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Calorie counting

willhub

willhub

willhub

Caporegime
Joined
3 Jan 2006
Posts
25,388
Location
Chadderton, Oldham
I've started to log my calories because I need to loose weight, and judging by the amount of cycling I do, the fact I'm not loosing weight must mean I'm eating too much. (I weigh 77kg, want to get down to 65kg)

So I've just got this myfitnesspal thing, and logged all the food I've ate today (it logs it from the actual products as they have a large database)

Turns out I've ate 918 calories so far, with a goal of 1570 per day (to loose the weight I want to), now I had 216 cal for breakfast (Oat So Simple), and 702 for dinner.

I then put in I burn 1086 kj (36 mile ride @ 18mph) That equates to 259 calories, now surely I've burnt off more than that? (Strava calculated the kj, Garmin counted it at 2,000 calories so wrong) What is the rough estimate I have probably burnt?

I thought it was 1086 calories, so I put that in and my net is -168, apparently I need to eat 1738 more, which means I may be under eating? But at the same time not loosing weight.

Even with 256 calories added I've got 908 remaining, and I'd have only ate about a further 600, so am I under eating?

Suffice to say, I had 2 sausage, 2 bacon, tin of mushy peas, 4 mushrooms, 1 tomato and half an onions and a strawberry yoghurt for dinner, and it came to 702 calories, I had a 2 hour nap and even after all that I feel like I'm starving.

I'm getting abit parnoid about eating thinking It's going to be too much and I don't know if this app is actually accurate in telling me how much I do or do not need to eat.

All product data is accurate so it's not pulling calories from no where.

Any help would be appreciated.


Thanks.
 
Using a random online calc 2 hours of fast cycling comes out at around 1500 cals burnt.

Your goal calories seems way too low, but taking that number for now, if you eat 1500 cals then after your cycling you break at 0. So you probably want to eat another 1500 to get to your fat loss number.

Under eating hinders weight loss by the way, probably why you don't lose anything.
 
This sort of approach rarely works because calories burnt is dictated heavily by metabolism, which is lowered if you are on a low-calorie diet or an unchanging exercise regime.

From personal experience if you have hit a brick wall in your weight loss, try upping your work-outs to push yourself that bit further rather than staying in a 'comfort zone' even if you are still running/lifting a nominally impressive amount.
 
willhub said:
I then put in I burn 1086 kj (36 mile ride @ 18mph) That equates to 259 calories, now surely I've burnt off more than that? (Strava calculated the kj, Garmin counted it at 2,000 calories so wrong) What is the rough estimate I have probably burnt?
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There are loads of different factors to consider when trying to calculate calories burned cycling (including speed and distance of course): weight, frontal area (wind/drag), climbs, road surface, wind (and other weather conditions), fitness (cycling efficiency). So it's very difficult to get an exact value, but 259 does sound far too low to me.
 
In terms if exercise, yesterday I did 58 miles, about 2500ft of ascent 17.8 mph, windy, today I did 37 @ 18 1500ft, windy, rainy, my HR is probs around 150 160 average, on Mon/Tue/wed usually around 30 miles a day, 10-15 miles usually consists of threshold training, 180-187 bpm average, so I do a fair bit of workouts and currently is not as much as normal, I'm aiming for time trials so not really planning on adjusting training.
 
whats the point in cycling all those calories if your just going to eat them again? you want to lose weight or get fit?
 
So your saying if I burn 1000 calories I should only eat say 800? I'm not unfit, I'm wanting to loose a slight bit of weight so I am faster. I'm 5ft 10 in reply to the poster who asked my height.
 
That's what I am using, and eating my normal amount has come within the amount of calories I apparently need.
 
arknor said:
whats the point in cycling all those calories if your just going to eat them again? you want to lose weight or get fit?
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The point is not to have as small a number of calories as you can each day.
The point is to maintain a small calorie deficit each day, which will probably mean he needs to replace a large number of the calories burnt off whilst cycling.
 
You're approaching the problem from the wrong direction.

Yes - work out a goal for calorific intake.

Do not then try and factor in calories you think you've burned, or exercise for a calorie goal. Without expensive equipment there is no way of knowing how many calories you're burning, because not only is everyone different, but your body adapts and becomes more calorie efficient over time.

1500kcal is also very low, no matter how much weight you're trying to lose.

I've seen a few people use myfitnesspal doing similar things, maybe they need to have clearer instructions...

There are several useful threads in here that should be able to help you out.
 
A word of advice if your counting as I've found. Take a diary of everything you consume over the course of a day no matter how small. I mean seriously everything, tea coffee, biscuits, any snacks no matter how small. You'll be surprised how quickly those sort of things stack up, and put you way over where you think you are.

Best of luck.
 
I don't really have snacks, I notice how just 2 ginger biscuits equal 80 calories, insane.

I'm tired, I'm Hungary all the time, and I can't think properly and get dizzy. Perhaps I was not eating too much in the first place, maybe it's something else.
 
willhub said:
I'm tired, I'm Hungary all the time....
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:eek:

mhungary.gif
 
same here.. i dont over eat im sure.. some days maybe but most i gotta be below my calorie/fat/sat fat limit but my weight wont shift :]
 
grudas said:
same here.. i dont over eat im sure.. some days maybe but most i gotta be below my calorie/fat/sat fat limit but my weight wont shift :]
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Avoiding fat (and saturated fat) could be your problem.

Count your calories, it's more likely that you're over eating than anything else.
 
Is there any reason you want to be 65kg? I'm 69kg (5'10) and skinny as a rake. Don't forget your legs get very heavy from cycling - I'm up from around 63/64kg when I started running and cycling.
 
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