Bloated Feeling - Avice Needed

[[old] balbec]

Hi again, <br />I enjoyed xmas and since Ive been trying to get back to the weight I was before xmas and if possible, to go beyond that and get fitter etc.<br /><br />The reason Im writing is that Ive been training harder and better than ever (5 nights a week, mixing sessions with the static bike), watched my food intake, etc (healty options, good breakfast, sandwich at lunch, fruit during the day and a dinner of meet with 2-3 veg), cut out nearly all alcohol, drinking loads of water and Im here at the moment feeling bloated and as if im putting on weight again (dont think its the water) but I know that if ur clothes etc feel looser, thats a sign (I recognise that sign from before), but that isnt happening.<br /><br />I dont understand because I feel Im taking everything more seriously (dont think Im overtraining to be honest and nights that im too tired to row/cycle, i take them off as my body is telling me something).<br /><br />Have i just hit a wall that will take a while to break through, because before xmas, i was 3 pounds lighter than i am now and im getting very discouraged as i cant even get to that. Any Advice would be appreciated.<br /><br />Thanks in Advance,<br />Mike<br /><br />

[[old] jamesg]

It's all relative. What's your BMI and age now?

[[old] Steve_R]

I would also add:<br /><br />What is your height, weight and % body fat if you know. (so you can tell your current approx BMR)<br />How many calories are you eating per day?<br />How many times a day are you eating?<br />With all of this training, how many grams of protein/carbs are you having per day?<br /><br />You might simply not be getting enough calories for all of the work that you are doing.<br /><br />Everyone is different so there is no one recipe.<br /><br />Steve

[[old] H33]

There could be a lot of factors there. I know personally that the road to a good body is fraught with periodic up and downs. I just keep going and eventually the wall comes down and I am on to my next barrier. Sometimes if I don't see results quick enough I just increase the intensity of the workouts and do away with my rest days.

[[old] balbec]

To answer the questions,<br />My BMI = 30.3 :Always had a strong kind of build since my rugby/hurling days(irish sport), so i know that i am overweight but i would not see myself as obese.<br /><br />My height is 5ft 11", weight = 217/216lbs, my age is 25, due to a knee injury when i was 18, gave up sports, concentrated on college, tried indoor rowing at the gym last year and it didnt aggrevate my knee so continued.<br /><br />Not sure of bodyfat % at the moment.<br />Roughly eating between 2500 - 3000 cals per day(trying to lose weight steadily and keep it off), eat some carbs & protein at supper each evening..<br /><br />Mike<br />

[[old] Steve_R]

<!--QuoteBegin-balbec+Feb 4 2005, 06:42 AM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(balbec @ Feb 4 2005, 06:42 AM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->My height is 5ft 11", weight = 217/216lbs, my age is 25, due to a knee injury when i was 18, gave up sports, concentrated on college, tried indoor rowing at the gym last year and it didnt aggrevate my knee so continued.<br /><br />Not sure of bodyfat % at the moment.<br />Roughly eating between 2500 - 3000 cals per day(trying to lose weight steadily and keep it off), eat some carbs & protein at supper each evening..<br /><br />Mike <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />At 216lb, you have a resting metabolic rate of around 2300 cal/day plus or minus. Add in activity and you could need up to 2700 cal/day. I'm not sure how much you are working out but it could be even more. At 2500-3000 cal per day it might be too much as well and may be why you aren't losing weight.<br /><br />For me, the only way for me to work at this was to track everything. I use nutrition SW to track: weight, body fat%, calories, grams of protein, fat, carbs, etc. My resting rate was a little over 2000 cal/day. My average daily exercise cal are about 300 so that gives me about 2300 cal per day. With a 500 cal deficit, I should have about 1800 cal/day and that will give me 1lb/wk weight loss. I now eat about 1950 cal in 6 small meals per day to help with me feeling hungry. I always know that I am only a couple hours from eating again so I never feel like stuffing myself. I was doing well with weight loss for the last few weeks but I had a hard time with body fat. It stayed around 18%. I was constantly losing muscle mass - sometimes more than fat. I upped my protein intake to around 110g/day (~25% of my daily intake) and that has helped. I now am losing more fat than muscle (yes I still lose some muscle but not nearly as much) I am now down to 166@17%. (almost lwt!) Now I know that there are plenty of people who will agrue about how much protein you need so I would recommend learning about your own body or talkign to a doctor rather than letting what I do or someone else does blindly guide you. The US RDA for protein is about 10% of your daily intake but you will also find people who recommend up to 2g/lb/day of protein. Also, my carbs are around 50-55% of my daily intake. I make sure to keep my sodium and saturated fat in check. I also make sure to take in quality protein (whey) after each workout to get me anabolic as quickly as I can to stave off more muscle loss. I have not had any red meat in over a month but there are lean red meats that you can have. I also take in 4-5 liters of water per day. <br /><br />Take a look of when you eat and what you eat, track your progress and you might find where you are struggling. Find out what works for you since everyone is different.<br /><br />Good Luck!<br />Steve

[[old] jamesg]

What you're doing looks ok, to an ignorant non-expert like me. However we can't get away from the first law of thermodynamics (what goes in stays in or comes out).<br /><br />So the only ideas:<br />Carry on (stopping can't be right) using long (> 30') and slow work at say 150-170W to protect yourself, get fit and keep the energy balance on the right side;<br />Cut out the alcohol completely;<br />Don't eat unless you feel really hungry; stop soon; eat bulky, fibrous stuff with plenty of vegetables;<br />Maybe that knee holds you back from the normal exercise we get by walking, climbing stairs etc; if so you'd have to spend that much more time on non-hazardous exercise.<br /><br />Could be we get some conversion of light fat to heavy muscle, but our shape should confirm it if it's actually happening and not just wishful thinking.

[[old] Roland Baltutis]

If your having trouble losing weight then my advice to you is to try introducing other forms of exercise together with a Thermogenic supplement (fat burner/appetite suppressing).<br /><br />Weather permitting, get off the erg and static bike and get out of the house. Go to the nearest park and do some power walking. Walk briskly and continuously for at least half an hour. Do it twice a day. Before work & after work or whenever you can fit it in. Try and do it every day. <br /><br />Make time for it. Walking is easy on the joints and requires little motivation or skill to do. It is also more effective than running to burn fat. From my own experience I lost more weight from walking to and from work than I did through individual running training. Combine the walking with the rowing erg. Throw away the static bike and get a real one.<br /><br />Thermogenic suplements will also help you. They are becoming more popular with the recent flood of new products on the market. They do two things. Firstly they stimulate metabolic rate which leads to more energy and burning of fat. Secondly they suppress your craving for food so you tend to eat less.<br /><br />Look for products that contain Green tea, White willow, L-Carnitine, Calcium Pyruvate, Guarana and if you can find it, a potent Asian herb called Ciwujia.<br /><br />Most of all, remember that permanent weight loss requires permanent lifestyle changes.<br /><br /><i>Keep it smooth, keep it relaxed<br />Roland Baltutis</i>

[[old] balbec]

Thanks for your replies,<br />I will keep ye posted on how Im progressing. I train 60mins 5 nights a week (add 15 mins for warm up and cool down), keeping bpm's between 150 - 168 so i think it is a fairly good workout.<br /><br />Roland: I will keep an eye out for those products but just 1 question, alot of websites etc, advise to stay away from caffeine when loosing weight/training, etc. Is guarana not a type of caffeine (excuse my ignorance in this regard). I used to use guarana suppliments when i was in college as a study aid, thats why Im asking.<br /><br />Anyway Thanks again,<br />Mike<br /><br />

[[old] michael]

Yes, guarana does indeed contain a fair amount of caffeine--you'd be well advised not to use it. Guarana also contains tannins, which can eventually hinder the ability of the intestines to absorb nutrients. Long-term use is thought to lead to infertility and cardiovascular problems. Also, guarana (like coffee) brings the risk of several short-term side effects such as insomnia and increased urination.<br /><br />For steady and long term weight management, nothing is as effective as incorporating as many of the fresh, fiber rich, minimally processed plant foods into your diet as possible. Choose from a variety of whole vegetables, grains, fruits and legumes and minimize milled flours and sucrose. Introduce some of the many wonderful nutrionally packed superfoods into your dietary regiman: flaxseed, soy, maca, rooibos and borojo among several others. In the training forum this morning, I mentioned xylitol as a superb nutritive sweetener which has forty percent fewer calories than sugar. This natural polyol will virtually elimanate anyone's craving for sweet foods (as it has for me), is non-cariogenic, anabolic and has a GI value of 7.<br /><br />

[[old] hwt]

Mike<br /><br />In my personal experience, I've found that dairy intake is usually the culprit.

[[old] michael]

<!--QuoteBegin-hwt+Feb 7 2005, 12:29 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><div class='genmed'><b>QUOTE(hwt @ Feb 7 2005, 12:29 PM)</b></div></td></tr><tr><td class='quote'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Mike<br /><br />In my personal experience, I've found that dairy intake is usually the culprit. <br /> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Good point--many of us produce less and less lactase enzyme as we age.