I’m still using the TR Energy Availability Calculator as a guide and I’ve got the protein and fat sorted but for my new club rides, I’m struggling to get what I need for gradual weightloss and I’m struggling in the last part of the ride.
Am I missing something? You’re massively under fuelling your ride. I don’t know what your FTP is but for a 3.5 hour ride, I’d be burning nearly 2000 calories which would mean about 500g of your carbs should be on the ride. Right now you have 160g!
Some thoughts for you if you’re having trouble meeting carb needs.
Agree you’re underfueling the Saturday ride by about 50%. First things first - try targeting 90-100g per hour. Or, 330g during the ride. Then, carb and protein heavy refuel meal as soon as you’re home. (No, you don’t need to fuel endurance rides this heavy IMO, but if you’re having trouble meeting a total carb target, this is where to start)
The absolute best time to take in carbs (because you’re burning them) is on the bike. I would also fuel 100g/hour on the Friday ride and make sure I am not going light on carbs on Friday either so I’m topped off on Saturday. You don’t need them for the Friday ride at all, that’s not what it’s about.
You don’t have to make up for everything on Saturday and be net zero in one day. Assuming you go into that workout topped off you can just eat slightly more carbs Sunday, Monday to be ready for your next workout. Sometimes it’s easier to look at Carb needs for the week and average them by day just making sure you’re topped off for the hard ones (Don’t do that for Protein though.)
Me personally, I’m not fully bought in on Energy Availability calculator, every time I’ve looked it looks too heavy on the carbs for me. So, don’t just follow it blindly. Weigh yourself daily consistently, average weight for the week, adjust.
Easiest way to lose weight for me is just focusing on getting enough carbs the two meals before a big workout, fuel heavy during and right after, and then just eat healthy otherwise. Needing a lot of carbs is 100% NOT an excuse to eat unhealthy outside your rides. If I’m trying to slim down, it’s by focusing on being healthy everywhere off the bike while paying attention to day-before carbs and refuel meals, and I am always in a deficit the days of my big rides.
I’ve found measuring my waist as well as weekly weighing shows body composition change that weight alone doesn’t.
I’m only measuring one week per month so heavily relying on building good habits and I haven’t gained any weight beyond the initial first kilo in the first week. I think this is indication of how much I was underfuelling/under drinking.
You could definitely up the carbs at breakfast as well.
For a ride of that sort of length, I reckon roughly 1–2g of carbs per kg of bodyweight beforehand makes sense, although experiment with what your stomach can actually tolerate. Fruit juice can be a really easy way to bump up the carbs at breakfast without having to eat loads more food.
I’m also a big fan of crumpets and jam. Two crumpets with a decent amount of jam is around 75g of carbs, so they work well either as part of breakfast or as a high-carb snack.
But yeah, I’d try to get a decent chunk of the carbs in before, during, and immediately after the ride. That way you’re not getting home completely empty and feeling like you need to eat the entire fridge.
I’d especially recommend having a high-carb drink with some protein ready to go straight after the ride. It’s really easy to faff around when you get in, start sorting kit, shower, upload the ride, make a coffee, and before you know it an hour has gone by and you still haven’t eaten anything.
My go to is chocolate milk with some protein powder and then I might mix in a banana or some maple syrup for even more carbs if its been a really hard/long ride. Again something to experiment with. Post ride your body is very receptive to carbs and it’s just an easy way to get them in. Straight down the hatch.
Solid food doesn’t digest or absorb nearly as fast. That’s why the best on-bike fuel is liquid or gels. I would minimize protein and fat within the 2 hours before a ride, and I actually don’t eat breakfast at all in that window if it’s a hard ride, I either get up earlier or start hammering sugar 15 minutes before I go out the door
Also, part of this doesn’t matter if you finish digesting and absorbing after the ride, those carbs are used to replenish glycogen stores. Your goal is to come in with glycogen topped off, perform well, and then get glycogen topped off again before your next hard or long workout without overdoing it
I’m the opposite of you. I can easily eat the carbs, but in a month of trying, I’m not sure I’ve hit the protein goal yet.
A few things that are 50g quick carbs
1 slice sourdough with 1tbsp honey
1 cup white rice
1.25 cups cooked pasta
.75 cup oats
1/2 bottle of what I mix for on the bike (side note - you’re not drinking enough if you’re only consuming 1L water on a 3 hour ride)
I can eat 2 cups of white rice (100g carbs) and easily be hungry again in an hour. Protein, on the other hand, makes me stuffed, and I am really struggling to eat so much without drinking a ton of powder.
If you don’t have issues with dairy then Greek yogurt or cottage cheese can be a life saver for protein targets. Mix in some fresh or frozen berries if plain flavor isn’t to your liking
An alternative here is to put 300g sugar in one bottle, and 0 carb electrolytes in the other. I do this as it gives me a way to rinse my teeth from the sugar. Its surprising how much sugar will easily dissolve in room temperature water.
Same, and then some! For a typical 4-hour ride I fuel with 90g/hr+ but eat about 250g carb breakfast (usually blueberry pancakes with LOTS of maple syrup, bananas or other fruits, greek yogurt or scoop of whey for good measure). I’m in the load before and fuel during camp vs trying to replenish later.
Also, fuel extra the night before big rides (rice, rice, baby).
I’m not. I am closer and even go over some days for both, but I don’t come close for protein. The goal seems ridiculously high for a cyclist/runner who is trying to lose weight. I could eat that much protein, but I’d end up WAY under on carbs, and I’m an endurance athlete, not a bodybuilder. I need carbs.
So you’re under on total calories, with the deficit coming largely from protein - if you’re looking for a caloric deficit you might want to try to better balance the deficit between all three macros, but hard to say for sure
