Cutting calories just kills recovery without loosing weight
andyeb
Posts: 407
I'm trying cutting down portion sizes and cutting back on snacks in an effort to loose a bit of weight - currently 70Kg, would like to be 68, since I have some flab around my middle. The goal here is to improve my power to weight ratio.
The problem is, I'm finding my workout recovery is being adversely affected but I'm not loosing any weight.
I try to time my workouts so that I have a meal straight afterwards, or if not I have a glass of chocolate milk straight afterwards.
Generally, I try to eat fairly healthily, although improvements in nutrition are undoubtedly possible. In particular I try to avoid foods that will "spike" my blood sugar and choose healthy alternatives, like brown bread.
I've tried catching a bit more sleep, but this doesn't seem to make much difference either.
Any tips to still recover well as well as loose a bit of weight? I'm not is a desperate hurry, but would like to make some progress.
The problem is, I'm finding my workout recovery is being adversely affected but I'm not loosing any weight.
I try to time my workouts so that I have a meal straight afterwards, or if not I have a glass of chocolate milk straight afterwards.
Generally, I try to eat fairly healthily, although improvements in nutrition are undoubtedly possible. In particular I try to avoid foods that will "spike" my blood sugar and choose healthy alternatives, like brown bread.
I've tried catching a bit more sleep, but this doesn't seem to make much difference either.
Any tips to still recover well as well as loose a bit of weight? I'm not is a desperate hurry, but would like to make some progress.
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Comments
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If you're not losing weight then you're not actually cutting calories so your poor recovery must be down to something else.More problems but still living....0
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If you're not losing weight then you're not actually cutting calories so your poor recovery must be down to something else.
what if due to being more tired he then isn't riding as hard/much therefore burning less calories and so intake and outtake has both reduced. I have a mate who has started pre breakfast rides, just a real easy 20-30 min spin before breakfast kickstart the metabolism and he swears it has helped him0 -
I did find when I was doing a big calorie cut at the start of the year I had to be really careful to eat something straight after a hard workout. But it was always either a meal or chocolate milk the same as what you're doing (and I lost weight pretty easily).
Depending on how much calorie deficit you're aiming for you might just have to put up with not always feeling tip top, but I never felt that bad.
So I'm also inclined to think there's something else, although I'm not sure what...0 -
Brown bread is almost as bad as white bread for blood sugar spikes. Try cutting bread out altogether.0
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If you're not losing weight then you're not actually cutting calories so your poor recovery must be down to something else.
what if due to being more tired he then isn't riding as hard/much therefore burning less calories and so intake and outtake has both reduced. I have a mate who has started pre breakfast rides, just a real easy 20-30 min spin before breakfast kickstart the metabolism and he swears it has helped him
I've experimented with fasted training a bit too. Despite keeping sessions under an hour and keeping the intensity right down (heart rate zones 1 to 2), I had four issues:- Getting ill afterwards - would frequently go down with colds or stomach bugs. Seems my immune system really doesn't like it. I'm normally pretty healthy and don't normally take more than a handful of sick days each year.
- Vastly extended recovery time - if I did my fasted ride early on Sunday morning, it would sometimes be Wednesday or Thursday before I felt sufficiently recovered to complete a hard interval workout on the turbo and hit a new PR. Attempting to work out anyway on Tuesday or Wednesday at normal intensity just resulted in flunked workouts, for example only managing half of the normal number of intervals at the same intensity.
- Feeling absolutely ravenous for the whole day afterwards, despite having a decent breakfast afterwards with slow release carbs e.g. porridge.
- Didn't really seem to help with weight loss at all either.
I think it did however help with overall endurance. But on balance, I feel the negatives outweighed the positives.0 -
Brown bread is almost as bad as white bread for blood sugar spikes. Try cutting bread out altogether.
Fair play. Sometimes I eat Ryvita for lunch. Is that bad too?
I do find brown bread at least leaves me feeling fuller for longer. I can feel hungry again very quickly after eating white bread.0 -
There are limits to what you can do. If you keep getting colds and don't recover quickly enough you are probably just at your limit. Weight loss is fine but after a point the loss in endurance, strength and recovery is greater than any gains from weight loss.0
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I used my fitness pal and a power meter to cut around 200 colorise per day.
I was 72kg and went down to 65kg (i am 180cm) but i lost a lot of power.
My 20' CP went from 280w to 250w.
It took me 6 months to loose the weight and one year to get (some of) my power back.
But i had to put 2kg on.
If loosing weight is what you want then calorie counting and lots of cycling (or even better running).
If you are trying for performance then eat well at the right times & when you are hungry and train hard.
Obree and M Hutchinson had an interesting take on cycling fasted.
If i recall correctly they recommend going hard not slow and for 3-4 hours.
Obviously you need to build towards that slowly and see if it works for you.
In the last year i tried to do a few sessions where i go out for about 90' before breakfast and ride at 80-90% of my FTP (so quite hard).
It worked for me, i didn't loose weight but i went from 15%bf to 13%, which doesn't sound much but it was bloody hard work!
A microwaved sweet potato + cottage cheese is an excellent replacement for bread (brown or white)0 -
OP hasn't told us his height, training volume or how long he's been a cyclist, things which would probably shape the advice he's given.
I'm interested in the relationship between "recovery times" and food intake. I am very familiar with what happens when my glycogen stores run out mid-exercise - low blood sugar symptoms come on hard within the space of about 5 minutes, and don't let up till i eat something. Also, if my glycogen stores are low, my blood sugar is a bit unstable between meals, I can experience dizzy spells etc. 90-120 minutes after last eating. I can bonk sooner on my second ride if the first was within 24 hours of a previous one and i didn't eat enough carbs between.
Beyond that however, whether i have a bad ride or a good ride just seems to be pot luck. Nice scenery , good mp3 playlist etc. can help but are no guarantees. Sometimes I have a rough patch that lasts for weeks, other times i feel unstoppable.
I've struggled with my weight for 20 years and exercise was always the main weapon. I'd just exercise, drinking plain tap water, till i bonked in every session. My resistance to the "bonk" has improved a lot recently, three possible causes -
1) i start drinking sports drinks after 90 minutes or so, realising that the calories they add are nothing compared to the extra burn they enable, from longer workout durations
2) i've been doing 90 minute fasted rides 3 times a week for the past six months. Started to see improved endurance about 2 months ago.
3) I've started eating 80:10:10 macro nutrient balance, basically limiting myself to 25g fat per day and 60g protein. I think it's helped my recovery and the dizzy spells are way less, i no longer get irresistible cravings for chocolate. Paleo, and the current low-carb vogue, simply doesn't work for me.0 -
OP hasn't told us his height, training volume or how long he's been a cyclist, things which would probably shape the advice he's given.
Well since you ask
Height is 180 cm, aged 37. Overall, I'm lightly built, narrow-shouldered but have a bit of a tummy - as do most other middle aged blokes
I typically ride between 100 and 180 miles a week, 40 of which are in one very hard group training ride (20-21 mph average, 2000ft climbing). Midweek I do a mix of turbo intervals (30s on 60s off, 2x20m above threshold), gentle recovery spins on the rollers and sometimes do a 15 mile sweetspot solo ride at lunchtime, averaging 18-19 mph.
I've been cycling casually as a mountain biker most of my life, but I discovered and got into road cycling about 4 years ago.0 -
it sounds like you are training/ cycing to race or compete? so eat to fuel that work. if i was you i wouldnt get too concerned with losing 2 kg. a loss of power, endurance, or recovery will be a bigger concern. most of my events are won by more powerful riders with greater endurance. not lighter ones.
the ability to train, recover, adapt and go again will be heavily influeced by diet. try a month of eating more of the good stuff. put performance first, then let the 2 kg come off later or in the off season period (slowly). i have learnt the hard way that trying to be lighter comes at too heavy a price in performance terms.0 -
Strangely enough I'm totally not interested in racing - just feels like too high a risk of crashing, damaging my bike (pride and joy) and potentially throwing away months of hard work. I enjoy a bit of healthy competition on Strava, but try not to take it too seriously.
I do enjoy sportive events and usually set some kind of goal for finishing time, but that's more to help focus my training, rather than being a carrot or stick on the actual day of the event.
Right now my cycling goal is to keep up with everyone on the hills on the Saturday club run. Working on both my threshold power and loosing a bit of weight seems like a sensible two-pronged attack.
But I hadn't really considered the possibility that I could loose a significant amount of power in the process of loosing weight.
The additional motivation for loosing the tummy is the diabetes health risk attached to carrying extra weight around your middle. I suspect you are right though - off-season is probably a better time to focus on that.0 -
I wouldn't worry too much about diabetes, you're probably within the skinniest 10% of blokes in your age range and you do a LOT of exercise. The main risk factors for diabetes are obesity and physical inactivity, neither of which apply to you.0
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I'd second trying to lose weight in the off season - during the summer I just want to ride my bike and have fun, not worry so much about calorie counting and all that.
How much calorie deficit were you aiming for?0 -
If you're doing that amount / intensity of exercise every week and still maintaining the belly fat, you must be eating too much.
Try keeping a food diary for a week or two and record everything you eat / drink. Be brutally honest about the amounts, and if necessary, measure / weigh everything. It's tedious, but it can be quite illuminating and show you where you can most easily cut calories.
I never got on with eating a calorie restricted diet all the time; I don't have the willpower and get bored after a couple of days. I have been successful with intermittent fasting though. Mondays and Thursdays I eat nothing till my evening meal, and then it's just baked beans or poached eggs on toast. The rest of the week, including the important Fri/Sat/Sun I eat more or less what I like, so getting through the 2 fast days is relatively easy. I can still manage a brisk ride in the evenings after the fast day snack.
Lost 18 pounds between Jan and May, which has only helped my cycling performance. I don't ride as much or as fast as you though. In my defence I'm pushing 58...0
