Weight loss stalled - next step?
#1
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 30
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 9 Times
in
7 Posts
Weight loss stalled - next step?
I've been pretty focused on weight loss for the last 7-8 weeks, making some obvious changes to my diet - eliminated alcohol, huge reduction in junk food(think chips), and no sweets. In that time, I'm down about 10lbs, but I feel like I'm stuck now for the last 2.5 weeks. The training since I started has been primarily slower rides with lots of Zwift because Seattle has had some smoke and more recently a bunch of rain, but I've been averaging about 10hrs a week on the bike. Anyone have some suggestions? Should I be taking some days off the bike and strength train, and then hit long rides again? If anyone has a recommendation on a coach who can help me achieve this - both on the training side, but also the diet side, I would love to hear it. Thanks!
Likes For SeattleRider57:
#2
Senior Member
When I'm trying to lose weight and hit those plateaus, it has inevitably been that I'm eating more than I'm admitting. Two ways I do that:
It is way easier to underestimate calories in than hours cycled and calories in is usually for me way more varied than calories burned per hour cycling
Usually YMMV warnings - everyone's metabolism is different, but for me those plateaus are always about calories in being too high.
- I had stopped tracking what I was eating or wasn't doing it after every meal. I use the free LoseIt app, there are many others out there.
- I was tracking but way underestimating portion size.
It is way easier to underestimate calories in than hours cycled and calories in is usually for me way more varied than calories burned per hour cycling
Usually YMMV warnings - everyone's metabolism is different, but for me those plateaus are always about calories in being too high.
#3
Senior Member
A pretty demanding training week for me recently had me at 7,220 calories on 11hrs. So if someone were approximating their calories burned, I would personally advise them toward the lower end, I personally think people tend to believe the exercise they do burns more calories than it actually does
#4
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 30
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 9 Times
in
7 Posts
I think you're both on the right track, and I just need to track calories a little more closely. I'm burning about 1100-1200 calories in most of my 1.5hr workouts as they're a bit lower on intensity. I'm using a power meter, so at least I know my efforts are accurate.
#5
Klaatu..Verata..Necktie?
Join Date: May 2007
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 17,952
Bikes: Litespeed Ultimate, Ultegra; Canyon Endurace, 105; Battaglin MAX, Chorus; Bianchi 928 Veloce; Ritchey Road Logic, Dura Ace; Cannondale R500 RX100; Schwinn Circuit, Sante; Lotus Supreme, Dura Ace
Mentioned: 41 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10421 Post(s)
Liked 11,882 Times
in
6,088 Posts
I have to track calories religiously to lose weight, no matter how much I ride, because if I don't, I'll start over-compensating for the calories I burned.
__________________
"Don't take life so serious-it ain't nohow permanent."
"Everybody's gotta be somewhere." - Eccles
"Don't take life so serious-it ain't nohow permanent."
"Everybody's gotta be somewhere." - Eccles
#6
just another gosling
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Everett, WA
Posts: 19,528
Bikes: CoMo Speedster 2003, Trek 5200, CAAD 9, Fred 2004
Mentioned: 115 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3886 Post(s)
Liked 1,938 Times
in
1,383 Posts
I don't track calories. If I want to lose weight, I just eat the same thing, but smaller amounts. Smaller portions works.
__________________
Results matter
Results matter
#7
Banned
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mississauga/Toronto, Ontario canada
Posts: 8,721
Bikes: I have 3 singlespeed/fixed gear bikes
Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4227 Post(s)
Liked 2,488 Times
in
1,286 Posts
Take 2 days off from the bike and do some resistance training twice per week on your days off....Also don't go too low on calories because it can affect your training and recovery, personally I eat by feel and don't count how many calories I consume and how many calories I burn.
#8
Full Member
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 249
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 92 Post(s)
Liked 88 Times
in
57 Posts
Try this.
Take your weight you would like to be (ie. 170 lbs)
Multiply by 12. You get 2070.
Thats how many calories a 170 pound person should eat as a not very active person to just maintain their 170 pound weight.
Now, if you go burn 500 calories cycling, you can eat more than 2070 but less than 2570, and still lose weight at a good rate.
But, I found that if I ate my goal weight times 12, I’d generally be pretty satisfied at that calorie level even if I did a pretty hard hour to 1.25 hours of cycling every other day and did 30 minutes of strength training on the other days. . I really can’t say how much more to eat if you go burn like 1000 calories or something, that’s above my pay grade, lol
But, it worked great for me to lose about 35 pounds over 2 years while still eating healthy and satisfying meals and strength training to build some muscle mass at the same time.
The key is to count calories. That’s clear. Quitting alcohol does wonders as well. If you don’t count calories it makes it much harder.
Take your weight you would like to be (ie. 170 lbs)
Multiply by 12. You get 2070.
Thats how many calories a 170 pound person should eat as a not very active person to just maintain their 170 pound weight.
Now, if you go burn 500 calories cycling, you can eat more than 2070 but less than 2570, and still lose weight at a good rate.
But, I found that if I ate my goal weight times 12, I’d generally be pretty satisfied at that calorie level even if I did a pretty hard hour to 1.25 hours of cycling every other day and did 30 minutes of strength training on the other days. . I really can’t say how much more to eat if you go burn like 1000 calories or something, that’s above my pay grade, lol
But, it worked great for me to lose about 35 pounds over 2 years while still eating healthy and satisfying meals and strength training to build some muscle mass at the same time.
The key is to count calories. That’s clear. Quitting alcohol does wonders as well. If you don’t count calories it makes it much harder.
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 5,751
Bikes: 2022 Salsa Beargrease Carbon Deore 11, 2020 Salsa Warbird GRX 600, 2020 Canyon Ultimate CF SLX disc 9.0 Di2, 2020 Catrike Eola, 2016 Masi cxgr, 2011, Felt F3 Ltd, 2010 Trek 2.1, 2009 KHS Flite 220
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4383 Post(s)
Liked 3,016 Times
in
1,865 Posts
Maybe a closer eye on calories, but maybe just patience. Sometimes you can't see the trend in data from a small interval. Are you recording your weight and graphing it? If not, you may be missing the trend. The attached graph dates from about 10 years ago, when I was trying to lose weight (since that time, I got and remained significantly lighter). If one focuses on some intervals (say, January), it's hard to see any trend and it looked like I was on a plateau, but I wasn't really...
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NV
Posts: 600
Bikes: 2021 Litespeed T5 105, 1990 Gios Compact Pro 105
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 167 Post(s)
Liked 325 Times
in
182 Posts
Keep the focus on what you eat, and add the limitation of when to eat - time-restricted eating.
#11
I'm good to go!
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 14,984
Bikes: Tarmac Disc Comp Di2 - 2020
Mentioned: 51 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6191 Post(s)
Liked 4,807 Times
in
3,316 Posts
I think you're both on the right track, and I just need to track calories a little more closely. I'm burning about 1100-1200 calories in most of my 1.5hr workouts as they're a bit lower on intensity. I'm using a power meter, so at least I know my efforts are accurate.
Even if you weigh ever gram that goes into your mouth and calculate the Calories from a website or table lookup, there is a lot of estimation going on it that too. More so I'd say than the difference people argue about the Calorie burns given by HR monitors.
7 to 8 weeks of dieting is nothing. You will have many plateaus, sudden gains and sudden drops of weight that you won't be able to explain.
#12
Newbie racer
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 3,406
Bikes: Propel, red is faster
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1575 Post(s)
Liked 1,569 Times
in
974 Posts
Get stronger on the bike. Then the same time expenditure at the same zone burns more. That takes time and consistency.
Similar for many sports. The better you get, the more you can burn.
Similar for many sports. The better you get, the more you can burn.
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 5,751
Bikes: 2022 Salsa Beargrease Carbon Deore 11, 2020 Salsa Warbird GRX 600, 2020 Canyon Ultimate CF SLX disc 9.0 Di2, 2020 Catrike Eola, 2016 Masi cxgr, 2011, Felt F3 Ltd, 2010 Trek 2.1, 2009 KHS Flite 220
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4383 Post(s)
Liked 3,016 Times
in
1,865 Posts
#14
Full Member
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 249
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 92 Post(s)
Liked 88 Times
in
57 Posts
Maybe a closer eye on calories, but maybe just patience. Sometimes you can't see the trend in data from a small interval. Are you recording your weight and graphing it? If not, you may be missing the trend. The attached graph dates from about 10 years ago, when I was trying to lose weight (since that time, I got and remained significantly lighter). If one focuses on some intervals (say, January), it's hard to see any trend and it looked like I was on a plateau, but I wasn't really...
Such a good point. In the short time frames it sometimes seems like you weight the same, weight the same, weight the same....
Then, you get in the scale one day and you’re like down 5 pounds and then drop from there.
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Missouri
Posts: 2,690
Bikes: Giant Propel, Cannondale SuperX, Univega Alpina Ultima
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 672 Post(s)
Liked 417 Times
in
249 Posts
Real weight loss takes place over months and years. Plateaus are normal as your body is constantly trying to establish equilibrium between what you're bringing in and what you're putting out. Stick to your plan and you'll reach your goal if it's a good plan.
FWIW, I lost 165+ lbs over two years. That didn't happen at a steady rate, and there were plateaus of 6 or 8 weeks at a time when my weight just bounced around in a 3 or 4 lb range. I stuck to my plan, ate right, worked out, and eventually achieved my goal and stayed there. You'll do the same if you stick with it long enough.
With all that said, strength training and rest days should absolutely be part of your training even if weight loss isn't your primary goal.
FWIW, I lost 165+ lbs over two years. That didn't happen at a steady rate, and there were plateaus of 6 or 8 weeks at a time when my weight just bounced around in a 3 or 4 lb range. I stuck to my plan, ate right, worked out, and eventually achieved my goal and stayed there. You'll do the same if you stick with it long enough.
With all that said, strength training and rest days should absolutely be part of your training even if weight loss isn't your primary goal.
__________________
Formerly fastest rider in the grupetto, currently slowest guy in the peloton
Formerly fastest rider in the grupetto, currently slowest guy in the peloton
#16
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 30
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 9 Times
in
7 Posts
Thanks all for the feedback. I've basically been staying the course with no drastic changes and trying not to make big mistakes, and yesterday hit my lowest weight yet, so the weight loss continues, just a little slower than I'd like at times. Anyway, down about 12lbs now and still going strong. When I get to 20lbs lost, I will reduce cardio a bit and increase the strength training. Pretty crazy that I weigh less right now than when I was 12(I was a big kid).
#17
I like speed
Taking quite a few of the notes already made so far and adding my experience with weight loss.
You will hit plateau's in weight loss. I had hit one for about 3 weeks and I broke past it after reducing calorie intake by an additional 250 calories from what I was already doing. Given time and family constraints, I can't add more workout days. Some people are fine cutting portions or eating till satisfied but it doesn't work for everyone. Be honest with yourself and track what you eat; this goes quite a ways since you'll take a harder look at what fuels your body.
Otherwise as far as training goes, mix up your routine and add strength training into your weekly routine. It keeps things interesting and your body stimulated with different stimulus.
You will hit plateau's in weight loss. I had hit one for about 3 weeks and I broke past it after reducing calorie intake by an additional 250 calories from what I was already doing. Given time and family constraints, I can't add more workout days. Some people are fine cutting portions or eating till satisfied but it doesn't work for everyone. Be honest with yourself and track what you eat; this goes quite a ways since you'll take a harder look at what fuels your body.
Otherwise as far as training goes, mix up your routine and add strength training into your weekly routine. It keeps things interesting and your body stimulated with different stimulus.
#18
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 92
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 38 Post(s)
Liked 34 Times
in
22 Posts
Also, don't forget that you can see progress other places than just the scale dial. I've lost about 50 pounds since the start of the year (228# to 180#). I didn't start riding a lot until June, by which time I'd already lost most of that weight. But even since June, my clothes are still getting looser, I'm seeing more definition in places where I didn't have much before, and I'm continually feeling better and getting faster.
#19
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 5,751
Bikes: 2022 Salsa Beargrease Carbon Deore 11, 2020 Salsa Warbird GRX 600, 2020 Canyon Ultimate CF SLX disc 9.0 Di2, 2020 Catrike Eola, 2016 Masi cxgr, 2011, Felt F3 Ltd, 2010 Trek 2.1, 2009 KHS Flite 220
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4383 Post(s)
Liked 3,016 Times
in
1,865 Posts
whoa. The standard "proud" weight statement for many of us is "Now I weigh what I weighed in college." I can't recall "I weigh what I weighed before I went to middle school" without it being an account of some kind of trauma.