Weight Loss Discussion Thread

[hellymedic]

I'm back!
Same weight as at the start of the year.
Cankles, which were ENORMOUS are mostly down, so aren't much of an excuse now.
Had too much CAEK for my birthday and partner's birthday.
GN: I'm still under 10 stone in old money.
BN:9 stone is  LONG way away.

[Wascally Weasel]

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).

I like the packs of butter approach – I do use that as a motivator sometimes.  I use a mixture of big blocks of cheap supermarket cheese, butter and lard as a reminder of the sort of stuff I’ve lost.

I tend not to drop in to this thread too often as it’s usually a crap reminder that I’m failing to lose weight.

I dipped below 100kg for the first time this year recently (from a high of 107.9kg – now at 98.6kg).  I’ll probably do the supermarket fat thing this weekend – and photo it as a reminder to myself.

Thing is I’m actually pretty fit, at least cycling wise – just checked my resting heart rate and it’s currently 53 bpm, so while I’m very overweight by any standards I reckon I’m pretty healthy compared to many people at ‘healthier’ weight levels.

I find it hard to lose weight when I don’t have a specific target.  You would think being fit and healthy would be enough in and of itself but apparently not.  I’ve motivated myself this time because I’m part of a triathlon relay team (half ironman distance, I’m doing the cycling bit).

Having done the same event last year I know that I’ll be faster if I can get some more weight off hence the focus on weight loss.  I’m not specifically dieting but I’m averaging about 250 miles a week on the bike and not drinking alcohol in the week (well Monday to Thursday) and trying to cut down on empty calories  elsewhere.

I’ve got another (cycling) motivator to keep the weight off after the tri but that’s probably best placed on another thread.

[Morat]

I lost 4.5 stone last year. I've put back about 8 pounds, but I'm still very pleased with life. The scariest stat for me is that my recently 4 year old son (who is tall and solid, but not fat) only weighs 3.5 stone.

Carbs are evil, and sugar is the hidden killer.

[rafletcher]

I lost 4.5 stone last year. I've put back about 8 pounds, but I'm still very pleased with life. The scariest stat for me is that my recently 4 year old son (who is tall and solid, but not fat) only weighs 3.5 stone.

Carbs are evil, and sugar is the hidden killer.

Well done!  I'm down 2 stone this year, but have plateaued the last 6 weeks, as I've been away from gym and bike whilst looking after wife after her hip replacement. Put nothing on though. Back on the bike saturday and back to the gym this week - God I ache!  Just 2 stone to go......

Like you carbs seem to be my downfall (at least too many). Sugar is less of an issue, although I do like my fruit.

[hellymedic]

I weighed 2½ stone when I started school at 5. I was light until my mid teens.
I've not yet lost that much but it is my eventual hope.

[simonp]

I'm still 3.5 stone heavier than at 18. Fortunately it's not all fat.

[hellymedic]

I am around the same weight as I was at 18.
I went down from 10 stone 3 lb to 9 stone 3, left home for university and went up to 11 stone...

[rafletcher]

Hmm, at 18 I was maybe 9 1/2 stone, I'm aiming for 11 1/2!!

[bikey-mikey]

Got back from a TORtoise today - 60.8 kgs - (pre recovery drink) - not been there for ages - good timing for PBP I hope...

[Ningishzidda]

3 stones lighter than I was at 18.
The discovery of a lot of beer and 2 a.m. curries isn't offset by a 3 mile commute by bike.

Reversed the trend at 21.

Now I'm 3 stone heavier than I was at 27, which incidentally is half my present age.

Held steady for about four years.

[velosam]

3 stones lighter than I was at 18.
The discovery of a lot of beer and 2 a.m. curries isn't offset by a 3 mile commute by bike.

Reversed the trend at 21.

Now I'm 3 stone heavier than I was at 27, which incidentally is half my present age.

Held steady for about four years.

+1 good for you, its the holding steady that is difficult for me. Too much emotional content and using food as a soother doesnt help.

I am guessing I was 9.5 stone around 12, but those days are gone.

However, I have manged to get into a suit jacket that I bought when I was 25, something I never thought I would do.  I do need to try the trousers on at some point just trying to find the enthusiasm.

[sojournermike]

Funny couple of weeks, but:

At 18 to 19 I weighed between 10 1/2 and 10 3/4 stone. Probably was about 6' 1"

At 28 I weighed 11 1/4 stone and was a reasonably quick runner (sub 2 800, sub 32 10k)

At 45 and 47 I weighed 15 1/2 stone

Now 49 I weigh 13 1/2 stone and am aiming at 12. If I had time to run competitively I'd aim lower. I'm still 6' 1", though it may be a slightly smaller inch than when I was 28;)

What is shocking is how nice it feels to be 'only' 13 1/2 stone and getting out again, when at 27 I briefly touched 13 and a bit following an injury and felt silly big...

12 stone here I come, I hope.

Yes sugar and carbs are not a good way to lose weight, but actually too much of anything has the same effect.

[citoyen]

I've just seen a picture of myself in Lycra...

 


Around 18 months ago, I was below 70kg. I posed naked for a calendar and I have to admit I was fairly happy with how I looked.

Last time I weighed myself I was pushing 78kg. I know some of you would be very happy with that number, but for my build, that's not a good weight, especially since the excess is mostly round my waist. What's most concerning is that the trend is continuing upwards - unless I do something to change it soon, it won't be long at all before I break 80kg...

I'm sure part of the cause is stress - 2014 was a very trying year, and 2015 has been hard going so far too. And what do we do when we're suffering from stress? We drink too much. And eat too much as well. And on top of that I've not been doing nearly so much exercise (cycling and running) as I was in 2013.

It's also affecting my health - I used to suffer from sleep apnea and acid reflux, both of which vanished when I lost weight, but have now returned.

While I would have no qualms about getting my kit off for the camera again, I don't think it would be fair to inflict that on anyone. I liked myself when I was 67kg. Not only did I look OK, I felt great pretty much all the time. I want to feel like that again.

The causes of stress won't go away any time soon, but I guess I need to learn how to deal with them better.

[hellymedic]

Hips have shrunk another cm. Waist has not but my tummy's pretty slim when I lie down.
My arms are a really nice shape.
I am not unhappy.

[Morat]

Well, when I was 14 I was 6ft tall, weighed 14 stone and had size 14 feet. So.. I've never been tiny! I grew to 6ft 4 (and a half!) eventually.
At university I rowed and got to about 16 stone, but put on some weight (no idea now how much) by the time I got to Sandhurst where it was all magically transformed into muscle and I weighed 97kg (15 stone 3). 15 years post army, with a sedentary job I gradually ballooned to 21st 4 and then decided enough was enough. I'm now 17st 7lb (111kg) which is a pretty decent weight for a 43 year old IT geek, but having dug out some suits I had made when I was in the army I can tell that I've lost a lot of weight from my shoulders and arms since I stopped digging holes and carrying heavy things around the countryside for a living. I'm determined to get back under 17 stone again. I was 16st 10 for most of last year and really liked it.

[hellymedic]

An elegant demonstration of when BMI just Does Not Work.
Morat would have a BMI of 25 at a smidgen under 15 stone, which is far too light.

[madcow]

Having all but given up on losing weight this year (despite a target of PBP) , I am now finding that weight is
slowly dropping.
I can only put this down to lots of cycling , the usual return to salads for tea and a significant reduction in stress level at work.
One thing has changed when cycling though. I now find that I can do up to 30 miles in one session without eating anything at all.
 Up until spring of this year ,a long ride would have me grazing on sweets or nuts but now I just eat when we stop. This is not a deliberate effort to switch on the so-called fat burning as I still eat quite few carbs during the day.
 I can't decide if it is a result of just being fitter or developing more efficient metabolism(whatever that is).

[simonp]

75.8kg this morning - still stuck.

[sojournermike]

84.8kgs -  a bit of progress this week and feeling good after doing something active on three consecutive days.

Happy enough to head out for a beer tonight!

[rafletcher]

One thing has changed when cycling though. I now find that I can do up to 30 miles in one session without eating anything at all.

I was pondering eating whilst riding last weekend. When I first got back into cycling around 12 years ago, I'd do a 28 mile loop, and stop (in a bus shelter - channelling my inner audaxer maybe!) at the half way point to eat an energy bar. Why? Because I believed the propaganda I guess   .

I passed the same spot on Sunday on my 35 mile ride, and wondered why on earth I ever thought I needed to eat at that point!!  Now I'll pocket a gel and energy bar only if on a 50 miler and then only as a precaution. And my drinks are electrolyte, not energy. OK, I'm not racing but I'm going pretty hard (for me) and manage ok.

We eat far more than we (think we) need.

[hellymedic]

Hips down again.
Haven't stepped on the scales but don't really care.

Some of us really suffered major loss of power if cycling without eating.
I don't think this was psychological.

[simonp]

Lost 1kg overnight. Legs will be returning to normal size.

[DrMekon]

Last time I weighed myself I was pushing 78kg. I know some of you would be very happy with that number, but for my build, that's not a good weight, especially since the excess is mostly round my waist. What's most concerning is that the trend is continuing upwards - unless I do something to change it soon, it won't be long at all before I break 80kg...

I'm sure part of the cause is stress - 2014 was a very trying year, and 2015 has been hard going so far too. And what do we do when we're suffering from stress? We drink too much. And eat too much as well. And on top of that I've not been doing nearly so much exercise (cycling and running) as I was in 2013.

It's also affecting my health - I used to suffer from sleep apnea and acid reflux, both of which vanished when I lost weight, but have now returned.


The causes of stress won't go away any time soon, but I guess I need to learn how to deal with them better.

My weight has fluctuated horribly since LEL2013 - got as high as 80 when I was working all hours on my (70+ pages) promotion application. Currently, it's back at 74.5. I remember how good riding up hills feels under 70kg. Had to give up beer. Not drinking again until I'm under 70kg. It's been a month and 2 days (according to untappd - I'm not counting). Two big helps were a nice new bit of cycling kit (Stache 9 29+), and entering a few exciting/scary events.

[Morat]

An elegant demonstration of when BMI just Does Not Work.
Morat would have a BMI of 25 at a smidgen under 15 stone, which is far too light.

Thank you! They actually had a BMI chart in the physio's room at Sandhurst. God I hated that thing. a BMI of 22 was Never Going to Happen. I'm sure it was sponsored by Slimfast or something equally ridiculous.

Anyway, back to the present - The price of a waistline is constant vigilance!
(sadly).
I need to keep my eyes open.

[hellymedic]

[OT] Went to a family event today and saw nephew's wife, who had given birth to Great Nephew on June 11 2015.

Was most impressed by her waistline, which was amongst the best of the crowd.

Complimented her.