Marathon training and weight loss
gorple76
Posts: 162 Member
I know, I know, it's really hard to lose weight whilst training for a marathon, and so far I'm proving that point admirably by putting on several pounds since I started training. But I really want to lose 10 pounds if possible before October as my knees get sore and my pace is not great. I think I'd feel generally swifter and more confident for the big day. So, any good news stories and/or advice out there?!
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Slow and steady, a 350-500 calorie deficit is really all you need to maintain. You are just about exactly where i'm at with 8 lbs to lose for an October Marathon. What i've found works the best is to eat at maintenance on the rest days and easy/low mileage days, for me that is 5 miles or less. This gives me my rest day and 2 other days to eat a little more to fuel for my harder/longer runs. I can't run my long run well if I didn't eat well the day before. On the days i've got a lot of miles to run it's pretty easy to eat at a 300-700 calorie deficit. Yesterdays 17 mile run burned 2200 calories, plus my typical calorie day of 2100 gave me over 4000 calories to play with. It's too hard for me to eat good quality foods and get that many calories, so i was under 900 yesterday and felt plenty full. Today is a rest day so i'll eat normal, then tomorrow is 9 miles so i'll be able to stay a few hundred calories under for the day and so on.
One thing i've also found is you'll typically add a few pounds back on during taper, so before that last week of heavy training try to get 2-3 pounds under your goal. Since the start of my base phase in early May I've cut 7 lbs this way.6 -
Slow and steady, a 350-500 calorie deficit is really all you need to maintain. You are just about exactly where i'm at with 8 lbs to lose for an October Marathon. What i've found works the best is to eat at maintenance on the rest days and easy/low mileage days, for me that is 5 miles or less. This gives me my rest day and 2 other days to eat a little more to fuel for my harder/longer runs. I can't run my long run well if I didn't eat well the day before. On the days i've got a lot of miles to run it's pretty easy to eat at a 300-700 calorie deficit. Yesterdays 17 mile run burned 2200 calories, plus my typical calorie day of 2100 gave me over 4000 calories to play with. It's too hard for me to eat good quality foods and get that many calories, so i was under 900 yesterday and felt plenty full. Today is a rest day so i'll eat normal, then tomorrow is 9 miles so i'll be able to stay a few hundred calories under for the day and so on.
One thing i've also found is you'll typically add a few pounds back on during taper, so before that last week of heavy training try to get 2-3 pounds under your goal. Since the start of my base phase in early May I've cut 7 lbs this way.
Thank you. I think this is just what I need to hear. I often read that it's not possible and then use that as an excuse to over eat. I think I need to focus more, not get side tracked and talk myself out of it, and accept that it'll be hard but totally worth it come race day. Good luck with your training btw!0 -
I have a marathon in October and need a few lbs off my then. How's it going for you?0
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I'm only training for a half-marathon, but I have found that when I stay within my calorie limit and choose my foods wisely, I run so much faster and have more endurance. It's tempting to gorge especially after a run, but my performance really does suffer if I go over consistently. Good luck! Stay the course! :-)0
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christyprunner wrote: »I have a marathon in October and need a few lbs off my then. How's it going for you?
The training is going ok, but the eating is still terrible. It's incredible really when you work out how much you burn when you're doing 30+ miles per week, that you can still eat enough to not lose a single pound!0 -
christyprunner wrote: »I have a marathon in October and need a few lbs off my then. How's it going for you?
The training is going ok, but the eating is still terrible. It's incredible really when you work out how much you burn when you're doing 30+ miles per week, that you can still eat enough to not lose a single pound!
i was training for a half marathon from January to May and didn't lose a single pound...
i was rungry!2 -
christyprunner wrote: »I have a marathon in October and need a few lbs off my then. How's it going for you?
The training is going ok, but the eating is still terrible. It's incredible really when you work out how much you burn when you're doing 30+ miles per week, that you can still eat enough to not lose a single pound!
That weekly mileage would give me (at~150lbs) just 500 calories/day more. I can blow that out without trying in 5 minutes. And you get the runger...1 -
I can easily put on weight running 60+ miles per week and doing some cycling! I'm small and greedy though.2
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I need to lose 20 by October. Having a tough time cause of being rungry. Idk what to eat to prevent it.0
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Slow and steady, a 350-500 calorie deficit is really all you need to maintain.
This is really what I found that works AND a more precise daily measurement of your actual calorie count. I've used the Weight Loss Calculator Spreadsheet maintained by @heybales along with a lot of data I've accumulated. My target daily deficit deficit is 325-350 calories.
I eat a relatively steady diet with some variation in daily calorie intake on running days. Based upon the last 6 months of data, the spreadsheet has projected a TDEE of ~3,150 calories/day while I am was going through the completion of a training cycle, recovery, and the beginning of a new cycle. Some days are higher or lower, but I keep track of them.
The end result, however, is that my weight dropped from 180 pounds (after Thanksgiving and Christmas weight gain) down to 165-168 which is where my weight is floating now. Whether I take my weight down another 5 pounds is something I am considering. But the combination of weight loss and conditioning has made for my fastest times in most races.
And my last marathon on a very hilly course was a real cruise. I wasn't trying to set a PR. I was just enjoying a day of running with several thousand people. So, when I crossed the line just 3:20 off of my PR pace, I realized the benefits.
It is not easy, but it is worthwhile.
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Slow and steady, a 350-500 calorie deficit is really all you need to maintain.
This is really what I found that works AND a more precise daily measurement of your actual calorie count. I've used the Weight Loss Calculator Spreadsheet maintained by @heybales along with a lot of data I've accumulated. My target daily deficit deficit is 325-350 calories.
I eat a relatively steady diet with some variation in daily calorie intake on running days. Based upon the last 6 months of data, the spreadsheet has projected a TDEE of ~3,150 calories/day while I am was going through the completion of a training cycle, recovery, and the beginning of a new cycle. Some days are higher or lower, but I keep track of them.
The end result, however, is that my weight dropped from 180 pounds (after Thanksgiving and Christmas weight gain) down to 165-168 which is where my weight is floating now. Whether I take my weight down another 5 pounds is something I am considering. But the combination of weight loss and conditioning has made for my fastest times in most races.
And my last marathon on a very hilly course was a real cruise. I wasn't trying to set a PR. I was just enjoying a day of running with several thousand people. So, when I crossed the line just 3:20 off of my PR pace, I realized the benefits.
It is not easy, but it is worthwhile.
Have you got a link to the spreadsheet? I'm still struggling and really need to pin this down!0 -
Slow and steady, a 350-500 calorie deficit is really all you need to maintain.
This is really what I found that works AND a more precise daily measurement of your actual calorie count. I've used the Weight Loss Calculator Spreadsheet maintained by @heybales along with a lot of data I've accumulated. My target daily deficit deficit is 325-350 calories.
I eat a relatively steady diet with some variation in daily calorie intake on running days. Based upon the last 6 months of data, the spreadsheet has projected a TDEE of ~3,150 calories/day while I am was going through the completion of a training cycle, recovery, and the beginning of a new cycle. Some days are higher or lower, but I keep track of them.
The end result, however, is that my weight dropped from 180 pounds (after Thanksgiving and Christmas weight gain) down to 165-168 which is where my weight is floating now. Whether I take my weight down another 5 pounds is something I am considering. But the combination of weight loss and conditioning has made for my fastest times in most races.
And my last marathon on a very hilly course was a real cruise. I wasn't trying to set a PR. I was just enjoying a day of running with several thousand people. So, when I crossed the line just 3:20 off of my PR pace, I realized the benefits.
It is not easy, but it is worthwhile.
Have you got a link to the spreadsheet? I'm still struggling and really need to pin this down!
The first spreadsheet link on my profile page is a lot simpler one if you don't like having fun with numbers.
May have to tweak things after you see results after a month.
If you do like stats, then the detailed one can be useful, just suggest staying on Simple Setup and Progress tabs.
After viewing sample data in yellow cells, delete it all and put in your own that you happen to have.
HRM tab actually may be helpful also to have your stats, and look through.
Weight Loss Calculator spreadsheet (updated 1/5/14) for BMR/TDEE deficit methods, HRM info, macro setup, MFP tweaking, all to maximize deficit and benefit of exercise done and retain muscle mass:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amt7QBR9-c6MdGVTbGswLUUzUHNVVUlNSW9wZWloeUE
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Thank you! Will have a play around. I quite like numbers when planning and evaluating my running, so maybe this will give me the boost I need to sort my nutrition.0
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So I used the spreadsheet for myself but I am confused because I am afraid I don't know what any of these numbers mean. I am not used to TDEE, I am used to whatever myfitnesspal tells me. Can somebody help me out?
Says my BMR is 1919
My TDEE - 3352
10% Deficit for last 10 lbs 335
15% Deficit 503
20% Deficit for over 60 lbs 670
Total Daily Eating Goal (TDEG) 10% 3017
Total Daily Eating Goal (TDEG) 15% 2849
Total Daily Eating Goal (TDEG) 20% 2682
Thank you0 -
Focus on a lot of easy pace miles which will utilize fat as fuel. If you have too many training miles that go into the anaerobic zone, you will burn more glycogen which will have you consuming more carbs to replace (or else you begin to feel too sluggush).
Transforming your body from being a carb burner to a fat burner will in general take time to adjust and your runs will seem sluggush anyway in the mean time. Just keep at it and focus on getting the miles in and don't worry about the pace. In time, your body will react and you won't feel as sluggush.1 -
So I used the spreadsheet for myself but I am confused because I am afraid I don't know what any of these numbers mean. I am not used to TDEE, I am used to whatever myfitnesspal tells me. Can somebody help me out?
Says my BMR is 1919
My TDEE - 3352
10% Deficit for last 10 lbs 335
15% Deficit 503
20% Deficit for over 60 lbs 670
Total Daily Eating Goal (TDEG) 10% 3017
Total Daily Eating Goal (TDEG) 15% 2849
Total Daily Eating Goal (TDEG) 20% 2682
Thank you
Im 220 trying to get back under 200 by end of August btw0 -
So I used the spreadsheet for myself but I am confused because I am afraid I don't know what any of these numbers mean. I am not used to TDEE, I am used to whatever myfitnesspal tells me. Can somebody help me out?
Says my BMR is 1919
My TDEE - 3352
10% Deficit for last 10 lbs 335
15% Deficit 503
20% Deficit for over 60 lbs 670
Total Daily Eating Goal (TDEG) 10% 3017
Total Daily Eating Goal (TDEG) 15% 2849
Total Daily Eating Goal (TDEG) 20% 2682
Thank you
Background in case it's needed.
MFP starts out with BMR also (same formula based on gender, age, weight, height), multiplies by a non-exercise activity factor based on your selection of activity level (in spreadsheet, that is the lower section with work/life descriptions).
This results in an estimated daily calorie burn for maintaining if all you did was that activity level. Known as TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). In this case with no exercise.
They then remove 250, 500, 750, 1000 calories based on your weight loss speed selection.
And there's your eating goal for non-exercise days.
When you workout - you add the exercise, your daily burn goes up since that's what happened, deficit is still in there for new eating goal which is higher.
The spreadsheet is almost doing the same thing - except planned exercise is included in the weekly average instead of the day it's actually done. Hence the upper section asking about exercise.
This gives a static eating goal, instead of dynamic. Some people like eating the same daily for planning purposes.
And if that eating goal is less than you burn on average - then you lose fat weight.
So you pick a reasonable deficit amount.
You set MFP to your own custom eating goal.
And in this case do NOT log exercise when done - merely make a wall post about your workouts.
Some like the fact exercise is planned for also - may inspire more. Some like the daily increase in eating goal more, inspires them more.
If the deficit amount is the same - they both will end up with the same result on average.
The only potential kicker of doing this average weekly TDEE method, is if you have smaller workouts during the week and a big 1-2 days a week of huge workout.
That could raise your average TDEE such that on the big workout day you actually have a big deficit, and are actually very hungry for a very good reason.
To edit:
Lose the last 20 lbs in a month (tad less) - unrealistic.
Actually, even if you include intentionally doing something foolish to lose muscle mass - still not realistic.
You could easily do the right things to make it appear you lost 10 or more lbs though - if interested.
But 5lbs weekly - you'll stress out over never seeing it and actually gain stress water weight - so reset your future goal is best solution.0 -
Focus on a lot of easy pace miles which will utilize fat as fuel. If you have too many training miles that go into the anaerobic zone, you will burn more glycogen which will have you consuming more carbs to replace (or else you begin to feel too sluggush).
Transforming your body from being a carb burner to a fat burner will in general take time to adjust and your runs will seem sluggush anyway in the mean time. Just keep at it and focus on getting the miles in and don't worry about the pace. In time, your body will react and you won't feel as sluggush.
The other nice thing about this method - usually less stressful and injury prone to the body anyway.
Slowing down to speed up - because you will speed up in general once body is trained.0 -
My bad. Not end of August. End of October lol.
Thank you
Edit - so if I put in the numbers from the spreadsheet I just wouldn't track my exercise right? Except my long run day of course cause that would be outside the norm by a lot0 -
My bad. Not end of August. End of October lol.
Thank you
Edit - so if I put in the numbers from the spreadsheet I just wouldn't track my exercise right? Except my long run day of course cause that would be outside the norm by a lot
That's an great way to play it - like only count 1 hr of the long run in expected exercise for the week in the table.
On the day of the run log everything over the 1 hr and eat back that day when you really need it after the workout.
and as a guy, you could get by with the 20% number even though only 20 lbs to lose.
But if only running and no upper body resistance - suggest 15% though to preserve muscle mass - unless you really don't want extra upper body unneeded for endurance running.
Move to 10% when down to last 10 lbs.0 -
I'm still struggling with losing weight. Yes I know I'm making bad choices but I have a question. Are there any people who are 175 and under who regularly track their food on mfp? The diaries I have seen from people in this range either don't track at all or are not complete. I'm just curious what these people are eating. Thanks.0
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I'm 123lbs and I track my food pretty regularly at the moment, though I'll probably stop when I get back to 118. I give myself a few days off from time to time though, e.g. If I'm travelling or visiting friends and want to just eat at maintenance or am eating lots of things I'd have to estimate rather than measuring.0
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I'm still struggling with losing weight. Yes I know I'm making bad choices but I have a question. Are there any people who are 175 and under who regularly track their food on mfp? The diaries I have seen from people in this range either don't track at all or are not complete. I'm just curious what these people are eating. Thanks.
I'll bet as mileage is ramping up your LBM is increasing for a couple reasons - even while losing fat weight.
Do measurements show more progress than scale?
I normally do, but having a terrible training and eating schedule right now, so likely not eating enough. I log on the really big ride days when I know I need to eat more. The others days is so mundane and the same I already know.
But I have seen many men about our height that are going for 10-20-30 lbs and logging well.
They seem to be lifters - so sadly different focus and different macro desires that you might not find useful.0 -
Once I'm finished marathon training I'm going to change things up. Definitely going to be doing more cross training and trying to get into either weight lifting(if I can get somebody to teach me) or body weight stuff. I'm one dimensional right now. Even when I was at my lowest of 193 I couldn't get past that point. I was stuck there. Now I'm 25lbs heavier I'm struggling to get back under 200. My original goal of getting back to 200 by race day isn't going to happen now. I just need to start making better choices but I'm just so damn hungry all the time and those junk foods keep calling my name. I fee like the guy from new jack city. "They keep calling me man" lol0
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Once I'm finished marathon training I'm going to change things up. Definitely going to be doing more cross training and trying to get into either weight lifting(if I can get somebody to teach me) or body weight stuff. I'm one dimensional right now. Even when I was at my lowest of 193 I couldn't get past that point. I was stuck there. Now I'm 25lbs heavier I'm struggling to get back under 200. My original goal of getting back to 200 by race day isn't going to happen now. I just need to start making better choices but I'm just so damn hungry all the time and those junk foods keep calling my name. I fee like the guy from new jack city. "They keep calling me man" lol
Protein and fiber. These are the keys to feeling satisfied while eating few enough calories to not gain weight. Running throws in a need for carbs, and particularly a need for electrolyte replenishment. The need for electrolytes is where a salt craving comes from, and your body knows that junk food is typically full of salt.
The cravings for junk can be somewhat diminished if you have a good electrolyte replacement strategy for running.
I know, I can go through 3000 calories of junk like it's nothing, if I let myself start. The key is not to let myself start. Post-race banana, good. Post-race bagel, okay. Post-race pizza, don't go there. It will be very hard for me to stop eating pizza.0 -
When I finish my marathon on 2 October I'm going to eat 3000 calories of whatever I feel like (probably roast beef, roast potatoes, and a bucket of red wine) if I can fit that much in! Even though I won't have burnt that much.....3
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I've been maintaining my race weight of 150±2 lbs for quite a while (over a year?), and before that I was maintaining around 165 lbs when I was more concentrated on weight training before I decided to drop weight to improve my running performance. I'm 5'10.5" with a 30" waist and am under 10% BF currently.I'm still struggling with losing weight. Yes I know I'm making bad choices but I have a question. Are there any people who are 175 and under who regularly track their food on mfp? The diaries I have seen from people in this range either don't track at all or are not complete. I'm just curious what these people are eating. Thanks.
I track everything except diet drinks/water, and my diary is open. This past 2-1/2 months I've been basically barely able to walk due to a non-running related injury, but before that is pretty typical for me. I typical eat 2800 calories/day while concentrating on getting around 130-140g of protein a day and meeting my fiber and micronutrient goals. I am running 35-55 MPW depending on where I am in my training schedule.
I am brutally honest with my intake/calorie burns, and weigh everything with a food scale when I am at home. That has been key for maintaining my weight for the past 5 years. I follow a pretty flexible diet (IIFYM) and still have "junk" food in moderation. Daily.2 -
Once I'm finished marathon training I'm going to change things up. Definitely going to be doing more cross training and trying to get into either weight lifting(if I can get somebody to teach me) or body weight stuff. I'm one dimensional right now. Even when I was at my lowest of 193 I couldn't get past that point. I was stuck there. Now I'm 25lbs heavier I'm struggling to get back under 200. My original goal of getting back to 200 by race day isn't going to happen now. I just need to start making better choices but I'm just so damn hungry all the time and those junk foods keep calling my name. I fee like the guy from new jack city. "They keep calling me man" lol
Protein and fiber. These are the keys to feeling satisfied while eating few enough calories to not gain weight. Running throws in a need for carbs, and particularly a need for electrolyte replenishment. The need for electrolytes is where a salt craving comes from, and your body knows that junk food is typically full of salt.
The cravings for junk can be somewhat diminished if you have a good electrolyte replacement strategy for running.
I know, I can go through 3000 calories of junk like it's nothing, if I let myself start. The key is not to let myself start. Post-race banana, good. Post-race bagel, okay. Post-race pizza, don't go there. It will be very hard for me to stop eating pizza.
One thing I did was switch from whey protien powder to a casein protien powder post run. It's thicker & slower digesting and makes me feel full longer. I typically do 50g shake (260 calories) after the run and 25g (130 calories) before bed. I also use a crap-ton of NUUN tablets throughout the day. They are much less calories than drinking Gatorade or Poweraid. For Dinner, I'll try to have a large spinach salad with red/ green peppers, carrots, etc and an organic vignette dressing which is almost nothing as far as calories goes, and loaded with fiber. Then ill eat the main dish of meat, etc but i'll be full before i every want to go it for seconds.
I agree with Moby, if I get started cheating, I'll rack up 4000 calories quick for the day. Some days like my long run days that's OK, but for days I'm only getting in 6-7 miles I'll be way over. I also found that having a cheat day/meal is vital. I don't care how many calories are in that cheesecake, I'll have 2 please, ok 3 then. That helps reset the system sometimes and makes it easier to stay on track the rest of the week.1 -
The_Enginerd wrote: »
I've been maintaining my race weight of 150±2 lbs for quite a while (over a year?), and before that I was maintaining around 165 lbs when I was more concentrated on weight training before I decided to drop weight to improve my running performance. I'm 5'10.5" with a 30" waist and am under 10% BF currently.I'm still struggling with losing weight. Yes I know I'm making bad choices but I have a question. Are there any people who are 175 and under who regularly track their food on mfp? The diaries I have seen from people in this range either don't track at all or are not complete. I'm just curious what these people are eating. Thanks.
I track everything except diet drinks/water, and my diary is open. This past 2-1/2 months I've been basically barely able to walk due to a non-running related injury, but before that is pretty typical for me. I typical eat 2800 calories/day while concentrating on getting around 130-140g of protein a day and meeting my fiber and micronutrient goals. I am running 35-55 MPW depending on where I am in my training schedule.
I am brutally honest with my intake/calorie burns, and weigh everything with a food scale when I am at home. That has been key for maintaining my weight for the past 5 years. I follow a pretty flexible diet (IIFYM) and still have "junk" food in moderation. Daily.
Thank you1
