Honest Self Examination: I'm Fat & I'm never going to reach my Triathlon Goals unless I lose weigh (Page 3)

Not going to bother reading the rest of the thread, because you've said what you need to say here and you are clearly making decisions that are--if you stick with them over a lifetime--going to make you healthier in the long run and more comfortable and productive in the short term.  Great post...good luck achieving your dreams...and don't sweat what anyone has to say to tear them down.

Eating too much of crappy food and overindulging in alcohol as a pathway to "happiness" is...well, I guess people have pretty widely differing concepts of "happiness."  To each his or her own.  Been there, done that...happier without the hedonistic self-gratification masquerading as "enjoying life."

It isn't really though. Once you get near the normal range, it's very limited. What is more important is body fat %. Let's put it this way, I've been 118-120 and had all my clothes be tight and 118-120 and had all my clothes be loose. But my BMI didn't change; it was my body fat %.

I don't care what my BMI or total weight is if I look good and have a body fat percentage under 20%.

As for losing weight and it's impact on times, again, it depends on what weight you lose. If you lose fat, you may get faster. But, if you lose muscle, it's unlikely you'll go faster. I have a triathlete friend who is wicked fast who is both taller and thicker than your average triathlete. Even though she constantly wins her AG and has qualified for Kona, people get on her about her weight. So one year she lost 10 pounds. And slowed down!

For me, when I signed up for my first tri, I was overweight. In fact, my BMI was 30.4 so technically I was obese! By the time the tri rolled around I was down to 130-132 which is a normal BMI. I continued to lose weight after that. I definitely got faster as I lost weight. But I was losing fat, not muscle. (Or not much muscle; it's hard to lose that kind of weight and not lose some muscle mass.)

However, eventually I got down as far as I wanted to and stopped losing. I continued to get faster, of course, since I was only about 6 months into triathlon training. My BMI was 22.

Later on, I decided to get stronger. So I did a lot of Crossfit in the off-season and I gained weight. But I still got faster. And my clothes actually fit better. This is because I put on muscle, not fat. My BMI is now 23. But I'm fitter, smaller and faster than when my BMI was 22.

So it's not just about the pounds and the BMI. Once you get into healthy ranges, it's about body composition and finding the balance that works for you. My ideal body fat % might not be yours. Same with muscles. I think you need some, but, if you get too muscle-bound, the weight will slow you down more than the strength helps you.

Well geez......I have a BMI that is 18.9 and a BF% of 16%.

In my dreams I could run a 3:15 mary.

Fred Doucette - 2011-09-08 2:37 PM

Dream So my new BMI goal just went from 23 to 22.  Thanks Bryan and Fred  

But seriously, I know BMI does not account for many things but in general it's a relatively good guide. 

Well, we are pretty cool....

Yes....I'm 22....I knew I was cool!

Bobby, we exchanged on this before but here's a reminder of a good article from Jesse, the coach at QT2.

http://lavamagazine.com/training/a-better-way-to-evaluate-body-composition/#axzz1XOtDhMpz

This is a calc that is incorporating BF and BMI.  I'm realistic that unless I have a lot of upper body muscle atrophy I just can't get my BMI that low. When I used to lift a lot I just wanted to weight as much as possible with single digit BF...but that doesn't work for triathlons and running   You need both.

?

If you lose 20 pounds it will not all be body fat some will be lean body mass even if you are training consistently.

In general the more folks obsess with weight loss more of a weight issue they will likely have I have been told by a RD. Number one correlation of being overweight as an adult is a child/teen that goes on a lot of diets.

Changing your relationship with food can be challenging as I well know.  Being hard on yourself can sometimes back fire. 

Yeah I'd never target that low, my point was just that I would in no way consider 140lbs at 6'1" to even be remotely "normal" regardless if it's on the low end of the spectrum.  I'm a 23 now and @ 21 believe all will be well in the world.  

I've been in denial about my speed being affected by my extra fluff for years now. When my BMI was at 22% many a moon ago, I was faster. My 5k's that I ran for some extra conditioning work for soccer training were effortless. I averaged a 23 min 5k time without really training to run. There was just so little of me to haul around and I could fly! I literally felt like I could when I ran. Now, as strong as my legs are, they still cannot carry this weight far very quickly anymore. Now I'm training to run at a 9:31 pace, and that's a challenge!

My problem is I eat way too much. I love food. I have refused to believe that I can't eat whatever I want and train like I did in my early 20's. Age has eaten away at my metabolism, but I have not adjusted. So, I understand what you're saying. If I want to get anywhere near the level of speed I used have, I'm going to have to stop stuffing my pie hole.

ETA: I currently do not have the time to try to get back to 22%. That was a lot of work for my food loving self. (I can't believe I just shared all this... and I WAS craving pad thai, but no more...)