Triathlons and Weight Loss

agerman27 · August 2012

Hello,

I'm new to MFP. I was on Weight Watchers but found I didn't want to spend the money when I could spend it on training and that I really didn't want to spend the rest of my life figuring out points.

I started training for triathlons again. I did a few a few years ago and would like to get back into it. I'm doing the base training phase which is building up my fitness until the end of the year in each sport. I have a trainings schedule mapped out and find in general working out makes me less crazy than when I skip them.

I have about 40lbs to lose. I'm looking for other triathletes who are trying to drop weight.

I'm terrible about sticking to diets but after doing RAGBRAI (a bike ride across Iowa - 470 miles) last week. There is nothing like biking up a steep hill and knowing that if you were 40lbs lighter it would be easier to give you a kick in the pants.

So... if anyone is interesting in friending me, let me know.

-M

thewestwifey · August 2012

Hello,

Welcome - we have similar stories! I did WW back in the day, and was successful, but got tired of translating everything into points. I started here 5 weeks ago, and I LOVE IT! I'm trying to lose weight and tone up for my wedding in June 2013. I was a swimmer growing up, and just gained weight through college after I stopped swimming.

I have committed to doing my FIRST mini triathlon in May 2013 (750M swim, 20K bike, 5K run) - so I have begun training. The biking and swimming I am comfortable with, but not so much the running (I've never been a runner) so I have just started the Couch to 5K program to build up my running endurance. I would love to help support you and learn more about triathlons with your experience! Good luck to you!

agerman27 · August 2012

Cookds,

Excellent. I don't have the swimming background you do but have always loved the water. Swimming is easy for me. Well, breaststroke is but I struggle with finding my rhythm in the free when it comes to how many strokes to breath. I LOVE biking and running and I have always had a love hate relationship.

Right now I'm running three days a week. More like walking with some running. I'm doing the same route and add more running each day. I swim twice a week and bike twice a week. My BF bikes so we do that together, which helps.

Here is a website that I have found helpful. www.beginnertriathlete.com

Tris are addicting. So, if I were you, I would look up another one about six weeks after your first one to potentially sign up for. I'm looking to do 3 Sprints and two Olympics (double the Sprint) next year.

I would love to support you with training and weight loss. YEA!

pucenavel · August 2012

Nice to see some other Triathletes out there.

I've sent FR's to both of you. I'm working on a 1/2 Ironman training plan right now - Miami in October.

Sea Level (I'm from Denver), Salt Water (love it) and Flat (I hate hills) - that's why I chose the venue.

I'd be interested to hear what your thoughts are on nutrition coming into race day as well as what you are using for fuel during races.

agerman27 · August 2012

Well, I only do Sprints right now, so I should be asking you for nutrition advice!

The biggest thing I have learned about myself is that even though I never EVER want to eat breakfast I have to when I'm doing tris or training. One of the things I've started doing is making homemade breakfast burritos.

I get a package of reasonably healthy tortillas, a dozen eggs, turkey bacon, low fat cheese and hash browns. I scramble all the eggs with some red pepper, milk and garlic salt. I cook the turkey bacon and has browns. Then I add the hash browns, eggs with turkey bacon on top and a spring of cheese to the tortilla. I roll them then I wrap them in plastic wrap.

I usually put 4 in a zip loc baggie and in the mornings when I need something significant, I heat them int he microwave for 30-60 sec.

Tomorrow when I get up to work on my relationship with running (I'm trying to learn to love), I usually won't eat anything before the run. I'll do my workout then drink a protein shake on the way to work and have an apple mid-morning.

I like your thoughts on where to race though!

What do you do for nutrition while you are training? How do you manage weight loss?

I'm in base build right now so I think losing will be easier until I get into the difficult stuff at the first of next year.

pucenavel · August 2012

Weight loss has really affected my workouts as of late. I decided that I'd like to get down to 140 by race day (5 lbs less that my original goal weight). At 145 I still have a small pot belly and 'love handles'. For a 70.2 mile race, I rather do it without any additional baggage if you know what I mean.

For the last few weeks I've really been running out of gas on my long workouts, even though I'm eating 1000 calories during the workout (basically I do an Olympic distance Tri every Saturday - 20.5 mile ride to the lake, 1.25 mile swim, 20.5 mile ride home and then a run - started at 1k, 5k right now, on my way to building up to 10k or even more). It occurred to me that rather than eating back the calories burned I need to be pre-eating them. That means I need to be putting down close to 3000 calories on Friday. As a result, I plan on doing my normal pre-raceday meal every Friday night: All you can eat sushi!! There's a place near my house that has decent sushi and is all you can eat for $25. High carbs, lean protein and high sodium - pretty good combo for the day before a 3.5 hour workout.

I'll see how it goes this week.

My nutrition during the race is a mixture of boiled oat flour (cooked like oatmeal), honey and almond butter that I thin down with water. It's about 600 calories a bottle. I have one of those during my second bike leg in my workout, then I hit 2-3 gel packs before the run - for hydration, I'm running at 22 oz. per hour of electrolyte replacements (I like the dissolved tabs the best).

The 'nutrition paste' as I call it is not only delicious, but it has good fats and a mixture of simple sugars and complex carbohydrates - the only problem with it is that I have to be done eating it about 45 minuted before the run or I get a little belchy on the run. Gel packs don't do that to me (but the list of chemicals on them is a little scary).

On race day, I plan on eating a solid breakfast (I love grits with loads of butter and sugar), 2 bottle of nutrition paste on the run, fluids at my normal rate, then gel packs on the run at a rate of about 1 every 20 minutes.

As long as the combination of Friday and Saturday is a net zero (and I'm at a deficit for the week in total), I should still be able to be losing some weight overall, right? That's just science....

ChangeYourPace · August 2012

Congratulations on your goal! I want to train for a triathlon as well and envy anyone who has the swimming part nailed down. For me, running is what has always come naturally and learning the other two components is the challenge.

Aries03 · August 2012

Bump

Masq · August 2012

I have a similar story. I was doing WW last year and I trained for and completed three sprint triathlons. (loved them)
I was a bit disappointed that I did not lose more weight..... That said, I have been reading a lot on MFP about not fueling your body right. I have a feeling I was not eating enough to fuel the workouts I was doing.

I am disappointed that I haven't trained for and done any races this year. It has been crazy hot where I live....

My strong area is the swim, I'm decent on the bike and I struggle with the run.... so that's what I try to work on the most.

I am so happy to have found MFP and I really enjoy counting calories and watching my macros more than I liked counting points. Right now I am concentrating on the weight loss and figuring out what deficit works for me without starving. I'm sure if I went down to 1200 like MFP gave me to begin with, I would lose more weight.... but I wouldn't be a very nice person. :noway:

Good luck everyone on all of your upcoming events!

pucenavel · August 2012

OK, so check my math.

To get down to my "fighting weight" by sometime in September, I'm running at net 1200-1400 calories - target is 1200, but I'm always over by a little bit.

I ate about 2700 calories today.

I will eat about 400 calories for breakfast tomorrow, then about 1000 during my workout, then probably about 1200 for lunch and dinner combined for a grand total on the day of about 2600.

My workout will burn around 2800 - 45 minutes open water, 2.5 hours bike, about 35-40 minutes running

By my calculations, that's 2700 + 2600 = 5300 less 2800 = 2500. So that's about 1250 net over the course of two days, right?

For the past month, I've been eating back my extra calories, but all on the same day as my workout (and in doing so wasn't eating healthy foods - you try eating 4000 calories in one day without hitting the ice cream!), but during my big workouts I'm really feeling fatigued after about 90 minutes (even though I'm putting down 1000 calories during my bike ride).

My new theory is to pre-eat more than half what I'll burn the day before, then try to eat the rest of it right before and during the workout, leaving only my normal daily calorie intake for after the workout.

Does this make sense to anyone else?

stevee71 · August 2012

Feel free to add me also. Training for a marathon and other races....love to follow others on the same journey.

heidelbergerin · August 2012

Hello
I'm about to start training for an Olympic length tri next year. I'm terrified. I was a swimmer growing up, but then gave it up to smoke and eat pie. Sigh. So I'm starting out again. I can hardly ride a bike (and actually need a new one, given my old one is sincerely broken) and have just started on a couch to 5k programme - since I can't run for toffee. So here I am. I'd love some support from like-minded individuals and anyone who can give me any advice! I have a long way to go!

Triathlons and Weight Loss

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