Tri-ing to Lose Weight?

[holli81]

All of us have let ourselves go at times, some a bit more than others. Or perhaps, you never had anything to “let go of” in the first place. Regardless of the situation, we all know that eating healthy and exercising is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. If you have decided that now is the time for you to get in shape, there are literally thousands of resources available to you. Starting with the very basics though, eating breakfast and exercising at least 30-60 minutes every day is a universal theme. Training for a triathlon is an excellent way to get your daily work-out in because of the variety of activities involved. We all know that if we do the same thing day in and day out for an extended period of time, we get bored and lose motivation. But with triathlon training, you don’t do the same thing every day, so you will be less likely to get bored! For advice on triathlon training, you needn’t look too far (just check out the other posts on this site).

The other aspect of getting in shape, as mentioned above, is eating breakfast -- particularly what and how much you eat. In a study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition in 2003 (http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/22/4/296), people who eat cereals (traditional boxed cereals and oatmeal) and breads (french toast, waffles, etc) have a significantly lower BMI than all other groups of people. People that skip breakfast or eat primarily meat and eggs, have the highest BMI and also tend to overeat throughout the day or have a large meal for dinner. Cereal and bread eaters, however, are able to better control their hunger and are less likely to binge eat. In 1991, 25% of the American population did not eat anything for breakfast, as opposed to only 14% in 1965. Coincidentally, the number of obese Americans nearly doubled in that same time period. Keeping in mind that 1991 was almost 20 years ago, you can use your imagination for what those statistics are today. The study further suggests that fiber is an important factor in the equation because it causes people to feel full longer. One last point the study makes is that obese individuals lose more weight when they consume 70% of their daily calories before noon.

This might be a lot of information to chew on, but if you do nothing else, this will be a great place to start for getting in shape. Think high fiber cereals for breakfast and fill up that bowl!

[jared]

I have noticed that when I eat a full breakfast, I tend to not overeat during the day and I eat a whole lot less at night. The biggest issue I think I have is eating too much food at night, which is usually because I didn't eat enough for breakfast or during the day.

I definitely agree with a big breakfast along with keeping your meals at a moderate size with more of them. Healthy snacks help out with not overeating for meals. I saw a study somewhere, maybe Holli can post it, that said test subjects were able to control their appetite more and ate less when they had a 200 calorie snack 45 minutes before a meal. They ate less overall, probably because they weren't gorging themselves at the meal.

[holli81]

It's been 4 weeks now since I've started eating better and working out more consistently and my net loss in weight is 8.4 lbs! What a great motivator to keep going!

[alexg]

I saw a study somewhere, maybe Holli can post it, that said test subjects were able to control their appetite more and ate less when they had a 200 calorie snack 45 minutes before a meal. They ate less overall, probably because they weren't gorging themselves at the meal.

Funny you bring this up. I usually do an afternoon workout before dinner. Sometimes I will eat a recovery bar or drink on the way home and other times I will just get off my bike right about the time dinner is ready. I notice the nights I dont eat the recovery bar is the nights I binge on food.

[mfreedland]

I have been using a trainer in Ann Arbor. He has restricted my diet and has forced me to write everything down. I go online to find the caloric content of my food and list it within a spread sheet. It keeps me honest.

[Fit4LifeUSA]

Good info Holli...Notice the two words -break from the fast1.

Keep it balanced with carbs, protein and fats. To save time in the morning, I prepare my oatmeal the night before mixing the oatmeal with soymilk and putting in the fridge. By morning it is nice and creamy. Adding sliced almonds or flaxseed gives you some of the good fats. I also eat a couple of hard boiled eggs (whites only) and I am all set for awhile.

By the way...I eat it cold! But of course you can heat it up in microwave.
Greg

[jared]

Good tip on the oatmeal. I need to start making it the night before along with some hard boiled eggs. My challenge is that I always go right into working and don't make the time to make breakfast in the morning.

[Fit4LifeUSA]

Exactly...Five minutes the night before and you have the oatmeal and hard boiled eggs....you can't beat that. You have good protein and carbs to last you several hours...not to mention the fiber.

Interesting fact about eggs at the Nutrition Clinic for TNT last night at RO high school. The RD - Debbie - stated the common thought is to just eat the egg whites without the yolk. BUT she said when you separate the two, you LOSE the majority of amino acids found in eggs. She said the cholesterol worry people have re: egg yolk does not outweigh the benefits.
Greg

[Fit4LifeUSA]

I also just wanted to qualify that egg comment with...I think that is what I heard. It didn't seem right at the time but I didn't get a chance to ask her about it. Because it does go against the common thought that the protein...thus the amino acids...are all in the egg whites. I asked a scientist here at work who knows a lot about nutrition and he said that is not right.

So now of course, I have two different viewpoints. Anybody have any knowledge/thoughts on this?
Greg