Water consumption

[GetAGrip]

I do but barely use it. Torn between EM,Strava and MapMyRide
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(The info below does not count for muscle mass which can change BMR significantly,tis a guide only)
I took And put it into This

The resulting BMR (Basal metabolic rate if you stayed in bed all day) is 1956.68 (calories)

To calculate your daily calorie needs you need to multiply your BMR: 1956 x the level of activity

The eventual figure is what you would consume per day to maintain the same weight. If you are #3 moderately active then 1956x1.55 = 3031cals.

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Since your aim is to lose weight you need to take a small deficit off this figure. Most people would start at -500 until plateau hits (stop losing weight) 500per day deficit over a week is roughly 1lb loss on it's own before you factor in cycling or whatever activity you do.

I worked out the caloric value of your daily eating roughly. 600 cals per day (before evening meal) Add in a couple beers which have no nutritional value (empty calories really) you would still be barely scraping 1800. It's little wonder you are struggling.

This may not make sense but believe it or not you actually need to eat to lose weight. The body simply won't allow any visceral(which packs in around your organs) or subcutaneous fat(the horrible stuff below the surface of our skin) to be burned off whilst you are essentially starving yourself,it's a basic yet somewhat complicated survival mechanism. You've heard of the terms "hitting the wall" or "bonk"? Both of these are related in a way,when you become glycogen depleted and feel faint,nauseous and struggle to maintain pace,you are only relying on fat at this point,it's the same survival mechanism that prevents weight loss when under-eating.
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I've missed bits probably

I know your post was not directed at me, but.........I really needed to read this information.........again. Iv'e got caught up in other factors, such as stopping smoking, exercise and like millions of others in the present climate the general pressures of life. I seem to have got into a rut lately and have been close to giving up. I needed to 'refresh' my approach.
Reading your post reminded me to chill out a bit mentally, and to actually eat more (healthy) food and keep up with the cycling and walking. Thanks .
Sorry Andrew, you can have your thread back now

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I kinda know how you feel, I have to crowbar exercise into my life otherwise it just doesn't happen!

 

[vickster]

Do you actually eat any vegetables or fresh fruit ??!! No five a day there ...you didn't mention all the snacking in your original post, quite a lot of sugary (processed) stuff...and 4 eggs for breakfast (bleurgh I can't bear boiled eggs )

How far did you cycle for your 318 kcals - info I have seen points to a max of 40 kcals per mile unless racing or going up very steep hills

 

[gavroche]

all this talk about calories,fat etc..... makes me feel dizzy. Just eat sensibly and exercise, that's all you need otherwise you are going to become obsessed with it all and forget to have a life!

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I eat tons of vegetables and dried fruit (I know I should eat more fresh fruit). Yesterday was an exceptional day for snacking, I guess because it was my first day back in the saddle after a few days rest. On the whole my evening meals consist of whatever has come from the allotment or in the veg box we get, my wife generally baulks at the idea of eating food that is made in a factory, which helps me on my mission quite a lot!

Yesterday's calories were from 4.37miles (average speed 13.6mpg) to work in the morning and 4.18miles (average speed 13.2mph) in the evening.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Endomondo username Phil Cooper

I think I found you, assuming you're the Phil Cooper with a Colchester postcode

 

[Andrew_Culture]

all this talk about calories,fat etc..... makes me feel dizzy. Just eat sensibly and exercise, that's all you need otherwise you are going to become obsessed with it all and forget to have a life!

My wife's rolling eyes each time I mention cycling serve well at keeping my feet on the ground

 

[Philtofit]

Yep that's me.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

all this talk about calories,fat etc..... makes me feel dizzy. Just eat sensibly and exercise, that's all you need otherwise you are going to become obsessed with it all and forget to have a life!

If it was that simple the world would have zero mordibly obese inhabitants.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Okay, here's today's tally:

7am 2x boiled eggs - 150kcal

8.30am homemade energy oat bar

10am Graze box dried fruit & seeds collection - 100kcal

Noon 5 ricecakes with wafer thin ham - 350kcal

2pm homemade energy oat bar

3pm Graze box dried fruit thing - 120kcal

4pm Big handful of dried fruit

6.30pm Homemade tuna tomato pasta dish with a desert spoon full of grated cheese

Evening 2x homebrew beers 600kcal (ish)

Cycling calories burned - 826kcal


I guess I'm a bit closer to my 3000kcal target, but I know the beer doesn't help, but I fell off my bike today

 

[lejogger]

I know the beer doesn't help, but I fell off my bike today

I'm no expert Andrew, but a couple of beers isn't going to kill you. Nor is an occasional dairy milk or a pizza!
I think it's really easy to get carried away with watching what you eat, and while it is important to get enough fresh fruit and veg and the correct vitamins and nutrients, it's actually pretty difficult to not get everything you need without trying too hard.
Yes to lose weight you need to reduce your net calorie intake but I would recommend doing it by exercising more, not just by eating less. You really don't need to look into it this closely unless you're intending to make the 2012 Olympic squad!

I'm 6'0, and I'm currently weighing just under 12 stone. Before I started cycling I was over 13 and I've been down to just over 11 if I've been cycling a lot and on a drink detox!
When I'm at work I'll cycle 9.5 miles to work on an empty stomach and then have a big bowl of cereal at my desk. I'll usually have a homemade soup with a brown roll for lunch - followed by a standard chocolate bar - then a main meal in the evening. This can be anything from pasta to a home made curry, to a roast. If I'm peckish in the evening I'll have some crackers with a bit of cheese. I'll also go to the pub after footy on a Monday and have 3-4 beers, I'll do the pub quiz on a Thur and have 4 beers and I'll always have a beer after a round of golf and maybe a bottle of wine over the weekend and a few snacks thrown in for good measure.
It's certainly not what medical experts would recommend, but I'll play 90 minutes of football on a monday, I'll have at least 1 round of golf and I'll probably average 130-200 miles a week on the bike at a pace averaging 18mph+. As long as you're not hammering the calories or the saturated fats then within reason eat what you like. It's the exercise that keeps you fit, stong and healthy. If you try to lose weight by eating less then you may get thin, but you'll also get weak.

I appreciate that it's not always possible to invest huge amounts of time in exercise but I find that my commute takes me barely longer on the bike than in the car and I'll burn close to 800 calories a day just getting to work and back. If you've only got 3 miles to work try to add on a loop that increases the distance. Then you don't have to make time at another point to go out again.

It's only my opinion, but I'm not an advocate of those chastising you for an evening beer. I can understand why Bradley Wiggins doesn't allow himself a beer if he's got a TdF to ride, but in the grand scheme of things, if you're offsetting it with a couple of extra miles it will do you no harm at all, and you certainly shouldn't be feeling guilty for it.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I've been making an effort to extend the commute, and love it.

I'd like to see the belly shrink, but I think I've left it too late (I'm 36 next month).

Ultimately all this exercise is making me feel great regardless of any targets

Beer is good

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

I'm no expert Andrew, but a couple of beers isn't going to kill you. Nor is an occasional dairy milk or a pizza!
I think it's really easy to get carried away with watching what you eat, and while it is important to get enough fresh fruit and veg and the correct vitamins and nutrients, it's actually pretty difficult to not get everything you need without trying too hard.
Yes to lose weight you need to reduce your net calorie intake but I would recommend doing it by exercising more, not just by eating less. You really don't need to look into it this closely unless you're intending to make the 2012 Olympic squad!

Diet is 90% of the solution. Eating less (In Andrew's case) as you probably missed would be devastating to say the least.

If you try to lose weight by eating less then you may get thin, but you'll also get weak.

How would one get "weaker"? Please explain. Again I refer you to Andrew the OP,not eating anywhere near enough to begin with.

It's only my opinion, but I'm not an advocate of those chastising you for an evening beer.

It certainly won't be helping. It's not to say that you should never have a couple beers or a glass of wine but just not as often. It's perfectly fine that people assume drinking beers is made ok by riding a few extra miles. In your head maybe,in reality nothing of the sort - It would technically put you in a larger calorie deficit.

 

[lejogger]

Diet is 90% of the solution. Eating less (In Andrew's case) as you probably missed would be devastating to say the least.

I didn't miss that at all. My comment trying to state that eating less was NOT the answer and that I ate pretty much what I liked and exercised more to balance it. A lot of people think losing weight or fat is all about reducing food whereas you can lose weight by eating more of the right foods and exercising more.

How would one get "weaker"? Please explain. Again I refer you to Andrew the OP,not eating anywhere near enough to begin with.

Food is fuel. It makes total sense that someone who eats well and exercises well would be stronger than someone who didn't eat and didn't exercise.

It certainly won't be helping. It's not to say that you should never have a couple beers or a glass of wine but just not as often. It's perfectly fine that people assume drinking beers is made ok by riding a few extra miles. In your head maybe,in reality nothing of the sort - It would technically put you in a larger calorie deficit.

Of course it won't help but what my whole post was intending to suggest, but perhaps wasn't well structured enough, is that for us mere mortals, exercise and food is all a balancing act. 99.9% of us could all do things better by exercising more or eating better but when the goal is only to lose a few pounds, not win the tour de france then why completely avoid the things that make us happy? I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm not going to have the physical build and definition of Fabian Cancellara... I've sacrificed that because I enjoy chocolate, pizza and beer... But I'm still bloody fit and healthy. It's not about one or the other. Compromise is an option.

 

[lejogger]

I've been making an effort to extend the commute, and love it.

I'd like to see the belly shrink, but I think I've left it too late (I'm 36 next month).

Ultimately all this exercise is making me feel great regardless of any targets

Beer is good

I'm 32 next month and I'm fitter than I've ever been. I don't intend to stop improving.
One of my club mates was 46 last year when he smashed his own 24 hour time trial record with 541 miles that he'd previously set about 13 years earlier!