BNA Losers Club 2016

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Baalzamon
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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby Baalzamon » Mon Nov 14, 2016 9:27 am

Nobody what your posting is daily water fluctuation weight.
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tcdev
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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby tcdev » Mon Nov 14, 2016 10:23 am

Nobody wrote:Almost all my rides are a standard course with distributed standing hill intervals.
(snip)
I'm often mentally handicapped about doing rides for fun between training rides, because I think it will take the intensity from my next training ride. I obviously need to lighten up. :)
Rarely I take the MTB out and do some trail clearing. I used to do a few more recreational rides, but the guy I used to do them with quit over winter and hasn't restarting cycling since. He keeps saying he's going to restart. We'll see...

How's the weight loss going for you now?
Of course there's a balance between being disciplined enough to maintain your riding for a desired fitness/health level, and simply throwing your leg over (the bike ;)) when you get the occasional urge. Perhaps for me it's still enough of a novelty (only 2-1/2 years for me thus far) that I find every ride enjoyable, and there's also the fact that I can't ride (nearly) as often - or for as long - as I'd like because of family and work commitments.

I have a couple of 'standard' courses that I take depending on my available time, how hard I want to work, and of course what I 'feel' like doing that day. If I have only an hour, I'll invariably ride one specific course, with some hills, in order to maximise the workout. I've done it so many times now it's hardly exiting, or interesting, but I can honestly say I still enjoy it, likely for the reasons outlined above.

Every few months I'll just blow off work for half a day and do a ride with a mate somewhere I haven't been before, or even off-road. It doesn't matter how hard or easy the course is, how hard - or not - we push it, it's getting out and enjoying the outdoors, the physical activity, and seeing new sights that matters on these rides.

My weight loss continues; hit a new (weight) low just yesterday (edging closer and closer to breaking under that magic 100kg mark) but I'm more interested in the trend rather than individual days. I've been even more time-poor in the last few weeks than ever, so I'm pleased - if a little surprised - with how it's going.
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Nobody
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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby Nobody » Mon Nov 14, 2016 10:45 am

Baalzamon wrote:Nobody what your posting is daily water fluctuation weight.
True. Most of it is hydration changes, which also affects waist size. Although many times my waist goes up when my weight drops and vise versa. Waist size is more important to me.
Since there's no restriction on posting frequency, I'll keeping posting frequently so I can have a reference for the future. By posting often, the relationship between diet and body shape is kept at front of mind.
Although the measurements are generally noisy, I can pick a trend over a week and adjust diet. But I don't list those dietary changes since some people take offence at such postings in this thread. So to others it just looks like vague vacillating of waist and weight numbers. But they are being noticed and adjusted for. That's why they don't move too much.

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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby Nobody » Mon Nov 14, 2016 1:21 pm

tcdev wrote:...as I'd like because of family and work commitments.
Family commitments can vary as the kids get older. I gave up cycling for work/business/family commitments in about 1997 and restarted in about 2008 once things had settled down and the kids were older. Now my oldest just turned 18 yo, no business and my work is different. So things often change in time.
tcdev wrote:It doesn't matter how hard or easy the course is, how hard - or not - we push it, it's getting out and enjoying the outdoors, the physical activity, and seeing new sights that matters on these rides.
I think this is the most important thing about rides, just geting out the door. Doesn't matter if it's hard or easy in the end, if it's a good or bad day for it, or whatever. I found my own competitiveness with myself was hindering me getting out the door. So I took the computer off my bike and just ride. It worked.
tcdev wrote:My weight loss continues; hit a new (weight) low just yesterday (edging closer and closer to breaking under that magic 100kg mark) but I'm more interested in the trend rather than individual days. I've been even more time-poor in the last few weeks than ever, so I'm pleased - if a little surprised - with how it's going.
Good news that something is working then. Which is better than relying on exercise alone for weight loss.

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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby tcdev » Mon Nov 14, 2016 4:03 pm

Nobody wrote:I gave up cycling for work/business/family commitments in about 1997 and restarted in about 2008 once things had settled down and the kids were older. Now my oldest just turned 18 yo, no business and my work is different.
I can totally understand, but since I'm on the wrong side of 50 now, even with a young family I don't want to give it up entirely and wait until they're a bit less work, or I'll be on my deathbed... :wink:
Nobody wrote:Good news that something is working then. Which is better than relying on exercise alone for weight loss.
Yes, the dietary changes, however minor, seem to be working for me at the moment. I also tend to prioritise my weight sessions over riding, because IMHO it's more important for progression (with respect to weight training) to be consistent with them, and they're easier to fit into the day than riding, which also tends to make more hours. I do also believe they significantly contribute to my weight loss.

Since you talked about waist measurements the other day; as I mentioned I haven't been tracking mine at all in the past. Coincidentally though, I went to put on my jeans just a few days ago, and couldn't wear them - because I don't have a belt for them! I don't think I've worn them for several months now. Keeping in mind that at one stage I couldn't even fit into them, there was a good inch or two to spare - so that was a pleasant surprise! And purely for interest's sake, I measured my waist just now and it's a snug 40". I'd like to see something closer to 34" in the medium-to-long term...
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Nobody
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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby Nobody » Mon Nov 14, 2016 11:11 pm

tcdev wrote:I can totally understand, but since I'm on the wrong side of 50 now, even with a young family I don't want to give it up entirely and wait until they're a bit less work, or I'll be on my deathbed... :wink:
Fair enough. I probably should never have given up. But a lot of people do when the big time sucking responsibilities come along.
tcdev wrote:I also tend to prioritise my weight sessions over riding...I do also believe they significantly contribute to my weight loss.
Probably does. No shortage of super lean single digit % fat bodybuilders out there. But they are also dedicated enough to use every dietary trick they know of, plus PEDs in many cases. And yes, bike riding is majorly time consuming. My rides used to be 2 hours each, but I cut them down to less than 1.5 hours with the addition of more intervals.
tcdev wrote:Since you talked about waist measurements...And purely for interest's sake, I measured my waist just now and it's a snug 40". I'd like to see something closer to 34" in the medium-to-long term...
It does vary during the day, so best to do it straight out of bed in the morning and remember to measure about 1" above your belly button. Mine is 28.4", but I'm only 173cm tall with about 9% body fat. Most bodybuilders have pretty thick waists according the Wiki site on WHtR. I wonder if that's the extra muscle there, or a side effect of the PEDs?

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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby Nobody » Tue Nov 15, 2016 8:08 am

Waist 72 cm, WHtR 0.416
Same

Weight 59.9 kg, BMI 20.0
Up 0.2 kg

Nobody
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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby Nobody » Wed Nov 16, 2016 7:49 am

Waist 72 cm, WHtR 0.416
Same

Weight 60.0 kg, BMI 20.0
Up 0.1 kg

RobertL
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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby RobertL » Thu Nov 17, 2016 4:24 pm

OK - this is my first post in this thread. I was a typical middle-aged guy, who used to exercise a lot and be pretty fit, but gradually let it slide and got badly out of shape.

I started commuting by bike in mid-2015. My commute is just over 9km each way. I live in Brisbane, so of course there are hills. When I started, I avoided the worst of them.

Now I seek out the hardest, steepest ones on my usual route. I call this my "training program" - I ride my bike to work every day, and flog myself up every hill. Technical, hey :)

In March this year, I started riding with a group. I go (almost) every Saturday morning, and occasionally during the week. I am a much stronger cyclist now.

When I started, I weighed about 120kg. It's a bit hard to tell because I never weighed myself properly while I was at my heaviest. I did get weighed every time I gave blood, but that was fully clothed, so this is my best estimate.

I am now down to 108kg, so that's a 12kg loss.

I am not entirely convinced about BMI as a measure, but I will note that 108kg is the cutoff for someone my height (190cm) to go from "overweight" to "obese" - or vice versa.

I did have a look at my Brisbane to Gold Coast photos and my first thought was that I still look like a fat expletive on a bike, so there is still some way to go. I don't have a target weight, but I have a cycling goal of getting fast enough to ride with the fast group on Saturdays and not the slow group.

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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby Nobody » Thu Nov 17, 2016 6:29 pm

RobertL wrote:I am not entirely convinced about BMI as a measure, but I will note that 108kg is the cutoff for someone my height (190cm) to go from "overweight" to "obese" - or vice versa.
You don't have to be convinced about BMI. It's not an accurate measurement for particularly tall or short people. Earlier in this thread I posted about waist to height ratio (WHtR) which is more accurate in a number of ways including for tall and short people, male and female and different ethnic groups. Everyone gravitates to weight and BMI because GPs still do, but WHtR has been shown in studies to be a better health indicator. It's the fat around your organs that is most dangerous.

In general tall people will have a higher indicated BMI and short people like myself will have a lower one. That is why I post both, so those who know about WHtR can get a real reference of where I'm at.

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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby Nobody » Fri Nov 18, 2016 8:49 am

Waist 71.75 cm, WHtR 0.415
Down 0.25

Weight 59.5 kg, BMI 19.9
Down 0.5

I'll mention here that waist measurement really comes down to how much tension you pull on the tape. I try to do this with a light tension on the tape and take the measurement without looking at it, so as to not influence the measurement. I also err on the higher side, so the if the measurement is between 71.75 and 72, I'll post 72. So that takes into account some of my measurement bias.

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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby tcdev » Fri Nov 18, 2016 2:39 pm

RobertL wrote:I was a typical middle-aged guy, who used to exercise a lot and be pretty fit, but gradually let it slide and got badly out of shape.
Welcome! Your story is a common theme around these parts, that's how my story begins too! :wink:
RobertL wrote:I started commuting by bike in mid-2015. My commute is just over 9km each way. I live in Brisbane, so of course there are hills. When I started, I avoided the worst of them.
I didn't start riding to work until about a year after I bought my bike. My commute was only around 7.5km each way; little more than a warm-up really and not quite sufficient for the week (for my liking) but certainly better than nothing. Unfortunately (from a commuting aspect) my work circumstances changed shortly after starting to commute, and now I work from home. Of course that has its perks but regular riding time isn't one of them. :mrgreen:
RobertL wrote:I am now down to 108kg, so that's a 12kg loss.
Congratulations - nice work! I plateaued for about a year with overseas trips for work (junk food and little exercise) and the birth of my son, and in the process gained half back of what I'd lost. But I'm seeing good results now after a renewed effort that began in April this year and should crack 100kg in the next few days (I hit 100.0 a few days ago!)
RobertL wrote:I did have a look at my Brisbane to Gold Coast photos and my first thought was that I still look like a fat expletive on a bike, so there is still some way to go. I don't have a target weight, but I have a cycling goal of getting fast enough to ride with the fast group on Saturdays and not the slow group.
I gave myself a short-term target (back in 2014, yet to achieve it) and then revised it (downwards) in April this year. Now that I'm edging closer, I realise that I could probably knock another 10kg off that and still be realistic about it. But I'll reevaluate both my methods and my target when I reach the first, hopefully around Mar-Apr next year.

Aside from the obvious health benefits I've found another activity that I enjoy - sounds like you have too! As a youngster, and a for brief stint in my 20's, I enjoyed riding purely for recreation but had no idea I'd take to it like I have (I'm currently about 150km short of 5,000km!) I've little interest in group rides (at this point at least) but I've also hooked a mate, recently bought my wife a bike, and currently teaching my 4yo daughter to ride! Hope you continue to enjoy it! 8)
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RobertL
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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby RobertL » Fri Nov 18, 2016 3:41 pm

Thanks for that tcdev. A bit of encouragement goes a long way!

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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby Nobody » Sun Nov 20, 2016 5:53 am

Waist 71.75 cm, WHtR 0.415
Same

Weight 60.3 kg, BMI 20.1
Up 0.8

Nobody
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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby Nobody » Mon Nov 21, 2016 9:19 am

Waist 72.0 cm, WHtR 0.416
Up 0.25

Weight 59.9 kg, BMI 20.0
Down 0.4

I think my previous weight entry was from eating late, near 9 pm. 59.9 kg is more typical lately when hydrated.

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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby Nobody » Mon Nov 28, 2016 5:49 am

Waist 72.0 cm, WHtR 0.416
Same

Weight 59.5 kg, BMI 19.9
Down 0.4

Maintained this waist size for a month now. So it's realistic to maintain.
Goal is to keep WHtR below 0.42 for summer.

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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby tcdev » Mon Nov 28, 2016 9:01 pm

Nobody wrote:Maintained this waist size for a month now. So it's realistic to maintain.
Goal is to keep WHtR below 0.42 for summer.
How difficult are you finding it to maintain? Does it require sacrifice and discipline, or is your regime easily accommodated into your lifestyle?

Even now I tend to "let loose" a little on the weekends and end up going backwards for a few days. Thankfully the overall trend has continued downward...
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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby Nobody » Mon Nov 28, 2016 10:45 pm

tcdev wrote:How difficult are you finding it to maintain?
Not difficult because I'm used to my lifestyle. It becomes habitual. If you change your lifestyle, you'll also get used to it to in time.
What I was doing over winter was easy, but I also put on a bit of weight and my waist increased.
tcdev wrote:Does it require sacrifice and discipline, or is your regime easily accommodated into your lifestyle?
It does require discipline. I wouldn't call avoiding unhealthy food a sacrifice if it improves my health. I find the extra changes easy to accommodate because I've already come a reasonable way with my lifestyle over the years. Also I think I'm well suited mentally to what I'm doing.
tcdev wrote:Even now I tend to "let loose" a little on the weekends and end up going backwards for a few days. Thankfully the overall trend has continued downward...
I know a guy at work who does the same thing. Because he was close to morbidly obese (which is BMI 40), he lost plenty of weight initially. He's been at it for months (which one needs to be), but the weight loss has tapered off strongly as he looks to be in the high overweight to just obese range still. He may not get to the "normal" BMI range (< 25) at his current trajectory. But since the average BMI in AU is 27, he'll fit right in.


The link below is about the health problems associated with increased waist size. It might inspire some to action.

http://www.cutthewaist.com/importance.html
Last edited by Nobody on Tue Nov 29, 2016 8:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby Nobody » Tue Nov 29, 2016 8:27 am

Waist 72.0 cm, WHtR 0.416
Same

Weight 59.3 kg, BMI 19.8
Down 0.2

tcdev
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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby tcdev » Tue Nov 29, 2016 11:46 am

Nobody wrote:
tcdev wrote:Even now I tend to "let loose" a little on the weekends and end up going backwards for a few days. Thankfully the overall trend has continued downward...
I know a guy at work who does the same thing. Because he was close to morbidly obese (which is BMI 40), he lost plenty of weight initially. He's been at it for months (which one needs to be), but the weight loss has tapered off strongly as he looks to be in the high overweight to just obese range still. He may not get to the "normal" BMI range (< 25) at his current trajectory. But since the average BMI in AU is 27, he'll fit right in.
I know it's a habit I'll have to curb soon, and I'm making small inroads. It's not that I go completely crazy, just a couple of nights of a few drinks and dessert after dinner. I've been having 1 beer every night with dinner, but this week I'm trying to forego that as well.
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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby Nobody » Tue Nov 29, 2016 12:35 pm

I usually leave diet talk for the Diet Thread. But to give you an idea of what it takes, I generally only drink water. I have one about 1 beer a year as a social courtesy for obligatory social events. For example, I had half a beer with my son who turned 18 this month.
Liquid calories aren't monitored well by the body for calculated intake, so they are the first to avoid.

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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby Nobody » Wed Nov 30, 2016 8:05 am

Waist 72.25 cm, WHtR 0.418
Up 0.25

Weight 59.5 kg, BMI 19.9
Up 0.2

A binge day for food amount yesterday. Even though I rode yesterday, both weight and waist are up. Today's a good day to delay breakfast.

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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby tcdev » Wed Nov 30, 2016 2:22 pm

End of month report - November 2016.

To recap briefly:
Jul'14 started riding at 114.5kg.
Jan'16: 106kg, heaviest this year 108.5kg when I returned from 2 weeks in the US.

End of September: 103.7kg.
End of October: 101.1kg.
End of November: 99.7kg (lightest 98.2).

Less than stellar results this month but at least I've finally cracked 100kg! Also seemed to have hit a brick wall in my weights training (not progressing on some exercises) but I suspect it has something to do with my lack of sleep and general fatigue the last few weeks - I always seem to be tired. Too many late nights trying to get some "me" time after looking after young kids and working.

Would've been nice to start the new year at 95kg - almost 20kg under my starting weight - but given we're coming into the silly season proper and the food & drink that go with it, I'll settle for anything under 100kg at this point. Had my BP taken this morning and it was lower than any reading in recent history, which is good!
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Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby Nobody » Thu Dec 01, 2016 9:19 am

tcdev wrote:End of November: 99.7kg...

Would've been nice to start the new year at 95kg
Yes, unrealistic to lose that much in a month. It can be done, but you'd need to track your intake with a food diary like Cronometer and pull over 1200 Cal/day out. Taking about 500 Cal/d is less noticeable. Some foods are better than others to reduce/eliminate to lose weight. If you want the specifics, go to the Diet Thread or Plant Based Diet Thread.

Having said that, this is the best month of the year to do it since otherwise your weight is more likely to climb than any other month. It just comes down to if you want it enough. Mine shouldn't climb since I won't be eating differently.

I've lost 5.4 kg since August. More importantly my WHtR is close to the nominal minimum of 0.4. So I'm close to the ideal size for long term health, according to the science. Next year is maintenance.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Waist 72.0 cm, WHtR 0.416
Down 0.25

Weight 59.4 kg, BMI 19.8
Down 0.1

Nobody
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Location: Sydney

Re: BNA Losers Club 2016

Postby Nobody » Fri Dec 02, 2016 7:11 am

Waist 72.0 cm, WHtR 0.416
Same

Weight 59.9 kg, BMI 20.0
Up 0.5

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