IM Training = No Food is Safe

I was VERY hungry when I trained for IM FL.  My grocery bills were outrageous!  However, I ended up dropping alot of weight (which was much needed) while IM training- like 7 lbs.  I was eating a lot, but also losing weight.  It was great!  It could have been because I had built up so much muscle that the muscle helped burn more fat. 

You might be gaining muscle weight.  I'd go by how your clothes fit and how you look.  If you're looking more ripped and clothes still fit the same or are looser, then I wouldn't worry about it.  If you think you're gaining fat, then you might need to look at your nutrition.  Remember that you want to select the best foods that are going to fuel your body.  If you're not eating so healthy, then try eating healthier foods and that might help.  Also, try to eat more protein- especially after long workouts.  I found that protein was much more filling than carbs and kept me fuller longer which really helped.  I think it comes down to understanding what and when your body needs. 

I am with you Doug.  I weigh around 165 most of the time so weight loss isn't a goal of mine.  One of my foci of IM training was cleaning up my diet.  Well I weighed in at 158 the other day.  I have decided to put myself back on the eat everything I can diet.  The weight loss is bother me and making me a bit ill.  My problem is that I don't like eating that much.  So I am throwing in extra snacks for the day and not holding back on nights when I want to get something a bit more high calorie. 

This is good - thanks all.  Keep it coming as I would love to hear what others have or are experiencing. 

Just for additional information on myself, weight loss is not huge goal of mine during IM training.  If I can drop the final 5 pounds I want to lose then great, but that is not my ultimate goal right now.  I DO however know how to lose weight as I started this running (and now tri) training stuff in 2004 at close to 250 pounds.  I now weigh 183ish.  I was a solid 180 in January.  The extra couple of pounds might just be some new upper body muscle from swimming as my clothes pretty much feel the same.  I didn't expect to gain any weight through this process, and I guess I shouldn't expect to lose any weight either as I am putting zero emphasis on cutting.

Eating down the house and still have to be careful not to get into a caloric deficit. 

One thing that helps me is to eat immediately after a workout.  This not only takes advantage of your 'metabolic window of opportunity', but will also curb your appetite for the ravenous food gobbling urges that tend to strike 2-4 hours later.

Currently I use Endurox and a yogurt post-workout (simple + comples sugars plus protein being the goal) and it works just fine.

Then I use a big Ted Montana's Bison burger with blue cheese melted on top

Same thing is happening to me right now. It happened last year around the same point in my training. I gained a few pounds, my clothes fit a bit tighter, and I didn't appear to be ripped, so I assumed it was not muscle. I continued making good food choices, and then all of sudden, I really leaned out. Not sure if it has to do with my body adjusting to the increase in volume, or what, but I'm just riding it out, being smart about my nutrition, and hoping for the big lean out phase again this year (hopefully in time for my wedding!)