Wow, that's a huge amount of calories for 10 hours per week. Can I borrow some of that great metabolism?

I'm about 120 pounds and take in about 2000-2500 calories per day (training 15 hours per week). I might make it to 3500 on 3 hour+ training days.

Jodi

For me it's highly variable, depending on what phase I'm in. Right now I'm in a base phase so I'm actively not counting calories or monitoring weight, but I'm probably at ~2500-3000 calories at ~155lbs. During the build phases I'm typically at 3000-4000 daily in season, at ~150lbs and 3-4 hours daily volume. I usually drop to about 1500 daily for 3 weeks or so leading up to my race phase. Once I hit race phase I titrate my daily intake to maintain race weight (140-145).

Do you really need to cut 10lbs right now? If your A-races are still a ways out, make that one gradual. Also, I wouldn't necessarily go about it by cutting caloric intake at this point, but by upping your volume by 2-3 hours a week.

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I don't count calories, but I just did some figures in my head and I think I'm in your neighborhood and we weigh the same. If you're planning to drop weight, I'd diet for four weeks max, and then eat normally for the next four. Don't stay on the diet long enough to muck up your metabolism. Also know that reducing calories could cause you to get slow and feel fatigued. So you want to lose your weight at least 6 weeks out from any important races.

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i have been cutting calories too because im tapering for my half ironman at the end of this month. on non training days i will usually go to bed a bit early and hungry. on training days i will try to go to bed shortly after eating my after dinner snack. 10 hours per week isn't that much training to be on 4000 calorie diet unless your early in your season as mentioed above.good luck

I've been tracking my caloric usage and consumption in a spreadsheet since the beginning of the year. On any given day, it calculates my base caloric burn rate based on age, height, weight and office-job activity level. I then add on swim/bike/run calories from mileage/duration formulas to calculate my total caloric burn rate for the day. I track everything I eat, enter the total calories consumed in a day then calculate the deficit or excess. I've found that a deficit greater than about 1000cal/d really leaves me run down the next day and makes it hard to get in quality workouts.

Here are the daily averages so far this year:
base daily function calories: 2882cal/d
swim/bike/run calories: 1158cal/d
total daily caloric usage: 4040cal/d
daily consumption: 3475cal/d
deficit: 565cal/d

Based on 3500cal/lb, this works out to a theoretical weight loss of 11.5lbs, which is almost exactly what I've seen on the scale, as my weight has dropped from 200lbs, 21% body fat down to 188lbs, 16% body fat since January 1st.

Craig.

For arguments sake, let's say that you burn 800 calories an hour during training. That would be 8000 calories burned on top of your normal basal metabolic rate. For ease of calculation, let's say that your basal metabolic rate is 2500 calories a day, which is definitely on the high side depending on your age. So over the course of a week you will burn 25,500 calories to train and otherwise stay alive (2500x7+8000). If you eat 4000 calories a day on average you should consume 28,000 calories a week. Assuming all other things remain constant, you have an excess of 2500 calories that you are consuming and therefore should be gaining about 0.7 (2500 calories/3500 calories) pounds a week. If you want to drop weight, play with these number until you get to a slow healthy state of losing that or a little more a week. Please understand that these calculations are all in a vacuum and don't take into consideration any other factors, but it will give you a start.

i had the same concerns and then just went for it and have now been on a -500 calorie deficit for the last 3-4 weeks. i am surprised that 1) i'm not starving, 2) i'm feeling great in my workouts, and 3) recovery remains superb. so it's possible. my strategy has been as follows:

1. eat most of my calories during the day (big breakfast and lunch)
2. lighter dinner and no after dinner snack later on (usually no dessert unless i think i have room and still keep my deficit)
3. eat no later than 8pm (go to bed around 10-10:30, and usually get done working out around 7pm).
4. drink lots of water and plenty of nutrient dense (fiber) foods
5. dinner served on dessert plate and kept to 1 serving


I usually go to bed slightly hungry, but not starving. Also eating more during the day makes me less hungry later in the day, not needing a bigger dinner. Honestly, almost all of the time I feel completely satisfied, not wanting to eat more, and sometimes not able to eat more.

bottomline, a lot of it is mental as i've learned. give it a try...

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About 1500 - 2000. I am sure it is way to low, but it works for me

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My caloric intake varies from day to day. I'll eat more on big training days. I also watch my weight daily. I am looking to stay roughly the same weight as I tend to lose weight very easily. If I see a big fluctuation in weight I'll look at my intake from the previous day or days, including how much fluids I took in and adjust accordingly. Sometimes that means making a conscious effort to eat more or drink more or both. I always try to make healthy choices if I am going to eat more. And ice cream is a good way to add calories too. Ice cream is my personal kryptonite.

Wow....counting calories....and I thought "I was anal"....Holy Weight Loss! For me, I train, I eat really good food, work, sleep, spend time with my family, watch American Idol, repeat....check the scale in the morning and see where I am at....

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Lar Dog

Earlier in the winter I was tracking my caloric intake very closely. I started out at 195 (6'1") and went down to 185 in about two months eating between 2000 and 2500 a day and training about 8-10 hours a week. Exact macronutrient percentages would vary slightly from day to day, of course, but typically I was taking 50% carb, 25% protein and 25% fat (careful to make that the good fats). I think that fat intake really helps to keep me satisfied when I am training a lot. I'm now pretty lean and happpy with where I'm at weight/bf-wise.

I've maintained the weight as I've progressed in my training. Although I don't track it as carefully now, I am guessing I'm putting down about 3,000 - 3,500 a day with the same percentages; and I've upped my training volume (mostly aerobic zone 1/2 stuff) to about 14-16 hours a week.