Time to focus on my limiter, body weight. Hopefully this will quiet the little voice in my head that whispers "you are too fat and cannot keep this pace or hang with that racer". Starting today, June 18th, my primary training objective shifts to losing weight. My goal is to drop 30 lbs (13.6 kg) before Ironman Lake Tahoe on September 22nd, just 96 days away.
The shift in training focus comes after a period of reflection on my training results over the past 3 months, my performance during Epic Camp Lite, discussions with fellow athletes, and listening to IM Talk podcast #362 (Gordo Byrn talks about the advantages of a back of packer losing weight rather than training more).
Ironman Lake Tahoe and the 5,400 feet of climbing (1646 meters) is roughly 13 weeks away. To drop 30 pounds, I'll need to average a loss of more than 2 lbs per week. Known challenges that will be faced along the way:
- Summer time is full of beer, barbecues, and great desserts
- Travel for work is imminent and I am easily swayed towards a big meal out with colleagues and clients
- Averaging a loss of 2 lbs a week is tough when all variables can be controlled, while travelling it may not be feasible
- Balancing training with weight loss
- Staying on schedule and eating at least 4 meals a day
The plan to balance training and weight loss starts with cutting back on training volume and only doing the key sessions and the functional strength program outlined in my training plan. To help get my metabolism running in the morning I'll add a zone 2 run each morning of at least 3 miles. On occasion, the morning run may be replaced by the key run session scheduled for the day.
The most significant change, is a heightened focus on what food to consume and when to eat. I have tried making drastic changes to my diet numerous times throughout my life and it has never taken. This time I will ease my way into healthier nutrition by making two changes each week. The changes for this week are:
1. Eat breakfast every day, ideally before 9am
2. Cut out fried foods. Saying goodbye to mozzarella sticks, jalapeno poppers, and french fries will be tough
Weight metrics as of Monday:
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