Cycling every day, still no change

queenpixie
queenpixie Posts: 16
edited December 23 in Health and Weight Loss
I cycle to work pretty much every day, with the exception of rainy days. It takes me 20 minutes to get to work and 17 to get home, so I'm working out at least 37 minutes a day, plus the work I do while I'm at work ( I work in a food processing plant lifting and carrying 11lbs of potato salad/macaroni salad at least 3000 times a day)

I've been cycling since mid April and by Mothers day, I lost 10 lbs. That's great! I've been working in the factory since May 22nd, it's almost a month later, and I haven't lost anything. I eat relatively well, and I know that I slip up sometimes, but who doesn't?

I'm just wondering if I'm doing anything wrong? I eat breakfast, two snacks, and supper and I try to load down with fruits and veggies as much as I possibly can. I also drink as close to 8 cups of water as a possibly can.

Would drinking green tea help? More water? less fruit? more meat? I'm really not sure what to do...

An example of my food intake is as such:

Breakfast:
Rice Crispies with 2% milk and either blueberries or raspberries
water

Morning Snack:
Blueberries, blackberries or raspberries with 4 tbps of Peach yogurt
Banana
water

Lunch:
Ham, chicken, or wow butter sandwich with either carrot, or celery sticks and an apple
water

Afternoon snack:
Veggies or fruit that I didn't eat earlier in the day

Dinner:
Chicken, pork or beef with stir fry veggies and rice or sweet potatos
water

I mean, this all seems healthy, so I'm not sure what's going on and why I haven't lost any more weight and sometimes why it seems like I've gained a pound or so... I hate being stagnant and I wonder what I'm doing wrong.

Help?

Replies

  • graelwyn
    graelwyn Posts: 1,340 Member
    Is it possible you are simply not eating enough to cover the increased activity? If you are using a lot more energy, then you need to give your body more food. A lot here seem to stall in their weight loss if they eat well below what they are burning off each day. Might be worth trying increasing your calories a little to see if that helps, if they are quite low. I cycle a lot and it dropped my weight down and now maintains my weight whilst eating 2000+ calories per day. I do go hard at it, however, and rarely coast, plus there are hills.
  • FiremanSam111
    FiremanSam111 Posts: 118
    I posted this elsewhere.... Seems relevant. Sometimes you REALLY have to push hard. Try shock tactics.... My weight came off FINALLY after removing starchy carbs like bread, pasta, wheat products, rice etc... play around with your macronutrients.... try more protein and fat, less carbs. It worked for me, but everyone is different. Also, add resistance training (just using your bodyweight) to create muscle to burn fat and increase your metabolism. Intense workouts create similar results... I have been running slow for months with little weight loss. Then cranked up the intensity to include sprints and interval training (Max HR above 85%), and the weight is flying off me! Most of all, stick with it!
  • kokaneesailor
    kokaneesailor Posts: 337 Member
    Perhaps if you made your diary public then someone could give you advice. Fruit is healthy, but if it's putting you over your daily calorie goal then it's not helping you. What is your activity level set at? :smile:
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    set your activity level to very active, and 1 lb per week, then EAT all the calories it tells you to.

    I can't see your diary but it sounds like you are drastically underfed for your lifestyle and it is screwing you over...
  • queenpixie
    queenpixie Posts: 16
    Is it possible you are simply not eating enough to cover the increased activity? If you are using a lot more energy, then you need to give your body more food. A lot here seem to stall in their weight loss if they eat well below what they are burning off each day. Might be worth trying increasing your calories a little to see if that helps, if they are quite low. I cycle a lot and it dropped my weight down and now maintains my weight whilst eating 2000+ calories per day. I do go hard at it, however, and rarely coast, plus there are hills.

    I did bring up my calorie intake and I eat way more than I used to since I started working. The first few days of work I didn't bring snacks with me and was starving in between meals. A friend of mine suggested that I bring a protein in the morning instead of the rice crispies. She suggested boiled eggs, which I might bring tomorrow.

    Getting to work is a challenge in the morning as the majority of my ride is on a steady incline with a large hill right before the industrial park where my factory is located. I've made it up the hill with standing power on my road bike and feel awesome when I get to the top. I bike at 22km/h right now and hope to increase my speed as time goes on this summer.
  • queenpixie
    queenpixie Posts: 16
    set your activity level to very active, and 1 lb per week, then EAT all the calories it tells you to.

    I can't see your diary but it sounds like you are drastically underfed for your lifestyle and it is screwing you over...

    My activity level is already set to very active and 1 lb per week and I do eat all the calories it tells me to, and if I don't eat all the cals it tells me to, I'm either around 5 under or 5 over... so not sure where the issue is there...
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    set your activity level to very active, and 1 lb per week, then EAT all the calories it tells you to.

    I can't see your diary but it sounds like you are drastically underfed for your lifestyle and it is screwing you over...

    My activity level is already set to very active and 1 lb per week and I do eat all the calories it tells me to, and if I don't eat all the cals it tells me to, I'm either around 5 under or 5 over... so not sure where the issue is there...

    good, so you have the right settings and that's not the problem...sorry to assume...like I said, can't see your diary...

    At least 64 oz of WATER a day Sodium at 2500 mg or less? Sugars and carbs low enough? Default protein settings are too low, meaning carbs are too high...

    Maybe try 40/30/30 for a while and keep sugar below 50g...sounds like your sugar is over 100 most days. Could be an issue.

    All things to consider while troubleshooting.

    And remember, each change you make needs THREE weeks before deciding if it is working or not. Some things WORK, but make you GAIN for the first week or 2, then start to reverse...
  • queenpixie
    queenpixie Posts: 16
    set your activity level to very active, and 1 lb per week, then EAT all the calories it tells you to.

    I can't see your diary but it sounds like you are drastically underfed for your lifestyle and it is screwing you over...

    My activity level is already set to very active and 1 lb per week and I do eat all the calories it tells me to, and if I don't eat all the cals it tells me to, I'm either around 5 under or 5 over... so not sure where the issue is there...

    good, so you have the right settings and that's not the problem...sorry to assume...like I said, can't see your diary...

    At least 64 oz of WATER a day Sodium at 2500 mg or less? Sugars and carbs low enough? Default protein settings are too low, meaning carbs are too high...

    Maybe try 40/30/30 for a while and keep sugar below 50g...sounds like your sugar is over 100 most days. Could be an issue.

    All things to consider while troubleshooting.

    And remember, each change you make needs THREE weeks before deciding if it is working or not. Some things WORK, but make you GAIN for the first week or 2, then start to reverse...

    I will try the 40/30/30 and see if that works out and I will give it a go for 3 weeks just to be on the safe side. Thank you for your suggestions. My sugars very well be too high considering all the fruit I am eating. I was just proud of myself that I had cut out the crap food and was sticking to the good stuff! :laugh:
  • jcohen6169
    jcohen6169 Posts: 1
    You are eating a lot of carbs. What is your ratio? Most people don't realize they need to eat more protein and fat and less carbs to move past plateaus. I agree with what someone above said about playing with macronutrient percentages. I have had good success in the past with that and much of the research today is supporting this trend.

    Just my 2 cents!

    Good luck.
  • jenniejengin
    jenniejengin Posts: 784 Member
    bump
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    Fruit is WAY better than candy or cookies, but it can still cause issues if OVER eaten, like anything can. Good luck!
  • OSC_ESD
    OSC_ESD Posts: 752 Member
    ~ Maybe you could eat less fruits and add some more veggies ??? Where are the " greens " ... you need nuts, whole grains, seeds ... stick with chicken and or salmon. Greek yogurt is best ... limit your fruit intake to maybe 2 servings a day. Although fruit is high in sugar, that is also known as " natural sugar " ... it doesn't count the same as processed foods with sugars, but too much fruit can play havoc on your system.

    Proteins are the ace of spades in weight loss ... try to consume 1 gram per lean body mass. Most people don't get enough protein and way too many carbs ! Carbs play a nice role in balance, but also need to be at a moderate level.

    Biking is a great way to get in shape ... perhaps you should measure yourself and not count on the scale to reflect your results ... you will be amazed at how many inches you can lose while remaining the same weight ... that's a good thing ... muscle is replacing the fat ... with your description of your job / lifestyle I would be surprised that you are not losing inches .. are your clothing fitting a little more loose ?

    Also, your daily job and biking will become a lifestyle ... not added exercise .... you probably should not put your settings so high, that means you live that drastically seven days a week ... maybe go one less, and see the numbers and then adjust your macros.

    Best of luck ! :flowerforyou:
  • jeanamcloughlin
    jeanamcloughlin Posts: 4 Member
    You're probably just in a plateau--everyone hits them sooner or later and it can get soooo frustrating!
    What my trainer told me to do when this happens is the have a 30 hr healthy carb binge. You get 30 hrs to eats some HEALTHY carbs, such as brown rice. It reboosts your metabolism, so to speak. Something to do with the hormone levels.
    Try that.
    Just remember--healthy carbs with extremely little or no fat.
  • marpalde
    marpalde Posts: 9
    I notice you eat alot of fruit. It's healthy for sure but it also has alot of natural sugars. It doesn't look like you're over eating however make sure you take notice of even little bites of this or that. Those can sometimes be the silent culprit. Just my opinion. Try cutting down on your sugar intake. Good luck and I admire your activity level.
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