How many calories/day are you eating?

Just curious as to how many calories you guys are eating per day. I’m trying to slowly lose a few pounds this winter before spring, but falling off the wagon is common for me. I’m training about 10 hours per week. 5’8" 175 lbs. Scale says I’m 14% BF. During the summer I"m usually 169-170.

I’d love to be 160 but find it very hard to lose weight while training. I started counting calories again a couple of weeks ago. I tried to do 1800 calories/day but I found it too hard, felt too weak. I am including sport drinks and recovery calories as well. I bumped it up to 2000/day and feel a little better but still a bit weak.

What would be a sweet spot for caloric intake for training 10 hours/week trying to slowly shed a few pounds before race season?

I’m currently in my “weight loss phase” of the year. I’m also 5’8", but sitting at 147 pounds, with the goal of 138 pounds for late spring. Right now I’m consuming about 2,300 to 2,400 calories to lose about a pound per week. I’m riding around 9 or 10 hours per week. I normally burn 800 to 1000 calories per hour on the trainer.

I find any less calories that this, feels too little.

5’10" sitting at 153, training 12-13 hours a week.

I don’t count calories. I just weight myself every morning and adjust my diet. I’ve done this for long enough that I know what small changes I can make to lose/gain weight.

For example, I know my current diet, which includes one, maybe two, cheat meals a week will help me maintain my current weight. To lose more all I need to do is eliminate the cheat meals but I don’t want to do that. Maybe a month or two before my A race of the year.

Sadly I find that if I’m not at least a little bit hungry during mid-morning or mid-afternoon (and I ignore that or eat some carrots or something like that), then I’m not losing weight. I also find that I need to go to bed at least slightly hungry or else it doesn’t work. It isn’t scientific, but hunger tells me that my body is going to use other reserves rather than what I fuel it with during that time.

Unfortunately, I’m hungry ALL THE TIME! My technique involves planning my menu ahead of time and eating at a fixed schedule. Otherwise I would be snacking constantly and crap food.

I will occasionally count calories out of curiosity, but it never lasts more than a day or so. My metabolism has been running like crazy on (12-16 hr weeks) and I have found myself pretty much snacking all day long every two hours. For the most part, these have been pretty clean foods such as fruits, nuts, cliff bars, etc. I try to stay above 3000cal a day just to give myself the energy i need to finish my workouts, outside of that as long as it isn’t crap I will eat it and have lost 5lbs over the last 2 months from a pretty lean frame (currently 6’ 153).

Are you falling off the band wagon in terms of what you are eating or how much or both?

IMO, calorie counting becomes alot less important when you are eating clean foods…3000cal of clean food looks different than 3000cal of mcdonalds ( i love them both though). I say this with the caveat that it can remain important for folks to maintain weight, IE i am at race weight just did a 4 hr ride, burned 2000cal and now need to supplement with a super nutrient/calorific dense shake to offset that workout or however they want to attack that calorie deficit.

I think it would be difficult to pinpoint a sweet spot for a 10 hr week as alot depends on the workouts being executed, but i think 600 cal/hr could be a safe guesstimate for caloric burn so add that to your BMR and target to eat less calories than that if you are going to count.

Just curious as to how many calories you guys are eating per day. I’m trying to slowly lose a few pounds this winter before spring, but falling off the wagon is common for me. I’m training about 10 hours per week. 5’8" 175 lbs. Scale says I’m 14% BF. During the summer I"m usually 169-170.

I’d love to be 160 but find it very hard to lose weight while training. I started counting calories again a couple of weeks ago. I tried to do 1800 calories/day but I found it too hard, felt too weak. I am including sport drinks and recovery calories as well. I bumped it up to 2000/day and feel a little better but still a bit weak.

What would be a sweet spot for caloric intake for training 10 hours/week trying to slowly shed a few pounds before race season?

Disclaimer: I’m in the opposite situation. I’m trying to put on weight. (I’ve just added a banana+almond butter afternoon snack, and a protein bar+chocolate snack and that appears to be helping).

I would ignore calories because they are too imprecise and you may end up focusing on the quantitative aspects of your diet rather than the qualitative aspects. Think about this: if you’re eating a nutrient-deficient carb-heavy 2000 calories in 2-3 meals a day your body will behave very differently than 2000 calories from 3 meals/2 snacks in the form of nutrient-rich macronutrient-balanced food.

Simply cut out any kind of refined carbohydrates, always pair a carb with a fat/protein and eat as many vegetables as you can. That will help you regulate your insulin levels, and paired with the training your body will start to burn more fat. There is a multi-week adaption period you’ll have to push through when you will feel flat at times however. If you eat lots of vegetables you’ll feel satiated and you’ll be sure to be getting your vitamins/minerals.

I just started to count calories again to lose weight. I’m 5’4" 148 lbs. Eat between 2000 and 2400 calories to net under 1400 a day

I have just recently made the successful change to proper caloric intake even with an active triathlete exercise regimen. I posted about it a before recently, but will recap since it’s working so well for me.

I am never overweight - not rail-thin, but never more than 5 lbs of race weight, or 7-10 lbs over ‘ideal’ (think too skinny) race weight. 6-pack abs, good muscle definition, zero love handles, etc. As such, losing weight has always been hard, as there’s not a lot of excess there. I also eat fairly well - minimal packaged foods, mostly vegetables, sparing meats, and whole grains.

My key:

COUNT CALORIES. I know, sounds like a total pain in the rear, but once you start, after a few days it’s shockingly easy (esp with an app like LoseIt!) and holds you accountable.

I used the simple caloric estimate per Fink’s Ironfit book of 11kcal per pound of current bodyweight should lead to approximately -500kcal/week, for -0.5lbs per week of weight loss. You have to add exercise calories back to that total - it’s also very easy to estimate workout calories once you do it a few times.

I’ve been doing this for 8 weeks now, and have loss 4 legit pounds on the dot. (Not just water weight - this is after full hydration and salt.) Minimal hunger pangs, and you are fully able to crank out all your workouts, even the big ones, without being deficient on calories and bonking out.

Even more importantly, you lose that awful guilt of eating food that you get otherwise if you use the simpleminded “just eat less” approach with no goal in mind. I did that for awhile, and invariably I’d keep at it for 3, even 4 weeks, then overdo it some days leading to awful hunger and awful workouts, and then the inevitable binge eat to compensate. With this method, there is NO binge eating needed - you feel satistifed all the time, which makes the ‘diet’ work.

I highly recommend this method. It’s easy, effective, and for data geeks like triathletes, works very well as motivation to stay on track when you log the calories.

I weigh around 175 in the off season and race around 162 (road and mtn, no tri). I lose the first 5 pounds very easily just eating 3000 per day in addition to whatever I burn.

So a 3 hour 2600kj ride I’d eat around 5600 cals for the day. My grocery budget is almost as much as my rent.

-Physiojoe

~2700-3200kcal/d

5’10" 142lbs.

I do not track calories, maybe good/bad, but I don’t do it (anymore). I’ve had success eating a pretty regular diet and supplementing that by fueling my workouts. Maybe a Nutrigrain bar and a banana before a ride (depending on how long, more or less), some chocolate milk or a protein shake after. But the other meals I leave alone. If I’m feeling like I’m not recovering or I’m feeling pudgy, I adjust the pre/post-workout fuel.

But I’m not focusing on a macro-number of calories per day. Your body changes over time, and I’ve had to tweak that strategy over the years. But the basics of eating a regular, healthy diet - for me, a large breakfast (oatmeal with fruit and peanut butter common) early morning banana/fruit, lunch, afternoon snack (90% of the time some carrots with yogurt-based dressing, I’m boring), and a relatively light dinner.

I have a pretty common roster I call on. Keeps things simple and efficient.

Started counting Calories in November when I got my 920 as it synchs up to "myfitnesspal’ so I can see all sorts of stats. I have it set to lose a pound a week (for me that is 1500 calories in, without additional exercise). I try to keep my Caloric intake below that. So if I do an hour run and “earn” an additional 500 calories then my daily target would be 2,000 and I’m happy if I can keep it to 1,500 but OK if that bumps to just under 2,000.

This meant that I didn’t gain any weight during Christmas even though I had some days that well well over my Target Caloric input. Since Christmas I am down over 10 pounds but at least 5 of that is due to illness (although during a 2 week stretch I only worked out about 3 hours total - too sick).

3000cal of clean food looks like a different than 3000cal of mcdonalds

And therein lies my problem.

Also, we need ages listed with height and weight. I could rack the calories up in my 20’s. Once I hit 30 that all changed. Now I’m 40 trying to get back down go my college weight. I eat decent at mealtime, but my snacks in between are what have to change if I’m going to drop some more anytime soon.

5’7", high school 140s, college 150s, maxed at ~200 in my mid 30’s, started triathlons, now back to low 160s.

I just started counting for the first time. It’s interesting if nothing else. I’m 5’10". I was 157 last fall and crept up to 163 over the holidays. I’d like to get down below 155. I typically lose pretty easily without worrying about eating when I’m training but I did plateau at the 157 weight so I thought I’d put some structure around it.

I’m using Lose It and I’m targeting 2200 per day. I have to say that I’ve found it easier than I expected so far. I can have eggs and fruit for breakfast, a morning snack like a banana, a turkey wrap (not some plain boring wrap, I put mayo, cheese, etc. on it) and salad for lunch, a small snack in the afternoon like even a cookie, and then a reasonable dinner (last night I even had 2 slices of pizza) and I’m usually right there. I don’t really feel like I’m limiting my intake.

I doubt I’ll continue this counting thing too long but for now I actually get some satisfaction out of logging it all.

Depends on if I eat a big bag of peanut butter M&Ms or not…

(last night I even had 2 slices of pizza) and I’m usually right there. I don’t really feel like I’m limiting my intake.

I don’t understand this, you contradicted yourself.

good point on age 27/ 6’ /153lb
.

Not sure what you mean? I don’t consider a couple of slices of a large pizza with the works from from Papa Johns as limiting myself if that’s what you are asking.

Not sure what you mean? I don’t consider a couple of slices of a large pizza with the works from from Papa Johns as limiting myself if that’s what you are asking.

I would eat the whole pizza. 2 slices is limited :wink: