Gray Guys/Girls Master's Focus Triathlon Mentor Group--Now Open (Page 14)

Thanks Deb.  On the pool swim, it was a typical pool swim,  wherein the pool is divided with lane dividers.  Swimmers push off at one end - swim down, touch off and return in the same lane - staying to the right of the lane.  When the swimmer reaches the end from the original push off point, they touch off and swim under the lane divider, moving over into the lane beside the previous lane.

Any comments or feedback from the group on the subject are appreciated.  I'm one of those who regardless of what I do or have done, I've not lost weight.  Things I've tried:

• calorie counting and calorie deficient (800 -1,000 cals) on a daily basis ... no weight loss
• lo-carb regimen ... no weight loss
• roughly 50% protein - 25% carb - 25% fat ... no weight loss
• eating pretty much anything I want  - with no weight gain

As far as food is concerned, my wife is an excellent cook.  Our meals are made with mostly fresh ingredients - no pre-packaged stuff.  No cola, sugar, ice cream or such.  This is a big frustration for me, in that given the type and amount of food I eat on a daily basis; coupled with my training ... I cannot understand why I've not lost weight. 

I've heard the "calories in - calories out" mantra many times before.  And it's simple - for me that strategy does not work!!  Thanks in advance for your comments.

Dorm

Dorm - I posted a comment on your Race Report page.  Now I'm excited to get going again.  So, officially now the season has started.  Like AK Dave I've got about 6 weeks to my first event.

Our weather here today was too cool to ride and the wind was way too strong.

Dave - Looking forward to your Race Report next weekend.

At times different things work for different people but I know it is not as simple as calories in/ calories out.  I went through things as you did for many years without any success at all.  I'd lose weight and gain weight.  I can swim and bike as much as I want with no weight loss whatsoever.  But, when I run consistently I lose weight.

I stopped running Nov 1st and then started running again about mid Jan.  I'm slowly building up and just now I'm just up to 2 hours per week and I'll keep adding time.  I gained weight through Nov/ Dec and Jan but now with my running building up I am losing weight again.

Running three times/week may not work for you but something will.  So keep living a healthy lifestyle and try things until something does work.  Also, you may be losing fat but gaining muscle which would show on the scales as no weight loss.  

Hey everyone!  Hope you had a great weekend.

Dorm - nice race and race report.  My first tri of the season is about 5 weeks away - getting a little excited to get the season started.

I did a 5k race this weekend - St Patrick's day theme.  I had to get up early Sunday to drive out there (and lost a hour of sleep due to the time change) which wasn't fun but the race was held at a winery that I've been wanting to visit so it was worth the drive.  I did pretty well - 6/25 in my AG and 57/209 for all women.  My time was a little slower than I would have liked, but that was because of the "hill" at the end - dropped my overall pace and time.  I had read that there was a hill leading back up to the winery, but didn't expect it to be quite so steep - about 180' elevation gain over the last 1/4 mile.  Basically it was a trail leading up the side of the bluff.  I loved the race though - I may go back next year and try the 15k instead.  

Janet

Janet, I'm envious of the AG placement for your 5k ... nice job.  And thanks all for the nice comment on my first race of the season.  This was not my fastest time for this race, but it was the first time I kept pace during the run ... maybe 3 times I walked 10-15 steps and my brain said " this is stupid - move it!".

Also want to thank all for the comments re: the weight loss post.  It's reassuring to see that others have had the same issue; tried several methods to drop the pounds with limited results.  I'll review the suggestions on runners weight loss, and the Gabriel method ... and start running more too.

Dorm

Deb, thanks - and yes I've tried that too ... same results.  There have been times wherein I've dropped  6-7 lbs, but overall I searching for more like 30lbs.  I'll work on increasing my running and some of the dietary info from the suggested sites today.  It is truly a journey

Great result Janet!

(Pixmac-winners-announced.jpg)

^ X2

Hey Dorm,

I agree with Deb, an 800-1,000 daily deficit is almost sure to put you into starvation mode.  When the body goes in to starvation mode, it can enter into protein catabolism - breaking down protein for energy - to make up the difference between caloric intake and caloric needs.  That means your body starts breaking down the muscle you have worked so hard to build so it can fuel itself.  When in starvation mode a number of bio-chemical reactions take place so the body prefers protein catabolism (breaking down protein) over lipolysis (breaking down fat) - meaning any weight you lose will be lean muscle mass.

The only time you should be running that high a caloric deficit is while under the care and direction of a physician.

Just my humble two cents.

Hi Deb, Glad to see you're home safe.  It took me a bit to figure out your photo - can't help nut thinking they are about to head down a hill.

Janet - Nice race to start your race season.  The 15K run sounds like a good idea.

Deb - Scott ... thanks for the suggestion re: a nutritionist.  I've been to see the one at my club and well ... have not had good results.  I'm not sure if this was due to her advice, or me not following her advice.  I suspect it's more the latter.  The nutritionist did shift the balance towards a bit more protein intake.  I think the recommendation was: daily intake = 40% protein, followed by 30% each from carbs and fat. 

The issue for me is when I work out, it's hard to eat enough to make up the calorie deficit.  Many days (via MyFitnessPal calorie calculator) I eat enough required to maintain my weight.  But once the caloric deficit from the workout is added in, I'm back to the 800 - 1,000 deficit.  Today for instance ... including my workout and what the wife plans to make for dinner - I'm deficient 1,000 calories.

I'd love to know what the group does for snacks in between meals - as this seems to be the ideal spot to make up the deficit.  There were some good snack suggestions and recipes via the Runners World Link, so I'll go back and look at those.  Meantime, I'd love to know what the group is doing.  Thanks.

Dorm

Hey Dorm,

Immediately after a workout I like a pint carton of COLD low-fat chocolate milk - ~240 calories, 44 g carbohydrate and 16 g of protein.  All the macro-nutrients in the perfect proportion for recovery.

As to between meal snacking, there are all kinds of options; from beef jerky to deviled eggs, fruits and nuts, etc.  Any of the suggestions you can find on just about any paleo diet website will fit the bill for a healthy snack (even if you aren't following a strictly paleo diet).  A couple sites with suggestions -

http://paleoleap.com/paleo-snacks/

http://greatist.com/health/paleo-recipes-list

Trail mix is always a good choice although I would avoid manufactured or processed versions.  You can make your own trail mix and not have the added sodium and sugar.

Smoothies are another good choice.  The nice thing about smoothies is you can add whey protein powder and increase your daily protein intake.

A pint of chocolate milk, a handful of nuts, a smoothie and a couple pieces of beef jerky and you easily have 500-800 additional calories.  Another thing that helps is eating your first food within 30-minutes of waking up.  It is called 'break - fast' for a reason.  That meal turns your metabolism back on.  Then, eat something every two-hours throughout the day.  By "grazing" all day you spread the calories out, keep the blood sugar more even and never find yourself hungry.  When you are hungry, you tend to binge eat (at least I do). When I am hungry I often revert back to my see-food diet - I see it, I eat it.  Never a good thing when you are trying to lose weight.

Next thing - STRICTLY record EVERYTHING that goes in your mouth.  As an experiment one weekend, my wife and I both kept track of everything I ate and drank.  At the end of the first day, she had recorded that I had eaten substantially more than I had recorded.  I found I would sub-consciously say to myself, well, this little Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie isn't REALLY that many calories and not record it.  Or I would eat something and say, "I will record that later."  And then forget.  By the end of the day, we were talking several hundred calories.

Hope all of that helps.