Ok.. I was just thinking.. Anyone else need to loose 5 pounds? Who would be up for a weekly report/weight in?

I'm feeling your pain. I'm from California and I've been here in NJ for the last two weeks for work training/meetings where I sit from 8a-5p and 7:30 to 9:30 with unlimited access to snacks. I'm not eating poorly per se but I am snacking between meals and partaking of dessert (which I never do at home) and while my scale weight isn't vastly different, my 6 pack has disappeared. I teach pilates back home and I know I'm in for a world of hurt when I return. I've only gained a 3 pounds but that's an extra 10,500 calories I've downed since I got here.

What it sounds like we need to do is to be more aware of what we're putting in our mouths. Eating out (or in as I've been doing) is not exactly how one exhibits portion control. Remember everything we eat will move us closer to our goal bodyfat % or farther away from it. We both know the equation: burn more than you take it. It's so simple and yet it (weight loss) is a 44 billion dollar industry.

Miguel in the 'No...El Tribato

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Michael in Fresno
"Do you spend time with your family? Good. Because a man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man" V. Corleone

First - let me say that weekly weigh-ins are a pretty poor idea from a long-term point of view. Weight as a number is remarkably poor as an indicator of "weight loss" in any practical sense. This applies more to teenage girls than ironwomen in the off-season and so I'm not going to instantly blow a gasket if you do decide to do weekly weight posts.

Second - check out Gordo's page for some nifty recipies, snack ideas, etc.

Ok I am sorry.. Not trying to act like a teenager, I am an Irongirl just reaching out for anything to motivate me right now, it can be hard at times.. I'll check gordo's site, but i thought maybe I can find ideas from people on ST as well...

I finally found motivation to lose weight. Contemplation of the hills of Lake Placid every July has a way of focusing the mind. Sure, I go up five pounds during the year, but even eight months out, that reality is starting to bring clarity.

Hope that helps.

Hi marisol,

Wow, how funny, you just meet one of the requirements of what I look for in a date, ( one cant weigh more than my dog, whom currently weighs 130lbs) well well save the rest for another thread im sure.

Anyway as a weight challenged athlete myself, what I did to loose weight was not go on any diet but make a lifestyle change. I made it the sole effort day in and day out to just eat properly and healthy which meant.

No, fast food, carbonated beverages such as coke, etc, cut out most sugars, adult libations, but an occasional glass of wine doesnt hurt, no white breads or butters, pastrys, or anything that is downright bad for you. I do travel a lot myself and I make a conserted effort to eat well and eat often, but just eat right, dont partake in any special diet, just eat smart, lots of protein, veggies salads, soups, fruits, yogurts, peanuts, etc. When your at a restaurant tell them what you want and how you want it served, after all your paying for it, I lost 10 lbs in no time just by adhering to this discipline and I love it.

Also, when I travel I bring a small cooler and pack my own food and water, airplane food is pure junk, dont eat it, I always get salivating passengers sitting next to me expecting handouts, I just say ask the flight attendants for more peanuts, ha

Diets and fads are for the short term, lifestyle changes are for life.

Hope this helps

Dan

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I have horrible back problems but I have zero problems staying in an aero position for 180k. Why? Because I ride steep and because I train regularly in that position. Simple as that.....Gerard

5 pounds is nothing!

Thanks Dan.. That's the kind of advice I am looking for.. Just encouragement I guess.. here everyone says "gosh you don't need to lose weight, you look great".. but you guys know what I mean.. if I am going to train to qualify, I need to eat to qualify.. Glad to hear that I weight les than your dog LOL!

Oh no, don't misunderstand me... I'm saying that it's probably fine for you to track weight, because you're not going to throw a panic if you build additional muscle with better diet. Teenage girls see the scale go up when they start an exercise program and often go back to starving and/or binge eating, failing to understand that weight gain is the first step to looking healthy.

As for specifics - fruit is your friend, even tinned fruit in extra light or light syrup. Living Fuel is nifty stuff for people with too much money www.livingfuel.com .

Nuts, seeds (almonds, etc.)

My dog is a awesome, his name is sampson and he is a yellow lab, just a little on the large size, just like his papa, ha, and he does get me a lot of dates, thats one of my secret weapons to getting dates other than online profiles, ha.

the power of postitive thinking and proper motivation works wonders, Im striving to loose a good 10 lbs of my physique in order to compete in the run, I get pissed when everyone passes me on the run after i blew by then on the swim and the bike, but its just motivation for me to do better.

Whats your motivation??????

I also see that you live in OHIO, I used to fly out of Dayton for a while and what a miserable place in the winter, I can see where people would want to stay home and make babies, ha

Dan

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I have horrible back problems but I have zero problems staying in an aero position for 180k. Why? Because I ride steep and because I train regularly in that position. Simple as that.....Gerard

Marisol -

We have a few things we need to talk about.

1) Tanita scale. Very helpful tool over the long haul if you know it's limitations. Since it works off electrical impluse, it's measuring density. Thus, you'll always have more body fat in the AM due to dehydration. Step on the scale each night before bed instead. I know its tough b/c you'll "weigh" more, but the body fat is more accurate...which is what you're mostly going after.

2) Extrinsic v. Intrinsic motivation. Why do YOU YOU YOU want to lose weight? To be like you're "supposed" to be? If so, that's BS....don't think that way. That's being influenced from the x number of years you've been tainted with what is right v. wrong in our society. (sorry for being so philosophical) If you have an inner desire to be the best you can be...to realize your dreams and fulfill your goals, then we can have the "lose weight" conversation. (Because it's now for the right reasons)

If it's your "off season", then enjoy the luxury of eating a lil different than in training. You need to have a life. But, you also need to have discipline b/c it's going to be that much harder to get back to your fighting weight come tri season...

In your case, you mention "eating out". Is this work related, meeting up with friends or just stopping on your way home? Either way, MOST places will accomodate a "healthier" menu. I.e. order a chicken breast and steamed veggies rather than the deep fried platter. You'll get called names from your friends, but that's just because they want to make themselves feel better but dragging you down. Don't give in. Part of my IM plan is to tell my friends what to expect (picky eating) during that period of time. In my business, I do a lot of wining/dining and it's surprising how well received my ordering is....but I usually screw the whole thing with too much wine. Go figure. Make for good conversation. More often then not, it's the PORTION size that will fatten you up, not the actual food. Even fried foods can be healthy providing its extremely hot and clean oil (which rarely happens)....my friend is a food chemist at Cargill (and a semi-pro cyclist)

Remember it's usually JUST AS FAST to stop at a grocery store and buy a fruit tray, sliced turkey and a Diet Coke than it is to pull into the Taco Bell drive-thru. If you must do fast food, hit Subway, Quizno's or some sort of sandwich joint/deli.

Now, when you hit "training" season, this discussion really needs to change into discipine and planning to understand what your body "needs" to fuel itself.....

Just a few thoughts....

As a VERY general rule of thumb, it is unwise without the recommendation of a doctor to try to loose more than 2 lbs per week. It's a good easy goal. As for motivation... too personal. But you are looking at the scale already and seem to have your motivation. What you need to figure out is what will get you out of bed or off the couch. That is simply a decision you only make once, and decide to not change your mind. When your alarm rings and you are supposed to go for a two hour run, you shouldn't think to yourself "should I go?". You already decided that. Just do it. I know it is Nike's dumb tag line, but for real. Just do what you have already decided to do. Then keep on keeping on.

>I gained 6 pounds since Ironman and the scale said my body fat was 23.5% (tanita scale)

It's wrong. Unless you were fully hydrated the fat % reading is totally unreliable. Get yourself fully hydrated and re-test yourself in the afternoon for a more accurate reading of fat %.

Eat some frozen microwave meals for lunch ,its like prison food ( no seconds ) one Big cup of coffee to get you wired in the AM. I lost 10 lbs in two months. Dieting works better than working out for me.

Marisol, it's about changing habits, not about diets... and weekly weigh-ins are a BAD idea, changing eating habits is a long-term thing.

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"Yeah, no one likes a smartass, but we all like stars" - Thom Yorke


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com

keep working out, try to eat better, and don't obsess over it. I though you looked pretty good in your pic, why do you think I keep trying to convince you not to move to the west coast?!!

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Marisol. Step 1...lose the scale, and just go by the belt buckle test. The belt buckle never lies. You'll know when you lost the weight. I've never owned a weight scale, and we don't plan to own one as we don't want our son seeing his parents obsessing about weight fluctuations :-)

My weight has ranged between 138 and 143 lbs since I was 17 (I'm 39 now) and the need to go a notch up on the belt when I am at 143. The only exception was a year in my 4th year of college when I tried to gain cosmetic muscle mass and managed to bulk out to 160 lbs of pretty well pure muscle doing lots of heavy weight/bodybuilding crap.

Anyway, I need to lose one notch on the belt buckle (around 5 lbs) between now and the Boston Marathon. The only problem is that I am also in XC ski season, which means I put on lots of useless mass on my quads and lats (usefel for XC skiing), but dead weight for Boston, that is not reflected in my "belt buckle test".

But once I am in tri mode and my musculation changes (and it actually does), the "belt buckle test" actually works very accurately.

first of all, if you're an all the time restaurant diner, then you've got a problem...a problem that will require effort to make the changes. First of all, restaurants are in a portion war with each other...whoever does it bigger is better. even salads are fit for giant. So, right away, get a take hom container, and put half of your meal into and get it off your plate. This might seem strange at first, but it is a worthwhile strategy so you're not inclined to keep shoving it in. Put the container aside, and take or leave it. the point isn't to have it later, the point is to not eat what's in there at that time.

when you are done eating, put a napkin over your food and have it taken away immediately.

if you're on the road from your house, make the effort to pack your food. if you don't do this, you're at the mercy of restaurant high sodium, high sugar, high oil, foods. it's up to you. it takes effort, but that's what you've got to do,

now, I have a hard lined approach right now as I'm going to get the slimmest of my life over this winter. I've made the decision to do and it's going to change my life. I have overhauled everything. And, for the record, it will be strict until I reach my goal, then I can incorporate some things again, at a strict rate.

6 lbs isn't alot. but 6 can turn into 10 quickly, and then 12 to 15. again, this is up to you. you could make small adjustments now and nip it in the bud, or have to make big adjustments later when your confidence is compromised. If I were you, I'd choose now, it's a hell of alot easier. You should have this taken care of in 3 weeks.

kittycat

While no dietary expert, I feel I have somthing to offer on the subject. I was weighing in at 305#'s, and was about one doughnut away from a heart attack. and got down to 225 # for IMFLA last year (By the way I am 6'3", so 225 is easy to hide on my frame and still not look completely disgusting). Total time for weight loss was about 1.5 years. Heavy's advise was right on, it is about lifestyle change. It is about little decisions..skipping the coke...skipping the second helping..leaving a little more on the plate. Obviously at 305 lbs, I had a lot more options for little decisions. But there are always some we can make. My motivation actually comes from exercise. After an hour or so ride, do I want to blow my efforts with a sausage, egg, biscuit, pancake breakfast? Or add to my effort with a bowl of maple and brown sugar oatmeal and a banana. I actually find it easier to make these choices when I am exercising than when I am not.

Now aside from choices and options etc, I also found myself gaining weight after IMFL due to the sudden drop off in exercise and the maintaing of food intake. That coupled with the slow in metabolism and a full year off from races caused me to put on 20 lbs. But I am back and looking forward to a full season again and getting back down to 225.

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The Cuban Comet
(Comets are unbelievably slow over Cuba)

Hello,

Tips for healthy weight loss.

Before every meal drink one large glass of water.

Begin every lunch/dinner meal with either a salad, or a low calorie vegetable dish. Go light on the dressing.

Eat at least one apple/pear or other high bulk low calorie fruit per day.

Substitute oatmeal with just a little sugar and milk for a normal breakfast as often as possible.

All of these tips are geared towards making you feal full so you cut down on the High calorie/low bulk foods.



Styrrell

You are absolutly right.. even though it's the holidays, now is better than ever.. I am determined, just needed a little push. The problem are my habits, I am on the go, 24/7, fly out every week-end. So I end up at Chipotle more than not or get some indian food to go... or thai.. that's my problem.. I like the idea of meal planning, even though i don't have time, I have to MAKE time.. Not easy but hey.. not easy to train for IM as well. Thanks all for your help, last think I wanted to hear was "you don't need to loose weight.." About the scale, I know it's off and i know i am not likely to be 23% body fat.. But I'll monitor the changes instead of the numbers..

Do yourself a favor, relax until the holidays are over. Just don't get crazy with what you eat. After the first, when training start increasing watch your intake, I'll bet the five pounds will slide right off.

It's quite simple to lose the weight you want. And even easier now that a great little program called Diet Diary has come out for your computer. You can get it at www.calorieking.com/. You enter everything that goes into your mouth for the day, then enter your exercise(s) calories burned and it automatically does the math for you so you can see if you are below or above your nutritional target for the day. Not only that, but it breaks the food/drink down into protein, carbs, fat, and fiber. If you want to lose weight Marisol, just put yourself in a safe caloric deficit of up to 500 calories per day. You'll lose a pound a week this way. And contrary to what others believe, you can really make changes this winter that will effect your entire season next year. I use the Diet Diary every day and it is working for me like a charm. Think of the advantage you'll have over everyone come spring. Now's the time!

~AB~

I don't have any advice for you, but I just want to say that you're not alone. I'm always battling with my weight. The problem is, that I already eat fairly healthy and have for a long time. I eat lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, etc, but I guess I just eat too much of it. The off-season is hard because my training ramps *way* down, but my eating stays about the same. When I'm training hard, the weight comes down a little bit, but not as quickly as I would hope.

I think you just have to be mindful of your goals at all times. Allow yourself some pleasures so your diet isn't too restrictive. Make most days good days and allow a few bad ones here and there. Why don't you put up a picture of Kona somewhere that you'll see all the time to give you some added motivation.

Good luck with it.

D.