Update May 9, 2008: I weigh 144 now, so I have lost 4 pounds in three months. I think I have put some muscle on as well, due to my core workouts. Anyway, this is very slow weight loss making it very doable. I’m a little hungry between lunch and dinner, and again at bedtime. It’s ok to be hungry sometimes. Learn to embrace it! I plan to get down to 138. I think I look good at my current weight. The only reason I want to lose weight is to help me run faster. I truly think that is the easiest way (for me) to get faster!
Original Post written on Feb 16, 2008:
I finally stepped on the scale today after avoiding it for several months. The good news is that I did not gain weight over the holidays. The bad news is that I am still at least 10 pounds more than where I should be as an endurance athlete. My weight: 148 lbs.
Here’s my formula for weight management:
I use the Calorie Needs Calculator on this site to figure out my Basal Metabolic Rate. I’m basically a couch potato aside from my workouts, so that’s my base level of calorie needs per day.
Then figure out how many calories I’ve burned in workouts using Caloriesperhour.com. I only count REAL workouts, not walking the dog or doing the dishes.
Add the above two numbers together. That’s how many calories I allow myself to eat that day in order to maintain my weight. I log everything I eat in a small notebook. That works for me. It leaves me a little hungry sometimes, like between lunch and dinner, or between bedtime and breakfast. This is doable, and worth the effort because I don’t want to gain weight.
If I want to lose weight, I only add HALF the number of calories I burn to my base calories. That leaves me really hungry alot. I did this leading up to the 2006 season for 6 months, and got down to 134 (from 144). It took me 6 months of being really hungry alot to lose 10 pounds.
I’m revising the above paragraph. Right now, when I am working out about 1 hour per day, cutting the calories burned via exercise in half is fine, because that leaves me with a deficit of about 300 calories per day. That’s just right for losing 1 pound of fat every week or two. But, when I gear up into heavy training volume (2-3 hours per day), that formula will leave me with a huge calorie deficit. (That explains why I was always so hungry when I lost weight in 2006). So, what I’ll do is add my base calories to my calories burned, then subtract 300 calories to get my goal for the day.
I eat roughly according to the South Beach diet. Limited healthy carbs, lean meats, lots of veggies, healthy oils such as nuts, olive oil, etc. I avoid sugary crappy foods. The only time I eat pure carbs is during or after workouts.
I try to make sure I am eating at least 100 grams of protein per day. I like Whey Powder smoothies to supplement my lean protein intake, because I don’t like fish and chicken all that much (I prefer the fattening meats like hamburgers and BBQ pork). Whey shakes are just 100 calories for 21 grams of quality protein. The best tasting brand is ON (Optimum Nutrition) Gold Whey powder. You can buy it at local stores like GNC or the Vitamin Shoppe. Best online price is at www.Vitacost.com.
Ways to count calories: Nutrition labels, The Calorie Counter, Restaurant Websites, and this Book.
I’m in a crabby mood right now because I’ve decided to try an lose those 10 pounds to get back under 140 lbs….and I’m starving hungry! I would love to hear how other triathletes manage their weight; and learn what and how much you eat.
Time for a cup of hot tea. That’s what I have when I’m starving hungry while awaiting the next meal.
Here’s a page from my calorie counting journal…click image to enlarge:
Please check out this article:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/core_march_8.htm
I too have lost over 70lbs in the past year and a half by training for triathlons. This year I’m scheduled to do two halfs, a sprint, two half marathons and two open water swims (2k and 5k).
I too have another 20lbs to lose. I’m totally frustrated, though, because it’s not coming off. I tried restricting my caloric intake — like you did — for two months and didn’t lose a pound. So I upped it to RMR +cals. burned (my h/r monitor has this feature so I know exactly how much to log every day) and STILL haven’t lost a pound — but I haven’t gained anything either. However, I have a LOT more energy and training is much easier. I also haven’t been sick since upping the food load (*knocks wood*).
I think the way to go is to eat more carbs in smaller portions and never after 6 p.m., or your liver will store it as fat while you sleep, and to eat ENOUGH. Check out the article to know more.
Good luck and perhaps we’ll run into each other in Kona one day!!
If counting calories is on your daily to-do list, then i suggest using this website:
http://www.sparkpeople.com
You can log food that you eat and it calculates the calories, carbs, proteins, and fats for you. You can also log your exercises and it estimates how many calories are burned during that activity. Plus there are lots of helpful articles on health related topics.
Thanks everyone for your concern. As someone who has lost a lot of weight, the idea of eating more just plain scares me. I have been doing this for several years, BTW. I will think more about this…
I’m glad I came across your blog. I’ve recently become interested in triathlons. I just had my first baby and I am eager to get back in shape. I’ve always wanted to do a marathon but I’m not a huge running fan. I like enough but I haven’t caught the bug yet. Tri sounds great. My goal is to do one next spring or summer.
My trainer told me the reason I haven’t been losing weight is because I haven’t been feeding my body enough. I agree with everyone that has commented. Make sure your fueling your body and it might jumpstart your weight loss again.
is starving yourself a good idea? especially for a triathlete? you look great and weight shouldn’t become an obsession if you feel healthy. be careful you don’t develop an eating disorder.
Greg,
I’ve tried several different protein drinks, and taste varies a lot, not necessarily depending on sugar content. Here’s my reviews, FYI:
Low Carb (Sugar Free) brands… I use for protein supplementation in my diet, esp when I am counting calories:
* Optimum Nutrtion Gold Whey (chocolate and vanilla): This is the one I talk about in my blog post it tastes alot better than the other brands I tried.
* GNC Brand, chocolate flavor was okay.
* Precision Engineering Brand, chocolate flavor was so bad tasting that I threw it away. Just tasted really artificial.
The High Carb varieties are more for recovery after long or hard workouts.
* EAS Myoplex. This stuff tasted really good. A bit on the sweet side. I had a free sample of it. It’s very expensive, so I never actually bought it.
* Endurox R4 Chocoloate: This stuff is sickenly sweet. I take this as a recovery drink after really long or really hard workouts, and mix it half and half with ON Whey powder just cuz I can’t stand the sweetness.
* Accelerade, Fruit Punch flavor: This I bought as a Gatorade type beverage for during workouts. It has some mix of carb/protein this is supposedly good for really long workouts or races. Taste is tolerable, it’s very tart and does not mix evenly, and leaves a film in my water bottle that is hard to wash out. I won’t buy this again. If I use it in races this coming season (haven’t decided yet) I will buy the Accel gel pouches instead of mixing it in a water bottle.
Is it generally true that good protein powders do not taste as good as bad powders? (less sugar in the good ones?) That seems to be a trend. There are a huge number of brands out there. I research at NutritionalTree.com (they don’t sell any but do collect reviews), and there seems to be a huge difference in quality too.
I also agree that you should eat every time you are hungry. I think its (probably) better to reduce the size of meal and eat more frequently (= when you are hungry). You are doing so much exercises that I bet you can quite freely eat what ever you like. Just drop off all snacks, candies and “junk/fast food”. Those are “extra” energy what you don’t need. I wonder where you got that “The bad news is that I am still at least 10 pounds more than where I should be as an endurance athlete.” idea (hilarious). Who says what you can weight? Everyone is unique… how about those who are bit shorter and built bit “thicker”?
Weight loss does not happen in one night. Just keep practicing and add more distances to your exercises. and first of all forget weight “problems”. I bet that its much more enjoyable to do exercises if not bother about weight. Lets think the other side.
but on the other side, you know yourself best.
Nice blog and very best wishes from Finland.
CAROL DID YOU EVER THINK THAT MAYBE YOU ARENT EATING ENOUGH? YOU MAY BE NOT GIVING YOUR BODY ENOUGH CALORIES, SO IT THINKS THAT IT IS STARVING AND IS HOLDING ONTO EVERYTHING YOU PUT INTO IT. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS IN THE PAST AND WHEN I ADDED SOME MORE TO MY DIET, THE WEIGHT CAME OFF. JUST A THOUGHT. RIGHT NOW ITS BACK ON AGAIN, BUT THATS THE LEFT OVER HOLIDAY POUNDS(LOL) I BASICALLY EAT WHENEVER IM HUNGARY WHICH IS OFTEN THROUGHOUT THE DAY. IM SORT OF A GRAIZER, HAVING TO EAT FREQUENTLY THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
IM ENJOYING YOUR BLOG ENTRIES. I HHOPE I CAN MEET YOU AT THE WHITE LAKE SPRINT OR HALF, CANT REMEMBER WHICH YOU ARE DOING, BUT THE PLACE IM STAYING REQUIRES A TWO DAY STAY SO IM GOING TO WATCH THE HALF ON SATURDAY!!!
TRACY:)