Lard Arse

Hi Folks,

I'm training for the Outlaw which is going to be tough enough as it is for me but I'm carrying a shed load of extra lard and TBH it's creeping up not down.

Is it sensible to try and lose whilst training or now just aim to not gain any more.

Any advice well come - I had kinda hoped that as the training increased I would lose anyway just because I'm doing so much more

Pix

Ironman training is not a license to eat, many have found this out before

Advice is difficult as we dont know what your diet is like currently

Eat well, eat healthy and eat natural.

Fuel and refuel, dont eat rubbish

I don't eat too badly (I don't think!) just too much and don't seem to be able to think before I eat

The Evil Pixie wrote (see)

I don't eat too badly (I don't think!) just too much and don't seem to be able to think before I eat

the answer's in your own hands EP - it's as simple as that

FB is right

Jamie ... hide this, hide that ??.. Just dont buy it ?? 

EP I'm finding the sme. It's very easy to eat more calories than you burn even with Ironman training.
My long bike on Saturday only burn 616 calories so a McDonalds meal would be more than that, or a big chocolate bar etc.
It's hard because after the work out you are extra hungry but really you don't have much more food intake required. Especially if you ate a gel or a cereal bar on the ride.

Keeep a food diary and write down everything you eat or drink : anything from a notepad and pen to livestrong my plate will do

This will help you focus on what you are consuming and give you time to think about it  

Ridge.....it seems a big bigger problem for women than men...I have put on 7lb again over the last 3 mionths whilst training over 10 hours a week............

it seems to put me in the mode of over compensating each time..........

YEp we need to be strict......and I think a food diary is the best way forward..........the extra weight will not help on the day..........

and if you carry on it will just get worse

We've been playing with a food and exercise diary on myfitnesspal.com and have lost 44lb between us over 18 weeks. I've lost my half of that weight (and a bit) while marathon training and have just taken 5.5min off my half marathon time. I'm now just about at goal weight in time for the last 8 weeks of marathon training (there are a couple more pounds to shift, but I'm now looking at a calorie deficit of 150/day, which should do the job nicely in time for a week's maintenance eating before the big day)

Shifting the weight will make a far bigger difference to your Outlaw experience than training IMHO; I'd have a crack at losing it now, then call it quits when you get to the really big weeks.

EP, what are you drinking?  I think it's really easy to take in tons of extra unnecessary calories in drinks, ie, sugary drinks, sugar in tea/coffee, milky drinks, alcohol especially.  Just small changes there could make a big difference if you are drinking the calories.

Nice to see some folks having similar issues.

It is hard and I know that now I'm almost 40 *next month* that it's not going to get easier.

Drink wise

diet coke - 1 can a day at weekends
tea - white (semi skimmed milk) 1 sweetner at home (2mugs) 1 sachet sugar at work (2 cups)
weekdays - 1 options hot chocolate (40cals) a day to start the day off

Alcohol is Fri, Sat Sun if hubby not working (he does odd shifts) and will normally be 1/2 btle of wine

I think 1 of my issues is that I've been overweight for 15yrs now and "on a diet" haha lots of times but I hate my weight and try to forget it so therefore block out what is happening with food. So I don't think and serve up on autopilot meaning too much.

I also have a sweet tooth so 1 biscuit or work sweet and I'm lost for the day. Plus I comfort eat (again volume not lardy) and dad had cancer last year (was given the all clear Oct) then was told in Jan he has prostate cancer. So another excuse.

Garmin tells me I use loads of calories and although I think I mustn't eat all those cals I do naturally compensate and allow for extra hunger. I have, however, sussed the post swim hunger is hydration not food!

In the big scheme of your life, how important is losing weight for you? Have you tried to explore a different approach, maybe get some help with the emotional issues that lead to comfort eating. I could be wrong but I think that training and food are just fire fighting your emotional health?

I never lost a pound training for my first IM - it's all too easy to come back from a session and think that you 'need' to refuel or 'deserve' a treat when the reality is unless you're doing big sessions (90 minutes plus) you don't need anything extra. If you're doing a double then sensible refuelling after the first session (tuna sandwich/ glass of milk) and your usual lunch within two hours will fuel the next session.

To be honest though EP you know all of this don't you? You've read the books - Racing Weight etc - and can do the maths. You know you're an emotional eater so you have to break that side of the habit as well as the hand in the biscuit tin one. Have you ever looked at any of the Paul McKenna  hypno self help stuff (assuming you can't afford to pay for personal counselling) or thought about joining a group such as SW (I'm not a fan of WW, think that SW is more of a healthy life style option than the WW counting everything diet mentality but that's just my view)?

my fitness pal.com has set my sugars for the day at 25g but if i put in a breakfast of porridge with syrup and nilk ( small) and a small apple juice I alreay get to sugars for the day of 39......

i only have one small fruit juice a day.........but it has a days worth of sugars for me

Its all true. I'm a nightmare for getting home after a long run / ride and eating whatever I want. Or stopping for coffee and cake whilst out. I had lost halfa  stone but its mostly all back on now

I'd like to be closer to racing weight when I get to Outlaw, but thats very unlikely (my apparent racing weight is ridiculously small) but I am going to make a concerted effort between now and race day.

I think one of my problems is I started drinking again, there's loads of calories in cider, and I do like a pint or three - might try knocking that on the head first, and be more sensible. I find tracking my stuff on  My Fitness Pal tracker useful, so I'll start again, there's no hiding with proper tracking