3000 miles in 10 months... so Why am I still fat?

The story thus far....

12 years ago - single, 6'3", 180lbs., hair, and competing in citizens class
triathlons.

Fast forward to last July... Married, two kids, mortgage, no hair,
sedentary, 279lbs.

Sick of that fat man in the mirror, I bought some XXL cycling clothes,
dusted off and tuned up my old Trek, and started riding again. Now 10
months and close to 3000 miles later... I still weigh 274! I mean... come
on! 3000 miles for 5 pounds?!

My fitness level has increased tremendously. I use to struggle on 10 mile
rides. Now I do at least 3-4 weekday rides of 15-30 miles each and one
weekend ride for 50-70 miles - all solo. My computer puts my average speed
for these rides between 16-18mph depending upon the particular ups&downs of
the ride. My HRM says my average rate is usually right about 75% of max
(although that can vary, usually on the high side, when the ride has
climbing). I feel lean and mean while I ride, but when I get home I wonder
who that fat guy in the mirror is!

I don't diet per se, but I do eat sensibly. The days that I've tracked my
caloric intake it's usually right between 2500 - 3000. One friend who is a
"wellness" expert suggests I'm not eating *ENOUGH*. Although she readily
admits she doesn't specialize in athletes ("slovenly couch potato" is how
she describes her typical client), she says that with my activity level my
BMR is 5300... as she explained it that's the number of calories needed to
just maintain my weight! Therefore she thinks my body thinks it's being
starved and refuses to let go of the fat. She thinks by eating MORE the
body will move away from this starvation reflex and start shedding pounds.
She also suggested riding easy first thing in the morning BEFORE breakfast
so the body has to switch to fat because the glycogen stores will be low
(sound like a recipe for the BONK to me).

Well, I tried to eat 4000 calories today and about died! I felt horrible,
stuffed, tired, etc. I tried riding with just water (no sport drink), and
found myself craving sugar after the ride.

Any experts lurking out there that would like to comment? Are there any
coaching services online that could help customize my training to help me
lose weight? I can't afford to hire a coach.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

On Tue, 18 May 2004 22:16:03 -0600, "Doug Cook"
wrote:



Any thoughts would be appreciated.


No answers, but a congratulations! You sound like you are in good
shape, getting better. A nice comeback.

Do you still look the same? Muscle is denser than fat, so people often
don't lose weight as they shift from fat to muscle, but the body takes
on a different look.

There was a recent thread in here on 'The Big Fat Con Story' -Mike
Kruger- May 11- you can probably find it in google if it is off your
server. The first paragraph-

"The Guardian has an excerpt from a new book by Paul Campos, "The
Obesity
Myth". The excerpt is titled "The big fat con story."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/st...200549,00.html "


You might look over that article.

I'll take being healthy over being slim if I can't have both.

"Dan Daniel" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 18 May 2004 22:16:03 -0600, "Doug Cook"
wrote:



Any thoughts would be appreciated.


No answers, but a congratulations! You sound like you are in good
shape, getting better. A nice comeback.

Do you still look the same? Muscle is denser than fat, so people often
don't lose weight as they shift from fat to muscle, but the body takes
on a different look.

No, I haven't changed shape. I should have mentioned that I carry almost
all the weight around my waist. Personally, I think I'm rather oddly shaped.
Chest and butt look normal... just a big fat gut in front. I've thought
about the muscle-for-fat theory, but my waistline hasn't changed, and my
clothes don't fit any differently. That's why I'm pretty sure my body just
doesn't touch it's fat stores.

I've read the thread about the fat fraud, but I am fat. I've got this big
inner tube around my middle that interferes with getting into a nice aero
position, puts unnecessary stress on my butt in the saddle (the biggest
reason I don't ride longer), and I'm scared to even think about what I could
do on the climbs if it were gone.

On Tue, 18 May 2004 22:16:03 -0600, "Doug Cook"
wrote:

My HRM says my average rate is usually right about 75% of max
(although that can vary, usually on the high side, when the ride has
climbing). I feel lean and mean while I ride, but when I get home I wonder
who that fat guy in the mirror is!

What worked/works for me is that I quit eating sugar, bread, and
pasta/potatoes. I switched to fish, chicken, lean beef, green leafy
veggies, cut back on dairy. Read Eades' book on Low carb 'Protein Power'.

You also don't say when you eat, or what you eat. Consider eating smaller
meals, but more often, don't eat after 7pm, drink plenty of water.

Can you suppliment the riding with some jogging, perhaps 3 miles a day, 3
days a week? What about some bodyweight exercises pushups, squats, pullups?
Weight training? Sounds like a lot, but the biking is very efficient and
you may not be taxing the system sufficiently to burn up the calories. I
doubt if you're in any kind of starvation mode eating 2500-3000 calories!!

Congrats on the fitness you've achieved so far.

-B

In article ,
Doug Cook wrote:

I don't diet per se, but I do eat sensibly. The days that I've tracked my
caloric intake it's usually right between 2500 - 3000. One friend who is a
"wellness" expert suggests I'm not eating *ENOUGH*. Although she readily
admits she doesn't specialize in athletes ("slovenly couch potato" is how
she describes her typical client), she says that with my activity level my
BMR is 5300... as she explained it that's the number of calories needed to
just maintain my weight! Therefore she thinks my body thinks it's being
starved and refuses to let go of the fat. She thinks by eating MORE the
body will move away from this starvation reflex and start shedding pounds.
She also suggested riding easy first thing in the morning BEFORE breakfast
so the body has to switch to fat because the glycogen stores will be low
(sound like a recipe for the BONK to me).

Well, I tried to eat 4000 calories today and about died! I felt horrible,
stuffed, tired, etc. I tried riding with just water (no sport drink), and
found myself craving sugar after the ride.

Any experts lurking out there that would like to comment? Are there any
coaching services online that could help customize my training to help me
lose weight? I can't afford to hire a coach.


If you have health insurance you can probably get covered for a
visit to a dietician, that is the direction I would go. The RD
will most likely have you write down what you eat for a few days
and then make suggestions.

If you're feeling good most of the time then you're probably
eating enough.

--Paul

On Tue, 18 May 2004 22:16:03 -0600, "Doug Cook"
wrote:

My fitness level has increased tremendously. I use to struggle on 10 mile
rides. Now I do at least 3-4 weekday rides of 15-30 miles each and one
weekend ride for 50-70 miles - all solo.

Re-reading your message, I can offer one overall suggestion. Track your
mileage, food intake, type of food, waistline measurement and weight on a
spreadsheet. Weigh yourself every 2nd or 3rd day.

You may be surprised just how much you're eating, how much you're eating at
one meal, how much sugar and starch you're eating, and may be
overestimating the mileage. If you're ranging from 95 to 190 miles during
the week that sounds inconsistent. It may be that you're unknowingly
sabotaging your efforts, by binging during the low mileage weeks. Perhaps
you can smooth it out more, and get 150 miles per week but ride everyday.
AM rides are good, but if you can do some easy jogging in the AM that might
be better, then ride in the evening, and don't eat after 7-8pm.

I went from 270ish to about 200 in 8 months just by cutting out the sugar
and starch and at the time, b/c of an injury did virtually no exercising.

At this point I had gained back some of that, but have lost an additional
30lbs in the last three months just by again cutting out the carbs and
sugar, but in addition I'm biking 20 miles/day 100-110 miles a week.

The reason for the careful tracking is to discover what trends are working
for you, and to help you uncover some things you may be doing
unconsciously, either underestimating or overestimating your efforts or
food intake.

-B

Doug Cook wrote:

I've read the thread about the fat fraud, but I am fat. I've got this big
inner tube around my middle that interferes with getting into a nice aero
position, puts unnecessary stress on my butt in the saddle (the biggest
reason I don't ride longer), and I'm scared to even think about what I could
do on the climbs if it were gone.

I'm in a similar position. I don't cycle nearly as much as you because I'm
afraid of the road, but I do an hour a night on an exercycle. Fitness levels
have definitely improved, but my appearance is unchanged.

My body was ruined in the first place by a quarter century of dieting. When I
started at 14, I was thin as a rail. I dieted because all girls diet, it's what
they're supposed to do, and because I didn't much relish the idea of becoming
woman-shaped. Between then and the age of forty, when I stopped, I must have
lost and regained a third or more of my total body mass at least fifteen times.
Every time I starved for months, and every time I came back much fatter than
before. In addition, I went through major depressions, bouts with suicidal
thoughts and lost my opportunity of an academic life because I didn't have the
physical or mental strength to complete my doctorate. I will never, ever diet
again.

But the awareness that one can still be fit without necessarily being thin is
only just beginning to emerge. I'm concentrating on that now.

I've read that cycling does nothing to bellies or to the upper body; it just
muscles up the legs. Certainly that's true in my case. I still have my big fat
thighs - now they are even bigger fat thighs with muscles on top.

Perhaps sit-ups would do the belly trick?

EFR
Ile de France

Count calories. For every cumulative 3500 you take in in excess of
your needs, you gain a pound of fat. Conversely, for every 3500
shy of your needs, you lose a pound of fat.

Just write down the calories of everything you eat and add them up.

Reduce them until you lose weight at the rate you want, two pounds a
week is fine.

Generally if you exercise, you eat more, so it's not a weight loser
alone.
--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

In article ,
Elisa Francesca Roselli wrote:
Perhaps sit-ups would do the belly trick?

They won't. They willimprove the muscles, but will not reduce the
amount of fat (modulo their calories burnt while doing them, which are
negligible).

ian

Hey Doug,
I'm not a health professional but as an ex-amateur bodybuilder I have done a
great deal of research on this subject. I might be able to help you answer
your question as to why you're still fat. First, your life-style. You are
older, married, have children, bills, and all the stress that goes with it.
Excessive stress alone can be enough to wreck a body. Body type - there are
three basic body types. From your description you fall into what's called
the meso-morphic body type. This just means you have a large frame with
heavy muscle mass. This body type can easily pack on muscle but
unfortunately you also store fat easily, too. Then, there is your choice of
exercise. Bicycling is an excellent form of cardiovascular exercise but does
little to increase overall lean muscle mass. This is mostly because
bicycling is a non-weight bearing type of activity. The only way to increase
lean muscle mass is with some type of weight bearing activity. A simple form
of this is walking. I'm not knocking cycling, I commute to work every day.
Here are a few things that might help you lose some pounds:

Life-style - With family, bills, work, you're gonna have stress. Find simple
positive ways to deal with it that work for you.

Body type - With your body type you should accept the fact that, unless you
are willing to be very disciplined with your diet and work-outs, you are
going to carry some extra weight. Not a big deal. With your current activity
level it sounds like you're in pretty good shape. If you add some
callisthenics a few days a week (push-ups, sit-ups, stretches, etc.) to help
build up lean muscle you'll probably notice a difference, too.

Diet - Again, with your body type, a big obsticle is going to be your slow
metabolic rate. Try to avoid simple carbohydrates (refined sugars, white
breads, etc.) DO NOT do the low-carb/high protein fad diets. They are very
unhealthy and any weight loss is temporary. Forget the three big meals a day
thing and eat smaller meals more often and most importantly, learn to
recognize when you are satisfied, not full! Other than that just try to eat
a balanced diet and drink lots of water.

Unless you are at your doctors office, stay away from scales. As your lean
muscle mass increases you might actually gain a few pounds before your body
starts burning up fat reserves. Nothing discourages people more than scales.
Charting your progress can help you stay on track, too. Educate yourself
about nutrition and learn to read food labels. Sounds silly but most people
really don't understand them such as serving size, types of fats, fats
versus calories, sugars versus carbs. It's all about individual fine tuning.
What works for the guy next to you may not work for you and vise versa. With
knowledge and practice it's a piece of cake. I hope I've been of some help.
Keep the faith and take care -
CHRIS

Doug Cook wrote in message
...
The story thus far....

12 years ago - single, 6'3", 180lbs., hair, and competing in citizens
class
triathlons.

Fast forward to last July... Married, two kids, mortgage, no hair,
sedentary, 279lbs.

Sick of that fat man in the mirror, I bought some XXL cycling clothes,
dusted off and tuned up my old Trek, and started riding again. Now 10
months and close to 3000 miles later... I still weigh 274! I mean... come
on! 3000 miles for 5 pounds?!

My fitness level has increased tremendously. I use to struggle on 10 mile
rides. Now I do at least 3-4 weekday rides of 15-30 miles each and one
weekend ride for 50-70 miles - all solo. My computer puts my average
speed
for these rides between 16-18mph depending upon the particular ups&downs
of
the ride. My HRM says my average rate is usually right about 75% of max
(although that can vary, usually on the high side, when the ride has
climbing). I feel lean and mean while I ride, but when I get home I
wonder
who that fat guy in the mirror is!

I don't diet per se, but I do eat sensibly. The days that I've tracked my
caloric intake it's usually right between 2500 - 3000. One friend who is
a
"wellness" expert suggests I'm not eating *ENOUGH*. Although she readily
admits she doesn't specialize in athletes ("slovenly couch potato" is how
she describes her typical client), she says that with my activity level my
BMR is 5300... as she explained it that's the number of calories needed to
just maintain my weight! Therefore she thinks my body thinks it's being
starved and refuses to let go of the fat. She thinks by eating MORE the
body will move away from this starvation reflex and start shedding pounds.
She also suggested riding easy first thing in the morning BEFORE breakfast
so the body has to switch to fat because the glycogen stores will be low
(sound like a recipe for the BONK to me).

Well, I tried to eat 4000 calories today and about died! I felt horrible,
stuffed, tired, etc. I tried riding with just water (no sport drink), and
found myself craving sugar after the ride.

Any experts lurking out there that would like to comment? Are there any
coaching services online that could help customize my training to help me
lose weight? I can't afford to hire a coach.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.