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Question for People Gaining Weight in Off Season...
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I see posts on here about people who go into the offseason or pause training and gain a lot of weight. I see people posting they gained 7-10 pounds in just a couple of weeks.

I have a couple of questions about that.

#1 - Is it fat they gain, or is it weight?

#2 - Does this happen with a clean diet similar to training, or do they just fall off the wagon?

#3 - How long does it take to get the weight off once training resumes?
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Re: Question for People Gaining Weight in Off Season... [Spartan420] [ In reply to ]
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For me I gain a little weight over the winter but not too much. For me it comes down to a lower trading volume and me just not being too strict with my diet. I will eat a few more donuts and cookies and maybe some more beer/wine but still mostly on the same eating plan as in season. I also might not have a salad when I go out to eat I might have a sandwich or a burger. But it's not like I am just throwing everything out of the window in the winter.

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Re: Question for People Gaining Weight in Off Season... [Spartan420] [ In reply to ]
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I suspect you'll receive some differing opinions, because everyone's bodies react differently, but my n=1 based on current and past experience:

(1) It depends how far you let yourself go. Even in-season, I can gain as much as a kilo during a 2-3 day taper, which I put down extra muscle glycogen storage (and the water that goes along with that); I'm routinely back down to normal values in a day or two after the event, so I know it must be mostly "water weight". Anything beyond that I assume is mostly fat, maybe a bit of extra muscle-mass but that's probably being optimistic.

(2) For me, it's (somewhat intentionally) falling off the wagon. Indulging in things that I might normally avoid or limit, exacerbated by the decreased training volume. It's mentally refreshing for a while, but then I get sick of having two desserts with every meal and want to be able to run fast again.

(3) Once I resume decent training volumes (10+ hrs per week) and eating responsibly, I can happily lose 0.5+ kg per week. At around 1 kg per week loss is where my energy levels and training start to suffer; again the time it takes depends on how far you've let yourself go in the wrong direction ;)

After my Ironman this season I gradually crept up up from my race weight of 62 to 68 kg through over-indulgence and wilful neglect! Back down to 65 now, but I want to target a spring marathon next year, so figured I'd better get on top of it and at least be within a couple of kilos of race-weight by the time training kicks off properly again in the New Year.

Having typed that out, it doesn't sound like the most healthy approach(!), but I find the break from a (reasonably) strict regime very mentally refreshing.
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Re: Question for People Gaining Weight in Off Season... [Spartan420] [ In reply to ]
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1. in the short term it's likely fat

2. It happens when you consume more calories than you burn. Doesn't really matter what you eat.

3. It depends on how many more calories you burn than consume.
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Re: Question for People Gaining Weight in Off Season... [jaretj] [ In reply to ]
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The girlfriend likes cuddling in the winter time....and likes me to have a bit more padding.

at least this is what I tell myself as I am 3/4 of a large pizza down.
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Re: Question for People Gaining Weight in Off Season... [Spartan420] [ In reply to ]
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This happens very easily when you go from a very high volume of exercise down to a low level. You are used to eating for that large volume of exercise and your hunger doesn't decrease with the decrease in exercise. Combine that with the person having a few more treats here and there and wham you're 10 lbs above race weight in just a few weeks time.

But I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. The body gets to completely recover and get ready for the next round.
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Re: Question for People Gaining Weight in Off Season... [Spartan420] [ In reply to ]
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Unlike most “racers” here I’m not going to win with my build (former hockey player) and I don’t want to look like a super skinny racer either. In the off season, I lift heavy weights to gain muscle, and have a caloric surplus to achieve it. I don’t gain a lot of weight (as you still watch what you eat) but less cardio will just lead to less calories burned, as well as the weight training. For me it isn’t about winning in Tri, its about looking good in my onesie when i’m out there.
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Re: Question for People Gaining Weight in Off Season... [Sean H] [ In reply to ]
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Sean H wrote:
This happens very easily when you go from a very high volume of exercise down to a low level. You are used to eating for that large volume of exercise and your hunger doesn't decrease with the decrease in exercise. Combine that with the person having a few more treats here and there and wham you're 10 lbs above race weight in just a few weeks time.

But I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. The body gets to completely recover and get ready for the next round.

This is exactly what happened to me.
Stopped racing/training and burning 22,500 calories/wk, went to minimal training and relaxing lifestyle where I'm likely only burning less than half of that 10,000 calores/wk.
Food consumption didn't change, added in a few extra beers, some extra slices of pizza, halloween candy. Pretty easy to add 10lbs on in a couple of weeks.

How long will it take to burn off, about the same as it took to put on, give or take.
I've already adjusted my portion and volume to reflect reduced training. I've slightly increased training as well.
I'll knock it back down in 2 months or so.

Race weight is not a comfortable living weight for me. I hate constantly being hungry and watching what I eat, not enjoying a few drinks. It's not an unhealthy weight but I certainly would prefer to just have the 5 extra lbs and not worry about things. I'm happy to have a few extra in the off-season that I can manage away as next season approaches.
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