Oh, to be a loser...

[e.e.cummings]

It is frustrating to find the right balance between eating less to lose weight, but eating enough to fuel my workouts and rides. I saw my trainer yesterday - I am part of a 4 month program at my local gym - and there was no weight loss this week despite the fact that I did a 200 km ride on the weekend, and worked out during the week (I gave myself three days total rest before the ride). I know that muscle weighs more than fat and my body composition is doubtlessly changing. Actually I think a gained a pound since last week. I paid attention to eating very well, I was a good girl.

The evening of my first day of riding on my 200 km tour, I ordered a good meal and could only eat a quarter of it, my appetite seems to have shrunk. It is good on one hand but not so good on the other, I need to eat! What a problem to have ... I don't feel like eating as much, I get tired, I don't have good fuel for my workout. I am forcing myself to eat. In the back of my mind, I don't want to lose control and go back to my evil eating habits. I am paying more attention now to recovery nutrition, making sure I eat the right things immediately after my workout. That helps.

One of my issues was wanting to lose my protruding tummy. I look around in my spinning class and see women who have the same goals, but they have been spinning a lot longer than me and still have the tummy - they have the great legs, etc. but the tummy seems to be the stubborn bit. The trainer says the only way to work off that tummy is with cardio to burn the fat off to reveal that six pack, but it is discouraging to see others who have spent much longer at it who still have the same issue (people who I know are working hard and watching what they eat).

I read a post by tctrek (hey, Altanta - great town! I go there for AmericasMart! Amazing people...) and she said that she seemed to have more success shedding pounds with a more sedentary lifestyle than when she upped her training when it seemed to level off. Is this common? I feel like I am starting to experience that.

I am working on pacing myself on my workouts, and not overdoing it, alternating days, etc. I know overtraining is like one big sleeping pill that can knock you out and it is not an effective approach to weight control. I need to find balance!!!! By the way I am not premenopausal or have a thyroid issue, that's been checked. Any advice, referrals to books or websites, and experience is welcome....

[papaver]

relax... you'll lose weight eventually. Give it some time.

[GLC1968]

Unfortunately, some people are genetically predisposed to carry extra fat/flab in the belly and only some serious strict eating and disciplined workouts will get rid of it (and sometimes, not even then!).

Me? I have very little belly fat. Whoopdie do. I've got a lot of visible fat on my legs though and would kill to have a the long, lean legs that some of my 'belly-hating' friends have! Genetics can be a b1tch!

[Veronica]

Still have a bit of a belly myself at 21% BF. All that fat is below my belly button in the belly and my legs.

Upper body looks fantastic, but sometimes all I see is the belly and legs. Upper body was so easy to get to look good. I get lots of compliments, but I feel like a fraud because it was so easy...

I always get a little concerned when people start throwing out terms like overtraining or talk about not fueling enough. Training wise, listen to your body. It will tell you when you've had too much, if you listen.

Nutrition... well everybody has an opinion.

Veronica

[ny biker]

Not sure if this will help, but, I used to find I would stay at a steady weight or gain a few pounds when I was training for a century (100 miles, not metric). I would be very hungry after the ride so I'd eat a lot, and then would be so tired for several days afterwards that I had no energy for any exercise. I'm much better off doing more moderate efforts and doing them consistently.

I still do a few long rides each year but no longer than 60-70 miles, and most weekends during warm months I keep it to 30-45 miles (2-3 hours or so). That way I'm still able to exercise during the week and my appetite doesn't get as messed up by burning 4000+ calories in one day. During the winter I exercise indoors so I keep it to about an hour per session.

[Starfish]

I too am in month 4 of working in the gym with a trainer. I wanted weight loss and cross training for better overall strength, balance and athleticism. And, I am hoping to train for a really hard ride that is next August.

In about 4 months, I have lost 18.5 pounds, and it seems to have come off of everywhere pretty equally. I have 23 pounds more to lose. I am ADAMANT that I want them off by the end of January, because I plan to start harder training for the bike by then.

It is my experience, just for myself, that once I start hard outdoor bike training and mileage building, that it is VERY difficult for me to lose weight (and therefore work off the belly fat, or other fat).

So, for right now, instead of biking much or building volume, I am doing a 4-day split of resistance training, and only 30-45 minutes of cardio those days, plus one other day of cardio. I will start to build cardio volume on that day, and hopefully be up to 3 hours by end of January so I can start harder bike training.

I guess my long-winded point is, for me, for weight loss, frequency of workouts combined with weight training works better than really building volume and doing a lot of long rides. Once I start long hard rides, balancing the rest and fueling, let alone dieting, is challenge enough.

[e.e.cummings]

If I do 3 spinning classes a week, each followed by half hour of circuit training, would that be sufficient for boosting weight loss? More, less?

[ny biker]

If I do 3 spinning classes a week, each followed by half hour of circuit training, would that be sufficient for boosting weight loss? More, less?

How much do you eat?

[Biciclista]

I hope you guys will take a good look at what you are saying. Are you healthy? does your life make you happy? Quit looking in the mirror and trying to appear like some imaginary beautiful woman.

You know the day i was stuck in Italy with a back pack and a suitcase and no idea how to get in touch with my friend (i lost her phone number) and I had to walk for 11 kilometers, the shape of my belly did not enter my mind, not once. what i thought about (among other things) was how wonderful it was that I was in good enough shape to lug my stuff up and down hills 11 kilometers without any trouble.

[Veronica]

If I do 3 spinning classes a week, each followed by half hour of circuit training, would that be sufficient for boosting weight loss? More, less?

Who can really say? I work out 60 - 120 minutes six days a week - a combination of riding, running, weights and plyometrics and the occassional swim. I eat about 1500 calories a day. My weight has stabilized at 146.

Veronica

[Biciclista]

PS your weight is a number, like the day you were born. it's all relative. REALLY.

[Veronica]

I hope you guys will take a good look at what you are saying. Are you healthy? does your life make you happy? Quit looking in the mirror and trying to appear like some imaginary beautiful woman.

Yes and yes. I don't care about the mirror. I care about doing better in tri. The mirror just shows where I'm storing my extra fat that I want to get rid to be faster. Higher power to weight ratio would be nice.

Veronica

[Veronica]

PS your weight is a number, like the day you were born. it's all relative. REALLY.

That's easy for you to say. As I recall you weigh like 120 pounds or something. That's a number that society thinks it's okay for a woman to weigh. Not everyone can shrug off what society thinks is good so easily.

Veronica

[Biciclista]

I weigh closer to 130 and i am 57. For a while i was gaining weight and not muscle. I started to look pretty bad in my opinion so i started doing the same kinds of stuff you guys are doing, but I did not start obsessing about it. I can do pushups. I'm be da%%ed if i'm going to start fussing about my weight; and so many of you are SO fit and SO healthy but you're still fussing about that number instead of marveling about how beautiful you are and how nice your muscles have become.
I guess if you want to be a bathingsuit model, these things are important. But for a lot of you, i've seen pictures of you and you really look great! Have fun, be healthy, etc...

[shootingstar]

You know eecummings, sometimes our body bone frame just seems to keep certain lumps..positioned in place. How gravity pulls down on skin and over the bone, with remaining slack /firm skin over.

It makes me giggle when one used to read measurements of female model curvaceous measurements of 36-24-36 or similar.

Really? I've never had a 24 inch waist after I was approx. 11 yrs. old. And I never will. Waist has been and will always be bigger. I'm 50. I will always be one of these women who has only 4-5 inch difference between her bust and waist measurements.

And I'm slim, even underweight to some folks.

Just enjoy the regular cycling and other workouts. Throw your cycling passion in there and then weigh yourself in 5 months. Weighing yourself daily helps some people, but obviously it's driving you abit nuts. Great things happen when you aren't always paying attention daily. So better, to exercise consistently, eat healthy and weight yourself only occasionally.