The weight loss 'wall' - keep banging my head :-/

[WindingRoad]

I have about 10-15 Lbs I'd like to drop and I have yet to be able to hit this weight. I'm getting frustrated. I gather I probably need to mix up my workouts more. I am adding some Jullian workouts in hope of gaining more muscle. My time is really limited so I am trying to do the 'extra' workouts at home so not to add an extra trip to the gym. I'm tracking calories. I eat 1800 per day. I have had a hard time setting an ideal weight for myself. I'm a pear shaped figure, I have ridiculously muscular legs from riding. That was the first place I bulked up when I started riding. That doesn't bother me I just wanna get more muscular elsewhere. I usually hit my calorie goal but sometimes I'm over. I'm also waaaay under some days too so i feel like im usually running a deficit. Generally I burn 1000 calories at spin because I spin for 90 minutes on average. Like I said I do extra long spins bc of time restraints. Any of you have any suggestion to get rid of the last 10 or so lbs?

[tulip]

I lost 10 lbs when I cut out sugar, bread, pasta, potatoes...but I ate plenty of great food! It's hard to break the sugar and bread habit, but it does work, and it feels great.

[Becky]

My experience has been similar to Tulip's, since I ditched grains and most added sugar. I've lost about 7 lbs since this time last year but, more importantly, my body composition has changed. The number on the scale hasn't changed much in the past 3-4 months, but my clothes are all looser. I've definitely gotten leaner without doing too much calorie counting.

[Catrin]

Ditto - same experience with Becky and Tulip. It is important to note that the "reported" calories are often incorrect, I've read that they can be over or under by as much as 20%. I pay less attention to over-all calories than I once did (though I average between 1700-1850 or so) and more to protein/fat/carb macros - with the same caveat.

[WindingRoad]

I think my calorie count is correct because I'm usually under what the spin bike says. I have a polar which is pretty accurate, it's calibrated for my age and weight. It's a long hard workout no doubt. As far as food goes I can try cutting some carbs. I'm not racing but I would like to do some long, hilly rides this spring/summer if I can get myself back in any kind of shape for it.

[OakLeaf]

I still think the calorie burn estimate is suspicious. It depends on your condition, obviously, but for me, a calorie burn of nearly 700/hour is past my anaerobic threshold, i.e., I simply couldn't sustain it for an hour and a half. It's more like my 5K pace. Does your VO2 max - or at least your resting and MHR - go into your watch's calculations?

Outdoors, it's true, your weight will matter on hills and start/stops, and your surface area to the wind will matter all the time (which has as much to do with your riding position as with your size). On a spin bike your size and weight really don't matter to your calorie consumption.


And, most importantly, this sentence "I have had a hard time setting an ideal weight for myself." is the place to start. Get your body composition tested, and set your goal in terms of BF%, not in terms of total body weight.

[SadieKate]

I think my calorie count is correct because I'm usually under what the spin bike says. I have a polar which is pretty accurate, it's calibrated for my age and weight. It's a long hard workout no doubt. As far as food goes I can try cutting some carbs. I'm not racing but I would like to do some long, hilly rides this spring/summer if I can get myself back in any kind of shape for it.

Are you using a heart rate monitor? The algo's in watches are notoriously inaccurate unless you're using a HRM. I know multiple people who can attest to this personally. Ain't even close.

[OakLeaf]

Generally I burn 1000 calories at spin because I spin for 90 minutes on average.

That seems like a way high calorie burn estimate. How did you calculate it?

Also, are you sure your goal is realistic? What percentage body fat are you now, and what would you like to be? I honestly don't think most women can sustain anything below about 20% or so without long endurance workouts, which you say aren't in your time budget ... and really the only reason you'd need to be at a lower % would be if you are competing at something. Bodybuilders don't sustain their competition BF% year round, only during competition, so if you're thinking you want to look like that, that isn't necessarily healthy.

I think reducing grains is a really good idea for most people and it should help you with blood sugar control, which ought to help with weight control also, though I can't speak to that from personal experience since I was already sustaining an acceptable BF% for me before I started reducing grains.

[Crankin]

+1 to adding strength training/functional fitness. This helped me drop 5-6 pounds last winter. Right now, I've reached a plateau and I'm trying to switch a lot of things up with both eating and exercise. Reducing grains does work, especially at first.
There's no way I could spin or do the trainer for 90 minutes. Generally 45 minutes on the trainer and an hour spin is all I can take. If you have any snow around, what about sow shoeing, up some hills?
It's a fine line between fueling your efforts and not eating so much you can't lose. Although it's counter intuitive, sometimes, backing off of hard efforts while losing weight, helps. I've found my days of greatest loss comes during my rest days or days when I just walk or do an easy spin on the trainer.

[Irulan]

V's suggestion is great, but there can be other options. My DH and I work out at a gym that has very small classes that are teaching "functional fitness" along the lines of what V and Catrin do. We do a noon class 2x a week for $75 a month. Usually there are just 4 of us. If a couple people don't show, it IS personal training. As it is the classes are small enough that there is lot of personal attention. It is through a gym here that is also a sports and athlete training facility that is run by a group of PTs.

The suggestion about trainer certifications is also spot on. The gyms have "personal trainers" that have done a weekend course? Pfft. Sorry but I have no respect for that - I know more than a lot of them. The trainers that have degrees in nutrition, exercise physiology and national certifications will help you to improve fitness without injury; guide you in nutrition, and be able to help you with your personal challenges.

[tealtreak]

V's suggestion is great, but there can be other options. My DH and I work out at a gym that has very small classes that are teaching "functional fitness" along the lines of what V and Catrin do. We do a noon class 2x a week for $75 a month. Usually there are just 4 of us. If a couple people don't show, it IS personal training. As it is the classes are small enough that there is lot of personal attention. It is through a gym here that is also a sports and athlete training facility that is run by a group of PTs.

The suggestion about trainer certifications is also spot on. The gyms have "personal trainers" that have done a weekend course? Pfft. Sorry but I have no respect for that - I know more than a lot of them. The trainers that have degrees in nutrition, exercise physiology and national certifications will help you to improve fitness without injury; guide you in nutrition, and be able to help you with your personal challenges.

triple ditto on the check the qualifications of personal trainers! I love my Y but am continually horrified by some of the improper form and incorrect use of equipment done while someone is paying for personal training....yikes ):

[Catrin]

Everyone has good advice Winding Road. Right now I am doing a mix of group and personal training. My group training (functional/metabolic training) happens twice a week for one hour each session + a "funday workout" on Sunday that is open to all of his clients. That costs me $96 a month and would be worth it at 3 times that price - it isn't quite the same as a normal group class as he knows who is coming and he tailors the training for who is present. My club had an auction in December to fund a scholarship program they have and I landed 16 individual 30 minute private sessions with the same trainer for not much more than I pay for 1 month of group training that I do in addition to my group training.

Look around and see what is available in your area. Around here personal training seems to average about $35 for a 30-minute session up to $65 for a 60-minute session (discounts are generally available for packages). Of course degrees and experience is very important, but also see if you can find a personal recommendation regarding him or her.

[OakLeaf]

I'd rank ACE and AFAA certification on the same level as the weekend courses, unfortunately. Now, there are trainers with those certifications who are highly qualified, but make sure you check them out thoroughly if that's all they have. With your history of injury what I might do is ask at a couple of your local physical therapy clinics. A lot of PTs do personal training for not much more than you'd pay in a gym or studio setting, and one would hope it would be safer. If not a physical therapist or PTA, look for someone with ACSM certification.

[Irulan]

look for this
http://www.nsca-lift.org/certification/

[Catrin]

ACSM (can also be ACSM-HFS or ACSM-PT, or both) is certainly a good one to have, along with/or CSCS, NSCA-CPT (there are also other good ones for kettle-bell training and other specialties). I agree with the caution against ACE and AFAA certification, sadly) That isn't saying that someone that only has that is bad - by no means - but in this case I would certainly seek out recommendations from current or former clients.