Base training and losing weight

Steve Holdoway said:

Hi folks,

Can anyone point me at a good reference point for nutrition. I'm in my mid 40's, 5 foot 11 and
about 190lbs.I currently train 6 days a week, for 90 mins - 2 hrs a day, keeping the hr between
130-165 when doing intervals.

The problem that I've got is that I just can't lose the 25 lbs or so of weight that I really do
need to get rid of. I want to keep the quality of training at about the same level, as it's the
level I've always trained at ( well did so when I last raced tri's seriously 10 years ago ).

Diet is the one thing I really know nothing about... can anyone help?

Cheers,

Steve

The simple answer is eat less calories. Most people simply haven't a clue how many calories
they actually consume. OTOH there have been studies showing that some people find it more
difficult, not impossible, but more difficult to get below a certain weight. Could be 25lbs
above where you want to be is that point for you. OTOH again cutting calories will lower you
weight assuming all else stays equal, but it may prove very difficult to keep that 25lbs
off. Nutrition wise if you feel ok and are performing well keep eating the same thing you
are now, just less of it. If this proves to be difficult due to that "I haven't eatin'
anything" feeling, try eating less caloricly dense food.

~Matt

If you are running 1.5 to 2 hours 6 days a week you must be eating a lot of food. Just cut back on
the snacks.

"Steve Holdoway" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi folks,

Can anyone point me at a good reference point for nutrition. I'm in my mid 40's, 5 foot 11 and
about 190lbs.I currently train 6 days a week, for 90 mins - 2 hrs a day, keeping the hr between
130-165 when doing intervals.

The problem that I've got is that I just can't lose the 25 lbs or so of weight that I really do
need to get rid of. I want to keep the quality of training at about the same level, as it's the
level I've always trained at ( well did so when I last raced tri's seriously 10 years ago ).

Diet is the one thing I really know nothing about... can anyone help?

Cheers,

Steve

You may want to look at a couple things. Checking your body composition is a key. If your 190 and
10% body fat or lower that weight will be hard to take off. I Teach PE and I get wrestlers in my
office all the time who want to loose 10 lb. to get down to the next weight class. I test their body
composition and find out that they are at say 8 % with 9 lb of body fat. I begin to explain to them
how unhealthy this would be.

If your body fat percentage will permit the fat loss then just cut back on The food you are
already eating and cut out any soda. If you are having Pizza instead of eating 4 pieces eat 3.
This saves you a quarter of the calories If you drink crystal light instead of soda you save 96
calories per 8 oz..

Also don't put anyhting in your mouth within 2 hours of beadtime.

I did this and started out at 5"11 185 and went down to 165 and 7% body fat 2 months later.
Good Luck Mike

Quoted message said:

I test their body composition and find out that they are at say 8 % with 9 lb of body fat. I begin
to explain to them how unhealthy this would be.

As one of these former wrestlers with no body fat who insisted on losing weight anyway, you should
stop bothering to try and explain things to them. You cannot reason with a 16 year old who has his
mind set on making it to the next lower weight class. Besides, most of the weight these kids will
lose is due to dehydration and has nothing to do with the amount of body fat they currently have.

Quoted message said:

If your body fat percentage will permit the fat loss then just cut back on The food you are
already eating and cut out any soda. If you are having Pizza instead of eating 4 pieces eat 3.
This saves you a quarter of the calories If you drink crystal light instead of soda you save 96
calories per 8 oz..

Also don't put anyhting in your mouth within 2 hours of beadtime.

For the OP:

A) Specifically plan to eat a lot of fruit, vegetables, and other low glycemic load foods. I assume
you have know idea what glycemic load is, but if you do a search on google it will be easy to
find. You can also search for glycemic index. Eat as many fruits and vegetables as you want, then
you won't eat so much other [censored] that has a much higher calorie content and is more likely to
turn to fat in your body.

B) Make sure you eat a fair amount of lean protein. I eat a lot of 96% lean beef, egg beaters,
cottage cheese (1% or fat free), and low fat deli meat. It is good for you. Protein at
every meal.

C) Stay away from: regular pop, candy, fried chips (baked chips aren't quite as bad), baked goods,
etc. Obviously there is room for some of this stuff, but eating these things in quantity on a
daily basis is not an option for someone looking to lose 25lbs.

D) Drink plenty of water.

E) Try to eat 6 smaller meals a day instead of 3 larger ones.

F) Read Bill Phillip's body for life book. Since you are a triathlete, ignore the exercising part of
this book and follow the diet portion.

Good Luck,

Eric Lambi

Thanks to all who have posted and emailed. I reckon I need to change my lifestyle so I don't eat so
much in the evenings, which should help a lot.

Luckily nobody suggested cutting down on the beer (^:

Cheers,

Steve