a few years. Suit jacket is now noticeably baggy too - noticeable enough to have it pointed out to me by a colleague yesterday.

Just need to keep it up now.

Mike

Well done!

I am stagnating again but reading your earlier reply work is more intense right now and things are not going to get better soon.

hellymedic · « **Reply #5609 on:** 17 June, 2015, 09:59:00 pm »

I am neither weighing myself nor attempting to lose weight right now. I'm probably gaining a bit of fat.
I might resume some serious effort next month.
Maybe.

simonp · « **Reply #5610 on:** 17 June, 2015, 11:36:53 pm »

75.7kg. Then did trainer session and drank a 750ml bottle. 74.7kg.

lisat · « **Reply #5611 on:** 18 June, 2015, 06:40:06 am »

Stayed the same but I am finally back on the bike going to work and back. So hopefully I will be motivated to sort my eating out. I just haven't had the inclination these last 2 months.

LEE · « **Reply #5612 on:** 26 June, 2015, 02:12:08 pm »

So, in January 2014, during a 2 year sabbatical from long-distance cycling, I found myself unfit and 15st 3lb (96.6kg).

I wasn't sure whether I wanted to do PBP2015 but I knew that, unless I did something drastic, my fitness levels and bodyweight would make the decision for me.

18 months later, after many ups and downs, I am finally approaching a BMI of 25 at 81kg (12st 11lb) which is the lightest I've been in 20 years.

To put it in perspective for myself I looked at 31 packs of butter in the supermarket. That's what I was carrying around with me, 31 packs!!!!. (I keep checking this number because it sounds impossible but it's true).

It's the toughest thing I've ever done, overcoming a food addiction (actually a superhuman ability to eat food way beyond what is actually required), and hopefully another 4 pounds will see me at my target PBP weight.

I'm hoping PBP will help me lose another 7 pounds to get me inside healthy BMI levels at 12 stone.

From then on I see a life-long battle with food but my "alarm bell" will sound at 12st 7 pounds and not 15st.

velosam · « **Reply #5613 on:** 26 June, 2015, 06:40:56 pm »

Quote from: LEE on 26 June, 2015, 02:12:08 pm

18 months later, after many ups and downs, I am finally approaching a BMI of 25 at 81kg (12st 11lb) which is the lightest I've been in 20 years.

Well done, how are you keeping it off the weight that is?

LEE · « **Reply #5614 on:** 26 June, 2015, 08:26:41 pm »

Quote from: velosam on 26 June, 2015, 06:40:56 pm

Quote from: LEE on 26 June, 2015, 02:12:08 pm

18 months later, after many ups and downs, I am finally approaching a BMI of 25 at 81kg (12st 11lb) which is the lightest I've been in 20 years.

Well done, how are you keeping it off the weight that is?

I eat a very small breakfast and a very small lunch every day. Typically a 1 egg omelette for breakfast and a can of soup for lunch.
That's probably around 400Kcals, plus some cups of tea all day until my evening meal.
I probably cycle every other day on average and that easily takes care of my weekly breakfast and lunch calories.
Losing weight is fundamentally about running a calorie deficit and the human body is programmed at a brain-stem level to ensure that doesn't happen. It's tough to override caveman programming.
If you aren't losing weight then, most likely, you're eating/boozing too much and convincing yourself otherwise. (Your caveman brain is very cunning and will trick you).

Once you realise it's a battle with your caveman brain, and that it's your enemy, then you are part way to winning.

I work on losing half a pound a week. Sometimes I don't lose it and other weeks I lose more. I stopped getting stressed about it.
If I'm burning off more calories than I'm putting in then something must give eventually. I started eating not very much.
Sometimes I plateau for 2-3 weeks and then I'll lose 3 pounds on the 4th week.
I've stopped the habit of consoling myself with food when I have a week of no weight loss (how stupid it that? It was my caveman brain telling me to console myself, it was tricking me.)

Audaxing generally lets me permanently lose 1 pound per 150km but that, especially on longer rides, can take over a week to kick in.
I recently did a 600km and lost 4 pounds a week later. Strava reckons 13,500Kcals for the ride, that's almost perfectly 4 pounds at 3,500Kcals a pound of fat.

The self-discipline I need to stick with it is hard work and I don't know what I'll use to motivate myself when PBP is finished.

I believe that losing weight ultimately comes down to how much you really want to lose weight.
If you're not losing weight then you really don't want to (trust me, I've been in denial as well, for 20 years, I just convinced myself that I was trying hard enough... but i wasn't).

Oh yes, if I want a day of eating and drinking then I won't feel guilty about it, I'll embrace it and enjoy it, guilt free (otherwise what is the point?)

Good luck everyone, I know how hard it is.

GruB · « **Reply #5615 on:** 29 June, 2015, 06:47:00 am »

Well done Lee. That sounds brilliantly hard - what an accomplishment.

LEE · « **Reply #5616 on:** 29 June, 2015, 11:32:54 am »

Quote from: GruB on 29 June, 2015, 06:47:00 am

Well done Lee. That sounds brilliantly hard - what an accomplishment.

Thanks Grub (welcome back by the way), it's my greatest accomplishment.
PBP was trivial in comparison to how difficult it is for me to control my eating. PBP was tough for only 4 days.

I'm on the low end of the overeater "spectrum".

I feel desperately sorry for those whose clearly have it worse than me because they (the overweight & obese) get precious little sympathy from society.

Ningishzidda · « **Reply #5617 on:** 30 June, 2015, 07:12:41 am »

The weight you want to lose is fat weight. If you are exercising as a method to do this, muscle weight can be added at about 10% of the rate of fat loss.

1 lb of fat is 3500 kCals, so at 20 kCals per km and 20 kCals per 100 m climbed, It’ll be a 160 km ride with 1500 m climbing to get rid of 1 lb.

This is IF you only eat your BMR for that day and no extra for the ride.

All the other weight loss on such a ride is water.

Marmitegeoff · « **Reply #5618 on:** 01 July, 2015, 06:27:14 am »

Maintained this week, but with a huge wedding weekend, last week I am satisfied.

simonp · « **Reply #5619 on:** 01 July, 2015, 09:31:02 am »

I seem to be gaining weight. Not sure if fat or muscle. 77.2kg this week.

velosam · « **Reply #5620 on:** 01 July, 2015, 09:38:51 am »

Quote from: simonp on 01 July, 2015, 09:31:02 am

I seem to be gaining weight. Not sure if fat or muscle. 77.2kg this week.

I wish I was 77 and am gaining too. Not suceeding too well with the caveman brain, he is winning

hellymedic · « **Reply #5621 on:** 01 July, 2015, 02:43:32 pm »

STILL disinclined to weigh myself with massive cankles and too much CAEK.
CAEK surfeit was addressed so slowly it probably caused only minor fat gain.

I'll be back one day...

JenM · « **Reply #5622 on:** 01 July, 2015, 05:39:15 pm »

I'm having a diet holiday which will end w/c 3 August and will last up until Christmas.

SteveC · « **Reply #5623 on:** 02 July, 2015, 05:29:23 pm »

Up three pounds since the last time I reported in, a fortnight ago.
I've been away for work (again) and have had one of our sillier weekends of the year (from the eating point of view).
However, I am 8 pounds lighter than I was after the equivalent weekend last year so it's not all bad news.

velosam · « **Reply #5624 on:** 07 July, 2015, 06:56:28 am »

Dipped below 80kg just hope it lasts this time.