Eating your calories burnt on long rides
Scudder76
Posts: 108 Member
Hiya-
I know the mantra around MFP is to eat all your calories, including those exercised. I get close to that on days with hard workouts or training rides.
But on the days I ride major mileage I can't begin to eat that burn. I do eat... a lot. On the bike, on a break, after the ride. But I couldn't get close to eating 5 or 6 thousand calories in the day.
Thoughts?
I know the mantra around MFP is to eat all your calories, including those exercised. I get close to that on days with hard workouts or training rides.
But on the days I ride major mileage I can't begin to eat that burn. I do eat... a lot. On the bike, on a break, after the ride. But I couldn't get close to eating 5 or 6 thousand calories in the day.
Thoughts?
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Replies
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Who said to eat all your calories? I will eat more on exercise days, but never anywhere near what I have used for the ride. The only reason to do that would be if you were racing & wanted to make sure that you kept up your strength on a daily basis.0
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Stock up on the carbs from 2 days before you go on a long run it wil make it all the easier..
The beauty of cycling
Happy Riding0 -
I may eat more, but eat nowhere near the calories that my apps or this website tell me that I have burned. On a 50mile bike ride I am told I can burn upwards of 3,000 calories. I'm not sure if that is accurate, but a couple of tracker bars (or similar) is enough to keep me going. I am more concerned about getting enough hydration and it is good (IMO) to find somewhere mid ride for a caffeine boost.
I guess ultimately it depends on what you are riding for. If your already fit and don't need to loose weight then it is probably sensible to eat back more, but if (like me) you need to loose weight, then find a comfortable balance to keep you going without eating too much back.
Hope it helps.0 -
Unless you are doing 5 or 6 hour rides at a pretty serious pace (17 mph or more), it's highly unlikely that you are burning 5000 to 6000 calories in a day (assuming we are talking about your entire TDEE, that's around 3500 to 4500 calories of riding).
MFP, and most heart rate monitors, severely overestimate the calories burned from cycling.0 -
Unless you are doing 5 or 6 hour rides at a pretty serious pace (17 mph or more), it's highly unlikely that you are burning 5000 to 6000 calories in a day (assuming we are talking about your entire TDEE, that's around 3500 to 4500 calories of riding).
MFP, and most heart rate monitors, severely overestimate the calories burned from cycling.
This. My 5-6 hour rides have been 19-21 mph and I find eating 4k is MORE than enough for adequate recovery.0
