Weight / Fat loss

Don't want it to be food or drink based as its on the way to another target for me and I dont think dammit drinks...

Although a nice bottle of whiskey could be good....

Common dammit?

What say you?

£25?

76.9 today. After a run though!

You are winning, 77.7 this morning, although I'd be a lot less after exercise.

76.8 this morning, coming to get you Ed

Oof, 77.3 for me, going the wrong way...

If I can avoid da alcohol this weekend I reckon I'll hit 75 by the end of the month.

But that is unlikely.

We need to specify the weigh in I think- I've been standing on the scales first thing, pre-cup of tea but post the first two S's.

I can easily drop 1-2kg off that with a stern turbo sessions worth of dehydration.

I think its an honour based thing to be honest, I'm not going to count a weight I know is dehydration and I don't think you would, first person to hit the weight legitimately post here and collect the prize.

Can anyone help me out here...
I just can't shift any weight.

I have been trying for a year or so to get rid of some of my gut with limited success, but yesterday I saw a picture of me seven years ago with my shirt off and was thoroughly ashamed.

So 30yr old male, 5ft 9", 80kg, carrying it all round the middle.

My routine is thus;
Cycle the 12miles to work at pace from Greenwich to Hampstead (85GSI up and over the Heath = hard graft)
Eat breakfast at my desk - usually banana, apple, orange and a pint of water.
Black coffee 1 sugar
Lunch is usually a sandwich from the local sandwich shop (eg: ham salad no butter no mayo)
Cycle 12 miles home.
Dinner is always made from scratch - no packets,ready meals etc.
Usually a risotto, pasta, lentil kind of thing. Sometimes with meat sometimes with fish often just veggie.

I know I eat well, getting enough fruit and veg etc, and I should the commute should be helping me shed some but I feel that my eating routine is not the best for shedding some pounds.

That said - cycling is now the only exercise I do apart from the odd weights set at home when I feel inclined (about once a month!)

I do drink. Probably have three pints 2 or 3 times a week and a blow out on the weekend. I know this is bad.

I need to shake things up, but am struggling to.
Any advice or opinions from you guys would be appreciated.

If that description is accurate your problem is alcohol, if 3 pints 3 times per week isn't a blow out then I'm assuming 6 or 7 at the weekend, if you cut that out you'd be down about 4000 calories per week.

If you cut alcohol for even a month I'd expect you'd see a significant drop in your weight!

This is the news I have been dreading.
OK - I guess I know what to do.

My commute went up by 4 miles a day and I seem to have lost roughly 2lbs over two months because of it. If you could find a way to do some more exercise you would shift some more.

I know if I did something at lunchtime everyday be it any sort of cardio I know I'd lose more but I just cant be arsed.

@WJPrince

Also I'd check that you're eating enough. Seems way too few calories for 24 mile daily commute.

Just run your normal calorie counter over your daily food intake, i.e your day's worth and plug in your commute under the exercise section.

I recommend myfitness pal.

Cut the booze out for say a month as Ed says and see how you get on.

Cheers for the tips guys;
Cut out the carbs, except for wholegrain in small amounts.
Cut out the booze for a while.
Eat a bigger breakfast.
Drink more water.
Sleep more.
Vary the exercise.
I have used MyFitnessPal in the past, so get back into the habit of tracking shit.

Seems legit.

If you cut something out for a while in order to achieve a result, what happens when you achieve that result and start doing that which you cut out?

Especially if whatever it is that you cut out is something you like doing, so you are definitely going to start doing it again at some point?

Therefore would it not make more sense to increase your activity levels to the point that you are burning off the beer, that way you can keep doing what you enjoy but won't wobble whilst you do it?

Too many question marks!

You don't need to cut booze out completely - just get rid of one of the week pub sessions and turn the remaining 3 pint-ers into a 1 pint-er. You might want to turn the 'blowout' on the weekend into just a few pints too. I try to drink wine instead of beer where possible now too - makes a fair bit of difference. Also - do more exercise, it's a lot more fun than turning into a monk.

Neil has a point about sustainability - someone else made a very good point to me recently: weight loss shouldn't be about diets, it should be about making gradual lifestyle changes to make sure that once the weight comes off, it's not coming back.

My pro weight loss tip for the moment is: weigh yourself every morning, then take an average weight for the week. Seems to work pretty well for me: stops me from getting too exciting/disappointed by the daily fluctuation, and makes me pretty conscious of what I'm eating.

Cheers for the tips guys;
Cut out the carbs, except for wholegrain in small amounts.
Cut out the booze for a while.
Eat a bigger breakfast.
Drink more water.
Sleep more.
Vary the exercise.
I have used MyFitnessPal in the past, so get back into the habit of tracking shit.

Seems legit.

Don't cut out the carbs (you can cut out anything processed, like white bread, but keep complex Low GI in). As a cyclist you *need *carbs for fuel. Its fucking vital. Maybe swap out white bread for brown. If you're really keen go gluten free and try that.

Porridge oats is a cyclists / active persons staple for a reason. Brekkie of champions. Also a handful of mixed nuts in the morning before your commute is recommended for the good fats and a concentrated energy source.

Low carb diets work and have their place, but you're not trying to go single figure BF levels, so why put yourself through the misery.

Eat more fibre and drink 3 litres of water per day to keep your liver working nicely. And whilst we're on the topic liver...Booze is the big one here and your success will depend on how much effort you put into limiting your intake.

I'm in.

A couple of months ago I hit 78kg, which for my 5'6'' high starts getting a bit tubby. Since then I've been riding more, recovering actively (rollers) and generally lowering my calorie intake while still making sure to get enough carbs in on training days. No gym work at the minute apart from pull ups, push ups, dumbbell lunges and the like at home.

As of this morning im now 71.1kg on the scales.

Target? Well, when I was 23 and at my leanest i hit 63kg. Not sure if (at 33) I can or should get down that low but I'll judge by the mirror. Once I've leaned out I intend to start building up a bit of muscle by bulking up nice and slowly (and hitting weights harder), trying to minimise fat gain.

If you cut something out for a while in order to achieve a result, what happens when you achieve that result and start doing that which you cut out?

Cut out [_____] for a month, with exercise to get down to Xkg, then start drinking with exercise to maintain weight?

Agreed.
I see cut out as a kit starter and a habit breaker.
Once you have broken the back of the habit and started to see some results then it is easier to easy back in to whatever it is you have cut out, and be sufficiently pleased with the results to not go back into the regular habit of whatever it is you have cut out.

Don't cut out the carbs (you can cut out anything processed, like white bread, but keep complex Low GI in). As a cyclist you *need *carbs for fuel. Its fucking vital. Maybe swap out white bread for brown. If you're really keen go gluten free and try that.

Porridge oats is a cyclists / active persons staple for a reason. Brekkie of champions. Also a handful of mixed nuts in the morning before your commute is recommended for the good fats and a concentrated energy source.

Low carb diets work and have their place, but you're not trying to go single figure BF levels, so why put yourself through the misery.

Eat more fibre and drink 3 litres of water per day to keep your liver working nicely. And whilst we're on the topic liver...Booze is the big one here and your success will depend on how much effort you put into limiting your intake.

I'd have to disagree with most of this. I used to really believe in the whole breakfast thing but I don't any more and my waist measurements indicate that I'm now right, at least for me.

Carbs? This is a 12 mile commute not a 12 hour TT, skipping breakfast doesn't make me any slower on my 20 mile commute.

Don't get me started on the water myth...

But yeah, booze is the issue here, and I also very much agree with Dammit.

I'd have to disagree with most of this. I used to really believe in the whole breakfast thing but I don't any more and my waist measurements indicate that I'm now right, at least for me.

What's right for you dude may not be right for anyone else. Crucially we are all different and our bodies respond differently to food, exercise and booze.

Work out what's right for you and use it.

^ this. Find out what works; keep doing it.

Hit the wall rather hard on Friday, complete burnout. Full exhaustion kicked in and I realized I need to give myself a break. Work on Sat was a nightmare so I rewarded myself with a big dinner and ate a lot more than usual. Threw in some carbs last night in the form of a naan.

The damage to my weight will become evident over the next few days but I feel like my sanity is more important than losing a week of progress!

Anyone else had a bit of a breakdown recently?

Not so much a breakdown as I cant seem to get myself motivated to control what I eat.
This week has already started properly, but I know I've got a big weekend of eating ahead....
ahhh well. More running!
Also I only weigh myself 1ce a week now, which is nice.
And IF really, really works well.