Ok I am training again after a 2 year hiatus. Gained some weight of course and started watching my diet once I started training on a regular schedule again. Current training volume is run=20+miles, cycle is in the 100-120 mile range and 0 swimming. My average food intake is Breakfast is one piece of whole grain toast with natural peanut butter and 16oz of coffee. Snack is usually a piece of fruit. Lunch is a salad with tuna, or a turkey wrap or home made indian food. Dinner has been lean protein and lots of veggies or a vegetarian dish with some sort of bean or dairy for protein. I have a beer in the evening one or two days a week, but I tend to count the calories associated with that and compensate during the day if I am going to have one. My only other cheat is one meal a week “out” usually something fattening like buger and fries. Initially I lost 5 lbs pretty quick, I then gained 2 lbs back and have been stalled since. I can cut the beer and the meal out, however I don’t think it is significant enough to have stalled me for two weeks. I have not had my BF% done but believe I have lost inches, clothes fit better and my gut appears flatter. Any advice on this lack of loss?
A couple of things come to mind:
- Do you really need to lose weight or are you just chasing a number that you used to be at?
- I would definitely recommend getting your BF tested. Great info to have. You are probably adding muscle and losing fat at the same time and therefore not seeing the weight come down as quickly as you like.
- Keep track of your portions. Even if you’re eating healthy stuff, it could be that you’re eating too much of that healthy stuff.
- I suggest you write down everything you eat for 2 weeks. You’d be surprised how quickly those small snacks add up that you didn’t remember having. Write it down before you eat it.
- Talking to a licensed nutritionist is worth the money (some companies will pay for this). Set up an appt and bring your food log.
Good luck!
You have lost fat and gained heavier muscle. Good job. Perhaps once you get back in the pool 2-3 times a week you will really see a change. At that point you may need to increase your intake.
As for a review of your diet, I would say your breakfast is too small and you need more raw fruits and vegetables in your diet during the day.
Are you using ghee or have you switched to using oil in your masala for your cooking?
I say keep the restaurant meal and don’t worry about it. Nothing like getting out of the house and relaxing a bit.
I have never been a fan of meat calipers and BF% scales. Not precise and have nothing to do with fitness and blood chemistry. Plus who wants to chase another number?
You don’t drink nearly enough beer. Your seatpost is also too high.
I did bodybuilding for a number of years and was around 8% bodyfat year round.
Then I took a couple years off. After about a year the weight really started to pack back on.
Then when I started triathlons last year, I lost about 5lbs right away, but then not much else. I was training hard and watching what I ate. I didn’t seem to lose weight. Then about 6-8 months into my training, the weight just started to FLY off. I couldn’t keep the weight on whatever I ate. I dropped about 20lbs in 2 months.
With all the yo-yoing I have gone through I believe the body finds it happy place, and that comes with time. You took 2 years off, so your body is used to carrying the extra weight. It will take a bit, then finally your body will re-adjust to your more active lifestyle. Dont kill yourself with calorie counting. Just keep the training up, eat smart, and the body will figure it out for you.
But then again, I have no idea what I am talking about.
Dawn- I might be chasing a number, good point. However I do know my BF% is way up so I do need to work on “slimming” down My portion control is pretty good using smaller plates and watching how much I eat and also not just finishing sometyhing because it is on my plate if I feel I have had enough.
Mudflaps-I never use Ghee, usually olive oil instead. Also BF% has been a good indicator for me in the past. As for the beer, quaility not quanitity.
Bski-yeah I kinda figured it would take a while but I have felt good enough to race some local 5ks for fun and I know the extra weight is affecting me, it’s starting to annoy the piss out of me.
run for at least 30 minutes a day at least 6 days a week for a month and report back
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