I just don't get it

[Heifzilla]

You say you've been riding since April 12th?- and this is now 10 days and about 80 miles later?
It's completely unrealistic to expect any results yet.
Put on several hundred hundred miles and then you might notice something.

You may well, like me and others here, stay the same weight but wind up being shaped very differently....a shape you like! You might want to look at biking as a way to get fit instead of just for losing weight.

I didn't expect to lose 10 lbs at this point, but to see myself having GAINED 3lbs was disheartening.

I'm not really looking at biking as a way to necessarily lose weight, I just expect it to be a side effect...I mean, if I can maintain my weight doing nothing I should be able to lose weight by actually getting off my butt, right?

And I certainly hope I change shape! Things are going south fast and I need some moving back northwards! LOL

[Heifzilla]

oh yeah! did you buy a heartrate monitor yet?

I have an old Polar with the chest band but of course the watch part has died. I need to open it up and see if I can replace the battery. I know the band still transmits.

Thanks to everyone for your replies. I was really in a funk when I wrote that this morning. I went out and rode 12 miles afterwards It made me feel a lot better.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I didn't expect to lose 10 lbs at this point, but to see myself having GAINED 3lbs was disheartening.

I'm not really looking at biking as a way to necessarily lose weight, I just expect it to be a side effect...I mean, if I can maintain my weight doing nothing I should be able to lose weight by actually getting off my butt, right?

And I certainly hope I change shape! Things are going south fast and I need some moving back northwards! LOL

You haven't gained 3 lbs of muscle from riding 80 miles over 10 days.
If you have not been eating more (or drinking more liquids with calories), then it's probably just a natural 3 pound fluctuation in water weight, which is common.
Stick with plain water when not riding, and keep up the good work. Losing 1 to 3 pounds a month is actually a healthy rate.

You simply have not ridden enough yet or burned enough calories to either lose fat or gain muscle. Perhaps in a few more weeks you'll notice something if you don't take in more calories to compensate.
But make sure you do take in calories and fluids when you are biking- to fuel your efforts and avoid feeling ill.

But you HAVE ridden enough already to start making a tiny difference in your health! Your respiratory/heart system is likely already making little changes, and your muscles are just waking up and blinking and saying "Hey, what the heck is going on here?"

It's a lifestyle change.

[indigoiis]

Let's all go grab our scales, throw em in our backpacks, get on our bikes, ride to the hilliest highest hill in town, you know the one... the one with the cliff on the other side? And CHUCK them babies right over the side.

(I know.
It's littering. But you get the picture.)

[Becky]

Let's all go grab our scales, throw em in our backpacks, get on our bikes, ride to the hilliest highest hill in town, you know the one... the one with the cliff on the other side? And CHUCK them babies right over the side.

(I know.
It's littering. But you get the picture.)

Take 'em to the dump and chuck em over that edge Here in Delaware, the dump is one of the highest hills in town- really.

[Heifzilla]

Let's all go grab our scales, throw em in our backpacks, get on our bikes, ride to the hilliest highest hill in town, you know the one... the one with the cliff on the other side? And CHUCK them babies right over the side.

(I know.
It's littering. But you get the picture.)

+100!

[sundial]

Heifzilla, I know your pain.

I too am riding daily and for awhile the scale was going UP. Then I whipped out the measuring tape and noticed that I'm losing inches. My legs are really tones, my waist is shrinking, and I just feel great.

Several years ago when I was taking aerobics as an elective in college, our instructor said that weight gain during exercise could be attributed to the manufacturing of more red blood cells to keep up with the body's need for more oxygen being transported to the tissues. I noticed the day after aerobics I weighed more. A day or more after that my weight dropped.

Please don't get discouraged. (((Heifzilla))) Our bodies are amazing machines that know how to build and repair for the demands we place on it.

[sundial]

keep adding those miles. Soon you will notice your clothing becoming roomier. 6-10 miles is the tip of the iceberg. Try some longer rides, try riding faster, try some hillier rides.

Wanted to add to what Mimi the Wise stated.....I lose weight when I gear my rides for 90 minutes.

[Heifzilla]

I'm just going to try to stay off the scale for a few weeks and see where I am. I look at it this way, if I am doing physical activity every day, and not eating like a sow, I *have* to lose something: either weight or inches. Right? Right??



Thanks for all the encouragement

[sundial]

Yeah, don't weigh and toss it over the cliff, lol.

[Heifzilla]

Yeah, don't weigh and toss it over the cliff, lol.

No cliffs here in the flatlands, but I do have several lakes I pass by every day

[ClockworkOrange]

Am at work and having my break, although not sure I should be on the internet but what the heck.

I so love coming on TE, you guys are always such an inspiration, I can so understand how Heifzilla is feeling, that sort of thing happens to me.

Then you guys all take the time to write so much, I think you are all a great bunch.

Anyway Heifzilla, I wish you all the best, keep riding.

Clock

[WindingRoad]

Zilla you really need to be drinking a LOT of water now that you are exercising on a pretty regular basis. Over half the time we eat when we are really thirsty. For someone who doesn't exercise dieticians recommend at least a 2 liters of water (plain ole water, no carbonated stuff) per day. If you exercise even more. Go to the kitchen and put two liters in a pitcher and make sure it's gone at the end of each day. It will make you feel so much better in the long run and you body will thank you for it with all the new stresses you are giving it now. Don't get discouraged, it will happen.

[Grog]

I *have* to lose something: either weight or inches. Right? Right??

What you really need to lose is the scale.

Go ride your bike, have fun, go far, discover new places, in your town and within yourself.

You'll be healthier, physically and mentally, promised.