Shrinking?

[Johnycrash]

Hey,

I am a cyclist who has been vegitarian for about a year now. I have lost alot of weight but I noticed my legs are getting smaller. For a while I saw my performance level rise, but it seems latly that I am getting weaker. I drink a half serving of musclemilk lite a day, I ad tofu to any thing I can, and eat lots of beans. My calorie in-take is probably more than most. Is there something I am missing? Has anyone else had this problem?

[rockindancer86]

How many calories are you actually eating? Try either posting what you eat in an average day or using a calculator like fitday or sparkpeople to see if you're eating what you think you are.

[DMZdogs]

Both my parents are avid cyclists and most people they know are freakishly fond of their bicycles. Something I've noticed is that a lot of them have really skinny legs. I think it's pretty normal to have thin legs as a cyclist, but the feeling weaker is certainly not normal. What all and how much do you eat? How much do you cycle and under what conditions? What other types of exercise do you do?

[Johnycrash]

Idon't really know how to keep track of my exact calorie intake. I usualy start off my day with bowl of cereal, juice, and a half serving of a protein suplement. For lunch a veggie plate (home cooking style) or a smoothie. I fI have a smoothie I usualy eat something small in the late afternoon like a tv dinner or boca burger. for din-din I go for borritos with tofu, chinese with tofu or some thing like that. I do eat alot though.

I ride down hill mountain bikes. I has alot of sprinting as well as more of a whole body workout. It's like pedaling a dirt bike down a hill. I also commute.

[Terry B.]

I am a cyclist who has been vegitarian for about a year now. I have lost alot of weight but I noticed my legs are getting smaller. For a while I saw my performance level rise, but it seems latly that I am getting weaker. I drink a half serving of musclemilk lite a day, I ad tofu to any thing I can, and eat lots of beans. My calorie in-take is probably more than most. Is there something I am missing? Has anyone else had this problem?

1. Does weight matter for a cyclist? A lot of people get hung up by numbers on a scale but there are things that matter more.

2. Smaller legs and getting weaker may sound like a problem but what is happening to your performance? You are a competitive athlete and have ways to measure if things are working other than body measurements and the way you feel.

3. Your caloric intake should be FAR higher than most if you are a competitive cyclist. "Probably" is pretty vague but it is guaranteed that if you are losing weight, size and strength, you are not eating as much as you should nor what you think.

[animallover7249]

Maybe you are burning more calories than you are eating? It seems to me, that if you are exercising a lot more than the average person (which athletes tend to do...) you should be eating enough calories to keep up with what you're burning.

www.fitday.com. You can put in all of your food, and all of your exercises.



ETA: You're a vegetarian, not a vegitarian. :)

[SomebodyElse]

Overtraining can cause muscle atrophy, no matter how many calories you are eating.

[animallover7249]

Overtraining can cause muscle atrophy, no matter how many calories you are eating.

That's true. I was just suggesting that since it's probably a more common problem, and the OP doesn't seem to eat a lot of calories.

:)

[SomebodyElse]

Oh yes definitely, I wasn't contradicting you. Some people just get workout obsessed, and ignore the signals that they are overdoing it. If a person is just getting tired and weak, they probably need to pay attention to what they are eating. If they are experiencing actual muscle loss something else may be going on.

[Johnycrash]

Thanks for all the info.