Losing weight, feeling LESS fit?

mariebmcd

I've been a runner my whole life, and have run several marathons. Even at my heaviest I still ran. Well, now I'm losing weight and my runs are getting slower and I feel less fit. Has this happened to anyone else? Maybe I'm not eating enough? Or is this just a period of adjustment?

MsEndomorph

Are you doing any strength training at all?

moondawg14

I've been a runner my whole life, and have run several marathons. Even at my heaviest I still ran. Well, now I'm losing weight and my runs are getting slower and I feel less fit. Has this happened to anyone else? Maybe I'm not eating enough? Or is this just a period of adjustment?

Well, you don't share your food diary, so I can't say.

But yes, #1 guess is that you're not eating enough. take a rest week... cut your mileage by 30% or so, and don't do any intervals or hard runs. See if you feel better.

Ready2Rock206

LOL - I said this same thing recently!! I had a couple weeks where I swear I was getting less fit by the day! Bounced back though - and feeling like I'm moving in the right direction again now. Moondawgs advice is probably right on - my diet had been a little slacking for a while.

djkronyx

If you are losing weight you are in a caloric deficit (conrats!). At the same time you are losing fat you are losing lean muscle mass as well...it's inevitable. To minimize muscle loss consider resistance strength training 3-4x/week in addition to increasing your daily protein intake.

phjorg1

not eating enough would be my first guess. muscle needs food to move.

mariebmcd

Thanks! I am losing weight so I do have a caloric deficit, but maybe I need to up my protein and iron intake. I am doing strength training twice a week, I'll see if I can modify it to increase strength without making me exhausted the next day. I appreciate the feedback!