How to lose weight while skiing alot?

[kfennell]

So I lost a fair bit of weight in the off season, and I would really like to lose another 10 lbs while building a bit more muscle to get in really really good shape.

 

My problem is that now that I am skiing ~12x a week and trying to eat not that much I don't have enough energy and my muscles are not healing between sets.

 

I try to make sure that most of my calories are in protein, but even this isn't helping.

 

I guess in summary, if I want to lose weight and build muscle from 195 lbs while skiing 2x a day and not getting sore (at 31) how many calories do I eat and how much of that should be protein, carbs, etc.

 

Thanks!

 

[wtrskior]

you need to eat. starving yourself is doing you no favors. chicken breasts are probably one of the leanest, high protein foods you can eat. You should be eating a few of them at least every day.

[Horton]

Stop drinking beer

[kfennell]

I guarantee I've drank the least of anyone who actually drinks in all of skiing in the last few months :(

[Chef23]

@kfennell I think losing weight and building muscle during ski season at your build is likely an unrealistic goal. If I remember correctly you are already quite fit with a pretty low body fat percentage. I am not sure you can realistically expect to lose weight and add muscle during ski season if you don't have other workouts in the mix.

 

That said my son has been working with a sports nutritionist and she has him on a much higher protein diet than I would have expected. She is looking for approximately a gram of protein per pound of body weight. 5-6 small meals a day, very few carbs and no carbs after 3 PM unless immediately following a workout. In addition a ton of water and watch fruit consumption if you are trying to lose weight as some fruits are largely sugar.

 

If you mostly stay lean proteins and vegetables you won't gain weight but I am not sure you will lose a ton if you are already pretty lean.

 

In addition @Horton is right if you are drinking beer and want to lose weight it is best to stop drinking beer. That said vodka doesn't seem to add the pounds for me that beer does.

[kfennell]

Here is a current picture of me, I'm pretty strong but not lean yet. Definately need to remember to drink more water. I've been slacking.

 

http://imgur.com/Ip2YXlO.jpg

[GOODESkier]

@kfennell‌ great work shaving some pounds! I did the same thing, and man has it made running more balls easier! I would eat, and ski, and not worry about the scale right now. Just eat healthy and don't over eat. I am no nutritionist, BUT when you ski 2 sets a day, you need to EAT!

[Chef23]

@kfennell I agree with @GOODESkier in season for your primary sport is a tough time to change your body composition. My son's nutritionist indicated that offseason is when to focus on changing your body.

[Horton]

Hmmm maybe drink more beer

[kfennell]

@‌horton Do they make a protein shake beer?

 

I think Im going to program the drone to fly above the course with a strobe light and a horn during your set at nationals...

[Than_Bogan]

Are you the bass or the guy with the smirk?

 

(See what I did there -- I'm so clever.)

 

But seriously, two things:

1) Good to see another buoy addict who likes bass fishing. Wish I could make a lot more time for it, but at least I got to catch a few over the Mem Day Weekend.

2) My personal philosophy is to emphasize muscle gain in the off-season (and not worry TOO much about weight) and emphasize leanness in season (and not worry TOO much about muscle mass). Considering how skiing wears down the body, I think it's too much to ask to try to increase overal muscle mass during the season. But every pound you carry with you equals about 3 you have to hold behind the boat at -38. So even a scrawny dude like me needs to be conscious of extra pounds in-season.

[gregy]

I try to stick with a meat and vegetable diet (steamed mostly). Stay away from wheats, rice, sugar, limit fruits to once a day, no drinks with sugar. I really drink alcohol of any kind anymore. When I really get serious about loosing weight I eat a lot of grilled chicken salads with lemon juice as dressing.

 

I never counted colories, just tried to stick with stuff that I like that healthy.

[Horton]

@kfennell‌ I will be home drinking Kilo Kai

[cragginshred]

Keep in mind from an exercise physiology standpoint when you exercise more your body will want to maintain it's normative weight thus you will be more hungry. Become informed regarding

 

-Glycemic index in terms of quality carbs versus crappy ones. This is the preferred metabolic pathway for energy.

 

-And determine how much protein you need for your size

 

As you exercise more adjust your diet accordingly and eat small quality snacks before during and after skiing! I eat Cliff bars, bananas apples and a lot of water and have followed this evidence based model with nutrition for rock climbing the past 25 years. After skiing you not only need some protein but also some carbs to replenish the batteries so to speak. This comes from the phd folks who publish ex phys research.

[jimbrake]

I mainly eat chicken breasts. A few. Every...damn...day.

[The_MS]

@Horton Send him a few 6 packs, you probably owe him some from when you stayed at Old Oaks.

[skidawg]

You can probably find a local sports nutritionist that can help you out. There are several in our area that are reasonable and work with athletes in different areas. I'm sure San Marcos has plenty. Contact local cycling or tri organizations and find out who they suggest.

[skiboyny]

Shoot for 40-40-20 (protein, carbs, fat) you can loose weight while skiing. Use fit-day or something like it to log your food. You would be surprised how far off the mark your diet really is. Go to any online site and see what your maintenance caloric intake should be for your height, activity range, and age at 185 lbs. your target weight. When you get your macros adjusted (40-40-20) your body will change. Do it at least 6 days a week with one cheat day a week. (don't go crazy!) Skiing hard is great exercise.

[Klundell]

Rule number one of body composition change. You can't get bigger and smaller at the same time. If you want to lose fat make that your goal (probably the best in season goal). If you want to build muscle make that your goal. Don't try to do both at the same time it doesn't work.

[xrated]

I'm gonna go have a couple slices of pizza and a few beers, then I will sit down and read all this advice!

[ambreski]

It's really simple to lose weight even if you are skiing. You just need to eat proteins every meal, veggies are really important also because most of them have the right amount of nutrients that you need for skiing. Switch from white rice and white pasta to brown rice and whole wheat pasta (White rice+pasta are basically sugar and there's not enough fibers in them which mean you will be full for 2 hours then you will feel really hungry after that, compare to whole wheat pasta that keep you full longer.) eat carbs for breakfast (whole wheat or grains bread) and lunch but avoid it for dinner. Cut sweet products (such as candies, cookies, etc) and eat more fruits instead. Have a cheat meal once in a week to boost your metabolism, drink water (8 glasses a day) and you should be in shape in few months and this is not going to affect your body : you won't be tired at all and you should also improve your skiing !

[ScarletArrow]

i'm not a huge believer in a high protein diet - it's not sustainable.

 

no better way to shave off unwanted pounds than to run or do some high intensity cardio...

 

mix in a short (5k or less), high intensity run 3x a week and those excess pounds will start dropping...

[Wish]

@kfennell‌ I kept it simple. I did what @amberski‌ basically said. So about 2 months ago just to see what would happen, I cut all starches/carbs out after lunch. Also often have eggs for breakfast as well but mix in carbs like oatmeal, whole wheat toast. Some carbs for lunch. Did nothing else. Dropped 10lbs slow and steady. Crazy simple and seems to be affective. And I'm not crazy religious about it. Weekends and sometimes going out to a restaurant makes it tough but even those times the pounds kept falling off.

[ambreski]

Sport doesn't make you lose weight if you don't have the right diet... Of course you need to exercise, but 80% of the weight loss comes from what is in your plate... It's not a high protein diet, but simply a diet made of doctors following Olympic Athletes all year long, that provide you enough nutrients to be able to train in any sports. I lost 22 lbs last year, following this diet. Now I can eat whatever I want for few weeks I'm never gaining more than 2 pounds.

 

[jipster43]

Simply cut out cookies, cakes, pizza, pasta, and bread. Eat anything else and you will lose weight quickly and have plenty of energy left over for extra sets at the lake.

[Texas6]

For a minute there, I was worried about Horton

[Zman]

Glad @Horton reconsidered on the beer. Better call.

[gt2003]

I've been a dietitian for 20 years (not nutritionist, no degree for this, anyone can call themselves a nutritionist...stepping off soapbox now). Some good points made already, some not so good ones. DON"T MAKE THIS HARDER THAN IT IS! Weight loss is nothing more than a numbers game. If you burn more than you eat, you'll lose weight. Eat more than you need, NO MATTER WHAT FOOD IT IS, and you'll gain weight. That's the basics.

 

Now, performance eating is the next step. It's a combo of carbs (your body's primary fuel source), protein and fat. Nothing is forbidden, nothing is bad, it's fitting it all in using the right portions. You'll burn more calories on your skiing days than you will on your non-skiing days so you'll have to take that into account. Protein is great but if you aren't getting carbs, you're screwed when you latch onto the rope. You gotta have energy for this. Don't avoid fat altogether either. It's got some essential vitamins in it and is used for some hormones etc. It's also VERY filling.

 

Just off the top of my head, to lose gradually and not starve, on ski days right around 2500 calories (130 grams protein, 350 grams carbs and 60-70 grams fat,). These are "targets". Don't go freaking out trying to hit every one, every day! Give yourself some leeway. This is a long term project. On non-ski days/rest days, right around 1900-2000 calories.

 

@skiboyny hit it right on the head; read labels, weigh foods and measure foods and keep track on something like fitday or myfitnesspal. That's probably the biggest thing I notice is people in general have no idea how much food they are putting in their bodies. Sounds like you've probably already got this point down.

 

PM me for anything more specific you need. I'll help any way I can. I've never ski'd the course YET so I sure won't be giving any ski advice! Good luck with the food!

[lpskier]

Personally, I have never had to worry about weight issues once the season starts. Once it is over, look out...

[GAJ0004]

I think it depends on your body type. I am finding if I eat any of the wrong things it goes right to my waist. I had my body fat tested the trainer told me I was at the low end of the nominal range. For my body type I have to do more high intensity cardio, but I also have to do some strength training to prevent injury and reduce soreness. I am doing both Insanity and P90X in the off season.