BNA Losers Club 2018

[Nobody]

...75 an ideal that may prove impossible. (...before that was when I finished high school.)

Ideal weight is hard to pin down. But we can be fairly sure in this country that almost every adult above 25 yo is going to be on the high side of their ideal. Your finishing high school weight is probably a reasonable benchmark.

From this study, the graph below shows that the ideal BMI for (white) men and longevity is about 19 to 23.5. With the average of that being 21.1. So using those figures, my ideal weight (using my original un-shrunken height for BMI) would be 63.2 kg. So that makes me about 1 kg overweight as of last check.


Ideal WHtR is even harder to define since most studies are done using BMI. However this Wikipedia article appears to point at a healthy average of 0.475. While Ashwell - the inventor of WHtR - shows the middle of the green zone as 0.450 (below). Last check I was 0.442 and as above, ideally I could be leaner. So it looks like ideal BMI and ideal WHtR don't correlate in my case. I'd therefore guess than my ideal WHtR is most likely < 0.44. The mirror says that the weight should be a bit lower, so I won't entertain the thought of my ideal BMI being higher to correlate with average WHtR.

[TheWall]

Surprising year so far for me on the back of a to a topsy turvy 2017 where I went up and down like a yo-yo but ended up where I started...95-96kg (6"3 and 43yo for context).

I have modded my riding with less rides but more intensity and altered the diet to reduce bread/general carb intake. Overall consumption is down as well.

Weight has steadily dropped off and now I have managed to get under 90 for the 1st time since I visited Morocco in 2002.

So that makes a total of exactly 30kg lost since resuming cycling back in mid 2014 .

[Nobody]

So that makes a total of exactly 30kg lost since resuming cycling back in mid 2014 .

Congratulations. Since you've lost 25% of your previous body weight, I doubt you'd have much left to lose. What's the goal now?

[TheWall]

So that makes a total of exactly 30kg lost since resuming cycling back in mid 2014 .

Congratulations. Since you've lost 25% of your previous body weight, I doubt you'd have much left to lose. What's the goal now?

Cheers...scary when you look at it like that. I didn't realise I was that out of shape!!!!

Good question...strength is the next goal but staying at about the same weight. I am ok if I sneak back up to 91-92 as long as it is muscle increase.

[nemo57]

Eh, thanks, nobody. I'm not in the green part of the graph, but at least I'm not in the red!

[RobertL]

On the weekend, I got back from two weeks on holiday in WA. Drinking wine, eating cheese and not riding a bike. (Well, a 15km pootle on a hire bike on Rottnest hardly counts.)

I jumped on the scales on Saturday morning after a tough group ride, and clocked in at 98.4kg - so almost exactly what I was before I went on holiday. No damage done!!

I will do a proper weigh-in and waist measurement soon.

[Nobody]

I'm not in the green part of the graph, but at least I'm not in the red!

Any progress is still progress.
Changing usual patterns or habits and establishing new ones are difficult in the short term, but usually extremely beneficial in the long term. Give it time...And don't let people short circuit your efforts. It's your life, not theirs.

[Brendo09]

I'm going to jump in on this and use it to help me get back on track.

As some background, I'm 39 (40 in June... part of the reason to have a good look at myself) and weigh in at 119kg at the moment.

I've been down to 89kg previously (back in 2006) but I like eating things. Last year I got back to 104kg by really limiting my intake but everything fell in a heap in a day and I gained it all back pretty quickly.

I'm an accountant, so I'm prone to spending most of the day on my backside. To this end, I'm currently an at home dad, so the opportunities to be more active are there, and I'm starting to take them.

I walk where I can, ride my MTB where I can, and I have a roadie on a turbo trainer that I'm getting up to 20 minutes of warm up, intervals, and cool down on. I don't have the time to get out on to the road for an hour or two regularly, though as my daughter (5th of 5) gets older and hits school, that should be an option.

So, my details today (16 April)
Age 39
Height 195cm
Weight 119.5kg
Waist 102cm (40 inch jeans)

My goals (by year end)
105kg
90cm waist

I intend to get there by eating less cruddy food, body weight excercise (pushups, burpees etc), and bike riding.

And if I get to being <100kg for more than a month I get a new bike

[TheWall]

I'm going to jump in on this and use it to help me get back on track.

As some background, I'm 39 (40 in June... part of the reason to have a good look at myself) and weigh in at 119kg at the moment.

I'm an accountant, so I'm prone to spending most of the day on my backside. To this end, I'm currently an at home dad, so the opportunities to be more active are there, and I'm starting to take them.

So, my details today (16 April)
Age 39
Height 195cm
Weight 119.5kg
Waist 102cm (40 inch jeans)

My goals (by year end)
105kg
90cm waist

I intend to get there by eating less cruddy food, body weight excercise (pushups, burpees etc), and bike riding.

And if I get to being <100kg for more than a month I get a new bike

Holy sheet! I had to check the date as I thought I wrote that back in 2014!

Was 39. Am 193cm. Had a 5yo (and a 2yo) Was 118kg. Banking not accounting though ha ha.

Now 43. Now 192 (Say What!?! ).Have Now 88kg. Still in banking (unfortunately )

The very stubborn weight plateau's were frustrating. But you've got this Brendo09...steady as. Just keep turning the pedals...

[RobertL]

My latest:

Date Height Weight Waist BMI WtHR
06/01/2017 189.5 108.2 112 30.13 0.59
25/01/2017 189.5 107.8 111 30.02 0.59
16/02/2017 189.5 106.8 110 29.74 0.58
03/04/2017 189.5 105.9 107 29.49 0.56
01/06/2017 189.5 105.3 106 29.32 0.56
13/07/2017 189.5 104.6 105 29.13 0.55
07/08/2017 189.5 103.7 105 28.88 0.55
04/09/2017 189.5 102.1 104 28.43 0.55
22/11/2017 189.5 101.6 103 28.29 0.54
04/01/2018 189.5 100.7 102 28.04 0.54
14/02/2018 189.5 99.1 101 27.60 0.53
30/04/2018 189.5 98.5 100 27.43 0.53

So, continuing slow progress. I'm pretty happy with this because I had a two-week lazy holiday at the start of April where I did a lot of eating and drinking. It appears to have done no real damage to my progress.

Given that I was ~120kg when I started in mid-2015, I can now say categorically that I have lost 20kgs and I am only 5/6 of the man I was

[tcdev]

April check-in!

Started this journey mid-2014 at 114.5kg.

As of 2018:
12/2017: Weight=95kg
01/2017: Weight=94.1kg, WtHR=0.55, BMI=29.7
02/2017: Weight=93.2kg, WtHR=0.55, BMI=29.41
03/2017: Weight=91.0kg, WtHR=0.54, BMI=28.72

Apr 1st:
Weight = 90.5kg (-0.5kg)
WtHR = 94.5/178 = 0.53 (-1.0cm) (consider action)
BMI = 90.5/(1.78^2) = 28.56 (overweight)

Nothing stellar but continuing in the right direction. Another cm off my waist is perhaps the month's most significant achievement. I've been continuing with the weight training so maybe I am adding some muscle at the expense of numbers on the scales.

Cycling goals are still on track for the year. Not so much HIIT training lately, mainly 60-90 min sessions at a steady pace. Soccer season is under way and WOW! - what a difference the weight loss and fitness work has made! I'm faster than I've been in years and can get through a full game without having to slow down at all.

This month's goal is to hit that magic 89.5kg, meaning a total loss of 25kg!

[tcdev]

I'm an accountant, so I'm prone to spending most of the day on my backside. To this end, I'm currently an at home dad, so the opportunities to be more active are there, and I'm starting to take them.

I don't think you can understate the influence this has on your weight! I too sit at a computer for work. I also like eating things, and in my late 40's with a young family ballooned to 114.5kg about 4 years ago. I've been losing gradually since then, but only with hard work and discipline with my diet.

But on the subject of sitting at a desk; a few years back we went to Fiji for a week, where we ate burgers, chips and pizzas every day. When we got home I was shocked to see that not only had I not gained weight, I'd lost a kilo!!! The difference; we walked everywhere, swam every day, and even went bike riding, rather than sitting behind a desk all day!

I walk where I can, ride my MTB where I can, and I have a roadie on a turbo trainer that I'm getting up to 20 minutes of warm up, intervals, and cool down on. I don't have the time to get out on to the road for an hour or two regularly, though as my daughter (5th of 5) gets older and hits school, that should be an option.

Whilst not strictly a stay-at-home dad, I work from home and with my wife working 3 days/week I do drop-off and pick-up 3 days. So whilst I have the benefits of working from home, I also have the added time pressures of other family responsibilities. The simple reality is, I'd ride more if I had the time. Since I got my trainer early 2017 though, I've been able to double my time spent riding. In fact, this calendar year I've spent more time on it than riding IRL. Oh and I'd recommend Zwift if you find it hard to motivate or push yourself on the trainer.

I intend to get there by eating less cruddy food, body weight excercise (pushups, burpees etc), and bike riding.

I bought a power rack about 10 years ago and thoroughly enjoy weight training, though over the years I've gone through periods of time pressures, travel, injuries and laziness which has resulted in time off, but back on them this year.

Of course as others have said time and time again, it's more about the diet than the exercise when it comes to losing weight. And I've found it to be true myself - at least after that initial purge of the really "obese" fat. In the latter half of last year I was pushing myself on the bike harder and farther than ever before but ignoring my diet and went absolutely nowhere (weight-wise) for 6 months.

It also gets harder as you lose weight, and as you age. And as your body adjusts itself to your new exercise regime. The odds are stacked against us. But the benefits are undeniable, and well worth the effort.

[tcdev]

Surprising year so far for me on the back of a to a topsy turvy 2017 where I went up and down like a yo-yo but ended up where I started...95-96kg (6"3 and 43yo for context).

I have modded my riding with less rides but more intensity and altered the diet to reduce bread/general carb intake. Overall consumption is down as well.

Weight has steadily dropped off and now I have managed to get under 90 for the 1st time since I visited Morocco in 2002.

So that makes a total of exactly 30kg lost since resuming cycling back in mid 2014 .

Awesome result!

We started riding at the same time, we both started 2018 around 95kg, both now around 90kg, but you've lost 5kg more than me since the beginning! I also recently reduced bread intake (specifically) and "overall consumption" which I assume means portion sizes and snacking.

The main difference would be that I've actually reduced intensity this year whilst increasing riding hours. Not really consciously, it's just turned out that way. I do need to start ensuring that I do at least one HIIT session per week as I have noticed a drop in my peak power lately.

[Brendo09]

16th April 2018 - 119.5kg - tight 40 inch waist
1st May 2018 - 118.0kg - looser 40 inch waist

I've not been the most dedicated person on this. I did a week solid, then had about 5 days off the exercise after Anzac day, but I'm tracking through the body weights exercises now and got up to 12 minutes on the trainer comprised of warm up for 3 min 30 sec, , 5 x 30 sec intervals at 160+bpm and (and 5 x 30 sec relaxed spins) then the rest at 140bpm.

I've also started playing basketball once a week. My calves are killing me.

Eating is the killer. So easy to toast a bagel for breakfast and soak it with butter. I'm keen to see what next month brings. I did get down to 117.7kg but I'm thinking it's all the sweat I left dripping out of my basketball clothes.

[tcdev]

I've not been the most dedicated person on this. I did a week solid, then had about 5 days off the exercise after Anzac day, but I'm tracking through the body weights exercises now and got up to 12 minutes on the trainer comprised of warm up for 3 min 30 sec, , 5 x 30 sec intervals at 160+bpm and (and 5 x 30 sec relaxed spins) then the rest at 140bpm.

Have to admit I haven't done much intensity stuff recently myself but recent studies show that HIIT has more benefits than previously thought. I don't yet have a HRM so I've been doing power-based training myself...

I've also started playing basketball once a week. My calves are killing me.

That's only going to help! I play soccer during the winter, plus training for it one night a week. I've also started riding to/from soccer - much to the bemusement of the team - when location allows. Much easier to stay motivated and push yourself playing a team sport.

Eating is the killer. So easy to toast a bagel for breakfast and soak it with butter. I'm keen to see what next month brings. I did get down to 117.7kg but I'm thinking it's all the sweat I left dripping out of my basketball clothes.

My breakfast used to be four slices of thick-slice multigrain bread (about 1/3 loaf), with a slice of cheese on one of them. I switched it to cereal (only) but do occasionally allow myself some toast once a fortnight or so (it's actually more dependant on how much bread we have in the cupboard going stale). I find breakfast to be the easiest to be disciplined with because "I can eat anything, as long as it's cereal". Fortunately my wife likes having a ridiculously large selection of cereals in the cupboard. YMMV.

I'm a big sweater, and I've been known to lose over 2kg in sweat on a long ride, and that's while hydrating during the ride. Most consistent time to weigh yourself is in the morning before breakfast as you can vary by several kg throughout the day.

[TheWall]

Thanks tcdev!

Breakfast is an interesting one...quite frequently now I miss it or at least delay it until after I get to work and start the working day. It is not unusual for me now (non morning ride days) to get to 10-11am before I eat. So breakkie becomes brunch and I just have a arvo snack at 2-3pm (fruit/nuts/tuna type thing) and I am fine until dinner having consumed far less across the day. And I even seem to be less hungry at dinner now.

[tcdev]

Breakfast is an interesting one...quite frequently now I miss it or at least delay it until after I get to work and start the working day. It is not unusual for me now (non morning ride days) to get to 10-11am before I eat. So breakkie becomes brunch and I just have a arvo snack at 2-3pm (fruit/nuts/tuna type thing) and I am fine until dinner having consumed far less across the day. And I even seem to be less hungry at dinner now.

I've read in a few places that riding before breakfast (on a cup or two of coffee) is a good fat burner. I rarely exercise at all before breakfast so I can't comment on that myself. Regardless, I think the idea is to then have a breakfast rather than skipping it.

I've also read that reducing the number of meals can put your body into "starvation mode" whereby it prepares for longer periods of not eating by slowing down metabolism and conserving energy; ie. the exact opposite of what you're trying to achieve by exercising. Some advocate eating more (eg 5) smaller meals per day to avoid this mechanism switching in.

Of course, for every theory/study there's another that claims the opposite is true. Years ago when focusing on weight training I dabbled with eating smaller meals every 3rd waking hour but it's actually harder than you'd think and your traditional main meals tend not to be a lot smaller than normal - especially if someone else prepares them for you or you eat out. My observations from that experiment were inconclusive.

These days I stick with the 3 main meals and one small, healthy-ish snack in between. That's generally a small handful of nuts mid-morning, and a banana smoothie mid afternoon. My mid-ride refuelling tends to coincide with one or the other snack times, so in that case it would replace it rather than supplement it.

[Nobody]

28 days since last weigh-in post. (I need to post more often).

Waist 75 cm - down 1
WHtR 0.436

62.8 kg - Down 1.5
BMI 21.2

Goals:
Waist 76 cm
Weight 64 kg

Um, yeah. Now below my goals. Diet change strikes again. I like the WHtR, but my BMI is probably getting too low for a male who is light/med build, but isn't a competing endurance athlete.

Since I generally eat the same thing every day - yes, I must be crazy, have no sense of taste/variety, no food addictions, or whatever - a change or two is noticeable. The main changes were I swapped from white potatoes to sweet potatoes and lowered the linseed from 12g to 10g, since I'm now getting DHA directly through supplementation. So the overall calorie intake has been fairly static (ad-lib diet), but the type of food makes the difference.

[Patt0]

Height=183cm
WtHtr = 0.44
Weight=80kg
Waist= 78cm

well still the same weight, but have lost a cm off waist. On holidays for a few weeks. Traditionally not a good time for me to diet.

Holidays was good. Appetite dropped right off after a few days of being sedentary. But those coconut ice creams are just too tasty and I never indulged in just one. It was usually enough so the vendor could have the rest of the day off . The last time I tried one I found them bland and not sweet at all. Any way the coconut trees are happy I am 7000km away.

Height=183cm
WtHtr = 0.44
Weight=82kg
Waist= 80cm

[Nobody]

13 days since last measurement.

Waist 74.5 cm - down 0.5
WHtR 0.433

62.1 kg - Down 0.7
BMI 21.0

Goals:
Waist 76 cm
Weight 64 kg

Still dropping. Had the flu for last 10 days so I'll probably increase again soon.

[RobertL]

My latest:

Date Height Weight Waist BMI WtHR
06/01/2017 189.5 108.2 112 30.13 0.59
25/01/2017 189.5 107.8 111 30.02 0.59
16/02/2017 189.5 106.8 110 29.74 0.58
03/04/2017 189.5 105.9 107 29.49 0.56
01/06/2017 189.5 105.3 106 29.32 0.56
13/07/2017 189.5 104.6 105 29.13 0.55
07/08/2017 189.5 103.7 105 28.88 0.55
04/09/2017 189.5 102.1 104 28.43 0.55
22/11/2017 189.5 101.6 103 28.29 0.54
04/01/2018 189.5 100.7 102 28.04 0.54
14/02/2018 189.5 99.1 101 27.60 0.53
30/04/2018 189.5 98.5 100 27.43 0.53

21/05/2018 189.5 97.1 98 27.04 0.52

1.6kg down in 3 weeks - I'll take that!

(As long as it isn't a freak weigh-in.)

[b4igo]

Well I haven’t measured my waist for some time, but do like to check back on this thread from time to time. I am very excited to say though that I’ve now lost 5kg since Christmas, and weighed in under 85kg for the first time. Over the last couple of months:

28/3/2018 - 88.5
16/4/2018 - 87.5
18/5/2018 - 84.7

So slow and steady progress and still a way to get to my initial goal of <80kg. I look noticeably thinner though (everyone is commenting!) and feel a million times better!

[Nobody]

9 days since last measurement.

Waist 75 cm - up 0.5
WHtR 0.436

61.9 kg - Down 0.2
BMI 20.9

Goals:
Waist 76 cm
Weight 64 kg

[Patt0]

Height=183cm
WtHtr = 0.44
Weight=82kg
Waist= 80cm

Same same. Time to try something new.

[tcdev]

So slow and steady progress and still a way to get to my initial goal of <80kg. I look noticeably thinner though (everyone is commenting!) and feel a million times better!

Nice work - congratulations and keep it up!

It's funny, from 2014 'til the start of this year I'd gone from 114.5kg to ~95kg. Sure people commented "you've lost a bit of weight" but since then I've lost (just) another 5kg and those same people are now saying "wow, you look great!" There seems to be some tipping point where you go from being "less fat" to "looking great", regardless of how much weight you've lost along the way!?!