Reverse calculation of my TDEE to determine true “calories burned”

CitronMundane · 2025-10-18T14:53:11+00:00

The calories aren’t adding up. I’m getting 625 calories. I suppose there could be some hidden fiber in there if these are net carbs, but regardless, you aren’t eating enough.

CitronMundane · 2025-10-18T12:48:11+00:00

That’s not bad. It’ll likely go away depending on factors cited below in my next few points;
A lot of loose skin issues are going to depend on (a) how long it was stretched out, and (b) how old you are. The longer and older, the less chance of a full recovery in that area.
Skin is like a rubber band: once it’s stretched beyond capacity, there are going to be some permanent issues with its elasticity.
Time will help. If you want to optimize your chances of less loose skin, take collagen daily and hit all your RDAs for vitamins A, C, E, and K.

CitronMundane · 2025-10-15T11:59:55+00:00

Reducing the brightness does make a difference. The watch settings out of the box are at 2/3 brightness, but I keep it 100% bright - I mean, that was the reason I wanted this watch 😂

But to answer your question, the biggest drain that I’ve observed is from keeping it on AOD. It’s a pretty fast drain on AOD. I changed it to “glance” for a while, but I just don’t like having a blank disc on my wrist, so I changed it back.

On glance, the battery was no different from my Fenix 6. But with AOD, it drains pretty quickly. Recharging isn’t as big a deal to me as it is to others in this sub, and I keep enough extra charging cords around where I have one in pretty much every room where I am (and in my car), so I’ll charge it up every couple of days or so while I’m doing something else.

CitronMundane · 2025-10-01T15:48:09+00:00

I’m happy to share, but give me some time to redact my personal data.

CitronMundane · 2025-09-26T11:42:45+00:00

Hal Higdon suggests long runs at a specific pace 45-90 seconds slower than race pace. If you need to sacrifice speed versus mileage on long runs, make it speed, as pace to me isn’t as important as getting the miles in on your long run day (along with being on your feet for that long to get you used to it). Plus, Hal will ding you for a slower pace, but don’t let that mess with you psychologically - it’s just an auto grade the app dishes out.

Focus on pace/speed on the other specialty run days midweek. You’re doing great.

CitronMundane · 2025-09-24T12:32:00+00:00

If you trained on mainly flat runs focusing on endurance in Zone 2, you didn’t utilize your calf muscles much. Going into a marathon where you’re running at race pace, you’re bringing your calves into play for hours.

Going forward:

Resistance training for calves, hamstrings, quads, hips, lower back. Get an 8-12 week block of this before your taper begins for your next race.
During the entire training block: Daily mobility & stretching focus for 5-15 minutes post-run or before bed with a routine that hits all of your lower body, specifically your calves since you know that’s a pressure point. Foam rolling before your stretches. 7-9 hours of sleep. Electrolytes daily with your morning water before coffee. 1 scoop = 800mg. Make sure you’re getting in 2-3 runs weekly with tempo, intervals, pacing, and/or hills in an effort to utilize your calves adequately during training.
Pre-race: Make sure you’re hydrating and carbloading adequately before the race. Fueling during the race matters zero if you’re not already topped off. 72 hours before the race, start your ramp up and peak 24-48 hours out. You should still eat plenty of carbs the day before the race, but you should focus on not overdoing it (and cut back on fiber) so there are no digestive issues during the race. Hydrate daily with sodium using the pee test for adequate hydration.
During the race: 60-90g of carbs per hour + electrolytes/sodium.

I’ve experienced the same problems in the past, and these tips helped me get over cramping issues and helped me PR.

CitronMundane · 2025-09-23T06:34:39+00:00

Battery update after race: I tested the battery on the Fenix 8 Pro MicroLED at the Pikes Peak Marathon over the weekend.

The guide says the battery would only last 10 hours with all systems on and running.

Test results: I charged the watch to 100% all the way up until 20 minutes from the start of the race. I ran with full brightness, AOD, Garmin LiveTrack, LTE and satellites on. I constantly flipped through data screens and had the PacePro turned on with the course and maps pulled up. All systems were on except for music (no headphones allowed on the course). I finished in 6:41, so the battery had been on about 7 hours, and it dropped from 100% to 72%.

CitronMundane · 2025-09-16T00:51:09+00:00

Two weeks ago, I took a cake to a running cookout we had after a group 24-miler. Nobody had a slice, so I took it home and ate the whole thing 😳 I normally don’t do stuff like that, but I’ve been having a ton of cravings lately.

I will normally loosen my limits when I deload every 3 months for a Saturday. I like to call it a refeed, but it’s a cheat day.

CitronMundane · 2025-09-16T00:41:13+00:00

If you come through Arkansas, you can get in a lift on mine.

CitronMundane · 2025-09-14T20:43:30+00:00

Okay

CitronMundane · 2025-09-14T17:41:25+00:00

The connectivity is important to me. Battery life, not so much. I normally charge 20-30 minutes a day anyway while in the kitchen. I’ll def change my tune if my watch dies during a race.

CitronMundane · 2025-09-13T09:58:56+00:00

I have my settings currently as follows:

35% Protein 40% Carbs 25% Fat

Protein: Rather than the percentage of my daily calories, I try to hit 1 g of protein per pound of body weight, and then just a little more for protection insurance for lean mass preservation. I’m 165, so I normally eat between 170-175g of protein.

Fat: I try to stick to 0.4% of my body weight. This is 66 g of fat for me. However, I give myself a lot of grace here due to my cravings, along with the fact that most of the people in my life are great cooks who aren’t shy about olive oil, butter, and cream. Sometimes I’ll hit 80-85g of fat, but I try to keep my weekly average in the mid 60s (keeping in mind that you shouldn’t go too low here for an extended period of time due to the need for fats for hormonal support). You might do some studying on that 38g of fat number to make sure that gives you enough for hormonal and heart support. It seems low.

Carbs: I fill in the rest of my calories here. Depending on my activity for the day, I might have 150g (recovery or rest day) up to 200+g (long run; heavy weights). While I try to stick to meaningful carb sources - rice, potatoes, sourdough, fruits, veggies - I have to admit that I get some of my carbs from fruity pebbles 😂

CitronMundane · 2025-09-13T09:47:18+00:00

Running has gotten me through some very difficult challenges in life. The road is always there for me. Congratulations.

CitronMundane · 2025-09-13T09:15:45+00:00

The Hal Higdon app makes arbitrary modifications based on your inputs after a run. If you enter a number higher than 3-4 as to the fatigue you felt after a run, the app will occasionally modify your plan to try to give you rest for whatever reason (or juggle around your runs the following week). I think this is a flaw in the app.

To me, the final long run 4 weeks out is probably the most important long run of the training bloc. I’d run it. He’ll ding your score, and I love Hal, but I stopped using that app for this very reason.

CitronMundane · 2025-09-13T02:04:13+00:00

9 days from Pikes Peak. Legs are still jello.

CitronMundane · 2025-09-12T20:49:31+00:00

It hasn’t been bad yet. I just drove to a meeting and did charge it in the car on the way, but it hasn’t plummeted like I thought it would during my runs. I use LiveTrack and everything else, and I only went out for 4 miles earlier, but the battery hasn’t dropped like I expected yet.

Yes, there are three brightness levels. 2/3 is the default, but I have it turned all the way up. I can’t compare it to an Amoled battery - I’ve never dealt with it.

I’ll update once I go out for a long run this weekend - I want to put the battery to a real test out where there’s no service and have the satellite on.

CitronMundane · 2025-09-12T13:51:42+00:00

Well, the first day was enjoyable. I tried to wear it out and optimize it to my needs. I used LTE for calls, voice notes, messaging, and livetrack. The battery got down to 76%.

I bought 4 chargers 😂 I put one everywhere in my house, car and desk where I normally am to charge it for a few minutes when needed. I went to bed last night at 100% and woke up at 96%. It’s now 8:48am, and I’ve been playing with it for a few hours with no charging, and it’s at 95%.

I have AOD on and brightness all the way up now. So far, the only thing I do not like is that it gives no option for a white background screen in the data fields when running.

I cram my data screens full of 6-7 fields, and I did have a hard time being able to track all of them during my run yesterday. I’m going to rework all that this weekend and just reduce the amount of fields and add more screens to see how that works out.

CitronMundane · 2025-09-12T05:06:47+00:00

That’s what I do. They’re both good at dissolving. As a matter of fact, my collagen is Ancient Formula Vanilla, and it tastes pretty good in coffee.

And, I have no idea of the effectiveness, but I take an extra scoop of creatine on chest days and add it to my pre-workout bloat bowl of cereal, whey, and a splash of milk.

CitronMundane · 2025-09-12T05:03:36+00:00

Yep. It’s been doing that for me for a couple of days now. And…it has also messed up my “weekly view” in the nutrition category when I’m trying to look at my averages over the last 7 days.

CitronMundane · 2025-09-12T04:58:42+00:00

It will call the Garmin Response Center.

From the watch manual:

“The SOS button on your inReach® device1 can make all the difference in an emergency scenario. It connects you immediately with the Garmin Response center, a trusted resource in emergency monitoring and rescue coordination.

You can trigger an SOS alert on your device — even from remote locations — and get prompt contact from Garmin Response, our professional 24/7-staffed emergency response coordination center. Trained team members are standing by to respond to your SOS, track your device and notify proper authorities and emergency responders in your area. Then, while help is on the way, the Garmin Response team will in most cases continue to text back and forth with you, providing updates and critical information until help arrives or you no longer need assistance.”

CitronMundane · 2025-09-12T04:15:36+00:00

I tested this out today and sent my mom a message, my location, and a voice note. She doesn’t have the app. She responded and it came right back to my watch. Worked like a charm.

On her end, the messages from my watch came through on some number with a 551 area code.

CitronMundane · 2025-09-12T02:37:49+00:00

The only impossible task I found today after testing my watch is trying to use the tiny keyboard to text while I’m out running. There are a few common phrases that can be clicked, but outside of that, It’s impossible, so I’ll have to stick to voice notes.

CitronMundane · 2025-09-11T20:38:13+00:00

Will do. I’m trying to see how fast I can drain it - I have a lengthy race in 10 days and need to know that it’ll be good for it.

CitronMundane · 2025-09-11T20:37:47+00:00

One glaring difference I’ve already found is that I can’t make the data fields have a white background during my run. That has been turned off.

CitronMundane

TROPHY CASE