Eating enough with lots of exercise

Kelbelle30

Hi,
So I'm falling into a bad pattern where I stick to healthy for a few days or a week then crash and gorge on carbs/sugar.
I'm aware this means I'm not eating the right things.

I'm currently doing 90 min cycle ride over a massive hill every day (one day to work, the next day back, etc - it's 12.9 miles) Burning around 1000 calories doing this.

I don't think I'm eating enough of the right things to fuel my body for the exercise, and so I'm bingeing to make up whatever I'm missing, and overeating.

My daily diet (healthy, and rarely changes, I like the same foods over and over)

Breakfast:
If I cycle in the morning:
1/2 baked beans, 400g loaf brown two slices, soya butter
If I cycle in the evening I have honey nut shredded wheat and soya milk

Snack: Humous (1/3 pot) and celery (entire pack)

Lunch: Chicken stew incorporating chicken, carrots, leeks and stock

Snack: 4 jacobs crackers with 2tbspn smooth peanut butter
If I'm cycling in evening I'd add a scotch egg

Dinner: Salmon poached with courgettes, carrots, leeks, sometimes add brocolli, cauliflower, green beans and spinach
Or: Baked sweet potato with spinach and feta
Or: 50g brown rice, chicken breast, pineapple and pepper in sweet n sour sauce
Or: 50g brown pasta twirls, pesto, mushrooms, bacon

I've usually got 2-300 calories left at end of good day, but haven't used all my protein
I take calcium and zinc supplements as I don't get calcium due to lactose allergy

So - I think (a) I'm not getting enough protein and (b) I'm not getting enough carbs to fuel the exercise I'm doing, hence my crashing-and-bingeing.

I'd be really grateful for any nutrition advice, especially with regards to weightloss. I'm 30lbs overweight and I thought I could do this, but clearly somethings going wrong!

Thanks,

Kel

Nicklebee93

1. It sounds like you're not eating enough, first off. How many calories are you actually eating? And then you burn 1,000 (are you sure?) then you should at least be eating back 50%-75% of those calories back. Now this isn't saying you're in starvation mode, that does not exist. But losing too quickly isn't a good thing. As you have already discovered it brings back negative things, feeling run down, tired, losing muscle mass, etc.

2. You need to stop binge eating. Even if you're correct on the days you're good, you could completely wipe out all the effort you did. How much do you go over by? You could actually start causing yourself to gain weight.


** So... fix your calories. I would recommend you eat roughly 1,300-1,500 calories everyday. Measure things out, buy a food scale. You need to get your eating habits under control before you even worry about exercising. Keep this going for 2 weeks, weigh and measure yourself. Try to keep track and see if you lose anything. Then add back your exercise. Slowly. You don't need to overwork yourself to lose weight. Walk 30 minutes each day if that's what you choose to do. Over working yourself is just as bad as overeating. You're not going anywhere with these "crash" diets. **

IGbnat24

I highly doubt you're burning 1000 calories biking just under 13 miles, no matter the time it takes or the hill. I'd venture to guess its more like 4-500.

How many calories are you currently eating?

lemurcat12

IGbnat24 wrote: »

How many calories are you currently eating?

This is the question. I find that when I undereat and exercise a lot I will end up going over eventually, so if I'm going to be fueling lots of exercise having a more moderate deficit is more significant than food choice.

I also tend to feel more satisfied overall with more protein in the morning, so I'd add that. Your dinners look like they are sometimes low on protein too--you seem to be mostly choosing between the starch and the protein (bacon isn't a great source of protein, since it's typically more fat).

Good protein goal when active and at a deficit is .65-.85 g per lb of goal (healthy) weight.

If your calories are low more starchy carbs might be one way to up them (I'd experiment and take note of how you feel).