[Closed] Why can I not lose any weight?

What did they test your blood for?

Change your lifestyle, sleep more, eat better, eat less, ride better - get a HRM and train using that.

Dont eat cereal, cut out the carbs, eat more fruit / fish / meat.

Dont cheat.

Go 1x10 on your bike. Ride it for several hours, not short rides. Do 8hr rides on the weekend.

Just to be awkward, try ditching the fruit to avoid blood sugar level fluctuations.

Fat free stuff is usually full of sugar. Avoid it.

Modern 'factory' farmed fruit is selected for sweetness, and so is full of sugar.

'Factory' made bread is full of chemicals to make it keep longer/softer/etc that is not great for you either.

Cornflakes definitely have sugar added to them, I'm not so sure about shredded wheat though.

I guess what I'm trying to say is you'd be amazed how much sugar is in things. Removing sugar from my diet made me feel far better in general.

Also play squash. Badminton is for big frilly nancys 😉

Are you being honest with your intake?
Usually people who don't lose weight on a diet are underestimating their intake and overestimating their output.

Don't cut out carbs as you need those to train.... but certainly look at the carbs you are consuming and substitute them for low GI. Cutting sugar won't hurt.
Try some high intensity training. Half an hour of intervals at an intensity that makes you want to puke. Not exclusively, but mix it up a bit.

Shredded Wheat contains no added sugar or salt BTW

plenty of options for you to persue.

have you got the basics covered? Food Diary, Exercise Diary.

While you do need to eat enough to keep your metabolism going, if you are (dons flame proof suit) eating/drinking more calories than you are burning you will not lose weight

Millions of books on the subject, the more radical the less sustainable. Plenty of people benefit from weight-watchers or slimmers world type group therapy sessions

Sit down and think this through properly, set a target and work out a realistic timeframe to achieve that. IMO you are not going to drop several stone in a few months.

Alternatively, go atkins and drop the lbs in no time at all, just be aware that ninety something percent is water retention....... still i reckon you can squeeze under 19st by this time next week..

Several folks including myself have found the iDave diet (or some variant) pretty helpful for losing significant amounts of weight - I'm sitting at 4st 4lbs lost so far. Threads about iDave tend to generate vigorous discussion which might be a bit offputting, so rather than trigger a big argument, I've sent you an email.

Did you neglect to mention that you are 7 feet tall 😉

I got told it was a surprise I carried the weight I do with all the exercise I do by the nurse who gave me a blood test recently (family history of strokes and diabetes for anyone interested).

I have to admit that I know why I don't lose weight though, it's called cake 🙂

I'll prepare myself for the massacre here 😯

Why don't you and your missus join slimming world, trust me it does work, it's all about what you eat with what, not about cutting out food....

My good lady wife did slimming world last year after a holiday that didn't really impress her (photo wise) anyway 8 months down the line and she'd lost 2 stone, but never went hungry.... April this year she went on to become a Slimming World Consultant, she was that impressed with the diet, how it works & the impact it can have on peoples lives!

Keep a food diary. Be honest.

Ask for a referral to a dietitian.

Shredded Wheat contains no added sugar or salt BTW

If anybodies got any advice it would be most welcome.

Buy a set of electronic scales to measure your food portions.

Join http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ (for free) and use it every day to record what you eat and what exercise you do (the smartphone app is also free).

I've lost 6 kilos in a couple of months doing just that.

(i.e. basically a solution to what others said about a food/exercise diary and underestimating intake and overestimating output)

Any impact on body shape? It does sound odd but its likely you're swapping fat for muscle which weighs more.

^^^ As Cougar said, be aware of your real caloric intake.

[i]Any impact on body shape? It does sound odd but its likely you're swapping fat for muscle which weighs more. [/i]

Body re-composition. Thats what has happened to me. More muscle, less fat, similar weight now to when I started.

[i]Fast forward to now and I'm still knackered[/i]
If the Doc can't find any reason for that, then I'd go with not eating enough.

🙂

tired all the time, not loosing weight, have they checked your thyroxine levels? underactive thyroid will do that to you, plus lots of other stuff. Just an idea as my partner has an underactive thyroid and until they got her meds sorted which took bloomin ages, she was eating very healthily and the weight wasn't shifting. when her thyroid went bang she went up 10 sizes without changing diet before they got her levels controlled.

Just to echo what tazzy says BUT thyroxine doesn't work for everyone and your GP will not tell you that! Have had this darn disorder for 3 years and it's still not under control, being seen privately now. It's seriously crap. 🙁

read "The Health Delusion" - it says some interesting things about diets and why they don't work, what you should be eating to keep healthy and everything working well, and how exercise is crucial to health.

ditch_jockey - just emailed you

there's a fad for fasting at the moment.
one theory being that only eating between 12pm and 8pm everyday for example encourages your body to learn and become more efficient at burning fat.

The first 2 out of your 3 meals are sugar and refined grain based.

Enough said!

Eggs with peppers/broc /shrooms/bacon/whatever for brekky.

Meat/fish and veg lunch.

Same supper.

Done.

+1 for keeping a food/exercise diary. Your diet doesn't sound very exciting and to me (through my non qualified knowledge) looks like you might not be eating properly to be honest. Cornflakes and bread are not healthy as such and its those sorts of traps people fall into when trying to lose weight thinking they are being good when actually they arent and to be honest you probably aren't eating enough to keep you going on all your exercise. We've been sticking to a paleo type diet (yes a bit fad I know) and it is working wonders.

Just a brief outline of what we have/do in a day:

Breakfast: fruit with handful of nuts, fruit tea or something like eggs and asparagus or eggs, mushrooms grilled tomatoes etc
Mid morn: nuts, blueberries
Lunch: massive salad with feta cheese or smoked salmon or chicken with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar
Mid afternoon: cherry tomatoes, fruit, seeds, carrot sticks
Dinner: either salad or veg, loads of protein of some sort. Dark chocolate for pud.

You would have to eat more depending on your size and exercise but we stick (as much as possible) to no dairy, grains etc but most importantly, no processed food (feta an exception in this case but it's good protein I believe). Cornflakes, bread and low fat yoghurt are processed. You get the idea and it sound hideous but actually it's really not that bad. Exercise wise we both do an hr or so 4 times a week, mix of weights, cardio etc and weve both lost weight but most importantly we feel amazing.

Read a couple of paleo books, they are a bit full on but give some good starting points to get you going. Good luck!

If the doctors are sure there is nothing wrong, be it thyroid or similar. Then it's calories in compared with use.

If you have a smartphone my net diary is quite useful. People always underestimate what a portion actually is. So weighing food is quite useful.
A bowl full of corn flakes will most likely be 2 or 3 portions rather than 1.
And as said its quality of what you eat.

I,ve started to get in shape for racing again, and I.ve gone from 83.5kg to 81.5kg In a little over a few weeks.
1lb a week is about average for loss. 2lb for someone carrying lots extra.

Remember if it's bigger than the size of an apple it's too much, lost of smaller portions. Get rid of that bread and diary you will be surprised. Green tea and if you can' stomach it a dash of honey to sweeten or try peppermint tea. i can't give up my diary, i can't eat eggs and asparagus for brekkie but good luck!

Non scientific questions.

Deffo being honest, no 'this won't count' snacks?
Portion size?
Intensity of your 'training'

Your other half lost two stone, and you just a few pounds which isn't much at all for that weight.
You're eating less than most inactive slim people I know.
Somethings not right

Yup, assuming there's no underlying condition, getting some scales and really checking calories in your portion sizes might be any eye opener. For instance my next door neighbour's concept of what a normal portion size is about twice as big as mine. We could both use identical words to describe what we're eating, but his calorie intake would be twice mine.

Are you being honest with yourself over what you're eating? You say a bowl of cereal for breakfast... well, anything more than about a quarter full is likely to be in excess of 500 calories. A ciabatta is about 800. Butter? Biscuits? Energy gels or bars on the bike?

Every time you eat something, take a photo of it. EVERY TIME. Even if it's a grape. Only then will you have a reliable idea of how much you're eating.

Oh, and get a heart rate monitor for the gym. £20 gets you a Polar chest strap which will link to machines.

Circuit training once a week, badminton once a week, always feeling knackered, you`ve got lethargy mate !
Triple your circuits and take the diet advice above, stop feeling sorry for yourself and get stuck in.

Look up insanity workout, buy it, beast yourself and be amazed how fast your fitness improves.

Follow the diet hints above, no processed foods and only low gi carbs.

Simple as peas

If you're exercising a lot I'd make your diet more normal. Cut out that fat free bollocks and just eat normal, fresh food. Get some fat in your diet too. It's needed and you'll stop feeling knackered if you do. You'll end up feeling like you can work harder.

Watch how much sugar you're putting in, there's lots of it in processed foods and it screws your body up, makes it think you need to conserve energy.

Portion sizes and diet diary would be useful too. I'm not saying it's the same as you but there was a program on the other night about fat people who couldn't lose weight. This one chap did eat healthyish food and said he couldn't understand why he wasn't losing weight. Sandwiches on brown bread and that.

The greedy bugger was eating half a loaf each time!

The best advice I can give for dieting and exercise is not to do the two at the same time, especially if you are reletively new to exercise. Vigorous exercise is demanding on the body, with a lack of readily available energy you run the risk of damaging yourself which can take time to recover. When you get more used to exercise and start to feel better in yourself then start to slowly cut out the refined sugars and processed foods. I find it's easier to control the urges for cake and biscuits when I am feeling good about myself. As mentioned on here already eat smaller portions, more often throughout the day. If you have a particular food crutch (mine was choc digestives) find a healthier replacement. I used dried figs first and now grab a handful of salted peanuts. Also bear in mind that it probably took several years to accumulate all that excess weight. To lose it for good will also take several years. Be patient.

I think I would be pretty tired if I had to lug around an extra 9 stone through all the activity you say you're doing.
Sometimes there's a real medical reason for tiredness, sometimes it's just lifestyle/stress...

Good luck though!

DrP

Think we scared him, he's gone awful quiet. That or he's collapsed from lack of food.....

Join something like "training peaks" which amongst other things allows you to keep a daily food diary based on your favourite/commonly eaten foods. It also allows you to input exercise and then based on calorie usage predicts a shortfall or excess of calories each day. You can use this to lose weight gradually over time and is also very useful to keep track of what you've eaten each day.
What you need to find out is how much do you eat per day in calories which will require you to be honest when calculating.
Alternatively loads of people have posted on here about the iDave diet and losing huge amounts of weight, I'm sure someone will post about it soon.

If you're exercising a lot I'd make your diet more normal. Cut out that fat free bollocks and just eat normal, fresh food. Get some fat in your diet too. It's needed and you'll stop feeling knackered if you do. You'll end up feeling like you can work harder.

+1 - increase your cardio fitness first and then your appetite will reduce, making it easier to lose weight.

Diets don't work, your body will go into a starvation mode after a while and then you will stop losing weight - I think that is why the iDave diet wants an off day - to give your metabolism a regular kick.

read that book I recommended - it is evidence based and shows how our normal diet leaves you very deficient in several areas and how this can then affect other functions - like thyroid.

Diets don't work, your body will go into a starvation mode after a while

This is why just monitoring exactly what you eat, plus the exercise you do, with something like http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ is really useful.

It sets your calorie goal to lose 1lb per week - which is a steady sustainable amount and it actually tells you off if you don't eat enough and risk going into starvation mode.

iDiet worked for me and many others on here.

Read up on the effects of insulin.

Sorry not been able to reply, after posting my initial message work went mad, then cycled home and basically fell asleep on the sofa again.

Lots of very useful information been posted, a very big thanks, especially to those who've emailed me as well. It's made me see that maybe my diet does really need work.

I kept a food diary for the doctor and was honest. Yes there were a couple of cakes at work during the 8 week period that were on there plus a few beers for a mates birthday, a Sunday roast for Grans birthday. But by and large the doctor felt my diet looked pretty good for weight loss.

A typical day would be;

2 x shredded wheat with semi skimmed milk for breakfast
handful of grapes or a satsuma mid morning.
Sandwich made of 2 bits of wholemeal bread a thin sliver of low fat chilli mayo with two thin bits of ham and lettuce. an apple or banana and a low fat yoghurt (activia, shape etc)
large salad with a bit of grilled fish or chicken. No sauces but a little olive oil.

Exercise diary is generally;

Mondays: Rest day or Cycle 30 miles commute depending on weekend
Tuesday: Cycle 30 miles commute
Wednesday: 1 hours circuits
Thursdays: Cycle 30 miles commute
Fridays: 3 hours badminton
Weekend: Walking, sailing or mountain biking

I will agree my diet could still do with some work, but I still feel that I'm expending far more energy than I'm generally putting in.

In the past I would shed weight easily with a much worse diet and much less exercise

Hey Kieran

I was just drafting out a post to offer advice, you've confirmed some answers to questions I had for you.
I think you're not eating enough. Although clearly if you keep not eating enough and keep exercising it's inevitable that you will loose weight.

M

2 x shredded wheat with semi skimmed milk for breakfast
handful of grapes or a satsuma mid morning.
Sandwich made of 2 bits of wholemeal bread a thin sliver of low fat chilli mayo with two thin bits of ham and lettuce. an apple or banana and a low fat yoghurt (activia, shape etc)
large salad with a bit of grilled fish or chicken. No sauces but a little olive oil.

And you are 20 stone? I'd say you're not eating enough.

Calculate your Basal Rate here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator

(I'm eating worse than you, exercising less, and losing weight)

I will agree my diet could still do with some work, but I still feel that I'm expending far more energy than I'm generally putting in.

It's not quite that simple.

There are two main types of fuel you eat. Fat and carbs. Our diet is full of quickly absorbed carbs in general, and our bodies get very good at burning it and then telling you to eat more. This means they become not so good at burning fat. Now there's also a large genetic variation in how good we are at burning fat, so some people don't have a problem with eating lots of quickly absorbed (fast) carbs.

When you eat fast carbs your body produces insulin to keep your blood sugar stable. Insulin does loads of things, including making your body burn carbs and STOPPING it from burning fat.

So you eat some fast carbs, then go for a bike ride, you burn up all the carbs and get run down because your blood sugar/carb stores are low, this stimulates your appetite to want to eat more fast carbs and so on. Fat doens't get used much, so we become bad at burning it.

You can train your body to burn fat better.

Fat in food slows down its absorbtion by your body (lowers the GI). The slower it is absorbed, the less insulin is required to maintain blood sugar, so you get less of the above effect.

So low fat food is actually pretty bad for losing weight. The only danger of fat is the amount of energy it contains, which is quite a lot. You're better off eating less higher fat food. And of course I don't mean cream cakes all the time, but a normal amount of fat in meat and so on is not a bad thing.

You do need carbs in your diet, but they should be from slow sources (low GI) like legumes and root veg (but not potatoes). If you are doing lots of exercise then you can introduce some fast carbs, but only at the right times. Insulin has benefits after you've done your training.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/why-eating-a-low-fat-diet_b_634011.html

More things to google for:

Insulin
Low fat myth
Primal diet
Mark's Daily Apple
Low GI diet

Hey molgrips,

You seem to be a bit of an authority on this. I eat a lot of foods in keeping with low GI but on days that I exercise I find myself binging on chocolate and sweets in the evening. It's like I'm possessed? Do you know how I could stop this?

Thanks,

M

You seem to be a bit of an authority on this

Lol no 🙂 I just google a lot! (and talk to coaches)

When you exercise hard you burn some carbs of course, so your carb stores and perhaps blood sugar become low, which stimulate your appetite for sweet things. This (in my experience) can last a while. However if you take fast carbs during and immediately after exercise, it stops your energy stores getting really low, and helps to prevent the urge to binge.

However, if you want to burn fat, don't have fast carbs before* or during the first 45 mins of exercise as it'll switch off the fat burning metabolism, and your body will burn more carbs. This may allow you to ride quite fast, but it'll not be good for fat burning.

*before means 2-3 hours before, I reckon. I try not to eat fast carbs at all during the day and then ride/train after work before dinner. It's hard at first but you get used to it quite quickly. And you really start looking forward to the 45 minute mark 🙂

Incidentally many people advocate exercising before breakfast - it's the same idea, except I'm not a morning person so riding before breakfast is not an option 🙂

Also meant to say that I was tested for thyroid levels, diabetes, cholesterol and a few others I cant remember.

The first thing the doctor said was that if he didn't already know my weight he would have said I was extremely healthy and fit according to my test results.

I'm 6'2" and have been told that I don't look like I'm 20 stone, everybody who's met me and I've told them what I weigh are generally pretty shocked to find out.

This is a recent (last 2 months) photo of me;
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8302/7843659290_aac5bbe16f_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8302/7843659290_aac5bbe16f_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/54123852@N07/7843659290/ ]IMG_3262[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/54123852@N07/ ]kieranpbennett[/url], on Flickr

Not great, but not huge, most of my weight seems to be around my chest and legs but I don't lift weights. I don't have a huge gut which is a minor relief.

Incidentally many people advocate exercising before breakfast

Sort of works for me. I just have an espresso and a banana before the morning commute (11 miles) then I have a sausage and egg roll when I get to work 😀

Seriously. And I am losing weight.

Thanks Molgrips.
I guess that could be the problem as I often don't eat for an hour or so after exercising. What constitutes 'fast carbs' then?
A jam sarnie? Or would I be better with a recovery shake?

Thanks,

M

On the days I commute to work I will have a banana before setting off at about 6.30. The ride takes me about 55 mins and then I'll have breakfast at work (couple of shredded wheat) at around 9.30

Fast carbs.. well coke works quite nicely I find, but it could be a sugary drink, jelly babies, tea and biscuits maybe. A jam sandwich could also be ok since white bread has a pretty high GI.

Although sugar itself could be a problem, so you might want to avoid it. Recovery shakes work (the Torq stuff is fantastic) but are expensive, plain maltodextrin powder is also not sugar and is cheap.

Thanks molgrips.

I think I'd rather avoid sugary drinks, unless it's fruit juice or a smoothy.

Slightly concerned that adding all this sugar will be counterproductive to acheiving a low-weight though? Shouldn't I just try and exercise more discipline and not binge?

Thanks,

M

There are studies to suggest that fructose promotes the creation of fat storage. This is why fruit is off the iDiet.

I have also read that when you juice fruit the fructose breaks down into sugar, so fruit juice IS in fact a sugary drink.

Slightly concerned that adding all this sugar will be counterproductive to acheiving a low-weight though?

It's not a lot of sugar, it's only a little bit 20g or so, depending on how hard or long you've been going for, which isn't even a whole can of coke. Sugar is bad because it makes your body produce insulin, but during and after exercise insulin is good because it gets glucose into your muscles.

When your muscles are full (ie when you are not or have not been exercising) then insulin results in fat storage.

It might not be important for many people but if you are suffering binges after workouts this might help. Just try it. This stuff is all so complicated and personal that you have to just try it out.

I was commuting a fair old way to work at one job, and iDieting, and I plateaued at 84kg, and I was struggling to ride fast on training rides. I started eating Twixes, two or three a day, and I lost another 2kg and got a lot faster on my fast sessions.

Of course there's nothing special about twixes, but I suspect the extra sugar/carbs allowed me to ride harder which in turn resulted in more weight loss.

It's a funny old game, and even the pros don't know exactly how it all works. There are dozens of hormones and factors in your own body that affect how much weight you carry, and hundreds more lifestyle factors that affect what you like to eat, how you fit your training in and what you do when you're not training. The only way is to read, learn and experiment. And be aware!

Cool, thanks Molgrips.

Have you found a solution that works for you then?
I'm still on target with what I want to loose, but would like to avoid the binges I've experienced.

Thanks

M

[i]In the past I would shed weight easily with a much worse diet and much less exercise[/i]

As people age, they become more insulin resistant, so imo, comparing how easy it was for someone, while in their youth, to loose weight, isn't a fair comparison. I wouldn't suggest that you should expect to be able to loose body fat as easily now as you might have done in the past. But it should still be possible.

Hi [s]Matthew[/s] Matilda.
🙂

Have you found a solution that works for you then?

Not sure really, I struggle with consistency so I am always losing 2kg then putting it back on again. It might just be me, or it might be that 86kg is some sort of stasis weight. I hope not.

The binges btw might not be hampering your weight loss, especially if you are doing lots of exercise. I'd say don't worry about it until you stop losing weight and are not at your target.

[i]I struggle with consistency so I am always losing 2kg then putting it back on again. It might just be me, or it might be that 86kg is some sort of stasis weight. I hope not.[/i]

I have read that when weight plateaus, people employ " Carb refeeds " to break through the weight plateau. Further reading seems to indicate that this acts as some sort of Leptin reset.

Carb refeeds?

Does that involve bingeing? Cos I'm already on top of that 🙂

I was ill a few weeks ago. Sunday am to Saturday I ate nothing but still went to work every day etc etc. I went from 101kg's to 96kgs. Well thats what I am now- so even though I started re-eating I kept it off.

I just can't face the bag of crisps every day or the two chocolate bars. I also can't face the two Yoghurts.

In essence I've stopped snacking when I felt nibblish all the time.

all I eat is Dorset cereals Mueseli- normally at 11 so I've had enough time to starve myself/get it flowing alittle. A good lunch then a modest tea.

TBH I don't miss it - all the time I guzzled.

I will give my usual advice, add some resistance training to build some muscle and speed up your metabolism. Cut out any fast carbs, eat lots of vegetables and include plenty of good fats.

Primal and idiet are the way forward for me, I wont be going back to a conventional western diet, turn yourself into a fat burning beast!

[i]Carb refeeds?

Does that involve bingeing? Cos I'm already on top of that
[/i]

Leptin is a hormone which I was surprized to learn is produced mostly by adipose tissue. So this acts within a BF control system, preset and unique to everyone.

Too much BF, more leptin, surpressed hunger.
Too little BF, less leptin, increased hunger.

As people lean out, and BF drops, so too will their leptin levels and hunger will increase.
So people who carb refeed may do this for one day a week ( sound familiar ) or just one meal every 3 to 4 days, soon after exercise. This hi carb, low fat meal seems to result in more leptin production and so the subject can then continue to lose BF.

I'm still not entirely convinced, but early results from experiments I'm doing, seem to indicate that carb refeeds do have some effect.

Kieran- just seen the photo. Lift up a set of weights, say 10kg's and pop it into a backpack and walk around. Even just 10kgs will make you feel knackered/hardwork- just that much will help you visualise how much more work your body is having to do, your heart.

The insanity workout has helped me hugely.

I also think you need to change your exercise regime, cycling 30 miles to work 3 times a week will be "normal" for your body and you wont' be in effect getting a "work out". I would cut down a few bits of the cardio and so some weight specific sessions, upper body weights, although remember your weight may not change but your body shape certainly will, which is why it's important to take measurements rather than just go on weight alone. Ie inches of bicep, chest, thigh etc it's a better reflector.

Looking at that pic I'd tend to agree with your doc's comments about you looking reasonably OK for your build! Especially if, as you say, you don't have a lot of gut, as abdominal fat (or lack of it) is a better health marker than you'd think.

I'd go with my earlier suggestion - you've gone from inactivity to quite intense (for you) activity, and your body shape (at least front on) suggests you may be putting on muscle and shedding fat.

Although I weigh myself, and it's nice to see losses there, I put more store in waist measurements, overall fitness performance and general wellbeing (as measured by energy levels and occasional blood tests/pressure taken for other issues).

You're doing OK on a couple of those measures, and perhaps you need to be realistic about rest and nutrition (ie not too severe a diet - make sure you've got the fuel for what you're doing). Are you sleeping enough? Set yourself a non-weight related goal or too - a longer, harder ride perhaps or a pair of 'target trousers' with a smaller waist.

In the majority of cases, if you control calorific intake sensibly and exercise sensibly, things will improve, but not necessarily at lightning speed.

In the majority of cases, if you control calorific intake sensibly and exercise sensibly, things will improve, but not necessarily at lightning speed.

For biffers, possibly. But many reasonably active and not terribly overweight people I've known start to exercise hard, and their appetite goes up to an extend it's imposisble not to eat more carbs. Possibly because they're not so good at burning fat.

[i]In the majority of cases, if you control calorific intake sensibly and exercise sensibly, things will improve, but not necessarily at lightning speed. [/i]

I would add that choosing where you source your calories from is also a good idea.

[i]For biffers, possibly. But many reasonably active and not terribly overweight people I've known start to exercise hard, and their appetite goes up to an extend it's imposisble not to eat more carbs. Possibly because they're not so good at burning fat. [/i]

I accept that people who exercise will have a tendancy to consume more calories. Thats the body's normal reaction to elevated levels of physical activity. This is why, while on paper, eating less and moving more [i]should[/i] produce weight loss. But is often proved not to work as the body of those who start to move more, demand more cals.

Also consider that the brain monitors leptin levels and on that basis decides whether to stimulate hunger or suppress it, which again results in either increased or dimished caloric intake.

This is why people on high carb diets may see a drop in their leptin sensitivity, which can result in them eating more and increasing their BF, while the leptin receptors in the brain are not as responsive to those elevated leptin levels.

I think that the more insulin and leptin responsive a person is, the better it is for BF control.

For fat burning, your rides don't look nearly long enough. 3 hours in zone 2 will start dropping the weight very quickly, an hours heavy interval work not so much. Assuming your commute takes you around 45-50 mins each way, its just not enough really and if you're doing it at a fast pace, even less so. Personally I'd reduce intensity and maybe extend the length of your commute if you can. Or ride longer at the weekend

You'll get to the point where you can eat pretty much what you want. At the moment your diet looks miserable. not enough cake!

I've said it before and I'll say it again - google "BURN THE FAT FEED THE MUSCLE" by Tom Venuto. Sounds cheesy, but it's all you'll ever need. If you search for the PDF you might be able to find the ebook for free

I stumbled on weight loss by cycling steady for long periods and cut out alcohol, cakes and bread etc. I used to go gym 4-5 times a week and thought I was working hard, but never shifted a pound, but took up cycling and increased to 3-5 hour rides and lost 2 stone in 6 months....no science, but was knackered a lot of the time and ate reasonably...lost a lot of upper body muscle but feel better.
Apparently, your Glyogen stores are enough for approx. 1 hours excercise, so if you don't go for longer, you never start eating fat reserves...go for 2 hours and more steady, with no fuel intake and your body will have no option but to start targeting fat reserves( and possibly muscle)keep it steady and long..good luck

I stripped a stone of fat away recently and the key was eating bulgar wheat instead of rice or potatos and adding Tabasco to neary everything! Lots of gym sessions helped but you need to keep your metabolism firing

You are eating hardly any protein and a lot of processed carbohydrate. Both those things are bad for energy levels and recovery in my experience. Since you're already doing steady state cardio and getting nowhere try throwing in some weights. Take a look at leangains.com, very interesting site.

Eat lots of meat, fish and veg.

Ride your bike hard for about an hour most days of the week.

http://www.eatingdisordersonline.com/nutritional/fats.php

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/FatsAndOils/Fats101/Fats-101_UCM_304494_Article.jsp

Watch BBC Two's Eat, Fast and Live Longer http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lxyzc

I've progressively lost weight by doing the following.

1. Keep a food diary - learn how many calories are in the foods you eat.
2. Don't use energy sports drinks while exercising.
3. See food as fuel - fill up 3 hrs before you train. Eat protein to recover.
4. Don't fill the fridge and cupboards with food. It removes the temptation to continuously graze.
5. Smaller portions - on smaller plates.
6. Get a cheap body fat calliper http://www.amazon.co.uk/Accu-Measure-Fitness-Personal-Tester/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345789103&sr=8-1
7. Weigh yourself often and keep track of your performance.

It's hard, but very worthwhile.

I reckon there's something to doing your exercise before some carbs for breakfast. Over the past 3-4 years I have lost weight (just over 11 stone) and I do most of my exercise before breakfast then come back and have a bowl of cereal or something. I don't even go on long rides, anywhere from 5-10 miles on a normal day then longer rides on my days off.

Erm.. you mean a [i]bucket[/i]load...

Edit: thanks 😀