- Are you feeling a little bit heavier than you might like?
Do you wanna lose some weight ahead of race season?
I know that I do.
And, for most of us, being lighter will improve
our power to weight ratio on the bike,
and it makes running that much easier.
And it's one thing knowing it,
it's another thing actioning it.
So, we've put together eight ways
for you to drop those excess pounds.
(chill music)
You might not expect fueling to come high on the list,
or even on the list at all,
when it comes to weight loss.
But, you'd be wrong.
The trick is how you do it.
So, reducing your calories will lead to weight loss
if everything else remains the same.
But, don't forget, as a triathlete
you still need to train.
And you want your body to function.
Ultimately, you can't do that
if it's running completely empty.
Make sure you still fuel during your training.
As this is when your body's
actually burning energy.
And if you're doing a ride or run of 90 minutes or more,
then don't limit yourself.
Just use your usual snacks,
otherwise you could end up detrimenting your training
or, by the time you get home,
you'll be so hungry you'll end up overeating.
(energetic music)
Staying hydrated is essential,
whether you're trying to lose weight or not.
But drinking water can actually help
hold off hunger for a little bit longer.
And it can sometimes be tempting
to think that you're hungry,
when actually you're just thirsty.
So, make sure you have plenty of water
before your mealtimes.
And when it comes to your sessions,
if you do need a high energy drink to fuel you through it,
just make sure you change it back to water
or an electrolyte type drink when you've finished.
But, how much should you actually drink?
You might well have heard of the
two litres a day per person.
But, that comes from research that's over 70 years old.
When they worked out that, for every calorie you eat,
on average you needed 1ml of water.
And they presumed that the average person eat around
1,900 calories, therefore 1.9 litres of water.
But, more recently, the National Academy of Medicine
have done a little bit more research into this.
And they have now found out that
actually you should have,
well, for an average man, around 3.7 litres,
which is 15 cups of water.
And the average woman, around 2.7 litres of water,
which is 11 cups.
Now, that probably sounds a huge amount.
And you're thinking, gosh,
I don't drink that much.
But, that includes food.
So, obviously, some foods have more water in than others.
So, you've got to take that into account.
It's really hard to measure,
and everyone is obviously different.
So, things are affected like your environment.
If you're somewhere hot, you're gonna need more water.
Depending on what exercise you're doing,
what food you're eating,
the list goes on.
But, the NAM do also suggest that, actually,
you just need to listen to your own body and thirst.
But, one way of measuring yourself,
if you sweat a lot,
try weighing yourself before your session.
And then weighing yourself again afterwards
and seeing what that difference is.
You can also mix things up,
so maybe swap your calorific mocha-choco-latte
for an espresso,
or maybe try some herbal tea or some flavoured water.
Whilst we're on the topic of drink,
I'm not suggesting for a moment
that you should ban all alcohol.
But, maybe think about swapping the calorific
pint of cider or beer or a large glass of wine,
for something a little less calorific
such as a gin and tonic,
or maybe even use soda water with your spirit.
As that will reduce your calories dramatically,
and you still get a chance to enjoy a drink.
(energetic music)
HIIT style, short sharp sessions
are great for raising your heart rate,
but also keeping your body burning more fuel for longer,
even after your session has finished.
And it's really easy to incorporate this
into your triathlon training.
On the run, for example,
you could add in some interval sessions.
Or on the bike,
a great workout to do on the turbo
is 10 lots of 30 seconds absolutely max out,
with 90 seconds really easy recovery in between each one.
Or, if you want something a little bit different,
then why not try a HIIT style body weight session.
We've already made a video on that,
and you can find the link in the description below.
And the same goes for weight training,
as it will raise your metabolism for longer
as a result of excess post exercise oxygen consumption,
otherwise known as EPOC.
Which, in simple terms, means
more oxygen is required for a longer period of time,
and therefore more calories are going to be burned.
(slow chilled music)
There are so many diets out there,
and some apparently are more successful than others.
But there's one thing they all have in common,
and that is they're reducing the amount
of calories that you consume,
whether it's consciously or not.
Simply put, if you reduce the amount of calories
that you take in, but you maintain
the same amount of training or activity levels,
you are going to lose weight.
And the key is to do it at a sensible rate,
so that your body doesn't overreact
or think that you're starving it.
So, with that in mind,
the actual recommendation is to not reduce
your average daily intake by more than 500 calories a day.
Otherwise you run the risk of your body
breaking down the muscle, and using that as fuel.
Consistency is key, so be patient
and the weight will stay off.
There's a few things you can do just to trick your brain.
So, try putting your food in a smaller plate,
and then you'll think that you've eaten more than you have.
And another way is just eat slowly,
and enjoy what you're eating.
And, therefore, your brain has time to register
that your stomach is full.
Rather than eating on the fly,
when you're likely to eat more than you need to.
Running at the same intensity
and for the same amount of time as cycling
will automatically burn more energy.
So, it's worth looking at your training week,
and seeing if you can incorporate a little bit more running,
but just make sure you do it within safe parameters.
(slow r'n'b music)
And obviously, you'll still need to have a healthy balance
to fully prepare for your next event.
And, you need to look after your body,
so don't suddenly up your running volume
before you're ready.
And, if you're maybe carrying a few extra pounds,
then that should be a little bit more impact on your joints.
So just ensure that you've got the correct
supportive footwear,
and where possible mix up the terrain.
Well, with this in mind,
see if you can add in any extra walking.
Even if you're not ready to up your running volume yet,
you can add in some walking intervals to your usual session.
And, whenever possible,
leave the car at home.
Try not to take the lift,
use the stairs instead.
As much as these seem like tiny, insignificant changes,
I promise you they all add up.
Well, this is probably the most obvious one,
but not always as easy as it sounds.
You need to have a balanced diet.
Now, there's no point in purely counting the calories
if you're missing out the nutrients.
Make sure you're still getting in
the minerals, the vitamins, proteins,
carbohydrates, fats, and fibre,
for your body to function efficiently.
And having fresh produce is the best way to do this,
because it's packed with nutrients
for the same amount of calories.
So, for example, if you are trying to reduce
your calorie intake,
still make sure you're getting in the vital nutrients.
So, for example, this muffin,
as delicious as it is,
is worth around two to three hundred calories,
and doesn't really have much on the nutrients level.
Whereas this small plate of food
is probably similar with the calories,
but the amount of nutrients I would get
and the feeling of being full for so much longer
would definitely outweigh the muffin.
Office snacks are my worst enemy,
and if you're anything like me
you'll get hungry between your meal times.
So, to try and resist the chocolate biscuits,
bring in some healthy snacks
that will just help you that little bit.
And, personally I like to go with some celery and houmous,
or maybe some almond butter.
And I do love fruit, just be aware
it does have a slightly higher sugar content.
Well, a cup of coffee can actually have a positive effect.
But, I hate to break it to you,
you're not gonna lose weight automatically
by just sitting, sipping your favourite brew all morning.
If, however, you use it just before a training session,
then it can help trick your mind
as it reduces that perception of effort,
and it delays the feeling of fatigue.
So, basically, you can train harder and for longer,
therefore using more calories,
which will help you lose weight.
(fast contemporary music)
Have a measurable goal and write it down.
As it will just help you keep on track.
And, a good tip here is using a food diary.
And I find that, if you're writing down
everything that you eat,
not only is good for a record,
but it also just makes you
that much more conscious of what you're having.
So, if you're going to put your hand in the sweet jar
and grab another few sweets,
it makes you think is it worth
the effort of eating those sweets
then having to write it down afterwards.
And it's something that really helps for me.
Be realistic with the timeframe
and the amount of weight that you want to lose.
'Cause it's not always about the numbers on the scales.
If you want a more accurate reading,
then you could get your body fat percentage measured,
as it won't be affected by any muscle gain.
And the overall aim for most triathletes
is to go faster in your next event.
So just make sure,
even though you're trying to lose weight,
you don't lose sight of that end goal.
The best methods for weight loss
are still eternally debated.
All you need to do is type the word diet
into a search engine
and you'll get bombarded with various options.
However, if you stick to the key points,
and you make sure you do any changes gradually,
consistently, and look after your overall health.
Then you'll find that you'll lose weight
and it will stay off.
Now, if you haven't done so already,
you can click on the globe to subscribe to GTN.
And if you've enjoyed this,
hit the thumb up button.
And that HIIT session I talked about
earlier on in this video,
if you want some ideas for that,
why not watch this video just here.
And if you're gonna do a turbo session,
then there's a great workout just here.