Exercise

[TheMalandro]

I decided to get myself a little fitter two months ago - after discovering that I'm two stone overweight. I've always been slim, but two much of the good life seems to have done me in.
I bought a decent exercise bike and have got to the stage where I'm comfortably doing 20 miles - in just over one hour.

After losing a stone, I seem to be stuck on the same weight. Not eating/drinking much. I don't want to do any running - I started and my knees flared up.
Is this just a stage and my weight loss will continue. I'm certainly sweating like a bastard doing the bike!

[JD]

You may have hit a plateau doing the same exercise as your body gets used to it.
Maybe you need to think about doing different exercises, join a gym and get advice from a personal trainer, try swimming, or buy a bike that you can get outside on and ride different terrains.   

[Jon Crofts]

Indoor trainers are useful for things like power or heart rate intervals that will really test your fitness and build aerobic capacity.
 
Have you got a heart rate monitor?  If not, you need one, it's the only way you'll know just how hard you're working and what 'zone' you're in, HR Zone 2 will burn fat & oxygen, there's limitless supplies of that, so if its weight loss you want, thats the zone to train in.  Invest in a max heart rate test at a gym, basically involves you working so hard you'll want to cry or explode but you need to know how fast your heart can beat before you can then work out the heart rate that you should be working in.  Your local University can probably do you a Max HR test, Oxygen uptake test, VO2 max and lactic threshold tests all in a morning for about £150, money well spent.  The old 220 minus your age method of calculating max HR is a waste of time.

Here's some useful websites https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/knowledge/article/izn20140808-Understanding-Intensity-2--Heart-Rate-0

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VO2_max

http://www.cptips.com/hrmntr.htm

[not3bad]

You could take up a challenge, like a long cycle (London to Paris or something like that). I did Edinburgh to London last year year and got in pretty good shape during the training.

More difficult to do if you enjoy your food is a "Detox" day. For one day a week only eat fruits and drink juices/smoothies. For more extreme detoxing, throw in a hot yoga session.

[MarkM]

Your body will get used to the output your are putting in as your body gets fitter.

In order to loose more weight without dieting you will have to up your effort.

Doing a different work out on alternate days may help as you will be using different muscle groups.

I go to the gym 3-4 times a week and the same thing happened to me, I then got advice from a personal trainer and my progress continued.

[liam]

Similar story to myself - however about 2 months ago I started doing the lean in 15 plan, which is HIT sessions at home and really good food. I haven't signed up to the actual plan, just bought the cooking book for 7 quid at the supermarket and followed the guy on youtube for exercise plans to do at home, I lost 2.5 stone so down to 11 and half and now doing definition excercises. Its a good plan and worth taking a look at. The 15 minute intense worksouts feel like death, but are quick and easy, and the food is really good. think the the guy is called The Bodycoach on social medial

[Villan For Life]

Most people plateau and that's where it can become very demotivating.

I was probably 3 stone overweight and almost 50. I decided to join a gym and did lose some weight but soon the weight loss dried up. I then booked a weekly session with a personal trainer and the results have been fantastic. Basically I get an hour of high-intensity training once a week. I loathe and detest the sessions and at times hate my trainer but I love the results. I'm two stone lighter, people are commenting how much slimmer I am and I'm fitting into clothes that I've not worn for years. I've got a little way to go yet to reach my target weight but I will get there.

I go to the gym three times a week, one of which is the training session. You will need to up your intensity or invest in a PT.

[JJ-AV]

stronglifts.com

[TheMalandro]

Thanks for all the advice. I naively thought one hour a day on the bike would be fine.
I've got a decent gym nearby, so I'll give that a try.
Thanks for the links too - try that test Mr Croft - I'm pretty close to Loughborough and I've heard they are sports orientated.

It is demotivating exercising and not seeing any improvement.

Liam - mirror your original situation - I'm 12.5 stone - should be 11.5. I know it's not a massive amount to lose. Or I'm that fat - but playing with my nephews proved I'm not fit!

[class-of-82]

Thing is if you see yourself in the mirror every day you won't notice any different but someone who don't see you that often will notice the different.
Yes you will plateau and that s where you need to push yourself if as you say you can do 20 miles in an hour then either go for 21 miles in that hour or 20 miles in 55 minutes and so on and so on.
So don't just stay at that hour or those miles go for more it's like when I joined a gym ages ago I wanted to be able to bench press my body weight 75kg but when I hit that weight I didn't stay at that weight I then wanted to bench press more and more.

[oswald funkletrumpet]

try an abs roller, about 15 quid in argos. sit ups in front of the telly job done

[luke95]

Get yourself a real bike & get out on it .
Much easier to push yourself that little further when the scenery around you changes .

[johnboy]

Get yourself a real bike & get out on it .
Much easier to push yourself that little further when the scenery around you changes .

He has valid point ther Malandro but proper cycling soon becomes addictive, be warned

[Villafirst]

I find long distance running training keeps me in shape. I followed a strict sub 4 hour programme for 6 months for last year's London Marathon and achieved a PB of 3:51:56. I lost over a stone in the process. I also combine the running with gym work including weights as a form off cross training. Also, diet is so important.