Teen Biker Caloric Needs

Missmagill · Post by **Missmagill** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 8:49 am

I am 16 years old, 5'4 and weigh 130ish pounds. I adore cycling, and I bike for an average of 180-210 miles (depending on speed, which ranges from 12-14 MPH...I know, I'm a snail, I'm working on that) per week. I also stand all day long, clean house, lift weights for 3 hours per week, and do a few other random small actvities. Does anybody have any idea of how much I should be eating? staminia is crud without fuel, and that's no good. Not to mention, as I'm a growing teen, it would be horrible for growth to undereat for actvity level. I already eat 3000 calories per day, but I wake up at least once every night ravonously hungry (and I don't eat refined foods or sugar, so it's not because of unhealthy food choices)...I've read that teens need more cals than adults for development and such. It makes sense....but how much more?

Thanks for any insight.

HoustonTexan · Post by **HoustonTexan** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:05 am

Holy hell kid that is way too much training. Unless you were eating about DOUBLE what you're eating now you're overloading.

Missmagill · Post by **Missmagill** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:19 am

Seriously? You think so? It's only 15 hrs of biking per week...wow...and I've cut back from 21 hrs/wk too. o_o

HoustonTexan · Post by **HoustonTexan** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 11:55 am

I thought it said 3 hours of weightlifting a day bad. What does your training look like throughout the week?

Missmagill · Post by **Missmagill** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 12:36 pm

Oh goodness, no! That would be rather exessive. Sometimes I'll add an extra weight day, but that's about it. Some advice on week would be great, too. When it's nice out, I tend to take dog walking/jogging...so sometimes I do that instead of biking. I never really have a set plan, though I don't do weight lifting more than two days in a row.

This past week was something like:

Day 1: 1 hr weights (arms)
2.5 hours biking
.5 hr with dog

Day 2: 1 hr weights (shoulders/back)
2.5 hours biking

Day 3: 1 hour biking
1 hour with dog

Day 4: 1 hr weights (arms)
1 hour biking

Day 5: 3 hours biking

Day 6: 2 hours biking

Day 7: 1 hr weights (shoulders/back)
.5 hour with dog

It is really hard for me to limit myself to 15 hours of cardio per week, as it is a massive destresser for me and it helps me through manic days (I have Bipolar). I am homeschooled, by the way, and finished with studies for the year (I started early and studied butt off)--that's how I have the time that I do.

Thanks for any insight!

HoustonTexan · Post by **HoustonTexan** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 12:38 pm

I think you do need a day for rest/VERY MODERATE IS IN A WALK cardio. Also, in order to gain muscle either you need to cut back on biking or up the cals by about 500 for a month, see if you gain weight, if not up it another 500.

Also, you would be better off doing a full bodyworkout for weights 3x a week.

I would incorporate this in your bike training.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_for ... _the_guide

Missmagill · Post by **Missmagill** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 9:05 pm

Ok, thanks. I shall try doing a full body strength workout...the plan that you linked to looks quite doable.

I'm looking to maintain weight at this point. legs tend to gain weight while the rest of me refuses to, and I'm getting seriously annoyed at how often I need to purchase new jeans. So, to maintain weight--if I still bike 15 hrs a week and I do the full body workout 3x per week along with already active lifestyle...do you have any ideas on what i should take in?

I've seen this calculator http://www.kidsnutrition.org/bodycomp/bmiz2.html used for figuring teen caloric needs based on hours of activity...but I do quite a lot more than an hour of traditional exercise and I'm always on feet, so I'm pretty unsure of what to take from it...

HoustonTexan · Post by **HoustonTexan** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 9:14 pm

4k-4.5k calories probably.

Missmagill · Post by **Missmagill** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 9:23 pm

Eh, that's not too bad, considering what some folks have to eat. I figured that the exercise I do combined with lifestyle is probably equivilent to about 3 hours of exercise per day, which would require 4k or so calories.

Another reason that I was asking what aprox caloric needs are was that I gained weight (about 15 lbs, up from 115-120) after increasing from 2000-2500 with 21 hours of biking per week (me being an idiot) to 3000 but I'm guessing that a large portion of the gain is merely body's response to more food...espcially since I'm afflicted severe IBS. Part of me is freaking out and thinking that I'm eating too much, but all logic would disagree. Anyway, it's difficult to go off of weight loss/gains at this point, it seems, since I was screwing with body and possibly overtraining for quite a few months. Perhaps I should have added that to original question...haha.

HoustonTexan · Post by **HoustonTexan** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 9:36 pm

Also, start at 4k, if you don't gain weight after a few weeks, like not even a pound, up to 4.5k

Missmagill · Post by **Missmagill** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 9:37 pm

Even if I'm not looking to gain? I'm confused.

Sorry, I must sound like an idiot.

HoustonTexan · Post by **HoustonTexan** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 9:48 pm

I thought you were looking to gain sorry sometimes I just skim really fast. Why wouldn't you want to gain? You're relatively small.

Missmagill · Post by **Missmagill** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 9:53 pm

Oh, okay, That's fine.

I do the same thing sometimes...

I range around 130-135 lbs and I feel best around that weight...I may choose to gain in the future, but at this point I'm just looking to stick around where I am. biking goal right now is endurance, not strength.

HoustonTexan · Post by **HoustonTexan** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 9:55 pm

Yeah but if you can gain some muscle and keep the endurance I don't see a loss here.

Missmagill · Post by **Missmagill** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 9:58 pm

True. It's something that I need to think a bit more about, I guess. Right now I'm just trying to stop undereating. I don't know how well I'd do stuffing myself with enough food to gain. I do know the whole "add 500 cals to gain a lb a week" rule for the future, though.