Only 15lbs to Lose

[AlwaysTRI]

Hello! I am new to the program. For 2 years, I have been doing triathlons, and ran 1 marathon. Despite these accomplishments, my body doesn't look or feel the way I'd like it to. Still have high fat percentage (for a runner), 23% and weigh around 130. I lost 10 lbs 2 years ago and have been stuck on a plateau of weight loss ever since. Hoping BFL can change all that! I'm only 5'4" and would love to lose at least 5% body fat.

Is anyone here in a similar boat of just needing to lose that last 10-15 lbs?

[gnash]

Originally Posted by AlwaysTRI

Hello! I am new to the program. For 2 years, I have been doing triathlons, and ran 1 marathon. Despite these accomplishments, my body doesn't look or feel the way I'd like it to. Still have high fat percentage (for a runner), 23% and weigh around 130. I lost 10 lbs 2 years ago and have been stuck on a plateau of weight loss ever since. Hoping BFL can change all that! I'm only 5'4" and would love to lose at least 5% body fat.

Is anyone here in a similar boat of just needing to lose that last 10-15 lbs?

130# for a 5'4" female is about right,and 23% BF is too...You've made great progress already and successfully running..I don't see a problem..

You may be close to your genetic blueprint and that is a major accomplishment..Most people don't come close, at least 65% don't..

We might be able to help fine tune the nutrition for some improvement..post some photos in before and after..

Welcome and good luck..

gnash

[Chris]

Weight training will take care of a lot of this. Don't focus on weight loss though, I'd focus on body fat loss. That is, you are probably close to your ideal weight. Focus on replacing muscle with fat and you'll shrink a bit... but the scale won't move much.

Don't be too hard on yourself. It sounds like you've already made some fantastic accomplishments. If you apply yourself to a weight training regimen like you did training for your marathon, I'm sure you'll be very happy with the result. Good luck.

[Jared]

Ya muscle is dense so the scale might not be your best yardstick ... what is your goal of 115-120 based on? When you mention not looking or feeling the way you'd like, are there specific areas that need "work"? Are you using an AccuMeasure or other calipers for your bf%? 1-, 3-, or 7-site method?

[AlwaysTRI]

No, I am actually working abroad in a developing country (Indonesia) and haven't found anywhere that has calipers. Thanks for the support, guys!!! I love this forum!

[VesperLynd]

Hello Always Tri . Just found your post and i am in the exact same boat!

I have 15lbs of fat to lose...and it will not for the life of me go away. Like you, I am into endurance events and even though I ran a half marathon and will be running a marathon in 2 months....I do not look like a runner..nor an athlete. It's almost embarrassing because I see marathoners and well, non marathoners that look better than I do.

Well, hopefully our new plans will work.

[Jared]

Are you using tape measurements then for your bf%? (like this: Body Fat Calculator )

AlwaysTRI and Vesper both, do your workouts mainly consist of sport-specific training, i.e. doing work in the actual events like running, swimming, etc.? Or do you also include a strength component?

[VesperLynd]

Jared: I am not using a tape measure, I do own an Omron body fat analyzer. And nope...it has not moved. I have used it in the mornings to remain consistent.

I do both strength training and running.

I think the thing that I need to change in my equation is the eating part. 80% of weight loss is based on what you put in your mouth. I can run a marathon once a month and probably not lose anything if I don't change what I eat. So for now, I am more conscious about the calories I take in and not be so liberal on my Free Day.

[VesperLynd]

Rowan, I try to stay away from Frakenfood...processed food like protein bars and what not. Even though they're healthy, they're still processed.

[patflat]

Correct me if I'm wrong you guys, but while doing endurance sports like marathons and triathlons (aka aerobic activities: performed at moderate levels of intensity for extended periods of time), does your body not adapt to this kind of "stress" by holding on to energy reserves (ie: fat) because it's used to depleting carbs first and then, it needs to get its energy from somewhere?
Unfortunately, that is where my geeky knowledge stops. I wonder if someone (Chris???) can explain the benefits of adapting the BFL nutrition (ie: lots of protein and lower your carb intake) and doing HIIT cardio and weight lifting (anaerobic activities: short burst of intense exertion).
All I know is that weight lifting builds muscle and muscle eats fat... Not very scientific, eh?
Oh, and I am in the same boat, need to lose about 15 lbs. By the by Always TRI, 5'5" and 130 (at 23%BF) is AWESOME!!! I'd kill to have those stats! LOL!

[Chris]

I guess I don't know what you're asking, patflat.

Sure the body can hold fat, we're designed that way. It's from our wild animal days when we needed to store fat to get through winter, and in times when there wasn't food. We're stuck with it until we breed it out... which isn't going to happen.

But I know you didn't ask for a sarcastic answer so here's my take...
The BFL diet should be fine for any type of fitness lifestyle. It's a good balance of carbs and protein and is recommended even if you stop working out all together. It's simply a healthy way to eat.
Now as for HIIT vs steady state.. the jury is still out. The whole purpose for aerobics is two things, cardiovascular fitness and to burn calories (i.e. fat loss). Since you already know weight training is important in both processes, I'm going to skip it. So back to cardio... HIIT is hard. Too hard for a lot of people. Sure it's an efficient way to burn calories and it does save a lot of time. But there's nothing wrong with going at an easier pace for a longer period and burning the same number of calories. In fact, those with significant weight to lose would probably be better off going for steady state cardio since it is 1) easier 2) less stressful 3) able to be repeated every day.

So in short, I support both forms of cardio. I think both have their place and I think both are highly effective when done with consistency.

[patflat]

Thanks for the reply Chris.
I sincerely thought that they had different effects on metabolism and fat burning. That's what I get from reading blogs like Lyle MacDonald's "Body Recomposition" or Rusty Moore's "Fitness Blackbook". It's fascinating but kinda hard to understand!
But if you say they're both ok, I'd sooner do the one that won't kill me! LOL!

[Chris]

Well there are really a couple ways to look at this. Consider running athletes... Do you want to look like a sprinter or a distance runner? Sprinters tend to be jacked. They have huge rippling muscles. Distance runners tend to be skinny. They also have rippling muscles, but just are less bull-like than the sprinters. Both are in fantastic shape and both would be considered the ideal body composition to separate sets of people. So use this general template as for the type of cardio you do most often.
But also consider that sprinters run plenty of distance during training, just like distance runners do shorter intervals as well. They definitely mix it up.

As far as metabolism, some suggest that doing HIIT will elevate your metabolism similar to weight training, in that you'll burn even more calories after the training session is over. It's this sort of "after burn" effect that makes HIIT so exciting. It's not a lot though.. maybe 100 extra calories.
But again, let's paint a scenario... You get on the treadmill and jog at a moderately difficult pace and burn 400 calories over 45 minutes. You would have to average more than twice the intensity to accomplish this same burn in 20 minutes. Both training regimes would have similar warm up and cool down, so the HIIT high points have to be really high to compensate... That is extremely difficult, overly taxing, and risky to the fitness beginner. To me, the math is simple. Do the longer, easier, and higher burn method. There's also nothing wrong with doing a couple intervals in the middle of your steady state session either.
In the end, do what you can do... and don't kill yourself in the process. You need to be able workout again tomorrow.

I should also note that I do HIIT about 1/2 the time and I try to do steady state cardio the other 1/2.