OK, so I know that calories in should be less than calories out to lose weight and they should equal each other to maintain.

But, I haven’t changed my diet, or my exercise regime but my weight just seems to creep up and up. Does your body acclimatise to exercise – meaning you need to keep doing more or is it my age.

For context 52 yrs old – 2 spin classes per week and 40-50 miles ridden each weekend, all at fairly high intensity. Been doing that consistently for three years. Ten pounds gained in last 6 months for no good reason.

maybe try eating a little bit less each day for a few weeks and see what happens?

Ten pounds gained in last 6 months

That happened to my wife. 3 times.

One is at high school and the other two are still at primary school.

Don’t the science boffins say you should cycle at a moderate heart rate compared to your max to have maximum fat burn, while high intensity increases the odds of muscle gain?

Do some different exercise, lift some weights etc etc.

You’ll be eating more than you think, we all do! 😳

n0b0dy0ftheg0at – Member

Don’t the science boffins say you should cycle at a moderate heart rate compared to your max to have maximum fat burn, while high intensity increases the odds of muscle gain?

Some might, but short bursts of high intensity training keep you burning fat well after the event (is the opposite camp)

Don’t the science boffins say you should cycle at a moderate heart rate compared to your max to have maximum fat burn, while high intensity increases the odds of muscle gain?

Yes, but that’s not really relevant in the OP’s case.
He’s not training for a massive endurance event so the ability to burn fat during exercise isn’t that useful for him. The high intensity allows the OP to create a bigger calorie deficit in his limited riding time.

To answer the OP – yes, you’ll probably be getting more efficient, and probably should mix things up a bit, but not to the extent it makes you gain weight.
More likely you are both shrinking and losing muscle mass as you age and hence have a lower BMR = you need to eat less, or exercise more to maintain the balance.

Although your metabolism will slow a bit with age, the obvious answer is that you’re simply eating slightly too much so as suggested you could just try eating a bit less and/or better.

10lbs of muscle innit.

…..but has your diet really not changed? Sometimes we forget the little extras we have.

just had this discussion with my nurse at my annual health check.. 54yr old.. dieted late summer and lost nigh on 2 stone… however its crept back on over the autumn winter and shes clear its because frankly we need less as the years pass and that cold damp weather always makes us eat more.
haven’t exercised as i wanted to lose weight before subjecting the old bones/knees etc to extra burden .. nurse again clear that exercise makes you fitter/ healthier but not necessarily lighter..

Once you are reasonably well trained and if you have a tendency for weight to creep back on it will be most likely a consequence of diet , specifically carbohydrates (and definitely processed carbs if they are part of your diet). There’s enough evidence out there now to suggest that calorie intake and expenditure doesn’t explain the whole picture. If you want to shift weight focus on cutting back carbohydrate, maintain exercise (ideally including some high intensity sessions . The weight will drop quickly initially which will be fluid loss but you’ll soon start to eat into fat reserves.

but has your diet really not changed? Sometimes we forget the little extras we have.

This. Unless you’ve kept a food diary, you’ve no way of saying for sure.

Also what/when you eat will also have an effect 😈

Standing can be better than sitting
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24532996

Gluten intolerance? 🙂

More seriously, I’m on tablets that boost insulin production, they really help pile on the pounds if I’m not careful, I have a tricky a tricky balance of food intake, activity and tablet dose and it all changes with the time of year and temperature. I’ll put on weight more easily when it’s cold and I’m less active than over the summer when it’s warm.

Carbohydrate control is a huge dietary factor. I can eat more carbs over summer as I’ll burn them off, over winter I’ll tend to cut back on the carbs or the extra insulin the tablets produce just stick the carbs straight on as fat.

Without suggesting that you have any odd metabolic issues like mine, ask yourself:

Have you really had the same levels of activity over winter?

Has your diet really stayed the same?

If you can certainly say yes to both, might be worth cutting back on the carb content of meals a little and seeing what happens.

It does seem to be a tendency to gain weight with age – my suspicion is tha t even those of us who exercise a fair bit tend to expend less energy a day as we get older – walking slower, no running for buses, all the little things that add up to less energy used. Certainly when I took on a more demanding job with a longer commute I lost 2 1/2 stone over 2 years that I had put on over the previous 5 years

Setup a diary on My Fitness Pal. Record all your food and exercise. It’s a real eye opener and as I have to record it, I find that I am less likely to cheat.

+1 My Fitness Pal. Lost two stone since this time last year, but the difficult part has been maintaining the weight loss, you tend to yo-yo slightly around the weight you’d like to be. I put on 2kg over Xmas and my birthday a couple of weeks ago but have already shifted 1kg of it again. It is very surprising how calorific some foods are and MFP does a great job of letting you know.
Good luck, will power and discipline is your friend.

Whilst the spin classes will help with your fitness, they’ll do little to burn fat and even your 50 miler you’re not really burning fat until after 2 hours. It’s simply that you’re eating more calories than consuming. As we get older, we have a predisposal to accumulate visceral fat, plus our metabolism slows down making it even harder to shift it. Suggest you look at a diet with less fat and sugar, plus a revised exercise regime, including a more active lifestyle e.g. 7-10 hours per week even at a low intensity such as walking.

I haven’t changed my diet, or my exercise regime but my weight just seems to creep up and up

because…

we need less as the years pass

running to stand still and all that

I’ve just discovered the newborn baby diet (no, don’t eat them) – just miss out meals at random, never sleep & don’t stop moving – you’ll be dropping the pounds in no time – i’ve lost 2 kilos in 2 weeks and barely left the house… 8)

You’ll be eating more than you think, we all do!

This. Unless you’re already and devotedly using MFP, you are guaranteed to be consuming more than you think. Sometimes FAR more. 😳

I am a year younger and my weight crept up with the same diet and exercise regime. So ate really well, vast quantities of organic veg and fish, a few treats, then 2 hours walking everyday, or cycling. In 7 weeks i lost 6kg.

I reckon its the relaxation from walking, i can feel my breathing slowing down as i relax. I hope to lose another 2 kg in the same way.

As you get older you lose muscle mass, less muscle means less calories burnt. The best way to combat this is to do the big compound lifts, squats, deads, bench press and throw in a few pull ups and dips for good measure.
Stop eating crap, cakes, biscuits and drinking alcohol, before you know it you’ll be sporting a six pack, it is that simple.

Slowing metabolism as you age (?) that’s been my experience.

I’ve just discovered the newborn baby diet (no, don’t eat them) – just miss out meals at random, never sleep & don’t stop moving – you’ll be dropping the pounds in no time – i’ve lost 2 kilos in 2 weeks and barely left the house…

The same diet had the reverse effect on me. Gone from 10st 6 to 12st 8 in three years.

A lot of people saying got to burn off more calories than you put in, but did anyone else read an *interview with Gary taubes (“the case against sugar”) where he now reckons that’s not true 😯 and weight gain due to refined carbs.

*I think it was in the sunday times

Your body changes as you age, one of those changes is a tendency to gain weight. So, yes, you can expect to lay down fat even if your diet remains unchanged. Great! 🙁