hey all!

i'm super-new to the sport, starting month 5 of my 6-month training for my first tri in. my question is for runners turned tri-ers: did you gain fat when training for your first tri? i figured all the training would keep me lean, but i'm noticing i'm getting a little soft!

i had always been just a runner, doing weights and yoga and sometimes biking to balance that. i never swam until my training started so the time in the pool was new to my routine.

i've heard that lots of swim training can cause you to keep a layer of fat -- i guess the body wants to keep it to keep you afloat or something like that. makes sense, because i sank like a rock when i first started the swim training but seem to float a little better now that i have a pinchable tummy.

could it be my body is just going through some sort of withdrawal from my previous running routine? i used to run at least every other day, and now it's down to twice a week or so with the tri training. now i'm spending most of my time in the water because it's my weakest sport.

any thoughts?

thanks!

Same thing happened to me last year, around month 4 or 5 it seemed as if I couldn't lose the fat. I saw fast results when I did one thing, I changed my diet. Please notice that I did not go on a diet, I just changed it. It made sense, you swim/bike/run a lot during your training, well you need to refuel your body, you need to eat, you need to eat a lot more. First two things I did was to stop drinking my usual 2-liters of soda each day and no longer visit McDonalds(fast food). :eek: It looked like I was melting away, just kidding, but it made a huge difference. Today I eat around 6 times per day, the one thing I limit is saturated fats but especially trans fat (high fructose corn syrup)- since I started eating 6 times per day I went from 185 lbs to 165 lbs, I eat a lot more today than when I was heavier, it's just healthier.

And no, swimmers don't keep that layer of fat to keep them afloat, the lighter you are the easier it is to propel yourself forward when you swim, you don't want your fat to help you float, slows you down.

Getting soft with the triathlon training?.

I have a thought, but I'll wait for developments.

thehitman

All the advise you give is good as far as I can tell.... but
Ummm there's no trans fat in high fructose corn syrup, although as a refined sugar, its a good idea to avoid it anyways. Unsaturated fat molecules naturally occur with a cis geometry. When you cook or bake it, the double bonds (points of unsaturation) loosen because of the heat. The parts of the molecule are free to rotate about the bond. When the food is cooled, the double bonds re form and some molecules end up with trans geometry instead of cis geometry.
Trans fat is bad for you because the trans geometry gives the fat molecules the same shape (a straight line) as saturated fat and therefore it fits into the same enzymes. (and a diet high in saturated fat leads to high cholesterol and all sorts of other problems) Also, trans fats are not naturally occuring and that always makes some people nervous. Fat with cis geometry at the points of unsaturation is bent so the molecules don't pack as tightly so it is less dense.
You'll find trans fat in things like cake, cookies, bread, chips, fast food etc...
While on the subject of fat... Another thing to watch out for and avoid is 'hydrogenated' stuff.... Companies hydrogenate fats to make them more solid. They just, in essence, add hydrogen, which saturates the fat. The more liquid a fat is a room temperature, the more unsaturated it is. The more solid a fat is a room temperature, the more fully saturated...

And I've been a swimmer most of my life, and its true, I notice that many swimmers carry more body fat than runners.... Have no clue why...

Thanks for the thoughts -- I was glad/bummed to see that they are right-on with what I've been trying to do with my eating during my training. I'm not a fast food person, nor do I have a sweet tooth, but I'm really screening out those trans fats (good-bye, cheapo peanut butter!) and trying to cut back on my sodium. Maybe I have to kick it up to net real results?

I'm not really eating more than usual, though it is winter, and I hear we all tend to eat more/weigh more in the colder months. Perhaps this will just be a mystery until I resume my regular running routine after the tri and check my middle again then! :)

Lotus said: "i've heard that lots of swim training can cause you to keep a layer of fat -- i guess the body wants to keep it to keep you afloat or something like that. makes sense, because i sank like a rock when i first started the swim training but seem to float a little better now that i have a pinchable tummy."

There are some studies out there that point to two possible causes of swimmer fat. First off, swimming is performed in the prone or supine position in a naturally cooling body of water. This usually results in lower heart rates despite the same level of intensity.

In addition, there has been some speculation that swimmers have more body fat as a form of insulation against cold water and as a natural flotation device (both studies are a bit sketchy and more research is needed). What has been seen is that Olympic swimmers, even at the long distance range, tend to have much more body fat than other endurance athletes at the Olympic level. A good example - compare any Olympic 10K runner to Ian Crocker (WR holder in 100 fly). A fair share of the swimmers are downright pudgy, and yet they're swimming between 6 and 10 miles a day.

Kelli

No doubt about it, Lotus. Returning to your running routine should remove that softness.gained through triathlon training.. And don't forget about the yoga.

One other possibility that hasn't been mentioned yet is perhaps you're waterlogged

thehitman