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Confused - Please Help

Last week I cycled a little over 100 miles and lost 4 lbs, This week I have already done 120 miles and I will finish on arounf 135 miles for the week, however the scales have not moved a single pound, now I have eaten the same this week as last week, gotten the same amouint of sleep etc and its not like I dont have the weight to lose ( I have another 5 stone to go at least if I base it on Gov guidelines) so why then in a week when I have cycled, further, faster and harder while eating the same have the scales not moved at all ?

Confused doesnt come close.

Gaz

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14 comments

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obvious | 13 years ago
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hobbit says foorking muscle gain weight you tw@  20

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Zaskar | 13 years ago
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Water, glycogen stores, controls of measuring times and other factors...

Try to get a quality scale and measure using same controls e.g. first thing in the morning at the same time and temp etc.

Don't forget water and glycogen will add body weight and when this is lost on a tough ride you will see a few kgs missing!

I've dropped 15kg by diet adjusting but my metabolism has adapted and when studies finish I can start to ride more and shift another 15kg in 3-4 months.

Don't let your body adapt.

Also training hard and trying to lose weight will release chemical signalling that confuses the body-do I grow or lose weight. The body can't do both very well.

My goal is to get into race weight this year, next year endurance and then add some speed work.

Stop reading old facts and start reading up Sport science journals and apply your knowledge! (Sorry I'm a science geek)

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miffed | 13 years ago
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Id say dont get obsessed by tiny differences in weight. Id recommend only using daily weight changes as a guide to hydration.

Measure your weight weekly or less frequently for true weight loss. Or an even better attitude would be not to weigh your self and enjoy cycling for cyclings sake and gradually you'll notice the weight loss and your fitness increasing.

On the advice about 'fat burning intensity' thats not entirely correct. If you excercise steadily then its true you burn a higher proportion of fat but not a high total ammount. At higher intensity the proportion of fat is less but the total ammount is greater (and you also burn more carbs as well).

James

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shrinkinbggaz | 13 years ago
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PANIC well and truly over peeps, This week I am already down 5 lbs,

I have cycled around 80 miles, it really does seem my body works in a way that in 1 week I have one very very low loss and one very high loss the following week.

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shrinkinbggaz | 13 years ago
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First off, Thanks again everyone for your advice, there are some bits that I hadnt even thought of so will learn from this.

Secondly it does seem I have proved to myself that my weight loss goes in 2 weekly cyycled, Yesterday I had dropped 0.5lbs in the previous 7 days, however after yesterdays commute (27.6 Miles) I have dropped 2 lbs (Consistant with how my weight loss has worked inthe past) so will report back and see how it goes this week but I suspect I now have my answers

Thanks Again All

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Old Cranky | 13 years ago
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Just continue to drink lots of water per day. I read somewhere that if you are losing a lot of body fat you should make sure your pee is clear.

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Tony Farrelly | 14 years ago
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We're all different Gaz, maybe it's normal for you

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shrinkinbggaz | 14 years ago
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Looking back at my weight loss charts it seem I have a big week of losing (4-6lbs) then the following week always seems to be 1 or 2 lbs at max, is this normal ?

Thanks again all

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dave atkinson | 14 years ago
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i always weigh myself on monday evening before tea, i find that doing it the same time every week makes it much less liable to jump about. i can easily lose/gain 4lbs over the course of a week and be the same weight come monday

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Old Cranky | 14 years ago
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I have read that 3,500 calories approx. equates to 1lb in weight, so if you are burning calories and reducing your intake then you will lose weight.

Muscle weight doesn't magically appear without the calorie intake, so basically you are either not burning the calories or you are eating more.

I agree with Tony in that you may have weighed yourself the 1st week and your body was dehydrated. 1 litre of water = 2.2lbs (I think)

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Tony Farrelly | 14 years ago
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I'm sure you're still burning fat, but you are also probably building muscles - so sometimes the scales can lie + I usually find that there is a lag between doing the exercise and seeing the fat disappear except when you also dehydrate - which isn't a good idea. Could be that some of last weeks big loss was down to dehydration.

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cat1commuter | 14 years ago
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4 lbs is an awful lot to loose in a week. Were you starving yourself?

If you keep putting in the miles and eating sensibly - don't eat too much at once, have something more if you're still feel starving an hour later - then the weight will come off. But you need to think long term. Keep it up for a year and you'll need a new wardrobe.

And you don't have to be riding hard. Riding at a steady pace, well within your aerobic threshold, burns fat.

Don't worry. There's a reason why professional cyclists have the lowest percentage body fat of any athletes.

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shrinkinbggaz replied to cat1commuter | 14 years ago
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cat1commuter wrote:

4 lbs is an awful lot to loose in a week. Were you starving yourself?

If you keep putting in the miles and eating sensibly - don't eat too much at once, have something more if you're still feel starving an hour later - then the weight will come off. But you need to think long term. Keep it up for a year and you'll need a new wardrobe.

And you don't have to be riding hard. Riding at a steady pace, well within your aerobic threshold, burns fat.

Don't worry. There's a reason why professional cyclists have the lowest percentage body fat of any athletes.

For most people 4lbs is a lot but I am 20 stone 5lbs so I still have it to lose (was 39 stone, guess im just worried im gonna hit a huge stall) but to be fair I am now on my 3rd new wardrobe LOL

I just cant help but ride at at around 85% MHR I am guessing anything upto 75% MHR is what is classed as a "Steady pace"?

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ChrisO replied to shrinkinbggaz | 13 years ago
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shrinkinbggaz wrote:

For most people 4lbs is a lot but I am 20 stone 5lbs so I still have it to lose (was 39 stone, guess im just worried im gonna hit a huge stall) but to be fair I am now on my 3rd new wardrobe LOL

I just cant help but ride at at around 85% MHR I am guessing anything upto 75% MHR is what is classed as a "Steady pace"?

Wow, that's amazing on pretty much every count. I'm sure you'll continue to lose it, although I have found it gets much harder once I reach a certain point.

Regarding your heart rate I seem to recall from reading stuff when I got my HRM that you need to be below 80% to be in the aerobic zone. In fact between 80-90% is a bit of a no-man's land. I believe that for fat burning, long periods at 70% or less are recommended as the most effective.

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