I have two goals for the Bicycle Diet this month:
1. For a target weight, I would like to get under 230 pounds by October 1. I weighed in today at 239 pounds. I still cannot fit into my nice corduroys. I think at 229 pounds I will be able to wear them. Even though my monthly weight loss up to now has been over 20 pounds*, I think 10 pounds is a reasonable and an achievable goal for September. It gets harder to lose more absolute pounds as my relative condition of being overweight decreases. But by sticking with the parameters of the diet, foods and time of day, I think I can take off 10 pounds in the next 30 days.
2. For my rides, I would like to complete 3 long rides this month. (Note that one weekend, the 18th to the 20th, we will be up at Lake Almanor, and I won't ride there.) The three long rides should include: a) another summit of Cardiac Hill; b) a 65-mile ride on a flat loop; and c) a 75-mile ride on a different flat loop.
* From July 3 (282) to August 3 (258), I lost 24 pounds. From August 1 (260) to September 1 (239), I lost 21 pounds. My total weight loss to-date is 43 pounds.
Showing posts with label Goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goals. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Hitting a plateau
I'm not exactly sure why this happens while dieting, but it seems rather normal to hit a weight plateau, where, while generally declining, you can't get under a certain weight for quite a while. For me, this has been 252 pounds.
On August 4, exactly a week ago, I weighed in at 253 pounds. Today, after 126.0 miles on the bike -- burning off 10,551 calories, which equal 2.9 pounds of fat -- plus some long walks with Truman and sticking to my dietary rules, I'm essentially the same weight.
It's a bit of a mystery to me why I haven't lost weight for a week. I have four theories:
1) Water weight. I don't think it unlikely that how much water is in a person's system varies a few percent either way. When trying to lose weight and replacing food calories with more liquids, especially water, it's probably the case that I am retaining more water. Hence, I may have lost 3-5 pounds of fat over the previous 7 days, but I replaced that with added water weight and thus the scale remains the same;
2) Greater muscle. It also seems reasonable to me to think that while working hard on the bike, putting in more than 140 miles each week, my muscles are getting bigger and stronger. So one explanation for not losing weight for a while is that fat is being replaced by dense muscle, which weighs as much as the fat lost;
3) Overeating. While it is true that I am no longer eating late at night or even early in the morning -- per the time restrictions of my diet -- it's possible I have hit this plateau because I have simply been increasing the number of calories at each meal and in between meals. In order to stay true to the strictures of the diet, I need to watch this; and
4) Reduced metabolic rate. A final possibility is that, in response to taking in fewer calories, my body is burning calories at a much lower rate. Thus, at least for now, even while exercising seriously every day, my body is consuming no more calories than I am taking in, and therefore my total body weight has stabilized.
In response to the 252 pound plateau, I am going to try harder to limit my caloric intake until I can reach 249 pounds. If the true answer to the plateau is #1 or #2, there is nothing I can do which will help. But if it is #3, eating less should work. Even if it's not #3, eating less cannot hurt.
On August 4, exactly a week ago, I weighed in at 253 pounds. Today, after 126.0 miles on the bike -- burning off 10,551 calories, which equal 2.9 pounds of fat -- plus some long walks with Truman and sticking to my dietary rules, I'm essentially the same weight.
It's a bit of a mystery to me why I haven't lost weight for a week. I have four theories:
1) Water weight. I don't think it unlikely that how much water is in a person's system varies a few percent either way. When trying to lose weight and replacing food calories with more liquids, especially water, it's probably the case that I am retaining more water. Hence, I may have lost 3-5 pounds of fat over the previous 7 days, but I replaced that with added water weight and thus the scale remains the same;
2) Greater muscle. It also seems reasonable to me to think that while working hard on the bike, putting in more than 140 miles each week, my muscles are getting bigger and stronger. So one explanation for not losing weight for a while is that fat is being replaced by dense muscle, which weighs as much as the fat lost;
3) Overeating. While it is true that I am no longer eating late at night or even early in the morning -- per the time restrictions of my diet -- it's possible I have hit this plateau because I have simply been increasing the number of calories at each meal and in between meals. In order to stay true to the strictures of the diet, I need to watch this; and
4) Reduced metabolic rate. A final possibility is that, in response to taking in fewer calories, my body is burning calories at a much lower rate. Thus, at least for now, even while exercising seriously every day, my body is consuming no more calories than I am taking in, and therefore my total body weight has stabilized.
In response to the 252 pound plateau, I am going to try harder to limit my caloric intake until I can reach 249 pounds. If the true answer to the plateau is #1 or #2, there is nothing I can do which will help. But if it is #3, eating less should work. Even if it's not #3, eating less cannot hurt.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Setting goals
When I started this effort, my primary goal was to get my weight down to 180 pounds and sustain that weight (hopefully for the rest of my life). That remains my objective.
In about 1 month and 1 week, I have already lost 30 pounds. I'm very happy with that. I can definitely feel it in looser pants and shirts.
Today, I will add two interim goals:
1) By the end of August -- which is 23 days away -- I want to weigh under 240 pounds. That means another 13-14 pounds of weight loss in the next 3 weeks and 2 days. If I stick the the diet and exercise regimen, I believe I can make that goal;
2) Once I sustain my weight for 4 consecutive weigh-ins under 240 pounds, I want to ride to the top of Cardiac Hill*. Once I have accomplished that, I will join the Davis Bike Club, and start riding with them on the Thursday Mocha Joe's ride.
*Before I attempt Cardiac Hill, my plan is to ride once more around Lake Solano; once to the top of Monticello Dam; and once to the base of Cardiac Hill (where Markley Cove store is).
In about 1 month and 1 week, I have already lost 30 pounds. I'm very happy with that. I can definitely feel it in looser pants and shirts.
Today, I will add two interim goals:
1) By the end of August -- which is 23 days away -- I want to weigh under 240 pounds. That means another 13-14 pounds of weight loss in the next 3 weeks and 2 days. If I stick the the diet and exercise regimen, I believe I can make that goal;
2) Once I sustain my weight for 4 consecutive weigh-ins under 240 pounds, I want to ride to the top of Cardiac Hill*. Once I have accomplished that, I will join the Davis Bike Club, and start riding with them on the Thursday Mocha Joe's ride.
*Before I attempt Cardiac Hill, my plan is to ride once more around Lake Solano; once to the top of Monticello Dam; and once to the base of Cardiac Hill (where Markley Cove store is).
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