A fasted 1hr ride before a normal breakfast - maximum per week?

[Dan B]

Does anyone who subscribes to the "it's simple, calories out minus calories in" mantra want to take a stab at explaining how the calorific content of a food item is measured? Or, indeed, explain how they know their "calories out" figure either?

 

[Julia9054]

Does anyone who subscribes to the "it's simple, calories out minus calories in" mantra want to take a stab at explaining how the calorific content of a food item is measured? Or, indeed, explain how they know their "calories out" figure either?

They work out the amount of protein, carbohydrate and fat in a food and use the average values of 4 Kcal/g for protein, 4 Kcal/g for carbohydrate, and 9 Kcal/g for fat. Alcohol is calculated at 7 Kcal/g. These figures were originally calculated by burning in a bomb calorimeter

 

[Jon George]

Just to throw a little more spice into the discussion ... a few months ago I watched an interview with a dietitian who had made the study/observation that the best way to gauge if a person would weigh more in five years' time was to ask if they were currently on a diet.

(Nearly up to a stone lost in weight in six weeks just by cycling before breakfast and cutting back on bread and potatoes. Still drinking the same quantity of beer however. )

 

[Dan B]

They work out the amount of protein, carbohydrate and fat in a food and use the average values of 4 Kcal/g for protein, 4 Kcal/g for carbohydrate, and 9 Kcal/g for fat. Alcohol is calculated at 7 Kcal/g. These figures were originally calculated by burning in a bomb calorimeter

Well, yeah. I don't know about you but I derive energy from my food by a fairly complex process that involves masticating it then treating it with stomach acids and a finely balanced ecosystem of gut flora, not by settting fire to it in a steel thermos flask, and I can't help but wonder if that might have an effect on the answers.

I bet it gets a higher calorific value for grass than I would experience, for but one example

 

[Julia9054]

Well, yeah. I don't know about you but I derive energy from my food by a fairly complex process that involves masticating it then treating it with stomach acids and a finely balanced ecosystem of gut flora, not by settting fire to it in a steel thermos flask, and I can't help but wonder if that might have an effect on the answers.

I bet it gets a higher calorific value for grass than I would experience, for but one example

I should have added that they subtract the calories in the carbohydrate found in fibre before coming up with the overall figure.
The calorific content of your food will not exactly equal the amount of energy you derive from it but it acts as a reasonably accurate ready reckoner.
(After digestion, you derive energy from your food by the process of respiration.)

 

[Alan O]

Well, yeah. I don't know about you but I derive energy from my food by a fairly complex process that involves masticating it then treating it with stomach acids and a finely balanced ecosystem of gut flora, not by settting fire to it in a steel thermos flask, and I can't help but wonder if that might have an effect on the answers.

I bet it gets a higher calorific value for grass than I would experience, for but one example

Yeah, I've wondered about that too. I even vaguely remember seeing a demo done when I was at school, with the thing immersed in a water bath with the test substance (can't remember what it was, but it wasn't food) ignited by an electric element. You were supposed to work out the energy released by checking the change in temperature of the water - but like so many school science experiments, the result wasn't close to what was expected!

Anyway, yes, I'm rambling... It always seemed silly to me to assume that the burnable calorific value of a food item was supposed to be the same as the bioavailable calorific value through digestion/respiration. You suggest grass, I wondered about wood and coal. And paraffin - if you burn some paraffin you get a lot of energy out, but if you drink the same amount you just get diarrhea

But I suppose, as Julia9054 says, if they can allow for indigestible fibres and mostly test relatively refined and easily digestible materials, they can presumably get measurements that are close enough to be useful.

 

[Spoons47]

Hello all, just wanted to add my two penneth in case it inspires anybody, it certainly did with my friends and family. I do the low carb diet and went from 14st 8 to 10st 12 in about 4 months. I was taught that sugar is the enemy, which indeed it is but it’s wealth is among the biggest. I still have a few beers and glass of wine and maybe one portion of rice or potatoes a week. To go back to the point of the post even though I’m a newbie I’m already feeling the benefit of fasted rides not just keeping the pounds off but good toning.
Onwards and upwards.

 

[MrGrumpy]

When you say sugar is the enemy do you also cut down the amount of natural sugars ,such as fruit ? I/we eat a lot of fruit.

 

[Spoons47]

On the first three months of diet I stayed away from fruit, but gradually reintroduced it after the main bulk of weight was lost.

 

[4F]

When you say sugar is the enemy do you also cut down the amount of natural sugars ,such as fruit ? I/we eat a lot of fruit.

I do because at the end of the day sugar is sugar, vegetables are your friend

 

[Crankarm]

Just to throw a little more spice into the discussion ... a few months ago I watched an interview with a dietitian who had made the study/observation that the best way to gauge if a person would weigh more in five years' time was to ask if they were currently on a diet.

(Nearly up to a stone lost in weight in six weeks just by cycling before breakfast and cutting back on bread and potatoes. Still drinking the same quantity of beer however. )

And there in lies the reason for your excess weight. Cut out the booze.

 

[Crankarm]

On the first three months of diet I stayed away from fruit, but gradually reintroduced it after the main bulk of weight was lost.

How much main bulk of weight?

 

[Spoons47]

How much main bulk of weight?

3 and a half stone.

 

[Crankarm]

Wow.

 

[Spoons47]

Yeah I know I was shocked too. But I’m still very proud of what I achieved, especially the fact I am keeping it off