Weight loss vs muscle gain

[jenniferh]

I took a break from casual cycling to have 3 kids and now I'm back and to make sure I'm cycling for physical fitness (and fun, of course) I decided to ride the Houston to Austin MS 150 next April. My initial goal is to loose a few pounds and then start getting in shape for the ride.

I was doing pretty good before I got my new road bike loosing about 1lb per week. I got the road bike and increased my rides from 6 to 10mi 4x per week and now I haven't lost a pound in over a month, but I am seeing my legs slim down some.

So, here's my question. From everyone's experience...how long does the "building muscle to power the bike" phase last and when should I expect to start seeing the pounds fall off again?

[Trek420]

Enjoy the bigger engine You'll need strength and power especially if it's hilly 150 mile ride. Muscle uses more calories even when we're just sitting here reading TE. So you may get back to dropping pounds but you certainly will need to shop for smaller jeans even if the weight stays the same for a while

I wouldn't worry about the scale. Just get out and ride. Sounds like you're doing a great job so far.

[PamNY]

Trek420, I just noticed this:

"measure your sit bones Mine; 3.5". "

Made my morning. Thank you for sharing.

[beccaB]

I found that I was eating to compensate for all the calories burned. I didn't gain any, but I didn't find myself losing the 20 either. I had to go on a "diet" and the amount of protein I was eating actually helped with my biking. I was not eating much protein before that. It is kind of a real struggle to get the right sources of lean protein and to eat the healthy starches, but it really makes a difference.

[Catrin]

I am struggling with this right now as well + trying to learn how to fuel properly for the increasing miles I am riding every week.

I just got the book "Nutrition for Cyclists" and am hoping this will help - am also prone to hypoglycemia and have diabetes 2 so all of this is an interesting learning curve.

I keep track of all of my food and exercise via "Lose It", an iPhone app and try to make sure I have at least a 500 calorie deficit on riding days. My HRM tells me the calories I've burned (though one wonders how accurate it is, at least it provides an indication). I've been operating at something like a 3,200 calorie deficit per week for months now, and my weight loss has slowed to a turtle's pace, perhaps slower.

My trainer has really been hitting hard with strength training so I can only assume that I am seeing the effects of increasing muscle.... I think that I need to start eating for endurance rather than solely weight loss...

[KnottedYet]

If you operate at a deficit for too long, your body goes into "famine mode." It will find sneaky ways to save calories to keep it going until after the famine ends.

It frustrates the heck out of people, but it's a survival mechanism that I'm sure has kept human beings from going extinct several times.

[marni]

3,200 calorie deficit soundss a bit like maybe something is not right with the app. I am 5'4" and weigh 140 pounds- which is still a bit heavy, but if I ride full out as hard and fast as I can which is an average of 20 mph, I burn about 450 calories according to my body monitor which figures calorie burn by heart rate, respiration, sweat rate, body temperature and ambient air temperature which means that if I ride 4 hours I still am within my alloted burn on 2000 calories. In order to build a deficit of 500 calories or burn 2500 calories, my 2000 daily allotment plus a 500 deficit I have to ride 6 hours full out. Now admitedly, I have the metabolism of a sloth, but I do wonder about monitors that are based only on heart rate since Ican pop my heart rate by doing squats.

It's all very confusing, and somewhat depressing since the maintainance of a body weight without losing muscle tone unless you ride or exercise on a daily basis gets harder and harder as you age.

Just some random thoughts.

marni

[redrhodie]

So, here's my question. From everyone's experience...how long does the "building muscle to power the bike" phase last and when should I expect to start seeing the pounds fall off again?

I think it's pretty normal to "gain" weight when you first start riding. I put gain in quotes, because it's probably just water weight that you're gaining. I think your muscles are retaining fluid for repair, and that's probably what you're seeing on the scale. Test my theory by weighing yourself after a couple of rest days. I'm curious to see if there's a difference.