Gaining Weight Training For 1/2 Ironman Instead Of Losing

[Guest hightop girl]

I was recently diagnosed, and thought I had cut out all gluten... I was wrong. In the last couple of weeks of have worked harder at reading all labels before I start to feel sick. I even went so far as to try to follow the elimination diet. At first I dropped the 25 lbs I had gained when I first got sick. I started running faster and biking more. Then after Christmas, I decided to try a 1/2 ironman, so I started swimming. Suddenly i gained about 3-5 lbs. I don't eat junk food or any of the gluten free snacks or pasta. Mostly I just have smoothies, fruit, vegetables, and some fish now and then. I do have a few potato chips, but they are supposed to be gluten free. Is this normal? I can't figure out if it is the training, or if I am eating too much. That is kind of hard to imagine though, but 3-5 lbs of muscle is also hard to imagine. Anybody have any advice or ideas? I run 40-45 miles per week, bike 100-150 per week and swim 2-3 times for a total of about 3000-4000 yds (I am still building up in this area).

[Darn210]

There is really no way I should be responding to this post . . . I'm not an overly active person if you know what I mean . . . however, are you sure that you are taking in enough calories? When you're burning so many and not taking in enough, the body will hoard it's reserves. I don't know if that could cause a gain at all, but if you start working out more to get that 3-5 pounds off, I can see it not coming off.

[celiac-mommy]

Have you taken your measurements before? It is perfectly reasonable to gain that in muscle, if not more. If you've recently taken up swimming, it uses different muscles than running and biking. Your measurements would probably show a loss even though the scale goes up. If you feel that it's actually fat that you've gained then 2 things can be true--like stated above, you may not be eating enough but the reverse can be true. When I was training for my first marathon, in the beginning I couldn't understand why I wasn't losing weight since I was working out so much, but I was over compensating and eating too much--I found myself to be super hungry. Oddly, when I messed up my knee on mile 11 and had to stop running after that, I lost 10#--and it wasn't muscle loss, I had found different activities/exercises that were OK for my healing knee.

[elye]

I would strongly suspect that your weight gain is due to further muscle development. Muscle mass is very heavy, and 3-5 new pounds of scale weight are easily brought about with some new cross-training activity. It's true, taking your measurements can be a more accurate guage--I tend to really pay attention to how my clothes feel.

[tarnalberry]

ditto what everyone else said - you are quite likely gaining new muscle.

based on the activity you list, in a week:

* you probably burn about 1000 calories swimming (I estimated about 2 hours total for 3000 yards based on my speed, so this is both ballpark and could be off)

* you probably burn about 4000 calories running (it's around 100 calories per mile, but a tiny bit less for many women)

* you probably burn about 5000 calories biking (I estimated 10 hours total for that distance, so it's a very rough estimate, I'm sure)

* you probably burn about at least 12,000 in just basal metabolic rate (based on 1700 calories per day to do basic body functions)

all that means that if you don't want to lose weight, you need to eat, on average, just over 3100 calories per day. if you're anywhere close to this (and I certainly wouldn't go anywhere under 2000 ever, not really under 2500, even if you are trying to lose weight), then you're almost certainly gaining muscle. doing that much activity, unless it's all easy as cake, has almost certainly got to be building muscle, which would have you increasing your mass. I wouldn't worry about it too much, especially training for something that strenuous.

[Guest hightop girl]

I hope you are right. I was one of the weird celiacs that gained weight instead of losing when I was eating gluten. I was also so anemic they wanted to give me a transfusion, but then opted to do an IV iron infusion. I no longer absorb vitamin B12 so I give myself injections. After losing so much of the unwanted weight, I am a little panicky when I see the scale go back up.

[Heather22]

Hi hightop girl,

I am also doing 1/2 Iron training, so I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.

I would strongly recommend looking more into your diet. I don't know what you training background is, but your program must ramp up pretty quick if you are doing that much training in the first 3 months.

Because of the energy systems used in very-long endurance training, your body is not in the catabolic state, therefore, it is very difficult -if not impossible - for substantial muscle gain during this time (especially in just 3 months).

Three to five pounds is not much of a gain, but I would monitor your heart rate (resting and during exercise), morning temperature and mood to rule out over-training syndrome.

For performance, and to prevent injuries, you have ensure adequate food intake. Play around with your diet and make sure you are eating enough. Weight gain often comes when your body is in starvation mode. Keep in mind that you are burning a tremendous amount of calories each week. Make sure your body has what it needs and let weight loss be a by-product of your hard training!

"Pure motivation enables you mind and body to become truly connected

[Guest hightop girl]

I don't think my actual plan ramps up as fast as I did. I already commuted to work and back on my bike, so all I have tried to add is a longer ride on the weekend. In Colorado that is kind of hard some weeks. I also planned to do a marathon this next weekend, so my running mileage was already pretty high (40+) with a long run on the weekend. I did my 20 miler a couple of weekends ago, and immediately gained the 5 lbs that won't budge. The swimming was the new part, and I know that all of my shirts and jackets are feeling tight in the shoulders, so that is some of the gain. I have a little trouble wrapping my pea sized brain around the idea that I am not eating enough, but it is probably more likely than eating too much. One problem I find (following the gluten free diet or not) is that I drop weight during the base training only if my body is not used to the sport (running, biking or swimming) and then as soon as it adapts to the work load, I put some of it back on.

What are you eating on long runs and rides?

[Heather22]

The last theory of your post is likely right. It's all about the neural adaptation and becoming energy efficient. Adaptabililty is an amazing thing about the human body and it's what makes training fun....depending on your situation. ; )

In response to your question of what do I eat....I'm not sure yet. To be honest, I haven't found any solid food that feels good in me during long runs and rides. I use a lot of drinks. I am currently waiting for a shipment of Hammer products. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will be what I am looking for. I sure feel like I need something of a little more substance some days....

Is there anything specific you've found that works good for you? Because of other sensitivities, I can't do a lot of the typically-recommended endurance foods. I am going to experiement the next few weeks in training to see what I can tolerate. Any suggestions?

H : )

[Guest hightop girl]

The last theory of your post is likely right. It's all about the neural adaptation and becoming energy efficient. Adaptabililty is an amazing thing about the human body and it's what makes training fun....depending on your situation. ; )

In response to your question of what do I eat....I'm not sure yet. To be honest, I haven't found any solid food that feels good in me during long runs and rides. I use a lot of drinks. I am currently waiting for a shipment of Hammer products. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will be what I am looking for. I sure feel like I need something of a little more substance some days....

Is there anything specific you've found that works good for you? Because of other sensitivities, I can't do a lot of the typically-recommended endurance foods. I am going to experiement the next few weeks in training to see what I can tolerate. Any suggestions?

H : )

Lara bars work well for me. I did a 20 miler today, and ate 1/2 bar every 5 miles. I was going to try Hammer products, but I couldn't remember if they were on the safe list. I need something for the bike portion. I also realized yesterday that the cereal I was eating was wheat free--- not gluten free. One of my bodies responses is to retain a lot of water when I have gluten. Of course that is also its response to long runs! I had a great run today. I was supposed to do a marathon, but my daughter had ACL surgery, so I didn't travel to the marathon. So I did a 20 instead-- no real reason, just felt like running. I was always a 10 minute miler in a marathon. Since going gluten free, my times have been coming down. Today I average 8:30 per mile. That is probably really slow to you, but it is a huge improvement for me.

[Heather22]

Thanks for the Lara bar tip. I tried them a while back, but found the nuts were a bit much for my digestive system. I might have to slowly introduce them again and see what happens...

That time improvement is fantastic! I know when I have a good run, I am so proud of myself and feel like telling everyone....must be the runner's high. That feeling is something special and is something that only few people can experience.

That is also encouraging that your race performance corresponds with you going gluten-free. That may be a sign that your body is healing as a result of going gluten-free. It is very important to find all those hidden sources of gluten, so you can omit them from your diet and start feeling even better. It sure took me a while before I figured out the best diet for me. However, it is an on-going learning experience and years later, I am still experimenting with food (not with gluten) and finding things that I can and can not tolerate.

Keep at it and let me know how the IM training is going. July 6th is my date!

Heather : )

[Guest hightop girl]

Thanks for the Lara bar tip. I tried them a while back, but found the nuts were a bit much for my digestive system. I might have to slowly introduce them again and see what happens...

That time improvement is fantastic! I know when I have a good run, I am so proud of myself and feel like telling everyone....must be the runner's high. That feeling is something special and is something that only few people can experience.

That is also encouraging that your race performance corresponds with you going gluten-free. That may be a sign that your body is healing as a result of going gluten-free. It is very important to find all those hidden sources of gluten, so you can omit them from your diet and start feeling even better. It sure took me a while before I figured out the best diet for me. However, it is an on-going learning experience and years later, I am still experimenting with food (not with gluten) and finding things that I can and can not tolerate.

Keep at it and let me know how the IM training is going. July 6th is my date!

Heather : )

Where is your IM? I am trying very hard not to obsess about the number on the scales, and remember that I am faster and stronger than before. It is hard when I also realize I am hauling that extra 5 lbs. for a long ways.

[WGibs]

Another option is that muscles retain water after a hard workout, especially if you're increasing the exercise load -- it's very common to be a few pounds up after a long run. I did a 20-miler on Saturday and was three pounds up on the scale until this morning, when it disappeared. If you're doing more than one hard workout a week, you may be retaining that water constantly. If this is the case, it should go away during your taper.

I'm only a runner, but thought I'd contribute to the fuel question. I have been using Clif shotblocks, but I'm planning to try Sharkies on my next long run. They are supposed to be less sweet. I also like Purefit bars, but I've never tried them while exercising. They are a balanced bar, not high-carb. I also like good ole Gatorade. I think most gels are gluten-free, too.

[gbuz67]

I'm not sure how much I can add on the weight gain front. Definitely you are putting in significant time exercising. Not sure on the intensity but just quantity wise you should be burning a lot of calories. You might want to keep a log of what you are eating and try to get calories from that and calories expended. I'm inclined to think as well that maybe you aren't getting enough input.. and that maybe because of that your body has become very efficient on a small amount of fuel.

You could perhaps try a couple days of lifting to shake things up a bit.. not that you could possibly have time for that!

I am a cyclist & cross country skier (skate skiing). I had been eating the clif blocks skiing but there may be CC issues with those. I liked them because you could eat 1/2 package and get 100 cal and that would be good for me for a 3 hour ski. I am going to try the sharkies or jelly belly equivalent. I am unable to drink gatorade or diluted or anything of the sort during exercise. I would in no way be able to eat a lara bar during exercise.. the fiber content would kill me. My husband has a pretty sensitive system while exercising and he does well with Gu which i believe is gluten free. You can also buy the bigger bottles of that and the small refillable ones which is cheaper.

-grace

[Guest hightop girl]

Oddly enough my weight is now dropping. I think maybe there were a couple of things at work against me... I got glutened accidently 2 times in 10 days and one of my big symptoms is bloating and water retention 2) my muscles were really sore and also retaining water, but they seem to have adapted recently to the work load 3) i have added more protein and stopped eating so much fruit.

I think I am keeping the intensity up for at least one event per day, but the body does have a way of adapting.

Thanks for your help. I still need fueling ideas. I am hopeful that my weight will drop a couple more pounds.

[runner girl]

During long runs and bike rides, I alternate between shot blocks and powergel. I just finished a half ironman and thought I had my nutrition down, but at the tail end of the bike leg, I was so hungry, something I was totally unprepared for because I had never experience that during training. I ended up eating bananas during the run along with my get and shot blocks and had a few oranges as well because that was all that they had at the aid stations that was gluten free. Has anyone tried Perpetum? My husband uses it and likes it and it appears to be gluten free. I would appreciate any other nutrition information if anyone would care to share.

[billcorno]

I do Gui gels and got into Accelerade for my last two marathons. I find a sports drink is really important for long runs. Gatorade half-strength has worked, but Accelerade has more staying-power, at least for me.

I'm a runner though, so take it for what it's worth.

I find that lots of carbs before a race do help. Rice pasta, gluten-free pancakes, beans and rice are some good night-before meals, I think.

Hope you find something that works...

billcorno