Calorie Counting..?

tinajoy

Do any of you ladies out there count calories? I went on line and found a site that recommends the amount of calories to eat a day and it seems really high to me. How much do you guys eat.....I'm just curious.

HellonWheels

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No, I dont count calories, no reason to!

__________________
"He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior"--Confucius

tinajoy

Thank you for your reply

SaraBikes

I think I eat way too much for a cyclist. I decided to start counting calories. I keep thinking that just because I cycle a LOT (200-300 miles per wk) that I can eat all I want. I eat way too many fat calories and refined sugars. But when I'm cycling I often get this "empty stomach" feeling and rush to eat something, anything, from my bike bag! But I think what is happening is that I'm not really deplete of calories but that all the muscles that are working hard is causing acid reflux and my stomach is giving me this "empty" or "burning" sensation. I would love to shed this extra 10 pounds I have been carrying up all the hills!
Sara
"Live is much like riding a bicycle. If you don't stop pedaling you won't fall off."

tinajoy

How many calories do you allow yourself per day if you are counting them?

SaraBikes

I haven't gotten around to actually writing down the total number of calories. I am concentrating on eating 1/2 the amount I had been putting in my mouth. I also am choosing more healthy foods that aren't so calorie laden. Like: no salad dressings, no fried foods, cream sauces, no pies and cookies. My husband and I eat out several days a week at restaurants and we are now sharing meals. Or I just chose a soup and tossed salad. I love vegtables but just haven't been chosing to cook or eat them. So I'm trying to eat more of those now. Yes, it is boring and not nearly so fun and exciting to eat like this way -- but I am just so sick of this extra weight. For my height and body build (5'4" med frame) I could lose by eating about 1,400-1,500 calories/day. I am considering joining Weight-Watchers. That would motivate me to actually write down the amounts I'm eating. I just started this a week ago, so here's hoping the scale will show some results. Only thing is I wonder how much muscle mass I'm gaining from all the biking. Muscle weighs more than fat -- but it does take up less room. So if the scale doesn't necessarily show a drop the real thing to me is how much looser my clothes will fit.

HellonWheels

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I'd just like to mention a few things that might help you...a few years ago I began watching what I ate not to lose weight, but to treat a medical condition I have (which is aggravated by fatty foods and too much food in one sitting.) I never counted calories because my focus was not weight loss.

I was advised to cut my meals into 5 or 6 smaller ones, spaced out every 3 hours, and limit fat grams. By doing that I stopped the GI problems I was having AND lost a tremendous amt of weight too. It was a win-win situation you could say. When you space meals out like that, you avoid hunger pangs too.

But if counting cals is your bag, remember that fat has 9 cals per gram, while carbs have only 4.

__________________
"He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior"--Confucius

tinajoy

Actually things are looking good for me I've been eating 1820 cals a day and that sounded like to much to me. But I weighed in this morning and I've lost weight...........I guess the woman who wrote the book I read and got the calorie count from knew what she was talking about.

Karenemt

I'm not counting calories per se, but I've eliminated all the "white" carbs from my diet and all sugars. By doing this, I've lost 20 lb since March, a slow and steady loss. I'm hoping to lose 20 more still.

tinajoy

Congratulations! You are doing great!!

trekchic

Hey, while we're on this subject........

I, too, am trying to just lose about 10-12 #'s. Before cycling, I went on a low carb diet for 6 months and lost 40#'! I was amazed. At first, it stayed off even though I increased my carbs a little (back up to about 60 grams per day). I have slowly, but surely, put some of the weight back on. I increased the amount of food I was eating to ride longer distances.

So, now I am back to low carb eating for a few weeks to kick start the losing again. I am reading the South Beach diet book and it's helping me to choose better carbs when I need some glycogen for riding.

If we stay away from white flour, white sugar, potatos and rice BUT eat the fruits, whole wheat pasta, soy flour products, brown rice, sweet potatos and other "non-white" carbs, will that enable us to keep riding? I am struggling with this because I find I can only ride about an hour without running out of fuel. I feel like I've ridden 50 miles instead of 13! and I am done at that point for the rest of the day.

So.........if you're trying to lose weight, and just cycling won't lose weight for me, will this approach work? If so, when do you eat the carbs? Constantly, or only an hour or so before a ride?

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO confused about this subject and no one that I ride with is on the same diet I am.

Kim in TN

HellonWheels

[QUOTE=trekchic]Hey, while we're on this subject........

I, too, am trying to just lose about 10-12 #'s. Before cycling, I went on a low carb diet for 6 months and lost 40#'! I was amazed. At first, it stayed off even though I increased my carbs a little (back up to about 60 grams per day). I have slowly, but surely, put some of the weight back on. I increased the amount of food I was eating to ride longer distances.

So, now I am back to low carb eating for a few weeks to kick start the losing again. I am reading the South Beach diet book and it's helping me to choose better carbs when I need some glycogen for riding.

If we stay away from white flour, white sugar, potatos and rice BUT eat the fruits, whole wheat pasta, soy flour products, brown rice, sweet potatos and other "non-white" carbs, will that enable us to keep riding? I am struggling with this because I find I can only ride about an hour without running out of fuel. I feel like I've ridden 50 miles instead of 13! and I am done at that point for the rest of the day.>>>>

Complex carbs take longer to get into your bloodstream, so they dont give you as immediate a refueling as the simple carbs do. Maybe fill up on complex cabrs a few hrs before a ride, then use simple carbs right after for quick refueling?

__________________
"He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior"--Confucius

tinajoy

Thats why I totally stopped the Lo-carb thing!! I could barely do anything let alone ride. It was just not for me...........I've started eating more like an athlete focusing on improving my performance in both cycling and the other stuff I do. I feel a whole heck of lot better!!! Now I've only lost 4 pounds and it's been really slow......but I can workout much harder and much longer now!! I read a book called Power Eating........and followed th authors formula for figuring a good calorie count for me......I'm still not sure it's perfect but I feel so much better!!! I also found a site through this site called Diet Power.....that helps figure out your metabolic rate and how many calories to eat so pretty soon I should .............have a pretty good idea of how many calories I need to keep slowly losing a few pounds.....THEN I CAN BE A FASTER RIDER???? i hope ...i hope....i hope....i hope

HellonWheels

>>>>

I've heard MANY cyclists and other athletic ppl say the same after trying a low carb diet. Thing is, I debate Atklins devotees elsewhere on the net, and they SWEAR that eating lowcarb gives them MORE energy. They're either lying through their teeth OR they are not physically active (weight loss dieters are notorious for being exercise-phobic.)


Chris Carmichael has a new book out which is really excellent based on what I've been reading about it. As you know he is LA's coach, and he said he wrote the book partly to clear up the confusion that lowcarb diets have generated even amongst athletic and other active ppl. I['d recommend getting his book! I have a pre-publication copy on its way to me.

__________________
"He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior"--Confucius