Originally Posted by JugglerDave
I'm a relative newbie... over the past year I've lost about 18 pounds, and I do a 32 mile ride about once a week.
I was wondering what the maximum calorie deficit can be for a single ride? I've read that you have only 1500-2000 calories of glycose in the muscles to be used before bonking. I've seen posts recommending eating 250-350 calories per hour. I would estimate that for a fairly fast riding pace 600 calories per hour is not out of the question, and 35-40 calories per mile is about right for my weight (175) and speed (16 mph on a hybrid).
My question is whether the 1500-2000 calories of glucose is an upper bound on the net calorie deficit during a ride, because it's very difficult to replace the glucose stores while riding?
E.g. assuming all the above, does this mean that I can either ride for 40 miles without eating anything, to the point of bonking, and burn about 1600 calories? Or I can burn 600 and eat 300 calories for net -300 calories, for about 5+ hours (75-90 miles) and have the same 1600 calorie deficit maximum?
-=$>Dave<$=-
Well, do you really want to know how to eat optimally for fat loss from riding, or do you just want an estimation that may or may not work, which could lead to even more frustration down the line when things possibly don't work out?
Ok, it's a long, run on sentence, but it's so difficult to know how many calories you are burning without some type of measurement. You are asking a REALLY great question- and the best way to answer it is to find a dietitian or nutritionist that has the BodyGem- the basic ones measure resting metabolic rate so you can figure out how many calories you burn throughout the day, but the more advanced BodyGem devices will measure you while you're exercising, and it can tell you how man calories you are burning while you're working out. Based on those measurements, the nutritionist or dietian can sit down with you and give you an optimal eating plan based on the goals you want to work towards.
Dood, I don't know much about you, so it's hard to say. Folks with a higher amount of muscle, or more testosterone, or more active thyroids, or more physically active throughout the day will burn more calories. On the other hand, if someone is very active but not eating very much, then they actually could be burning less calories, since the body will work to conserve energy, since you're not fuelling it correctly. Hence my thought that it would be cool for you to see a dietitan or nutritionist who offers an eating plan based on using the BodyGem.
Koffee