How Far Do I Need To Ride To ACTUALLY Burn Off A Big Mac?

The Big Mac. Love it or hate it, 2.4 million of them are sold EVERY DAY! If you eat one, how long does it take to actually burn it off? Using some well-established science and a power meter to record energy output, Si has been finding out! We also cover two really important things you need to know about calories along the way and one big problem!
Welcome 0:00
How many calories in a Big Mac 1:02
Burning calories 2:13
Measuring the calories you burn 2:43
How fast can we burn calories 4:57
How quickly do pro cyclists burn calories 7:19
The 1 big problem with burning calories 8:40
How long did it take... 10:00
The verdict 10:52
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[@gcn]

🍽What food should we try and burn off next?! Let us know 👇

[@fuzzyjaeger9739]

Shish kebab..

[@kpsig]

A full Salami Pizza, finished with a crème broils and an espresso.

[@kirkkiddy]

A chicken Parmo from Teeside

[@verdeboyo]

A vindaloo with extra naga!

[@TheMachoGabacho]

Pizza, because Zwift tracks how many slices you’ve burned, and you should do some science to see how accurate they are.

[@TangibleBelly]

It's always astonishing to me how you can put out ~350 watts on average and still easily maintain a conversation. I'd be wheezing, trying to stop my heart jumping out of my chest lol

[@gordonhenderson1965]

Apparently from earlier episodes it was explained people like Si, (as well as the majority of pro cyclists) are genetically predisposed to supplying huge amounts of oxygen to their muscles. When I hear it put that way, it makes me more at ease with my own ability (which is nowhere near Si)

[@TangibleBelly]

@@gordonhenderson1965 Yeah I've heard about VO2 MAX as well. I read that the average in men is about 40 ml/min/kg while professional cyclists can get up to 88/89. Insane

[@Tom-ol5zz]

right? As soon as im close to 200w I feel like im gonna throw up haha

[@CatManDoSocial]

I was sitting here thinking the same thing. My true 1 hour FTP is 186 watts and I've been a serious rider for almost 30 years. So much of the time I watch videos like these and wonder why I'm such a weak rider. It's nice to hear that I'm not alone.

[@garysladek9110]

Si, 340watts for 50 minutes,in the rain, his response: "Wow, that was good fun." HA!

[@justinschultz4325]

My non cyclist wife asked me numerous questions during this video. It prompted a nice conversation. Well done.

[@gcn]

Prompting conversation and entertaining 🙌 That's what love to hear!

[@LasseDalegaard]

"Counting calories does not work" I'll have to challenge this very binary statement. After trying to lose weight for a year, I started counting calories mid November. I would track my input and use my watch to track calories burned, and kept strictly to a .5kg/week calorie deficit. I didn't change my diet at all, but simply ate less or exercised more so I hit the calorie target. I lost almost exactly a half kilo per week, and now, after a slight Christmas holiday uptick, I'm sitting at 95 kg - 4 kg less than mid November when I started this. Maybe calorie counting doesn't always work, but certainly it sometimes does! I would have loved to see a more nuanced take on this part :)

[@glenni249]

Yeah that was a massive oversimplification with that statement. Sure there's ways to make counting calories ineffective, but ensuring you consume less calories than you use in a day is going to result in weight loss.

[@johnz6877]

How did you control for water weight? My weight can fluctuate between a range of 10lbs within a single day.

[@abedfo88]

You can also intermittent fast as well. Skip breakfast for a similar effect.

[@AdrianWells]

I agree. Counting calories is a reasonable tool for weight loss. Saying it doesn't work is like saying keeping a budget doesn't help you save money.

[@LasseDalegaard]

@@johnz6877 I weigh myself only in the morning, and I've found the fluctuations day to day become relatively low. The most I've seen it fluctuating is 1.5 kg after a big meal the day before. There'll still be small fluctuations, but the overall trend is what matters.

[@JMcLeodKC711]

The message, as always, is you can’t out train a bad diet

[@joerenner8334]

That isn't a bad diet though. That is worse than a bad diet. No one into cycling and fitness eats shit like that.

[@mcmarshallcluhan6884]

bad take - everyone who exercises does this i.e. they eat more than a sedentary person at the same weight & similar baseline tdee. This 1000 calories is maybe 300 more than what a "healthy" lunch would require, which means that burning off 1000 calories isn't even the task at hand.

[@vgd2]

Um, he literally did out-train it.

[@davezzzz172]

Yes, and it didn't even take him that long.@@vgd2

[@cokebottles6919]

I do out train a bad diet several days a week. It’s a large part of why I love cycling.

[@lukeduke1212]

I lost 25 kg 3 years ago and kept my weight under control by counting calories. Of course its not perfectly precise but its better than nothing. You also have to look up up the calories of your food and knowing is the first step of avoiding and finding better alternatives. In the loosing weight phase I didn't have a power meter so my rule was to not count during the rides. Also don't use any numbers from the Interne just count what you are eating for a month or so to get your personal baseline. Then you can reduce calories.

[@Omar411269]

Fastest weight I ever dropped was with intermittent fasting; one meal a day and I can eat whatever I want and however much I wanted. 50lbs down over 5 months. It wasn't really sustainable long term but, at least for me, calorie counting never got me any results. I was just always starving. With one meal a day my body just adjusted to expecting the big meal at the end of the day and wouldnt bother me any other time. No wonder religious rituals like fasting Ramadan have encouraged it for hundreds of years. Edit: The end goal is to eat less calories than you need. The massive variety of diets and methods are basically how do you distract from the hunger. Some people can just psych themselves into looking at a label and deciding "wow thats more than I thought. no more!" and for them calorie counting might work. I know for me and many others that never worked. I was just starving all the time label be damned.

[@nathanielhough96]

I've come to the realisation that calorie counting can work for some people *mentally*, and would probably work for all people *physically*, at least to lose weight. However as already suggested, what matters is what your mind and body are able to accept. So I rephrase it as "calories in Vs calories out". A person *can* out-train a bad diet, but not everyone can. It's again physical Vs mental - if everyone had a personal trainer telling them to exercise until they'd burned off more calories than they'd eaten, they'd all (probably) lose weight. And this gets to the crux of it - all diets are just a way to reduce the amount you eat Vs the amount you burn.

[@doktorhunggari4415]

If you people would just prepare your own Whole Foods you wouldn't be struggling with obesity. It's that simple✌️

[@Omar411269]

@@doktorhunggari4415 I grew up in North Africa where we only had access to farm fresh whole foods and obesity was widespread so, no, it isn't that simple.

[@spingus7091]

Right --we might not know the actual calories of food items, but tracking the declared values and noting what we eat helps us stay the path of intentional eating. Without having daily caloric/nutritional goals and documenting progress towards them, it's very easy underestimate what we eat or slide in a 'wafer thin' biscuit...

[@JustJosh07]

Counting calories most certainly works! It’s a very effective tool to use, to try and lose weight. Even if your estimations are slightly wrong, the act of becoming more aware of what foods are calorie dense, and what foods are more ‘calorie friendly’, empowers people to make better decisions. Counting and being more aware of what energy goes in, is VERY effective! It’s when people try to estimate how much energy they’ve expended, and offset that by consuming more energy, is when the wheels come off.

[@Cid0484]

It REALLY bugs me, that their conclusion from "it is not 100% accurate" is "it doesn't work". Nobody knows 100% exact how many calories you are burning in a given day. But if you have a good estimate of how many you have burned and how many you have eaten, calorie counting most CERTAINLY works!

[@craigg9742]

Agreed. Not perfect doesn't mean it isn't useful and doesn't work.

[@alex.pozgaj]

I suppose it was just an "angry comment bait" by GCN, to appease the algorithm.

[@markosz22]

@@alex.pozgaj No, calories alone are the dumbest metric to be used for anything. Your body is not a mechanical furnace that works on "calories in, calories out" in a constant pace. It's a living organism that's influenced by hormones, bacteria, etc.. If you only change calorie intake, your body will adjust to that level.

[@davidf2281]

Agreed that counting calories does work; the problem is that unless you're okay with noting down everything you shovel into your face for the rest of your life, it's not great for maintaining weight loss long-term. I always end up putting the weight back on as soon as I stop.

[@kaidean]

I would disagree about Si's last comment about calorie counting not working. About 3 years ago I decided I needed to lose weight and I started by recording every single calorie I consumed. This gave me an idea of how much I was consuming and then how much I needed to reduce. I then continued to do that making sure I was consuming less calories. The amount was irrelevant, all I needed to know was I was consuming less than I was. 3 years on, I am still very conscious of how many calories I consume on a daily basis. I found that by counting calories reset my mindset about food and I am now a lot more careful about what I eat. One other thing, while I know the amount of calories burnt shown on my watch (even after being on Zwift with a power meter) is not accurate at all, it helps motivate me to push harder and go longer.

[@JohnL9013]

100%. I literally overcame obesity myself by counting calories. It works.

[@thebrowns5337]

most people seem to know he's wrong. At least this channel is consistent

[@lustontranslation]

I have lost 29 lbs. counting calories, so it works for me. 😉

[@tobias834]

@@JohnL9013 I think what was meant was not calories counting does not work at all, but its not a 100%, because 1. tracking your burned calories might be off to 10-20% and eating calories might also be off with 10-20%. So for example, the smartwatch shows 1000 calories burned that might be only 800. And now you eaten a meal which should be 1000 calories, but that might have been 1200. Nonetheless if you plan for a 1000 calories gap for example which would be a loss of 1 kg a week, you still will loose weight ofc as the gap is just that big enough. Planning for 200 calories loss a day might be harder to really hit.

[@muffythevampirelayer]

I agree. It gives a guide and makes one more aware of intake and the need to restrict it if you want to lose weight. I view it like a bank account. The more you put in, the fatter it gets and the more you spend, the less it gets.

[@MrRay645]

Counting my calories, not drinking any calories, good food vs junk, and lots of bike riding I went from 248lbs to 174lbs in a little over a year. burn more than you eat (takes counting) and make sure what you eat is good for you. I work outside in the heat and was shocked how many calories I was drinking with in so called sports drinks and juices :O

[@gcn]

It's easy to get wrapped up in calorie intake with the amount of food us cyclists consume - You should always prioritise fuelling over calories, you'll find better long term results if you fuel properly and stay within your limits. We've got some great videos on proper fuelling 👉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmLRdGmvibeLq6M

[@ChromeLuxx]

I cut out sugar, eat nutritious foods (I’m vegetarian, not vegan) and can eat as much as I please without counting. Try it and what you’ll find is the food is cleaner burning, tastes way better than the salt/sugar/fats rubbish, you’ll feel great and your health will thank you!

[@hberg321]

What do you end up drinking at meals? I let my diet and fitness go completely years ago and would order takeout (Seamless) always with at least two sodas or a 2 litter bottle. That's always high calorie / high fat and salt food and I drank a LOT of soda. I've switched to small-portion, fresh, ready to eat meals now (from Freshdirect) so the food I eat will be MUCH better but I haven't found a good beverage to replace the soda. Wine I think is pretty much as bad as soda in terms of calories but isn't suitable for chugging at the same rate as soda so I would drink *less* of it but two glasses per meal is probably not a good idea. Water is too boring, gatorade just seems weird. Maybe I'll try tea.

[@drucejnr]

@@hberg321mate, get a sodastream and make your own sparkling water at home. Don’t add any juices, syrups, cordials, nothing. Just straight, fizzy water. Trust me when I say this, you’ll get hooked on it in no time. Flat coke tastes terrible, it’s the bubbles that make you enjoy it.

[@clonkex]

Wow, good on you. I'm on a similar journey but using one meal a day since I find it very effective and quite easy.

[@Greg41982]

The problem with the simplification of "don't count calories, they don't matter" is that it assumes that people who want to lose weight will be interested/equipped to use all of the different techniques available for health improvement. I've been in cardiology for nearly 20 years now, and I can say that people just don't stay with things that are even mildly overcomplicated. I don't usually tell my patients to count calories, but I do say "eat food, just eat half." I also have a tripartite slogan of "Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants." The patients that follow simple advice often lose weight. The folks that track everything on their phones, use apps, read books, make it a pseudo-hobby, do well in the very short term, but unless you really get gritty and grindy, it just doesn't stick. I think that the advice of not counting calories is great advice for those that already have an established baseline and want to do much better, but one walk around town will tell you that those are not the majority of humans currently.

[@MarriedWithBackpacks]

I lost 15 kilos while counting calories and exercising. It may not be the best way to lose weight, but it certainly helps putting a stop on snacking. I think its more a mental game where suddenly you are very aware of what you are eating and thus limit the amount and sort of food you consume. So for anyone getting discouraged about Si saying it's not an effective way of losing weight, take it with a grain of salt. It works, maybe not because the calories are accurate, but it helps because you are thinking about what you consume.

[@Madmaverick101]

I disagree with Si in that I do think that counting calories has its place, if only that it makes me conscious of what I'm eating and in what quantities I eat. In that way, calorie counting helps me live with moderation! Thank you for a super informative show, as always!

[@gcn]

If counting calories makes you lead a healthier lifestyle that's awesome!

[@Avioto]

@@gcn Guys you have a massive audience here on KZbin and if you had any sense of responsibility you wouldn't just throw blanket statements out there like "calorie counting doesn't work" and leave it at that. It's quite disappointing.

[@christophernichols4892]

It's definitely a nuanced topic. It's been touted as the be all end all method, but it does have definite limitations. Lots of people have success from counting calories and that is great! It doesn't work for others and that's not an indictment on it as a method, just that it doesn't work for everyone. I'm glad that it works for you!

[@HAILborgir]

Can you turn the message so that when you get better, stronger and faster with cycling, you need to think more about nutrition during ride? Like I'm big tall rider and I have to eat like a horse on fast and long (100+km) rides so I don't bonk out😂@@gcn

[@jazzcatjohn]

Calorie counting does work. It worked for me. But I stopped counting after three months when my body was used to a certain amount of calories per day. Obviously, there's a lot of other factors to consider.

[@gcn]

Do you think that Calorie counting was a gateway into a more healthy lifestyle for yourself? 🤔

[@jazzcatjohn]

@@gcn Definitely. Early on I realized that I could eat more healthy foods that contain less calories. For instance, instead of snacking on chips like I used to do in the evening before bed, I now eat some grapes or strawberries or something healthy that contains a lot of water that makes me feel full. Eventually, I realized that cutting out white rice and bread, especially on non-riding days made it much easier to lose and maintain weight. I've maintained a healthy lifestyle for about two years now and it all started with counting calories along with riding my bike.

[@bozzie_]

@@jazzcatjohnI think the rub is that GCN is getting to is that people assuming because you Burn X you can Eat X, whereas you should count and maintain your calories of your diet mostly irrespective of the exercise you do, otherwise you’ll be tempted to overeat based on a potential overestimation of calories burnt.

[@nienkerk1]

It would be cool if you interviewed a nutritionist and trainer from a world tour team and ask them about food and training and how to plan and eat during a training block.

[@gcn]

Great thinking! We'll see what we can do 👀

[@TKBedford]

I want a Big Mac now

[@DonBrandt]

Great Video Si. thanks for sharing the personal items about yourself and inspiring people to cycle and stay fit.

[@randyprovost6068]

Well done video! After 30 + years of medical practice I submit that calorie counting is variably effective depending on patient insight, motivation and other individual factors. I suggest that declaring it ineffective is and oversimplification.

[@z00011001]

Dumb answer.

[@jamesbyrd3740]

It's not an oversimplification. It's just wrong.

[@hoser7706]

That is waaaay less time to butn those cslories than I expected. Loved this video!! Had no idea Si was a vegetarian. For long?

[@whiskeytuesday]

GCN asking the real questions 🎉

[@stevedouglas3975]

Can only assume that is a sarcastic comment as it should be.

[@cyclingnerddelux698]

@@stevedouglas3975You are obviously way too cool and way too much of a mega pro expert bad ass to be here.

[@gordonhenderson1965]

@@stevedouglas3975 Well there was info in it I can safely say that not everyone knew, so It's not a waste of time.

[@stevedouglas3975]

@@cyclingnerddelux698 why do you say that? Come on, this is a rubbish bit of fluff video. GCN produce some good stuff but a LOT of filler as they're understandably running out of ideas so get things like this.

[@KapitanPisoar1]

And providing some really poor answers...

[@JibbaJabber]

A well informed, well thought out honest educational piece. More of this please. Well done.

[@user-ms2dd5rd8b]

Great segment. The Big Mac was a great hook and the piece contained a lot of really useful info. As usual, Simon is very engaging. You could have tacked on a discussion of how TDF riders burn 6000 calories/day (but none of them would think of eating 6 Big Macs before each stage).

[@bobgray1555]

I'm averaging about 350 watts these days but sadly 250 of that is courtesy of bosch 😉. Still, it gets me out there and I love it. As for Macs - don't bother. A healthy diet with exercise is the only way. Love the channel 👍

[@rogersimmons8788]

If you have ever watched the film 'Falling down' (starring Michael Douglas), you may have been able to follow his example and got the big mac before 11am!

[@chandrashekharmudaliar7842]

@gcn nicely done video. I like how you provide a bit of nuance about all carbs not being equal.

[@toite3x3ninjah]

This answered so many questions for me. Thank you

[@aliancemd]

The fact that you burn more calories as you get fitter while maintaining your perceived effort is new to me. When I was doing athletics professionally, we did struggle to maintain my weight - my mother was worried and regularly(between big meals) gave me just plain butter on bread to try to add some weight.

[@luukrutten1295]

If its actual butter and actual quality bread its still preferable over big macs. However getting a good honest quality bread ( not this supermarket long shelf stuff ) is no easy feat in some places.

[@donwinston]

Morons, including some doctors, will tell you that you get more "efficient" and burn fewer calories as you get fitter making exercise useless in losing weight. Energy is a function of mass and speed. Has nothing to do with physiology/biology. Calories is energy. Some people whine about this claiming the human body is not a machine. Yes it is.

[@alex.pozgaj]

It was actually said that you are *not* burning more or less calories as you get fitter. A fitter person can output more watts per hour, that's the only reason why it takes less time for a fitter person to burn off the same amount of calories. If a trained and an untrained person both cycle at 100W, their caloric expenditure will be pretty much the same.

[@kooooons]

​​@@alex.pozgaj ...but for the trained person 100W for an extended period of time is outright boring and for an untrained person it's challenging. So at a *similar difficulty level* (or 'percieved effort' as OP said), the trained person will in fact burn more calories.

[@nevilleneville6518]

I've seen a similar thing with professional ice hockey players. They play 82 regular season games in a highly aerobic sport, whilst carrying lots of muscle. Even eating 4 times a day some players will lose 15-20lbs over the course of a season

[@h31sman]

I lost 30+ pounds by counting calories, fasting, & cycling. I also just listened to my body on days I cycled hard. I’d actually be eating much more but weight loss is an iterative process so consistency (in all aspects) is really the key to losing it and burning it. For elite performance, that’s obviously a different story. But hamburgers really get a bad wrap. They’re not that bad for you. It’s a meal filled with protein and carbs. Literally exactly what you need. A McDonald’s burger is not as nutritious as a burger you can make from home, but writing off burgers as bad for you is silly. I keep eating them and keep getting stronger off and on the bike & still maintaining/losing weight despite being at my ideal range.

[@SethGroover]

I’ve been watching for a long time, and this video hits different. In a good way.

[@lesreed1635]

Riding on Zwift gave me some idea on how far you had to ride to burn a wedge of pizza, a lot more than you think. I know a “ Big Mac” is not a nutritional meal and I make mine worse with their milkshake. I just love the taste. Having one, once in a while as part of a controlled diet won’t do you any harm. I agree with many commentators that watching calories and exercise will contribute to weight loss.

[@golfstud88]

Great video and super informative. Si, as a fellow Celiac, would love to see a series around the effects of food allergies/sensitivities on cycling performance. Maybe some tips and tricks for endurance events where we don’t have the luxury of just picking up food wherever.

[@nicosq]

I don't have any food allergies but this would be super interesting!

[@timdechiller20]

As someone with a Celiac girlfriend (cyclist) any food allegies tip/tricks would be very welcome. We need those coffee breaks.

[@gcn]

We'll see what we can do ... watch this space 👀Do you have any go to celiac friendly cycling fuel?

[@timdechiller20]

@@gcn Dates are a good go to. Delicious, but very sticky.

[@golfstud88]

@@gcn Have been fortunate enough to find some gluten free energy gels and Stroop Waffles. Safe bet is always rice cakes though and the occasional banana (if you can stomach it).

[@kathysarmcandy1992]

Got a friend that has celiacs, bloody hard at times. I applaud how fit you stay. Inspirational as always. Possibly do a spot on what your specific nutrition in cycling and fitness with the Big C?

[@johnglyn3530]

Yes please as an older coeliac also with dairy and other intolerance I find travel difficult. I carry all my own “snacks” coffee stops are only for simple drinks and eat my own food. I find restricts sportive involvement as very few cater very carefully for coeliacs. You are very impressive please champion coeliacs in cycling a little more👍

[@Friek555]

This is some incredible work, good job to the GCN team!

[@gcn]

Glad you enjoyed it! Would you like to see more videos about nutrition? 🍔

[@user-fb2rj8st8d]

Simon. No lights on a British winter's day. There are some GCN videos you ought to watch. Tim

[@lordraiden5398]

I would like to know how much does age and metabolism have to do with this equation?

[@qwerty261]

Counting calories does work. I lose 6kg every hill climb season just counting calories. When I stop counting it goes back on 😊

[@Thezuule1]

Calories in, calories out. It isn’t just a suggestion, it’s the law.

[@sampetty5768]

Great video, really enjoyed it

[@nebulous962]

No need to burn it off. It's bulk season baby! 😛

[@KiranMachiraju]

What's this bulk season?

[@petervisser853]

Preparing for that long winter that never comes I guess

[@KiranMachiraju]

@@petervisser853 Ok sir thank you 💐

[@nebulous962]

​​@@KiranMachiraju bulk means eating in caloric surplus to gain a bit more muscle over certain period of time. This is commonly done in winter when people wear more layers of clothing because when people bulk they also gain more fat and that's not something many people want to show. So because of all this winter is called bulk season.

[@Burke1O1]

Really disappointed to hear you say that counting calories doesn't work. Even if you don't get exactly 1000 calories from a 1000 calorie meal, does not mean you throw the baby out with the bathwater. Counting calories is the most effective way to lose weight. Count calories, weigh yourself every day and put that into an excel. Find your TDEE and eat 500 calories less than that daily and you will lose .5 kg each week like clockwork.

[@caveboy9988]

Brilliant! That was the simplest demonstration about how complex food energy and nutrition is. I’m guilty of just treating food as fuel and simply look at calories on a packet and equate to what I my need.

[@richardruns4cake]

Brilliant film Si and great insight into feeding and power

[@alastairhamilton68]

Always good videos. I’m glad my non returned subscription from GCN+ is being put to good use. I guess we will never see that money?

[@martycurren5350]

I got my refund

[@alastairhamilton68]

Lucky you. I paid in August.... nothing. @@martycurren5350

[@reubenbryant]

As a newly diagnosed coeliac, just seeing representation within cycling was helpful.

[@michaelmacabata8037]

nice content!! keep it up GCN!!

[@erikgiggey4783]

as a person who has lost past 50% of there body weight, calories are a guide not the law, with metabolic testing you get a baseline of what you burn for calories thus you need to provide enough calories to sustain yourself and your activities. in 2009 i weighted 409 pounds, today i weigh 202 pounds it has taken me many years of learning to do this and discovering i had a bological cause to my weight in that my body failed to signal being full or satiated thus i had 2 states, starved and sick no in between. the first 100 pounds i did easy by cuttting sugar the last part actually took surgical assistance. now i know when im full and i have more energy than i ever have. surgery isnt the easy way it was the only way. when you are so hungry you quite literally cannot stand you eat and it took me many years, well from 2009 until 2022 to get help. i appreciate the message and yes you can not exercise weight away when your obese, diet is 100% responsible for that. if your obese or as i was morbidly obese from childhood onwards go ask for help. its worth it even though it will be the hardest thing you have ever done.

[@stevecochrane5376]

The fitter you are ,the more calories you burn . That is really fascinating. Definity a motivation to simply get fitter and fitter. Thanks Si. A super interesting vid.

[@gcn]

The only way is up 🚀

[@magnusbark4886]

As a type 1 diabetic with continuous blood glucose monitoring (CGM), I have learned quite a lot (but not enough) about food during long sessions (sometimes several days). The main takeaway is that French fries are a totally useless source of nutrition: They raise blood sugar little and slowly, but nothing goes into the muscles. Something else I learned is that large amounts of fast food (pizza, kebab platter...) only make you heavy and slow. Another thing I've learned: As long as I'm pedaling, I can stuff myself with lots of fast carbohydrates (soda, candy, cookies) without taking more insulin.

[@tomtreece4081]

My understanding is that in order to lose weight you must burn more calories than you take in. If that is true, then counting calories does matter.

[@ezkelionph]

ironically tho, this episode has got me craving for a Big Mac now. quite the unintended ad for McDonalds.

[@karelvanoorschot9323]

I didn't knew Si was a vegetartian. Nice! Having people like him, demonstrating that high performance is possible, occasionally mention it will work much better than those pushy types at convincing people to reduce their meat consumption.

[@danmartin9086]

Can't you tell by his gaunt face 😂

[@noName-kn1lx]

Lol good more steaks chicken and pork for us

[@karelvanoorschot9323]

@@noName-kn1lx whatever, I hope one day you realize what horror you're causing for animals and the environment.

[@pedallinraw]

Vegan for better gains 🤗🥰🥳

[@noName-kn1lx]

@@pedallinraw lol

[@chrishills7896]

I liked the fact that he pointed out that Calories In are not the same as Calories Burnt and that we are only 25% efficient with a lot of wastage going to heat when we exercise. To burn Fat we really need long exercise times (or keep moving) as we can only burn about 200Cals of Fat an hour. Carbs burnt in exercise should be replaced. We need to eat good Fat (for vitamins etc.) but there is a lot of Fat in a big Mac and Fries - How long a cycle would it take to burn off the Fat in a Big Mac meal?

[@JLW3113]

I loved this. I think it was such an important message to folks about quality of fuel over quantity as well as driving home the message that fitness does not come from diet alone or exercise alone: they must work in tandem. I'd love to see a follow-up video on what are some of the best REAL foods (no gels, no chews, no lab-created drink mixes) to fuel a ride.

[@appa609]

Temperature has a big effect. It's easy to get into situations when it's quite cold wet and windy that your body is actually producing a lot of additional heat on top of the waste heat of your pedaling.

[@jaked8971]

348w for 51~ mins? Jeez Si is strong

[@WerdnaLiten]

Fast - not strong. Strong is lifting weights, not cycling.....

[@JBR.1974]

if youre going off just poower and not heart rate, surely that isnt an accurate count as the rest of your body/muyscles and working too and therefore bruning calories

[@andrasszabo1570]

Yeah, for almost all people the background operations like having your heart beating, brain operating, glands working, etc. consume the most energy in a day.

[@bobrong9645]

@@andrasszabo1570 Well, yeah, but wouldn't that be true whether you train or not? I suppose if the answer was 12 hours doing nothing (depending on your metabolism, obvs) would be far less interesting on this channel.

[@JR-dd1mu]

What is the brand of that Espresso machine behind you? btw, thanks for the videos especially your GCN Training channel!

[@thomastrevelyan192]

The best informed and most entertaining GCN video ever. Could Manon try the same with a chicken tikka masala, please?

[@paulwestwood3895]

Excellent experiment and now I know why I struggle to lose weight and improve my fitness...I can't put enough power on the peddles whilst eating my Big Mac 😂😂

[@theworkethic]

Why would you even eat something like that in the first place? Weight control starts at what you eat not at how you train. This is an experiment for those chasing their tails around

[@ThisHandleIsAlreadyTaken839]

No, you just eat too many big macs, you can't out train a bad diet

[@rnedisc]

I think an important thing to note that when scientific studies say "counting calories is not an effective method to lose weight" is not that it doesn't "work". Technically it absolutely does work. It's simple physics. It probably even works for some people that have the mental capacity for it. A very big part of the problems is that losing weight for humans is largely a mental problem. So that counting calories does not result in significant weight loss over a large data set of humans trying the method. Simply put, counting calories and not eating more than you use works to lose weight, it's just that people are, on average, pretty bad at it.

[@davidf2281]

Exactly.

[@carlseddon2392]

Gcn does science, very interesting that you didn't know what time maccas serves breakfast too. Very interesting video Si, I enjoyed it.

[@SUNNY2536]

This is so helpful as I am trying to be a better fit cyclist. Thank You!

[@vipergtsrgt1]

Your Big Mac looks shorter in height than the one we have in the US. I looked up the American version, and ours is 590 calories.

[@astigmatic8978]

Shrinkflation 😕 Ours in Australia is 560 cal

[@Ryan.T89]

I watched a tv show about American vs European food. Apparently a lot of what’s used in American McDonalds to make them bigger etc is banned in most of Europe. That’s why the European stuff is always smaller looking and has less calories.

[@bikeman123]

It's supposed to be 100% beef. Whats the stuff that's banned?

[@Ryan.T89]

@@bikeman123 can’t remember the ins and outs of it, but it was what they added to the beef when it’s being processed and what it’s cooked in. The biggest thing was what way the live stock that’s used for the meet is treated. Farming practices and feeding practices in America used to enhance the beef use substances and methods that are banned in the EU. They also use a significant amount of trans fats added and more saturated fat to it for some reason which they’re not allowed to do in the EU anymore. I think trans fat is actually banned altogether in some EU countries. Their was also something about the ingredients in the bun as well, the US version had nearly double the ingredients and some of the preservatives and flavouring they used where banned in the EU. The one I do remember was the fries, EU versions had 4 ingredients and the US ones had nearly 20 half of which are banned in the EU. If you look it up on KZbin theirs a 30 mins documentary from the UK that explains it all.

[@vipergtsrgt1]

@@Ryan.T89I looked up the ingredients. The US version has a lot more fat and carbs. Both use 100% beef. I think the calorie difference comes down to the cheese and the special sauce. The UK version uses vegetarian cheese vs traditional milk and cream based cheese in the US. The US sauce contains high fructose corn syrup.

[@davidmurray2056]

Food calories are calculated by how much heat is generated when it's dried out and burnt in a lab. Our bodies don't process food by setting it on fire. We are complex biological creatures. A carbohydrate calorie is completely different to a protein or fat calorie to our bodies. You shed some excellent light on the modern view of nutrition and weight management.

[@erek200]

Ummm... Other than protein needed for building and maintaining tissue... The body does essentially burn calories for energy

[@markmoreno7295]

You had me rolling on the floor twice. First when you said, “I’m quite hungry now,” and second when you mentioned the stunt double. Well, I am off through the rain to get me a snack on my bicycle. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@mprudhon]

Great content!!

[@82vitt]

Working out to be able to eat junk food is never a good idea.

[@appa609]

The idea that MacDonalds is terrible food is kind of a bad cliche. At the end of the day, its just a hamburger made of bread beef and some vegetables. If you wanta talk ultra processed food it'd be better to look at things like cheetos and twinkies.

[@seraph4581]

Yeah. The problem with mcdonalds is actually just the added sugars and vegetable oil. They're awful for you.

[@andrewgray4212]

Really liking these videos on nutrition

[@Mclovinthedank]

idk if it is GCN+ dying or what. but the content this year has been the best in a long time!

[@lukewalker1051]

Interesting, thanks Si. PS. as an American and a fitness nut who may make it to the age of 70 this April due to not eating McDonald's, I can state with some certainty, McDonalds is to be credited for global population control.😉

[@markosz22]

The entire American standard diet can be credited for that.

[@mountaintruth1deeds533]

You never burn off modern micky dees...those are forever chemicals😳

[@Adventuregirl96]

Loved the video now I need to find out how many calories from my favorite burger places. I also might need to start taking the long way back.

[@BC-wj8fx]

Adding up energy intake certainly works even as an inexact science. Some food labels may be under, some may be over, but it keeps you in the ballpark. For years I could never gain mass so I started really stuffing myself. I still remained the same. But when I actually added up my (increased) intake I was only at about 8500 kJ, which is about a maintenance intake for a non-active person. So for me trying to do weight training this was not enough and I had to find a way to cram more energy in. Then I started making gains. And when I do a long endurance race I count up the energy in my food supplies. The first time I didn't do this and I ran out of energy at about the 90% mark. After analysing the energy intake post-race, I indeed ate only about 90% what I should have. It was like 13,000 kJ required, 11,500 kJ taken in. The next race I took in 13,500 kJ and made it without the fade.

[@danielakerman8241]

We all know how objectively crappy McDonalds is and how bad it is for you. But let’s be honest: we also all know that Si’s favorite part of this video was eating that Big Mac meal!

[@ianlaker9161]

...which in fact he didn't. Watch the whole video.

[@danielakerman8241]

@@ianlaker9161 It was a joke, mate. And I did. What part are you referring to?

[@ianlaker9161]

@@danielakerman8241 The end! When he talks about being vegetarian and using a double for the close up eating shots.

[@iliakus]

what I was wondering, thanks

[@jonathansprenkle8466]

Whoot! Great video...but I'm 64 years old , former duathlon racer, never had a power meter, til zwift this year...ridiculous watts you guys do..like it's just normal, if I'm lucky I hit 500 on a sprint! ..but real great perspective of the food at the end..super important, thanks! Sharing it to my ragbrai bros

[@martinthomas5194]

Excellent GCN vid

[@kigai]

Haven’t been here for a while, gcn finally bought electric scooter for vids, that’s cool no more annoying engine sound on the background! 🎉

[@tims_builds]

This is where active commuting can make a huge difference. Where someone might have trouble finding time for 2.5hrs a week for dedicated exercise it's a lot easier to get 2.5hrs a week of commuting. It won't fix a bad diet but it will help you find that time to burn that energy

[@mattszrejter6785]

Great video. I like the new content. 😊

[@biketrybe7071]

Nice to see the Chocolate Voice making a cameo and taking one for the team.

[@drewrestrepo]

this is awesome - best yet si

[@AthrunZalax09a]

This was a great, well done video. Remarkably informative, and I love the attention made to ensure it's obvious that it's about nutrition, not calories taken in / out. A good diet is one of the most important steps you can take to be healthy.

[@brendonsmith5029]

Bloody fascinating, more more more. I love this science tech stuff, just give us more.

[@willmo1725]

Good show simon!! Am constantly confused by calories. I try not to go bonkers eating what ever I want on a long ride. Still it's easy to do after burning 2000 on way to cafe or restraunt.

[@greenpedal370]

I used to do leaflet distribution and food delivery by bike. I didn't mater how much or what I ate I just kept getting thinner, developed more muscle and my blood pressure plummeted to teenage levels.

[@species5022]

Very interesting video! Similar to you I also thought being better trained would make you more energy efficient and burn less. But what you say makes perfect sense. Thanks!

[@gcn]

It's a real surprise isn't it 🤯

[@Martin-mt4bo]

That's a mighty nice espresso machine in the background there 😅

[@87enam]

Really good science. I actually leaned a lot.

[@wjp555]

Great video. I LOVE it that GCN is based in Bath.

[@ERob5415]

Loved this video! I thought it was really informative, more content like this would be great! I did wonder how Si was eating that big Mac as having coeliacs myself I was rather jealous 👀

[@paulspencer4631]

That was a great little documentary. I have found that fasting from 1800 untim 1230 the next day, coupled with a light healthy lunch and dinner drops the kilos very quickly. If I am on a ZWIFT race day, then I just ensure that I have some slow release energy inside me and an emergency gel. I've just managed to drop from 76kg to healthy 69kg without even thinking about it. You're right, stop counting calories and just ensure you make the right healthy choices, coupled with exercise. 😊

[@edgerat]

DIET!!!!!!!!! and exercise (little tiny font). This was a lot of fun!

[@Pratalax]

It's nuts that i can smell the funk of the clown through the friggin' screen. The mcpower of the mcbrand..... god, especially that rank lettuce xD This is some of your best work - i like that you touched on the psychological aspect of it too; i think many of us are guilty of not appreciating how much more difficult an activity can be for someone less fit.

[@gautierbauters]

Super interesting!

[@davidburk4062]

Great video Si. I hope that you plan to a follow up video to take it one step further by defining better options of monitoring than caloric intake. There are so many opinions on weight lose and strength training. It would be nice to have something geared towards the beginner/intermediate cyclists

[@jbiasutti]

I think the advice here should be that if you can cycle at anything near ftp for an hour you can increase your food intake by 50%.

[@James-rf2ln]

It’s not “devoid of nutrients” it has protein, fat and carbs (literally ALL your macro nutrients)

[@jimbo2112]

Could you follow up to show the effect of regular training on your basal metabolic rate?

[@BarkTheAlliedGiant]

I would have liked to see what a caloric estimate model from heart rate, body weight, age, etc. was compared to the actual power put thru the pedals. In the article, you mentioned it could be 40% out. Any chance a video was already made on this subject?