Not feeling good :(

Heatherthecyclist

So since I've been doing MFP I have lost some weight, 9.9lbs down and about 4-5 to go I think though will reassess when I get there.

I've been quite tired but feeling ok (I'm a competitive cyclist and train hard. Not just training to burn calories, but training hard for performance)

I'm on a 1200 base, and then give myself 400 cals per hour for training, and I eat them all back,

Today in particular I feel terrible- headache, sick, overwhelming urge to go back to bed, just feel awful and I have a race tonight Just want to go home from work.

Has anyone else experienced this sort of feeling- wondering if it's just perhaps from running a calorie deficit?

abadvat

A competitive cyclist, looking to lose 15 lbs and on a 1200 meal plan.... am i wrong in assuming you are keeping your carbs very low?!

Heatherthecyclist

1200 base but I'm eating a lot more than that as I train a lot. I'm not really keeping my carbs low- I need them to train, I don't eat pizza, pasta, bread etc but I'm eating porridge and having a lot of carbs in fruit and veg.

cppeace

It sounds like to little calories and possibly not enough carbs. Maybe try upping to 1400 and keep the same for the cycling.

Cerakoala

I am guessing the same as the above posters. Maybe your weight loss is to fast? How much do you have set to lose a week? If you are only looking to lose 1-2 more pounds you should be aiming for a .5 reduction every week not a 2lb It will allow you to eat more calories and lose still. Also would you be willing to open your diary so we can see your food intake? That will help us give you better advice

Heatherthecyclist

I've opened my diary- didn't realise it was shut

I have it set to 1lb a week. I seem to be losing about that. It gives me 1200 base whether I set it to 0.5lb week or 2lb week though so doesn't seem to make a difference!

My carb percentage is already really high coz of the training, if I up it any more I won't get any protein in. I just don't know what to do.

KinoM

Hi Heather, another piece of vital information; what height and weight are you?

Heatherthecyclist

I'm 5 foot 4.5. (164cm i think?) and weigh 9 stone 2.8

I do obviously carry a fair bit of muscle in my legs. Big thighs!

KinoM

Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) looks to be just over 1200 per day based on your height & weight, which means that that is the absolute bare minimum you should eat per day to support your basic body functions. It's what your body would still burn if you didn't move a muscle for 24 hours (heart, brain, nervous system, etc).

From what you're describing as your training levels on the bike you're also probably massively underestimating your calorie burns. At your weight a burn of 400 calories in an hour works out to an approximate average speed 12-14 mph. I've got a feeling if you're training for competitive cycling you could easily be averaging 16-20 mph which would be more like 700 calories burned per hour.

The bottom line is that you're cutting into the calories that your body needs to maintain basic functions. If you're having trouble with the amounts of food involved in eating more try increasing your nutritionally dense foods with healthy fats, such as nuts, peanut butter, avocado, full fat dairy, etc. Your macro split looks fine, you just need more food.

Heatherthecyclist

Do you think so?

As I train all the time and have for a long time, my body has become quite efficient I think. I just don't think I burn as many calories training as I 'should' on paper. My training pace I guess is around 19mph, my racing pace 26-27mph.I don't think I burn 700 cals an hour. It's all guesswork though isn't it- I wish there were some exact numbers!

If I can eat more that would be great, but I feel much better without the extra 10lbs I was carrying before and I don't want to put it back on !!! I still want some more off.

misskarne

While it's possible this could be a dietary issue, can I add another quite simple suggestion?

Do you think it's possible you're coming down with a cold?

Because what you described feeling "today" is very much how I feel every time I get a cold!

StraubreyR

:You could try upping your calories slowly. The idea is to eat as much as you possibly can and still lose. The only way to figure that out for sure is by trial and error. I cycle, although not competitively, and if I'm really hungry after a ride, I eat more. I still lose at a steady rate. As far as what you burn per hour, an HRM would probably get you a closer estimate, but they are all estimates of some type.

The other thing you can do is look into the TDEE method, which is what I use. It takes exercise into account, and gives you the same amount of calories to eat each day, exercise or not. So basically spreading that burn out over the week. I find that works much better for me than having 1500 extra calories one day and then back down the next.

KinoM

Even taking into account the inaccuracies of such a simple estimate, and the undoubted increases in your efficiency with years of training, 400 seems extremely low, given that at 19 mph the baseline estimated burn is 900 per hour. Have you got any heart rate or power/Wattage metrics for the cycling?

Here's an interesting article on cycling calorie burns and calculations/estimates: http://home.trainingpeaks.com/blog/article/how-accurate-is-that-calorie-reading

Heatherthecyclist

Hmmm, maybe I should try up it a bit.

So do you think I should start with maybe upping the base to 1400, or start with maybe upping the cycling calories to 500 hour?

KinoM

I'd suggest starting by upping your base to 1300 (still a 15% deficit to an inactive TDEE) and your cycling calories to 500 per hour. Give it a few weeks and see what the overall trend is. I'd also take care to try and get close to all your macros targets, as you need all three to fuel & repair in training. Your primary goal should be your training and keeping fit and able for it, with slow steady weight loss coming in second place. Otherwise it all becomes quickly unsustainable.

MelodyandBarbells

Them's some big burn numbers for a 129 lb girl

MelodyandBarbells

I've opened my diary- didn't realise it was shut

I have it set to 1lb a week. I seem to be losing about that. It gives me 1200 base whether I set it to 0.5lb week or 2lb week though so doesn't seem to make a difference!

My carb percentage is already really high coz of the training, if I up it any more I won't get any protein in. I just don't know what to do.

Please Check this again. MFP gives me 1370 base calories when I setup my account to weigh 129 lbs and .5 lb per week loss. That said, using the fixed daily calorie method could help you if you'd prefer to avoid tracking exercise calories. If not I would definitely increase the base calories to around 1400

Heatherthecyclist

I think I would rather log the exercise calories than use the fixed daily one as training changes a lot in and out of season, and some weeks are endurance focused where I might have a 6-10 hour ride, others the longest ride may only be 3-4. And with the racing season the volume sometimes comes down and intensity up. It changes so much I think it would be hard to do TDEE.

Perhaps I should up my base to 1400?

With regards to 'big burn numbers', this isn't leisure cycling up and down a towpath at an easy pace smelling the roses, I hit the roads or a turbo trainer pretty hard and fast.

MelodyandBarbells

I don't have specific numbers to back up my claim, but you're just too small. Your initial 400 calorie number for net calories burned is not too far off the mark IMO. For me, going full pelt in one of my classes I'm maxing out at around 550 calories (and losing at the expected rate). Your intensity may be up there but in addition your body is smaller.

I would definitely up base calories to 1400

The exercise I probably wouldn't go more than 500

MelodyandBarbells

I don't know if the info posted here is still relevant. Maybe your numbers truly come up to 700 cals per hour

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/626931-cycling-how-many-calories-burned

KinoM

1400 would put you in a good position to work from, and is still in deficit without taking any exercise into account other than normal 'sedentary' daily activities. Most likely you've got a higher lean muscle mass percentage than most and your metabolism is higher than average, so 1400 is safe.

I'd still suggest a higher per hour figure on your cycling burns too. You need to keep fueled.