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Calories consumed vs. calories burned?

Jonas McCluskeyJonas McCluskey
in General Training Discussions

Hello,

I weight 143 lbs.  I've been tracking my calories (plus carbs, protein, fat) intake religiously for about 3 weeks now.  On average I consume 3045 calories per day, and I burn (going off my Garmin Forerunner 305 & Garmin 500) 807 per day, so a net of 2350.  I feel good, my weight is crazy consistent but my biggest concern is am I fueling my body (calorie wise) properly after an 1100-1200 calorie burn vs a 600-700 calorie burn to ensure my muscles are rebuilding as much as they possibly can.  I'm betting I tend to slightly overeat, for how thin I am I'd rather ensure my body is re-fueled vs. does not get enough to rebuild (or take full advantage of work performed).   Maybe I'm splitting hairs here, but I'm curious if there are general guidelines with calories consumed vs. calories burned if my current intention is hold this weight, but ensure my muscles are replenished properly after a work out and hopefully I'm gaining muscle & losing body fat.  And I know, I have not even got into the whole % of carb, protein, fat ratio's.  In case it helps my average mix is 47% carb, 22% protein, 31% fat.

Thank you,

Jonas McCluskey

 

Comments

  • penlynwilsonpenlynwilson

    Hi Jonas,

    If your weight is stable, why are you concerned? Are you seeing negative body comp changes or not the ones you want? Bad workouts due to low energy? Want to put on more lean mass?

    As long as you are having excellent workouts energy-wise and getting the body comp changes you're looking for, I wouldn't focus too much on it. Your protein/fat/carb ratio is about where I'd put you. It would also depend on where you are in your season.

  • Jonas McCluskeyJonas McCluskey

    Hello Penny,

    Thanks for the response.  I just want to make sure with all the work I'm doing that I am maximizing my gains with the nutrition I take in.  I've never worked this hard before (burning this many calories 6-7 days / week and I wasn't sure if there was a general rule of thumb w/ intake of calories, carbs, protein and fat that should be followed vs. calories burned.  I kind of assumed as long as my weight was either holding steady, or body comp was steadily or improving (lean muscle vs fat) I was on the right track, but thought I'd throw it out there. 

    Plus, it always amazes me the great input I receive from the EN'ers.  Where else could I just throw my crazy questions out and have a PhD is sports dietetics respond that morning . 

    Thank you,

    Jonas McCluskey

  • penlynwilsonpenlynwilson
    Jonas,

    You made me smile. :-)

    There are general rules of thumb, but IMHO, there are a lot of factors to consider - weight, goals, where you are in training, illness, injury, etc. If you want to maintain your weight, you don't want a calorie deficit. OTOH, if your weight is stable AND your body composition isn't changing, you may be OK. You may want to get your Resting Metabolic Rate measured so you can dial it in further. If you want to come to Houston, we can measure calories you burn on the bike and on the run at different paces, put you in the BodPod or do underwater weighing, and all sorts of other fun stuff!
  • Coach RichCoach Rich

    Since you weigh 143, my advice would be to eat a cheese burger between 3rd period algebra and 4th period social studies .

    But during the season you'll see more discussions about post workout refueling -- what, how, when to eat, etc. I'm sure you could find those with a look through this forum.

  • Jonas McCluskeyJonas McCluskey
    Thanks again Penny, not sure if I'm ready for the BodPod or underwater weighing, maybe if I work myself up into the podium after a few events image. 
  • Jonas McCluskeyJonas McCluskey

    Good one Rich, thanks for the chuckle!  Yup I've been stricken w/ a skinny butt from day 1.  I've tried "bulking up" or just gaining weight with no luck  

    However in Triathlon my skinny butt will = speed with the addition of more lean muscle.  It's funny, all the crap I've tried before to gain weight or build muscle over the years at no avail.  But swimming, biking and running my butt off for 8 months working towards being the fastest I can be has me bigger and leaner than I have ever been in my life.

    But you are the coach, so big sloppy cheeseburger here I come .

    Jonas

  • penlynwilsonpenlynwilson
    Jonas: How tall are you?
  • Jonas McCluskeyJonas McCluskey

    Good Morning Penny,

    I am 6' tall. 39 years old.  Sorry for the slow response on your question, I'll keep a closer eye on the thread today.

    Jonas

  • benvanmarckebenvanmarcke
    I don't know what you mean when you said you burned 807 Kcal but I assume that is not during an entire 24h day. Devices such as Garmin estimate calorie consumption during exercise reasonably well but are way off at no / low intensity which is really the majority of the time during the day. If you want to get a good feel about metabolic rate during rest there are better devices to determine calorie consumption (based on galvanic skin response, skin temperature measurements etc) such as BodyMedia Fit (but those then tend to get way off at higher exercise levels).
  • tim cronktim cronk
    @ Jonas Dont worry I get the Cheeseburger comment from Rich and Patrick is usually the Ham sandwhich. I'm 5'6" and race at 120lbs. Weight fluctuates up to about 127 in winter and occasionally dips below 120lb in IM prep. I try not to overthink things and dont count calories , just always always always prefuel, fuel during, and fuel after, trying to become in tune with my body, I can feel like an engine and know when the tank is empty. Even though I dont count I have a good idea of my daily caloric needs and how many calories are in what foods , I then just make sure I am getting in an extra 300-600 calories per hour of training. FWIW I'm also a Vegan and no problem whatsoever getting enough anything. Last year during a Big Bike Week I did 28hrs training and was concerned about losing too much , I ate extra avocado, almond butter , and had bowl of cereal as a late night snack on top of usual diet and I actually gained weight!

    @Penny Not to hijack the thread but I'm coming to the Woodlands 2.5 weeks early for IMTX to acclimate and train, I maybe interested in coming to visit you , for some of those tests. Can you IM me about cost and options?
  • penlynwilsonpenlynwilson
    Tim: We'd love to see you! Maybe we can have dinner. I'll PM you about the testing.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]

    I have a bunch of extra pounds you can have if you want them.......

  • Jonas McCluskeyJonas McCluskey

    In regards to Ben's comment / question.  According to my Garmin's I use during my workouts I burn on avg. 807 / day during training, I have no idea what I burn the other 22.5 hours of the day.

     

     Jonas

  • benvanmarckebenvanmarcke

    Posted By Jonas McCluskey on 10 Mar 2013 06:40 AM

    In regards to Ben's comment / question.  According to my Garmin's I use during my workouts I burn on avg. 807 / day during training, I have no idea what I burn the other 22.5 hours of the day.

     

     Jonas

    Ah OK that makes sense. But remember besides that 1.5h of training there is also the rest of the day, which is the part which determines your calorie balance. Everybody burns more calories than they take in during workouts, 

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