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Body fat

HELP!

I'm training 6 days a week:
Run: 6 mornings, 5 miles, intervals, 40 min recovery run (rotation) and a 7.3 miles run once a week.
Swim: 3 times a week (2 lunchtimes at 30 min) 1 at Lincs Tri club for 1 hour.
Cycle: (very old bike - new to sport) 2 or 3 times a week, 15-15km per session (concentrating on 100 rpm cadence)

Diet is sound - one cheat day a week (including alcohol at weekends).

Training levels are solid - no drop in peerformance (yet)

However, my weight has remained constant at 13 st (5' 11"), and bodyfat is stubbornly refusing to drop below 19% - all since January.

Please, please please offer me some advice - this is getting depressing now!

Thanks in advance!

Comments

  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    And you are eating what? When? How much? How often?
  • Typical day (excercise before breakfast)
    Coffee then train, protein shake post workout
    BF: Muesli, muller rice, banana
    Snack: 2 slices maltloaf with peanut butter, satsuma
    LUNCH: tuna mayo with piri piri sandwhich (4 slices wholemeal), apple (all after training)
    Snack: pasta/couscous with tuna mayo (total tuna 190g per day)
    DINNER: meal with family (typically meat and three veg/fish and pasta)
    Snack: 1 dry toast with boiled egg.
  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    Looks you are eating for two or three training sessions - a total of 2+ hrs each day. How long is a session?
  • 40 minutes run and 45 mins bike (staggered)
    or 40 mins plus 1 hour swim would be "typical"
  • hussler.hussler. Posts: 390
    Far too many carbs....

    Reduce Bread and pasta intake, instead get all your carbs from fruit and natural sources.

    I weigh 10 st 5lbs body fat at 9%. Here is what I eat most days.

    Breakfast: Tin of Del Monte Fruit pieces in juice, yoghurt.
    Mid morning: Trek Bar, 3 pieces of fruit
    Lunch: Tuna Salad with Chilli Mayo, 2 pieces of fruit after Training (FGS immediately after training)
    Mid Afternoon: Trek Bar and Protein shake or 2-3 Pieces of Fruit and Protein Shake
    On the way home from work: Trek Bar/Maximuscle Viper Bar
    Before Evening meal: Train (FGS immediately after training)
    Evening Meal: anything I fancy....usually something chicken based but no pasta or anything like that.
    During the rest of the evening Im nibbling at fruit.

    I have always been around 72kg until I started to cut down on Carb intake. Just because you do Tri it doesnt mean you suddenly need bucket fulls of pasta or make any meal a massive carb fest.....You would be surprised how few carbs you actually need to train etc.

    And before anyone asks I train every day and am currently training for IM UK with the intentions of going sub 10 hours......
  • Brilliant - thanks buddy, I'll give that a try starting with breakfast tomorrow (post workout). Thanks for your time, and good luck with the IM!
  • DocmartinDocmartin Posts: 17
    I have just finished reading "Racing Weight" by Matt Fitzgerald which has been a bit of a revelation.
    A lot of science explained simply and a lot of good sense.
    I am now using the TrainingPeaks website (http://www.trainingpeaks.com/) to capture food intake and assess the carb/protein/fat balance.
    There again, I have a lot long way to go....
    Hope that is useful.
  • pataallenpataallen Posts: 94
    amen to reducing carbs...pasta is the food of the devil -(unless carb loading before long event)

    its too quick, convenient, very filling and cheap which is why we all like it and provides way too many carbs for what you actually need! Agree with everything the hussler says...just because you're doing an endurance sport this isn't a free reign on a carb-fest!

    I've got the Fitgerald book too and what is quite interesting is the sample diets at the back of the book - whilst there are similarities between indiviuals no 2 athletes have the same diet. his emphasis is on high quality food not trying to achieve a 60:20:20 balance...he also points out that many east african elite runners have a high fat diet, and well in excess of 20%.

    Of late, i have gone for far more protein, and have become a massive fan of omlettes, somedays having 2 per day (one for 2nd breakfast and one for dinner with salad) loaded with fresh veg / lean meats /low fat cheese etc...i've noticed no decline in energy / performance and the weight is now dropping off.
  • pataallenpataallen Posts: 94
    Docmartin wrote:
    I have just finished reading "Racing Weight" by Matt Fitzgerald which has been a bit of a revelation.
    A lot of science explained simply and a lot of good sense.
    I am now using the TrainingPeaks website (http://www.trainingpeaks.com/) to capture food intake and assess the carb/protein/fat balance.
    There again, I have a lot long way to go....
    Hope that is useful.
    if you read Fitzgerald you must have missed the bit that said there is very little science to substantiate the perceived wisdom of the importamce of the carb, protein fat balance!!!
  • Thanks for all of your advice, gents.

    I've amended my diet as from yesterday. Feeling quite hungry during the day - but i guess that will go as my body gets used to decreased carb intake?? I'm amazed how tasty a salad can be (as long as you spice up the tuna!).

    Looking forward to "weigh day" on Friday!!
  • hussler.hussler. Posts: 390
    Take a look at

    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

    He is well into a thing called the primal diet......I now follow an adapted version of this, basically im not as strict as he suggests to be....If I feel like having a large Pizza from dominos, a starter and a garlic bread then I will do! or just stuff my face with 'forbidden' food I will.... lol.

    Good luck....

    End of the day eat sensibly most of the time and it doesnt really matter what you eat on your 'off' days lol
  • Huge thanks to all of you that took time to reply. 3 lbs lighter today!! Incredible - I've plateaud for nearly 4 months, and the tweeks you suggested have paid off.

    Thanks for the links to the websites. We're looking into the Nordic diet in this family - any thoughts???? Looks delicious to me!!
  • jacjac Posts: 452
    I agree there are too many carbs in there..
    But I think you could also do with cutting out the mayo with your two portions of tuna. Drizzle it with balsamic instead.
    Snack on fruit and nuts..
    Personally I have porridge first thing with blueberries and honey, snack on fruit and nuts, lunch is a protein packed bagel with salad, snack would be yoghurt and dinner chicken or fish with plenty of veg.
    And often have a slow release protein shake before bed.
    Malt loaf is great but is packed with cals, especially when you lash the peanut butter on top!
  • bgertse6bgertse6 Posts: 1
    Reduce Bread and pasta intake, instead get all your carbs from fruit and natural sources.
  • That's really interesting what Hussler said about carbs. I have a tendancy to go for peanut butter and honey on toast quite a lot. Are you saying we need more protein thancarbs?? And to get more of your carbs from fruit and veg??
  • steve785steve785 Posts: 52
    wow dude that is a lot of food i dont think im eating enough cup of tea when i get up porridge at 10.30 fruit at 1.00 ham salad sandwich on brown bread protien shake at 3.00 i have whatever i want for my tea but it always has salad that is my typical food intake of a day definatly the carbs do you cut down when you have a race coming up? good luck
  • Good to have all of your thoughts on this one - thanks for your input.

    Diet is now: B/F porridge and blueberries or homemade muesli (as per 220 recipes), fruit
    Snack: Muesli, Nt Yog, blueberries and honey (as per 220 recipe), fruit
    Lunch: Baked (sweet) potato, spicy tuna and salad, low fat youghurt, fruit
    Dinner: with family, but accompanied with salad, fruit
    Snack: boiled egg on toast
    (protein shake post morning workout, training twice a day)

    So far so good - 3lbs lost since "overhaul" - any further advice will most definitely be warmly received!

    Next query is - do I need to carb load before my next triathlon (a "local" sprint) next Sunday?
  • jacjac Posts: 452
    Not necessarily carb load but have a bowl of wholemeal pasta the night before..

    Weight loss sounds good..Maybe axe the toast last thing...and muesli for a snack.
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