I guess for me it was. Since I quit racing on the bike a few years ago I had gained 13-15 lbs going from 176-180 to 190-192. I am 6 3" so its not like I had gotten obese. I also focused a lot on strength training and at least when I was diligent with the strength work my % of body fat had stayed the same (but as soon as I was less diligent my % of body fat went up). My daughter said to me one day "you definitely now have a Dad body" which didn't seem to bother me too much at the time but the phrase seemed to get stuck in my head. I tried multiple times over the past two years to eat less, work out more but I never lost any real weight. The only thing that really bothered me was that it just felt like a one way street and I found myself accepting the inevitability of getting older (57 now) and with it coming steady weight gain even if it was slow and gradual.
I was in NY a few weeks ago and I read a book on diet and exercise and there was absolutely nothing in the book that I didn't know. I had just forgotten and hadn't had any real focus on what and how I was eating. I was eating a low carb, higher protein diet with focus on good fats and on lower fat proteins. The biggest focus of this book is an elimination of all white flour, all sugar and only get fats from the proteins consumed while at the same time eating less to create some caloric deficit. This book also emphasizes eating more carbs but the right kind and cutting unnecessary fat (which is the opposite of the current low carb high fat craze). I am 3.5 weeks into it and I have lost about 8 lbs. However within the first couple of days my sleep radically improved and my energy level increased substantially. Just as most people are somewhat allergic to alcohol, the same is pretty much true for sugar and white flour. I really had no idea how large a negative impact it was having on the way I felt both physically and mentally (some minor anxiety issues that I was feeling went away in the first week and have not returned). Then there is the benefit of just being lighter, which adds to the increased energy. Weight makes us feel sluggish and lifeless (at least it does me).
How will all this affect my skiing? I don't really know but I skied just fine at this weight for years and I still do strength training specific for skiing. Are my legs as strong now versus a month ago? No way, we lose muscle and fat in about the ratio that it exists in our body (or lose muscle even faster than we burn fat). But I am not and will never be a WC racer and my body will hold up just fine through ski season.
For me this is a change that I will make permanent. The results are just too strong to go back the eating the old way (yes I will eat more calories when I lose anther 3-4 lbs but the right calories).
I figured I would throw this up for anyone that needs a little push to commit to getting leaner into ski season. Maybe this post will push a person or two over the edge.