6' 166 lb trying to lose weight for 10k. how do i eat?

10xBW is just a rough estimate. It's going to be off for those who are really really light. I know when I was cutting for a bodybuilding show in '09 I couldn't lose anything until I was under 2000 calories and I was working out near 2 hours a day.

Between workouts you want carbs and protein....and mostly carb.

I would make it simple:

30g Carb/30g Protein: before workout, between workout (or during for that matter), then again after workout. Then 30-60min after that have a big meal.

Instead of Protein you could also use BCAAS...5-10g each time. Do a waxy maize/BCAA combo and you'll be WIRED throughout...;)

Alan

That's a good point. I'm wondering if it has to do with your current body fat %? It was exceptionally hard for me to get from 110 to 107 near the end. I had to be extremely patient and consistent. I have a really mesomorphic build so chances are I will never be a Deena Kastor :)

Do you still body build? Or how long ago did you stop?

And if you don't mind me asking, what did you go to school for?

Question about the BCAA supplement:

I have debating using this for awhile as an endurance athlete because I know that longer durations of exercise have more affect on the BCAA metabolism. But my concern is how do I know what is TOO much of a serving? Or how do I know what is TOO often to take it? I know in small quantities leucine, valine, (and I forget the other) have been linked to helping spare glycogen stores in the muslces and also preventing the breakdown of protein. While this is definitely good, I am worried about some stuff I have read which talked about BCAA supplementation causing an irregular ratio of free tryptophan:BCAA in the body. I know this can really mess up your sleeping patterns and endocrine system among other things so I have yet to try the supplement. I am curious how you knew which dosage/serving was good for your training and what your opinion was. Sorry to bug you with this many questions. I know that just about ANY supplement is sold without being regulated by the FDA so I am always a bit skeptical so I read a lot of studies, but they too can be contradictory.

Right, I read that. Living entirely on plants is very doable. Take a multi to ensure b12 and CLO for animal-based A and D. No grains (this includes corn) and no legumes. Works for me, though it is expensive. Priorities...

Make small changes if you want to keep training at a high level. That might mean just eating a little less and cutting out your eating binges. I'd also stop drinking endurox after runs.

What ^ this person said. I obviously question the need for cod liver oil. Agree though: supplementing with a multi is far better than eating inferior food.

6' 166 pounds seems like an OK weight. Do you really need to lose pounds?

Hey check out www.IRunMyBody.com for great tips and advice......they even have a fitness challenge to help you jump start your weight loss goal. Check them out

I have a BS in Exercise Science.

BCAA supplementation, like most any other supplement (supplemental protein as well) is based on experimental science and tested hypothesises....but they are not based on FACT. So, there is a small leap of faith you have to make with any supplement. Since they are unregulated it's wise to go with good sources.

I like

www.trueprotein.com

because you can make custom blends without all the preservatives and crap you don't want.

At the end of the day do you really need protein supplementation or BCAA supplementation? Probably not. I view it more as a convenience.

I workout. I lift weights. I run more than I did during my show build up but still MUCH MUCH less than when I was a runner. Since joining the Army I've not been able to get a gym as much as I would like. Long term I'd like to work on getting my numbers up in the big 3: squat, bench, deadlift. Bodybuilding is so much NOT about the numbers that is screws with my head. It was a struggle for me to train that way, it was a mental mindscrew. The most enjoyable training I've done in the gym is a simple 6 week program going from reps of 5 down to reps of 3 then reps of 1s/2s, two weeks at each cycle. I put on like 20+ pounds on each lift.

Alan

Replace the grains in your life with quinoa.

Most pasta is empty calories, i.e. free of nutritive value. If you feel you need to carbo-load before a long race, maybe (I'm not convinced) carb up, but not otherwise.

If you eat or drink dairy, it's fine (better) to use the original, full-fat, relatively unprocessed version. The calorie difference between full-fat and non-fat is less than you think - but non-fat is more processed, with nasty fillers that some claim are bad for you. Not worth it.

Why the protein powder? Endurox? Eat whole foods!

Have lots of fruits and veggies around. Try a daily green smoothie with lots of frozen fruit added.

You say you "eat pretty healthy," but with all the pasta, supplements, snacking and binging you describe, I'm not so sure. The binging is a reaction to starving yourselves, you know.

Nix the sit ups - they're bad for your back. Pull ups are a good exercise, and may complement the pushups, and planks are good for the abs. Someone else can describe a more complete strength training regimen.

I second the recommendation to keep a food diary.

And last but not least - depending on your body type, you may not have much weight to lose. Counting out the almonds (!), you sound a bit obsessed. If you were to chill out a little while adopting a generally healthy diet (less binging, fewer supplements, less pasta) you'll end up healthier AND maybe faster.

All of us, chasing PRs, are in the same boat. Good luck.

To add just one small suggestion to the many good ideas already put forth ... try to know at least the approximate caloric content of everything you eat. There are often nasty surprises lurking, as documented in the quite handy book series "Eat This, Not That" (which I have nothing to do with, so this isn't a self-interested plug). To pick just one example, the Shrimp Pasta at California Pizza Kitchen has like 1200 calories. Unless I checked, I would've figured it was a reasonably healthy option. Best of luck.

Runningart2004 wrote:

Don't obsess over numbers. Eat the right foods and the numbers will take care of themselves.

1. 99% of your grocery shopping should be on the perimeter of the grocery store: fresh fruit/vegetables, meats, milk, eggs. Basically, consume a diet that is mostly "naturally" occuring.

2. Eat a salad everday. Load it up, even put chicken on it. DON't overdo it on the cheese or heavy dressings. Use just a light vinaigrette.

3. Eat less calories. Rough estimate: 10xbw...so that would be 1660 for you.

4. Track everything you eat or drink.

5. Drink water with every meal.

Alan

Amen.

Eat

1. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and any natural animal fat

2. Vegetables, including leaves, stems, bulbs, roots

3. Fruits and berries (includes avocados and olives)

4. Nuts such as almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, coconut, etc.

5. Herbs and spices

Avoid/minimize (in order of importance)

1. Sweeteners, including sugar (white, brown, organic, whatever), maple syrup, rice syrup, etc.

2. Vegetable oils other than extra virgin olive, avocado, palm, and coconut.

3. Cereal grains and grain products (bread, pasta, pastries, etc.)

4. Legumes (beans and peas, including soy and peanuts)

5. most dairy products (butter and high fat cheeses, esp. from raw milk are okay in moderation)

"6. Don't do anything stupid or extreme. South Beach diet is not going to be good for you in the LONG run"

The South Beach in particular may not be optimal (I know little about it) but low-carb, high-fat diets are optimal for both health and weight loss. For an endurance athlete this may mean more carbohydrates than for a sedentary housewife, but focusing on fat and protein will help enormously in reducing hunger and bodyfat.

"Eat High Glycemic carbs directly pre and post workouts/runs. Eat Low Glycemic carbs during other meals and try to avoid simple sugars (i.e. boxed cookies, crackers, cereals, etc.)"

Ugh, no. For optimal weight loss, adopt the opposite strategy. Eat when hungry, exercise when fasted if possible, and try to emphasize fat and protein, in that order.

"Don't scrimp on good fats. Peanut butter, salmon,tuna, olive oil (in moderation), nuts, low-fat yogurt (preferably greek yogurt).. these are ALL GOOD."

Peanut (legume) butter is not particularly good, and one should certainly switch the low-fat yogurt for full-fat yogurt, but remember--animal fats and fats one can naturally obtain from fruit (coconut milk, olives/olive oil) are wonderful and should be your focus. Opt for fatty meats, organ meats, eggs, butter, real nuts, etc.

Neliah2507 wrote:

I'm currently injured and x-training for the next 3 months on a bike and doing upperbody lifting until I can get back to marathon training. I've been doing longer and/or harder intensity rides and then lift afterwards. I am trying to come up with a decent recovery drink that will give me the energy to lift afterwards and allow for optimum recovery. Would you have any suggestions? I'm not sure if it should be a higher carb drink or a combination of carb:protein:fat of some sort. What would you recommend??

1) Split the sessions and separate by at least a few hours.

2) Lift first.

3) Do not lift more than 2x week (if your you are training correctly you should not need more than that).

I'm suprised you've ever been bonked

People in general, athletes especially, overthink this who diet thing. They get so screwed up that they have to track everything because they've lost nutritional common sense. They think we need a certain % of this and of that and so they have to track it to make sure it makes some magical number.

Fruits, veggies, meats, simple relatively unprocessed grains like rice and oats but not used in abundance. Most of your meal should be veggies and meat. Drink water.

Alan

I'm not going to argue with your advice because it would be similar to me trying to defend my political views. It's a neverending debate.

You have a fairly respectible diet you seem to follow for yourself. However, it's fairly strict compared to what the average person is willing to follow. Especially if they are just starting to make some changes. There is no way I would ever cut out organic/natural peanut butter from my diet or live off organ meats. I'm not criticizing you, but I just wouldn't do it. If I was to prescribe this same type of diet to any of my clients, they would most likely tell you the same thing. I don't think anything you said is incorrect. I just don't believe it's advice I would give 90% of people I know.

And I could try weight lifting first, but the focus of my training is towards improving my aerobic capacity. The lifting is more for general strength and conditioning and maintaining a lean/optimum racing weight for when I am able to compete again. I may try switching it up on days I do easier rides though, thank you for the advice.

Thank you for the website - I have never heard of it and will definitely check it out before I purchase anything.

The degree I'm getting requires a lot of research on supplements so sometimes I tend to get scared off. There always seems to be a lot more negative information than positive. But like you said, I don't think it can hurt to experiment a little and see how my body responds. I try to eat a good amount of meat/fish/eggs and know I get the daily amount of protein I need. But it is hard to bring something convenient to the gym/track after workouts. So this is really helpful information thank you!

And in regards to the 3 lifts you are talking about -

I recently had a neuromuscular class where a strength and conditioning coach came in to talk to us about coaching/teaching Oly/Power lifts. He brought in a product that he was trying to put on the market that involved weighted pendulums that you would attach to the ends of the barbell. Each weighed about 12-15lbs and would swing around the bar at a certain speed/direction depending upon your form and how explosive your lift was. It was really interesting because they would help point out mistakes in form much quicker. Some athletes ended up PRing in about 1-3 sessions of working with him and they were already fairly strong guys to begin with. I'll have to see if there's a link or anything...the idea was really neat.

I was you, 25 years ago wrote:

sparingly

This. Don't overcomplicate a really simple issue.

C$ wrote:

I was you, 25 years ago wrote:

sparingly

This. Don't overcomplicate a really simple issue.

Thanks.

Some people just do not get what it takes to do what is necessary. Take the guy who was asking for help in figuring out how to go from 30 mpw to 50 mpw. The solution is simple, but he asked and the so-called experts offered their vain attempts, but the answer is this: to go from 30 to 50, you have to add 20 miles. Why complicate the obvious? 50-30=20