[fixer2u]

fixer2u on February 11, 2010 at 6:20 am #16519

Hello all, im new to the site but not the sport. I have been done with college track since 2006 and have been with a club team ever since still training like I was in school.
I have had a huge problem with managing my weight since graduation. My competition weight in school was around 160lbs @ 6-8% body fat. At one point after school I was up to 185lbs. Once that happened I seriously monitored my diet and balanced my carb, protein and fat intake and cut my calories to just under 2000 a day. This got me back to around 171 lbs @ 12% body fat. Which I have been stuck at for about 8 months.
My running is going ok, but my jumping has gone waaaay down hill.

My question is what do you other ofice job workers do as far as a diet goes? Any help would be much appreciated.

[Matt Norquist]

Matt Norquist on February 11, 2010 at 1:16 pm #94594

Hello all, im new to the site but not the sport. I have been done with college track since 2006 and have been with a club team ever since still training like I was in school.
I have had a huge problem with managing my weight since graduation. My competition weight in school was around 160lbs @ 6-8% body fat. At one point after school I was up to 185lbs. Once that happened I seriously monitored my diet and balanced my carb, protein and fat intake and cut my calories to just under 2000 a day. This got me back to around 171 lbs @ 12% body fat. Which I have been stuck at for about 8 months.
My running is going ok, but my jumping has gone waaaay down hill.

My question is what do you other ofice job workers do as far as a diet goes? Any help would be much appreciated.

Give us all the silver bullet when you figure it out!

Seriously though – sounds like you’re doing the right stuff. A few missing things you might think about:

1. Meal timing
2. Non Exercise Activity – Think about doing squats/lunges/push-ups/walking throughout the day – walk up the stairs to your office, etc. (The stuff they tell obese people to do to drop pounds). This stuff can burn an extra 200-500 calories a day and fire up your metabolism.
3. Pack a lunch – don’t eat out – most of us seriously underestimate the calories in a lunch out.
4. Drink less

I had a similar situation. 7 years+ off – went from 195 to 228. Spent all 2008 and 2009 dropping down to 200 lbs – but still stuck at a higher body fat. I will address the bf (14% or so) seriously in my recovery period this year, but you don’t want to manage weight too seriously when you are doing in season training.

[burkhalter]

burkhalter on February 12, 2010 at 4:20 am #94612

If you have cut your calories below 2000 per day and you are still stuck after 8 months you have probably slowed your metabolism.

I am 32, have 2 kids, wife, manage a company and have managed to stay decently lean. Not great shape but decent. I look like Linford Christie compared to all of my buddies. I have been in the office for at least 8 years now. What I try do is:

Grill or Bake a bunch of Chicken or other meat on Sunday and bring with me most of the week. I’ll usually keep some vegetables/salad and olive oil for salads.

If you have a kitchen at work scramble some eggs everyday and eat whole grain toast for breakfast. I usually do that every morning.

I keep snacks at my desk and eat those in between meals (I eat too much here so it’s probably not a great idea.)

I refuse to count calories now but that is probably part of the equation for success to some degree honestly. That a dropping the booze down.

[burkhalter]

burkhalter on February 12, 2010 at 4:32 am #94613

Here are some tips from CF site from a guy who always seemed to know what he was talking about.

here are some guidelines:

-processed food bad
-whole food good
-no sugar
-no flour
-no dairy
-protein at every meal
-veggies or fruit at every meal
-veggies are better than fruit
-get protein (20-35 grams per meal) from these sources: eggs whites, beef, bison, chicken, turkey, any seafood not packed in low grade oil (ie cotton seed), try to keep these sources as unprocessed as possible so that means turkey breast you cook is better than deli meat but deli meat is better than no protein at all.
-eat every 3-4 hours

important tips
-make sure you eat right after you wake up and be sure this meal has protein in it!
-yes egg beaters are ok
-make sure you eat within 30 minutes of a work out
-even though you are trying to shed some BF a recovery drink is recomended, NEVER sacrafice workout quality ever, you an athlete not a figure model
-if you need bread or wraps look for gluten free
-cheese is ok as a topping not as a meal (ie no yogurt or cottage cheese)
-salad dressing (within reason) is ok for now, keep them as natural as possible
-eat stir frys at night for dinner and pack the rest for lunch the next day
-if you can eat 2-4 egg whites before bed, the reasons that this is good are too many to mention, if you cant do eggs, just a little plain whole food protein from any source will do
-a high quality protein powder is ok once and a while (no more than once a day) if you are using it post workout use a whey isolate, if you are using it at meals for a protein substitute look for a “blend” meaning a mix of whey proteins or different forms of protein.
-follow these rules 85% of the time and dont be a total dumbass the other 15% you will get where you want to go
-supplement with 2000mg of “ester vitamin c”, a high quality multi vitamin (one a days dont cut it) and a high quality fish oil (ask for recommendations if you have no clue), vit D3, B-12, i also take 800ius if vit E