What is your work out schedule?

I swim with a Master's swim group at Lansdowne, VA.3 days a week, Mon, Wed & Fri 6:30am. I run in the evenings Mon & Wed. These are 10k's on hills. I bike on Tue, Thur, Sat & Sun. I try to mountain bike on Tue & Thur. If it has rained and to wet for the trail, I will which to the road. Sat & Sun are on the road bike or Tri-bike for a long 3 to 4 hour ride. I will add a brick on the weeks and cut the bike to 2hrs with a 13 mile run depending on the schedule. 

My goal each week is to get at least 3 swim sessions, 1 long run 13-15 miler,  hill repeat's on the bike & run, and a mountain bike ride. . When traveling for work I swim and long run. Also I do a core workout every other day consisting of pull-ups, dips, abs, lower back, and push ups

My job has me traveling a lot. I do not plan a rest day as the schedule or weather provides me one regardless. I normally get one rest day a week, or Friday's is my active rest with only the swim in the morning. 

Hidden Calories? What are they and where are they hiding?

For someone who has to lose 160 pounds every calorie counts. When I go to the store to buy any food item I check every option on the shelf to find the low fat, low calorie, or sugar free product. If there are 50 jars of spaghetti sauce I look at everyone before picking. Yogurt…I spend a lot of time looking at yogurts. I can find Moon Pie’s with less calories. For most people who have 10 or 20 pounds to lose picking the lower calorie item is the difference. The biggest concern I hear is “it won’t taste the same”.  When I weighed 355 pounds I was not worried about the taste. Why is it now a concern if it will taste the same? Is losing the weight and keeping it off worth the taste difference. I have drunk diet coke as long as I can remember and a regular coke does not taste good to me. Does that mean I should not drink diet coke, because it won’t taste the same? 

Go through one day noting what you eat and how many calories you consumed. Now buy the low calorie option and see how many calories you could cut from that day….hundreds. Hundreds of calories just by swapping out for the lower calorie option!!

Why 4 almonds? -Willaim
I get asked a lot of questions, but the one most people get a laugh out of is why do I eat 4 almonds with my 11am and 1pm mini meals? Not 5, not 6, but 4. As my diet evolved I added a protein shake and found that within the 2hrs between mini meals I was staving. At only 120 calories it was not enough to hold me over. I started eating a banana or orange at the same time to get some good carb’s but still found myself hungry. I needed some good fat grams but did not want to add anymore calories to the shake and banana. I found by having the 4 almonds it was the right balance between protein, Carb’s and fat to feel full and not hungry.  

What bike would you suggest for someone? -Lee
My road bike is a Trek Madone and the mountain is a Trek Fuel Ex. I borrowed my brother in laws bike for a few days to pedal around the neighborhood to make sure I was committed before spending my money. I did not want to get a bike, ride it for a couple of weeks and then it ends up hanging on the garage wall.

This is a great time to go bike shopping; you should find the 2008 models on sale. I went to 4 or 5 shops before picking Spokes Etc and deciding on the Fuel EX. Finding the right shop is the first step and they will help you get the right bike. The guys at Spokes they knew the riding area and we talked about the type of riding I was interested in. One last thing make sure the shop offers free Tune Ups with the purchase of a new bike. These value add services make a huge difference. My first year I was in the shop getting adjustments or learning how to change a flat tire or do something new every few weeks.

Why 6 meals per day? -Gina
I try to eat every 2 hours. A "meal" for me 150 to 200 calories, it is an orange, banana, bar or shake. It is just enough to keep me going and fight off the hunger. It was a matter of finding what worked for me, 5 small meals and a sinkable dinner. I drinks lots of water and try to limit myself to 1 coffee in the morning and 1 diet coke in the afternoon. It I have a lunch out in place of my mini meal, I normally cut back on the amount of dinner that night to offset the extra calories. Remember you have to find what works for you and you will stick with it.

How many calories do you eat each day? -Mikey
I was asked this because of my workout schedule and balancing it with my weight loss. A typical day consists of 6 meals, 5 meals of 200 calories or less each and a dinner. My dinner can range between 1000 calories and 1500. This gives me a total daily intake of 2000 to 2500. Keep in mind I have been losing 3 or 4 pounds a month with this meal plan. I am now going to switch to a “maintenance plan” to maintain my current weight of 200 pounds. As the 2009 race schedule I will again make some adjustments. Thanks for the question.