Weight and Spandex

jsumara

I'm wondering if anyone else has to deal with a spouse who says I've lost too much weight. Clearly the image in the mirror is telling a very different story - especially when I'm standing there in my Tri-shorts. Funny how the non-muscle mid section parts easily get pushed out. Spandex is not a friend.
I'm 5'7" and my weight for most of my older adult life was around 175. I raced last year right at 160 and had a strong season. Even so it appears to me that I should/could drop to 155 or so.
My struggle is not getting down to this racing weight it's doing so and not having my family conduct an intervention. Even some friends weigh in (so to speak) on this and agree that I look too skinny. Not true, of course, unless I'm compared to the average sized person these days.
Just wondering if anyone else has dealt with this or has some advice

jaleslie

I feel the same way.  I'm 6'0" and have lost down from 175 to 165.  My lean days (college) I was around 140 (skinny!).  As I've lost these last 10 pounds, I definitely feel "skinnier" in non-spandex.  Then, I put on my tri gear....the "muffin top" then becomes oh so obvious.  The tight ("aero") tri top highlights the rolls (albeit smaller rolls...more like hybrid bike tire than a mountain bike tire).  As a physician, I've seen lots of patients who have lost a lot of weight (or mama's who've had a bunch of babies)....the skin and subQ fat never really goes back to the way it was...even though the weight may be comparable.  Therefore, I blame it on age!  People tell me I'm too thin and have lost too much from time to time....they haven't seen me in my tri-gear though!  

 

Tom Glynn

When I started getting back into shape again after 15 years of doing nothing I had a neighbor ask my wife if I had cancer

I look at body fat percentage as the real test, not weight per se. I did one of those dunk tank tests a couple of years ago and came out just over 5% BF at my 160 pounds. Yeah, it's pretty skinny compared to most, but elites are probably in the 3% range. My weight fluctuates daily, but I tend to hover around 160.

I think spouses, friends etc. are just really concerned that priorities change from getting fit to becoming obsessed with weight loss. When you no longer will eat a Girl Guide cookies, have a glass of wine with friends and constantly obsess about diet then concerns are valid. Otherwise, stay the course!

Al Truscott

BMI is a good way to allay fears you are unhealthy. I get called "skinny" (I prefer to think I am athletically lean) yet my BMI is 22.5...right in the middle of normal. 5'7" 155# is 24.3...on the high side of normal. @ 170, you'd be considered overweight in the doctor's office, a candidate for intervention from THAT perspective.

Folks who think you are flirting with anorexia have allowed their perspective of what is normal weight to get altered by what they see around them. Nearly two thirds of Americans are overweight or overtly obese. What was normal 50 years ago ... And for all of history ... Is now unhealthy?

Seems those of you who are making the effort to get healthier are encountering maybe some jeolousy?

Dawsonhinds

I have the same thing. I'm 6.4. Big frame not ideal for triathlon. I am in the best shape I've been in since I was 20. I'm 41 now.
Last week I went off the rails food wise, I really noticed a big difference! Lower energy & my mood was "cant be bothered". But the main thing was
I got my spare tyre pumped up. I felt blotted and not very happy. My wife looked at me when I told her like I was mad. I'm no expert.
But I think people don't take account of what we are trying to achieve. And the negative vibe they give out with their "CONCERN" make an already tough mental job tougher.
Keep up the good work and enjoy not carrying those pounds round the course on race day. :-)

tim cronk

Compared to what? Its all relative. When you are picking up your packet at your IM "A" Race your gonna feel like a fatty. When in a work setting your probably gonna feel like the skinny person in the room.

Have you ever seen old pictures of people in history books etc? You never see an overweight person. This country used to be a lot leaner!

However if your training for an IM , you are likely Type A , and there is some truth to you obsessiveness for training and weight management that others wont understand.

Pat Koss

I get the same thing near the end of an IM season from both my wife and my marathon partner (female / surgeon). I'm around 5' 11" and weight runs around 168-170 near an IM. Now I'm around 173-175 and feel heavy. And yes, the tire is there too.

But then, like Al said, I look at the overwhelming majority of the other men my age (57) and that does bring a great deal of relief. I have to face it...I'm not in my 20's - 30's. Not to mention I feel so alive, better than I have for the first 50 years of my life (did nothing before 50 and began to run at 51).

Neill Morgan

Here's what not to say: "Actually, Darlin', you could afford to lose a few pounds." I'm 5'7", 143, and my scale tells me I'm around 18% body fat, and I look it in my tri-shorts. I raced at 122 in my twenties, but those days are long gone. I'm working on a marathon in a couple of months, and even though my friends are telling me I'm too thin, I'm the pudgy guy among the fast runners in my age group (I'm about to turn 54.) I think our society expects us to get fat as we age. When I was 122 and 25 years old, nobody told me I was too thin.

cgres123

My wife tells me I look like a little boy when I drop down to the 170s, I'm about 185 average. When we go out however she tells me I look younger than most of the men at a function.
Well most of the men are overweight and that is the norm for society these days.

Not a cure all but if you add in weight resistance training you can let out a little more fat around the middle. Muscle is proven to help your metabolism burn some more body fat and muscle itself is more pleasing to look at, ask the wife.

So to be clear I'm not talking lifting weights. I'm talking about lifting you. Your own body weight as squats/ lunges as well a pull-ups dips, pushups and a few sets of core work should aid/ not solve the belly roll.

Al Truscott

OK, here's my theory about why men and women "of a certain age" start to get a poochy belly or love handles that just won't go away, no matter how fit, lean or low BF% we get.

Our bones are losing calcium, and as we know, that shrinks our vertebral bodies - shortening our spine, and resulting in loss of height as we age. Again, no matter how many Tums we chew or how much running we do, we will slowly see our spines get shorter. Our skin and the small amount of mandatory subcutaneous fat just beneath it therefore starts to pleat out just like an accordian does as it contracts.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

harrast

To be sure it's a touchy subject. My spouse gets a little edgy when I start a training diet (or maybe it's just my perceptions). This season, I have garnered more support by discussing my goals and the reasoning for what I'm doing. I also have referenced the BMI which shows me just below the overweight range, although some people consider me crazy fit (normal weight is the new crazy fit). There is an expectations recalibration going on due to an increase in the girth of our countrymen. At the wal-mart I look fit, at the running store, I look normal.

hollow_r

Al has it right. I think I must've once been 7'6" tall. No, really.

jsumara

Right Rick ... I know I've always been just a little too short for my weight ...
Al, that does explain the extra weight that seems to never go away.
I told my wife once (only once) while we were lifting weights, that my extra weight (I called it tonage) was like the 10lb dumbbell she was holding but that I had to carry it for 70.3 miles - didn't help much.
I "played the BMI card" a couple of times but it didn’t get me very far. My wife says it obvious that BMI is incorrect and when I mentioned it to a physician friend, he said that BMI is not accurate for athletes and he pointed me to Wikipedia which says:
“The medical establishment has acknowledged major shortcomings of BMI. Because the BMI formula depends only upon weight and height, its assumptions about the distribution between lean mass and adipose tissue are inexact. BMI generally overestimates adiposity on those with more lean body mass (e.g. athletes) and underestimates excess adiposity on those with less lean body mass.”

Paul Hough

This morning, I got on the scale for the first time this year and weighed 157.6 lbs. I shoot for 152 during race season these days. When I was in my 20's as a competitive runner my race weight was 145 +/- 2 lbs. I can't seem to get under 150 no matter how hard I try now. But it is time to try again. I've posted Mac Brown's motivational words to my bathroom mirror. Some excerpts:

"I will get lean. Triathlon is a strength to weight sport. Nutrition is a simple choice. I know what to do, what to eat. The act of actually eating the right things is nothing but discipline. ... Talk is cheap. Talk is for pussies. Am I pussy? Am I going to act like a man and a professional?"

I know I cannot get away with the crappy diet I ate in my 20's, but it is time to man up for 2013 and get this weight off. I will not settle just because I am older. And on point .. my wife prefers me about 10 lbs over race weight, but she understands.

Al Truscott

Medical studies show the two foods most commonly associated with minimal weight gain as a person ages are yogurt and peanut butter. (I'm not making this up.) Lean red meat is also OK.

Myself, I've experienced significant weight loss twice in the past 15 years: once when I biked across the country one summer, and the other when I spent 2 weeks in the ICU. I don't recommend either.

My dietary staples are: oatmeal, raisins, berries, OJ for breakfast; PBJ for lunch; Greek yogurt, Ancient Grains granola, and berries for recovery snack; spinich salad, tomato soup and small amount of meat for dinner. Fish 1-2 times a week, buffalo instead of cow for hanburgers, pulled pork for fun.

Fredwhansen

Paul, I did short course tri's in my early 30's and barely dipped into 159 after a few years, which was probably down from the upper 180's prior by being fairly inactive. I didn't do tri's in my late 30's to early 40's. I've been back at tri's since 2006, and my first HIM in 2008. I did my IM races at about 175, and need to lose a few more pounds to get down to that. I can probably get to the upper 160's, so I'm going to try. Running weighing in the 180-195 range really has an impact on my ankles. I cut out soda and that is helping. I like your info and motivation. I just eat too much at times and I'm trying to stop eating when I'm no longer hungry, but have a problem thinking not cleaning my plate is bad. When I was in my early 20's and in the Navy staying active I weighed about 155-160, and that was after gaining 13 lbs in boot camp to go from 112-125. Then I lifted weights and ate and drank a lot of shakes to gain about 20-25 lbs in 5 months. I had no meat on my body then and just filled out all over. I hope you reach your goal.

Bruce Thompson

I'm in the same boat as many of you.  Very fit in my early 20s (played intercollegiate lacrosse @ 157, I'm 6'0").  Then, even though I ran several marathons over the years, my weight crept up to 220.  Finally said "enough is enough" and got serious about losing weight and getting back in shape in 2007.  It helped that my kids were now teenagers and needed/wanted less time with Dad. Gradually got weight down to 170, then IM training helped me drop to 161.  I raced IMWI in 2012 at 161, but it was really hard getting there.  I'm now back up to 165, and need to start dropping those last few lbs. again for 2013 race season.  That spare tire around my waist just seems to hang on no matter what. 

Jeff Sullivan

So my wife and i were discussing this subject last night - mid point of OS - i raced last summer @ 173 ish - fall time i was hanging around 177 ish - started JOS @ 179 - this week @ 182 - my diet has stayed about the same - one weakness = 8-10 oz Mt Dew/day - other than that we eat very healthy - my theory on the weight gain - winter (colder temps & shorter daylight) has us adding a few lbs as an evolutionary thing - that combined with all the high intensity work might be adding some muscle mass - a look in the mirror tells me there are a few lbs to be lost - some will go naturally once we head outdoors for longer stuff - the rest will take some disciplined food choices - RnP tell us that every lb lost saves 1-2 sec per mile on the run and similar on the bike - to minimize the spare tire look - DeSoto tri bibs are awesome :-)

jsumara

I too was talking to my wife about this topic and the EN member's responses. It's uncanny how many were identical to the conversations we've had over the past couple of years. She told me that it actually made her feel better knowing that others voiced her exact concerns. I think now that she can better accept that during the season I will get down to racing weight and add some back at the end of the season.

Paul Hough

I am down 1.8 lbs since 24 Feb and my daily run pace is down by at least 10 secs per mile. I think excess weight impacts me more at this age than it did 25 to 30 years ago. I suppose as I approach race weight I will not get the same performance improvement per lb lost.

jsumara

There is an interesting article in the latest (Apr) Triathlete Magazine by Chris McCormack, his Macca's Musings, titled "The Weight Debate". Essentially it says that weighing less is better for shorter events - lighter = Faster but weighing too little can be a problem for IM distance races - there's just too little nutrition to draw on late in the event.

Peter Greagg

Hey, I'm not a real-smart-guy, but I'm not sure why he would say that.
Even someone at 4% body fat has way more fat than could be utilised in 17 hours.
Glycogen is stored in muscles and the liver, and the amount on board is surely(?) independent of the amount of fat you have.
Of course, I could be wrong?

Al Truscott

Well Macca does spout off a bit, sometimes, doesn't he?

Last year, I was under(my normal race)weight for both my IMs, and really felt it during the race. It was not my intention, just the end result of trying to combine normal IM training with multiple "minor" oral surgeries to repair my jaw, going on liquid diets for 1-2 weeks at a time. I'm not sure of the physiology, but as usual, I have a theory:

• While we we have gobs of fat stored in various places (within muscles, under skin, omentum in the abdomen, between the ears, etc), there may be an internal signaling mechanism when that gets too low to make us back off, so as not to risk complete emaciation. IOW, we can get through a training day, but try to go twice that time, and the body's complex neuro-endocrine system says, No.
• Maybe the lower weight means muscle mass is below body's desired level, and that could also be a trigger. We do catabolize that protein to some extent during a long race.

Paul Hough

Macca is not the first one to have said that IM requires a more stout body type relative to Olympic distance ... and it is certainly relative since no one is accusing pro Ironman of being fat. In fact, Macca had to trim down when he returned to ITU racing. But its a generalization only and there are plenty of body types succeeding at long course. Macca has always been considered one of the bigger guys at Hawaii. So was Dave Scott. But did you see pictures of Mark Allen in his prime...that dude was emaciated. On the women's side, Mary Beth Ellis is built like a fire hydrant and she kicks ass all day long. On the other hand, Chrissie was a twig and we saw how that worked out for her. Bottomline is that every body type has been able to succeed at Hawaii, but whatever your body type is, you better not be carrying much fat into that race. I don't think any of us have to worry about getting too thin in the sense that Macca is describing.