[Closed] Another "why am I fat" thread...

Here we go then, I'm first to take the bait - sum total of my contribution to this thread is "eat less then"

100ks a week is 60 miles.

I've done that today, admittedly on a road bike, but it's not a lot even on a mountain bike. It's less than 10 miles a day...

If you are relying on exercise to help with weight reduction, I would think that there is scope for doing more.

Check out the fitness blender channel on YouTube.

If hey don't work, you're destined to be fat-nacker for life.

Is it because of the pies?

unfortunately the start truth is you need to consume less. its faaar easier to do that than exercise it off. what height/weight are you?

Do you have a fairly active job? 2300 sounds a bit on the high side otherwise.

that's lots of calories if you're trying to loose weight, for not a lot of miles on the bike

Get down to 1500cals daily any you will soon fade away

Reduce your carb consumption. End of thread.

A serious reduction in calorie intake coupled with an increase in activity will help enormously.

Honestly, I have found in the last two months that I needed to go down to about 1700 calories per day and either swim or run on a treadmill in order to make any substantial gains. I am now down 10 pounds from what I was. Only a hair more than 2 more stone to go!

You're asking on the wrong forum, most of the people on here will be naturally thin(ish) anyway - hence the athletic hobby

[quote=portlyone ]You're asking on the wrong forum, most of the people on here will be naturally thin(ish) anyway - hence the athletic hobby
My irony alert just went to 11!!

To try to answer it all at once....

I'm 5'11.4, 41 and 12st 14ib. 2300 was the race weight calculated average for my exercise vs clean intake. I did say "average", I've ridden 84k today in one ride and 160k this week (2 x 35k intervals and 1 x 84k Z2). February and March were tough as I've had a recoccuring LRT infection. I've a busy (10 hour days average) yet sedatory (desk) job.

I can't help thinking that 1500 cals won't support the energy I need for rides - will it?

Eat whilst you're riding then.

IMO it's not just formal exercise - it's daily, routine activity. e.g. how do you get to work - how can you get more walking/cycling into that routine?
When you get to work, what floor are you on and do you take the lift or the stairs?
Does your job require you to sit at your desk? If so, get up as often as you can (every hour?) and go and do a couple of flights of stairs... etc etc...
Good luck, I'm sure it's not easy and it's going against the cultural grain which is always a challenge!

200-300 miles a week on a road bike will have you looking like a racing snake in no time.

brooess - I do speed walk to and from the trains/home office probably a total of 30 mins per day - I'm on the 3rd floor and do take the stairs.

Neilsonwheels - if only I could find the time! (I have 2 young kids as well!)

I find I have to do a heck of a lot of exercise to lose weight unless I am strict about what I eat. Are they road or MTB miles you're doing, or a mixture?
Some may disagree with me but I think road miles are at least twice as easy as MTB miles. I did 65 miles on the road last Sunday, and that was considerably easier than either of the 2.5 hr and 4 hr MTB rides I did this week.
I have a sedentary job too, so I make a point of walking around outside for half an hr or so at lunchtime.

I'm 5,8 and 150 lbs at the moment I'm riding mtb and road and ride to work 4 days a week (6miles) with couple big lumps in it I prob do 150 miles a week at the moment but will do more soon, I use daily burn tracker to monitor what I'm eating and restrict myself to 1800 max calls per day, I work on my feet all day. If I'm training for a sportive or event obviously I have to replace some of the calls used, usually in drink form on the bike with a recovery drink afterwards. 2300 calls sounds a lot to me ESP if you have a desk job? I would reduce your calls until you see some results nothing too drastic try 1900 instead of 2300 good clean calls I bet it'll drop off

100km average week is not a lot on a bike.

When in training I average that fell running.

I can't help thinking that 1500 cals won't support the energy I need for rides - will it?

Hmm, if I was trying to lose weight. I'd be aiming to not eat enough to support the rides.

Are you burning fat on rides, or are you getting round on carbs?

Neilsonwheels - if only I could find the time! (I have 2 young kids as well!)

Yep that'll be a spanner in the works.

Hate to be the duty pedant but isnt 12stone 14 pound usually expressed as 13 stone, any way how about adding a bit more to the mix, weight training, tabata routines it works for me, the hard bit is maintaining the regime, especially after a hard day.

I'm 5'11.4, 41 and 12st 14ib.

And you're trying to loose weight? I'd suggest you're a perfectly healthy size just where you are. "Fat"? Be still, my beating heart.

5'11", 25 years, 14st 2lb and perfectly happy.

You should see my classic mid-life spare tyre duffer....

That's a carb-belly

piemonster - Member
I can't help thinking that 1500 cals won't support the energy I need for rides - will it?
Hmm, if I was trying to lose weight. I'd be aiming to not eat enough to support the rides.
Are you burning fat on rides, or are you getting round on carbs?

How would I know?

You'll feel awful, or thereabouts .

Heavy legs, that sort of stuff. With the sedentary job you might almost never be running out of carbs to use as fuel.

Or at least not often enough. By the sounds of it, you don't have time to hammer the training. If that's the case, it really comes down to diet.

Just re reading your posts.

In your position, I'd make a further reduction in calorie intake. Even if it meant some rides being a suffer fest. I doubt it'd effect anything other than the long ride at the weekend though.

Is it time for a turbo trainer?

Just to clarify, I'm just some bloke on a forum. Not an expert.

isn't 12st 14lb, 13st? 😉

For the record, I'm 5'10" 11st 7lb (currently) and live off about 1800-2000 cals a day. Now the eves have got lighter I'll ditch the running (ave. about 30miles a week) and do more fast road work, I'll do hours ( a loop of about 19miles rolling), and fast long eves of about 28 miles trying to maintain a +19mph average. By aug/sept I'll expect to have dropped 3-4 lbs (but probably not a lot more than that). Oh, and longish mtb rides every weekend.

Losing weight is harder than people think

Is it possible that the riding k57 is doing could be bypassing the fat burning process?

Is it possible that the riding k57 is doing could be bypassing the fat burning process?

yes, depending on what and when you eat, and the intensity of the ride for starters

Why are people obsessed with BMI?? Is it possible that you are actually losing fat, but have added muscle mass?? Are your cloths any looser??

From his training it's pretty unlikely.

No offence Kryton.

Same height and similar weight to me. I consider myself skinny.

I cycle a lot more than you do on a lot less calories.

If you're looking for something different to try though...

Try forgetting about the carbs, concentrate on the type of food.
Packaged food, tinned food, canned drinks, bottled drinks... it's all got sugar in which messes with your insulin levels. Cut them out.

Cut out the high carb foods.

See where that gets you.

Here we go then, I'm first to take the bait - sum total of my contribution to this thread is "eat less then [b]fatty[/b]"

piemonster - Member
From his training it's pretty unlikely.
No offence Kryton.

That's ok - you are right. And to address others read the first post - I am eating "clean". But I feel and can see I've more on my belly than before.

Other points: I've had a couple if bonks on 70k plus rides and heavy legs. I usually fuel up with breakfast of granola and brown toast, carry a carb drink (high 5 2:1) and eat 1 cereal / energy bar en route.

Also I've posted about this before - I haven't averaged more than 17.8mph for 8 months now. Could be the winter effect but I'm feeling slow.

Analyse that I'd you want.... :-/ im confused by the whole thing.

granola = clean?

To misquote, you keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.

On the rare days I do over 120kms I'll have porridge, with some fruit in it (berries) and probably a jam sandwich while I'm out, drink will be juice squash with a pinch of salt if it's warm.

Clean as in no processed food, veg, fruit, water, wholemeal breads and pasta. Ie if you can't grow it/catch it I dont eat it.

[quote=Kryton57 ]Clean as in no processed food, veg, [s]fruit[/s]carbs, water, [s]wholemeal breads[/s]carbs and [s]pasta[/s]carbs. Ie if you can't grow it/catch it I dont eat it.

I presume you get your bread from the bread bush and pasta from the pasta tree?

I see we've gone to stw pedant mode. I think you know what I meant , thanks anyway.

My point is that you are mainly eating processed carbs.

I walk to and from work, 7 miles average per day.
Swim 2200m (ave) 6 times a week.
Mtb about 6 hours per week average.

Always knackered (I'm 43), sleep 9 hours each night, but hold my own in the pool pretty much.

I am slow uphill on the bike bu like to rip DH....

I WEIGH 80kg and am 182cm tall.

Eat too much choccie and drink too much wine but love life.....

What Scotroutes said. But with less sarcasm.

what a pointless thread, its simple. 1 your ill. 2 you don't try hard enough and eat too much compared to what you burn...it's a mindset thing..

I'm ill?

Kryton57 - Member
I'm ill?

You sounds fine. 60 miles per week and 2300kcals per day is about right I'd have thought, to maintain weight.

To see improvements in fitness and weight loss, I'd guess you'd want to be riding (almost) everyday.

I don't know enough about it all really, but I do know you want to be stressing your body, so I dunno whether pootling about doing Z2 stuff is really worth it? Seems like a wasted opportunity to me. Could be doing sweetspot/tempo/intervals instead.

You said you had a recurring lrt infection on the 1st page.

2300 clean cals per day

too many, I've lost 3st in 6 months on 1600 cals a day, Tough at first but now i struggle to eat that many in a day

Ah yes. I thought he mentally like, sick in the head ill, lol.

The try harder comment is interesting. In the last week is the first week I tried 4 x 2 intervals. After just over 2 mins i was in pain / puke territory.....

Doesn't mean you'd be burning fat though.

What are those intervals for? Are you intending to race?

Yes an no David. I do enter sportives and mtb events but I'm competive by nature and although I know I can't commit enough to reach podiums and indeed that's not my aim, I'm driven to be "better" than average, just to be "good" you know?

Hard to explain.... Ever the nearly man in many things and yet again realising how hard real road / competitive riding really is. Hence the op - there's a power to weight ratio I'm not achieving ATM....

You know our mutal garage-dwelling 'friend' - he did a simple test which suggested he consume in the region of 1800 calories per day. Although at the time he probably wasn't riding as much as you, he has an active job. I understand we're all different, blah blah, but I'm sure you get my point...

I can see where you're coming from, but why worry about it.

Getting faster, or a better power to weight ratio, just involves being strict and dedicating plenty of time to training correctly.

Which sounds like something you can't do at the moment because of kids/life etc.

Why not just ride your bike and enjoy it? Instead of ****ing about with intervals and then Z2 rides, why not just go out for a few hard/hilly rides per week when you can, and enjoy them? Eat a bit less and your weight'll fall off.

Might be hard to understand, but I can't enjoy it. I'm a born stresshead....

Teasel I get it. Talking to mrs k tonight I'm dropping the race weight advised 8pm snack and the 2 stage breakfast it advises as of now. That should get me to 1900 cals without really trying....

It's NOT about calories in vs calories out - especially if you are riding.

Eating more and doing more shorter but very intense rides could raise your BMR quite a bit resulting in far more calories burned when not riding, and also make you faster and stronger on the bike which in turn will allow you to ride harder and burn up more calories during rides.

As I have mentioned here before, I was iDieting and commuting a reasonably long way and I got stuck at a similar weight to you. I started eating more Twixes and I lost a further 2kg quite quickly.

There's more than one way to lose fat.

You don't necessarily need more TIME to get faster, you need to do the right things in the time you have.

How much 100% intense effort do you put in? I'd imagine that you don't feel that great at 100% do you? You said that you were trying 42 min intervals - that's too long. You can't sprint hard enough for 2 mins. I'd suggest 30s up a hill absolutely flat out. Or just go on a ride with some short sharp hills in it - ride comfortably on the flats and attack the shit out of the hills. Worked very nicely for me.

its simple.

The only people who say it's simple are the people who don't know how complicated it is. Enjoy your ignorance but try not to spread it 🙂

You need to be aware of more than just calories. You need a certain amount of carbs to ride in a particular way, and that depends on your physiology I think.

Oh yeah, another thing - don't drink energy drink on rides. Don't eat anything with simple carbs 3 or so hours before riding (or preferably at all!), and within the first 45 minutes of starting the ride. The insulin released inhibits the burning of fat, so you'll power yourself with the carbs you are drinking. If you wait the 45 mins you'll be burning fat, and you'll find you only need a gel every hour or so, far less than you would otherwise be drinking, and you'll feel a lot better.

Cheers mil grips ill try shorter sprints with water only. Btw the intervals were 4mins on, 2 off.

Skipping through some of that...

Your measuring with the wrong tool.
BMI is a bad tool for the individual, especially one that is exercising. As you loose fat and replace it with muscle the muscle weighs more so your BMI will go in the wrong direction.

Look seriously at a few things
% Body Fat
Weight
Wobbly bits
What you are eating

If you want to loose weight then cut the calories and carbs down as you need to use the fat.

Btw the intervals were 4mins on, 2 off.

Oh right.. those would be good threshold intervals I suppose, for sustained speed, although the rest seems a bit short dunno. The 30s ones will be where you get your power and speed.

I have a theory that different exercises work better for different people...

The only people who say it's simple are the people who don't know how complicated I like to make it

FTFY

Carb-free diet

Other than chips & bread, I've eaten more carbs since I started 'managing' my weight than ever before. I've lost a stone & a half since new year & have now plateaued where I wanted to, don't ever feel hungry or sluggish & it's been a while since I bonked on a bike.

I think we're all different & need to find something that suits us individually.

[i]molgrips - Member

It's NOT about calories in vs calories out - especially if you are riding.[/i]
He's got a point there, you'd do well to bare this in mind, [b]imo[/b].

[i]Eating more and doing more shorter but very intense rides [b]could[/b] raise your BMR quite a bit resulting in far more calories burned when not riding[/i]
That's guessing and I guess that's what's important there. Don't guess, experiment, make note, change if necessary.

[i]There's more than one way to lose fat.[/i]
This is very, very true and perhaps the racing weight strategy isn't, as the OP suspects. Working for them.

[i]You don't necessarily need more TIME to get faster[/i]
This may also be very true, hence the rise of HIIT exercise. If you're not HIIT'ing at the moment. Perhaps try that if you're wanting to improve performance. However, I'd not suggest HIIT as your first line of action to reduce B/F. Exercise is great and very important, but I'd suggest you need to get your diet sorted first.
I would gain weight if I consumed 2300 cals a day. Furthermore, using exercise to mitigate excess calorie consumption isn't a good move, in my opinion.

[i]The only people who say it's simple are the people who don't know how complicated it is. Enjoy your ignorance but try not to spread it[/i]
Again, agree with this ^^ but to add that ime, most folk who claim [i]its easy[/i], don't have a problem in the first place.
🙂

[i]The insulin released inhibits the burning of fat,[/i]
Aye.

[i]Carb-free diet[/i]
Err, [b]no ![/b]

2300 calories sounds like too much. I'm losing weight on a target of 1900 per day. Doing similar amount of exercise probably, but I don't try to maintain average speeds etc when out on the bike.

Personally I reckon aiming for 1500-1600 calories per day is a bit extreme and not sustainable, but if its working then its working.

[i]It's NOT about calories in vs calories out - especially if you are riding.[/i]

While I'm happy to read everyone's contribution to these sorts of threads, for me Molly its absolutely all about this. I can manage and predict my weight solely on the cals I'm consuming, so whilst it clearly isn't for you, it is for me, and

[i]The only people who say it's simple are the people who don't know how complicated it is. Enjoy your ignorance but try not to spread it [/i]

These sorts of statements where you come over as more than little condescending, does little to help.

[i]There's more than one way to lose fat.[/i]

Absolutely there is, and sometimes it's calorie counting, and sometimes it's something else

carb free diet for those milage is probably right - its a low weekly milage - its recreational riding

never did see anyone good training hard on a truely carb free diet and doing well.

loosing weight and training for a goal and mutually exclusive at this level imo.

loosing weight is a by product of training but if you dont feed the machine you will be low on energy.

[b]for me[/b] Molly its absolutely all about this

That's the key there - FOR YOU that works fine. It doesn't work fine for everyone, not at all.

These sorts of statements where you come over as more than little condescending

I apologise for that. It's a reaction to continually posting loads of information and evidence of the complexity and variety of human metabolism and people inevitably coming on and crowing about how that's all nonsense and you just need to eat less and move more. Still not light enough? Eat EVEN LESS and move EVEN MORE.

but I'd suggest you need to get your diet sorted first

To the OP, to couter this a little bit, the only time I successfully lose weight is when I get the exercise right. Then I don't even have to be particularly strict with the diet, I still lose weight.

The only people who say it's simple are the people who don't know how complicated it is. Enjoy your ignorance but try not to spread it

Hmmm....

Yet a simple slow read through of the OP would suggest that he's eating quite a bit, and not doing that much exercise. But don't let that get in the way of shoehorning your own particular take on things into the thread.

I'm out before this becomes yet another interminable borefest.

Molly, I agree, it's different for everyone, so stop posting things like " it's NOT about the calories" When sometimes it is

Ok?

Ok, it's not SIMPLY about the calories.

Is that better?

Its all about the calories when you dont exercise alot and have a sedentry job

Yet a simple slow read through of the OP would suggest that he's eating quite a bit, and not doing that much exercise.

I think he's not eating a lot, and he's doing a fair amount of exercise. He's also not particularly fat either.

So, losing a little more weight could be quite hard, depending on his metabolic profile. Hence the advice I gave, which wasn't 'eat less'. I have demonstrated to myself that sometimes eating MORE allows you to lose more weight.

Your decision to drop the 8pm snack will make a difference in my opinion. Try to go to bed slightly peckish, then fill up on porridge in the morning.

Watch out for sugar hits during the day - fruit juice etc, and alcohol in the evenings. Soon adds up.

Most effective diet I ever did cut out bread completely and added in a lot of stuff like chickpeas and other protein to bulk out soups and salads.

in addition to Molgrips i would suggest changing your training, long days at work try 45 mins at a gym doing weights, 5 mins warm up 30 mins workout 5 mins cool down and back to work in the hour, add on your riding and it will make a difference

Gosh, that reads almost like an admission... 😆

Thanks Molly

I apologise for that. It's a reaction to continually posting loads of information and evidence of the complexity and variety of human metabolism and people inevitably coming on and crowing about how that's all nonsense and you just need to eat less and move more. Still not light enough? Eat EVEN LESS and move EVEN MORE.

If you added in "eat even better" then it would be fine. Worked for me and many others. There's not anything I really disagree about with in what you are saying.

But....

The thing is, by applying complicated methodologies and dismissing simple approaches many people will simply not achieve the goal of weight loss. Either through motivational or time constraints.

Eating the right foods in the right amounts, anybody can lose weight. With or without exercise.

Without doubt a more holistic approach with exercise will achieve even more. Also without doubt is taking a complex approach (carefully targeted training and foodstuffs) can achieve, again... even more.

But none of it will achieve anything if the approach is incompatible with the psychology and life constraints of the individual.

There was a big meta study recently wasn't there, which said that the quality of food eaten was actually more important than the quantity as an indicator of a likely healthy weight. ie eating less processed food and more vegetables was likely to be a better way of losing weight than calorie counting without thinking about the contents.

So much to respond to but in essence... Whilst on the train to work this morning I had a think about when I [i]haven't[/i] had a wobbly middle, and the changes between then and "race weight" diets.

FWIW BTW I think eating clean has been a good education as a bi-product of the race weight diet.

So those two occasions were (note that my professional lifestyle was the same):

a) During the time when I was playing rugby as OS/centre wing - I could run fast(pre cycling hobby) and
b) Two years ago when I hit the Kettlebells twice a week (less cycling, social MTB on a sunday only)which I've given up at the momenent.

It leads be to think that perhaps my metabolism reacts to short sharp muscular efforts rather than long drawn out endurance. In fact, perhaps adding carbs has piled on top of what I didn't really need and eating whilst riding on endurance rides is the way to go. Also HIIT (intervals) probably suits me better - aka the short sharp shock again. Having said that mentally I feel my riding style is a "grinder" rather than a sprinter - I feel more comfortable turning a big gear at 23mph on the flat or grinding in the trenches on a climb than sprinting.

What i comes down to is that I think I am over eating, and not training enough for weight loss. What I need to do is revert to pre-race weight diet eating (yet in a clean way) and hit the now non-carb loaded intervals in my 2 x lunch hour rides with nothing more than a hyrdo tab drink, and continue with my Z2's at the weekend but feed on the bike - with the exception of a pre ride porridge brekki of course.