Calories and cycling
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I find it's such a fine balance that counting calories is sometimes necessary to hit a specific target weight. I certainly don't calorie count all the time, but if I want to get from my "normal" 80 kg to 75 kg for a specific event then calorie counting is absolutely necessary for me. Using an App like MFP makes it pretty painless too. The alternative of just guessing doesn't really cut it for me. If I eat too little my performance starts to suffer and if I eat too much I don't hit my target weight. I have tried to get down to my fighting weight without calorie counting and failed every time. I might lose a couple of kg at best that way. If I wasn't trying to beat personal performance targets none of this would really matter.
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Cold Thermogenesis and low carb diet was how I lost the 60+ and only long steady distance rides. I know my body cannot handle intensity in those conditions. I burned it right off. 6 inches off the waste in just under 4 months.
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I find it's such a fine balance that counting calories is sometimes necessary to hit a specific target weight. I certainly don't calorie count all the time, but if I want to get from my "normal" 80 kg to 75 kg for a specific event then calorie counting is absolutely necessary for me. Using an App like MFP makes it pretty painless too. The alternative of just guessing doesn't really cut it for me. If I eat too little my performance starts to suffer and if I eat too much I don't hit my target weight. I have tried to get down to my fighting weight without calorie counting and failed every time. I might lose a couple of kg at best that way. If I wasn't trying to beat personal performance targets none of this would really matter.
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Well, I had the best weight loss when I was counting calories and making sure I didn't overdo it when eating. I think most people tend to "forget" or not realize how many calories they're eating in a day and then overestimate the number of calories they're burning, and then wonder why they can't lose weight.
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Yeah, we already covered this already. Stop assuming your experience is universal, especially since a bunch of us already debunked it.
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He does this on every weight thread. Every...single....one.....
I complain about these threads a lot, so I have to say this--this is the best one I've ever seen on BF. The "thinsplaining" has really been kept to a minimum, and people are really sharing different approaches without trying to force them on others.
#82
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Well, I had the best weight loss when I was counting calories and making sure I didn't overdo it when eating. I think most people tend to "forget" or not realize how many calories they're eating in a day and then overestimate the number of calories they're burning, and then wonder why they can't lose weight.
The other thing is, if you THINK you're still eating the same amount, but just adding exercise, but not counting, you'll THINK you're eating the same amount, but actually you're not.
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#83
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It's entirely possible, but maybe not without paying attention to both sides of the Calorie equation. I say this because I lost 30 lbs last year. I was only able to do so by counting Calories rigorously and riding 3000 miles. It doesn't require a huge sacrifice in what you eat, just fewer snacks, smaller snacks, not going back for seconds quite as often, having a glass of water instead of yet another Coke or a beer. Those little things add up, and combined with Calorie-burning exercise, will take weight off.
BTW, I've also tried just riding a lot and NOT paying attention to what I eat. I got fitter, but never got below 220. Now I'm right around 200, +/-2 lbs, and have been for 7 months. I've also had years where I hardly lost weight at all, because I more than compensated at the dinner table for what I burned on the bike.
BTW, I've also tried just riding a lot and NOT paying attention to what I eat. I got fitter, but never got below 220. Now I'm right around 200, +/-2 lbs, and have been for 7 months. I've also had years where I hardly lost weight at all, because I more than compensated at the dinner table for what I burned on the bike.
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Hmmmm. I eat a bit more than I did while losing the weight, but not as much as I did before. I'm more mindful of what I'm eating. And some days, I fall off the wagon. But a lot of it is paying attention when I'm shopping for food not to buy the things I'm likely to binge on. After calorie counting for most of a year, you remember things like a Coke is 1/8 of a day's calories, or little 1/4 cup of nuts could be 1/5 of a days calories.
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So true! My mother-in-law has been trying to lose weight forever. She got the idea to eat nuts as a more healthy snack (which they are) but she didn’t take into account their calorie density. So she munched her way through large packets of nuts and wondered why she was still putting on weight. Whenever I eat nuts I literally weigh out a sensible portion size into a dish and put the bag out of reach!
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So true! My mother-in-law has been trying to lose weight forever. She got the idea to eat nuts as a more healthy snack (which they are) but she didn’t take into account their calorie density. So she munched her way through large packets of nuts and wondered why she was still putting on weight. Whenever I eat nuts I literally weigh out a sensible portion size into a dish and put the bag out of reach!
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#87
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Hmmmm. I eat a bit more than I did while losing the weight, but not as much as I did before. I'm more mindful of what I'm eating. And some days, I fall off the wagon. But a lot of it is paying attention when I'm shopping for food not to buy the things I'm likely to binge on. After calorie counting for most of a year, you remember things like a Coke is 1/8 of a day's calories, or little 1/4 cup of nuts could be 1/5 of a days calories.
Last edited by Awesomeguy; 07-24-21 at 12:02 PM.
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A really good firestarter when backpacking are Fritos. I would not use my nuts, too valuable.
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when you were cutting calories did you feel hungry and weak? I’ll give you an example if I cut 200 calories by switching to egg whites for breakfast I get so tired and weak, mind you I eat 3 meals a day and my breakfast is 750 calories , my largest meal (100g oatmeal, 4 whole eggs and banana ), and I have 1 snack between bf and lunch and lunch and dinner
My usual breakfast is about 280 calories, which gets me through till 1 PM not feeling either weak or hungry. Then lunch is about 500 calories, and that gets me through till 6 PM. Dinner is about 900-1000 calories, and that leaves another 300 calories for snacking. If I ride, that's between 500 and 900 calories extra I can eat, depending on how long and how hard I ride. If you're not eating out and you're cooking your own food, a 900 calorie dinner can be quite a lot of food. Just don't eat fried crap.
The biggest problem for me is that I'm often really hungry by 6PM and if dinner isn't ready I can vacuum up the snacks.
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That's not how I looked at it. Instead, I went with a website (MyFitnessPal) that took my weight and age, my target weight, and when I wanted to get there, and it gave me 2160 calories a day as a goal.
My usual breakfast is about 280 calories, which gets me through till 1 PM not feeling either weak or hungry. Then lunch is about 500 calories, and that gets me through till 6 PM. Dinner is about 900-1000 calories, and that leaves another 300 calories for snacking. If I ride, that's between 500 and 900 calories extra I can eat, depending on how long and how hard I ride. If you're not eating out and you're cooking your own food, a 900 calorie dinner can be quite a lot of food. Just don't eat fried crap.
The biggest problem for me is that I'm often really hungry by 6PM and if dinner isn't ready I can vacuum up the snacks.
My usual breakfast is about 280 calories, which gets me through till 1 PM not feeling either weak or hungry. Then lunch is about 500 calories, and that gets me through till 6 PM. Dinner is about 900-1000 calories, and that leaves another 300 calories for snacking. If I ride, that's between 500 and 900 calories extra I can eat, depending on how long and how hard I ride. If you're not eating out and you're cooking your own food, a 900 calorie dinner can be quite a lot of food. Just don't eat fried crap.
The biggest problem for me is that I'm often really hungry by 6PM and if dinner isn't ready I can vacuum up the snacks.
#91
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That's not how I looked at it. Instead, I went with a website (MyFitnessPal) that took my weight and age, my target weight, and when I wanted to get there, and it gave me 2160 calories a day as a goal.
My usual breakfast is about 280 calories, which gets me through till 1 PM not feeling either weak or hungry. Then lunch is about 500 calories, and that gets me through till 6 PM. Dinner is about 900-1000 calories, and that leaves another 300 calories for snacking. If I ride, that's between 500 and 900 calories extra I can eat, depending on how long and how hard I ride. If you're not eating out and you're cooking your own food, a 900 calorie dinner can be quite a lot of food. Just don't eat fried crap.
The biggest problem for me is that I'm often really hungry by 6PM and if dinner isn't ready I can vacuum up the snacks.
My usual breakfast is about 280 calories, which gets me through till 1 PM not feeling either weak or hungry. Then lunch is about 500 calories, and that gets me through till 6 PM. Dinner is about 900-1000 calories, and that leaves another 300 calories for snacking. If I ride, that's between 500 and 900 calories extra I can eat, depending on how long and how hard I ride. If you're not eating out and you're cooking your own food, a 900 calorie dinner can be quite a lot of food. Just don't eat fried crap.
The biggest problem for me is that I'm often really hungry by 6PM and if dinner isn't ready I can vacuum up the snacks.
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I always ask if they have as much surplus money at the end of the month as they claim. They never do. They've always underestimated their expenses. I'm sure nutritionists have the same thing happen all the time when talking about food intake to people. Everyone is undereating and mysteriously still gaining weight.
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6'. Started at 230. Now 200+/- 2 lb depending on the day. Plus I'm riding 125-140 miles/week.
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#94
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When calculating calories based on power meter data, no - conventional wisdom has it that cyclists don't actually differ all that much (the range last I looked at studies - admittedly with trained cyclists - was about is +- 10%) when it comes to turning calories into watts. Of course your basal metabolic rate differs based on age, sex, weight, height and so on but taking that into account is a bit iffy - you'd have expended (a good part of) that anyway just being alive.
Generally, 200W (which on a road bike on flat terrain with no wind is good for about 31-35 km/hr depending on how aerodynamic you are and how efficient the bike is) requires about 720 kcal plus whatever your basic metabolic rate is (which depends on weight, sex, etc) comes out to let's say about 800 to get a nice round number, so 430 kcal for going hard for half a hour is entirely feasible (or more, or less).
As long as you're watchful what and how much of it you put in your mouth, cycling is going to help.
Generally, 200W (which on a road bike on flat terrain with no wind is good for about 31-35 km/hr depending on how aerodynamic you are and how efficient the bike is) requires about 720 kcal plus whatever your basic metabolic rate is (which depends on weight, sex, etc) comes out to let's say about 800 to get a nice round number, so 430 kcal for going hard for half a hour is entirely feasible (or more, or less).
As long as you're watchful what and how much of it you put in your mouth, cycling is going to help.
Also, if 200w on a road bike is equivalent to 31-35km/hr, what would the velocity to watts be, if i'm 15 mph on a fitness hybrid bike?
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The only way age, gender, or weight would affect how many Calories are burned for a 200W effort is if those things influenced the rider's efficiency. And I've not seen any evidence they actually do.
So no, age, gender, and weight won't have any effect on Calories burned.
So no, age, gender, and weight won't have any effect on Calories burned.
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if age, gender & lbs were not factors for the amount of calories burned, then explain why it's part of the one type of formula used.
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Age, sex, and weight impact the probability of someone being able to exert 200 watts for an extended period.
But, 200 watts for an hour burns about the same calories for all of us, ignoring efficiency which varies a little from person to person.
200 watts x 3600 seconds/hr is roughly 720 kilo joules and is roughly how many calories one would burn at 200 watts for an hour, irrespective of weight, sex, and age.
But, 200 watts for an hour burns about the same calories for all of us, ignoring efficiency which varies a little from person to person.
200 watts x 3600 seconds/hr is roughly 720 kilo joules and is roughly how many calories one would burn at 200 watts for an hour, irrespective of weight, sex, and age.
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#100
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