Thank you all for the advice. I think my next step is going to be a serious conversation with my doctor about my future. I keep forgetting that I’m not 20 anymore.
I haven’t done my physical yet this year. I’ll make my appointment and let him know that I want to have a serious talk about my weight and where to go from here. The older I get the harder this will be to take care of.

As far as training. I’ve never used the tools on the past like a power meter but I would like to learn.

I have a heart rate strap. And I am definitely a gadget guy so I wouldn’t be opposed to buying a power meter. I just remember them being so expensive, so I never really looked into them.

I understand the weight is the real key for my performance, but there’s no reason I can’t increase my bike training immediately and see some gains there too.

That sounds like a really sensible plan. Power meters are not that expensive these days depending on what you want, lots available for second hand etc. At your weight, your heart is working a lot harder already than it needs to and adding lots of high intensity work to it can lead to more problems (as you are unfortunately at high risk of coronary vascular disease and a few other things, a physical won't pick that up easily and needs other scans, but that can then lead to all sorts of insurance issues so don't rush things).
There are arguments for and against weight training as well. Muscle does burn more calories than fat as such and so adding in a resistance training program that is well designed could be beneficial for you as well. That is where the scales can be tricky as your weight may be static but you are replacing fat with muscle and so body composition can be a better guide.

Just putting it out there though....if heart wise things look OK, putting a pause on triathlon and trying some of the 8-10 week body comp challenges (like the F45 series we have over in Australia) can create some amazing results that can kick start the process for you. It is high intensity exercise but a mix of various things across the week combined with body comp assessments and comprehensive meal planning.

Gotta be brutally honest with you. You need to lose 100lbs more than you need specific training for speed.

At your weight, with a 27 minute 5k, you clearly have the aerobic engine. Get that weight down and you will be looking at a 17 minute 5k. Seriously.

Eat a lot of plants. Seriously, go vegan or vegetarian and keep the dairy low.

at 6', 170lbs is probably the target, without knowing your body composition. Just think, that's 2 lbs a week for a year.


I did it, it worked for me...but I didn't have as much weight to drop (I only needed to lose 25-30 lbs)

I have to agree. Dropping bodyfat will help your bike and run times more than any training regimen will.

I was your size (I'm also 6'), started running after I dropped down to about 230lbs and ran a 26min 5k. I'm 185 now and have run a low 18min 5k and a sub-3 marathon. Obviously there are improvements from continued training, but you can't escape the physics.

There is no doubt that is difficult to maintain a caloric deficit while training, it's a very fine line to walk to still make sure you're getting enough to sustain your training. But it can be done. Your training/race results might not be optimal while you're dropping weight, but in the end you will still be faster at a lower weight.

I will also say, that having kept the weight off for over six years, it does get easier. Your body finds a stasis and you don't have to count calories anymore, you just become aware of how much you should be eating to maintain your weight and training level. You do also have to be aware of dropping your intake if your training volume drops due to injury, or just life. Truthfully, I probably eat more now than I did when I was obese, but I also train about 14 hours a week.

Feel free to PM me if there's anything I can help with. After having been obese for most of my adult life, it's hard to describe just how life changing it is to be lean and fit. I'm in better shape now at 44 than I was at 20.

That's often exaggerated. A 20 year old male bodybuilder at peak testosterone can maybe put on 2 lbs of muscle per month without steroids. You can make changes, but don't count on burning a lot more calories due to muscle. On the other hand, some people have the fear of accidentally bulking up, which doesn't really happen.

12 hour Ironman: https://images.app.goo.gl/Apa7gDxUMwzftuzW9


Thanks for your useless n=1 result. How about instead OP eat more dairy:


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2289832/#__sec5title

Consistency is key. I went from 280ish to as low as 200, sitting at 220 now. 4:20 half PR and 9:41 full. Admittedly I was athletic before letting myself go, but these times took 8 years of consistent work. I know you said it isn't a diet question, but that's part of it too. You're going to be hungry, but quit snacking on trash. I would spend whatever time you're considering lifting doing more cardio.

Harsh crowd. I love how you ask a training question and get nothing but diet advice. I suppose I'll add to that though: You steadily lost 50 lbs on your own - you are clearly doing something right. At that very gradual rate of loss though, you really should not have felt so hungry during your 70.3 training. A dietitian could help you adjust what you're already doing well so you feel much more energized for training.

But for training - get that annual check-up and then do what keeps you excited about the sport. Do you have a bike trainer? Structured indoor workouts with TrainerRoad and Zwift have been THE best way for me to add bike fitness, no power meter required. If you aren't ready for a coach, TrainerRoad's training plans (includes run and swim too) are great for some structure to start adding speed. Their sprint plans are no joke.

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http://www.extramilenutrition.com

"The study was funded by Glanbia Nutritionals Inc that manufactures and sells Prolibra. Both LSW and EDB are employees of Glanbia Nutritionals Inc."

Try finding a study that was not funded by the company producing the supplement being investigated and employing two of the authors please.

Wait, this isn't a thread about how to roll a joint while everyone is watching and waiting impatiently for you to finish? Dammit, now I have to continue the googles...

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Ya. I bet the folks on the "what's the most aero lip balm?" threads could also make bigger improvements by losing a few pounds.

The "lose weight" people are right, of course. It is the biggest factor here. But the OP said it was a training question not a diet question.

Thanks for the info. I do have a trainer. Just a cheap cycleops mag one. I use it once in a while. I’ll definitely look Into trainer road.

Well, given that the original question was akin to "I want to paint my house blue but all I have is green paint....." OP can handle a little tough love.

I also struggle with body fat. My weight has fluctuated from 180 to 230lbs over the last five years. I used to be 165lbs but after years of power lifting 180 is my new reasonable low.

The best thing I ever did for my training was to meal prep everything I eat before dinner. Every single thing. Same breakfast, prep and freeze lunches 3 weeks at a time, same snacks, same number of trips to the candy bowl on the coworkers desk, everything. The last 40 years have proven I can't make good eating choices so I reduced the choices. Dinner/dessert is based on training volume for the day.

As soon as my weight dropped I was keeping up with a faster cycling group and I got better. I got hurt less running.

Strictly from training the best improvement I saw was to spend the winter/off season getting a lot of bike trainer time paying attention to increasing my average power output.

Your doctor probably can't do much for you as far as weight loss goes, I would suggest seeing a nutritionist instead. They'll have a lot more tools and experience when it comes to weight loss, especially as it relates to sports. If you can swing it (they're more expensive), find one who specifically works with athletes.

Training advice: train your hand never to pick up recreational sugar :)

This was a tip in "sick to fit" which is available free on Kindle & was written by a formerly big guy who says he became a decent marathoner