Disappointed with how LITTLE calories triathlon training burns.

Last Fall when you posted quite a bit here on BT didn't you get an over use injury?

Sometimes our goals to get to xxx weight by zzz date aren't realistic or positive for us.

If you enjoy the tri lifestyle, pick a doable plan so you can train consistently, stay healthy and get to your goal races or century well trained.

I wouldn't add to run times/volume of plan but you could ride more as that is something that is low impact and will help you reach your century goal. Plus the more you ride you will get faster.

Kathy, I didn't get an overuse injury.  From the first day I took up running I have had Achilles Heel pain that never goes away, but it wasn't like I ran and then it started.  From the first day I ran I've had the same pain with the same intensity.

I guess the real problem is I'm not at the level right now to burn as many calories SBRing as I do at the gym ha   I guess I'll have to build up to that.

I found at 1k deficit I wasn't getting anywhere anymore, so that's I dropped it to 500, takes longer but 10/15 will get here eventually.

For me, I've got a weight goal of 170lbs by HIM Miami in October, however, that is a soft target, and I'm not making the weight loss my primary goal. I've already lost 50 pounds and have another 17 to go. I've noticed that I've hit a plateau, and am really stuck at my current weight. That being said, I'm not too terribly disappointed that I'm not still losing weight, as I already look and feel 1000 times better. Pick your "A" race, set a target (be it weight or time, or both), work towards the long term goal, and enjoy the journey. Even if you don't hit your weight goal, I guarantee you'll feel mentally and physical improved.

It can take a while to reach a level of fitness where it's easy to burn large numbers of calories per day. So starting out, one shouldn't expect the exercise to be a major contributor to calorie deficits. Once the fitness increases, though, it can be feasible to burn a whole lot of calories per day through exercise.

Combining the exercise and the calorie counting would be the way to go to shed the pounds. But you'll need to be prepared to stick at it for a while, and to not cut so aggressively that you're unable to recover from the exercise. As was already mentioned, increasing the bike volume is a great way to go, as it's something that can be done for hours, with relatively easy recovery. 

For what it's worth, don't assume that you can use a simple calories per 100m formula for swimming. When you're swimming slower, you're probably also swimming less efficiently, which means that you're probably burning more calories per 100m than a highly proficient swimmer.

I am going to jump on the diet train and look at what you are eating.  1600 Calories can be a lot of food or a little bit depending on what you consume.

But keep up with your training and do not get discouraged.  Some days you will have to eat less than others for your training.

Deb, good to see you back on the boards.

As many people have mentioned, exercise is generally not going to be your primary source of caloric deficit. However, it can be a not insignificant part of staying healthy and having energy.

Also, your calorie calculations have me a little confused. Do you use a HR monitor? If so, I would recommend comparing your HR doing your regular gym workout, your bike and your run. If you can burn 400 calories an hour doing cardio, you can probably get pretty close to that both running and cycling. 

By the way, if you have achilles pain when you run, if you haven't yet, see somebody who works with athletes and try to solve it. You do NOT want to cause a serious achilles problem. You do NOT want to start waking up with pain every morning.

One other thing about your calories, how and when are you eating? I know that for me, focusing on getting more of my calories from nutrient rich but calorically light foods-like green veggies, some fruit, etc, always helps my weight loss compared to eating calorically dense foods, like breads, nuts, etc.

Good luck!

if you eat certain foods with low calories you can increase your intake vs 1 big mac and one starbucks frappacino

I can eat 1900 calories and be full thorughout the day and consume more than if I ate the bigmac/coffee combo and not be full for the day

I started working out at 215 lbs on 7/3/09 after being obese or overweight my whole life and through nutrition and exercise have gotten as low as 129 lbs and now I'm at 143 lbs so within 14 lbs of lowest weight (but at 129 lbs I had fasted and not drank water for a day so it was prob closer to 134 lbs (religious holiday)).  I've used a BodyBugg (http://www.bodybugg.com) and a Polar heart rate monitor and now I kind of know what I burn at the gym and for the SBRing I use formulas on the web based on weight and height and sex because after almost two years of doing this, everything is just approximations.  I've maintained this range of weight for a year now but I really want to lean down a little.  I work out around 3 hours a day and do Yoga, spinning, Zumba, TurboKick, and weights 3 X a week with at least one day in-between, one hour full-body.  It's a group class which I'm going to complement with some stuff on my own.

I'm a new convert on muscle memory.  This last Sprint I did I didn't do one minute of SBRing.  All I did was go to the gym.  And I finished but not with the times I wanted.  (I like to experiment).  So now I'm all into muscle memory and I'm going to start logging workouts and biking a lot and measuring distances and time and seeing how muscle memory works for me.  I love learning the science behind it.

And 1600 calories is 1600 calories no matter if it comes from lard or lettuce   It's just the quantity that changes (and yes, the effects of the body, but if you're looking just as deficits, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie.... if you're looking for performance then you have to look at what makes up those calories).  Other than trying to eat relatively decent, I mostly worry about total calorie count and 50/30/20 carbs/protein/fat and I try to get 1g of protein per lb of body weight specially on lift days.  I've been unable to go to the gym for weeks (dizziness issues... long story) and have maintained my weight.