Weight loss body vs bike

[Hell27]

Thanks to all for the very informative replies, the notes of support are well received, thanks! Some others out there that have shifted large amounts of timber, well done!
I had quite a practical application of the difference in rotating weight this weekend. I was on a club ride, and picked up 2 x rear punctures. At the second, I got a bit pissed off with it and was ready to quit, then I examined the tyre and realised I had to quit! The tyre had picked up some glass or a thorn and put a big gash in the contact patch - no wonder it kept puncturing. So I put a new inner on, and nursed it 5 miles to the nearest halfords. I was running 35mm continental cyclocross speed tyres, lovely light, fast tyre, but obviously a little fragile. They weigh 350g each. So at Halfords I swopped them for a pair of 28mm schwalbe marathon plus. Great tread, very tough, but heavy. 750g per tyre, so 800g difference between the 2. It felt heavier after, but had a better rolling resistance. The ride was a lot worse, but I suspect I won't pick many punctures up. I'll keep them on for the time being for the commute, and see how they perform. I suppose the added weight can only help on the weight loss mission!

[Banana Boy]

Dannbodge said:

yellowjack said:

Sounds like we're in the same sort of place. I'm 5'6" and currently between 73kg and 75kg (depending on which scale you believe!) and whilst my BMI says "overweight", my wife says she'd not want me to lose any more weight. Although when we first started seeing each other I was about 59kg, trying to stay in the heavy end of the Bantamweight division when I boxed. Sub 60kg seems like a lifetime away now, and I doubt I'll get that low again whilst still being healthy.

My target is to get below 70kg. The lightest I've been over the last few years was 71.1kg (accurate, calibrated scale). The heaviest I've stepped on a scale at was 79.9kg. But I'd already started losing some weight before starting to weigh myself.

I too am stuck now. Weight varies between around 71kg and 73kg mostly, and when I work at it, it mostly hovers around 71kg. But the work I put in is all exercise. I'm a terrible glutton when it comes to food, with a pathological hatred of food waste, so I'll hoover up whatever's left in the pan, and at home whatever is on anyone else's plate when a meal is over. That's my undoing really. I rode 212 miles in three days this weekend. Then on Monday night I tamp down fish and chips. Only I added an extra portion of chips to the order, intended for sharing between three of us. There were no takers, so I ate the lot. Can't seem to help myself! So I suppose you could say that the answer is obvious. Eat a bit less, cycle just as much, lose the weight easily.

Another aspect of the OP was body v. bike. I'd say body, until you're a proper flyweight. I've got (or at least had) three road bikes, one a heavy, cheap 1990s steel thing, definitely a heavy beast. The 'middle' one was a 10kg-ish aluminium framed Merida from 2010 (sadly now broken). The light one is a Trek Emonda at about 7kg. According to a brief bit of trawling through my Strava data, there's very little in it between the three bikes as to the spread of my fastest segment times. And they all have a different 'character' to them. So often I perceive myself to have ridden a route faster on my carbon fibre lightweight than before, but the Strava upload tells me that my actual time was quicker on the steel beast. I know it's not scientific, and that wind, weather, gearing, tyres, and my fatigue level could all be different between bikes and rides, but there's certainly no "well, the lighter bike is always faster" rule, at least for me. That said, there's no substitute known to science for the placebo effect of shiny new bikes, or components. They really do inspire you to get out more, and try harder (even if it's only to justify the purchase cost)...

I was 70kg for years and it started creeping up a while ago but because I cycled quite a lot over the last year I put it down to muscle building.
I don't eat much crap or sweets/chocolate ( I don't eat much full stop) and I rarely drink alcohol. So I struggle finding things to cut out to help.

Self control is absolutely the hardest part to master, I've had many arguments with myself stood at the pantry/fridge!

I share your pain YJ! It has taken me the best part of two years to bring myself to throw away uneaten food! I've found the trick is to dish up less in the first place! (The hardest person to convince has been my wife who regularly protests that I'm 'starving them' but more often than not neither our daughter or my wife actually clear their plate when I cook dinner!...

I'm also 5'6" and down to 74.4kgs from 77.8 at the start of the year (down from c.94kgs 2.5yrs ago). I know my power has suffered because I've reduced my carb intake and gone virtually sugar free (processed sugars, I still have plenty of fruit etc.) but I also know that my power output recovers quickly when I fuel properly prior to riding.

I'm losing about 500grams to a kilo a week depending on how good I am with a 70kg target. The key has definitely been in the preparation! (We've all heard about the 5, 6, 7'P's...)

I keep my desk well stocked with healthy snacks like nuts, raisins, raw/paleo bars etc., I also make sure I make healthy lunches and I drink a good two litres of water a day. This saves me from grabbing naughty treats when I get peckish or start to flag during the day...

Having read, listened to and seen LOTS of advice on weight loss and diet etc. the biggest points for me have been:

1. 1 You can't exercise yourself thin! Exercise helps and is critical for living healthily but fat/weight is primarily governed by food intake.

1. 2 If you don't fuel properly your body will hold on to your fats to protect you from starvation should your already insufficient food supply run out! Your body will however happily feed on your lean muscle mass... *This is my struggle at the moment - not eating enough! Which feels and sounds crazy to me but I know that I've gone from one extreme to the other!*

1. 3 We're all different! What works for me and my circumstances may or may not work for anybody else!