I agree with paganpj. Not only can you bike longer than you can run, biking is also much easier on your knees. At 280 (even 6'8", 280), that's a serious consideration.

Also, lifting light wieght/high reps (4 set of 12 reps per exercise) should help. Two reasons: 1) you'll burn fat more efficiently if you have more muscle to burn it with, and 2) it'll help strengthen your ligaments for the other stuff.

High reps, low weight like the others said. You can probably pretty easily build up to compete in the pull-up part if you just treat it like any other lifting set. Start with 3 sets of 2 or 3 reps, whatever you can handle. In two months you should be up to 3 reps of 12-15 or even more, take a few days off before the competition and for one showing you'll probably be able to do quite a bit more. Also it'll let you build muscle and burn fat, works your core, and is a great quick upper body exercise considering most of your concentration will be on cardio using your legs.
Good luck. Let us know how you fare.

orangedog
nothing to add but, "good luck! good for you!"
keep us posted on your progress!

I will definitely update everyone with final results - but a quick interim update since I'm replying: came in at my lowest weight in over 4 years at 275 (the 280 above is an estimate so not saying I dropped 5lbs in a couple of days). The last three days have focused on long runs and cycling sessions, with core work (thanks core thread for being a constant reminder).

Thanks for the tips, everyone.

"I'd bike more because you can go longer... I'd cut out ALL white bread, white rice, white pastas, etc."
-Great tips. I've started to cut out all white grains as you've suggested. And kudos on your own progress.

"Also, lifting light wieght/high reps"
-The more I've been reading lately (trying to build a solid knowledge foundation...), the more I come across this. I'm going to incorporate low weight, high rep lifting twice a week.

"Also, if you drink alcohol, i would cut back or completely stop drinking... It turned out that the amount of fat the guys burned dropped 73 percent for several hours after they finished their drinks."
-Ouch. That sucks. I'm not a heavy drinker, but I've always counted beer/single malt calories like any other calories. +200 is +200. Guess not. That 73% is kind of a sobering number. I have no interest in cutting alcohol out of my life completely, but this feedback warrants at least cutting it out until June 25th. Great tip! (Don't get me wrong, I'm looking for permanent change, but I've lost 40lbs while maintaining consumption so I think I can keep it off as long as I don't over indulge going forward, not that I do now.)

"In two months you should be up to 3 reps of 12-15 or even more."
-Encouraging words. This is the challenge that in the back of my mind I'm hoping to get up to speed on. A 2nd or 3rd finish here would be helpful - because the run and sprint are really going to be 4th or 5th.

"you focus too long on one particular muscle group (say cycling muscles) then your capacity to burn fat will approach an asymptote and you'll essentially reduce the potential mass for metabolism."
-Variety is the spice of life, it seems. I'm hoping to focus on a balance, as you suggest, so that I'm working different muscles.

Thanks again, everyone. Will keep you updated.

If your purely just trying to lose body fat, I would recommend more weight training. Muscles burn more calories over time than running or cycling. Since your results are being measured by a caliper test, adding muscle mass would be a good thing.

Good luck - I just finished the P90X program and lost 25lbs. Its now time to get back into some serious tri training!!

I appreciate the thoughtful and detailed responses. There are good ideas that will augment my approach.

The last week seems to have progressed well - I've stuck to all 60 min+ aerobic workouts, two days of lifting at high reps, one recovery day. Food intake has been higher quality and lower quantity.

rhane - if it helps further, here are some answers:
1. Maybe. It is between swimming and running. My 5k time is around 28mins and my 750m time is around 23mins. So both aren't that great.
2. My weight loss has somewhat hit a plateau. From Jan to about 3 weeks ago I've been swamped with work, and haven't had much time to dedicate, coupled with poor eating habits during the long hours. Prior to the plateau, I'd dropped about 40lbs in just over a year.
3. I had been sticking to 3 meals with some minimal snacking (mostly trail mix, not the best snack). I'm trying to break it up into a Calorie pattern similar to: 250, 250, 600, 250, 600, 250
4. My focus for the past couple of weeks has been to eat things like clif bars, fruit, yogurt, etc. for breakfast. Lunch - sandwich or burrito bowl. Dinner - sushi, fajitas, etc. The snacks are the bad part - trail mix is probably the worst part. And, my food hasn't exactly matched that pattern although the last week has been pretty good.

The 200g of protein, spread throughout the day, seems intuitive. Lot of chicken and salmon for me.

rhane is right, you should be proud of what you have accomplished. A couple of thoughts to consider. Your body will adapt to whatever you are doing - whether its diet or exercise. So if you stick with detialed regime for 4 - 6 weeks your body will start to adapt to that and possibly plateau. Something as simple as reversing your meal plan can confuse your body in a positive way.

And I will say again to not underestimate the fat loss power of a good weight training program. Your body will continue to burn calories from an aerobic workout for 1-2 hours after you have completed your workout. Your body will continue to burn calories for 1-2 days as a result of a good weight lifting session. Of course this depends on your goals. If its to get better at triathlons then I would recommend you continue on the training plan you are on, but if its to lose as much body fat as possible in roughly ten weeks, I would consider weight training more with less aerobic exercise.

One note on those scales, your level of hydration greatly influences your body fat percentage readouts on those. Best for consistent results is to pick a time of day, like the morning when you're the most dehydrated, or the end of the day when presumably you're the most hydrated and stick to the same time of day for all. I've seen swings of around 4% on my Tanita scale depending on my hydration level.

so, tactically speaking, your body fat % reads lower when you are less hydrated...?

I weigh every night and every morning....(not fat % but weight) and am always 3-4 lbs lighter the next morning

just about everything was covered, but i would add: immediately post workout (esp weights) it important to get 20-25g of protein and some carbs. agree with minimizing simple carbs, but this is one time you can sneak in some simple carbohydrates and your body will burn them rather than converting; this has to be within the first 15-30min after your workout though; after that your body will ease back into its normal state and simple carbs will be stored rather than burned.

I agree on the 5-6 smaller meals - seems to keep metabolism going. Yes, it is a pain and sometimes difficult to remember & with work/family interruptions.

I try and eat 200 g protein a day, with lots of veges and fruits. I also snack on trail mix, almonds as they are protein and "good" fat. I am also a big fan of Muscle Milk (light) protein drink, it's a good snack and way to get extra protein. Stay away from bread (this is tough for me) since I've read it's just wasted calories w no nutritional value. I try and eat a lot of kidney and garbanzo beans for fiber as well.

I dropped from 195 to 170, body fat from 20+% to 12.5% (over 6 mos or so) and have maintained weight for last 6 mos.

As your body continues to adjust, it will become more like second nature.

Keep up the good work!!

eat and drink water every 2 hours, 6-8 times a day. you'll split your daily requirements into those 'blocks'. what this does is get your body into a rhythm, so to speak. you want to eat just enough at each meal time so that you are just beginning to be hungry by the next. as your bodyfat/weight goes down you simply adjust the diet accordingly. getting your foods right and using this type of diet alone will help you lose weight - without even working out. throw in running, cycling, circuit weight training and you will drop weight with ease. when i was competing in bodybuilding shows i would go from 250+lbs to 200 in 2-3 months by simply altering my diet just like this. and of course my training and supplementation. and when it was time to compete again, i'd reverse it.

as for foods, a lot of people cut carbs out or go with a fad diet. it doesn't work. you won't need a triathlete diet either. you aren't training for a triathlon. nor are you training for a marathon or any other long distance endurance sport. you are kind of in the middle. to go with even half of the low end of the recommended carbs for a triathlete or runner would be too much. you should be in the 2-3g per lb of bodyweight range. so for a 280lb man you'd be shooting for 560-840 grams of carbs. since you are trying to lose weight you would generally go with the lower number or something in between. for protein you would want 1-1.5g per lb of bw. now since you are depleting your carbs and fat (haven't gotten there yet...) you will want the higher end of the protein range. this helps with muscle recovery. so at 280 you're looking at 420g a day. fats, you want them low. people will say you need to raise them with good fats like cashews or almonds, and flax seed, or whatever. that's your choice. but i prefer to let fat falls where fat falls. if you are eating right, you should not need to worry about it. i came into shows at 4% bodyfat weighing over 250lbs still eating carbs the day before the show while others starved for months and used drugs to shed fat. this works. again, as your weight drops so will these numbers. you'd want to check your weight once a week and eat by that weight for the next 7 days. but make sure you weigh yourself first thing in the morning!

as for what to eat, carbs should be whole grains - brown rice, pasta's (barilla whole grain pasta contains 7-9g of protein as well), breads, pita's, etc. at each meal eat a serving (1/2 cup) of vegetables (brocolli, green beans, salad, carrots, etc) or a piece of fruit. don't count the veggies or fruit towards your carb numbers. fibrous veggies don't fully digest. for protein you want lean meats (96/4 beeft or ny strip steak, etc), fish (tuna, salmon, tilapia, etc), chicken breast, lean turkey. for your condiments you want fat free stuff. that means no mayo, etc. use dijons and mustards instead. if you want to you can use whey protein shakes (i highly recommend optimum nutrition 100% whey) in between meals to save time if you're in a rush or it's just more convenient. and pick a day where you let loose a bit. don't go to a buffet and clear it out or anything, but allow yourself to enjoy maybe some pizza, or a fatty steak, or some (some lol!!!) sweets, whatever, for one meal. that keeps you sane and it can help move your metabolism along.

on your training, one thing i will say is for your pullups try doing them 2x a week with 2 days rest between those days at least. see how many you can do first, then do 3 sets of that number. for example, you can do 4 pullups. so do 4, rest long enough till you feel you can do 4 more. repeat. if you don't hit the 4 (or whatever number) that's fine, drop and rest. now after the 3rd set find an assisted pullup machine or grab a friend. do as many assisted pullups as you can with no rest. when you hit all 3 sets for the target number of reps, add 1 pullup on the next workout. so if it was 3x4 + assisted reps on say monday and you nailed 4 reps on each set, on say thursday you would shoot for 3x5 + assisted. outside of that try to lean back just slightly to pull in your biceps and rear delts a bit to help you out. also breathe out when you hit the top, breathe in as you go down, hold it in as you pull up, and repeat.

i train national level bodybuilders and just plain old regular people looking to get in shape or compete in various sports. this program has never failed anybody who sticks to it. hopefully you can pull something from it to help you with your goals.

Congrats to you orangedog!! I know it is tough but you are seeing progress - that is awesome! Keep up the good work!

Over the next month, really try to focus on achieving a 10 on your diet and maintain your 8 in erercise - you will SUCCEED!

Every morning wake up and tell yourself that you will succeed in your diet and exercise routine. You CAN be perfect for 4 weeks with discipline. 4 weeks is merely a blip compared to the life you have led untill today as well as a blip from here on out. Be happy with your accomplishments and mindful of your failures. Do not be too harsh on yourself for any setback but understand that it is your responsibility to achieve your goals.

Thanks for the update, and way to go. At a time when so many people look for the easy way to loose weight, it's nice to see people doing it the right way. 20 pounds in 4 months is great.

Sasquatch - good point on the CSA. I've heard more about them lately, and they seem like a very viable option.

Quick update - down to 258. Not sure what the BF% is, though.

At 6'8", its starting to show a little bit and I need to get pretty much all of my work clothes altered or replaced. Fortunately, I ordered some fitted shirts a few months back and they're starting to work out.

22 lbs in 14 weeks is not bad - and all from working out and diet. Diet has improved slightly... maybe to an 8.5 now - but I still have a few moments of weakness... nothing wrong with letting loose but I think I still take it a bit too far (ie... a bowl of ice cream isn't too bad. a bowl of ice cream with 3 scoops two days in a row probably is).

Biggest area I've noticed an improvement in is the bike - stamina and speed are both up (new bike helps too, I'm sure). Run is slowly increasing in speed - dropped about 30 seconds/mile off of my 5 mile pace. Seems like the swim is a bit faster too.

Another 28lbs to go before i re-evaluate. And, about a month before the end of the competition.

Thanks again to all.

alright... another quick update.

We did another impromptu weigh in - with only two weeks to go. I was glad to see that I have retained the lead, although there is one guy still within striking distance.

"Official" starting body fat % was 28.9%... came in today at 24.6% for a loss of 4.3%. I'm hoping that with a final push I'll be able to clear the 5.0% mark and come in under 24%. Weight is down to 256, which will hopefully hit 253 by final weigh in.

Also, ran a 5k in just over 26 minutes (and felt I left a lot on the table), which is a big improvement over not being able to run a 5k to begin with.

I'll put up another post once the final results are in. Thanks again everyone.

Had another weigh in - not the final one though, which is now in September and is not changing again.

Anyways, the results are what I was after. 250lbs (down 30 since the comp start, 65 total) and 23.6% body fat, down 5.3% since the competition and around 10% since the start.

Staying on course all the way to 230!

final competition-related update for this thread - we had our final weigh in tonight.

I hit 23.2% body fat. Not a huge improvement from 4 weeks ago, but then my diet hasn't been as good as it should've been over those 4 weeks, plus I had 2 weeks where work really picked up and I barely had any workouts. So, I'm not too surprised by the result, and am glad to see it is in the right direction, even if minimal or a rounding/water error.

In any event, that is a reduction in body fat of 5.7%, or an almost 20% change since April. This gave me a solid victory for the competition!

I'm still plugging along towards 230, and have recently looked into getting assistance from a nutritionist.

Lessons learned to this point:
1. Eat vegetables - as much as you want.
2. Fruit makes the best breakfast component and morning snack.
3. Lean meat is the best option next to vegetables - salmon, chicken, eggs. Sadly, steak is good, but needs to be limited to once per week (maybe twice).
4. Starchy carbs (any bread, potatoes, etc.) should be kept to a minimum. There are a lot of carbs in vegetables that can be augmented by the occasional piece of wheat bread.
5. Triathlon training provides the benefit of multiple types of aerobic workouts. It is much easier, and I suspect better for the body, to vary the workout schedule.
6. Strength training twice per week provides multiple benefits and should be incorporated into a weekly schedule.
7. Having one or two "target" races aids in focus when times get bleak. A near term and further out race help keep the focus.
8. While I'm not happy about it, results are maximized when alcohol is removed or kept at an extreme minimum.
9. Trail mix in moderation.
10. If need be, salmon with a scoop of ice cream makes an acceptable dinner.

Hope this thread is helpful to others. I may ping it on occasion as I make further progress.

Thanks everyone!

Congrats on the loss and lessons. You have gotten it spot on IMO. I would say that the above lessons should be immortalized for everyone. They are a perfect simple REAL explanation of how to change your lifestyle and as a result lose weight and become far more healthy.