Calorie deficit - how much?

[CheckMyPecs]

Re:

Yeah, losing 22kg for me happened over winter last year and then when summer hit despite riding a lot more I lost no more weight. Now we are back into a southern hemisphere winter the weight is starting to come down again as my daily and weekly schedule is more constant. Slow and steady is the only way to go!

Absolutely!

 

[CoachFergie]

A huge thing for me has been environment. Moved from a house where no one exercised or ate well and I was a freak for riding a bike and eating food. Slow gains there, but when I shifted to a place with another cyclist who ate Paleo things got accelerated. Have since moved to a place with people who are not bad but also not good in terms of diet and exercise and this is reflected in the days on track dropping from 80% to about 50% and this is reflected in results.

My undergrad degree was in Psychology and this video sums the role of environment up quite well...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao8L-0nSYzg

 

[lenric]

Re: Re:

When cutting I usually don't pay too much attention to the calories. I simply focus on increasing my workout intensity (and volume also).
I'm a simple guy, I like to eat. As long as I'm decreasing my fat mass and keeping the weights I'm hitting on, it's all good.

In summer I have trouble increasing my muscle training intensity due to living in hot southern Portugal. The gym's got air conditioning, but I often train at home. That's why I turn to cardio to lose fat.

You can lose fat by sitting on the sofa all day.

Don't rely on slow steady cardio, but on high intensity cardio. Search for Hiit and tabata protocol.

 

[Elegant Degenerate]

I usually aim for a calorie deficit of 200 kcal/day. I know it's very little, but I want to avoid burning muscle at all costs.
?

How do you arrive at a (quite specific) daily total?

I have trouble arriving such a specific formula which can allow for >5hrs to a rest day across various intensities.

DRI (8700kcal -- adjusted for height/weight/age/gender?) + what your bike computer says you've expended through exercise (unreliable?) - 200kcal?

 

[CoachFergie]

Last year I lost the majority of weight with little to no exercise. Actually found it harder in Summer doing more riding and being more active with coaching. Now we are back in Winter things are starting to drop again. I have set a 500 calorie deficit on my Fitbit app. That is considered a medium amount to lose (in a very loose theory 1lb per week). 200 cal would be a very slow burn but a higher chance of sustaining that in the long haul. It's all estimates as the body is very complex with metabolism, endocrine system, nervous system and the environment all playing parts and what you see on the scales fluctuating for various reasons.

 

[CoachFergie]

Yesterday's ride was 668 calories from the Quarq. On our earthquake damaged roads the Fitbit estimated 1050 calories. If I did the same ride on the trainer the Fitbit would estimate around 400-500. I correct on Fitbit with the power based estimate. The Fitbit is better for picking up the non exercise based thermogenesis (NEAT) and things like resting heart rate and minutes of deep sleep. Sleep is a bit part as stress levels play a big part in holding onto body fat stores.

 

[carolina]

I usually aim for a calorie deficit of 200 kcal/day. I know it's very little, but I want to avoid burning muscle at all costs.
?

How do you arrive at a (quite specific) daily total?

I have trouble arriving such a specific formula which can allow for >5hrs to a rest day across various intensities.

DRI (8700kcal -- adjusted for height/weight/age/gender?) + what your bike computer says you've expended through exercise (unreliable?) - 200kcal?

use a formula to get an estimation and then you can choose to:
a) eat the same amount of food every day
b) eat more on trainning days and less on rest days, but keep the weekly calories the same

then you just have to go by the scale and mirror. if you're loosing too much weigh increase calories, if you're gainning decrease calories.

it's trial and error basicaly.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

I usually aim for a calorie deficit of 200 kcal/day. I know it's very little, but I want to avoid burning muscle at all costs.
?

How do you arrive at a (quite specific) daily total?

It's not really that specific, it's an average.