Losing weight and what I eat?

[gmarno]

Hi Everyone,

I'm trying to lose weight for my trip to Canada next year and I was hoping for some advice. I'm 6ft and I (currently) weight 15stone 10lbs. I'm a fairly big guy (i.e. my shoulders are wide) so there's no way I should weigh 12 stone according to some of the charts I've looked at. My ideal weight is around 13stone so I've still got a way to go.

I've already lost about half a stone, but it's taken 2 months because I was eating rubbish and still drinking far too much beer (which is what got me into this mess ). I think my exercise regime is probably okay which I'll outline below quickly.

Mon, Weds, Fri - 90 minutes cycling (on the road) first thing in the morning. Get home do 20 minutes weights. I'm usually pretty hungry by this point so I have 3 pieces of fruit and go have a shower. Then about 45 minutes later, I have lunch which usually an omlette with a couple of slices of (very lean) bacon.

Tues, Thurs - 30 minutes running (I'm absolutely rubbish at running at the moment so I'll up this to 60 mins over the next few weeks/years )

Weekend - Relax (though I might exercise saturday as I find Monday a real chore having had 2 days off)

I really enjoy cycling and I usually do around 16-17 miles in 90 minutes so I think that's probably a pretty decent workout. I tend to have a banana and half a pint of milk 30 mins before I go out.

However, I've kinda stalled in my weight loss and I strongly suspect that I'm probably not eating enough with the amount of cardio I'm doing. I usually have ~1700 calories a day. It's all pretty good stuff like omlettes, fruit (5 pieces a day), brown pasta with sauce I make myself (tomato based) etc plus 2 litres of water a day (minimum). I'm not eating a massive amount of meat or bread, though I suspect that I could do with more meat in my diet.

I don't drink anything but water and the occasional apple juice (100ml watered down in a pint of water). I have a couple of drinks throughout the week (usually 4 shots total for the week) which is a vast improvement on what I used to drink.

So my questions are:

1) Should I up my calorie intake?
2) How long should my weights sessions be to really make a difference?
3) What am I doing wrong?

I'd really appreciate any advice or help people could offer.

Thanks....

[Pazza]

you could try to cut down on the carbs and eat more protein type foods. That would normally kick start weight loss again and to be honest, in my experience, makes me feel better all round.

[kalniel]

So my questions are:

1) Should I up my calorie intake?

Nope.

2) How long should my weights sessions be to really make a difference?

Weight sessions won't cause you to lose weight!

3) What am I doing wrong?

Nothing. Half a stone in 2 months is healthy progress. Just be patient. When you can, up the running (jogging) to longer sessions maybe.

Oh and throw away that height/weight chart - they're terribly crude. If you don't have much of a belly then you're probably at a good weight for your height. Or see a doctor for a proper assessment.

[gmarno]

Thanks for the replies guys. I tend to eat more eggs than anything else as omlettes (2 eggs) but I'm going to make an effort to eat more chicken, steak and tuna over the coming months to spice things up as I'm getting bored of eggs at the moment.

Oh and throw away that height/weight chart - they're terribly crude. If you don't have much of a belly then you're probably at a good weight for your height.

I was just using the chart as a rough guide give or take a stone (or two) I'm guessing my ideal weight is around 13 stone otherwise I just look too thin for my build. I've not actually been near 13 stone for a few years though so I couldn't really say

My belly is fairly sizeable which is what I'm really trying to shift. I'll just keep at it and hopefully now my diet is sorted, my body will kick into overdrive after Xmas. I'd really like to lose 2-3lbs a week until May as that would pretty much put me where I want to be, but I'll just keep doing the exercise and eating sensibly. If I haven't lost the weight I'll just claim it's gone back on as muscle

[merdat]

You seem to be doing all right. I'm doing the same thing atm, now just under 14st mark . Try to stick to fruit and veg. with a bit of chicken and meat here and there - not easy though- takes time.

[SiM]

I would cut down on the carbs and up the healthy fats (e.g. meat, cheese, butter, cream, fish, nuts). Eating fruit straight after training is not a great idea if you want to lose fat. Eating such carbs will make your body switch from burning fat into burning the carbs absorbed from the fruit.

Always do weights before cardio, otherwise you won't have the full energy to have an effective weights workout because the energy stored in your muscles has been used doing cardio. Doing the cardio after also should mean that it will take less time for your body to start burning fat.
This has been covered plenty of times on the net already: http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=weights+before+cardio

Why not look into doing a proper weights training program?
The Stronglifts 5x5 is a well respected program which many people recommend. (There are other similar programs like "Starting Strength" which also are very effective).
Doing weights will help to shift the fat and improve your body composition. Imo there is no point in doing loads of cardio and becoming "skin and bones" unless you want to become a competitive marathon runner.

[gmarno]

Thanks for the replies

Good work merdat, sounds like you're making good progress I'm hoping to be ~15 stone by mid January (gotta watch those mince pies at Xmas) and under 14 stone by the middle of April at the latest.

I went out for a longer run yesterday (45 minutes) as it seems to be getting easier (I've really only been out 5 times). I'm just taking it easy because I have knee injuries and I don't want to injure myself at this stage. My knees weren't particularly happy this morning, but I think they just need a bit of strengthening gradually. I prefer to cycle, but I want something I can do anywhere whilst I'm travelling in Canada.

I think I'm in the "zone" now (diet wise) as I don't really miss bread or beer too much these days. It's strange because I used to love fry ups, burgers etc, but I've found that I really don't fancy them much these days. Saying that, I still have the odd treat but now I've got into a routine, I've found it much easier to stick to. I'll chop out the carbs for now and see how I get on. I'm going to cut out the fruit straight after cardio and I'll switch my weights to before as well.

I'm really looking to put enough muscle onto my arms and chest so they're defined but not hulk sized. It's really my upper arms that I'm working on as I have very toned lower arms from 15 years of drumming. At the end of the day, I just want to lose my belly and put on some muscle. I'll keep you all updated on my progress as an incentive not to fall off the wagon

[gmarno]

Just thought I'd pop back and let you know how I'm getting on. The bad news first.

I managed to aggravate my knee injury which is irritating because my running was getting noticeably better. It didn't hurt at the time and I didn't think I'd overdone it, but I obviously did (I knew about it the next day I can tell you). I'm going to knock running on the head for now and work on some strengthening exercises I did when I got the initial injury. I've got some good running shoes (Asics jobbies) in case anyone was thinking that might be the cause. Once I've lost a bit more weight and got my knee strength up, I'll start running again (probably towards the end of January).

Combined with the amount of snow we've had round here (a good 6-8 inches), it's been very difficult to get out and do any running or cycling. I'm a bit bored of the snow to be honest, as I was in a routine that seemed to be working. Ah well, such is life

Now for the good news. I've lost 2-3lbs since this time last week which seems like good progress I suspect that I won't lose much this week due to lack of cardio, but I'll just use this to push my weights sessions a bit harder. Other than that, things seem to be progressing now and I'm hoping that the snow is going to melt fairly soon so I can get back to doing some cycling

[gmarno]

Well, that's another 2lbs this week so things seem to be ticking along nicely. The weights are definitely starting to pay off and I'm noticing more definition on my chest/shoulders so that's more good news. I also did my first 20 mile ride on the bike which was a nice little achievement for boxing day

I looked out the window today and it was overcast but not raining. Great I thought, I'll get my shorts on (prefer shorts as they're more practical) and get out there. Literally halfway round my route, the heavens opened and the arctic winds arrived. I couldn't feel my legs or hands (soaking wet gloves didn't help) and I think someone up there was having a good old laugh at my expense. I got some funny looks walking into M&S in soaking shorts (whilst it was freezing cold outside) I can tell you

I have to admit that a nice warm shower and a BLT was called for when I got home. It was brown bread, lots of toms, a bit of mayo (full fat because the low cal stuff is revolting), lettuce and minimal bacon so I don't feel too guilty. It was tough going today, but that's another 16 miles on the bike to add to the tally.

My knee is much better this week as well, and the strengthening exercises are doing their job as far as I can tell. Running will be back on the agenda at the end of January at the moment but I'll just see what happens in the interim.

So overall, a good week, and Xmas doesn't seem to have taken it's toll. I had a couple good days of enjoying myself, but not to excess.

[M0nkeyb0Y]

well done mate - keep it up

[gmarno]

Thanks M0nkeyb0Y, nice to see that someone is reading these updates This week has been a bit of a mixed bag, some good, some bad (aren't they all).

After last weeks escapade in arctic cycling, my bike decided it would develop a fault with one of the gear shifters which meant I only had access to one gear. Initially I thought something had frozen (as my bike lives outside in a shed). To cut a long (and frustrating) story short, one of the cables had come unclipped in the shifter itself and jammed. This meant I missed two days of cycling getting spare parts to fix the bike which was a bit of a kicker. I did however manage 23 miles on the bike on Sunday which is a new record. I'm aiming at doing 25 miles a few times a week and the rest of the time 15-20 miles/day.

The latest batch of snow has got me seriously thinking about tracking down some studden tyres as I'm getting sick and tired of a week on, week off with my exercise. We've got probably 7-9inches here which makes cycling pretty much impossible. Of course it's going to turn to ice and then that'll be another lot of fun

I've lost 2lbs again this week, so progress is still sure and steady which is great news. The weights are definitely helping with my physique so, I don't have any doubt that I'll hit my target before I go to Canada (I'm all about positive thinking).

Anyway, I think I'm off to buy some skis, I might as well take up cross country skiing if we're going to get this amount of snow ever other week

[M0nkeyb0Y]

Anyway, I think I'm off to buy some skis, I might as well take up cross country skiing if we're going to get this amount of snow ever other week

Now that is good exercise!

[gmarno]

Now that is good exercise!

At this point it's becoming a distinct possibility

Okay this weeks update.

First of all, I've lost 1 lb this week which is still okay but not really the progress I'm hoping for at this stage in the game. The snow has pretty much completely scuppered any biking this week and I'm starting to get cabin fever staying inside I've hit the weights a bit harder, but that's not really going to shift the weight.

I've been out for a few walks, but walking long-ish distances (i.e. over 8 miles) ended up with a few choice blisters because everywhere is so slippery at the moment. It's pretty good exercise (particularly in the snow), but I need to sort out some walking boots if I want to do it regularly in the snow (which I don't particularly).

I thought we were turning a point yesterday with the snow. The roads round my way had melted enough for me to do a solid 20 miles on the bike (only time I've been out in the last week). I was happy However, this morning I get up to find another couple of inches (at least) over night which has covered the roads again and means no biking for another couple days

I was in such a good groove just before Xmas with my exercise, but these constant interruptions due to the snow has made things much harder. Anyway, I shan't moan (too much) about the snow and I'll just get back on the bike when the snow has melted. Things are still going to plan, just not as quickly or efficiently as they would be with the white stuff hanging around.

[EDIT] Okay, after I'd finished writing this update I just thought that snow isn't a good enough excuse to stop me riding. In fact, screw the snow!! Off I went and I've done 20 miles on the bike today. I may have lost 3 toes to frostbite, but I've done my exercise for today

I got some funny looks on my route, but I took great pleasure in peddling past the people who couldn't get up the hill near my house I knew there was a good reason I bought a mountain bike with chunky tyres.

[gmarno]

Well, I certainly learnt a few things about riding in the snow.

It's not the snow you have to watch out for, but the slush. I had zero traction problems on fresh or packed snow, in fact it was not that much different than riding on wet tarmac. As soon as I saw slush up ahead I knew it was brown trouser time (especially going down hill at 20mph).

You'll be toddling along, and suddenly your front wheel goes one way and the back the other. Needless to say that I took it very easy over the slushy bits It's all starting to thaw out here though, so I suspect that giant puddles and rivers of slush are the order of the day for the next 3-4 days

[M0nkeyb0Y]

yeah, looks like the weather's improving - a lot of it's gone, and almost all the roads are clear here (Kent)

Again, good work, and don't come-a-cropper on that bike!

[gmarno]

I'm keeping my eyes peeled but with the rain that came over last night (south bucks), 95% of the snow has gone from the roads. I'd rather have massive puddles than slush so it's all good

That's another 22 miles on the bike today and I'm hoping that tomorrow is going to be nice so I can go for a good long ride.