# Hit a wall training..need nutritional advice..:(



## pattongb (Jun 5, 2011)

I have lost 35 pounds since I started training Mountain Biking for my first race in July. I have 20 pounds left to my target weight that I set for myself by the race date.

The problem im running into is my diet is restricted to about 1500 calories a day. I find this amount of calories keeps me up and running but also is maximum for weight loss. However, even though ive been biking 8 miles every other day consistently I dont seem to be gaining any time on my finish. I have platued around 32 minutes for 8miles. The biggest thing seems to be my legs which dont get a second burst of energy anymore like they did when I was first training. They get tired and just kind of stay that way. 

Does anyone know of a good nutrional drink, shake, supplement etc. that I can take to maintain my energy level for racing yet not add a ton of calories to my diet?


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

Cocaine. EPO. Steroids. Maybe clenbuterol. 

Dude. You need to fuel your body. I don't know what you weigh, but 1500 calories/day is the basal metabolic rate of a very small person.

I don't know if you did anything pre-diet to figure out a starting point - do you know how many calories you were eating before you started restricting them? Maybe split the difference. Mountain bike races aren't won by light weight riders (well, they are, but it's a secondary effect.) They're won by riders with good power-to-weight ratios and the handling skills and top end power to make it count. You're not going to build strength by starving yourself.

I don't care to spend a lot of time and effort figuring out my own basal metabolic rate and then calculating extra calories I can have on a day that I've done some riding. I know I need more, though. If I'm not riding right after a meal, I often have a snack before I start, like a banana. I try to have a higher-protein snack right after a ride. Usually PB&J, because it's easy.

I also take in calories during a ride. I've increased this lately, because the event I'm training for this summer takes six hours, and when I did a race that took me a little over three, I hit a bit of a sugar wall after my "nutrition strategy" turned out to be totally sucky. But I've always had a power bar or a couple of them in my jersey pocket when I go for a ride. I'm usually good for about two hours without eating, but if a ride runs long or I haven't really eaten enough during the day, I can still bonk if I don't snack. I still run more of a calorie deficit on ride days, but I think it's better if it's not too wildly different from my calorie deficit on a non-ride day. I'm not losing weight as fast as you, but I can, and regularly do, ride for three or four hours or, now and then, even longer, and my energy throughout the day is pretty even.

Is your race 8 miles? 32 minutes is not such a bad time if it's technical terrain. I'd give myself more variety in my training week, though. Maybe do an endurance day and ride for a while longer - like an hour and a half. Do some intervals one day, rather than just doing wide-open-throttle for half an hour. And on both speed work days, spend a little time warming up and getting to where you're feeling powerful before you do your 8 mile course or your intervals series. When you race, warm up beforehand too.


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## Bail_Monkey (May 8, 2007)

I make a protein shake and do not add too much to it... 

Organic Soy milk
Frozen blueberries
Frozen strawberries
Egg White protein
Wheat Germ (2 tablespoons) Throw it all in a blender......................bzzzzzz it up.

Optional - 1/2 Banana


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## pattongb (Jun 5, 2011)

AndrwSwitch said:


> Cocaine. EPO. Steroids. Maybe clenbuterol.
> 
> Dude. You need to fuel your body. I don't know what you weigh, but 1500 calories/day is the basal metabolic rate of a very small person.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the advice. I do plan on adding more calories to my diet, I wast just hoping to do it after I hit my goal weight. I started at 251 pounds in Febuary, im down to 215 today. I was hoping to be 195 by race time (ideal weight for my frame and height). Its so hard to add calories when your losing weight so fast because you feel like your stopping a moving train that is going in a direction you want it to go and getting to its destination quicker.

I am starting to worry though that im burning my leg muscle instead of building it with the lack of calories in my diet. Especially since I dont seem to be getting stronger on my rides.

I have been adding one day of long riding to my training, im at 20 - 30 miles right now on my "endurance" day. I use the flat hard state trails for that training.

I try to eat on of my small daily meals right before I ride, it helps, but not much.

I will try shakes for now, maybe 3 or 4 a day? Another 800 calories or so.


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## CodyMCP (Mar 24, 2011)

Yeah, I agree with the others here. I'm no expert but it seems to me like you are too low in the fuel department. A shake like you said would work, but probably anything is fine. I know when I'm riding really hard I'll sometimes eat more than 3000 calories a day.


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## Rocklion (Jul 25, 2010)

I agree with Andrew. You think you're doing the right thing, but what you are doing is actually the opposite. You aren't fueling yourself enough. In order to cut fat, you want to take out about 300 to 500 cals a day from your diet. The 1,500 cal diet you have yourself on right now is not sustainable. I'll explain why.

Your daily intake if you are not exercising is about 2,000 cals. Now a lot of that depends upon size, blah blah blah. But lets keep it simple.

You go out mountain biking for an hour. That burns 700 cals. That is a net of 2700 cals you have to make up during the course of a day to maintain your weight. So, if you are on a 1500 calorie diet then you are shorting yourself a total of 1200 cals a day. If you do 2 hours mountain biking its about 1400 cals. So, it's even more than that.

When you are exercising regularly, you have to eat more, not less. That keeps your metabolism pumping throughout the day and it keeps you fueled. Food is fuel.

You are talking about shakes. But you dont have to go that route. Eating a handful of nuts a day can get you more protein. Eating greek yogurt gives you more protein. Eating lean meats like chicken, lean ground beef and fish give you more protein. I've lost 33 pounds since February and that's what I've been doing. I suggest finding an online food and exercise tracker so you can see what you eat and how much it is fueling you. I use myfitnesspal.com. You are probably shorting yourself protein a whole helluva lot. That's why after every ride, I automatically go get a pint of chocolate milk. Studies show chocolate milk after an intense workout is great for the body. It puts in protein to help for muscle development and the fat in the milk helps hydrate the body quicker.

You are right. You probably are burning muscle. But there is more to it than that. You're also depriving yourself of energy. You need to eat more and cleaner. I told someone on another post, the better and more you eat, the more energy you have. The more energy you have the more intense your workout. The more intense your workout, the more calories you burn. It's cause and effect.


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## Rocklion (Jul 25, 2010)

On another note, it sounds like you also are losing weight too fast. I lose on average about 2 to 3 pounds per week. It's almost July and you said you want to lose 20 pounds, and that's bad if you do that. I know you said its hard to stop a moving train. I know its hard to stop that train. I know there's been a few weeks I've lost nothing. But it was life. A buddy went to the Navy a couple of weeks ago and had dinner and drank beer. On fathers day, drank a few beers and grilled out on the porch. But for me its a marathon, not a sprint. I've been teaching myself nutrition, what to eat and what not to eat and figuring out my workouts from cardio to weights.

I plan on doing a duathlon - mountain bike and trail run in October. I know by that time I'll be at my goal weight of 170 and will also have some extra time to get more muscle on the body to help power me.

I hope all this helps. You just hit me up on one of things I've been studying for months now.


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## Rocklion (Jul 25, 2010)

Sorry to bomb your post, but here's an article to what happens if you lose weight too fast.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/197209/the_dangers_of_losing_weight_too_fast.html?cat=51


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

Rocklion said:


> But for me its a marathon, not a sprint.


Very good point here.

I'm not trying to lose very much. I'm only 8 lb away from my goal, having dropped about 20 lb. (Over about a year, but I haven't had a timetable as long as I was losing a little.) But I wasn't doing anything terribly unhealthy before - just eating the way I have since I was 19 and started training a lot. I'm 30 now, which still feels weird to say, and life is more complicated; I can't train or eat that way anymore.

The way I'm eating now is a way I expect to to eat for the rest of my life, give or take a few details. I'm probably not the climber I was in 2009, when I was a "state-sponsored" rider and weighed 135 lb, and I don't plan to hit 135 lb ever again - it was too skinny for me. Guess I'll have to make up for it with a more powerful engine.


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## jlmuncie (Sep 10, 2010)

OP, I too think that you need more calories but I'm curious as to how long you've been up against this "wall"? I don't know what kind of terrain you're riding but 8 mile in 32 minutes doesn't seem that bad for a beginner, why are you unhappy with it?


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## Adam_B. (Apr 7, 2011)

Instead of just mountain biking you need to do some other types of workouts. Mountain biking is great but if you combine it with some running and resistance training you will see much better results in the improvement of your conditioning and weight loss. Also like others have mentioned you are not taking in nearly enough calories. When you do that your body tends to go into "starvation mode" and will store extra fat when you eat instead of allowing you to burn it off.


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## manual63 (Nov 5, 2006)

AndrwSwitch said:


> Dude. You need to fuel your body. I don't know what you weigh, but 1500 calories/day is the basal metabolic rate of a very small person.


What this guy said. You can't ride a bike and only put in 1500 calories a day. It doesn't work that way. You need to eat to match your workout. Talk to any trainer and that is what they will tell you.

You will lose the weight by being consistently active and eating a BALANCED diet. People try to lose weight too fast in our society and then the moment they stop exercise, they gain it right back. Your goal should be to become an active person and eat healthy long term, as in for the rest of your life, and if you do that, you will become a fit and healthy person....it's that simple. Stop looking at the short term and look at the long term. Besides, mountain biking is super fun......so at least you are doing something enjoyable. Find active things you like to do and then it won't be viewed as work or a workout, it will be viewed as going out and having a good time.


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## Markapuu (Feb 24, 2011)

You're not eating enough. You'll lose weight fast by starving yourself, but you won't have the energy you need to improve your speed and endurance. 1500 is not a lot for an athletic person. That's about what I burn from running 10 miles.


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## austanian (Jun 15, 2011)

You are on the wrong forum for nutritional advice...


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