General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Question on having a free day! Rss Feed  
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2007-06-24 1:44 PM

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Subject: Question on having a free day!
Hello everyone!

I am currently training for a sprint distance triathlon. For the past 3 months I have dropped about 50 pounds. I started @ 240 and now am currently 190 . I have been incorporating a free day every week on Sunday. I have a free meal or two on Sunday. I used to follow the Body-for-Life diet and still incorporate the weight training aspect of it into my training. I have been about 190 now for the past two weeks and am getting very discouraged. I hope to be @ 175 for my triathlon August 12. Should I cut out my free day and cut down on my carb intake. From all the reading I have done it sounds that I need high carb intake for training purposes but I am really not doing that long of distances. I want my training to be productive though and do not want to bonk, but I also want to be 175 pounds before the triathlon. I know I will do better with the less weight I am carrying but again I do not want my training to suffer.. I am currently training about 5-6 times a week. I mostly do bike and run and about 2 swim sessions a week. The triathlon I am training for is a super sprint. The swim is about 350 the bike is 9 and the run is 2. I hope to do this triathlon in about an hour. I am consuming more calories now than I did when I started. I dropped a lot of weight to begin with but then started to get tired a lot. I started incorporating pre-performance supplements and complex carbs for training purposes. UI am using CytoSport products but they are loaded with carbs. Suggestions?

Edited by danceswithducks 2007-06-24 2:12 PM


2007-06-24 1:53 PM
in reply to: #857499

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Melon Presser
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Subject: RE: Question on having a free day!

Hi there!

Losing so much weight, you should definitely be under advisement from a sports physician or at least sports-specializing dietitian.

Just my experience: I also used to weigh 240 and for a long time, even doing marathons, plateaued at around 180.  It can be very difficult to be training and consistently losing weight b/c at a point, no matter how carefully you eat, your body says, omigod I am having to expend so much effort, I better hang on to every calorie I get.  And it does!!!  This is why getting professional advice is so important.  In any case, it is very normal in all kinds of weight loss to hit a plateau where for several weeks or even a month or two you are not losing weight.

You MUST have a rest day (and as a beginner triathlete, maybe even two).  Especially if you are not at an optimal weight, not taking a day or two off a week is an invitation to injury and illness.

Good luck!  Hang in there.  Triathlon is wonderful and I commend you for your efforts. 

 

 

2007-06-24 2:10 PM
in reply to: #857499

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Veteran
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Oak Cliff, Texas
Subject: RE: Question on having a free day!
Awesome Job!!!! I started out at 212 and sit at 168 today. I started back in September for a Sprint in March. I am Reactive Hypoglycemic so I am afraid the diet I follow won't be of much use to you. I eat about 3000 calories per day. I eat within 10 minutes of waking, 2 hours there after until 10PM. Sounds like I eat alot, and I do! I take no supplements other than a multi-vitamin. I drink about 3-5 liters of water per day and one cup of coffee. The food I consume is all organic and have no refined/enriched flour, whole grain wheat breads only. I train 6 days per week, usually "2 a days" and then relax the diet on Sunday and drink beer and eat cake and Ice Cream. Love that sugar rush until I crash. This methodology has taken me from a 5'11" tall 38" waist size down to a 32" waist. I currently have a semi-defined 4 pack and can't wait for the last little bit of flab to disappear. I have been trying to get to 165 for 3 months. the last 3 pounds has been insane and refuses to come off. I think I have learned to accept it though and will make peace with it!

Interval training seems to be the key to shedding stubborn weight. The biggest losses I incurred were when I cut back on the mileage and increased the intensity. Just some insight to my fat reduction, and I am not an expert.

Good Luck!
2007-06-24 2:11 PM
in reply to: #857499

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Subject: RE: Question on having a free day!

Congrats on all you have acccomplished.

Losing 50 pounds in 3 months is amazing. The recommendation of losing 1% of your body weight per week at a max I guess you have far exceeded.

Be patient. 2 weeks at the same weight is not that long, perhaps with all the success you have had it seems strange, but for most of us that have lost a lot of weight plateaus are often much longer than 2 weeks.I've lost 90 pounds and it has been 4 years and I still want to lose another 10-20. As you get closer to your goal weight, weight comes off slowly and sometimes your body just needs a break from always being in a deficit. For many of us once we upped our endurance training our weight loss has slowed. Seems counterintuitive but an observation I & others have made. I'm not sure exactly why. I agree talking to a dietitian/nutritionist can help but I have yet to find one that has helped me. Books are written how to lose weight most encourage you to exercise but they don't deal with when you work out 10-12 hours a week...you need more fuel. I couldn't workout and eat only 1200 calories a day.

You absolutely need a rest day. Lifting on a rest day makes it not a rest day.

I suggest eating healthy food not supplements to get the nutrition you need. Fruit is a great source of carbs. Bonking doesn't really happen when you workout for less than 90-120 minutes. Also how many carbs are you eating?

You have a good goal but don't put so much pressure at meeting that goal by a certain date. Getting to 175 will be awesome and you'll get there with hard work and smart training like you are doing. But come on, if you do your tri at 177 or 175, think 6 months ago would it have been possible. You have changed a lot.

 

2007-06-24 2:16 PM
in reply to: #857499

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Subject: RE: Question on having a free day!
Hi DWD's

Same thing happened to me. I went from 230 to 200 no problems and then had trouble taking the next step. Two things you could look in to are Omega 3 oil and Green Tea. I started the Omega 3's and it was like my body just let go of another 7 pounds taking me to 193. I didn't change anything else. There are a lot of other benefits to the fish oil too.

You might also want to consider your "çarb timing". The majority of your carbs should be taken during or right after exercise. For more info check out...

http://www.e-caps.com/downloads/fuelinghandbook.pdf
http://www.johnberardi.com/

I agree with the post above that you lost a lot of weight in short period. I would focus on balance and getting your energy back before pushing too hard for more weight loss.

Good luck in your Tri!

Wally
2007-06-24 2:17 PM
in reply to: #857499

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Master
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Subject: RE: Question on having a free day!

Like Yanti said, don't cut out your free day.  It is when you are resting that your body is getting getting stronger.

The method that you have been using to loose weight has certainly worked up until recently - congrats on that!.  You said that your caloric intake is higher now than when you started - this is to be expected when your training but maybe just double check that you are not consuming too much.

Again, as Yanti said, you may have just reached a plateau. Stick at what you're doing and you may well start loosing weight again.

If you want to do more training you could always do two sessions on some days. Just make sure you don't do too much too soon.  Trust me, it is not worth it.

Good luck with your tri



2007-06-24 2:19 PM
in reply to: #857499

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Subject: RE: Question on having a free day!
To be honest I do not know exactly how many carbs I take in. I know that the CytoSport recovery has about 300 carbs in it. Then I eat approximately 1-2 hours after that. I have been trying new things but cannot seem to lose anymore weight. I guess two weeks @ 190 doesn't sound so bad but I had been dropping so much weight I was just starting to get discouraged. I guess I need to focus on training and ditch the scale for a bit. Also, I have that freeday every Sunday and sure do look forward to it. Just got done eating a juicy cheeseburger. I still think I might cut out the freeday though. I do need to take more days off from training. I was doing 5-6 times a week and some of those days were (2) days. I started the burn out there for a bit. I then took about 4 days off and felt much better. I still feel really tired though when I work out.
2007-06-24 2:27 PM
in reply to: #857499

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Subject: RE: Question on having a free day!
Congratulations on all your life changes.  Awesome weight loss.   DO NOT CUT OUT YOUR REST DAY!  Think about this, if you have an overtraining injury, you will not be able to train (at least at your current level), then holding your current fitness will be really difficult.  Your body needs the recouperation time.
2007-06-24 2:29 PM
in reply to: #857499

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Master
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Subject: RE: Question on having a free day!

Just to clarify.  By free day do you mean a day off from training or do you mean a day where you don't restrict yourself in terms of what you eat.

Sorry if I'm being dumb here, just a little confused Undecided

2007-06-24 2:30 PM
in reply to: #857499

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Subject: RE: Question on having a free day!

I'd skip the 300 carbs (that is 1200 calories, can that be right? maybe 300 calories from carbs or about 75 grams of carbs) from your recovery drink and have natural food...like hummus and pretzels, low fat chocolate milk, fat free yogurt all which have a good balance of carbs/protein.

It really depends how long you workout. I ride 2-4 hours and know how many calories I burn or very close with my power meter. I burn 7-8-9 calories per minutes depending on intenisty I ride at. So a long ride I may burn 1400+ calories, I don't need to eat all that in a recovery drink...as I take in calories when I ride and I'll eat real food soon. After I ride I eat carbs/protein within 30 minutes but less than 300 calories, then eat a real meal within 1-2 hours...sooner if it works.

Free day of eating may not be the best choice. A free meal maybe once a week, but all day whatever you want. I couldn't do it as it would get me making poor food choices for awhile. 



Edited by KathyG 2007-06-24 2:32 PM
2007-06-24 2:46 PM
in reply to: #857499

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Crawford, Texas
Subject: RE: Question on having a free day!
On my freeday I will eat one maybe two meals that I really do not care what I eat. Most of the time it is just one meal usually a cheeseburger. Nothing to fancy. I have also thought about cutting out the recovery drink. I burn about 1000 calories with each workout. I just want to do this right!


2007-06-24 3:57 PM
in reply to: #857539

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Subject: RE: Question on having a free day!
tridantri - 2007-06-24 3:29 PM

Just to clarify.  By free day do you mean a day off from training or do you mean a day where you don't restrict yourself in terms of what you eat.

Sorry if I'm being dumb here, just a little confused Undecided

I thought the OP meant free day for eating whatever too.  Not a rest day.

 

2007-06-24 4:07 PM
in reply to: #857499

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Melon Presser
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Subject: RE: Question on having a free day!

Thanks for the clarification.  Don't laugh, but I loved the book _Slow Fat Triathlete_ (don't take it personally!).  It's a great and inspirational read, and she has some really good advice on weight loss stuff.  Her breakdown on having "free meals" or "free days" after training hard put a lot of things into perspective for me!!!

My big thing is refined sugar--but I do let myself have one treat a day.  But that's "one," not "one serving,"--so like, ONE Oreo cookie (not three), or a frozen yogurt (small), etc.  Otherwise I have a tendency to "I've been good all week now I can have a whole packet of cookies" syndrome. 

2007-06-24 6:58 PM
in reply to: #857499

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Royal(PITA)
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Subject: RE: Question on having a free day!
DWD,
I can echo the sentiment to find a sports dietitian. Check out the registered dietitian organizations in your area and ask if they can refer you to one who specializes in the sports nutrition end of things. It's one thing to teach the principles of healthy eating to say a person with diabetes, hypertension or heart disease--a totally different animal to incorporate healthy eating in with training routines and the timing of foods related to your workouts.
I lost 70 lbs on South Beach over 3 yrs ago. I hit several plateaus, even a couple of patches with regain (boy did they frustrate me). In many respects I still follow that plan, I just allow more food on heavy work out days. Lance Armstrong's trainer has a book out called "Eat Right to Train Right" I found that information good--and he was co-written with a dietitian. Another book that someone advised me read (but I have yet to get) is "Endurance Sports Nutrition" which is written by a dietitian.
Take the free day, your body needs time for the muscle tissues to heal/repair themselves. vary the intensity of your workouts as well--some days/weeks lighter than others that helps mix things up a bit too.
CONGRATULATIONS on the weight loss so far. That's fabulous work!
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