Hey everyone,
I've had a topic on my mind for a while now that I can't get out of my head, and I'd like to hear your opinions on it or simply share my thoughts. About me: I'm 26 years old, currently weigh 93 kg (205 lbs), and am 190 cm (6'3") tall. Since June 2025, I've been cycling between 5 and 10 hours every week, and I absolutely love it. Before that, I maybe cycled 10 times a year. In other words, I've completely changed my lifestyle. I basically only cycle, and do some bodyweight training two or three times a month. But that's it for exercise. My VO2 according to Garmin is 53, and my FTP is 300 watts. Since I've always been quite unfit, and it showed in my physique, I made significant progress relatively quickly and, with additional dietary adjustments—simply eating more consciously and healthily—lost 10 kilos. At the end of autumn and beginning of winter, I noticed that the scale had stopped moving. Initially, this wasn't really surprising to me, as that's perfectly normal, and I had gained considerable muscle mass in my legs. What worries me more is that from then on, my physique hasn't changed either. Nothing has really changed. I definitely look much thinner now. My fitness is going really well. Since spring, I feel like I've improved a whole class. But what still bothers me is that my stomach doesn't seem to have changed at all. It's still there and not significantly smaller. Because of this, I bought a Garmin smart scale, hoping to be able to track my progress. But somehow it doesn't seem to be working. The fluctuations (overnight the scale suddenly shows +1.5% body fat) are simply incomprehensible to me. It's probably because the scale only gives a rough estimate. Nutritionally, I'd say I eat okay. Not always perfectly healthy, but on average probably much better than average. I don't drink alcohol anymore. I've now started reducing my calorie intake on some days, meaning I replace breakfast (porridge, about 500 kcal) with a protein shake (about 200 kcal), and on those days my body goes completely haywire. Yes, I know, I need carbohydrates :) I'm noticing a lack of energy, and sometimes I even struggle with my circulation. I can't even fall asleep at night because I feel like I'm starving. Otherwise, I eat enough to maintain my performance, and no, I don't stuff myself every time. Overall, it seems to me that my previous calorie intake was pretty good. But if what I consider a relatively small deficit is already causing these problems, I'm finding it difficult to adjust things to shrink my stomach. I'm just wondering whether I should continue like this or change something. It seems to me there's a discrepancy between my athletic performance and weight loss. Because if I eat less, I can't maintain my training regimen, and if I leave it as it is, I wonder if I can even lose weight anymore.
I know that's a lot to take in. But maybe some of you have had similar experiences. I just want to know what you think and how things have gone for you. Maybe I'm overthinking it. My weight loss has definitely been noticed by those around me.