hi all,
i’m working on loosing 15 pounds (have lost 12 already!), and would like to do so before IMWI in Sept. that is plenty of time, but i’ve got to be serious. 15 pounds will put me at pretty much ideal weight.
my question is:
for cycling, should i be drinking calories in sports drink form on rides below a certain time or distance?
up to this point i have been drinking INfinit Ironman formula on every ride regardless of distance. i love Infinit, so def will stay with that, but just don’t know if i need it for rides of say, 30 miles.
for running, i tend to not take in so many calories as on the bike…maybe 1 gel for 2 hour run; so not much. i feel fine with this, and intend to not run more than 2.5 hours in training for this IM. 2.5 hour run will probably use 2 gels, plus water. or just a small amount of Infinit.
for recovery i drink Infinit recovery forumla, or Coke, or Nuun tablet. whatever i happen to have; and depends on how long i’ve gone (Infinit for longer or harder days).
obviously, i want to do what is going to help weight loss, but also support the training…not interested in going out there to bonk.
I think you would be fine to just drink water on short, non key workouts. One thing you need to watch is trying to loose weight in training by restricting your caloric intake. A lot of times this will lead to binging at some point later in the day.
If you are going to lose weight, now is the time to do it. You are far enough away from your event where it won’t kill you if you are running a little low on calories. The easiest way to lose weight is to just eat appropriately and the weight will naturally come off.
During training you could use real food when you can. For example, instead of drinking Infinit during your swim, drink water and have a banana. Your body has enough stored glycogen to go for a few hours, but that is something that is highly variable depending on your intensity, lipid metabolism, and a list of other things.
I think if you look at the big picture and try and eat a diet that his full of fruits, vegetable, lean meats and healthy fats, you will see the results you are looking for.
during swim, i tend to not really intake anything!
although, will make a point to carry a banana on the bike, so thanks for that insight.
it is cycling that concerns me most; as not enough could just be disasterous, but too much will prevent the weight loss (so i think anyway, but i get what you’re saying that it’s food outside of training that is more important)
and i agree–now it is a move towards even more vegetables, less bread; and actually uping the protein and reducing dairy fats. just trying to do it one day at a time, otherwise thinking about 15 is overwhelming!
Try to reduce the starches and sugar from your diet. Training is not the place to attempt to lose weight. It is very tempting and a quick way to lose it, but I would be more concerned with the benefits of your training other rather than the weight. Like I said, with the proper diet, it will take care of itself.
I don’t know of your current weight situation, but getting too light will hinder your race performance escpecially if you are a female. Being too light creates a lot of stress on the body when you are already placing enough training for an IM.
I usually try to get some energy intake about 15-20 min before a workout, since I’ve read that this signals to the body that it si time to activate the local energy stores (kinda the opposite of the starvation response I guess). I’ll usually not take in any calories for a workout of less than 90 min and try to empty the tank as best i can, then I’ll eat soon after i’m done. For workouts longer than 90 min I’ll regulate calorie intake like a race (300 cal and hour all liquid).
Plus if I’m dropping weight my diet consists mainly of seafood for protien balanced with carbs (pasta or whatever) as I find the lean protiens really rev me up for workouts and help me drop the lbs. oh and No booze. Booze is worth about 5-10 lbs over 2 weeks for me. Now I’m trying a 3 beer max from now until IMFL (we’ll see how that goes) but in any case it really seems to help when I’m off the sauce
i hear you…the starch is def where we’re (me and husband) are cutting way back. also, fats! like sour cream, mayo, etc. and soda pop…all good changes.
i’m not going to worry too much about the calories during training then. there are areas outside or that to improve, and since doing so have already seen results.
also, i will not become too skinny. i’m trying to crack 160 right now, and aiming for 145. so, this is not really “skinny” but leaner and more athletic. i have it to loose, easily.
I don’t know your background but I think for any bike ride under 2-2.5 hours you won’t need any calories during the ride…just water. But as someone else posted, don’t use training as a way to lose weight. I did this a few years back and it was an absolute disaster.
Congrats on the weight loss so far, remember that each lb. of fat is equal to 3500 calories. try and keep some record of calories burned and calories taken in. Use that as a reference. also, try to adjust the ratio of Protein- Carb and Fats. Make sure your getting plenty of clean ( low fat)protein for repair, and plenty of complex carbs for energy, and keep fat at a low 15-20 % of total calories. So if your taking in 2000 cal/day the fat gms should be around 35-40 gms per day. Gels and drinks are great for hard training days. Good Luck in WI.
Surely you not suggesting about cutting all starches and sugars from the diet and going with a more "atkins diet" regime of high protein and fat are you? I know of no better way of causing an athlete's performance to crash than to remove carbohydrates from the diet.
Now if you are talking about switching from simple starches/sugars to complex carbohydrates…that’s a different story…
I don’t know your background but I think for any bike ride under 2-2.5 hours you won’t need any calories during the ride…just water. But as someone else posted, don’t use training as a way to lose weight. I did this a few years back and it was an absolute disaster.
You do not need it. The question is how do you recover the next day? You need to ask yourself, if you drain your sugar stores, do you bounce back or does it effect your next day traing? Do you feel drained? There is a balance between fueling durring a workout and loosing weight IMO.
I agree. I don’t know any of the physiology/science behind it but it makes sense to me that if one eats a balanced and healthy training diet they should have enough energy ‘in their system’ to handle a 2 hour ride. I’m sure it’s not that simple but who knows?!
well, for a 2 or 2.5 hour ride, generally the pace is pretty good clip–with my roady friends who really move. so the output is great, as i’m pushing it. and even at a more relaxed pace, the energey output is still high…especially with these hills around here. i don’t think avoiding calories in this instance is right.
after thinking more about it, i think that trying to eliminate calories on the bike is the wrong approach; it is best to keep drinking the Infinit, and eat better/cleaner outside of training as a few posters point out. otherwise, i won’t be able to keep up the effort, or consistency. don’t you think Mike?
again, i’m not worried so much on the run, as i don’t have to take in as much. but the bike is another story–that is where disaster is most likely to occur with improper fueling. then risking not being able to “do it again” the next day…
what i think is the better idea is to get the low-cal formula for the 30-40 mile rides.
Ti T’war makes a couple of points that I have found work really well. Basic idea is focus your eating around your workouts, and think of it as fuel and recovery. Eat enough good stuff before the workout to serve as fuel for the workout; then eat some lean/healthy carbs and protein for recovery after the workout. The rest of the day, only eat what you really need to keep the metabolism going. I also agree with the no or very limited alcohol - wasted calories plus it slows down your metabolism.
One final tip that truly works is to quit eating by at least 7:30 or 8 pm. When I first started doing that I felt like I was “starving”; but adjusted very quickly. The late night snacking is usually extra junk calories.
yes. i push much harder mor often on the bike (so probably higher percentage of calories come from carbo rather than fat), but by keeping my heart rate low can keep running for a considerable time feeling fine!
even when running marathons i would run 20 with just 1 or 2 gels, no problems.
No, I’m just talking about all the processed high starch/sugar snacks. I eat a lot of oatmeal, “special muffins” with oats, spelt flour, etc., and quinoa, as my main source of CHO. Most everything else is fruit and vegetables. I think the timing of these meals and the use of the CHO sources is also important.
I don’t limit myself in training and hydrate using various Infinit mixes.
i have it to loose, easily.