yeah, about once a year I count calories for a few weeks, to recalibrate my mental model for portion sizes. That’s the calories intake side.
Calories out - that also seems variable as my body appears to have become very efficient at 2 hour rides with intervals (unless they are super hard sessions).
Weekly check-in. Holding steady and hit two days of low weigh-ins in a row without any type of restricting calories. I’m going to say my body is pretty much settling at this point and so far, despite how much I eat, I am not adding back any body fat. I’ve fluctuated about 2 pounds this past week between my low and high. So it’s cruise control from here on out - I’ll still maintain my habits but may loosen up just a little bit to allow for my natural hunger cues rule my eating a little more than before.
On a side note, did a longer almost 5 hour mixed road and gravel ride the other day at endurance pace and ate a whole bunch while on the ride - liege waffles (4), gummies, energy bars, Liquid IV, coffee and felt really good throughout the ride right up to the end. I ended the day at 4,800 kcals or so and was just as light on the scale the next day.
Lost another 3 pounds in 3 weeks, even with 10 days of vacation, reduced activity level, and beers by the pool. We walked the resort’s steep hills instead of taking the courtesy golf carts. Recorded lowest RHR and high HRV while there, despite the poolside beers 
Another 10lbs to go over the next 3-4 months.
There has to be something said for R&R - proof that just taking it easy, not stressing and engaging in low effort exercise can keep weight loss going reinforces that sometimes less is more.
I went on all inclusive vacation in Jamaica last year and just enjoyed it all, did some exercising and never gained a lb and had the best BM’s in since being a baby. Enjoy before getting to work off the next 10 lbs…
TMI at the end, but since you said it I’ve gotta ask… how do you remember your baby BMs? 
Last week in CR we watched The Change-Up and your comment made me think of that movie and your parents 
I don’t remember, but if I was anything like my little boy, then it was just a special era…lmao.
R&R plus eating a big breakfast (included) and saving money on lunch/dinner for the win (weight loss, not the other topic LOL that was a different story).
Thanks for the clarification, let’s move on that other topic now…
Not to be a party pooper, really. But isn’t this type of change just noise?
I fluctuate 8lbs (up then down) after hard races. And during normal training with lifting I’m 2-3 pounds heavier….and I’m 140lbs.
I track absolutely everything and can predict my weight however I can’t predict when the real weight converges to predicted. Sometimes it takes 2 weeks, some days off.
I want to understand better this process of water retention.
I’m not inviting you to any parties 
10lbs total 
Yes my weight rebounds about 3-4lbs after any big day. Otherwise the morning-when-I-wake-up tale of the scale only fluctuates a pound or so. Too many calories and the trend line goes up, small deficit and the trend line goes down. I only pay attention to the trend line.
Tried intermittent fasting before the trip, for the month of October. Didn’t move the needle. My fitter’s advice was big breakfasts and less food as the day progresses, that moved the needle on this trip and I had large portions for breakfast.
Congrats
When I lost about 8% of bodyweight, mostly fat….I achieved a whole new level in my cycling, hope you and others experience the same 
Since time immortal I’ve always been pack fodder athletically, doing this for my health.
Staying consistent weight wise and actually weighed in at a new low this morning - I’m eating well, around 2,900 kcal/day on average I’d say - and riding around 11 ish hours per week and hitting the gym 2x per week. The focus in the gym is on explosivity and I’m my coach has been having me do some sprints on the bike combined with endurance rides a couple of times a week. I’m totally fuelled up at this point and take plenty of food with me on my endurance rides. I still do my one hour rides fasted for the most part and eat right afterwards - however, I’m never starving on the bike or off it for that matter.
At this time I feel like I’m in cruise control - hitting my protein goals consistently and letting my other calories fill in with an emphasis on nutrient dense carbs off the bike and plenty of sugar while on the bike. All systems go heading into Thanksgiving and the rest of the Holidays.
Went to a 60th bday party Friday and had a little more food than usual, and 4 beers from the open bar. Not counting calories but am standing on the scale every morning. Up 4lbs on Saturday morning, water weight from the beer and extra salt in food. Then down 2lb on Sunday morning, and this Monday morning I’m back to Friday morning. Two day blip like when I do a big ride. 
Daughter number one showed up yesterday, and asked how much I’ve been lifting because she saw my arms. Her early 30s boyfriend has some guns, so I’ll claim that as a bigger win than the Costa Rica kayak guy’s “let me go get a bigger life vest for all that muscle” comment. Gym rats think I look like a cyclist LOL. Kettlebells for the win.
Alright. I splurged on MFP premium edition as I was pretty turned off from not being able to scan and it’s been eye opening how much I eat on certain days and how little I do sometimes. I should reload the FasCat winning in the kitchen meal prep plans as that did help me drop close to 5 pounds in a month before Whiskey 50. Portion sizes are what has killed me. Before I was 40, I could just ‘ride it off’ and still be super lean. Not anymore sadly.
Careful with those python’s brother, next thing you know you will have to move to an open carry state with guns like that. 
Not even close to that LOL it’s the almost-look-like-a-swimmer lats not the guns
I started calorie counting and restricting again a couple of weeks ago. The hunger is actually the easy part. The hard part is trying to train at the same time.
I had set my app to lose 1.5 pounds per week. And with the energy availability topic in mind, I did the calculations and that puts me in the danger zone of 28 kcal/kg/FFM (fat free mass).
I did an anaerobic workout with 5x30seconds and it sidelined me for two days. Another workout later that week left me hangry, and feeling on the edge of depression.
This morning I switched the plan to 1 pound per week and I’ll add back half of my workout calories. That puts me at 32 kcal/kg/FFM. (In the past, adding back all of the workout calories led to little weight being lost.) I will use those extra workout calories as a buffer in case I feel the need to eat more.
I’m looking to tag along here. The Eid side on fat free mass had me a little hopefully they maybe this would’ve more sustainable. I’ve never had much luck calorie counting. My question is did someone share a calculator to find your calories(with the ffm considered)? Also how many of you are using scales to find body fat percentage? Also in the other spreadsheet I see there are places for exercise calories burned. What do you guys do if you are using heartrate for exercise? As far as managing the inaccuracy . I train mostly HR on my mtb because power seems kind of useless for anything other than calories burned. Sorry for the long post
My weight lost journey since using myfitnesspal on a deficit to lose 1 Kg a week has been excellent and working. Down to 82.5 Kg from 88.5 Kg.
Happy and…ongoing until I will reach 75 kg (final goal is 70 Kg)