ill.clyde

A question: Have any of you guys consulted a nutritionist or dietician?

Here's why I ask.

Over the course of this year (basically Feb to now) I've lost almost 30 pounds through the usual combo of exercise and diet. Exercise = three to four commutes per week (12 miles in the morning, 12 in the evening - sometimes I'll stretch the evening ride) and the somewhat loosely defined and scheduled weekend ride - 10-40 miles depending. Diet = monitoring intake through MyFitnessPal.

So I've gotten to this point (and have been here before) where I'm neither losing or gaining appreciable weight. Basically I'm plateaued, and would like to lose more (another 10-15 pounds) by then end of the year. Year to date I've got just over 2,000 miles in my legs.

Here's where I need help. I feel like I'm hungry all the time (particularly on days I commute). My current MFP setting is 2,070 calories per day. On commute days, I burn a conservatively estimated (based on my HRM data) 1,200 cals (my rides are not lazy affairs for the most part. Most mornings I'll push hard, averaging 16-17 mph. Depending on the morning's efforts I'll ride at tempo or even recovery pace on the way home). I only "eat back" a portion of those calories, generally around 400 or so.

Last week, on the way home, I bonked. Well, maybe not bonked, but I had a moment where I was just spent. I pedaled easy, gathered myself and eventually settled into a tempo and made it home.

I've felt it before, but it was on a century ride. This was a commute.

It's got me quite flummoxed. This week I've changed up a little, and on Monday I had an apple late in the day before my ride home, and I felt fine.

But I have a nagging feeling that I'm just not getting my diet/nutrition right. And I'm wondering if an expert could help? Or am I making too much of this?

Any thoughts/opinions/suggestions/experiences? Thanks!

bbeasley

I've got a good friend who is a dietician. She's looked at what I do and made a couple of minor suggestions. Nothing that made much of a difference. I'm of the opinion that it's really hard to increase fitness and lose weight. This is what many of us here strive to do. We get hooked on the hobby/sport of cycling and naturally try to get better...then there's that whole weight loss thing. I just don't think they go together very well. It can and is being done, but very difficult.

You've done great, losing 30 lbs, maybe it's time to hang out at your current weight for a bit and let your body get used to it. Like a self determined plateau, then take another run at more weight loss?

ill.clyde

I think you're right ... getting better/losing weight concurrently is difficult, if not almost impossible.

Maybe I do need to stop worrying about the number and just give myself time to adjust. Thanks for your thoughts

WonderMonkey

I have. I actually spoke to several before I got a sense that they were in tune with what I was trying to achieve and the hurdles I would need to overcome. Many of my hurdles and such are the same as many here experience. Some have a cookie-cutter approach while others take the time to listen and such. Much like other areas of life. She pointed me in the direction I am now and I still consult with her to modify things as my direction and abilities change. For instance helping me use sports performance products to help with the various things I do with exercise.

I AM 100% SATISFIED THAT WHAT I AM DOING ENABLES A LIFESTYLE CHANGE RATHER THAN JUST BEING ON A DIET.

I am so pleased I reach out and help others where I can and funnel to her as needed. I'll share with anybody here. I believe in it.

Willbird

I have seen several people on MFP who stalled for a long time, then said screw it and entered maint,then started losing 1-2 lbs a week, so maybe give that a shot ?

salreus

I am/have been on a weight loss program monitored by a doctor. Not just some weight loss clinic, but someone with a degree and weight loss certified. I am at 300 lbs right now and my calorie plan is based off of about 1000 a day. I eat 3 meals at 160 calories of physician grade meal replacement during my work day. And then consume about 500 calories for dinner. On the weekend when I do my longer 30 mile rides. I eat a egg mcmuffin which is about 300 calories before i head out.

Turzy

My question may sound silly, but have you adjusted your caloric intake to your "new" weight ? If not, well maybe you could it a try. If you have, it might be time to go on a maintenance phase for a few weeks.
Now, don't focus too much on the weight only, you could, and should, watch your body composition too, that'll give a better picture of what's going on.
And maybe try to get more green veggies in your diet, it should help you feel "fuller", or at least, less hungry.

mrodgers

Agree with this. 2000 calories is about what I think I should eat right now to maintain. I didn't see a weight number specified for you.

salreus

I can tell you from my experience that water consumption plays a huge roll on weight loss. Being a slacker at drinking water, I have found I lose less weight on days where I drink less than 64+ oz of water than days where I drink closer to 96 oz of water a day. Give more water a try. Drink about 100 oz a day for a week and see if you have better results. And I am talking about 100 oz on non riding/exercising days. Obviously you would do more on exercising days.

ill.clyde

Not silly at all ... a great question. The answer is yes, so as my weight dropped and I allower MFP to recalibrate basically, which is what put me at the 2,070 calories figure. Switching to maintenance bumps that up by 1,000 calories (which sort of surprises me). And I defintely should eat more green veggies. I've been a little lacking in that department and should get back to at least eating lots of green salady stuff at lunch.

FWIW, I'm currently at 265 pounds. As I said before, the previous MFP setting was 2,070, but looking at it more closely, that was for losing two pounds per week, which at this point I don't think is realistic anymore.

I'd love to get to 250 by Thanksgiving.

ill.clyde

Excellent suggestion. However, generally speaking at work I drink at least 60, and sometimes 80 ounces per day, then probably another 32 to 48 at home in the evening, and on days that I ride that's on top of what I drink while riding.

Judi

If you're hungry all the time, cut back on carbs and increase your protein a little bit. Eat carbs before your ride if you need them.

It sounds like you either need to cut back on calories or add some other exercise, maybe weight training to add muscle mass which will naturally burn more calories. When you say you're eating back 400 calories, do you mean you're eating the 2070 from MFP and then another 400? That might be why you're not losing anything right now. You might try sticking to the 2070 and see how you do.

ColnagoC40

I use MFP religiously when it is time to drop to racing weight and every time my results are very accurate, with theory matching practice.

The first time I did this, the goal was 25lbs down, now I am normally about 12 lbs high after weight training beginning of season and lose it by the racing season.

My racing weight is 168 lbs. and I would normally target to lose about 0.75lbs a week. Losing faster it becomes a stretch.

So, 2070 would be a bit high for me, I target around 1,750 and if I am not sure I will weigh what I eat to get calories consumed reasonably accurate. It is important to track calories on the bike accurately, I use a power meter for that. The 1750 is not enough if you burn calories on the bike, you need to compensate for that. So, for instance if I do a ride which comes to 1,000 calories spent, I will add that to the 1750 and consume food/nutrition to net a 2750 calorie consumption. If you cheat by not replenishing calories spent, your body will protest and things just don't work out. I also find my weight loss week to week is not that accurate, but looking at monthly low weights it is pretty accurate and to plan.

When I dropped the 25lbs, I did a worksheet and my actual weight loss was within 99% of what it should have been theoretically.

As far as nutrition goes, MFP gives you an idea of what you may be short of, but i normally cut the carbs and overload the protein.

Good luck!!

ill.clyde

I have done that to a degree ... have definintely been very much more aware of protein versus carbs, though looking back through I could see I still had about 15-20 grams of protein left to consume on a given day. Definitely plan to address that.

Here's what 9/2 looked like for me (chosen because it's a garden variety day of commuting).
Calories in - 2,360
Calories spent (exercise - commute to/from work) - 1,351

So net calories for the day would be - 1,009

ColnagoC40

1009 net calories would slowly but surely kill me. Probably go through a divorce first.

ill.clyde

Unfortunately a power meter isn't really in the budget right now, however I do use an HRM because I know that MFP OVER estimates caloric burn (based on my Polar at around 50% over, which is a staggeringly incorrect figure). Though I may still be over valuing the burn (and as you yourself probably know, online "calculators" seem to be all over the map too).

I wonder (if what I bolded above) isn't the answer to the question. Maybe I'm doing that. I've been really careful about not "eating back" what I burn, or at the most, eating back a small portion.

ColnagoC40

You have to eat back what you burn, otherwise your body will start protecting itself by robbing energy to try and store fat. If you target losing more than 1lb a week, same thing happens. I find Strava calories consumed are pretty close to using the calculation from a power meter if you include heart rate, so you should be fine. I use either a Iphone with Bluetooth strap or a Garmin 800.

As mentioned after my 25lbs down I did an excel worksheet of calories in, calories out including those on the bike and what i should have lost and it was dead accurate.

ill.clyde

Could be why I feel tired at times too ... thanks a bunch ... you've been very helpful!

linnefaulk

Have you dieted before? A while back there were some articles about those who yo-yo diet have to eat less than those who have never dieted to maintain weight. I am pretty sure this is the case for me. When I follow MFP and my goal to lose 1.5 pounds per week, I am lucky to maintain my weight. I guess I am one of the "lucky ones" whose metabolism is really screwed up. When I exercise, I let those calories sit, 500-800kcal, but will eat some back if I rode for over 2 hours.

If you are hungry soon after you have eaten a well balanced meal, try eating the protein first. Protein takes the longest to digest and will slow the absorption of the rest of your foods. It will lessen the occurrence of blood sugar spikes and crashes as well.

I learned a lot from reading Eight Weeks to Optimum Health by Andrew Weil.

Dunbar

LOL, so true. I always cringe when people mix heavy aerobic exercise with calorie restricted diets. Most calorie restricted diets are aimed at fairly sedentary people or those whose idea of exercise is 30 minutes on the treadmill 3-4x per week.

Black wallnut 

I agree that if you are only netting 1000 a day you need to eat more. How active is your job? What do you do and where did you set your activity level? 2 pounds a week loss does equal a NET deficit of nearly 1000 calories a day. If you do not eat back your exercise calories then you are asking your body to lose more than 2 pounds a week. It is no wonder to me why you are hungry.

FWIW I have my goal set at 2 pounds a week. I work a desk job so my activity level is as sedentary as it gets and my daily before exercise goal is 1270 calories. About half the time I go over in that I eat back more than my exercise calories. My exercise calories come from my Garmin 510 which from what I have read seems to be the second best algorithm for figuring burn, power meters are all that is better. I am slowly losing weight. This July I scaled back my goal to 1.5 pounds a week and nearly plateaued losing only 4 pounds over two months according to my DR's scales. Since bumping my goal back up to 2 pounds a week I have done better for some reason. I try to over estimate any food calories when I do not weigh or measure. The one thing I do almost without fail is drink lots of water, at least on work days averaging 12 cups a day. Then more when I am on my bike. I have also added running/jogging lately. This is partly due to my desire for better CX results and partly due to @IBOHUNT and the inspiration he gives me. Besides that many that I follow on Strava also seem to run, some days there are more runs posted than rides. However I only started running because I am so close to dropping under 200, If I was still >230 then IMHO swimming would have been a better addition to cycling than running. Some find that weight training works for them. Part of the point I'm trying to make is it can help to mix it up. Adjust your goals and coast for a while or add a different exercise but make sure you address the hunger.

As far as asking a nutritionist or dietician; my experience has been that often their advice has been suspect. It started while I was in HS and worked in a large 205 bed nursing home kitchen. Our dietician would have to give us training about nutrition and her advice although based on here very recent education was not correct then or now when it pertained to what endurance athletes needed. Years later while sitting in a class aimed at diabetics and pre-diabetics the information provided about diet and nutrition also did not agree with what I had read on the subject. Besides that what I have been doing as far as diet and exercise and I submit exercise is the more important of the two has as my Dr. tells me cured my diabetes. Exercise for better health, diet for weight loss, actually calorie tracking more than a crash diet.

I also agree that it is very hard to lose weight and improve athletic performance at the same time. From adding the running at my age I am simply not able to work as hard on the bike. Rest became much more important and I choose active rest partly due to losing weight being high on my list of goals and my sedentary lifestyle being the other reason however I might recover quicker if I took more rest days.

MikeRides

I lost 65 pounds in the last 1-1/2 years. I drink nothing but water all day, somewhere around 3 liters if I had to guess. I don't count intake calories, but my correctly calibrated bike computer(taken with a grain of salt) says i burn off around 1700-2500 calories* on my daily 10 mile R/T commute. I honestly don't think I eat all that much on a day-by-day basis. Coffee w/a bowl of cereal or pop tart in the morning, 6oz low fat yogurt sometimes with granola for lunch, and lean meats and green veggies or whole grain pasta for dinner.

I've noticed the last month that I've plateaued, both fitness and weight loss. I only chalk it up to my body adjusting to more exercise, eating less (I used to be a very sedentary couch potato with my hand in a potato chip bag). I figured fitness may improve with a secondary workout to counteract with cycling.

*varies depending on how much I feel like pushing myself

ill.clyde

I've got a desk job as well, so yes, sedentary here as well. I think I'm going to spend some time in MFP and make sure things are set where I think they need to be, and go from there. I also think you're right about switching things up a bit. Earlier this year I was lifting three days a week, but I set that aside when the weather turned good and I wanted to ride as much as possible, so I'm going to get back to that as fall starts to arrive more and more.

I do think you guys are right ... it's time to kind of level set and re-evaluate things. And I'm starting to thing that yeah, maybe I've not been eating enough. Not that I think I need lots more ... but maybe some well-placed, healthy snacks would be a good step.

Lastly I think I need to adjust my expectations a little, particularly when it comes to improving performance versus losing weight.

I'm probably in the best shape I've ever been since high school, and that's nothing to sniff at.

Thanks for all the good insight today folks ... it's really appreciated

miggy_smalls

I too am using MFP religiously and tracking and riding to lose weight. Last march i was 275 and dropped to 245 by sept, then i gained 10+lbs back over winter and in Feb went back on MFP and riding on my trainer and then commuting during the summer. Im down to 215 now and want to get to 200 by year end. Ive hit some serious plateaus throughout out the summer that made no sense to me. But i read this about hitting plateaus and working through them that made sense. YMMV but it seemed to work for me. especially the part about adding more calories during that plateau phase for that short period.

Willbird

What is your height ?MFP has me at 2040 and I am 230 lbs and 5'8", and set at -2 per week. Exercise goals do not seem to change the calorie goal, and I have it set to "Active".1% of your weight as a weekly loss is not a crazy goal by any means.One lady I know who races time trials eats back 400 cals for every hour of training or racing, She trains at 19mph on a road bike and races at 24-25 on a time trial bike, so her wattage output is surely more than mine.