Calories...

[Veronica]

J

Not eating enough....grumble mumble grumble - if'en I am not hungry how can I not be eating enough?

Maybe she is overestimating how many calories you're burning through activity.

Veronica

[shootingstar]

If you're not hungry, then don't eat especially if you know total no. of calories already.

And if you are already eating several hrs. before you go to bed..that's pretty good already.

Over and over the rule of thumb has been eat to feel only 80% full.

[redrhodie]

I think you should try what she's saying. Give it a month and see what happens.

[PamNY]

Over and over the rule of thumb has been eat to feel only 80% full.

Shootingstar, I've never heard that rule of thumb -- is it to lose weight?

Catrin, good luck. I admire your diligence. No expertise here, but my common sense says "try it for a while."

[OakLeaf]

It's a Japanese proverb (maxim?) - the way I understand it, it's meant for everyone, to eat the correct amount for good health.

I guess my main question for Catrin would also be the accuracy of your calorie expenditure calculations. Have you used a power meter to calibrate your HRM results, or done a calorimetry where they collect your breath on a treadmill or stationary bike? Calories can be converted to watt-hours, but without measuring something, whether it's your power output or your O₂/CO₂ exchange, estimates are about as accurate as estimating your maximum HR based on your age - that is, not very accurate at all.

[Catrin]

I am unsure how accurate my Polar HRM is where calories are concerned, but I do know that it shows I burn far less than, say, a year ago. I know it isn't exact, I use it as a rule of thumb. I use that in combination with how my body feels and what my blood sugar says. It has been a combination that works well.

[limewave]

Can someone help me out, I cannot figure out where the calculation for "Net Calories" comes from. I've tried googling it, and the explanations I've read I do not understand. I am TERRIBLE at math. What is the basic calculation?

I see the "net calories" on my dailyplate page, but I don't get where it comes from.

[Veronica]

It's the calories you end up with after you factor in the calories you burned through physical activity. I think.

It's not a number that I personally would want to use since I don't think any of the numbers you get from HRM or internet calculators are very accurate. Each human is SO different and we all respond differently to different activities.

But the important thing is to find what works for you.

Veronica

[Miranda]

I am unsure how accurate my Polar HRM is where calories are concerned, but I do know that it shows I burn far less than, say, a year ago. I know it isn't exact, I use it as a rule of thumb. I use that in combination with how my body feels and what my blood sugar says. It has been a combination that works well.

Before I read this post, it was exactly what I was thinking in scanning your thread.

Have you re-set your HRM lately?

That's one of the things I check with my students in spin. If their weight has changed, re-set that. Plus, their fitness level. And diff types of exercise, impactive vs non-impactive, run diff heart rate efforts compared to perceived exersion.

The "stock numbers" in the HRM as usually set for 220 - ur age = Max HR... then the percentage of effort... which should match your perceived exersion... which from there gives you a total calories estimation burn.

As regular exercisers, we are generally fitter than the 220 - ur age theory. The fitter you become, the higher your threshold becomes.

Best way is to compare your perceived exersion with what that number should be for your HR percentage. You can take that number you see and work backwards to re-set Max HR.

For me, 220 - age42 = estimated Max HR 178. So, 75% max would be 178 x .75 = 133bpm. HOWEVER... say my Garmin stats when riding chatting w my partner outside... still working, but able to speak short sentence etc. (roughly endurance about 75% effort) is 155bpm. When I re-set my hrm, I took 155 divide by .75 = 206mhr.

Where my students get in trouble is that they leave the monitor settings, assume they are burning all these calories, keep eating them, and it's falsely high.

Sorry that's a long blab on... hope makes some sense, though.

[Catrin]

I reset the weight on my HRM periodically...I make certain that it is within 5 pounds of my current weight, and closer when I remember to check it. I remember when it told my I burned 700 calories for 80 minutes of spinning class, and now - for the same time period, I am lucky if it breaks 400...

Great example though, and a good illustration of why we need to be careful to reset it.

[trista]

Maybe she is overestimating how many calories you're burning through activity.

Veronica

That's what I was thinking.

Do you have a HRM to monitor your calorie burn? Are you losing a great deal of weight? Are your blood sugar readings coming up too high/low?

[Catrin]

I do keep track of my calories expenditure via my HRM, and I keep track of everything via "Lose It". That app really makes it easy. My blood sugar is always variable, but given my lack of cardio work over the winter due to my recovery period - my blood sugar control has been slipping. Time to tighten it back up! I have gotten in trouble in the past from gaining weight through not eating enough - and our bodies get used to it so it becomes more difficult to recognize when we are hungry.

She did give me quite a lot of information - she said my diet is fine for days I don't work out & she also strongly recommended Nancy Clark's books. My diet is not bad, not by any means, but it needs tweaking. I just didn't think my calories intake was all that low...

We discussed my activity level and the kind of riding I plan on doing this summer. I do not have her calorie recommendations yet, but she is going to send me a couple of calorie guidelines to follow based on where I am in the season - for ride and non-ride days.

She also changed my carb/protein/fat percentages - not much - but a little - and I am going to do more carb counting to make certain I get enough. The diabetes has made me carb-shy - but of course we really do need a certain level of complex carbs off the bike!

I will see what calorie range suggestions she sends me, and will try them unless she doubles them - but I will certainly adopt her advice to at least maintain a NET calorie intake of at least 1,200. She knows her stuff where sports nutrition is concerned, it is just hard to change things

[shootingstar]

I'm not perfect at all about high glycemic (and I still eat desserts) carbs but it does help that I heard it from 2 physicians.

One of them was my sister who is a doctor. She lost 50 lbs. herself when she got a blood sugar reading edging her close to diabetes 2. So she did adopt a different diet that was lower in glycemic index. She also took up jogging several times per week.

It does mean cutting out alot of bread and white rice from diet.

Of course things became more challenging, weight control wise, when she had 2 children, which included watching her diet closely so that she didn't get gestational diabetes while pregnant.

so the vigilance never goes away even if you think you have conquered it.

[Catrin]

No, that vigilance never goes away with blood sugar issues. I cut off high-glycemic carbs long ago...but we also still have to get enough carbs of the appropriate kind. My problem is I don't get enough... I am supposed to get 50% carbs in my diet and it is challenging to get that much... (50/30/20 carb/protein/fat split)

What I get on the bike just doesn't count - and I get a LOT on the bike. I learned the hard way last summer about how important that is - but of course I do enjoy very long rides and I am also prone to true hypoglycemia as well.

Intense exercise is the other part of my anti-diabetes campaign, and the length recovery period this winter meant that I couldn't really do ANY real cardio work for almost 3 month. I think my current blood-sugar issues are actually more related to that - and as I ramp my exercise back up that should change

It isn't diet or exercise, it is both/and

[Melalvai]

I'm not convinced that the 50% carbs recommendation is founded in anything at all. As far as I can tell it's just a random number with no evidence to back it up. Anyone know of actual research on this?