calorie needs for a petite cyclist

Here's another calorie question - I'm trying to figure out how much I can/need to eat and still continue to lose weight during the cycling season.

I am 5'0" and weigh about 120 lbs. My goal weight is 110 (100 would probably have me looking better, but I am not sure how realistic that is.) Last August I had gotten up to a very unhappy 140 lbs and hired a trainer to help me lose weight. It took 8 months to lose 20 lbs, during which time I was working out at the gym (I don't like riding when it's cold) 6x week (6x cardio/4x weights) and following as best I could a 1500 calorie eating plan. I cut out the junk food (honest!) and am eating really great quality food every day.

Now it's summer, glorious summer, and so back to the bike. I joined a cycling coaching program, and I'm riding 100+ miles a week. My 1500 calorie plan has gone out the window. I think I must be eating closer to 2000 calories (all good stuff, but I'm really hungry).

I don't want to eat all my exercise calories. I'm not sure what I should be doing, but I feel a vague sense of failure every time I blow my calorie budget. I am barely losing weight - which is par for the course for me, but I was hoping to see faster weight loss when I picked up riding again. My coach has told me to use recovery drinks, but I hate the idea of drinking 200-300 calories when I have such a small calorie budget to begin with. (Do I sound whiny? I don't mean to be...I'm just a hungry girl.) I intend to err on the side of healthy, not skinny, but I'd like to be both eventually!

My BMR is only 1165 - I track cycling calories burned on my Forerunner, but I'm not sure how accurate that is. 2-3x a week I do a 90 min cycling workout (burns 500-800 cal), and 1 or 2 days a week I do a longer ride. I hit the gym for weights once a week now if I'm not too tired from cycling.

I'd love to hear from some other shorties like me - how much do you eat? Do you have trouble losing weight during peak cycling season? I know the "rules" are different for endurance athletes, but I'm just not sure what to do now re eating. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Do you really need to lose ten more pounds? Have you had your body fat percentage taken? Sometimes we get these weight numbers in our heads that aren't realistic for our bodies. :)

So if you really could lose ten more pounds - expect to be hungry. The thing about recovery drinks is they can pack a lot of punch in with those calories - protein and vitamins.

I'm not tiny - lean body mass of 119 pounds and weigh 142. I eat between 1800 and 2000 calories a day, every day. I work out twice a week with a personal trainer, swim once, run three times, do a trainer video and a ride on the weekend - unless I'm racing. So to me, you're 1500 sounds about right for you.

Veronica

Every one is so different in terms of bone frame size (which never changes regardless of weight as an adult), density of muscles, etc. and how that translates into weight.

I have a good friend, she's shorter than you at 4'11" and I believe she told me 2 months ago when I saw her, she's close to 110 lbs. She is more petite than I (5'1", I'm at 100 lbs.) and she is slim but sturdier than I. ...she cycle-tours, cycle commutes, hikes and plays tennis several times per week year-round. She also does strength training (which I don't do myself). She is 54-55 yrs. (I'm forgetting here....)

Aside from your weight on the scale, have you noticed any changes in how you fit your clothing now?

as for feeling hungry ...maybe is to eat well and healthy at least for breakfast and lunch so that your energy doesn't tank and ease up on dinner to meet the 1500 calories.

what changes in diet in terms of what you eat have your tried where you are eating more of to compensate for energy need but to lose weight?

Thanks for the responses. I don't want to lose 10lbs so much as I want to firm up. I would be happy to weigh heavier but be more compact. I just don't know what number on the scale that would be. I have a lot more definition now thanks to the weight lifting; despite the weight loss, I have more fat to get off my frame.

I don't understand the question you asked about diet changes. I typically have oatmeal or an "egg mock muffin" ( egg on a slice of sourdough and slice of lowfat cheese) and a few slices of extra lean turkey bacon. And lots of coffee of course, with milk and truvia. A typical lunch might be turkey on sourdough with salad, carrots, or grapes. Favorite dinner is big salad topped with chicken. Treats include kashi bars and cereal. I cut out fast food, swapped fruit for chips, and started cooking myself a hot breakfast every day.( On long rides I try to stick with accel gel and Nuun fortified water. I find this is easier on my stomach as well.)

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Originally Posted by shootingstar

Every one is so different in terms of bone frame size (which never changes regardless of weight as an adult), density of muscles, etc. and how that translates into weight.

I have a good friend, she's shorter than you at 4'11" and I believe she told me 2 months ago when I saw her, she's close to 110 lbs. She is more petite than I (5'1", I'm at 100 lbs.) and she is slim but sturdier than I. ...she cycle-tours, cycle commutes, hikes and plays tennis several times per week year-round. She also does strength training (which I don't do myself). She is 54-55 yrs. (I'm forgetting here....)

Aside from your weight on the scale, have you noticed any changes in how you fit your clothing now?

as for feeling hungry ...maybe is to eat well and healthy at least for breakfast and lunch so that your energy doesn't tank and ease up on dinner to meet the 1500 calories.

what changes in diet in terms of what you eat have your tried where you are eating more of to compensate for energy need but to lose weight?

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Hi txcyclist! I guess it's hard to tell you exactly how much calories are right for you, because as other have stated, we are all built different.
I'm 5'4'' and weight 140lbs. Livestrong tells me that I eat about 1800 calories a day. From what you wrote I'd say I work out less than you are, about an hour per day. I lose weight very slowly on this amount of calories. I guess 1600 per day would give me better results.

You have to consider that you burn less calories when you get lighter (overall and while working out) and less if you get used to an exercise. So the numbers that where accurate when you started your weightloss, may not be accurate now that you have lost weight and are used to training regularly. Losing weight gets harder the closer you are to your target weight.

Regarding the "firming up" - with the amount of cardio you are doing as a cyclist, it might be hard for your body to put on lean mass. Generally, if you want to put on muscle, you cut back on cardio and do more weight training, and I guess thats not an option for you at the moment, so you might not get as fast results.

Last but not least, you are not overweight anymore. Your body might be very happy where you are now, which makes it more difficult to lose those last pounds. Like Veronica said, the number you have in your head might not be the number your body is happy with. It's not so easy to find the "sweet spot" now, where you can fuel you workouts and feel good while doing them, losing weight at the same time and not forcing your body into starvation mode and slowing your metabolism.
You can get there by tracking exactly how much calories you eat and burn and trying to create a small deficit that makes you lose about a pound per week/2 weeks. It's a bit trial and error.

Personally - for me - I think that's too much fuss about 10 pounds. I'm ok with losing the weight very slowly but steady, not starving and not counting everything I eat and do, gives me more quality of life than a quick weight loss. And if I stop losing weight I will be ok with it. 120 pounds might look better on me, but somewhere around 130 - 140 will be ok and healthy.
Keep in mind that the less you weight the less you need to maintain. If you are feeling that you can't live happily on 1500 calories per day, don't forget that you will have to be able to create a lifestyle around your target-weight if you don't want to gain the weight back.

Susan, you're speaking good sense. I am definitely sacrificing weight training time during cycling season. It might be a good idea to maintain this summer and then use the winter months to do a big push in the gym with the weights. I actually really enjoy weights, and miss my workouts, but I don't have the strength to do 4x/week when I'm riding so much.

Since I posted, I've been giving a lot of thought to what size I can be happy with. I don't feeling like giving up just yet, I think, but I like your idea of shaving just a tiny bit of calories off my daily intake and accepting a tiny, gradual result. I guess I hoped I would get a big boost when cycling started a few months ago, but it hasn't turned out that way. Same old slow-as-molasses weight loss!

Thanks so much, everyone, for your thoughtful messages. I do hope to hear from more shorties - very curious about your experiences with managing your weight without compromising your athletic performance.

ETA: I have a small bone structure. I am one of the slimmer women in my extended family. The thin women among us work hard at it, and a lot of women in my family tend to be overweight, some of them very overweight. I think it's mostly lifestyle, but it seems like some of that is genetic predisposition. Not an excuse for my weight gain - I was eating too much and not exercising enough - but I suppose it is a sign that the really slim physique is not a natural one for me. I am more curvy.

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Originally Posted by Susan

Regarding the "firming up" - with the amount of cardio you are doing as a cyclist, it might be hard for your body to put on lean mass. Generally, if you want to put on muscle, you cut back on cardio and do more weight training, and I guess thats not an option for you at the moment, so you might not get as fast results.


You can get there by tracking exactly how much calories you eat and burn and trying to create a small deficit that makes you lose about a pound per week/2 weeks. It's a bit trial and error.

Personally - for me - I think that's too much fuss about 10 pounds. I'm ok with losing the weight very slowly but steady, not starving and not counting everything I eat and do, gives me more quality of life than a quick weight loss. And if I stop losing weight I will be ok with it. 120 pounds might look better on me, but somewhere around 130 - 140 will be ok and healthy.
Keep in mind that the less you weight the less you need to maintain. If you are feeling that you can't live happily on 1500 calories per day, don't forget that you will have to be able to create a lifestyle around your target-weight if you don't want to gain the weight back.

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I must pipe in here and say that when I started riding my bike seriously, I gained weight - more than 10 pounds. My legs, which used to be skinny and flabby are now muscular and well-defined. Don't get stuck on numbers. Good luck.

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

I must pipe in here and say that when I started riding my bike seriously, I gained weight - more than 10 pounds. My legs, which used to be skinny and flabby are now muscular and well-defined. Don't get stuck on numbers. Good luck.

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Same here. When I cycle a lot, 150-250 miles a week. I usually gain weight. When I am not cycling that much, such as in the winter (I only ride outside but I do live in Sunny CA) and then I have a pretty daily yoga practice, a small bike commute and I walk my dog a lot more (he likes winter more I assume because of this), but I loose bulk muscle, it just gets redefined. It is weird because sometimes I feel stronger when I do yoga on a daily basis then I do when I am at my cycling peak. I haven't figured this one out yet.

Honestly TXCyclist, I used to get really bent out of shape over gaining weighing in cycling season to the point where I never became my best because I could never eat properly. It was a fine line I walked because I wanted to be strong enough to just ride forever and ever. All I really want to do is be on my bike all day if I could, but I had to remember that if I wanted that I had to give it what it needed.

I am not sure if other cyclists experience this but when I first started riding I bulked up a lot, retained a lot of water, felt like my legs were huge. Over time my body got stronger, the muscle for more refined kind of like it compacted, and my body didn't hold onto water once I got my salt ratio in check. By the end of the season I felt amazing!

There comes a balance in listening to your body, AND your mind. Everyone's body is different and everyone has their weird quirks with food and food habits. Especially cyclists in my opinion. Everyone's body is on their own rhythm, it is finding your own that works for you. I could tell you what works for me: being vegan, eating foods earlier in the day, snacking lots, being partially insane (haha), keeping myself always moving, but that may not work for you. My ex-boyfriend was a semi pro cyclist and when he was at his racing peak he would cut all beer out of his life (his biggest love) and go to bed hungry every night. He did whatever he could to get to 165 lb. He was 6'1'. "The lighter you are the faster you go up the hills and in pro racing every lb counts." After 5 years of racing he quit. He just rides for fun now. Heres the thing, if your body wants to be at 120lbs then you will be hungry getting it down to 110. I dont know though, its your body, your inside it. My question is did you feel hungry when you went from 140 to 120? If you didn't and now you do maybe your body doesnt want to be 110. If you did then maybe it is just your body just adjusting? I've had to teach myself to pick my battles and love life how its presented to me. Hope this helps.

I don't pay much attention to my calorie intake, but I started cycling and marathon training again about 6 weeks ago and have not lost (or gained) an ounce. I look thinner though, and my clothes fit better...and I feel better. I'd keep with what you're doing and listen to your body. You don't want to cut your calories too low or you will feel awful riding and your body will lean towards "starvation mode," making it harder to lose the weight.

And I hate recovery drinks. I'm sure it's personal, but I'd rather have something solid to digest (peanut butter on toast, etc) along with some water after a ride. Plus there are a couple studies that women don't absorb protein as efficiently as men after exercise, and that we need a different ratio of protein-fat-carbs than most recovery drinks are designed to deliver. (nothing against those who like to use recovery drinks, I just feel that they don't work equally well for everyone, and OP might be someone who needs something different).

I am petite, also, and about an inch taller. My "normal" weight is 107, but I have to be pretty tough about my eating and exercise to keep it there. I know I eat more than 1500 calories a day. Probably closer to 2,000-2,500. I am also older. I eat well, but I get tired of restricting myself. I am on vacation now, with just a little activity and a lot of eating. I am dreading the scale when I get back.
I lost about 20 pounds my first two years of cycling. It took me that long! I was at my heaviest weight ever. I also upped some of the stuff I did at the gym. Not sure what to tell you, except that I am hungry ALL of the time and always feel like I am deprived, despite the fact I eat 3 meals a day, and snack. The only time I don't feel this way is when I eat way too much. I eat enough protein, no sugary or fried snacks/junk, so I just deal with it.
It just sucks to be so small. It takes me five times as long to lose a pound as anyone else.