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Body Comp Goals for NOS

[Deleted User][Deleted User]
in General Training Discussions

Hi crew, excited to rock the Nov OS but looking to validate my nutrition / body comp goals.

I read on one of the forums some comments about now NOT being the time to shed too many pounds... i.e., you need to fuel your body to survive the OS and give it your full effort. But I also see Coach Rich targeting to drop 10+ in the OS on the road to IMMOO/

So broadly speaking... how do you set yourself a reasonable body comp target? And do you recommend to start now in the OS slow and steady towards that goal?

Specifically in my case I'm 6'3" 173lbs now, but started the year at ~185. Was originally planning to maintain the lbs through the OS while trying to reduce %fat, then start in Spring dropping towards ~165lbs for IMWI (my AAA++). Now I'm thinking perhaps ok to knock ~5lbs or so off, then reevaluate the goal for IMWI.

Thoughts?

 

Comments

  • Coach RichCoach Rich

    Posted By David Duran on 26 Oct 2014 02:45 PM

    Hi crew, excited to rock the Nov OS but looking to validate my nutrition / body comp goals.

    I read on one of the forums some comments about now NOT being the time to shed too many pounds... i.e., you need to fuel your body to survive the OS and give it your full effort. But I also see Coach Rich targeting to drop 10+ in the OS on the road to IMMOO/

    So broadly speaking... how do you set yourself a reasonable body comp target? And do you recommend to start now in the OS slow and steady towards that goal?

    Specifically in my case I'm 6'3" 173lbs now, but started the year at ~185. Was originally planning to maintain the lbs through the OS while trying to reduce %fat, then start in Spring dropping towards ~165lbs for IMWI (my AAA++). Now I'm thinking perhaps ok to knock ~5lbs or so off, then reevaluate the goal for IMWI.

    Thoughts?

     

    As I've said, my training and goals will in many ways be an exercise in "don't try this at home." Or, rather, some context needs to be applied. 

    As a baseline for the discussion, please read this. This is what I do, namely, counting calories in (food) and out (exercise). I've been doing this off and on for a number of years across a wide range of training week permutations (?), that is high volume, low volume, high intensity, noodling, etc. I know what works for me and I have a lot of experience with the challenges and opportunities I'll face. 

    In my experience, a weight loss goal of 1lb per week, using an app like LoseIt!, is doable and sustainable. A less aggressive weekly rate of .5lb per week is completely doable. 1.5lb, what I'm doing right now, is more sustainable when your volume is relatively high, simply because you're burning more calories = you can eat more = you're not batshit crazy from being hungry. 

    That said, this week was 12hrs of training for me and I definitely had some "hangry" evenings this week. Hangry = hungry and angry . Last night we went to Outback after a lite breakfast, 3hr very hard ride, decent size lunch, but walking into the restaurant sitting on about 1800cal left in my budget for the the day. I was pissy until the bread landed on the table, then I went postal on it and my mode shifted instantly .

    6mi run and 2hr mtn bike today, huge lunch and I've got 2300cals left in my budget for today, at 2pm. Easy peezy.  

    To bring this back to practical guidance:

    • A weight loss of .5-1lb per week is doable.
    • But make sure you are fueling before/during/after your workouts, so they don't suffer.
    • ^This^ is easier when your volume is higher, simply because you can eat more and not be hungry all of the time. Understand that my personal volume across the OS will be probably in the 10-13hr/wk range vs what we have scheduled for you, because my opportunities are different from yours.
    • I've found the habit of logging cals in vs out to be extremely educational. I've learned a ton about what works, doesn't work for me, I've spotted trends, etc. 

    The OS can be a valuable opportunity to get in the habits of tracking, logging, and learning more about how your body responds. 

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]
    Thanks for the detailed response Coach... In a nut I'm taking away... Priority #1 - fuel your workouts for success throughout the OS. But, also ok if this results in gradual steady weight loss. Think I'll target 0.5lb/week slow and steady so don't get carried away.
    Agree w/ comments on lose it... very simple to track things in and out so helps make smart choices and really understand how the calories add up over a day & week.
    Thanks
  • Gordon CherwoniakGordon Cherwoniak

    David,

    For me I like to see some weigh loss in the OS.  I have failed at it and done well.  The failure was when I was not fueling workouts before and after, just waking up and brining water to the workout, then heading to work with a banana.  Other failures were not eating healthy foods from the above process as I got really hungry and ate bad food.  

    A couple years ago I got some core diet plans these were great and for weight loss and still having energy to do the workouts.  I do have to say that I lost a lot more than 1.5/lb a week early on but I was coming from 240lbs.  For reference I was still eating around 2200-2400 calories/day with some more when the bike workouts started going over 60 minutes.  We did have to tweek the calories up from there.

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