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I've realised, are manifold.
Some time this past spring, I came on here for some encouragement, and came away with the following advice:
1. Don't think about weight loss in terms of weeks, but in terms of months and years. That way, you avoid getting discouraged by the short term ups and downs of the scale.
2. Use MyFitnessPal. No matter how much you [i]think[/i] you eat, it is extremely helpful to see it in numbers so that you can keep track and pace yourself. This has been a key for me.
3. Don't worry about a 'bad' day; just keep going.
And it seems to be working. Since June, even with the interruption of holidays, I can report that, as of this morning, I have lost 4 kgs. 16 more to go, but I am the lightest I have been for four years.
4. Lay off the ale
5.Have food poisoning twice in three weeks
@allthepies: Probably true, but while I am happy to drink, I don't tend to drink very much anyway, so it's not really an issue for me.
@Pook: That's just water weight you're losing. /smug
Well done 🙂
Can I add:
6. It's what you eat regularly.
7, develop a heroin addiction.
8, use dirty needles and get the bad cat aids.
Give up the booze for a month and you will drop half a stone.
For longer term results, more exercise, less food (smaller portions especially for lunch).
Badnews, surely that depends how much you drink......1 bottle a week . /4 bottles a month habit will not net you a half stone.
Whenever you go to the chippy do 20 good burpees before ordering, once the order process is complete do another 20, dont attempt this on a Friday after 10:30 pm.
Move more, eat less. It really is that simple
I've dropped 2kg over the last few months by cutting right back on sugar and alcohol. Did use MFP for a while, but my diet is do predictable I gave up after a few weeks.
you need to make small changes to diet cut out completely the:
booze
sugar
processed food
take aways
reduce intake
Increase exercise.
To brutely honest 4kg aint much, you dont take breaks for holidays.
Make a life style change. That means your whole life, every day
cut the man made stuff. eat as natural as possible.
Well done 🙂
I don't need to lose weight but I have in the past and the best way of doing it even with cycling to work, mtb 2-5 times a week, gym 3 times, is food.
Food is 80-90% of the problem, you can't outrun a bad diet.
Don't eat processed stuff and reduce your protein intake, especially from animal sources.
4kg - well done. keep it up
My Fitness Pal makes it easy to keep a good food and exercise diary. Did you notice the difference over your holidays? Or did you just keep to the calorie limit?
Well done. I went from 12 stone to 10.5 in two months with
[url= http://thefastdiet.co.uk/ ]THIS[/url]
Give it a go. 😉
Conversely I managed to lose 1.5 stone (from a peak of 13st) in 3 months whilst making no effort to watch my food intake.
My secret was to be diagnosed with hypothyroidism, then start taking the pills to counteract it and watch the weight drop off and stay off. Fantastic.
Disclaimer: this may not work for everyone.
Cut the booze, cut the food, lots of exercise. That's really the only way.
Most diet schemes that actually work are those that basically make you eat less. Just look at the Weight Watcher meals in the super market. Of course you'll lose weight if you stick to it, the portions are tiny! 😉
Anyway, the booze and food I'm cutting down a bit right now more after bit of panic over last week from essentially occasional over eating (I hope it was just that) causing some, err, issues. I don't over eat in that it makes me fat, but I compensate for the exercise by pigging out on large meals. Hence I never shift the weight. Not huge weight, just bang on 11st, but at 5'7" looking at BMI I'm top end of normal, but not far off over weight. Okay BMI is a bit rubbish, but belly size measurement isn't. BHF measurement of waist says I've got a problem there. Generally it's the booze that's been doing that.
Diet is okay. Fairly med style food, plenty of veg, some fruit, and I cook most of the stuff myself, little processed. But it's the quantity especially all piled up in one big meal end of the day fairly late. It's not giving things enough time to digest I think. Then I snack a bit too much during the day and go for a ride every few days burning it off and promptly consume the amount I've just burnt in another huge meal.
So much smaller meals, spread out more, far less booze, and drink more water during the day (or tea should be okay I'm hoping 😀 ). That's my plan anyway. Oh and keep up the riding, if not do a bit more. I get average of 3 rides a week at the moment, off road, 2 to 4 hours of riding each.
Food is 80-90% of the problem, you can't outrun a bad diet.
It's this. It really is.
I masked a bad diet for years when doing
. But now I'm unable to do anywhere near what I once did, 30 odd years of poor eating caught up with me pretty rapidly.lots of exercise
Which for me makes changing dietary habits all the harder. The intellectual "I know eating this is a bad choice" knowledge is hard to compete against such an unconcious way of life.
Good work OP. Stick at it..!
I lost a stone between March and July, and have stayed there ever since, have been eating less than before March, but more than in the period where I lost the weight, am still riding once or twice a week.
Lack of motivation (work etc), too much other crap going on, spending too much time on here and fantasising about the perfect bike for the type of riding I do rather than riding the perfectly good ones I've got, and diving into the fridge/cupboard when bored/a bit down have put pay to any more weight shedding.
I'm going to commit to ride 3 times a week and cut food intake down again from this weekend, I want to lose another stone at least by Christmas. Once you're in the habit, and the pounds are coming off, it just works, you get into it, and the weigh falls off.
1. Eat a crapton of vegetables.
2. Do something active and fun every day.
- http://zenhabits.net/healthy/
I have a reasonable diet but beer is my friend.
During winter/injury the belly arrives and the weight goes up so after 8-10 slow weeks I've been back up north, diet about the same but the effect of riding every day is great.
Maybe it's over simplified but the myfitness pal idea is spot on, consume less than you use.
a. eat healthy (every day) - diet is the absolute key IMO. Making good decisions routinely if you are used to routinely making bad ones can take a while but something like MFP is a massive bonus for this.
b. avoid booze as much as possible
c. use something like MFP to track calories and fat/sugar etc intake
d. loads of exercise
I've lost 10kg (still another 10 to go!) since the middle of June and I reckon without MFP it would not have happened. Being able to track what you are eating and, more crucially, what its got in it has been incredibly useful. I also quit smoking in the middle of June so the urge to snack was pretty damn strong for a while! I had, as I think its past tense now, very little self control with food previously. MFP lets you see the consequences of ramming half a pack of digestives down your neck which I found very useful as a motivator.
keep on it OP.
everything that yossarian says ^^^^^^
dont use MFP myself but can't see how it can hurt.
rather thank think of it as a diet, choose meals that are lower in calories than you normally eat but that are meals that you will carry on eating once the weight is off. easier than you think, find out what veg gives you the least calories and eat veg rather than meat - veg chilli, veg fajitas, veg curry etc.
if you really want to keep it all off once you've lost it then best tell yourself that you don't drink anymore (except on special oocasions).
Does this mean you'll come on a bike ride with me then? 🙂
calorie counting sound mind numbingly boring. How the hell anyone is supposed to accurately track how many calories they eating is beyond me. What about eating out/restaurants? Do people really log that into an app every time they go out?
The biggest change that helped me was replacing cereals/toast/fruit juice for eggs in the morning. essentially stopping insulin spikes
And nobody has mentioned Clenbuterol yet 🙂 Joking!
Eat clean, eat small meals regularly, cut the processed crap out, do intensive exercise (as opposed to long, easy cardio). Also, don't think of it as a diet, it's a change to what you do long term.
My wife has dropped 4 stone doing this and turned herself from a bit of a slob to a sub 40 minute 10k beast.
"What about eating out/restaurants? Do people really log that into an app every time they go out?"
how often do you actually eat out though ?
The part i find hard about logging is that most if not all of my meals are made from scratch and more often than not - not to a recipe.
my top tip - buy smaller plates.
It's incredibly hard to lose weight cycling.
You have to work at a good intensity for a few rides and for 10+ hours a week in my world.
Only then did I lose 1/2 stone over 6 months.
Unless you just don't each much ever and can ride - then you're better than me.
5 mins to eat a kit-kat - one hour to take it off.
my top tip - buy smaller plates.
For people who mindlessly eat out of habit and are not really hungry that might work. However most people keep eating until they feel satisfied, and if you have smaller plates you'll end up simply snacking anyway.
I dunno about you but my body's definitely not that easily fooled! I can easily serve myself less, but then I'll still be hungry. Plate size makes no difference.
It's incredibly hard to lose weight cycling.
I found this to be the case, too. I lost significantly more fat by adopting a very brisk walking regime; much more noticeable fat loss and muscle development on anything below the waist.
Edit : And above the waist - my gut disappeared in no time. About an 8 - 10 mile walk twice maybe three times a week. Two sharp climbs thrown in, obviously.
Just doing
[url= http://thefastdiet.co.uk/ ]THIS[/url]
again, and pointing out that it DOESN'T require that you cut down on your usual diet except for just two days per week.
Eat, drink and be [s]merry[/s] slim. 😀
Easy don't calorie restrict below rda you'll only damage your metabolism and get fatter afterwards. Eat meats with very low fat,chicken fillets,tuna,salmon,flank steak, with green vegetables or salad (no dressings or mayo). And eggs lots of eggs. No pops or juice drinks.
I went from 13'10 to 11'0 in a few weeks. It was easy while my wife sat crying in the kitchen working out what food she could squeeze into the weight watcher points she had left for the day.
'phet and gabba
Easy don't calorie restrict below rda you'll only damage your metabolism and get fatter afterwards
Nope. I still keep up the 5:2 diet. I use the two dieting days to control my weight and keep it at a constant 10.5 stone.
[url= http://thefastdiet.co.uk/ ]Just Do It[/url]
"What about eating out/restaurants? Do people really log that into an app every time they go out?"
yes, it takes 30 seconds and (I feel) helps me keep in control of my health.
Mr Woppit - Member
Just doingTHIS
again, and pointing out that it DOESN'T require that you cut down on your usual diet except for just two days per week.
It's a fasting diet. It's still just cutting down on how much you eat, and that's why it works. Though not sure fasting for a couple of days is good for you.
whats the difference between long steady rides v short intensity stuff?
how is one going to lose weight more than the other?
so those on the 5:2 diet - how do you cope with riding.
i do 25k in the morning in fasted state and 25k in the evening after eating regularly.
i cant imagine trying to do that on the "2" days.....
not that im considering it - as its not exactly healthy for your body.
Sancho - Member
whats the difference between long steady rides v short intensity stuff?how is one going to lose weight more than the other?
If you enjoy cycling, then just ride your bike at the intensity you want to. Doing one or the other in a bid to lose weight is a daft idea. Likewise, cutting out stuff like beer, processed foods etc. is a stupid/difficult thing to do. As is counting calories, or eating six small meals a day or anything else that requires lots of thought and preparation.
Best way to lose weight !!
Split up with your wife....my mate has never looked better!!!....and his new girlfriend??????whoah!!!
I'm thinking about it myself now 😛
how is one going to lose weight more than the other?
Assuming the calorie usage is the same, the short, sharp stuff will do more muscle damage, this takes energy to repair so you use more fuel up. There's also a view that longer, low intensity exercise often leads to people eating bog when they finish and so negating a lot of the benefits.
Oh, and remember, most people, contrary to what they think, are not looking to lose weight, their looking to look better and/or feel better about their bodies. So, don't use scales, take a picture of yourself in your undies and then take a new picture each week or 2, use this as your reference.
I realised in March, on my 50th birthday to be exact, that I was the heaviest I'd ever been so I decided to do something about it and this worked for me:
1) Cut out all 'bad' food
2) Reduce portion size by 25%
3) Fasted training ride twice a week - 2.5 -3.5 hours going as hard as I dared roughly 30 - 35 miles off road
4) Push hard all the way around my weekly park run 5K
5) Get more sleep
I'm not sure if the last one really helps to lose weight but it made me feel 'better' which allowed me to do items 1 - 4 more easily.
I've managed to lose 28 lbs ~ 12.7 kg between March and July and am now aiming to lose another 6 kg over the next 3 months.
i do 25k in the morning in fasted state and 25k in the evening after eating regularly.i cant imagine trying to do that on the "2" days.....
I reckon you can't do it, at leasdt not two rides per day. Depends how hard you go though.
cheekyget - MemberBest way to lose weight !!
Split up with your wife....my mate has never looked better!!!....and his new girlfriend??????whoah!!!I'm thinking about it myself now
Worked for me! 10 stone of bitter,disapproving weight with one wee signature.
The part i find hard about logging is that most if not all of my meals are made from scratch and more often than not - not to a recipe.
I didn't consider it necessary to calculate calories to the absolute, just recording something approx every time you open your mouth and being realistic is sufficient enough IMO. There's a massive database and I've always found something in the database that's near enough to count. Most other stuff comes pre packed so scanning bar codes and maybe changing the pre entered quantity also seemed to account for much stuff I buy. Personally, certainly for me, I think it's more about the reality check.
I suppose if you're in it for recording salt, sugar, vitamins and minerals then you have to get anal, but otherwise I don't see the need
"I dunno about you but my body's definitely not that easily fooled! "
depends how committed you are to losing weight i guess. but for me when plating up meals its much easier portion control and looks like more on a smaller plate than it does a small portion on a large plate.....
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FWIW like stoner did- ive let my self go(13st 5) over the last year while doing nothing but building my land rover while still eating like i was racing every other week. so im going to spend between now and xmas getting my self back down to 12 stone and get racing again :d
looks like more on a smaller plate than it does a small portion on a large plate
I don't think it matters tbh, at least not to me.
Commitment to losing weight is about dealing with the hunger and the desire to snack. Not serving huge portions is of course one thing but it's the easiest thing in the world to serve yourself less. What's far harder is to stop yourself having a Twix from the vending machine two hours later when you're hungry. Plate size doesn't do anything for that.
molgrips - Member
Does this mean you'll come on a bike ride with me then?
Yes indeed. I'll send you a text with some suggested times and we can go from there.
I also agree with what you say about plate/portion size. My problem has always been snacking.
Someone on here said something a while ago about how good it could feel getting used to feeling hungry. Keeping that in mind has helped me immensely, as every time I felt a hunger pang in the past, I would try to fill it.
drink a pint of water when you feel like snacking.
Someone on here said something a while ago about good it could feel getting used to feeling hungry.
[i]Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.[/i]
It wasn't that and it probably wasn't me but I like it nonetheless and have etched it into my cupboards and ceilings and am thinking about a tattoo in reverse on my forehead...
Someone on here said something a while ago about good it could feel getting used to feeling hungry.
Yeah and realising what makes you hungry. Hunger is like a sleeping monster, and sweet things wake it up. I can eat low GI/low carb stuff all day but if I have just a taste of something sweet then the monster awakens and I'm ruddy starving the rest of the day.
" I can eat low GI/low carb stuff all day"
i see the issue......
Not continuously all day you pillock 🙂
😀
Don`t assume that more riding will mean greater weight loss.
A good ride will often mean I will have an insatiable appetite for a day or so. A ride that may burn 3000 calories will often mean I crave about 30,000 calories within the following 36hrs.
I decided to take the last 10 days completely off the bike.
I have lost 4lb in weight as a result.
What helped me drop a significant amount of weight previously, was trying to eliminate as much sugar from my diet as possible. High sugar foods make you feel hungry.
Ps.
You did not get back about those Sunday rides.
Assuming the calorie usage is the same, the short, sharp stuff will do more muscle damage, this takes energy to repair so you use more fuel up.
[url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2640399/ ]HIIT also improves insulin resistance[/url]
and [url= http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robin_Daly/publication/11105963_High-intensity_resistance_training_improves_glycemic_control_in_older_patients_with_type_2_diabetes/links/0046352b0b52e6f5c8000000.pdf ]glycemic control[/url]
trail_rat - Member
so those on the 5:2 diet - how do you cope with riding.
My diet control days are Tuesday and Thursday. I commute by bike and live just over 20 miles away from work. It's not a problem, but then when I'm commuting, I'm not putting in a huge amount of effort to go particularly fast anyway...
(Just finished today's apple, as I type).
Assuming the calorie usage is the same, the short, sharp stuff will do more muscle damage, this takes energy to repair so you use more fuel up.
Yes, BUT
When I do it, the short sharp stuff depletes muscle glycogen, which stimulates my appetite a lot, sometimes to the point where it's hard to manage. But I don't seem able to repair the damage unless I replenish the glycogen stores which means I stay tired and sore, which means I can't do a very intense workout next time.
I think genetics plays a part here. I've got more than average type II muscle fibres which makes me a sprinter. So when I do an intense workout and I sprint flat out I'm probably generating four or five times my lactate threshold power: 1200W vs 220W ish, although those figures are from a while ago. Whereas a chap I work with would only generate three times or less: 650W vs 250W.
So what I am thinking is that the way people ride is quite different, and that might affect the way we recover and consequently what drives our appetite. So HIIT may work well for weight loss for some people, but not others. Doesn't seem to help me much - I've only ever lost a significant amount of weight (more than a stone or so) when I've done lots of slower miles.
Diets alone don't work long term, they are set up to fail, as soon as you "stop the diet" you either pile back on weight by eating normal or crave stuff you "couldn't have" there's also so much bullshit surrounding diet fads floating around and it's almost impossible to filter it.
The main problem with the word diet is it involves telling your brain you can't to have something, which makes it a taboo, and humans love breaking taboos! You need to start by deciding you don't want something in particular anymore for a good reason.
Also, filling in an app with everything you eat is also ridiculous, you really want to spent thousands of hours of your life filling in what you eat during your lifetime? Calorie counting is just another way of licensing to yourself what you will let yourself eat if you "be good" ie. "I've only had a salad for lunch so I can have fish and chips later".
So in mid June ago I took sugar out of my coffee's and tea's, stopped having a snickers everyday, replaced my non existent breakfast with a pint of raw fruit and veg juice (sounds hideous but actually delicious), slightly reduced my portion sizes (cutting sugar helped this), slept for 7-8 hours rather than 5-6 per night and starting 25th July I increased my weekly riding by just 2-3 extra hours over the course of each week due to having a boatload more energy from all the changes. Bear in mind I still enjoy a few beers during the week...
I went from from 86 kg to 75, I feel way better and I'm alot faster as a result. 😀