Racing on a calorie restricted diet question
ju5t1n
Posts: 2,028
Hi there,
I had a medical the other day and the weigh-in gave me a bit of a shock. So I’ve started a calorie controlled diet, but I also have a few races during September. So my question to the wise people of the training forum is … assuming my races are on Sundays should I stop the diet on the Saturday so my energy levels are okay for the race? – or can I leave it until Sunday morning and load up then?
Thanks
I had a medical the other day and the weigh-in gave me a bit of a shock. So I’ve started a calorie controlled diet, but I also have a few races during September. So my question to the wise people of the training forum is … assuming my races are on Sundays should I stop the diet on the Saturday so my energy levels are okay for the race? – or can I leave it until Sunday morning and load up then?
Thanks
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I would start loading up on Friday evening
you are not a petrol engine, it takes more than just putting super in the tank on Sunday morning and driving like you stole it......
Finding out your salt levels are too low on or at the start of a race is the end of your race...0 -
depends a bit how long the races are. Saturday may be late enoughif you are rested otherwise.0
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+1 for Friday evening.
Why would you compete if you're not going to try your best? If you go in ill prepared you'd be better of not racing and focusing on getting down to your target weight and then going back to racing, rather than an extended period of mediocrity.All the above is just advice .. you can do whatever the f*ck you wana do!
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The Northern Ireland Thread0 -
What do you mean by load up? If you stuff your face, sorry I mean carbo load, from Friday onwards then there's a danger you'll just put back on the weight that you lose through the week.
What sort of calorie deficit are you maintaining through the week and how does that fit in with your training? Big calorie deficits and proper training don't really work.More problems but still living....0 -
Not an answer sorry but I'm surprised that anyone training to compete in racing would have a major weight issue?0
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If he's down to his last few hundred calories worth of glycogen, then it's unlikely that he'll get fat from 'carb loading' in a day or two, he'd have to eat 1500-2000 calories of extra carbs in 1-2 days just to fill his glycogen stores.
And if he was in a 500 calories deficit for 5 days, he'd have to eat over 2500 calories on top of that^ to have an aggregate weight gain over those 7 days. That's 4000 cals a day on Fri - Sat, if his usual on the 500kcal deficit was 2000kcals.
I also wondered how someone racing had a weight issue.
All the above is just advice .. you can do whatever the f*ck you wana do!
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The Northern Ireland Thread0 -
dw300 wrote:If he's down to his last few hundred calories worth of glycogen, then it's unlikely that he'll get fat from 'carb loading' in a day or two, he'd have to eat 1500-2000 calories of extra carbs in 1-2 days just to fill his glycogen stores.
And if he was in a 500 calories deficit for 5 days, he'd have to eat over 2500 calories on top of that^ to have an aggregate weight gain over those 7 days.
I also wondered how someone racing had a weight issue.
With a 500 a day defecit he would still have pretty full stores, unless he is going out training 5-6 hours a day, and then it would be the training that would stuff him up in a race not the diet.
First question, how long are the races, how much are you cutting back on your diet, what sort of training are you doing during the week, how are you recovering from that training.
As for racing and weight issues, I train pretty hard and race but I still try and lose the last couple of kgs that need to go, so it is quite easy for someone to be racing that wants to lose weight. Depending on what you race, it is still very very easy to eat more calories than you use in a day.0 -
dw300 wrote:I also wondered how someone racing had a weight issue.
Ah but I do...
I just weighed in at 95 kgs, I'm 6' tall.
I'm a 2nd Cat ...I got in the points in my last two races despite the weight problem so I'm not bad. Also managed a 56 minute 25 on a road bike this month. So I have the power but could be quicker if I wasn't so fat.
My plan was to stick to 1500 calories a day0 -
the races are 2/3/4 road races so mostly 50 miles ish0
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On barely more calories than the average womans intake?ju5t1n wrote:the races are 2/3/4 road races so mostly 50 miles ish0 -
No, that's the plan for Monday to Friday. The races are on SundaysT.M.H.N.E.T wrote:
On barely more calories than the average womans intake?ju5t1n wrote:the races are 2/3/4 road races so mostly 50 miles ish0 -
Yes exactly. You will never train effectively on 1500 cals per day.ju5t1n wrote:
No, that's the plan for Monday to Friday. The races are on SundaysT.M.H.N.E.T wrote:
On barely more calories than the average womans intake?ju5t1n wrote:the races are 2/3/4 road races so mostly 50 miles ish0 -
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Do you actually believe that Wiggins (in 2010) was consuming 1500 cals per day.ju5t1n wrote:
NOT A CHANCE0 -
ju5t1n wrote:
Pokerface said it was probably 1500 net. I'd be inclined to agree with that.
But don't take our word for it, try it yourself. I'd be interested to know how long you can last.
What weight were you at your lightest? You could be around 3st overweight.All the above is just advice .. you can do whatever the f*ck you wana do!
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The Northern Ireland Thread0 -
Net makes sense.
Lightest was 88 kg0 -
I was racing at 87-89 Kg a couple of years ago putting in similar TT times, I'm also 6'.
I am now down to 75-76Kg but not racing much at the moment due to a lack of races in the country that I'm in.
I lost the weight by using a calorie tracking website, eating roughly 500cal below maintenance and eating exercise calories. As long as you account for your exercise in your calories (eat what you burn) you'll have no problem with training and racing on a deficit of 500 or so a day, let's face it, it's only 2 mars bars. I really don't see any need to carbo load for a 50-60 mile race, just a normal meal the night before, a good breakfast and a couple of bars or other food during the race.
Only use calories tracking as a guide though, if you have a PM you'll be able to gauge what your expenditure is, I dont have one but using my HRM was enough of a guide to allow me to lose the weight.
If you go down the route of using a calorie tracking website such as myfitnesspal or weighlossresources take everything with a pinch of salt; they give my current maintenance calories as about 2200, if I was to eat that I would put weight on, realistically it's more like 2000 for me, my wife has had similar experience. Given the sedentary lifestyles (excluding time actually exercising) that most people live if everyone stuck to government recommended calorie guidelines I'm pretty certain most normal weight people would start putting weight on at the 2000 for women 2500 for men guideline.Nil Points0 -
bigdaveskinnytyre wrote:I was racing at 87-89 Kg a couple of years ago putting in similar TT times, I'm also 6'.
I am now down to 75-76Kg but not racing much at the moment due to a lack of races in the country that I'm in.
I lost the weight by using a calorie tracking website, eating roughly 500cal below maintenance and eating exercise calories. As long as you account for your exercise in your calories (eat what you burn) you'll have no problem with training and racing on a deficit of 500 or so a day, let's face it, it's only 2 mars bars. I really don't see any need to carbo load for a 50-60 mile race, just a normal meal the night before, a good breakfast and a couple of bars or other food during the race.
Only use calories tracking as a guide though, if you have a PM you'll be able to gauge what your expenditure is, I dont have one but using my HRM was enough of a guide to allow me to lose the weight.
If you go down the route of using a calorie tracking website such as myfitnesspal or weighlossresources take everything with a pinch of salt; they give my current maintenance calories as about 2200, if I was to eat that I would put weight on, realistically it's more like 2000 for me, my wife has had similar experience. Given the sedentary lifestyles (excluding time actually exercising) that most people live if everyone stuck to government recommended calorie guidelines I'm pretty certain most normal weight people would start putting weight on at the 2000 for women 2500 for men guideline.
My feelings in a nutshell. Eat sensibly, top up a bit when training. Comparing a weekend warrior with Wiggo or similar is not really fair - the latter rides for his living, adn lives cycling 24/7 over at least some parts of the year.0 -
I just mean start eating normally againamaferanga wrote:What do you mean by load up?0 -
My question was that if my races are on Sundays; can I continue the diet through Saturday, or should I drop it then - or even Friday evening as some have suggested?0
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Consensus seems to be that I should eat normally Saturday as well as Sunday am. I’ll try it this weekend and let you know how I get on.0
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ju5t1n wrote:dw300 wrote:I also wondered how someone racing had a weight issue.
Ah but I do...
I just weighed in at 95 kgs, I'm 6' tall.
I'm a 2nd Cat ...I got in the points in my last two races despite the weight problem so I'm not bad. Also managed a 56 minute 25 on a road bike this month. So I have the power but could be quicker if I wasn't so fat.
My plan was to stick to 1500 calories a day
I wouldn't go as low as 1500 calories if like others have said you want to train decently as well. It might be OK going that low if all you were doing was endurance training and no racing, but start putting in some harder training and racing and you will end up being worse off than before you starting trying to lose weight.
I would use an online food diary and track the amount you eat, and also try and work out what sort of calories you are using on a day to day basis, there are alot of formulas about that will give you an idea. If you don't have a powermeter where you can track Kj used, then it becomes more difficult, but just don't believe the calories a HRM tells you. If anything try and base calories used durign training as around 600-700 per hour, if you use more then that will just aid the weightloss a bit. I would try and stick to around 500-750 calories a day less, it will take longer to lose the weight, but you will be able to train and race effectively at the same time.
Lose weight too fast and you will lose muscle mass, and you might then start losing power as well.0 -
I think that the first issue to resolve is about why someone has determined that you need to lose weight.
You may be "overweight" for a standard graph of weight v height, but most of it may be muscle. If you are a 2nd Cat you've fitter than probably 90% of cyclists - getting to 2nd isn't easy. It's a bit like international Rugby players being declared "obese" by the set tables.
personally, my advice would be to finish your season without changing anything, and then, if you decide that your level of body fat is more than you want, slightly modify your diet, and do more steady miles, through to January. Rapid weight loss is likely to lead to loss of power, just what you don't need whilst you're racing.0 -
Calorie restricted riding is working okay. Stuck to 1500 cals during the week days (and managed all but the last lap of the E/1/2 crit at MK on Ths evening). Reckon I just scraped into the points in yesterday’s race, haven’t seen the result yet though. Same again this week.0
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Because it adds to the flavour?bigdaveskinnytyre wrote:If you go down the route of using a calorie tracking website such as myfitnesspal or weighlossresources take everything with a pinch of salt.0 -
I only have it on chips, never cook with the stuff
Nil Points0 -
Look at the diets of boxers and light weight rower. Calories need to be restricted due to weight but they have to eat at the correct times to enable them to be able to train 2 or 3 times a day at high intensities.
But it's possible for sure."A cyclist has nothing to lose but his chain"
PTP Runner Up 20150 -
60 mile race?
Why would you need to load up at all? Eat a normal breakfast, have some energy drink and a gel or something in your pocket and race?Blog on my first and now second season of proper riding/racing - www.firstseasonracing.com0 -
ShockedSoShocked wrote:Look at the diets of boxers and light weight rower. Calories need to be restricted due to weight but they have to eat at the correct times to enable them to be able to train 2 or 3 times a day at high intensities.
But it's possible for sure.
You're totally right, but these guys train so much that they don't need to try to loose weight, which is where it differs slightly from an enthusiastic amateur racer holding down a 9-5 job.
They probably have to force themselves to eat enough calories to recover properly. I worked with a lightweight rower who would eat a 36 pack of Jaffa Cakes before the morning coffee break in work and he was lean as hell! He's in his 30s now and not as competitive now, so he's doing triathlons and half ironman races now instead. :PAll the above is just advice .. you can do whatever the f*ck you wana do!
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The Northern Ireland Thread0
