This.
I don't care how I place for the Ironman, my only goal is to not die. In terms of cross fit. I'm a casual cross fitter. I just show up and have a good time. I'm not looking to lose 15 pounds fast and I would rather lose it in a healthy manor.
Just looking to be healthy and have a good time while doing it, and hopefully make my ex jealous in the process.
To be healthy, I'd say weight training is far more important than all that cardio, which IMHO hurts rather than helps. OTOH, it does help to do something like an Iron Man so you're going to have to make some compromises somewhere (which you are already doing, knowingly or not...).
I mean, you're going to have to eat like a mother to do all this stuff, which makes appetite and food quality control a real bitch, which of course makes fat loss really tough. Do you keep a food diary or have any idea what your calorie intake is? What ratio of fat/protein/carbs do you eat?
Normally, my response is just 'eat clean and your hormones will do the rest' but for you it could be a lot tougher. Luckily it doesn't sound like that 15lb number is all that important.
If I had to do something like lose 15lbs in that period and prepare for an Iron Man and not lose all my strength completely and not get a bunch of over-training injuries, I'd probably approach it like:
- Eat mostly protein and fat, very low carb EXCEPT post-workout. You could play with IF but not every day. Maybe fast up to 18hrs 3 or 4 days/week, eat normally the rest of the time
- Do mostly sprint/interval/tabata-style training for running, swimming and biking (with additional skill work if needed) and keep full-on runs/bikes/swims to once or twice a week (in total, not for each)
- Squat, deadlift and press once a week to around 90% of normal maxes (just to maintain strength and kickstart fat burning)
- Make sure you are getting PLENTY of sleep - at least 8hrs or as much as it takes for you to jump out of bed in the morning
