I finally mustered up the courage to step on the scale this morning. It's been just over a week of Ironman training and I figured that would help to lessen the blow. I ended up weighing 185.2 lbs with a 22.2 BMI. Whew!!! It's absolutely terrible, but at least I'm not 186 lbs or above. I'm sure I was over 186 lbs last week.There's nothing more depressing and motivating than stepping on the scale and seeing your weight up higher than normal. Last year I was in the 180 - 183 lb range for the racing season and when I did the Louisville Ironman in 2008, I got down to 178 lbs. Although, in 2008 I did get help from having my tonsils out and not being able to eat for a couple weeks.
The one thing I've learnt is that exercise alone will not cause significant weight loss. Even if your training 20 hours plus a week. The only guaranteed way to lose weight is through diet. Eating healthy is harder for me than doing excessive training. My goal is to get down to 172 lbs or less, which means I need to lose 13 lbs in the next 13 weeks.
I feel more motivated than ever. I want to be 100% ready for China and qualify for Hawaii and I know the less I weigh the better my chances. Also, for vanity reasons, I don't want to train hard and not look great in the mirror. If I'm going to train hard for 14 weeks, I may as well try not to sabotage myself with poor eating.
Yesterday I went for an interview with a new Doctor. The existing one I have, which I've been seeing for a couple months, I don't feel comfortable with. He's new to the country and I found communication between the two of us was poor. I didn't get the warm fuzzes when he was asking me the meanings of phrases and talking to me in an aggressive middle eastern tone. Most importantly, I'm looking for a Doctor who is well connected if I every require a specialist referral.
I liked the new Doctor I interviewed with. He's very young, just out of school and very eager. He joined a group that is very well connected and he's one of the only doctors I know that delivers babies (not that I think I'm going to become pregnant anytime soon) and admits and visits patients in the hospital. I liked the fact he believes in preventative medicine and we are going to do regular yearly physicals with a whole battery of blood work tests.
I also talked to him about immunizations for Ironman China. Not only is he doing the regular ones, but he asked where in China I'll be going and will do some research to see what other immunizations may be required. While I was there I decided to get the H1N1 vaccine shot. Better safe than sorry. Later that night I could hardly lift my arm, my shoulder felt like I was hit with a baseball bat. The nurse told me that would happen and would last a day or two. It felt worse than after John Barclay and I arm wrestled.
Tonight's training was a tempo ride. I wasn't looking forward to it because I knew it would hurt. I put it off until after I had dinner and an hour long nap. In order to keep my heart rate near the 143 maximum, I need to push it pretty hard, which I did, and I have the sweat to show for it. Right now my cycling feels very strong. Although it's tough to be 100% sure because I'm riding indoors.
Tempo Bike - 1:30:11 / 52.59 km / 34.9 kph / 136 avg hr
Diet 6.75/10
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11 comments:
Payne,
What is the diet 7.5/10....?
Thanks,
"XTB" Xavi
B
You tell me about the healthy eating. I not even doen with my first week of IM training and eating right and it hard, freaking hard man.
Guess what is waiting for me tonight, the tempo bike session, one tough session.
Glad you came right with new doctor, not all of them understand people that do IM training and racing.
Good luck with weight loss and training.
J
X, it means - 75% good
J, no kidding, it is hard. What is your training schedule by days?
good news on the doc! my wife's nephew is almost there and just got bad marks for bedside manner! if they cant talk to you like you are human how the hell are they going tp help you! FYI, a friend experienced the arm thing and said it was brutal!
Good luck man...your and my weight currently exactly the same...the only dif is that I must lose about29 pounds
(the joy of eating for 365 days without training!!).
You will do it...keep it up dude, maybe we'll meet at a race one day!
TJ
T, how tall are you?
I think this post could have been ONLY about how important it is to have a Dr you really feel comfortable with. It's so incredibly important, and with athletes, even more so because their bodies go through stuff "normal" people don't see. As well as the immunizations for travelling to foreign countries. Nice that your Doc is so eager to do research, rather than tell you his speil.
Glad you found a good doctor.
I love mine - he didn't even blink when I went in with shoulder tendonitis this morning. He just gave me the physio referral and told me to lay off swimming for a bit.
I hear you on the diet - mine has been horrible (compared to when I eat clean) for the past while but I just can't get motivated to clean it up. Maybe once I see sunlight for more than an hour a day!
Climbing on the scales is always a good sign. I know when the weight is starting to creep on because I stop using them. I'm 160lb at the mo and 5'9" need to lose 12-13lbs for the perfect race in Langkawi & China, so we have similar goals - Christmas is a bummer though for weight control.
Never was a truer statement made regarding weight loss, 20hrs a week hard cardio work just doesn't cut it without focus on the diet. One thing though, when I train that much I find it easier to focus on what I'm eating/drinking (most of the time)
Loving the grading for healthy eating, also doing it for sleeping and quality workouts. It really exposed where you're letting yourself down.
JF, thanks, your big time right on the bedside manner. Most doctors are pretty academic and lack in the personality department. This guy played high level basketball and was on the Canadian National Cricket team. Well rounded. I figure it will take 10 more years for him to get jadded like the rest of us. haha
L, ya, big time nice. Now I've got to see if he does it. The big test.
C, I hear ya.
S, I'm like you, when I get heavier I don't want to step on the scales. BTW, I saw you bike time for the IM. I'm not worthy, unbelievealby impressive.
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