Pants Tight, Can't Drop Weight ---->HELP!

Here are my physical details: 6'2"ish, 206 lbs (as of this last Tuesday), male, and 29 years old.

After finishing my final long distance running race at the beginning of June, I decided to focus solely on cycling. I would say I average about 20 miles/ride and at least 100 miles/week. Without an extreme elevation gain, more than 1000 over 20 miles, I average 20mph, so that puts me on the bike for at least an hour. Keep in mind, this is an average. Some days, I'll ride 75 miles and be on the bike for 4 hours. Excluding warm up and cool down, my average heart rate is approximately 150 bpm. The past two weeks I started to incorporate at least two rides dedicated to speed work. Typical session is 15min warm-up and then 40 seconds on, 20 seconds recovery, 10 times. Rest 5 minutes and do it again for at least 3 sets. Once a week, I focus on hills, either repeats or long, not as steep climbs.

I lift once a week and focus on high reps and lower weight. As far as exercises go, I primarily focus on my lower body (hammy's, quads, calves) and core. I incorporate some upper body (chest, shoulders and upper back) as well, usually while I let my lower body rest.

Diet: I try and eat more protein that carbs, and not a ton of sweets, but of course, can always eat more healthily overall. However, I never eat fast food, rarely drink soda, including diet, and try and have a salad or veggies with every meal. Alcohol consumption is where I could cut the most calories, but I rarely drink in excess (more than 3 drinks in one sitting). Types of alcohol include beer, wine, and occasionally hard liquor (gin and whiskey).

I was riding 4 days/week consistently in July, had a gnarly crash at the end of July and took three weeks off the bike, but swam and lifted at least 4x/week, and then began hammering again in mid August. My point here is that I've been on riding again fro approximately 5 weeks. Here it is Sept. 13th and I haven't lost any weight and my pants are getting tighter and have to go to one further notch on my belt. I will say, I've most certainly gotten stronger and faster on the bike and my cardiac health is noticeably stronger. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO! Should I diet harder? Cross-train more? To be honest, I don't see how I can train harder on the bike, other than longer rides. I need some help!

 

Maybe it's a matabolism issue? Maybe meeting with a dietician would get you some results as basically what you are doing is what I'm doing other then the 100 miles a week. I wish you the best .

 

Every man and/or woman that has ever had any bit of a weight problem knows what you are feeling. You are NOT alone. And fortunately... there are simple solutions.

Your body is a bio-chemical machine... it is powered by everything you eat and drink, and by every breath you take.

If you consume less than your body requires to maintain its mass... you lose weight (even if you don't exercise at all). Consume more than the body needs and... miraculously... the body will store the extra for later use.

The problem is simple... your consuming too much fuel.

The first thing you need to do is find out how much you are taking in. Calorie counting is the best/only way to find out. I use an Android app to track my calories. That can be done by tablet or smart-phone ... or in the old days we even used paper-base notebooks to track our diets. Once you do a little internet searching and counting your calories you will be able to reduce your intake to match the weight you desire to be. Then the exercise you do for fun and health can also be helpful to burn off the "fun calories" you consume in alcohol.

 

Eat no bread or dairy and you will be amazed!!!!

 

I know what you're going through. Right now I'm at 190lbs and want to get below 180 by March. 6'2" btw.

For me, I've come to the conclusion that my weight is genetically determined to a certain extent. I have tiny arms, love handles and a fair amount of fat in my thighs. I know that I can hit 170 lbs with strict dieting, but to get there requires focusing on diet/caloric deficit which affects my ability to increase FTP.

I fear that the majority of people claiming that a simple calorie deficit will get you to a certain weight have a high strung metabolism that doesn't directly relate to people like me...diesels. It's simply harder for me to lose weight.

In the end, try to realize that unless you are riding/racing in really hilly or mountainous regions, outright sustainable power is more important than watts/kg. On flat land, weight doesn't play that much into the equation. If you're training hard and increasing you're power that will go a long ways...

Chuck

 

I totally understand where you are. I started in April monitoring my diet and focusing on workouts. I'm working out 4-6 times a week, 30 min to 2.5 hr workouts. I run and bike. I dropped 40 pounds in 4 months then just stopped. I'm sticking to my plan as things are still changing. People are noticing the difference in my build. At this point I'm chalking it up to my body building muscle faster than its losing fat. That would keep my weight the same, but swapping fat for muscle. If I don't see some loss in the next month or so I'll be consulting a nutritionist to get me back on track.

 

lol, I am 6'1" and At zero body fat I would be at like 202 lbs. gotta drop muscle if you want less weight.