Weight Loss not seeing results

Hey guys I have a quick questions about my Health!

I have been dieting and exercising for 4 weeks now and I have yet to see very much change at all. I know that it takes time to see results, maybe im just getting anxious lol I dont know.

I thought I would post up what I'm doing and get someone with a little more experience in this field to give me your input!

As far as my exercising goes I have been mountain biking 3 to 4 days a week and I have been averaging about 10 to 15 miles per day at a pace of about 8 to 10 mph average.

As far as my diet goes I have been trying to eat alot better. I have cut out all my fast food, all my cokes, and other things like candy, beer, liquor, etc.

For breakfast I will usually have 2 eggs scrambled with a 1/2 cup of oatmeal
Mid morning snack ether peanut butter crackers or some kind of nut
lunch usually a turkey or chicken sandwich with some veggies
Mid afternoon snack trail mix or fruit of some sort
Dinner grilled chicken, rice, veggies, veggie soups
Evening snack popcorn

I have a calorie tracker on my phone and I am usually around 1500 to 1900 calories per day.

I'm 6' 250lb.

I have also increased my water intake.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid lol but is there something I should change or do a little differently to see better results?

Thanks

 

EDIT: I CAN'T READ!!!!

That's a lot of miles to be running in one day. Especially if you are just starting to run. 50-70 mile weeks are on average for marathon runners. I would suggest bringing your mileage down to about 15-30 miles a week tops and running them at a faster pace like 8-8:30 pace.

Are you weighing yourself daily? Is there any fluctuation in your weight?

Edit: If you are running 8-10 mph that's a sub 7:30 minute pace. If you keep that up for 10-15 miles you are on pace for a 3:30:00 marathon time. You shouldn't need to lose weight if you can run that fast...

 

White eggs. Ill.post up.my diet when I get home. Its consists 6 meals a day.

 

Haha theres no way I would be running that much in a week, I'm mountain biking that far each week lol

And ya I have been weighing myself everyday and my weight seems to be like 2 pounds lighter one day and 2 pounds heavier the next, but its always around the same weight.

 

Change up your workout routine.and maybe push you caloric intake closer to 2000.

 

I was wondering about my calorie intake.

If I am not eating enough calories can that be just as bad as me eating to many calories?

 

Yes, because your body goes into emergency mode. It says, "I need to store this." Usually for weight loss 1500 to 2000 calories is the average but if you are way more active then obviously 1500 isn't going to be enough.

I am kind of in the same boat as you though right now. I hit a plateau at 50 lbs loss and now I am going to change up my workout regimen and try to speed up my metabolism. As far as weighing yourself is concerned it is disappointing to weigh yourself at different times due to the water weight you lose after a bike ride. You'll be 2 to 3 pounds heavier the next day. I try to stick with weighing myself once a week.

 

Good info thanks! And congrats on the 50lb loss that is awesome!

How long have you been working at it to drop 50lb's?

 

Thanks. I started at the end of September. The holidays were a real bitch but I made it through.

 

You need to throw some other stuff into your routine. Weight loss isn't automatic. It takes some time. I have been deployed for 4 months and I gained 6lbs by working out in my first 3 weeks. I am now back down 30 from that point.

Just keep at it and it will show soon. Plus, it isn't always your weight you will see the changes in. You should be looking at your size. Measure your waist in the same place on a weekly basis and I am SURE you will see results!

 

Use a mirror instead of a scale.

You are likely adding muscle now while you are losing fat.

...and stay away from late / later day carbs.... (Bread, potatoes, etc...)

 

Good info guys thanks! And i was kind of thinkin that my leg muscles may be growing from all the cycling.

One more question. I have read that i should be weight training as well and honestly i cant stand lifting weights (got enough of that in high school football lol). But how important is weight training for a diet compared to just cardio?

 

Weight training isn't necassarily a must. You can do simple body weight exercises such as pushups, situps, pullups and anything like that. BUT, the more muscle you put on the more fat is burnt trying to carry around and feed your added muscle. Cardio and diet alone can help you lose weight but you do need to add more muscle in your body for best weight loss purposes.

 

I'm a skinny ass by default, but I run and bike a bit so I'll offer my advice. Your body wants all the fat it can get. It's afraid you might die over winter if you don't have it! It thinks long term and wants to put away calories for a rainy day. Think of it as a reserve. Your body will begin to unload fat when you change the eating habits because it will burn the reserve. Ok, so that should drop lbs.

Also consider though that you are exercising a good bit. You can't carry heft around w/o some muscle. That means you will add lbs. So in my view, you're trading fat for muscle. That's a good thing.

You obviously have a cyclometer on your bike. Track your averages by course. I'm sure you'll see times coming down. Sure, part of that is being familiar with a course, but part is a stronger, faster rider too.

After a while, that extra muscle will be cooking up more fat reserves and the weight will start to come down. Might take about 3 months to really see it though. But by then, it's much easier and you'll feel great.

 

Wbat everyo.e said so far has been good. Like every one says change up the routine. How long have you been working out for? Doing yoga or swkming is a good alternative to those wbo can't stand to lift weights.

 

Ditch the peanut butter crackers, bread on the sandwich, rice and popcorn. Instead of the bread, eat more meat (protein). I like to get the small rotisserie chickens from the store and carve all the meat off of them, you can eat the meat from them for a few days. If you have steak one night for dinner or chicken or pork, just make one extra helping and eat that for lunch the next day. Don't use dressings on your vegetables(if you do). Carrots, tomatoes and cucumbers taste just fine by themselves. If you need a dressing for a salad, try some extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Any sugars you intake should only be found naturally like in fruits.

 

I know you said weight training is not something you want to do, but it does help. I found the best way from me to lose weight was include weight training. Also they say your weight fluctuates by 2 pounds every day, so I wouldn't worry about the 2 pounds up or down.

Also how much resistance do you have while riding your bike? Any hills? Or just a flat surface?

 

Do you have a smart phone?

There are APP's out there that are supposed to help you track your caloric intact, exercises, etc.

"My Fitness Pal" seems to be one of the better ones.

I'm not looking to lose weight but I thought I'd try it anyway for the hell of it. It surely opened my eyes to my eating habits and caloric intake.

You can also have 'friends' on the MyFitnessPal - where you can support eachother & such. Good Luck!

 

Great info!
I am actually using the iphone app my fitness pal (i think thats what its called).
And i can tell a huge difference in my riding speed stamina and time. So i assume my legs were just adjusting to the new habit!
I think the one thing that may still be hurting me is the amount of carbs im eating and maybe not eating enough calories everyday.
But i must say whether im losing weight or not i feel 100 times better and have more energy since i have started exercising and eating right!
I think i will start incorporating some push ups abs and some other work outs like this to my weekly line up.

Thanks for all the info and keep it coming!

 

That's GREAT!!! As long as you're seeing positive results & feeling good...then all that hard work IS helping!!

What's your username on MFP? I need to get back on there again. I'm kinda wishy washy with what I want to do with myself in terms of fitness/health. But I know I want to cut back on eating & just be healthier! I'm not getting any younger...