Do MAMILs (Middle-Aged Men in Lycra) Need More Protein?

 

There's even a MAMIL Cycling Club
in England, where the
MAMIL movement began.

 Are you a middle-aged man who is fighting off old age by competing in cycling, running and triathlon competitions? A few years ago a friend e-mailed me a link to this article from the New York Times with the subject line: "You are an American Mamil! At first I thought she had misspelled "mammal." But then I learned that the acronym stood for "Middle-Aged Men in Lycra." And the answer is yes. I am. And I am proud of it!

The MAMIL isn’t just about cycling but is about embracing fitness as part of a midlife "crisis" instead of the Corvette, the Harley, or (gasp!) trading the 40-year-old wife in for a pair of 20-year-olds. -- "The New Manhood: Meet the MAMIL," by James Fell, AskMen.com 

Around age 30 I began donning spandex shorts and shirts (and even tights in winter time) and took up cycling. At the time it was all about losing the weight I had gained in my 20s (about 70 lbs.). But when I hit 40 I started getting serious about cycling and competed in my first triathlon. Call it a middle-age crisis if you want. There is no doubt it was about fighting off old age. The added energy I gained from training and competing in these events made me feel and look younger. I still have people tell me I look younger today, at age 48, that I did at age 30 when I weighed 270lbs.


I felt much younger after my first century ride (right)
at age 40 than I did 10 years earlier (left) partying with Santa :)

 As I have tackled inreasingly difficult events (I have completed three Ironman 70.3 triathlons and six Ride the Rockies cycling tours) I have started paying more attention to my diet. To train for and compete in these events you have to provide your body with the fuel it needs to reach the finish line. And, of course, one my my favorite sources of essential vitamins and nutrients that fuel physical activity is BEEF!

That's why I was excited to read about this study from the Exercise Metabolism Research Group at McMaster University which suggests that "current guidelines for meat consumption are based on the protein needed to prevent deficiency without consideration for preservation of muscle mass, particularly for older individuals who are looking to maintain their muscle as they age." (Age-related muscle loss is a condition called sarcopenia, which is similar to osteoporosis only for muscle mass instead of bone mass.) The study of 35 middle-aged men found that "eating a 6-ounce serving of 85% lean ground beef resulted in significant improvements in the rate of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) following exercise" and that "the quantity of beef needed for optimal MPS for this age group is double the current recommended serving size of meat."

Couple that with the Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet (BOLD) study by researchers at Penn State University which found eating up to 5.4 oz. of lean beef every day, with other heart-healthy foods, can reduce LDL cholesterol up to 10% and that's great news for beef lovers (like me)! So grill up a steak for dinner, add some lean ground beef to your favorite pre-race pasta or put some beef jerky in your bag for after the race. Just be sure to add BEEF to your exercise and nutrition regimen to increase the effectiveness of your workouts and recovery from big events.

Ride on!

Daren

Do Fat Guys Burn Calories Faster?

I'd much prefer riding outside than on my indoor trainer, but the
winter months in Colorado make it a necessary evil.

A week or so ago I posted something on Facebook about riding my 25 miles on my Cyclops Fluid2 bike trainer and burning 1,929 calories. A friend of mine from Texas, who is a lean, Ironman triathlete, asked how I was burning so many calories, saying he'd only burn about 800-850 calories during a similar workout over and above his basal metabolic rate (essentially the number of calories you'd burn lying in bed*).

"Are you burning more because of the cold or altitude?" he asked. "I could drink a lot more Shiner if knew your secret."

I had to admit that I didn't have any secret. My calorie numbers were based simply on what my Garmin Edge 705 tells me. But I have often wondered why I seem to burn more calories than other people I ride and run with so I did some investigating and found some plausible answers.

My first theory was that maybe I burn more calories than he does simply because I am taller and weigh at least 40 lbs. more than he does. Turns out there is some credence to this theory. According to this article on Livestrong.com, "A 20-lb. weight difference can translate to a more than 10-percent increase in calories burned for some activities. For example, if you weigh 160 lbs., you'll burn about 10.3 calories per minute swimming the crawl at a moderate pace. However, if you weigh 180 lbs., you'll burn about 11.6 calories per minute."

I would have burned 30 percent more calories as Fat Daren at 270 lbs (at left in Dec. 1995) than as the skinnier version at 210 lbs (at right in Sept. 2000)

But that still doesn't explain how I could burn more than twice the calories my friend burns in the same workout. If I weigh 40 lbs. more than him I would only burn 20 percent more calories. So if he burned 850 calories riding 25 miles in 75 minutes (average 20 mph) I should burn 1,020 in a similar workout. That still leaves about 900 calories unexplained.

I've always thought the Edge might be overestimating calories and a quick Google search of "Garmin Edge calories" confirmed my suspicions. One glowing review of the Edge 705 found little to fault with what they called the "most useful bit of cycling-orientated electronics we’ve ever used." However, the review said, "We did find that the Edge 705 substantially over-estimates the number of calories you’ve burned. According to Garmin, the best algorithms for calorie consumption are protected by patents, so it’s best to treat this feature as a way of comparing rides for effort. If you eat to replace the food you have just burned, you’ll turn into a blimp." Bummer. Not the answer I was looking for!

So how much is "substantially"? And just how many calories have I consumed thinking I could "afford" them based on what my Garmin was telling me? Is this why I gained 10 lbs over the holidays?!

OK, time for another confession. I don't count calories. I just eat. And I workout. I track my weight and if it goes up I try to decrease calories consumed and increase calories burned. I go with my gut, literally and figuratively. So I can't blame Garmin for my Holiday 10. But I can't keep eating like I did during the holidays and expect to lose it, either. As they say, great abs as made in the kitchen, not the gym.

Ride on!

Daren

*I found an online BMR calculator that says a 6'4" tall, 215 lb., 48-year-old male would burn 2,044.25 calories per day (2,000 is considered "average"), or about 85 calories an hour.

Why Do Old Guys Get Fat in Winter?

The elusive "Old Guys Who Get Fat in Winter"
Racing Team jersey

Several years ago on Ride the Rockies I saw a guy wearing an "Old Guys Who Get Fat in Winter" racing team jersey (but I've never been able to find one for sale!). Having battled the bulge in my 20s and lost it in my 30s, I could relate to the annual weight gain cycle that plagues many men (and women, I gather from this Fabulous 40 & Beyond post) as we age. Now approaching the big 5-0 it seems to get harder and harder to lose the lose the weight come springtime so I am trying harder to avoid the gain. But I am finding that gets tougher, too.

So why do old guys get fat in winter? Some theories suggest that humans, like most mammals, instinctively store fat in winter to stay warm. I am somewhat skeptical of this hibernation theory -- essentially that our metabolism slows down to conserve energy during a period of cold weather when food supplies are scarce. We live in a climate-controlled world with abundant supplies of food a short ride away (hopefully with heated car seats)!

I put more stock in the "Holiday 10" hypothesis. Beginning with Halloween candy and extending through Thanksgiving over-eating, Christmas cookies, and New Year's over-indulgence my holidays are punctuated with family events focused on eating, drinking and being merry. I cannot even begin to calculate the number of calories I consumed this past week but it had to be at least 1,000 per day in beer alone!

But I am not going to deprive myself of holiday cheer in order to maintain my goal weight. As I have for the past 18 years I will simply increase calories burned to account for increased calories consumed. It's not really a very complicated concept. As I have often said, I swim, bike and run so I can drink beer (and enjoy other high calorie indulgences). And I eat beef to fuel my body with protein and nine other essential nutrients in a low calorie package (not to mention it tastes great and leaves me feeling full longer than other foods). 


One 3 oz. serving of beef provides more than 10 percent of 10 essential nutrients and vitamins for less than 10 percent of your daily calories

So here's my New Year's Resolution: Ride faster, run harder, swim more, eat more BEEF (and fruits and veggies) and save the calories for the good stuff (like my mom's pie!).

Diet and health can seem complicated. Keep it simple with beef.

Ride on,

Daren

P.S. Fire up a beef tenderloin for your New Year's celebration. One of the leanest and most tendcer cuts, tenderloin (aka filet) is an elegant and healthy way to ring in the new year and start 2013 off on the right foot! Try this recipe from Beef. It's What's for Dinner for a party pleaser!



I grilled up three 7-8 lb. whole tenderloins for Christmas dinner. The total price tag of $250 seems steep until you factor in that we fed 26 people for less than $10 per serving (and had at least half a roast leftover). Considering the crowd-pleasing flavor and low-calorie consequences (about 150 calories per serving), you can't go wrong with a tenderloin for your New Year's Eve party!