Anyone else here built like me? What are you doing about it?
 

5'8" - 195 lbs. Was 206 lbs before I took up cycling. I can't give full credit to exercise for my weight loss. I did a lot of walking and eating right while on vacation so I know that had a lot to do with it. However, I'm not happy with my current shape (round). I'm getting a little discouraged because I'm still cycling, and eating more greens but I seem to have hit a plateau. I've always hated vegetables and am now depriving myself of my favorite foods but I can't seem to get to my target weight of 175. Looking for ideas and encouragement. What do you do to get and stay in shape?

ME!

Almost exactly except I'm an inch and a half taller.

Everything else is the same. I did get down to 175 and kept it for about a year. I moved though and the Gym near my house was not as accessible as the one I had. So...crap - I inched up and now I've moved again and the gym is even worse. Not sure what to make of it.

I have an 8 month old, wife, work and school at night. Time at the gym is hard to come by but I've commited to work on it.

The "key to it all" is body fat %. You've got to lower your body fat %. The best way to do this is by reducing caloric intake (and eating lower-fat, healthy foods) and exercising. Increasing the amount of lean muscle mass will keep your metabolism from dropping which is what happens when you simply "diet" and why most people yo-yo and gain the weight right back.

My advice - don't deprive yourself. Simply reduce the portion sizes and maybe cut out a couple of things that are really bad (if you have any). For instance, if you're in the habit of drinking 6 Cokes a day or eating a big ol' bowl of ice cream right before you go to bed - cut that out, but don't take all of the "good things" out of your diet. Portion sizes.

Slow, steady weight loss is the way to go. Crash diets that drop the pounds quickly also cause you to lose muscle (slows your metabolism) and then when you reach your target, you slip back into your old eating habits and gain the weight back because your body now needs less calories than it did before just to maintain your weight.

IROC obviously knows his stuff. For me it's about consistancy. Forget diet / excersise fads - find something physical you enjoy and it will be a breeze - not a punishment.

Also, I think most people give up a new routine because they almost always bight off more than they can chew and then feel guilty about "giving up". Start small, work you way up - if you fall off the bandwagon a couple of times just don't worry about it.

I have been addicted to the weight room since about age 19.

I don't think that 5 minutes once a week is an adequate excercise regimen.

Good one. YOU NEED A WHOLE 5 MINUTES !?!

i give her the best 2 minutes i have once a week. like the famous showman that name escapes me once said, " leave the stage early and have them wanting more". or something like that.

chris, i don't think its a shape thing, at least with me it a getting older thing.

The problem with cycling is that after awhile you get in a groove, higher cadence means less effort and you learn to read the terrain, use your gearing more effectivly and as a result expend less energy. Start running, there is no coasting in running.

I weight about 195 and am 5,9. I whitewater kayak and generally eat well. My problem is that i am always on the road and ussually end up at fast food joints for lunch.

5' 9" 180 and fighting genetics. I do a 50-minute cardio workout on a cross-trainer every other day and eat smaller and mostly healthy meals, but the only thing that causes me to lose weight is going to Europe and walking 5 hours a day. Best I can do here is maintain...

I wish it were that easy...

I used to cycle 4 or 5 hours at a time and not really tire. Cardio has a lot to do with it. I had excellent cardio at that point.

Cntdrv, how old are you? Things change after 40... more difficult.

One thing that helps quite a bit; don't eat a big meal in the evening and keep away from fat/carbs at that meal. Don't eat anything after 7:30 or so. You can really put in on while you sleep.

True, but I bet you took in a lot of calories, and I imagine, with an increased pace, you burned more calories than a casual rider.

cantdrv22mph, it takes time. You probably didn't put on those pounds in a couple months, and you won't get rid of the pounds in a few months. Gotta find a way to have fun. I'm having trouble shedding the last pounds, as well. I'm 15 lbs over my target of 150 lbs, but I am losing about 1 pound per week. I started at 173. Give it one more month. If you don't lose another 2-3 pounds, make changes.

6'2" 215 pounds. My doctor says I should start exercising and change my diet. I think I'll just change doctors.

"Making changes" is a good point, too. Your body is amazingly capable of adapting to whatever type of diet or exercise routine you employ. That's why people "plateau" alot of times and can't get those extra pounds off or move up that last little bit in bench press.

The funny thing is that after all these years of fad diets, pills, magical exercise devices, etc., it really all boils down to eating right and getting the right amount of exercise. There is no "easy" way to do this.

Shoot for taking in about 500 calories a day less than you need to "maintain" your weight, keep yourself hydrated, do some *strength* training exercises (since cardio doesn't really build lean muscle) and you should lose about a pound a week. Guaranteed.

Mike

Am I a mutant? I'm 5'9" and 185. 37 years old, 33 inch waist, 32 inseam, 42 chest.

Pic of me lat Feb.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1123861004.jpg

Lucky me,same size as in High School, 30X34 jeans..eat like a pig at all hours,late night munchies (last night woke up around 2 , had some chocolate cake and soda...went back to bed) I cannot gain weight.Cholestrol just fine as is BP..good genes from mom's side. I swim daily for fun.
Rika

We all hate you!!! ;)

I started doing Weight Watchers a few months ago. I'm 5'10", and I've dropped from 190 to 173 so far. I want to get to 165. Weight Watchers really works if you follow the diet. It's not a fad diet like so many of the ones out there. It empasizes smaller portion sizes, lower fat, and encourages eating lots of vegetables, but allows you to eat anything you want in moderation. I also work out at the gym a couple times a week.

Portion control is difficult. Our society has gotten used to big servings and we tend to eat what we're given. Today's "regular" servings are the same as a large from 20 years ago.

We did something that may sound silly, but helped with that... we bought smaller plates and bowls! Now less food looks like more.

Bingo! As we get older we burn at a lower rate. I am not that heavy (6'1", 220 lbs) but need to lose at least 15 pounds.

BP is fine, blood sugar is a bit high at 120 but for a 52 year old guy am in a lot better shape than many of my friends.

We still need to exercise more. When I lived overseas I walked 10 times what I do these days.

JoeA

yummy
 

you guys are making me hungry!!!! i am going home tonite and fixing a BELTC!!

bacon, egg, lettuce, tomato, and cheese sandwich, on whole wheat bread toasted!!!!

Don't get sucked into the belief that you must be x lbs. Recent data suggests that if "overweight" but exercise, still have better long-term outcomes than couch potatoes:D

That being said, what you want to do is increase you energy burn throughout the whole day. Exercise is important because it turns up your general energy burn for several hours not because it burns x calories. To get the burn you have to get to aerobic levels of exercise (that's the reason for those heart rate monitors).

Other's advice to not eat the largest meal in evening is very important. You want to eat most of your cals before or during the day (when you are burning them) rather than just before you go to sleep. Do not skip breakfast! Smaller more frequent meals (preferably which are calorie inefficient) take your body out of the "famine" mode (which saves all extraneous cals) and allows it to be more inefficient (read "lose weight"). What's the most calorie inefficient meal? Celery is supposed to take more cals to digest than it's worth. High fat/high sugar meals are very calorie dense (twinkies, meat). Some fats (such as nuts) clearly are beneficial so don't completely avoid (like Pritikin), just eat smaller portions.

Ain't it great? I'm 6'1", 165...but only 17. It may catch up with me sooner or later, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts...:)

I'm about the same as you 5'10" 48 year old and hover around 200, I have been as high as 230 and as low as 190 +/-
I like biking but worry about the prostate thing at my age.

Ditto on all the diet advice, smaller portions, don't deny yourself, cut back on carbs, bad fats, and sugars, avoid eating late in the evening.
My biggest problem is booze, if I could cut that out I'm sure I could make 180 easy.
Oddly when I was at 190 all my friends said I looked too thin.

I am trying to do more walking and doing the stairs at work instead of elevator (big help) I ordered one of those heart rate monitors to encourage myself to do more walking. I am also looking for someplace to go swimming (my knees will not take running/jogging).

I don't know what you do for a living but if you can if you can get some walking/stairs in during the day it's like free exercise. that and finding exercise you like(swimming/biking/sports). It also seems like by slowly reducing meal portions my stomach shrinks and I get filled up sooner.

HTH

6' 2", 225, down from 250 in March. Would love to get down to 200, but it will be difficult.

I play 2 hours of basketball 2x a week, and sometimes go to the gym, and two track days a month.

Yeah, I know my metabolism has slowed quite a bit now that I'm almost 42. Having a traveling job doesn't help either. In between appointments, I eat fast food. When I'm with clients, I eat well but there's always dessert before talking business. Looks like I'll have to add running to my exercise regimen to burn even more calories. I've tried portion control but I was always hungry.

I'm 5 ' 9" ish and find it hard to believe you guys think you're "fat" at 185 or even 195?!?!? Maybe it is just build/body type. I have been in the 185-190 range for years; no bulges, can't pinch much. I have a 17" neck and wide shoulders though. Currently my 36" pants are falling off me so I guess I'm a 34-35" waist these days. Almost 39 yrs old and I still get carded sometimes (tonite in fact.)

Good diet, low body fat and feelin' good is what's important. If you are reasonably healthy and happy then you'll look good too, vs. somebody who is eternally torturing themselves because they weigh 4lbs more than some chart tells them they should. I think all the BS about "optimum weight" is just that...

I'm 58, 6'2" and 185. I'd like to be 175 and I'm headed in that direction from a high of 191. I've just started biking again after a year's hiatus following surgery (prostate cancer - Urologist says all the biking I did had nothing to do with it).
Because I had no regular exercise for over a year (besides walking my dog), I put on 15 pounds gradually. I also was not eating very smartly during my "recovery" either.
Bottom line? Eat whatever you like - denial is not a viable longterm plan - but just eat less of everything. And find some exercise program that you enjoy and can do several days a week. I hate running, but I love cycling so, biking it is.
I know that my return to riding and dialing back the portions will help me get back down to my goal weight. But, remember, the older you get, the slower your metabolism wants to go. You really do have to work a little harder to ramp it up after 50. Fun, huh?

If you travel allot try walking as much as possible. Don't know how you feel about swimming but if you can tolerate it you can try to book hotels with a pool and try to get in a few laps every day. Key to portion control is to take tiny steps so you hardly notice it. I do too much fast food also but good food is out there it just takes a little more effort.

I'm pulling for you... we are all in this together.

These are good places to start. Consider traveling with protein bars (watch the sugar) or prepared vegetables. Consider cottage cheese/low fat string cheese or soy products (if you are lactose intol). Unfortunately, the only healthy choice in fast food often is salad, and there are only so many of them that you can eat.

Coffee instead of dessert (if you must have something).

It's ok to be hungry with smaller portions. You are supposed to eat more often. Just don't make it chips or twinkies. Protein or vegetables are better. You will also notice that if you eat less processed sugary (or simple carbohydrate things), you be less likely to be rapidly hungry.

beltc
 

it was adelicious sandwhich!!! I microbussed most of the fat out of the bacon. that thick sliced peppered bacon is so goot!!!!:eek:

It's so cool to have a heart Dr. on the BBS....

I find it helps to remember that if you are hungry you are probably loosing weight. Try to shift you thinking about being hungry, as spoiled Americans we tend to stuff food in our mouths at the slightest though of hunger and eating when we don't need to.

I'm 63, 5'10" and weigh in the low 170's. I've been lucky in that I've not had to worry much about being overweight. I have, however, gained up to the low 180's and not liked it. I feel noticably better at the weight I am. My mother always told me to clean up my plate, but as I got older, I thought that wasn't such good advise. So, for years when I ate and took that bite that made me feel that was enough, I stopped eating. I also find that exercising (which is a 5 mile round trip up & down a 1,400 ft. hill) a few times a week keeps my appetite down. I try to do it early in the day and don't have much interest in eating a lot for the rest of the day. If you have to have dessert, after business dinners, why not something like cantalope?

OK, had my last three scoop hot fudge sundae tonight. Going on a 30 mile bike ride tomorrow and will begin eating better in smaller portions. Thanks for the encouragement everyone.

Give up drinking beer also if you do. Beer is incredibly fatening, and will ruin all the efforts put in a good diet. I verified it this summer: ate good, lost weight, then starting having one or two coronas after work every evening, and gained weight again. I stopped that and I am back on track.

Aurel

Sorry to say it cantdrv55, but I'm guessing your diet has remained the problem.

There's a hell of a lot of calories in a hot fudge sundae, or fast food, etc. Above 2000 cal/day, you aren't gonna starve, and unless you have a pretty high metabolism (or exercise a lot) if you're over 2500cal, it is likely you will slowly put on weight.

I am 39 5'8" 165 lbs if that makes any difference :D The max i have ever weighed was 190 lbs and the minimum was 145 back in high school days.

One word, winstrol!

Exercising keeps your appetite down? Right now I'm in my casual, few times a week routine and I don't notice much change in my appetite from day to day. I don't eat a whole lot and make it a point to not clean my plate. :D However, when I'm training for a race or something, I feel like I can't eat enough. So if you're really committed to eating a lot, I recommend setting an ambitious goal in a long road race (running or cycling) and training to do it. The side benefit to this is that the healthy stuff tastes the best - and junk food like McD's is positively stomach turning. Your body is amazing at figuring out what it needs if you pay attention to it.

la la la la - I'm not listening!

I'm 5'10" and have balloned up to 192 is the last year. As of a year ago I was very athletic and very fit. Then I met my current gurlfriend. She eats crap all day and never gains apound. So I have been sucked in to her eating habits and now have no time for excersie due to work.

I'm hoping to start the gym again as soon as I move into the new house. Closing on the 26th.

BTW, lost 10 lbs of the South Beach but gained it all back in a week due to lack of a kitchen. As soon as you add any bad food to your diet the fat pours back on.