Losing Excess Weight

As mentioned before, one goal in 2016 was to lose excess weight.  Get lighter in the boat.  Lift less weight doing pullups. Free the gut from the excess padding and - I hoped - breathe deeper and longer at full power.

I cannot recommend one right or best way to lose weight. But i did succeed in losing 25 pounds and felt a lot better.  I used the "try a little of everything" approach:

  • Cut out or cut down intake of bread, rolls;
  • Reduce sugar intake;
  • Eat less meat and more salads and vegetables;
  • Smaller portions;
  • More meals but less after dinner/approaching bedtime;
  • Exercise more and harder - which seems to support feeling good a little hungry rather than a little (or a lot) full;
  • Take water on the road to help avoid buying drinks (sugar/calories);
  • Avoid fast food;
  • Eat more whole grains.

All in all, i found what worked was partly the basic mechanics of what I chose to put in my mouth.  But it was also developing a change in my thinking. And that has been the hardest to maintain after the racing ended.

I wanted to be light for racing, to reduce what I had to "carry" across the finish line. And, while i felt better having a looser belt, the latter has not kept the weight off as the focus on racing did. I think going to double workouts and adding more interval training helped, too. Both put a premium on not feeling full, as that feeling tends to result in a weaker workout.

Clothing - as with the belt, losing some of the belly/waist/hip fat helped make clothes fit more comfortably and i even wondered, If i can keep this up, will i need to get a smaller waist shorts and pants?  That did not happen, but the same waist became comfortable to loose instead of tight. The belt got notched one spot tighter - and was comfortable.

I also felt that doing more core work helped.  Holding my body tall through the middle helped improve the appearance of slimness compared to the increasing paunch.  Sometimes appearances are real and they help.  Starting to see some of the core slimness of earlier years was encouraging.

Any encouragement is helpful.