Cycling on a calorie deficit

[screenman]

Lucky so-and-so, never works for me

Nor me, I swim 5 mile per week hard and ride about 75 miles at the moment, I still have to watch what I eat to lose weight.

 

[up hill struggle]

I swim 5 mile per week hard and ride about 75 miles at the moment

could you not just cycle across the bridges on your commute & do a full 80

 

[screenman]

could you not just cycle across the bridges on your commute & do a full 80

If only I could commute.

 

[w00hoo_kent]

I would question whether advice for Pros is relevant to the OP.

Indeed, although my take on it was if those stick thin racing weasels don't need to take on a few more calories for that ride, I definitely don't either.

 

[BAtoo]

I don't know if it's just in my mind, but I find cycling first thing on an empty stomach seems to work well for weight loss, but I would carry something like a flapjack just in case you really run out of energy. .

It's called "Bonk Training" and there's some info here:- http://www.superskinnyme.com/bonk-training.html & here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitting_the_wall#Bonk_training

Neither very scientific but it gives the "theory".

 

[Pat "5mph"]

that will be more than me then!

And me

 

[G3CWI]

It's called "Bonk Training"

I hit the bonk on a ride some months ago. It was one of the most unpleasant thing I have ever experienced on a bike. I now go to great lengths to avoid it.

 

[BAtoo]

I hit the bonk on a ride some months ago. It was one of the most unpleasant thing I have ever experienced on a bike. I now go to great lengths to avoid it.

I think the thing about "Bonk Training" is that you stop before you actually bonk, it's a shortish period of exercise 30-60 minutes.

 

[camperdown9]

I seam to be putting a very small amount of weight on since I started to cycle. For the past two years I have been following Weight Watchers. In October I got to my goal weight, but I have still been pointing everything that I eat/drink. Last week I was slightly under in my allowances. In other words I didn't eat all my points. But I put half a pound on, the week before it was the same. From what i am eating I shouldn't be gaining weight and the only thing thats changed recently is cycling. Weight loss is not an exact science and I might be a pound lighter by next week. However I am just wondering if a sudden increase in activity is causing me to hold onto water or something and thats why my weights going up?

Alex

 

[cyberknight]

I have

Indeed, although my take on it was if those stick thin racing weasels don't need to take on a few more calories for that ride, I definitely don't either.

Agree with you here , you only really need to consider topping up energy levels if you are going to be riding for more than around an hour and a half at a time as you muscle glycogen stores hold about that much in reserve .

 

[w00hoo_kent]

However I am just wondering if a sudden increase in activity is causing me to hold onto water or something and thats why my weights going up?

Does fat still weigh less than muscle, or has QI/science disproved that one too?

If it does, the the weight is muscle building and not necessarily a bad thing. Purely using wait as a metric isn't great.

 

[michaelcycle]

Performance requires energy availability. Fat loss requires an energy deficit. They are essentially opposing ends of the spectrum. Therefore you will have to accept that if you are targeting fat loss then your performance goals will suffer.

That said it is a question of degree and for most people it won't be an issue as the shortfall in performance won't matter that much unless they are training for a race etc.

I presume you are eating 400 - 600 calories under TDEE (rather than BMR) which is not a hugely aggressive deficit. You should be fine but if you don't feel that way then...eat.

If there's a particularly good item to consume sugar however it is shortly before and during training. Therefore I wouldn't worry about finding alternatives for the common items which are used to fuel rides (I am partial to jam sandwiches myself) unless you want to - just factor it into your calories for the day.

 

[BAtoo]

On my charity ride below ( 14 consecutive days averaging 76 miles) I consumed about 5-6000 kcals daily and lost 2.5 kgs over the 2 weeks.
The one day I got the eating wrong (low-carb meal the night before I reckon) I bonked after 65 miles.

It was great eating so much without worrying! Two cakes a day .

 

[michaelcycle]

Coincidentally I cam across this article today:

http://sportivecyclist.com/cycling-...y-how-giles-lost-one-third-of-his-bodyweight/

 

[crdf]

Hi,
Just wondering what your thoughts are on this? I’ve read a lot of content on this forum since joining up, and a common theme is to make sure you’re appropriately fueled for the trip, with some high energy snacks on hand. I don’t really want to take on this extra sugar/glucose etc because my end goal is fat loss as well as fitness. On the other hand I don’t want my lack of stamina duel to lack of fuel to sabotage any progress. What are your go to high energy snacks that aren’t necessarily cake or lucozade tablets?

I always thought what causes weight gain is saturated fats, processed foods (high in calorie but not nutrition) and salt which causes you to keep water. What I personally do to keep my weight (I'm not trying to loose weight, but I do need to convert some leg/ass fat into muscle, so actul weight is irrelevant for me) is low fat high carb diet (LFHC) or the so called 80-10-10 (811). This allows me to eat "a lot" of calories (I just can't eat too much!) without putting on any weight and have the energy to exercise. In fact me switching to this kind of "diet" is the reason I've been energetic enough to start jogging and I'm soon to by myself a bike, and I intend to cycle as often as possible.

Some people do not like LFHC/811, but I suggest that you research it before dismissing it. Look on YouTube all the successful stories. Admittedly this type of eating is very efficient way for overweight people to loose weight. But those of use that are in the normal range it is a great energizer (no more coffee or energy drink!) and in the long term it will help get rid of the fat, making you both lean and healthy. When I say in the long term this is not a diet to be followed a month or 3, but a life style. When you are not overweight it might take a year or two to see actual changes, but as long as you don't fall back on old eating habits, it is something that will keep you looking good for life. On the other side the effects on mood and how you feel are almost instant.

yes restricting calories or "eat less burn more" will help on loosing weight, if you don't mind putting your body trough that. I personally love to eat.

If you want to nutrition better I advise you research information on this channel. He shows a research that shows specific nuts are the only fat food that burns more efficiently then any other fat foods even while resting and won't fat you up.

Of course LFHC might not be for you. I think cycling is a good way to get fit and you can see all the cycle pros are very lean. So I'm sure results will come at some point, although maybe not as fast as we want it.

Good luck with exercise and getting yourself healthy and fit.