Weight loss -- WTH??

[Kymber]

Biking 10-15 miles a day, general upper body and abs in gym at least 2 x 20 min. Losing inches (at least two around waist) but scale is saying just two pounds since 6/28. Diet hasn't gotten over 1600 on any day.

Should I stop complaining, or am I doing something wrong???

[beccaB]

Are you getting some protein with every meal and snack? That was key for me. Also, when I got on a plateau, eating more for a few days to reset metabolism and then going back to "dieting". I would gain a pound or two, but then the return to dieting would be more effective. There have been quite a few threads on this forum about that.

[Eden]

The simple fact is muscle weighs more than fat. If you are losing inches even without losing a lot of weight, you are losing fat - it is a good thing.

[smilingcat]

tis very normal. you must be working out properly and eating right. gaining muscle mass and losing the extra fat. It's a good thing.

[indysteel]

That all sounds good to me. How intense are those 10-15 miles? Can you increase the intensity or the mileage at least a few times a week?

[witeowl]

What's more important to you, how you look in your jeans or a number on the scale?

It sounds like you're enjoying some good body recomposition (less fat, more muscle) and are on the right path. But I entreat you to add some lower body work in the gym; cycling isn't a substitute for lower body strength training.

Nice work!

[szsz]

The simple fact is muscle weighs more than fat.

This always reminds me of the riddle: What weighs more, a pound of gold or a pound of feathers, and of course they weigh exactly the same. Fat and muscle as well weigh exactly the same. (A pound of muscle will of course take up less space, however.)

[Veronica]

And that pound of muscle will increase your metabolism. The pound of fat just increases... your cushion.


Veronica

[Eden]

This always reminds me of the riddle: What weighs more, a pound of gold or a pound of feathers, and of course they weigh exactly the same. Fat and muscle as well weigh exactly the same. (A pound of muscle will of course take up less space, however.)

Look, when a person talks about something weighing more than something else its generally a given that you are comparing the same volume, not the same weight of each, which would just be stupid. If you want to pick nits - muscle is more dense than fat. Sorry if I wasn't crystal clear enough to make sure you could actually understand what I meant. Sheesh.

[tulip]

Look, when a person talks about something weighing more than something else its generally a given that you are comparing the same volume, not the same weight of each, which would just be stupid. If you want to pick nits - muscle is more dense than fat. Sorry if I wasn't crystal clear enough to make sure you could actually understand what I meant. Sheesh.

I didn't take that as an offense to you at all, Eden. I found it interesting, not snarky.

[Kymber]

So much good advice. Thanks everyone. One thing I haven't done is made sure I get protein with each meal and snack, so I'll work on that. I've moved my miles from 30 to 56 in three weeks, with at least one speed day a week, so I think I'm advancing about as fast as I can. I had a perfectly horrifying body fat analysis at the gym the other day (38 percent), so I'm getting there at least twice a week -- lower body work too.

It's weird, you live in a body for 52 years, and the way it works still seems mysterious. Everyone in my family is overweight, so I've been afraid it's my destiny. To tell the truth though, if I didn't shed a pound I'd still be happy to be on the bike, so maybe that's an end in itself.
Happy trails.

[beccaB]

That's another thing. Four years ago I lost 30 pounds fast. I've never looked overweight because I'm tall for one thing. I got lazy about eating and gained the weight back. This time I'm losing it slow and it seems to be easier to keep it off. I too had a fairly high body fat count, and I had been at my full term pregnancy weight, and my youngest kid is 16!