Thanks for the detailed reply. I really appreciate the insight!
My stats are:
Male
30
5’ 7" - athletic build - 3 days/week full body weight training prior to COVID.
Usually around 165lbs
I have always struggled with balancing the calorie intake required for fat loss and weight maintenance with the calorie intake required to complete high output rides and/or long duration and training sessions.
For some context, 3 years ago I lost 72lbs and have kept most of it off (230lbs down to 158lbs). I have fluctuated up/down within a 10lb window over the past 3 years (158lbs - 168lbs). Mostly hanging around the 165lb mark.
I lost 72lbs over a 10-month period. At that time, I was riding MTB a few days each week. Under 2hr sessions at high intensity. Plenty of time spent at Zone 4 and Zone 5 heart rates. I always ended the sessions absolutely obliterated. Shot for the entire day.
I was eating around 1300-1600 calories each day and not eating anything additional to fuel these rides. I would have 1 “cheat” day each week to eat around 3500 calories. So, lets call it 1800/day gross calorie intake – whatever those MTB sessions burned (600 calories on the low end for each x 2 sessions?) 1600 net average calorie intake is what I come up with.
TLDR; I felt awful, it took incredible discipline, and I was getting incredible weight loss results. My cycling fitness had plateaued.
Fast forward to the beginning of 2021…I went from riding a few hundred miles each year (average MTB ride of 10-15mi) to putting down 1500 miles this past season (including some big days: many 25-30mi MTB, a 50mi MTB ride, and a 100mi gravel ride). Food intake went up to around 2000 calories on the average day, but still eating at surplus 2-3 days each week. Unchecked weekend free-for-alls. 3000-5000 calories a day Friday – Sunday in many cases. Weight stayed below 165lbs until November 2021.
This still felt sub-optimal, but it worked. Fitness cycling improved dramatically, and my weight stayed in check.
Right now, the holidays left me around 170lbs and I am looking to get back to 158lbs. At the same time, I am looking to build fitness indoors for a strong 2022 season.
My gut says to drop calories way back down, but I know that is going to kill my ability to perform difficult sessions. This is also my first winter with a power meter-based training platform (Wahoo Kickr). Last season I just trained with a friction spin bike and HR monitor to gauge effort.
I guess I am left with 2 questions:
- Have you had any luck with substantially increasing fitness while losing fat?
- When exercising with a power meter-based trainer, do you trust the calorie burn and use it when calculating calories in/out?