Going Long and Hard.

[Steve Vai]

well played sir... I see what you did there... and it was scrum-diddly-uptious wasn't it 😀

Was wondering if anyone would catch that. It was the highlight of my day (food wise anyways 😉)

This huge bowl of Halloween candy sitting here on my coffee table is seriously going to test me in ways I've never known. I may feed the boys candy for every meal until it's gone just so I don't eat it!!

-Jim.

 

[stb222]

See my problem is that I cant turn down the tater tots. Ill balance it all out with the veggie burger. I wont eat the bread.

The food truck outside the philly bike expo had homemade tater tots on Saturday. You are just cheating yourself but not eatting that stuff.

 

[soulchild]

Was wondering if anyone would catch that. It was the highlight of my day (food wise anyways 😉)

This huge bowl of Halloween candy sitting here on my coffee table is seriously going to test me in ways I've never known. I may feed the boys candy for every meal until it's gone just so I don't eat it!!

-Jim.

do it! they're young they can burn that stuff off in 2 hours 🙂

that's my office too... 2 huge bowls of candy that gets refilled weekly!... I guess that's why the office personnel aren't exactly the picture of health...

 

[ArmyOfNone]

The food truck outside the philly bike expo had homemade tater tots on Saturday. You are just cheating yourself but not eatting that stuff.

ya why deny yourself such goodness!?

 

[pixychick]

This huge bowl of Halloween candy sitting here on my coffee table is seriously going to test me in ways I've never known. I may feed the boys candy for every meal until it's gone just so I don't eat it!!

Save yourself and your kids and toss that candy in the trash! You will make some rat in a dump happy. 😀

 

[bonefishjake]

jim, are you ordering the white or the black ops pug? the black seems WAY more your speed. i'm a jeep guy so i love the big tires...can't wait to see how your build turns out.

oh, and we still have no power. awesome.

 

[Steve Vai]

White Pugsley. Black is sold out for now.

 

[Steve Vai]

Tuesday.

Carnage commute!! Found out why Washington Rock is closed...I thought this was bad until I got up farther...Stopped counting after 15 trees across the road...

Stirling road wasn't any better. There were a couple cops sitting here stopping people from going through. They let me sneak by 😀

Nice outside otherwise.

Nutrition.

Made the switch 100% to the Training Peaks mobile app today. I've been screwing around with some other things but I think this one will work best overall. Filling in the blanks on the TP site to get an idea of what needs to go down. I'd like to dial in my in/out more accurately. I've just been using 2,000 calories as my daily but I'm sure it's off. TP gives you 2 numbers. RMR and a daily estimated intake amount. I've cross-checked those 2 numbers across every site I could find and they both are close no matter where I go. I have one question though, does the estimated calorie intake include your workout nutrition? More detailed. It says I should be taking in 2,638 calories a day. Sound right? That starting number is what I need to dial.

More detailed. Took in a total of 1593 calories today. Burned 613 during my ride. What's my deficit?

PS-My Allen Lim book came in today.

-Jim.

 

[Norm]

2638 sounds high. My guess is that your base is 2400. That's what you need to eat if you sit all day, more or less. Yes you stand and work and play with the kids and stuff but you know how you told Sandie not to count them? You'll have better luck not counting them.

From there I'd add 2400 to 600 (the ride) and say you ate 1600 and that's a 1400 deficit.

JMO/IMO/IME/YMMV on...

You will crash hard, really hard, at that pace. You may be burning less, and eating a little bit more, to be around 1000. 1000 is about the max you should be doing. That's even a bit aggressive for long-term. I'd bounce back and forth between 500 & 1000 because if you stay in the 1000-1500 realm you're going to force your body to shut down. You need to make sure that doesn't happen. I do think that making sure you get 0-500 once a week or so will help that. I don't think it matters how you do that. There is no science behind eating more meals more frequently. None at all. Same with the drinking water thing. Zero science.

JMO/IMO/IME/YMMV off...

Do you have power at the shop?

 

[Steve Vai]

Yes we have power 😀

That's why I asked about the starting point, I knew using 2,000 was too low and I've been taking in too few calories. Hence my going to TP and trying to get a better idea of what's actually going on here.

I count nothing other than riding towards my deficit. Walking, hiking, riding the trials bike, my core and strength, playing with the boys, running up/down the stairs 50 times a day, etc...None of it gets logged. I know it doesn't add up to anything worth tracking or mentioning.

The interesting part of this whole thing is that I've been over 1,000 calories in the hole everyday for over a month and I actually feel better than I have in a long time. I'm going on vacation next week so I'm sure I'll find a few of those lost calories 😛

Good. Starting point noted. I'll re-adjust my scheme. And maybe have a few pieces of Halloween candy.

-Jim.

 

[Cyclopath]

that's a 1400 deficit.
....1000 is about the max you should be doing. That's even a bit aggressive for long-term... in the 1000-1500 realm you're going to force your body to shut down. You need to make sure that doesn't happen.

Oh dear, and here's the dichotomy.

Do you really believe you can put your body in a shut down mode? Is that the same as starvation mode?
Can you really expend more calories than you take in and still survive?

What happens to you if you do this for years and years?:hmmm:

 

[Steve Vai]

Do you really believe in a shut down mode? Is that the same as starvation mode?
Can you really expend more calories than you take in and still survive?

What happens to you if you do this for years and years?:hmmm:

I completely believe in starvation mode. I also believe that for short periods of time, you can trick your body. The key is in what your body has already become accustomed to. I normally eat whatever I want, whenever I'm hungry, or bored, or whatever. As a result, my body gives up it's storage fairly easily. It hasn't figured out that I've stopped eating yet. That's why you hear all the time about how easy the first 10 pounds comes off. One or two months is all it takes before your body figures it out and starts getting selfish. Those next 10 pounds aren't nearly as easy. And people have tried for years to get those last 5. The body is an amazing thing.

The benefit of exploiting this loop-hole? I lost 12 pounds since Oct 2nd. I plan on seeing what I can get away with until my body figures me out. When it does I pull my in/out a bit closer together and continue to lose weight at the normal 1 pound a week.

If nothing else I've proven that both Rule#1 and Rule#2 work. I just need to get more detailed so I can exploit rule#2 to it's full potential.

-Jim.

 

[Cyclopath]

I completely believe in starvation mode.

So what happens to your body if you under-eat by say, 500 calories or more a day for years then add a moderate exercise program without increasing those calories?

And then, if you significantly intensify that exercise program after a few years without significantly increasing calories, do you eventually start to loose weight in a normal fashion?

 

[jdog]

Loosing 12 pounds in oct is very hard work. That is discipline.

 

[map111158]

For real. Trader Joes pumpkins oreos are out I've gained 7 pounds off those alone.

 

[Norm]

For real. Trader Joes pumpkins oreos are out I've gained 7 pounds off those alone.

Didn't you also stop riding a bike?

12 pounds in a month is typically water weight. For every gram of carb your body stores, it stores 3g of water. The beginning phase is the pissing away of that.

But there is some truth to the body-learn-rebel thing. Having said that, the "last 5 pounds" is probably mental. Once you get close, you say to yourself, "Oh I can get there if I want." Then you never get there.

This year I'm motivated to get there. I think Jim is too. Maybe even Utah. Hopefully this plays out into 2012 and we have some good bike racing because of it.

 

[TedH]

Loosing 12 pounds in oct is very hard work. That is discipline.

And not supported as healthy in any scientific literature re: dieting! If it's water weight, that's not good. If it's useful calories, and related nutrients, that isn't good either.

 

[Steve Vai]

So what happens to your body if you under-eat by say, 500 calories or more a day for years then add a moderate exercise program without increasing those calories?

And then, if you significantly intensify that exercise program after a few years without significantly increasing calories, do you eventually start to loose weight in a normal fashion?

I'm not a doctor, a nutritionist, or anyone qualified enough to answer either of those questions. In my experience, and from what I've seen from the people around me, out>in is an absolute. You are a case that needs special attention, or more special attention I should say...

To Norm's point, I am very motivated. Motivated enough to quit cyclocross and concentrate 100% of my effort into getting lean. It's unfortunately the way my personality type works. I get a goal in my head and then hyper-focus on only that until I get there. Somehow I feel most athletes have this sort of thing going on?

That is all for now.

-Jim.

 

[Steve Vai]

And not supported as healthy in any scientific literature re: dieting! If it's water weight, that's not good. If it's useful calories, and related nutrients, that isn't good either.

Again, this is all temporary. My effort level on the bike has been quite low in trying to stay out of any danger I may get myself into nutrition wise. But to be honest, if my body does decide to cannibalize some of my muscle-mass to compensate for calorie loss, I'm ok with that. My legs are already twice the size of most 😀

The calcium is what I've been most worried about. This past month I've been on the same calcium regime as when I was recovering from my broken shoulder. My pee is clear so I think it's getting absorbed? I know when my shoulder was healing my pee was cloudy from the extra calcium quite literally getting pissed away. I also take a vegetarian multi-vitamin twice a day. I am planning on stopping by the Dr. for a routine check-up at some point so anything I may be leaning out on shouldn't go for too long.

-Jim.

 

[Maurice]

Again, avoid any fall. You can take all the supplements you want they'll go right through you without the proper nutrition. Tumbling down the stairs at home or just slipping in your driveway could have you lose the use of a limb or two.

Not only that but you've been there already.

This is serious, be really careful.