Nutrition - trouble maintaining weight

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AHC

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I've started commuting about 20 miles roundtrip on my bike. I ride about 3 to 4 days a week and regularly lift weights and I’m having trouble maintaining my weight. Me jeans are getting loose. I eat a pretty balanced diet with lean meat, veggies, and carbs. I don’t mind leaning down some but I also want to maintain muscle.

Is the short answer to eat more healthy food? In particular, more protein to maintain muscle?

You know the great thing is I can have a beer when I get home and never get a beer gut. I feel like I’m working construction. But the bottom line is I feel good but a little weaker in the strength department.
 
seriously, are you sure you dont have some degree of celiac, where your absorbtion just goes to zer when certain foods are eaten?

JMH
 
from my understanding, slight cases of celiac wouldnt make him ill, especially not until after he would cut all wheat and similar products and his body recover...

So it might just hinder absorption of nutrition, causing the weight loss.

This is what happened to my boss's husband and kids. Eat, eat, eat, loose weight... cant figure out what is wrong... eventally diagnose celiac, remove all wheat and whatnot. Re-gain weight to healthy level. Feel wonderful. Get sick with any wheat ingestion from that point further.

As I recall it at least...

JMH
 
I don't have celiac as I’ve never had absorption problems. Trust me, if I loaf, I get elfat-o!

I haven’t adjusted my eating to the increase in cardio and I’m wondering the best way to do that. What do racers do? Eat a ton? I think I need to eat more and make sure I get enough protein for muscle retention.

Maybe a protein shake(s) would help?
 
This might be worth trying for a few weeks, then evalutate:

First, calculate how many calories you are burning daily from that bike ride. Rough estimate is 900 calories but will vary depending on your body weight and speed that you ride; there are websites that can help.

Then just replace those calories with good food like you are already eating.

In my 900 calorie estimate, I'd split the calories evenly throughout all of your meals.

Met-Rx or similar is a good bet but is only 250-300 calories per serving so can get $$$ drinking 3X per day.
 
Ok, well given that, realize that most carbs dont do much good for you. I'd start, if its OK with your appetite, to pile on more vegetables of every color first, to fill you up. Eat raw veggies, fruits, etc. within reason, and avoiding the overly starchy things like potatos, etc. within reason.

A standard serving of meat is approximately the size of a deck of cards. Id eat twice that. This is a relatively easy method of gauging your portion size...

Id also eat more carbs in the AM (oatmeal is good), and less inthe PM, else youll be storing. You want to gain lean muscle, not fat.

Beyond that, you really only want to maintain at a break even point. With a satisfying amountof fruits and veggies, you should be able to maintain without much issue, enhance your nutrition, and avoid blod sugar swings and other unhealthy things.

JMH
 
I would add weight training to maintain/build the muscle. Protein shakes and cottage cheese are good "snacks" for extra protein.
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Two words....MORE BEER !!!


As funny as it sounds, this hits pretty close to the mark. You should just increase your calorie intake a bit and don't be afraid of good carbs (like beer) and whole grains.....and now here's my opinion, you are shorting yourself good oils....get three or four of the good ones: walnut, avocado, flax and hemp for salads, olive and macadamia for cooking. Stir fry your lean meats and veggies in wholesome warming oils.
 
You guys are fantastic. Thanks for the great ideas, even the beer!
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Maybe you should eat more fat? Any idea what kind of caloric intake you have?

When I was more active, I'd eat plenty of everything (carbs, fat, protein), and avoided eating too much lean food because it just didn't give me enough energy for the money. I was eating at least 4000 calories a day to maintain my weight (about 170lb at the time). A 1L container of 2% chocolate milk was my beverage of choice to accompany almost every lunch: 800 calories, 20g of fat, 36g of protein, lots of carbs, and lots of vitamins for only $1.05!
 
You might want to try a protein drink in the morning with your breakfast..and a tablespoon of Olive Oil ..or Flax seed oil to your drink ..also a drink at night ..sometime after dinner before bed.
After a week at this level you can add a tablespoon of more oil ( don't worry this will not make you fat ..but will allow your body to burn some of the oil for energy in the morning ..
Make your protein drink around 40-50 grams ..start low then build ( as it may cause stomach upset if you just jump right in ..same with the oil )
 
Maybe your arms are getting thinner, but I bet your legs are stronger. Does human muscle get marbilized with fat, like in a prime beef cow? Losing that would make the muscles look slimmer without changing their strength.

There are also different kinds of muscle fibers. Changing exercise style might lower raw lifting strength, but increase endurance. I'm just guessing.

http://www.coachr.org/fiber.htm
 
oilyriser is right.

Originally Posted By: AHC
I've started commuting about 20 miles roundtrip on my bike.

Not used to aerobic endurance sports, are we?
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Quote:
I ride about 3 to 4 days a week and regularly lift weights and I’m having trouble maintaining my weight.

Endurance sports like bicycling will result in a different physique than an anaerobic sport like weight lifting. You are now creating a superior AAHA*


*Anaerobic-Aerobic Hybrid Athlete -- I made up that term
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Quote:
Me jeans are getting loose. I eat a pretty balanced diet with lean meat, veggies, and carbs. I don’t mind leaning down some but I also want to maintain muscle.

Put a rolled up sock in. j/k Presuming your protein intake is sufficient, there is NO WAY you are losing muscles. Your muscles may well be transformed from the seriously bulky kind that anaerobic sports produces to a more leaner, less bulky muscle that aerobic exercise creates. My best guess is that you are losing body fat, and not muscle mass, since you are not dieting, but exercising. If you were dieting, then your muscles might shrink before the body fat ever begins to be burned (The body tends to hold on to its iron reserve, which is fat, if faced with calorie intake shortage).

Quote:
Is the short answer to eat more healthy food? In particular, more protein to maintain muscle?

Too much protein is not good for you (especially bad for your kidneys), so you want to figure out the proper protein needs of your body. Have a nutritionist who specializes in sports advise you.

Quote:
You know the great thing is I can have a beer when I get home and never get a beer gut. I feel like I’m working construction. But the bottom line is I feel good but a little weaker in the strength department.

I don't believe you are weaker, but you are simply using and building muscles differently now. You are not fully used to endurance sports and your body requires time to adjust.

Balancing sports is a good idea. However, one sport could interfere with another. For example, if you balance your weightlifting with a lot of bicycling, you may have trouble remaining in your weight class. I think that's what you may be experiencing.

As I said, talk it over with a doctor or nutritionist who specializes in sports medicine and nutrition.
 
years ago I practically lived on a bike. loved it. saturday was typically a 6-hour ride day. 4 nights per week for 1-2 hours. Commuted to work once/wk at 50 miles round trip.

I could not eat enough. also did not eat right. starving every 2 hours. too many carbs, not enuf proteins or veggies. Ate a good bit of fruit.

1. peanut products are fantastic.
2. energy bars can leave you crashing. if you gotta use, try cliff bars or other long-burn types. avoid full-strength sports drinks. on long rides i'd mix a 50% gatoraid mix.
3. sip fluids constantly when riding. don't wait until you're thirsty.
4. while my lower body was strong, upper body was pretty weak, and posture suffered. keep some sit-ups, crunches, back and shoulder exercises in play.
5. if you don't feel right, back down a little until you find the balance.
 
meep and moribundman – thanks for your responses and moribundman, you were spot on with your responses.

I’ve lost about 5 lbs of fat and seemed to have settled in at a lean 180lbs.

Turns out I wasn’t weaker, just tired. I’ve found that I need to get regular, high quality rest. I can’t get by on two days of 6 to 7 hours of sleep without feeling tired and droopy.

My muscles are slimmer and smaller in volume but no less strong.

I’ve continued eating a balanced diet and have found no need change the type of food, only to increase the quantity slightly.

I do find that I need to cut back heavy gym days from 4 to 3. I can lift a couple of more days per week but it’s mostly core or cable work.
 
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