Hi!

I would check out the book Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald. He basically says (from how I read it), to lose weight, you should train more and eat smart and less, not train the same and eat much less. This is assuming you are not already training 30+ hour weeks.

You are obviously a healthy, strong athlete still, so weight training doesn't seem as necessary. I would think that slowly increasing running/cycling volume and keeping the proportions of your healthy eating reasonable and you would naturally lose body fat. It might take a little while, but it won't be a crash diet that works for a few weeks then you gain it back.

We have a personal trainer or two on the board so I'm sure one of them will chime in.

This is my personal experience. I also had some things come up and now haven't done anything since September except for about 5 runs. I used to do ultramarathons and regularly ran 50 mile weeks. As a result of not doing anything I now have to lose over 20lbs. My eating definately got out of control but I still need to get off my ass.

I just started working with a personal trainer once a week at my gym to get my ass in gear. We are doing some weights, balance work and functional training. I haven't been this sore since I did a 12 Hour ultra last August. Strength training is 3x/week, cardio is 30 mins max 5-6 times a week, at high intensity. I've also done a cutback in my calories. Since I'm not fueling 10 hours of running a week I can do this. I've increased my protein to provice satiety and cut back on carbs. I've been through the weight loss process before and none of this is radical.

I don't do my first weigh-in until next Sunday. I am restraining myself from checking my scale every day which has been my habit during other weight loss programs. I've made the tough, for me, decision to just shut up and do what I'm told. I have 10 sessions with her and if I don't feel like what she is doing is working I won't buy more. I don't have 100% faith in her but this is also very different approach for me so I'm dealing with it.

Good luck!

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

And I'll add- many people on this forum can offer you great advice about weight loss in a healthy way.

However, the ex-swimmer thing is something I can personally relate to. After four years of college swimming I stopped exercising and gained fat, but was still strong, just like you say. I know exactly what you mean. I could still hop in the pool any given day and whoop some ass if I felt like it. I got into the Alcatraz triathlon lottery and without much training I jumped in at the heaviest I've been in my life. I caught and passed pro women on the swim, hung onto the bike and got passed by 800 people on the run. I thought I was going to die.

Anyway, after years of focusing on running only I have whittled down 20 lbs and while I still have my swimmer shoulders it's amazing what building up to 45-55mpw can do, naturally, for your body fat percentage. I'm still not a fast runner, but I enjoy it a lot. Plus my swimming is still pretty damn good.

The hard part about learning to run as a "heavy" swimmer is that your cardiovascular system is tip-top. Your muscles are strong, but your joints can't handle the weight and pounding. So start slow and stick to soft surfaces and work on your form. I got injured a lot when I started running for doing too much.

Unfortunately I don't have too much helpful to add, mainly commiserating. I swam club through HS and was good but not good enough to swim DI so switched to rowing in undergrad. I am ~ 5'7" with a wider frame, was about 145 senior year of HS and 165 by senior year of undergrad, mostly due to to adding muscle. Have been racing tris now for ~4 years at a decently high level (age group all american, usually race elite am category) but struggling to lose weight. It's tough to be considered an athena and be 15+ lbs heavier than most of the other ladies who are my tri speed or faster. Running is my weakest of the 3 and I know that losing weight would help with my bike and run times, but so far I haven't find a way to do it without feeling weak and hungry. I'm back down to 160 and hoping to be 155 by the time ironman rolls around in September. I guess I will just keep trying to eat more natural foods...

Be careful about upping the running mileage too quickly coming from a swim background. I've had my share of injuries already. If you're looking to add cardio, look to the bike first. I'd highly recommend some lower body lifting as well- that seems to help my running, will help add some muscle mass to your frame which will help burn calories. Higher reps, lower weight will promote adding lean mass instead of bulk. You probably already have a good amount of upper body muscle mass so not much need to lift arms unless you like it and want to.

All this being said, you don't have to be a stick girl to be competitive. Sounds like you eat well and are excited to train, so don't stress out too much about carrying around a little bit of extra weight. Keep a good workout frequency and healthy diet and I bet you'll find yourself back where you want to be soon. Good luck! :)

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