3month checkin - Fail!!

Here's what I can tell you..I'm 5'9" and 280, 

Last Summer I logged around 900 miles on my roadbike, and also did a century ride.

This year, I've been training for three weeks for my first triathlon.  I look better, feel better, can swim and run further than I ever have before.  Have started thinking about actually doing good in my race rather than just finishing (I know I'll get some slack for that comment). Seeing a nutritionist, changing diet, the whole shebang..

Guess what?  The scale said 279.8 this morning....  Maybe I'm building muscle??

Don't know, but I feel good!

Glad to know you are making strong progress but even if all muscle, 280lbs at 5'9" is heavy. Weight is weight in some places.

Moreover from a long term prospective, even if I retain my weight as muscle, it will be a LOT of strength training on a daily basis to keep it there. I would really like to little more lean and then maitain muscle mass there.

Although I have turned to whole wheat or whole grain bread completely for the carb intake, should I stop that completely as well? I heard carbs add deceiving lot of calories.

Hang in there bud!!!  I'm one of those that lose a lot of weight quickly. My diet is not so much strict but very narrow.  I only eat a few different things from day to day, this allows me to stay very consistent with what I take in for calories and such.  Also, I have a degree in Sports Sciences, work at a very fitness oriented fire dept with 5 guys in the dept that are certified fitness trainers.  You didnt mention it so I will suggest it, hit the weights.  Muscle burns fat, calories and lots of it.  I would suggest heavy weights small reps to jump start your system then taper down to lighter weights and more reps to assist with endurance.  You will find this may help with cycling power as well as running power as well.  Consistency is key to all this so don't budge on scheduled workouts, just do them because you have to.  This all just a recommendation, take from it what you want or throw it out, but don't give up.

Well said Medusa Ann!

I'm actually an expert dieter, I've tried them all, and most of them work!  (Until you stop following it).  I'm convinced that the best diet is a lifestyle change that burns more calories than calories taken in.  I also see a nutritionist once or twice a month about food choices.  I'm not stepping on the scale until after my Tri!

1/1/2011 - 239 lbs @ 28% bodyfat. (172 lean & 67 fat)

3/21/2011 - 230 lbs @ 18% bodyfat (188 & 41)

I am doing much better on my dieting, but my workout is not as consistent.

Oh, if you want results like mine, all that you need to do is enter a 23 person bet with a $100 buy-in... works like magic.

I am currently in 3rd. My wife is 4th and 1st overall female.

Last year's blog entry on it.

I had been feeling it for a while man. Your post just pushed me over the edge. But I have tried super-strict low-carb, high protein, eat evey 3hr, small portion diet when I was doing strength training early last year. No results for 3months and I broke down. Not to mention trainers were breaking my wallet more than the fat.

I feel a lot more involved (and have a MUCH higher sense of pleasure) in sport activities. So far I am enjoying my journey. But I do have goals and I am not being able to meet those. Thus, my frustration. I have tried keeping narrow diet too tstick but that doesn't last more than 2-weeks. I will try to keep some sort of routine in the diet... hopefully that shows some result.

Oh, and I am not giving-up yet. Its just that.. goals fail, pride dies and ambitions wither away. I am just trying to push back on it.

Forgot to add my lesson of the day - Its all about sacrifice.

Me and Ironman friend are discussing optimum bike riding weather and I come across a local group ride that started last week. Now this area is ~30mi away and ride starts 7:00am sharp every Sunday. I am not a Saturday night partier but I am a night owl. This would be somewhat of an unpleasent lifestyle change.

My buddy just shook his head and said, "Its about giving up, man. You have to sacrifice."

Simple and hard.

Medusa Ann hit the nail on the head.  Focus on your training and finishing that triathlon.  Weight loss alone is rarely a good goal. 

Shift your focus to your training.  I rarely lost weight until I improved my performance and intensity a lot.  Once I got there my body just started shedding the weight due to the stress response induced from the high intensity. Diet alone did not do it and until I improved a bunch and was able to work out harder I made no headway in losing weight.  Keep with it, work as hard as you can, and it will eventually come.

How does that look?

To the OP.  Not sure if you were venting, asking a question, or needed a pep talk...

So I will pick one, and answer...  (I assume you were asking a question?)

This is coming from someone who, for the last 4-5 years of tri training, including IM training, really never changed weight.  Maybe a 10-15 lb swing????

BUT, my goal was to finally get off the 27-28% BF and get to race weight.  With a REAL focus, I lost an average of 10lbs a month the last three months, and dropped 7% of my BF.

My guess, is you ignore your diet.  You may THINK you watch it, but not really...  I started to MATICULOUSLY track my calories in.  Read every label, logged in every bite of food and every ounce of drinks...  I was SHOCKED, how easily the calories could add up.  Eat healthy all day and have 2 beers and a bowl of chips?  Your day is ruined.  Starve yourself all day and then eat a couple slices of cheesecake after dinner?  Ruined.

I'm guessing, is you think you eat well (and you might), but still don't realize how much you are eating.  That brown rice you think is healthy?  Well, it IS, but it also adds 100's of calories per cup of the stuff.  Eat a couple cups thinking it's good for you?  And you eat half your day's calories.  That 1/2 cup of raw almonds?  TOTALLY healthy, but also added 400 calories to your day.

It's easy to see the workouts you are doing (oh, and BTW?  workouts don't burn as much as you think either.  an hour of swimming is only 500 calories.  That can be lost with 2 beers and a handfull of pistachios).

It's really a simple formula.  Calories out > calories in = weight loss.  It's just really hard to KNOW without tracking if you are following that formula.

There are a few other things that help, obviously.  Don't starve yourself all day, then eat 2500 calories right before you go to bed.  It messes up your metabolism and insulin levels and causes the body to store every calorie it can.

Eat less, but eat often and track CAREFULLY.  It really works...

Everyone SAYS they want to lose weight.  Are tired of the way they are, think they are trying...  But it takes some REAL drive and dedication.  It takes more than desire and talk.  I did the talk and had the desire for years, and achieved nothing...  It really took knowing and understanding and getting in there and making it a lifestyle to realize what I'm putting into my body, for it too really work.

Trust me, I don't eat like a saint.  I love my candy and junk food and pizza...  I just eat a LOT less of it.  I had to cut out drinking more or less, and all my drink loaded with sugar (frapachino, booze, latte, etc...)

Short Story of My Journey:

I started at 5'10" 278, with about 31% body fat.  To say the least it was discusting!  My daughter had P90X and really liked the workouts, so I borrowed it, and tried a few.  I could barely get through them, and some I couldn't get through, but I was inspired and bought it myself.  Long story short: I changed my life-style (diet, sleep, etc.), and really starting work hard.  I lost 18 pounds in 5 weeks, and gained muscle.  That weight loss uncovered an umbilical hernia that I had to have repaired.  During this time, my brother, an avid tri (he just did the Gator HIM in 6hr34m at age 47), inspired me to ride with him and my other brother in Cycle North Carolina.  I didn't even have a bike.  I know have a TREK 2.3 and am starting to ride out on the road, but have been mixing up my work-outs with swimming, spinning, and kick-boxing.  It's working.  I'm down to 243.  My diet still isn't perfect but much better.  It's a life-style change.

P90X introduced me to a concept called Muscle Confusion.  If you build muscle, you actually increase your fat burning ability.  Mix it up, lift some weights, do some kick-boxing, eat healthily, you'll lose, but don't be concerned with pounds.  Get in shape, and the %body fat will eventually come in line.

MedusaAnn is right.  Get in shape to do the tri's and enjoy the journey..