Yakoob on 21/8/2010 at 08:24
So during my last-month-at-college binge and a subsequent three-week-travel-with-friends that involved a lot of eating out, I ended up eating and drinking too much, gaining a solid 10 pounds or so. So summer came, and time to shed those pounds! And when I step on the scale, I successfully lost the extra weight. But when I look in the mirror, well....
Height: 5'5
Weight: 151lbs
Lifestyle: Sedentary (desk-job, and mostly desk-hobbies)
Exercise: I bike to and from work fairly intensly (14-16mph) for 1 hour a day [30mins morning, 30 evening], 5-6 days a week. Occasional gym for weights.
Before I started my exercise and calorie counting regime (about a month ago) I was around 158lbs. So I lost 7-8 lbs over the past month, getting to my current weight of 151lbs. This is also the weight I have been for over a year, so I know exactly how it looks in the mirror and feels.
Except that, now that I got back down to it, I still look far more overweight than in the past. Particularly on my stomach, there's a clear fat belly poking out that wasnt nearly as pronounced as before (especially when I suck it in, used to be flat, now has clear mounds poking out), and I'm kinda left wondering why is that, if I am the exact same weight.
Since I am doing daily biking, I dont think Ive been losing muscle vs. gaining fat (although the rest of my day is pretty sedentary). I can definitely see an improvement in my stamina and biking strength compared to a month ago.
So my question is - whats going on, body buffs?
Just to throw in some numbers:
Caloric Maintenance Level (base) : ~2000
Caloric Maintenance Level (with Exercise): ~2600
Actual calories I've been eating: ~2000
So as you can see, I've been some 500 cals under my requirement, which is enough to be losing the weight without starving yourself. And indeed I have been losing the "weight," but I still look just as overweight as if I hadn't. So for the past week I tried dropping it a bit lower to around 1500 cals in and have been started losing weight faster. However, I also noticed a significant decrease in my strength (after 4 days of biking to work in a row, my thighs were dying to the point where I took the 5th day off), so I dont know if it's a good idea to keep that up.
tl;dr I lost the 8 pounds I gained over last month at my uni but when I look in the mirror I look more fat than I used to before I gained that weight, and I have been exercising regularly so its not a muscle loss / fat gain type of a thing. WTF?
Kolya on 21/8/2010 at 09:01
Your body doesn't regenerate the way it used to when you were 20 something. Get used to it or become one of those fit-for-fun muppets. Or you're pregnant.
Muzman on 21/8/2010 at 09:34
From what little I can recall of what little I know about this... that's pretty typical in the first couple of months of a new regime. I forget exactly why; retaining more water, stuff getting rearranged, increased circulation.
Something like that.
Some proper fitness maven will be along shortly no doubt.
DDL on 21/8/2010 at 09:51
kolya's basically spot on: the older you get, the more gut fat you accumulate. The body deposits fat around the waist, but loses it from everywhere, because metabolism isn't terribly well adapted to modern lifestyle.
Don't do a starvation diet + aerobic exercise, it's a pretty bad combination: increasing general fitness is always good, but unless you match your energy intake to your expenditure, your body goes into starvation mode... which generally means you lose fat, but also muscle (and even bone :o). If you really want to shift the fat, you'll probably need to burn it off, which means aerobic exercise over sustained periods of time, generally on an empty stomach..or after lifting weights (so low muscle glycogen).
Actually, a bit of strength training in general couldn't hurt: the more muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate is, so it'll offset your otherwise sedentary job somewhat. Plus a bit more muscle helps spread out the gut fat so it doesn't look so bad.
Also, you may simply be genetically predisposed to gut fat that's hard to shift. Life can be shitty like that.
Edit: and stop thinking in terms of weight. Weight is a terrible indicator, given that muscle is heavier than fat, and that hydration state makes a huge difference. In a starvation diet, as noted by muzman, the first 8 pounds or so are just waterloss, from muscle/liver glycogen loss (it's a very hydrated metabolite). So ignore weight, and just concentrate on feeling and looking better.
quinch on 21/8/2010 at 12:55
After a certain age it can seem you've more chance of losing weight from your eyeballs than your waist. Unless you really go to it. You also get looser as you get older so you need to tighten.
Thing about cycling is that you can be a fatty and still manage decent distances. I cycle a lot and am still tubby round the waist. My legs just got musclier as a result of carting around my tonnage.
Try and increase your stamina by cycling greater distances. If you have them, use your drop handlebars as much as possible to strengthen your upper body. It will be uncomfortable at first with your flab squishing against your thighs but this should gradually improve as your stomach tightens.
Bluegrime on 21/8/2010 at 16:33
Just do basic calisthenics. Jumping jacks, sit ups, push ups, et-cetera. Those are all work multiple muscle groups and don't need any equipment. Also if you have the option take a few laps around the stairs at work during your lunchbreak. The key to losing bodyfat is to keep your metabolism up, rather then doing spurts of intense exercise. So do your best to get up and get moving whenever the chance comes and that will help you in this battle.
CCCToad on 21/8/2010 at 16:44
Most of what has already been said is correct: body composition is more important than body weight (pay attention to your fat %, not your weight), and don't expect results the next week. Also keep in mind that What you eat is even more important than how much you eat. If your calorie load consists mostly of grease and junk food, you simply aren't going to get the nutrients you need to build up your lost muscle mass while your fat is going to be easily replaced. You want your diet to be low in fight, high in protein, and comprised of foods that are as minimially processed as possible. One tip is to focus your shopping around the outside of the grocery store: thats where you'll find your fresh produce, dairy, and meats. Also, make sure to keep an even load of carbs. You want enough to keep your energy levels high, but no more.
SubJeff on 21/8/2010 at 19:01
But my diet is high in fight and that's what keeps me in shape! I doing it wrong?
Yakoob on 22/8/2010 at 01:06
Thanks for feedback everyone! To elaborate further.
Quote Posted by Kolya
Your body doesn't regenerate the way it used to when you were 20 something. Get used to it or become one of those fit-for-fun muppets. Or you're pregnant.
Umm, I'm 22.....
Quote Posted by DDL
If you really want to shift the fat, you'll probably need to burn it off, which means aerobic exercise over sustained periods of time, generally on an empty stomach..or after lifting weights (so low muscle glycogen).
So like biking for 30 minutes twice a day for 7.5 miles?
Also, I should have mentioned this, but this is what my typical day looks like, food-wise:
Wake up (9:30am)
Breakfast (10am): Fat Free Milk + cereal + bannana or quick oats + banana (500cals)
Lunch: (2-3pm): A samwitch - whole wheat or rye bread, onion, pepper, tomato, ham or turkey or roast beef. I'm starting to add egg in there too for extra protein. (400 cals)
OPTIONAL Snack: (6pm): small pack of chips or an apple (150cals)
Dinner (9pm): Usually some sort of stir fry so rice/pasta, veggies and chicken breast or pork or egg (~800 cals)
Sleep (2-3am)
Other: I drink water exclusively, no pop or vatimin water or that kind of shit. I have "dessert" (slice of cake, muffin, ice cream etc.) maybe like twice a week so its all reasonable too. Drank alcohol once during the past month.
I also should have mentioned that I managed to lose 60 pounds over the past two years, via improving my diet, exercise (jogging / biking) and calorie-counting. Thats why when I went back into my diet/exercise regime that worked great in the past and started not seeing the same results, I decided to post this thread and get some input from those more knowledgeable than me.
Initially, when I started my current routine, I was eating around 2300 cals / day and wasn't losing any significant weight, thats why I dropped it lower. Tho, now that I think about it, I definitely saw an improvement in my strength during biking (which is now dwindling away) so I guess I was eating enough to build muscle (which would explain my initial gain of like a pound). But then, I dont want to gain muscle at this point, I want to lose the fat.
I totally see how the "move around more in general" tip is important and could be why Im not seeing the results I learned to expect from the past. Back in college when I walked around all over the place, or the summer before when I worked on some movie sets, I'd be constantly moving and it definitely helped me look better in shape, even at the same weight as now. However, sadly, this is not possible with my current lifestyle (sitting in front of the comp programming for 9hrs / day, its not like I can go on walks or start doing jumping jacks in the office). Yet another reason why I am hating the lifestyle my career encourages ><
DDL on 23/8/2010 at 14:34
Quote Posted by Yakoob
So like biking for 30 minutes twice a day for 7.5 miles?
30mins would be fine before breakfast, but once you've got some food in you, you need longer, because you'd have to deplete muscle glycogen first. The trick is to exercise when your body is low on glycogen (stored sugar, essentially). It's more painful, admittedly, but hey.
