If you’re doing a lot of exercise, and gaining weight, then this article might give you ideas about how you can get back on track

I did a bunch of lactate testing last week (thread here), the testing gave me a nudge to reduce the intensity of my endurance sessions.

The tests also showed that my fitness is increasing faster than my fueling.

Let’s break the results of my summer program:

1. My ability to fuel exercise with carbohydrate sources has improved significantly
2. My ability to fuel exercise from fat sources has not improved as much

I’m in a typical position for a new endurance athlete:

• Increase in exercise
• Increase in eating
• Increase in sugar/sport nutrition intake
• Increase in body fat

It’s counterintuitive but common… exercise doesn’t imply weight loss

Now, I didn’t start my program to lose weight.

My weight’s been stable for years.

However, I don’t want to double my exercise and gain fat.

What to do?

Cut sugars.

My main intake of sugars is during my rides. I use sports nutrition on my longer bikes, where my output is ~700 kcal per hour.

The sports nutrition doesn’t fill me up, at all. I’m dumping liquid calories in me to fuel exercise.

If I drop my output by ~15% then I can cut my sports nutrition intake by 50%.

Reducing intensity starts a virtual circle of improved fat burning, eating primarily real food and, hopefully, improved body composition.

These changes do not leave me depleted because, at a lower heart rate, I can eat real food before, and after, working out.

Real food gives me something… I get full.

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I wanted to pass this along because…

Many athletes gain fat when increasing exercise stress – the temptation is to work “harder”, which reinforces the cause of weight gain!

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When I started my return-to-fitness campaign, I thought training my body to handle sports nutrition was going to be a limiter.

I got that wrong.

Re-training my body to use fat for fuel…

…that’s the key adaptation required for me to go long, again.