# Help me with my plan - hit a weight loss plateau.



## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

TL'DR: 49yo, 6'2.5, 200lb coming off the couch and weightloss stalled while 5 30mi/day Z2 rides + 4 strength sessions per week on 1100-1400 cal per day. 

I have a thread going over in the 50+ forum about my effort to come back off the couch and train for a tough 53 mile mountain bike race at 7000-8000 altitude on OCT 1 of this year. I basically started in mid-late march somewhere in the 217-220 range. I have currently been stalled in the 200-202 range basically all of May, and I wanted a sanity check. Despite the fact that I let myself get to 220ish, I have done big efforts before, and understand what it takes. I am not some layman when it comes to nutrition and exercise. I just got really lazy and tied up with work etc during the pandemic.

So here is the current situation:
49yo, 6'2.5, 201 lbs.
I do 4 gym sessions per week, repeating 2 workouts twice. This is basically a modified StrongLifts approach where you add 5lb to the bar for the next workout out every time you complete a and exercise without failing a rep. Rest time is 3 minutes between sets unless you fail a rep, then 5 mins.

Workout A: Squats (3x10)\Bench (5x5)\Curls(5x5).
Workout B: Deadlifts (3x5)\OHP (5x5)\ Rows (5x5).

Cardio is a bit of a longer story:
From March through May 13, most of my cardio was walking on an incline treadmill at a zone 2 (MAF) heartrate for 1-1.5 hours 5-7 times per week. Low intensity, easy to recover from. I also had a few mountain bike rides.

On May 13, I transitioned to an indoor trainer (Peloton). From the 15th to the 17th, I logged about 100 miles over 6.25 hours. I am basically trying high volume 80/20 base building now and for the next 12 weeks. This week, I was shooting for 12 hours, then 15 next week, and 20 then a rest week, and repeating similar blocks during base.

Other than my workouts, I have a desk job, so pretty sedentary m-f. Weekends are usually super busy with all of the suburban dad stuff - i.e. yardwork etc.

Nutrition:
I weigh/measure all food, and have been eating somewhere in the 1100-1400 cals per day range the whole time. I try to hit 4 25-30g doses of protein spread throughout the day. Typical macros would be something like 125p, 125c, 35f. I tend to be pretty low carb, but I will load up before a hard effort, either in the gym or on the bike. I don't see the point in feeding Z2\base mile work. The food I do eat is clean\minimally processed. Currently zero junk food etc. Minimal alcohol (I would have a few beers if my beloved Suns were playing but accounted for in the macros - that is no longer a problem ). I also quit caffine a few weeks back so that I could use it strategically instead of being dependent\resistant.

Overall Plan
I would like to be around 175lbs on race day. My original plan had me hitting that by the 1st week of August (and continuing to do high volume base z2 miles to drive both fat loss and aerobic fitness). Then I wanted to transition to an 8 week build phase where I would return to eating maintenance calories to support the increasing intensity.

I am starting to lose a bit of confidence in my plan. Example, from Fri-Tues, I rode around 100 mi in 6.25 hours. Over those 5 days, I consumed 6,700 calories. Scale hasn't changed. I use a bodyfat scale, and that number isn't changing either but I know the accuracy isn't the greatest.

Recomp theory: Some people say an untrained person can build muscle in a deficit with these protein levels. I understand I could building a small amount of muscle and it is masking some of the fat loss on the scale.

Starvation mode theory: Some people say with cals too low and too much cardio, you will go into starvation mode and magically stay the same weight forever despite the laws of physics. They say to up the calories and viola, you will start losing again.

I really don't know what to do. If I raise cals, or take a 'diet' break, and just lengthen the duration of the cut and jeopardize the build phase. I also don't realistically think I can drive cals much lower and am already getting a little afraid to eat anything. Exercise volume and intensity are already about as high as I can push for given current fitness and life demands. Maybe I am just overthinking, but a 2 week weight loss stall now is either 2 weeks less build training phase or 4lbs fatter on race day.

Would you adjust calories, workout duration, workout intensity, or stay the course?

Also, anecdotally, I quit caffeine about the time the weight loss stalled.


----------



## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

I quit caffeine and alcohol and stopped eating after about 6pm a few years ago and the pounds melted off. So I don't think it's the lack of caffeine. What does your scale say (other than "one at a time please ) regarding to your body fat? At your size, weight and exercise level I'm sure you could consume over 100 grams of digestible carbs (not including sugar alcohols or fiber) and still lose weight. How much are you getting per day? Are you in ketosis?


----------



## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

MSU Alum said:


> I quit caffeine and alcohol and stopped eating after about 6pm a few years ago and the pounds melted off. So I don't think it's the lack of caffeine. What does your scale say (other than "one at a time please ) regarding to your body fat? At your size, weight and exercise level I'm sure you could consume over 100 grams of digestible carbs (not including sugar alcohols or fiber) and still lose weight. How much are you getting per day? Are you in ketosis?


Scale says BF around 20.7%. My carbs range from maybe 80 on a low day up to 150 on a high day. I am not doing any efforts I feel like I need to "fuel" for too much. I don't think there is any benefit for "fueling" for a 2 hour zone 2 ride. I'd rather just have the calorie defecit and force my body to be more fat adapted. I might do a banana or "naked juice smoothie" with like 35-40g carbs 1/2 an hour before a gym session or a more intense bike ride. Honestly my focus has been more around hitting the protein intake I mentioned and then kinda eating whatever carbs I need to get through my daily workouts - but I have tried the eating 400g carbs before\during a ride and honestly it didn't make any difference for me which I believe is due to my current fitness level. 

I don't measure ketones but highly doubt ketosis at these levels consistently, but I may dip in\out due to the cyclic nature of my carb intake and fact that I am happy to go do a 2+ hour Z2 ride fasted and with nothing but water.


----------



## DeoreDX (Jul 28, 2007)

I was at 205 and got to 160. This is what worked for me. I did a calorie restricted diet (shoot for less than 1500 but would often be below 1100-1200) and wouldn't eat until 12:00. I skipped breakfast to minimize calories but I guess people call that intermittent fasting now. 100% of my exercise was riding 3-4 days a week. 2-3 high intensity rides with one longer lower intensity ride. I would fuel before my rides with low sugar oatmeal made from protein shake instead of water. The calories I burned during the ride I would use to justify diet cheating foods and might have more than my 1500 calories a day. Maybe it was a little ice cream at night or a cookie or two. I burned 600-700 calories in a ride so 200-300 calories of desert wouldn't kill me. Or a big hamburger at diner, etc. My eating habits during the day to eat healthy and as calorie restricted as possible. Since I control my own meals and don't have to worry about eating with the wife and son at lunch I can eat whatever I want. I would normally eat 100-200 calories snacky type meals during the day. I would do that 2-4 times between noon and dinner and would have consumed 400-500 calories in that time frame. Say at noon I would make myself a ~200-250 calorie wrap or salad. An hour later get hungry again eat 100 calorie handfull of nuts. Maybe a banana, etc. Pouch of Tuna. etc. Just keep doing that until dinner time. That left me ~1000 calories for dinner and I would eat a fairly normal meal with that many calories. So I wouldn't have to make myself a special dinner I could just eat whatever we made for dinner as a family (+wife and son) and use portion control to keep the calorie count low.


----------



## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

You don't need carbs at all to function as a human. Your liver will produce all the sugar it needs for energy. I would stop carb loading and see what that does for you.


----------



## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

TBoneAz said:


> This week, I was shooting for 12 hours, then 15 next week, and 20 then a rest week, and repeating similar blocks during base.




Damn, in addition to everything else you have going on this seems a little much. 15 hours is a really big week for most and 20 hours is nearly pro territory. Consistency is more important, If I were you I'd buy a training plan from trainerroad, fascat or some other online cycling coach that targets your goals and follow that. 8-12 hours a week is plenty for your goals.

It seems to me like you're doing great in your weight loss quest and plateaus and stalls are normal and to be expected. Your training and weight loss plan should be sustainable for the long run, I think if you stay consistent with your diet and training the weight will eventually fall. If you don't make your goal by the race date no big deal, you'll still do fine.


----------



## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

GKelley said:


> You don't need carbs at all to function as a human. Your liver will produce all the sugar it needs for energy. I would stop carb loading and see what that does for you.


I dunno, my liver has been through some $hit!


----------



## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

J.B. Weld said:


> Damn, in addition to everything else you have going on this seems a little much. 15 hours is a really big week for most and 20 hours is nearly pro territory. Consistency is more important, If I were you I'd buy a training plan from trainerroad, fascat or some other online cycling coach that targets your goals and follow that. 8-12 hours a week is plenty for your goals.
> 
> It seems to me like you're doing great in your weight loss quest and plateaus and stalls are normal and to be expected. Your training and weight loss plan should be sustainable for the long run, I think if you stay consistent with your diet and training the weight will eventually fall. If you don't make your goal by the race date no big deal, you'll still do fine.


Thanks - I was thinking of buying a plan for the build phase but thought I could handle 80/20 base work on my own. If I had a power meter and an zwift etc instead of peloton I probably would have hired a coach and bought a plan already since that seems to be the standard for coaches. I'll go take another look at coaches though - at least I would have someone to blame if I DNF


----------



## Dogbrain (Mar 4, 2008)

Obviously everyone's metabolism is different, but that daily calorie count seems low for 6'2" and 200 lbs while trying to gain fitness. Since you're eating clean I would suggest bumping up the calories and focusing on performance for a while. I think you'll be surprised how the fat comes off once the engine is firing well.


----------



## Streetdoctor (Oct 14, 2011)

That calorie count is super low!


----------



## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Streetdoctor said:


> That calorie count is super low!


The thought of having to carry (the equivalent of) a dolphin up the mountain with me tho..


----------



## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

I also think you're in too much of a deficit. If I skip breakfast, my metabolism slows to a crawl. It's always interesting to see what works for people


----------



## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Everyone thinks I'm low, so lets crowd source a calorie count and macro ratio and I'll give it a go for a week? Got nothing to lose at this point (Hardeeharhar). 

Thoughts?


----------



## julianw (Sep 23, 2021)

i say you need to be patient. if you started in mid-march it's only been 2 months. i needed 3 months to notice any body fat loss.

also not sure what dolphin weighs 25 lbs, but the dolphins i see in the water when i'm surfing are at least 200 lbs. lol one of them sprinted underneath me going 25 mph. it got me thinking if one of them rams into me at that speed, i'm gonna be f'd up.


----------



## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

julianw said:


> i say you need to be patient. if you started in mid-march it's only been 2 months. i needed 3 months to notice any body fat loss.
> 
> also not sure what dolphin weighs 25 lbs, but the dolphins i see in the water when i'm surfing are at least 200 lbs. lol one of them sprinted underneath me going 25 mph. it got me thinking if one of them rams into me at that speed, i'm gonna be f'd up.


Lol - Fair point. Baby Dolphin then. We chilled with a super pod in our boat off of Catalina for like 45 mins a few years back. That was amazing!

I was fine with the progress made up until May. Basically been stuck at the same 2lb range for the last 18 days. It's pretty frustrating to put 60 miles in 2 days and eat 2500 cals total and see you gained 2 lbs. While I agree patience is needed, I wanted to get some opinions from others on the macros\calories because there are defiantly 37000 youtube vids and blog posts that would say I have gone too low with the cals and it will take 2 years to recover metabolism etc etc.


----------



## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

Maybe you need a new scale!


----------



## Dogbrain (Mar 4, 2008)

Ok I'll throw a vote into the crowdsource. I'm in a similar place in that I was off the bike and in bad shape for most of my 30's. I am also 6'2" and was up to 215 but with very low muscle mass. I did ride a decent amount last year which has helped this year, but I am working up to a 40 mile trail ride with 8,000+ ft of climbing by July. I am spending a lot of time on the bike and eating clean to get there.

For starters bump it up to 2000-2500 calories per day. Half from whole food carb sources (fruit, rice, potatoes, buckwheat, quinoa, etc.) and the rest from fat/protein. The protein/fat split is tricky if eating meat because steak and chicken thighs have both. Don't overthink it. Just cover half your plate with actual vegetables, a quarter with the carb sources above, and a quarter with some sort of completely unprocessed meat. 

Avoid sugar, alcohol, dairy, and processed grains. 

If you really are 20% body fat then losing 20 more lbs (assuming pure fat loss) would land you at ~10% which is straight up shredded. It will be hard to build fitness while cutting that low. I recommend you eat to keep up with the training and let the body sort it's fat storage out over the long run. You're still six months out, so you can always decide to cut again.

I would titrate to effect on the diet macros. Bump it up and see how the training improves.

As for training, I have cycled in and out of fitness and I agree that undertrained people benefit most from consistency. That 5x5 routine is going to get heavy in a hurry. When you start missing reps I would drop one day and do interval work or hill climbs on the bike. I'm personally not even worrying about zones, just spending a lot of time turning the cranks. So far it's working out for me. Some days I do shorter rides harder, other days I just ride up a lot of hills at a "conversational" pace. 

Also zone work is tricky for those of us who are undertrained. If I am tired or underfed my heart will spike quicker, so while I am technically in the right zone I won't be doing the work I could do if I eat, rest, and hydrate properly.


----------



## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)

burn more calories than you consume. yes it's that simple...


----------



## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

.WestCoastHucker. said:


> burn more calories than you consume. yes it's that simple...


So you think he's not burning 1100 kcal a day?


----------



## azjonboy (Dec 21, 2006)

Your calorie count is way too low. You should consider a metabolic test to determine your base needs. I would bet the 1500 you’re eating is barely meeting your basic needs to function. I’m 62, 6’1” 178 and my RMR requires 2000 calls a day for just basic body functions. I ride between 80 - 120 miles a week on a SS. Calories are my friend 

When you reduce intake too much, your body will slow your metabolism and go into survival mode. Weight loss will stop. That may be the plateau you’ve hit. 

Get an RMR if possible, they run about $300. It will also set your HR zones more accurately. 

There are some good coaches with pre made plans that are proven and work well. Linda Wallenfels is one with some great plans. 

Best wishes for you on this great MTB quest you’re on!


----------



## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)

dysfunction said:


> So you think he's not burning 1100 kcal a day?


minus a medical condition(which is always a possibility) weight pretty much falls right off if you consume less calories than you burn. it's how your body works. having the self discipline to actually apply it, is a whole different story...


----------



## gocat (Feb 27, 2012)

Keto


----------



## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

.WestCoastHucker. said:


> minus a medical condition(which is always a possibility) weight pretty much falls right off if you consume less calories than you burn. it's how your body works. having the self discipline to actually apply it, is a whole different story...


You can hit a deficit that causes your body to slow down the metabolism. It's been pretty widely documented and studied.


----------



## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)

dysfunction said:


> You can hit a deficit that causes your body to slow down the metabolism. It's been pretty widely documented and studied.


of course, that's why starved people are so fat...


----------



## azjonboy (Dec 21, 2006)

Starving people have distended bellies as the body tries to protect vital organs. It takes a lifetime of caloric deficit for them to look as they do. 

Maybe something positive to the conversation?


----------



## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

azjonboy said:


> Starving people have distended bellies as the body tries to protect vital organs. It takes a lifetime of caloric deficit for them to look as they do.
> 
> Maybe something positive to the conversation?


Absolutes are always easier than the nuance that is real life.


----------



## Joshhuber2 (May 2, 2021)

Maybe try intermittent fasting. I dont eat after 7pm and wait till 11am
or 12am. It will take a couple weeks to get uses to it. You may just need to change up things.


----------



## rod9301 (Oct 30, 2004)

1100 to 1400 calories a day is way too low.

125g of carbs is hi.

Try sub 50 g of carbs, you will lose weight.

At your weight, 2,000 cal a day, and riding, you will lose weight.

But i would shoot for 8 hours a week.

Sent from my moto g 5G using Tapatalk


----------



## gocat (Feb 27, 2012)

Keto. Its 3 to 1 in calories per fat compared to carbohydrates. More energy, less food equals losing weight. Endurance runners and cyclists use Keto diet. Bonus, lessens inflammation, bonus, get healthier.


----------



## 908811 (Apr 7, 2021)

Quit drinking.


----------



## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

gocat said:


> Endurance runners and cyclists use Keto diet.



Some do but most don't ime. Some do great on tons of carbs and some don't . Whatever works I say.


----------



## yakswak (Apr 17, 2004)

TBoneAz said:


> TL'DR: 49yo, 6'2.5, 200lb coming off the couch and weightloss stalled while 5 30mi/day Z2 rides + 4 strength sessions per week on 1100-1400 cal per day.
> 
> I have a thread going over in the 50+ forum about my effort to come back off the couch and train for a tough 53 mile mountain bike race at 7000-8000 altitude on OCT 1 of this year. I basically started in mid-late march somewhere in the 217-220 range. I have currently been stalled in the 200-202 range basically all of May, and I wanted a sanity check. Despite the fact that I let myself get to 220ish, I have done big efforts before, and understand what it takes. I am not some layman when it comes to nutrition and exercise. I just got really lazy and tied up with work etc during the pandemic.
> 
> ...


I think you just need to be patient. I am not as big as you, but I went from high 160’s to mid 150’s over a period of 6 months to a year by upping my total time on Bike + Running to around 6 hours per week (from ~1hr per week). I didn’t change my diet, in fact, I probably ate more because I was burning more energy but the workouts were intense enough that I was still at a caloric deficit. My goal was not to lose weight, but increase fitness, and I measured that by running race times. Perhaps that’s something for you to focus on, is something other than weight as a measure so you can hit mini-milestones as you go through your journey. The weight will follow, if your body deems it necessary to hit the fitness targets you have for your self. It’s entirely possible you don’t need to lose that much weight to hit your fitness targets…


----------



## DeeCount (Oct 3, 2020)

Another vote here for the calories being way to low. Your height of 6'2.5" is waaaay above average height so even the arbitrary standard of 2000 calories a day would be too low.
And at your high activity level and low protein intake I would be worried that your body would often be in a catabolic state. Then factor in that aging is real, unless you're on TRT or doing the "Lance Armstrong method" you're likely catabolic much of the day. The "standard" school of thought from the bodybuilding world is 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass. If you're 200lbs at 20% BF then I would think you'd need at least 160g of protein per day. I personally would be aiming closer to 200g/day but that's just me 👍.


----------



## Steel-Onions (Sep 3, 2021)

I have been on the low carb diet thing for a while now, and have hit 2 solid plateau's/wall's in that time (i dont go to a gym, i just ride my bike occasionally, and only eat between 5-9pm), what got the ball rolling for me again each time was having a 'F**k it' day, 1 day of eating a ton of carbs n crap seemed to get me losing weight again, its worked twice so far, strange i know


----------



## natepac (Dec 5, 2007)

A couple of things. If your gonna stay at such a calorie deficit then you really need to adjust your macros. I think your protein intake is way too low. Between heavy lifting 4 days a week and all of you cardio, there is no way that you are not breaking down muscle and losing muscle mass. StrongLifts is tough or at least it will be at some point but that depends on what your starting weights are compared to what you actual strength levels are. At some point you are going to have to cut back on the weightraining and focus more on cycling to achieve your cycling goal as right now you seem to be training for two different things.


----------



## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

.WestCoastHucker. said:


> burn more calories than you consume. yes it's that simple...


That's outdated science. Calories do count, but hormones count more.


----------



## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

azjonboy said:


> Your calorie count is way too low. You should consider a metabolic test to determine your base needs.
> ...
> Get an RMR if possible, they run about $300. It will also set your HR zones more accurately.
> There are some good coaches with pre made plans that are proven and work well. Linda Wallenfels is one with some great plans.


I absolutely agree with this, especially the RMR test part _BUT_ I could get new carbon bars for that and we all know that will make a much bigger difference! 



gocat said:


> Keto. Its 3 to 1 in calories per fat compared to carbohydrates. More energy less food equals losing weight. Endurance runners and cyclists use Keto diet. Bonus, lessens inflation, bonus, get healthier.


I do love me some chicken wings and they hit the Keto macros perfectly... 



Steel-Onions said:


> I have been on the low carb diet thing for a while now, and have hit 2 solid plateau's/wall's in that time (i dont go to a gym, i just ride my bike occasionally, and only eat between 5-9pm), what got the ball rolling for me again each time was having a 'F**k it' day, 1 day of eating a ton of carbs n crap seemed to get me losing weight again, its worked twice so far, strange i know


Pretty commonly known as a "refeed" in the BB world!


----------



## sprinklesmtb (10 mo ago)

TBoneAz said:


> TL'DR: 49yo, 6'2.5, 200lb coming off the couch and weightloss stalled while 5 30mi/day Z2 rides + 4 strength sessions per week on 1100-1400 cal per day.
> 
> I have a thread going over in the 50+ forum about my effort to come back off the couch and train for a tough 53 mile mountain bike race at 7000-8000 altitude on OCT 1 of this year. I basically started in mid-late march somewhere in the 217-220 range. I have currently been stalled in the 200-202 range basically all of May, and I wanted a sanity check. Despite the fact that I let myself get to 220ish, I have done big efforts before, and understand what it takes. I am not some layman when it comes to nutrition and exercise. I just got really lazy and tied up with work etc during the pandemic.
> 
> ...


more carbs, less fats
stop counting calories


----------



## fly4130 (Apr 3, 2009)

Using more energy that what you consume is a fine and necessary place to start when trying to lose weight, but it is not the whole story. That mindset is like thinking a bumper sticker is a book because they both have words. Draw your own conclusions about a possible Venn diagram there...

I tried Keto once a few years back. Weight loss was great as it was damn near impossible to hit maintenance calorie levels when you cut out most carbs. Maybe I just needed to try harder with the bacon. On the bike though I just never got used to it. After an hour or so I would just run out of energy and be wiped out after. Maybe I didn't give it enough time. Who knows.

An 18 day plateau calls for a change somewhere. I also agree that perhaps more energy in would help. That said, I have an excess of energy in myself that I need to figure out.


----------



## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Yesterday got a bit weird for me schedule wise. Coffee with 5g sugar for breakfast, and then oatmeal/berries (60g carbs\340 cals) around 11:30 because I thought I could ride around 1. Then work happened and I couldn't. Lifted around 5:30, bike from 6:30-8p super easy base miles. Dinner after was rice\chicken\veg for about 640cal. Never felt hungry. Appetite control def isn't an issue. I will say my resting hear rate while sleeping (47) and HRV (100) were as good as I have seen in a while. 

Thanks all for your opinions! After reading everyone's opinions and looking back over my food logs, I think I am going to try to up the protein a bit more and continue to just use carbs strategically to fuel my larger efforts. I am also going to try to flip my workout timing, as I have been working out in the early evening and then eating dinner after. I'm going to shoot for morning riding sessions and then more of an IF approach. 

I don't want this thread to turn into like a food log or something, so I will update in a week or two, so future members can learn from my mistakes.


----------



## In2falling (Jan 1, 2005)

I switch to fasting for 18 to 20 hours a day eating only twice a day, two meals 2 to 3 hour apart eating as much colorful veggies as I want/can and just making sure I am getting around 150 grams of protein a day.
Example of foods I eat brown rice, chickpeas, potatoes, colorful veggies (carrots, spinach, kale, broccoli etc..), fruits, chicken, fish ect.. If it is not lean protein (chicken, fish ect..) and it does not have fiber in it, I don’t eat it.
I don’t worry about calories or carbs just make sure I get good protein intake and eat lots of colorful veggies. I calculate I am getting anywhere from 1500 to 2000 cals a day.

This makes things simple and has worked wonders for me. When I started this, the fat just dropped off me about 2.5 lbs to 3 lbs a week. 6 foot, down to 170lbs, close to 10% BF and waist is close to 30 now.

"You are what you eat"
Average person eats like 1500lbs to 2000lbs of food a year.

Fasting with combination of really good foods works wonders.








The hour by hour benefits of intermittent fasting! — In House Studio Fitness


We all naturally fast – or take a break from eating – for at least 8 hours a day. It’s when we’re asleep! The prevailing view has always been to start your day with a hearty breakfast but recent research suggests that taking a longer break can help you lose weight and improve overall health. It’s




www.inhousestudiofitness.com.au


----------



## Rod (Oct 17, 2007)

Another vote for your calories being way too low. You're burning more calories without exercising daily than you're taking in. If nothing else, your performance will improve greatly with additional calories.


----------



## plummet (Jul 8, 2005)

Im a fan for not going on a diet. Change your diet for the better. When you hit a plateau, thats your body settling into the new changed diet. Want to weigh less? Improve the diet again. 

Going on fad diets doesnt work long turn. As soon as you stop the fad your weight will slowly gain back to the bad diet you. 

Dont set targets for weight loss. Change your diet for the better, then monitor whats happening. If you stabalise at a higher weight you simply have to interegate the diet again and make further improvements.

Typically its as simple as removing the **** from your diet, get rid of the stacks, chips, biscuits, cake, booze, sugary crap. Eat more fruit, vegies, unprocessed food. 

The closer you are to an optimised healthy diet, the closer you will be to a optimsed healthy weight.


----------



## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)

azjonboy said:


> Starving people have distended bellies as the body tries to protect vital organs. It takes a lifetime of caloric deficit for them to look as they do.
> 
> Maybe something positive to the conversation?


it's called jest, but i didn't expect you to know that. starving people are skinny as could be, stomach distension is not fat...


----------



## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)

GKelley said:


> That's outdated science. Calories do count, but hormones count more.


hormone away, but don't eat anything. see how fast you put on that weight...


----------



## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)

weight loss isn't rocket science, it's simple but takes plenty of dedication. we as a society are too lazy to do anything about it. that's why the average person is obese. fwiw, over 10 years ago i dropped from 235 lbs to 165 lbs (im 5'8") in 4 months and have kept it off. you can bet i love me some beer and junk food, i just don't everything in sight anymore...


----------



## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

.WestCoastHucker. said:


> hormone away, but don't eat anything. see how fast you put on that weight...


2000 calories of processed foods is going to affect an individual much differently than 2000 calories of meat and vegetables.

EDIT: Using my own experience as an example. I've lost 24 pounds this last 4 months by changing my diet from eating bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes daily, to consuming mainly whole foods, no processed junk. I don't eat any less than I used to. I can make my plates as big as I want. Weight that didn't budge in ten years, is now melting away with ease. 

It's not counting calories that allowed me to lose weight. It's the quality of what I eat that made the difference.


----------



## DeoreDX (Jul 28, 2007)

This was on my recommended videos on Youtube. Thought it might be pertinent information that might help you to figure out where to look for the information you need. I started losing weight and keeping it off when I started fasting until noon every day. I guess there are some reasons for that.


----------



## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)

GKelley said:


> 2000 calories of processed foods is going to affect an individual much differently than 2000 calories of meat and vegetables.
> 
> EDIT: Using my own experience as an example. I've lost 24 pounds this last 4 months by changing my diet from eating bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes daily, to consuming mainly whole foods, no processed junk. I don't eat any less than I used to. I can make my plates as big as I want. Weight that didn't budge in ten years, is now melting away with ease.
> 
> It's not counting calories that allowed me to lose weight. It's the quality of what I eat that made the difference.


regardless of the quality of the calories (medical conditions aside), if you intake more than you burn off, you will always gain weight. if you burn off more than you consume, you will lose weight...


----------



## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

.WestCoastHucker. said:


> regardless of the quality of the calories (medical conditions aside), if you intake more than you burn off, you will always gain weight. if you burn off more than you consume, you will lose weight...


Then explain why people in the 50's looked healthy, while the majority of people today walk around with round bellies, while consuming the same amount of calories. The reason is hormones. Insulin resistance be exact.

Blaming calorie input/output is a way for Big Food to put the blame on us, while serving us zero-nutrition focused garbage (marketed as "food"). Don't take it from me though. Read a book. *Metabolical: The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine. *

I suggest this book to anybody who is trying to navigate the difficult landscape of the Standard American Diet (SAD).


----------



## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)

GKelley said:


> Then explain why people in the 50's looked healthy, while the majority of people today walk around with round bellies,


do you truly think the average person today is anywhere near as active as the average person 70 years ago?


----------



## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

FWIW this popped up on my feed. Layne has a PHD in protein metabolism (I think).


----------



## In2falling (Jan 1, 2005)

TBoneAz said:


> FWIW this popped up on my feed. Layne has a PHD in protein metabolism (I think).


Horse Crap.
Eating small meals all day is going to keep your insulin levels high and insulin inhibits lipolysis (fat burning).
That 5 grams of sugar you put into your coffee the other morning spiked your insulin and shutdown fat burning. Refine carbs sugar/flour without fiber are awful, they slam into your liver fast and hard, and spikes your insulin.





How Insulin Blocks Fat Burning


The most recognized function of the pancreas is to normalize glucose levels by helping transport blood glucose into muscle and fat cells. When carbohydrate foods are digested and converted to glucose, blood sugar levels rise, which triggers the release of insulin to moderate blood sugar. In...




atkins-hcp.com




.
"When the insulin level rises, it puts the brakes on burning fat for fuel and encourages storage of incoming food, mostly as fat."


Also fasting 16 to 18 hour you get a dramatic increase in growth hormone (fat loss and muscle gain).








Mechanisms of nutritional and hormonal regulation of lipogenesis


Fat build-up is determined by the balance between lipogenesis and lipolysis/fatty acid oxidation. In the past few years, our understanding of the nutritional, hormonal and particularly transcriptional regulation of lipogenesis has expanded greatly. ...




www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov




"Another hormone that has an important influence on lipogenesis is growth hormone (GH). GH dramatically reduces lipogenesis in adipose tissue, resulting in significant fat loss, with a concomitant gain of muscle mass (Etherton, 2000).:


----------



## Mongoguy (Oct 16, 2019)

Look into the work and books Dr. Fung has done. The type of calories you eat absolutely matter, 100 calories of olive oil and a 100 calories of Twinkies have drastically different results in the human body. Eat less often, eat whole UNPROCESSED foods as mother nature intended.


----------



## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

To be perfectly honest, you are waaaay over analyzing this thing.

73”/200# is not a problem, shitty cardio is gonna be a problem, so maybe do some actual mountain biking and get the hell out of the gym.

Your biggest issue isn’t going to be performance in this race, it’s gonna be staying active and healthy the rest of your life.

Use the race as a tool to get back into shape.

Then stay healthy and active till you drop 👍

You got a tree vs forest issue


----------



## abeckstead (Feb 29, 2012)

I went from 200lbs to 170lbs in 6 months. I switched my regular high octane rockstars out for sugar free ones. Then I rode my bike more. Maybe try that  


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## wolfmw (Dec 18, 2020)

sheesh man seems like you're starving yourself... I'm almost exactly the same height/weight and only a few years younger, and I know from experience that if I eat less than 1500 cal/day for more than a few days in a row I start to lose strength, muscle mass, and generally feel weak. And that's with minimal activity, no way I could sustain that much riding at the same time. Sounds like you're very fuel efficient!

I'm in the higher fat/lower carb/intermittent fasting camp. Works for me. When really trying to drop weight, I try to stay below 50g carbs/day. Performance temporarily dips a bit, but I also generally don't try to maintain it that low for more than few weeks at a time.

Might be worth keeping a very detailed food journal for a week or so (weigh everything you eat, macros, etc) to get a real baseline. I would never suggest trying to make it part of a sustainable plan, but was pretty eye-opening for me to see what it really takes to be "low carb".


----------



## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

.WestCoastHucker. said:


> do you truly think the average person today is anywhere near as active as the average person 70 years ago?


70 years ago, people weren't eating processed junk as 60-90% of their diet. 

You can't out exercise a bad diet. I've tried that plenty of times.


----------



## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

.WestCoastHucker. said:


> do you truly think the average person today is anywhere near as active as the average person 70 years ago?




I'm not sure, maybe. I know my dad's generation regarded bicycles and exercise in general as kid stuff not meant for a full grown man. Everyone smoked then so maybe that's why they were all so skinny.


----------



## fly4130 (Apr 3, 2009)

I think we may have come back to the type of food thing too. I wonder what the middle of the grocery store aisles looked like in 1953? I am guessing not a ton of shelf-stable donuts on 'em.


----------



## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

Years ago, I was in Switzerland with my lovely bride. We were hiking and there are places to eat as you descend the mountains. It's very civilized. So we stopped for cup of coffee and an apple strudel. They're a bit expensive and I thought, wow, this is pretty small, I'm gonna need a couple of these. It was completely satisfying. I was used to what I'd get in the U.S. (sadly) with soy and corn syrup, etc. This was made with fresh ingredients and it just wasn't necessary to stuff ourselves. Later we had some pizza and you could tell the tomato sauce started the day as tomatoes on the vine. The stuff we eat is really abysmal in many cases!


----------



## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

TBoneAz said:


> TL'DR: 49yo, 6'2.5, 200lb coming off the couch and weightloss stalled while 5 30mi/day Z2 rides + 4 strength sessions per week on 1100-1400 cal per day.
> 
> I have a thread going over in the 50+ forum about my effort to come back off the couch and train for a tough 53 mile mountain bike race at 7000-8000 altitude on OCT 1 of this year. I basically started in mid-late march somewhere in the 217-220 range. I have currently been stalled in the 200-202 range basically all of May, and I wanted a sanity check. Despite the fact that I let myself get to 220ish, I have done big efforts before, and understand what it takes. I am not some layman when it comes to nutrition and exercise. I just got really lazy and tied up with work etc during the pandemic.
> 
> ...


Your caloric intake is stupid low for your amount of activity, and not enough for recovery. Definitely need to adjust and make sure you’re eating the right foods and enough of them.


----------



## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

Life threw me a curve ball on Friday, but I still managed to get some work in, and stuck to the way I have been eating, in general. Appetite is under control, feeling pretty good getting through my days, etc. Anyway, the damn broke and I have dropped 5 lbs in 4 days since I started this thread. Funny how the body works where it will hold you in a spot, then 'woosh'. 2.5lbs of that was today, and I do expect a bit of a rebound tomorrow.

After thinking alot about this I am going to stick with what I am doing in general, but add some more protein in and try to hit 160 as a minimum number daily.

The scale is going in the direction I want it to
Appetite is totally under control
Im still doing alot of base miles, and they don't need to be fueled and are not difficult to recover from
I do fuel around harder efforts as needed
I will really pour on the intensity during the last 8 weeks of training. I will stop the deficit and return to normal calorie intake at that point.

I will check in on a weekly basis.


----------



## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

TBoneAz said:


> Life threw me a curve ball on Friday, but I still managed to get some work in, and stuck to the way I have been eating, in general. Appetite is under control, feeling pretty good getting through my days, etc. Anyway, the damn broke and I have dropped 5 lbs in 4 days since I started this thread. Funny how the body works where it will hold you in a spot, then 'woosh'. 2.5lbs of that was today, and I do expect a bit of a rebound tomorrow.
> 
> After thinking alot about this I am going to stick with what I am doing in general, but add some more protein in and try to hit 160 as a minimum number daily.
> 
> ...


Amazing what a couple of good BM's will do!


----------



## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

I went on a ride while fasted this weekend and it felt great. Had plenty of energy the entire ride. I'm not strict keto or anything, but I feel that my low carb diet has allowed my body to be fat adapted.

It's amazing what our bodies are capable of once we undo the 3-6 meal a day brainwashing BS that's been _marketed_ to us for so long.


----------



## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

GKelley said:


> It's amazing what our bodies are capable of once we undo the 3-6 meal a day brainwashing BS that's been _marketed_ to us for so long.



I think fasting/keto can work great for some and the standard 3 meals a day is fine for others. As far as marketing bs there seems to be a lot more of that directed towards fasting and keto lately than there is for a 3-6 meal a day plan.


----------



## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

J.B. Weld said:


> I think fasting/keto can work great for some and the standard 3 meals a day is fine for others. As far as marketing bs there seems to be a lot more of that directed towards fasting and keto lately than there is for a 3-6 meal a day plan.


No doubt about that. There's always a snake trying to capitalize on the latest buzz words. I've learned that if it's in a box, it's likely to be pure garbage with no nutritional value, whether it's labled "keto" or "low fat".


----------

