an ironman's diet

in the past week i’ve been told by at least 10 people to include my own girlfriend, my tri coach, a few friends, & an absolute stranger that i’ve lost a lot of weight. my 2nd girlfriend, otherwise known as ed my ironman training buddy has been on my case for at least three weeks now about my calorie consumption.

funny, my co-workers & kristin say that all i do is eat. it’s no lie that i’m eating a lot of food these days; close to 3,500 – 4,000 calories a day in fact. so how have i lost 11 pounds in a month (down from 168 to 157)?

it has a lot to do with the type of foods i’m consuming for sure. a lot of veggies & fruits, all whole grain carbohydrates (no white stuff!), very lean proteins, & various types of protein shakes & bars. i suppose what may be getting the best of me is the amount of, or lack thereof, calories i'm consuming during my training – specifically on the bike & run. until this morning’s 14-mile run i haven’t consumed a single calorie on any of my runs (to include the 3M 1/2 marathon) & often wasn’t eating much before i ran. more significant i’m sure is my calorie consumption while on the bike. given the intensity that i’m riding, (19 – 21 MPH) i’m burning close to 1,000 calories an hour. if i’m on the bike for three & half hours like i was yesterday (70+ mile ride) that's 3,500 calories that i'm burning! while i did better than usual eating yesterday while on the bike i still only consumed 850 calories (2 cliff bars (500cals), 1 hammer gel (100cals), & 1 bottle of perpetuem (250cals)). i think i’ll double, if not triple up on the perpetuem because that’s an easy way to sneak in a lot of calories (250+ per serving) without having to hold more in my pockets or really think about eating.

back to this morning… so i ran 14-miles. i was at the trail at 6:15am. myself & maybe 10 other runners owned the trail this morning – it was awesome! prior to my run i had my usual breakfast (a cup of coffee, 1.5 cups of oatmeal mixed with a cup of soy milk, a banana, & a serving of dried figs – 600+ calories). after my first 7-miles i slammed a hammer gel (100 calories). immediately after i finished my run i had a myoplex whey protein shake waiting for me in the car (170 calories & 30 grams of protein). i’ve been craving eggs since seeing this lovely picture of an omelet in this month’s issue of bon appetit (magazine subscription i got for kristin this year). kristin said if i’d stop at whole foods on my way home she would make us up some eggs for breakfast. within an hour of returning home we were eating homemade migas. my miga alone was made with 8-eggs, 1-burrito sized whole wheat tortilla, mushrooms & onions, & was covered in guacamole, light sour cream, & soy black beans (i dumped the beans on prior to taking the picture). i’m assuming this miga had 800 – 900 calories & bolstered 40+ grams of protein.

so before 10am this morning i consumed between 1,800 – 1,900 calories & over 100 grams of protein & probably 200 carbohydrates. while that may sound like a lot, here is the sick part – according to various health sites i burned 1,500 – 1,700 on my run this morning. so i’ve really only supplied my body 200 – 300 calories more than i ran & we all know it takes calories just to keep you sitting & i’m sure my body burns more calories right now sitting than the average person. & we can assume that the average peroson easily consumed 600+ calories this morning & has not done a damn thing associated with exercising.

to conclude, it’s hard to keep from loosing weight when training for an ironman :) can’t find a “weight loss plan” that works --- try training for an ironman!