When I started this journey, one of the thoughts in the back of my head was that if I stuck to the training plan I would finally be able to lose those last 20 pounds from when I had my girls. I figured that was extra motivation to stick with the training and complete a few triathlons. There were a few things I over looked since I decided to just jump in and did not do any proper research first.
I know dieting is a sensitive subject, and I am by no means an expert in this area - as evidenced by the fact that it has taken me years of yo-yo dieting to get to where I am. I simply want to share my experience, as it may assist others or motivate them to move forward with their own plan.
As with most things in my life, I jumped into the triathlon training and then just restricted my calories to achieve what, at the time, I thought would be good performance and at the same time lose those pesky 20 pounds that had followed me around for the last 10 years. Clearly, this was was the wrong approach. I was too tired to train many days (from not eating enough). I'm sure I was more irritable (sorry family!). And I didn't feel as productive overall. The result was maybe losing a few pounds - which seemed small for the effort it felt like I was putting in each day.
After my first triathlon this year, I decided that if I wanted to really complete these races each year, I needed to do research. After reviewing many articles and videos from triathletes, I realized that trying to change my diet when I am in the middle of preparing for a specific race and racing could lead to some pretty poor results.
So I stopped trying to diet, but instead just focused on eating more healthy food (i.e. not eating my girls snacks and avoiding the snack area at the office). I then spent my time focusing on my training instead of dieting. Since then I've generally felt better, my performance during training improved, and I've been much more alert and focused throughout the day (and down 15 pounds). As for race results, we'll see how that plays out as I complete a few more races over the next month.
There were some interesting articles and research out there about the diet of long distance triathletes, which I plan to fully explore - once the "season" is over. Most importantly, this experience this summer reminded me that I need to focus on just one thing at a time. I was trying (as many of us mothers do) to do it all at once - to rip off the band aid. Given the amount of change I was putting my body through, it was bound to fight back.
Balance is key with everything. I have learned how my body responds to different training and foods, so now I am able to use that knowledge to help "tip" the scales back into balance when I try to push something. For example, when I need to eat before a workout vs a fasted workout; or the timing and spacing out of those hard workouts over the course of the week.
As the season draws to an end (thank you cool New England weather), I can start thinking about implementing other changes and using this time to test my body and see how it responds. More to come on this as I use my body like a science experiment this Fall to figure out what works for me and what doesn't.
Happy racing!
- Working Mother Triathlete
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