How can I stop gaining weight as I'm cycling?!

[SchoolBoyError]

This is a kind of tongue in cheek thread after the "How can I stop losing weight as I'm cycling". But on a fairly serious note it turns out since I have started cycling I have GAINED nearly 10 pounds (and I wasnt that light to start off with!).

I spend about 5 - 6 hours a week on the bike averaging around 17.5mph so lets say doing 80 - 90 miles a week. This has been going on for about 10 weeks and I even did a 51 mile ride the other Saturday in 2:55. Now I weigh 200 pounds as opposed to the 190 I did when I started.

The whole idea of cycling was to get down to about 170. I dont think that I'm eating to badly - typical day:

Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - Sandwich (cheese or ham)
Dinner - Mash Potatoes and some meat or a pie perhaps (ice cream after)
Supper - Same as lunch

Bear in mind this was exactly what I ate before starting cycling and my weight was pretty stationary at 180 ish. Any ideas?

 

[tyboy]

This is a kind of tongue in cheek thread after the "How can I stop losing weight as I'm cycling". But on a fairly serious note it turns out since I have started cycling I have GAINED nearly 10 pounds (and I wasnt that light to start off with!).

I spend about 5 - 6 hours a week on the bike averaging around 17.5mph so lets say doing 80 - 90 miles a week. This has been going on for about 10 weeks and I even did a 51 mile ride the other Saturday in 2:55. Now I weigh 200 pounds as opposed to the 190 I did when I started.

The whole idea of cycling was to get down to about 170. I dont think that I'm eating to badly - typical day:

Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - Sandwich (cheese or ham)
Dinner - Mash Potatoes and some meat or a pie perhaps (ice cream after)
Supper - Same as lunch

Bear in mind this was exactly what I ate before starting cycling and my weight was pretty stationary at 180 ish. Any ideas?

You might just be gaining muscle weight.

 

[SchoolBoyError]

Ok I can see that. You think so though even after 10 weeks? When do you think I can expect to starting getting rid of my beer belly?

 

[tyboy]

Ok I can see that. You think so though even after 10 weeks? When do you think I can expect to starting getting rid of my beer belly?

I think you may need to cut the pie out of your diet to get rid of the beer belly

 

[tyboy]

I think you may need to cut the pie out of your diet to get rid of the beer belly

Might wanna get rid of the beer too......

 

[SchoolBoyError]

If I get rid of the pie can I keep the beer?

 

[bikemistress]

You would be better off eating 5 or 6 small meals as opposed to 4 big meals. If you have to eat big meals, cut it down to 3, breakfast, lunch, dinner and healthy snacks and when you do a big bike ride 60+ on the weekend, you should be able to have a slice of pie or scoop of ice cream and not feel guilty. I was training for a big race I did and only ate desserts on the weekend and I lost 5 pounds, and did not gain 10 pounds. Quality of food is as important as quantity. Are you eating fruit and vegetables, whole grain breads and cereal? If not, you may need to re-assess what you are eating.

 

[tfstrum]

You should have lost weight. Too many calories and not enough pedaling. How fast you riding? How far? Only eat heavy food for dinner the night before you ride and go at least two hours. Eat apple sauce and foods that are somewhat filling, but don't just sit...

Riding tones the muscles, but it's not body building.

 

[SchoolBoyError]

You should have lost weight. Too many calories and not enough pedaling. How fast you riding? How far? Only eat heavy food for dinner the night before you ride and go at least two hours. Eat apple sauce and foods that are somewhat filling, but don't just sit...

Riding tones the muscles, but it's not body building.

riding about 20 miles every couple of day and average speed about 17-18 mph.

 

[Ergoman]

You're only burning about 3000 calories a week from riding. One piece of pie and a beer every day for a week could add up to significantly more than that. You need to do either more riding or less eating.

 

[SchoolBoyError]

You're only burning about 3000 calories a week from riding. One piece of pie and a beer every day for a week could add up to significantly more than that. You need to do either more riding or less eating.

My main point at the beginning was that my diet hasn't changed at all and I've stayed the same weight for, well as long as I can remember. But I expected to lose some since I've gone from doing no exercise to doing 70-80 miles a week on the bike.

 

[Skoorb]

Your diet is rather atrocious. You eat too much. Cut your calories back and cut out the crazy-high carb and fat meals.

My main point at the beginning was that my diet hasn't changed at all

I bet it has. I bet you're taking in more calories, but since you don't count them, you have no idea if you are eating 2200 or 4200 in a day. I am 170 and can very comfortably eat 4000-5000 in a day--even without exercise. That's why it's incumbent that I monitor, quantiatively, what I'm eating.

 

[Idahospud]

What you eat now:

Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - Sandwich (cheese or ham)
Dinner - Mash Potatoes and some meat or a pie perhaps (ice cream after)
Supper - Same as lunch

I don't think you are getting enough calories and/or enough of the right calories and you aren't eating frequently enough.

Try this -
Breakfast within one hour of getting up - Special K in the Blue box - has protien, 3/4 C with lowfat milk + 1 cup frozen blueberries.

Midmorning - Add an apple and a low fat cheese stick

Lunch - Switch to turkey on your sandwich and add some veggies like green pepper, lettuce other than iceburg, and sprouts to it.

Midafternoon - Have another serving of fruit with some carrots (6 or so baby carrrots)

Dinner - Meat + your mashed potatoes - make them with chicken broth instead of butter and then add a lower fat spread to them if you like them with butter. Add a serving of GREEN veggies. Have a piece of pie or ice cream.


Give it a week. See what happens.

 

[SchoolBoyError]

Thank you very much for your help. I'll give it a go and let you know.

What you eat now:

Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - Sandwich (cheese or ham)
Dinner - Mash Potatoes and some meat or a pie perhaps (ice cream after)
Supper - Same as lunch

I don't think you are getting enough calories and/or enough of the right calories and you aren't eating frequently enough.

Try this -
Breakfast within one hour of getting up - Special K in the Blue box - has protien, 3/4 C with lowfat milk + 1 cup frozen blueberries.

Midmorning - Add an apple and a low fat cheese stick

Lunch - Switch to turkey on your sandwich and add some veggies like green pepper, lettuce other than iceburg, and sprouts to it.

Midafternoon - Have another serving of fruit with some carrots (6 or so baby carrrots)

Dinner - Meat + your mashed potatoes - make them with chicken broth instead of butter and then add a lower fat spread to them if you like them with butter. Add a serving of GREEN veggies. Have a piece of pie or ice cream.


Give it a week. See what happens.

 

[Alex Simmons]

You might want to consider getting your skin fold measurements taken. Weight is only one part of the picture. Skin folds will give you an indication of whether your fat is being replaced by lean muscle mass.

You could also see a sports dietician (they would also do skin fold test).

 

[mikesbytes]

You are probably putting on muscle.

The mix of protein/carb/fat in your diet may not match your liftstyle. Log your diet in www.fitday.com (use the free version) and do some dietary research.

 

[rwinthenorth]

This is a kind of tongue in cheek thread after the "How can I stop losing weight as I'm cycling". But on a fairly serious note it turns out since I have started cycling I have GAINED nearly 10 pounds (and I wasnt that light to start off with!).

I spend about 5 - 6 hours a week on the bike averaging around 17.5mph so lets say doing 80 - 90 miles a week. This has been going on for about 10 weeks and I even did a 51 mile ride the other Saturday in 2:55. Now I weigh 200 pounds as opposed to the 190 I did when I started.

The whole idea of cycling was to get down to about 170. I dont think that I'm eating to badly - typical day:

Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - Sandwich (cheese or ham)
Dinner - Mash Potatoes and some meat or a pie perhaps (ice cream after)
Supper - Same as lunch

Bear in mind this was exactly what I ate before starting cycling and my weight was pretty stationary at 180 ish. Any ideas?

I'm not buying into the muscle building thing. 10lbs of muscle is a lot to make in 10 weeks with 4 or 5 20 mile rides. If anything weight should stay the same or go down. I don't know your age, but at my age, it is simply calories in, calories burned, to determine if there is any weight loss. When I ride 20 miles, I might burn 700 calories that day. I might also burn 3 - 4000 on a 75 mile ride. The point is as your fitness level increases your calories burned go down some so that you may only be burning 600 calories on your 20 mile rides now. 4 meals a day is to many if your over 40, don't know if you are. I am doing what Bikemistress suggested, 5 - 6 small meals a day. Always consume whole grains, they burn longer in your body, and eat a lot of fruit and veggies during the day. If you have to have ice cream, or any high calorie snack, have it at lunch. This way you'll have the rest of the day to burn it off. My 2¢ from a guy who's lost almost 25lbs. since March and dropped 2 pants sizes. Calories in, calories burned. You have to use more then ya eat.

 

[bikemistress]

Thank you very much for your help. I'll give it a go and let you know.

Beer has a lot of calories and they are empty calories with no nutritional value. One beer has 150 calories. If you down a 6 pack, that is 900 calories. A beer or 2 on the weekends when you do a long bike ride should be fine. You are only riding 80 miles or so a week. Get back on that bike and ride more if you want to eat more. In training I ride at least 100-120+ miles, plus 30+ miles of running and 3-5 miles of swimming. It is all based on calories vs. calories out. I lost weight eating what I wanted but I am talking healthy food with a few treats here and there and not feeling guilty with a treat or a glass or 2 of wine.

 

[daveydave]

I know you were 180...but just how tall are you? Would you say you had a thin frame and little muscle to begin with?

I'm currently going throught a similar situation. Started riding in June and after losing the first 5lbs, I have been + or - 2lbs. Of course, I weigh myself pretty regularly, and I would like to shed 20lbs. However, that's not what my immediate goal is. My immediate goal is to re-distribute the weight, and I know i'm doing that. I'm definitely carving the upper body and putting even more muscle on the legs. I haven't seen a drastic change in weight, but I've taken an inch out of my waist / pant size. From the beginning, I knew I would be dealing with the muscle growth vs. weight factor.

Some ideas to help you out?

a.) Think in terms of size loss and how you feel. I wish more books would focus on size loss instead of weight loss (I think this is why people give up their workout routine, they think they are losing the battle when they are actually putting more logs on the fire to burn up fat!) Maybe take some measurements on your arms, chest, waist calfs etc... you'll have an idea how your body is shaping from week to week.

b.) Are you rides getting easier? If so, throw in some intervals and get that heart rate back up again, it will help you burn more. Maybe get a heart rate monitor / watch and push yourself into a certain range for a certain period of time.

c.) Your diet might be an issue. It's up to you how extreme you want in this area. I haven't gone cold turkey on lousy food but I'm reducing the **** by about 1/2 mainly because certain things don't taste great around working out. Eat slower, try eating half of your meal and waiting 10 minutes before deciding if you are hungry for the rest. It takes about that amount of time for your body to start digesting and letting you truly know how hungry you are.

d.) Are you drinking enough water?

Well, I hope there are some words of wisdom here. Let us know how things are going!

Dave

This is a kind of tongue in cheek thread after the "How can I stop losing weight as I'm cycling". But on a fairly serious note it turns out since I have started cycling I have GAINED nearly 10 pounds (and I wasnt that light to start off with!).

I spend about 5 - 6 hours a week on the bike averaging around 17.5mph so lets say doing 80 - 90 miles a week. This has been going on for about 10 weeks and I even did a 51 mile ride the other Saturday in 2:55. Now I weigh 200 pounds as opposed to the 190 I did when I started.

The whole idea of cycling was to get down to about 170. I dont think that I'm eating to badly - typical day:

Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - Sandwich (cheese or ham)
Dinner - Mash Potatoes and some meat or a pie perhaps (ice cream after)
Supper - Same as lunch

Bear in mind this was exactly what I ate before starting cycling and my weight was pretty stationary at 180 ish. Any ideas?

 

[neilkod]

I had the same exact problem as you. Check out my thread on this exact same topic. It took some serious changes to my relationship with food, but I lost about 50 lbs. I'm now a LOT stronger on the hills-funny things happen when you can lose a lot of weight but keep your power

Bottom line is that you probably eat more than you realize you do, and you probably ride less than you think you do. Damn you human nature!!

Here is a follow-up thread I started after the weight came off. Some good advice in there.