Estimating energy needs - endurance athlete / IT nerd

ACyclingAdmin

Is there a more accurate way to estimate your energy needs? I'm intense on the bike but pretty chill when off.

I'm a cyclist and train through the typical micro / meso /macro periodization process many endurance athletes use and race competitively in road / criterium racing. During the day however, I'm a computer geek doing systems administration. I spend the day at work on my butt and when I get home I just about do the same thing. I'm trying to get those "last 10ish lbs" off and find myself struggling with that yet I can't increase my training volume too much or risk having trouble with interval sets due to lack of energy from nutrition, over-training, or I just don't have the time.

If you go on the different sites for BMR calculations and such and pick out a 5-6 day activity level for a male about 149-150 lbs you'll get like 2500+ calories which feels like it's WAY off because I'm not very active off the bike, so then I cut back to 2300 or so to try to lose any weight and I'm still maintaining etc... Is this really just a longggggg process of experimentation until you get the numbers down without cutting into your ability to train as intensely?

Anyone else out there has had the same struggle while trying to keep up a training schedule and have any advice? It seems to be a pretty common theme amongst folks I know, and those that are fit are just "those types" that "are / have always been that way"

Mr_Knight

An alternative is to do a full blown cut cycle - drop cals to a minimum, almost all from protein, drop your activity level down to a few walks a week - and blow out the weight in one fast 3 week burst.

Then go back to normal.

ACyclingAdmin

Yeah the only time I really drop like a full pound or so is during recovery weeks where my activity level is just a few thousand kj's burned for the entire week. I'm feeling that's about the only time it is going to work outside of slowly whittling it away by a 100-200ish calorie deficit a day.

distanthorizons

Hey IT,
I do endurance cycling but have been a multi sport athlete for the past three decades. I cycle anywhere from 150-250 miles a week but I love to swim. If you build muscle in other areas of effort you base metabolic rate will help you lose that extra. Try easing into crossfit or just start doing calisthenics or lifting light for endurance and power.

PopeyeCT

ACyclingAdmin wrote: »

a male about 149-150 lbs you'll get like 2500+ calories

This just seems impossible. I'm 70 lbs more than you and I get 1420 calories/day. Are you talking about after cycling? If I ride an hour or more I get credit for an extra thousand or so calories (according to MapMyRide).