Lightweight.
 

So I'm on Crew. And my coach wants me to get to or under 130 so I can be put in the lightweight boat.

And it's REALLY been frustrating me. I lost a whole bunch of weight last year, and now I'm at 137 and the scale WON'T BUDGE! I eat a pretty normal day, and have even been cutting down on after dinner eating, and it still won't move!

Lately, my days have been looking like this:
Breakfast: Oatmeal, soy milk, banana (approx. 400 cal.)
Lunch: Cheese sandwitch, some sort of fruit (approx. 450 cal.)
Dinner: Changes, but tonight was subs (approx. 450 cal.)
Snack: Handful of nuts and raisins, sometimes a few chocolate chips. (max. 200)

This seems to me like a pretty good diet, it's around 1600, and includes all healthy foods. What should I cut out or revise to get off these stubborn 7lbs?!

Can you try to change your exercise routine a bit? Changing up the way your body works to burn calories might be a good strategy, as your diet looks very even.

Originally Posted by poppins3:
Can you try to change your exercise routine a bit? Changing up the way your body works to burn calories might be a good strategy, as your diet looks very even.

That's just it. I go to crew for 3 hours a day, the workouts usually are by the week, and change every 2 weeks. I'd try to do more, but I don't want to COMPLETELY exhaust my body, and I really don't have the time so it has to be in diet.

With as much muscle on your frame as you are going to have as a competitive athlete, and your height, I'd imagine that 130 would be a REALLY hard weight for you to maintain, even if you could acheive it. You may start pillaging muscle to fuel yourself - if you are doing 3 hrs of working out a day, 1600 calories is awfully low as is.

Honestly, your diet is balanced (maybe could use a few more veggies) and your workouts are extreme, if anything you're eating too little for your activity level.

While I don't want to discourage anyone from aiming for a goal that they truly desire, you might want to re-evaluate whether or not this is feasible for you, and whether you are doing it for you or for your coach.

It should be possible. There are two other girls who are as tall if not taller than me, under 130. I'm pretty sure there is 7lbs of fat to lose, or at least 5. I'd been trying to get it down before that, but now there's just more incentive.
Would eating MORE somehow help?

I really like the food lists at bodyforlife.com ... maybe just tweaking what you are eating might help. Does your coach measure your body fat percentage?

Originally Posted by SusanB:
Does your coach measure your body fat percentage?

There's a freaky body composition scale, I don't know how accurate it is, but it says 22%.

That sounds pretty good to me. Does he/she really want it much lower?

I'm taking a shot in the dark based on your meal examples, but are you a vegetarian? Perhaps also lactose intolerant, or do you just prefer soy milk ... ? Anyway, soy milk usually has less protein in it than ordinary (skim) milk, and can be higher in fat, unless you're using fat free soymilk.
If you are a vegetarian, then you already realize the difficulty of getting enough protein in your diet. For breakfast, maybe try some scrambled egg whites, and make your oatmeal with (soy?)milk instead of water (if you aren't already doing that). For lunch, maybe start drinking those chocolate protein shakes (I recommend Naturade Total SOY, "Bavarian Chocolate" flavor). A cheese sandwich would NOT be enough for me. Sure, it's got enough fat and carbs, but not enough protein.
Hopefully you're eating all whole-wheat, because it'll keep you fuller longer, and it's got fiber and sometimes more protein also than white breads.
If you are a vegetarian, I hope you embrace tofu and high-protein soy stuff, because it looks to me that you aren't getting enough protein, and you are replacing it with fats (cheese, dairy).
If you're only eating non-fat milks and cheeses, I'm not really sure how you're making it through the day! But if you already have cut down on your fats, then, hooray.

It's physically possible for you to get down to 130 - it always is POSSIBLE to weigh less ... but I don't know if it would actually be a healthy choice. I think you should take into consideration a higher-protein-fewer-carb diet, but I wouldn't make any changes which are too drastic. You can try fewer calories with more protein and see if you feel low in energy, etc.

Yes. I am a vegetarian and that does make it hard. But putting on muscle doesn't really seem to be a problem.

Yes but the fat in your diet might be holding you back more than you realize. Maybe switch your cheese to low-fat or non-fat, and add in a protein shake or protein bar.
I used to despise protein bars, but I found this brand called "ThinkThin" and they actually taste really mild and good, no crappy aftertaste. I ate powerbars ("balance" and "power-bar," both have that awful aftertaste) every single day in high school, not sure I could ever go back to that, but the "ThinkThin" ones are pretty delicious.
But yeah. Protein. Tres importante and not just for muscle building.

"Would eating MORE somehow help?" - says you

Maybe, in a way. It's healthier to eat several small meals than three big meals. Every time you eat, your metabolism kicks in and gets a jolt. So the more you eat, the more "exercised" your metabolism is ... but if you out-eat your metabolism, you gain weight, of course. So the trick is to eat small meals frequently. I've never been that good at it, but some other girls here eat 6 small meals a day and it works well for them.

How fast are you supposed to lose the weight (do you have a deadline?), and how does crew weight work-- do you need to meet the weight once or before every race/regatta/meet?

Also, how are you set up in terms of kitchen/cooking ability, and cash to spend on food? (I'm assuming that since you're doing crew you're still in school.)

You weigh in before a race/regatta. Every one that you race a lightweight boat in.

Breakfast has to be fast; lunch I eat at school, so it must be brownbaggable, but for dinner pretty much anything goes.

I agree with mandalinn's sentiments to re-evaluate, your diet & weight seems healthy - and for such a muscle-utilizing sport -- it would be hard to get to 130, let alone maintain it (yes, everyone has examples of someone who did it - but those are usually the exceptions & not the norms.)

But if you are still going ahead with it - I'd suggest cutting out some of the fats/calories in your diet - and maybe mix in some extra powdered protein (whey, soy) into your oatmeal & soy milk. However, try not to dive below 1,200 calories a day.

Wow, I would think that at your height, and with the working out you're doing, you're at a really good weight. 22% body fat is low - I would wager that you're very muscular. You're not eating much, considering the workouts. Is it possible your body is kind of in "starvation mode"?

Do you mind my asking what level you're rowing at ie. high school, college, etc.? Because I have a really hard time with coaches pressuring young, fit, healthy-weight women to lose weight based on some stupid weight class criterion. At any level, but particularly if you're still in your teens (though I don't think you mentioned). SO many girls end up with eating disorders from the pressures within their sport to be thinner than their bodies are meant to be (gymnastics, skating). Don't jeopardize your health over this.

....

Originally Posted by :
Breakfast: Oatmeal, soy milk, banana (approx. 400 cal.)
Lunch: Cheese sandwitch, some sort of fruit (approx. 450 cal.)
Dinner: Changes, but tonight was subs (approx. 450 cal.)
Snack: Handful of nuts and raisins, sometimes a few chocolate chips. (max. 200)

You definitely need more protein in there, fruits and vegetables too... they have soy protein drinks if you don't drinK whey powder because if you don't drink milk, whey is made from milk. I'd keep away from the cheese too, empty calories, IMHO... for supper have a huge salad of chickpeas and cut up tofu....

You don't mention your age, but you do sound younger than the rest of us, I'm 50, so anyone's young :lol: .... This is the problem I find with young people (16-20ish) becoming vegetarians, unless you read about it extensively, you lack the proper information to get the right nutritient and vitamins. Most vegetarians should also be taking a vitamin supplement, I think... This is just a personal opinion, so don't y'all go attacking me, ok?

Hard boiled egg whites are an easy, transportable way to get low-cal protein. Boil a bunch of eggs every few days and just grab-and-go in the morning.

Here's what I think: You may want to get your doctor's opinion, and not just your coaches (who seems to have something to gain by your losing weight).

It may be that you need more calories in your diet to lose weight based on the workouts you're doing and that your body is hanging on because it isn't getting enough as it is. If that's the case, cutting your calories will only slow your metabolism farther.

In order to lose more I had to add in 250 more calories, and I started dropping weight again.

I used to be a vegetarian (even vegan for 4 years...now I am veggie + fish) and though for years I heard that we really don't need so much protien I am beginning to think that for me more protien seems to work better.

Egg whites and low fat cottage cheese are good veggie sources of protien. Soy products in moderation help and don't forget beans. Assuming that you want to up your protien intake.

Good luck with everything. 22% body fat is quite healthy. At 137 that would be 30 lbs of body fat -7lbs is 23 lbs of body fat. which would make you about 17% body fat. This sounds low but I am not too sure. I know athletes can be lower than the average 20-25% reccomended. You might want to check with someone more knowledgeable than me.

An easy way to loose lbs is to cut out salt completely.

Good luck

I am in my teens.
I've been a vegetarian for a while, and I usually do take a multivitamin.
I think from the majority of responses, I should add more protein in my diet, and if that takes me up a few calories it won't hurt much.
I'll try it. Thanks.