Running and not losing

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  • MichelleWithMoxie
    MichelleWithMoxie Posts: 1,817 Member
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    only6icecubes wrote: »
    Running is not great for weight loss. Most new runners who train for a half or full will gain weight. Weight loss for running will occur around 65 plus miles a week. Those who are training at higher mileage are already thin.

    If you want to be thinner for a race, you have to do that prior to starting the training cycle.

    This is a bunch of BS.

    Op, look at your diet and tighten up your food tracking.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    only6icecubes wrote: »
    Running is not great for weight loss. Most new runners who train for a half or full will gain weight. Weight loss for running will occur around 65 plus miles a week. Those who are training at higher mileage are already thin.

    If you want to be thinner for a race, you have to do that prior to starting the training cycle.

    the only weight gain there will be is excess water retention from introducing more exercise. weight gain comes from eating more calories than you burn period.
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
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    only6icecubes wrote: »
    Running is not great for weight loss. Most new runners who train for a half or full will gain weight. Weight loss for running will occur around 65 plus miles a week. Those who are training at higher mileage are already thin.

    If you want to be thinner for a race, you have to do that prior to starting the training cycle.

    I'm going to admit I put on 8lb while marathon training, but that wasn't because running isn't great for weight loss, it's because I was deliberately eating at a surplus once the long runs really ramped up to give myself enough fuel to run and recover (and everything else I did). My bodyfat % remained around the same during that time so a good percentage of that was muscle, meaning when I cut I looked smaller than at the same weight before training.
    In other words I treated it as a mini bulk (in my mind at least)
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    edited June 2018
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    123bean wrote: »
    thank you everyone. Yes I realize the RUNGER is what is getting to me. I also think once i'm running 10 miles I cant stick to 1500 calories or even more. I'm going to start tracking again- and then on SUPER long run days make that a cheat day or at least have a cheat meal.

    Don't have a cheat meal, just eat at maintenance plus your running calories.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
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    I struggle with this a lot. There are a few of us here: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10573619/runners-that-need-some-nutritional-accountability

    I play around with different things, and they all work to varying degrees.

    I tend to do my long run early in the day, so I eat a BIG dinner the night before. I'll eat my normal dinner calories PLUS about half my exercise calories I anticipate getting the next day. I think of this as fueling rather than "going over." I find my run the next day is just better and I don't feel quite as famished. Then, I'll tack on the other half of my long run calories to dinner on long run day. The following day, I'll eat at maintenance if I'm feeling hungry still. I'm usually OK if I make it to my shorter training runs. Looks something like this:

    Monday: Eat MFP calories + half Monday exercise (RUN)
    Tuesday: Eat MFP calories + half Tuesday exercise (RUN)
    Wednesday: Eat MFP calories + half Wednesday exercise (RUN)
    Thursday: Eat MFP calories I'll dip into the "other halves" of extra calories if I'm feeling hugry here (REST)
    Friday: Eat MFP calories + half Friday exercise calories + half Saturday anticipated exercise calories (CROSSTRAIN)
    Saturday: Eat MFP calories + other half Saturday exercise calories (LONG RUN)
    Sunday: Eat MFP calories OR Maintenance depending on runger (REST)
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
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    apullum wrote: »
    only6icecubes wrote: »
    Running is not great for weight loss. Most new runners who train for a half or full will gain weight. Weight loss for running will occur around 65 plus miles a week. Those who are training at higher mileage are already thin.

    If you want to be thinner for a race, you have to do that prior to starting the training cycle.

    How in the world did I lose 100 pounds by running 3-4 times a week, never even coming remotely close to 65 miles a week?

    I kind of get what @only6icecubes is saying. When you get within a certain range of goal weight (for me, it's been 10lbs away for a year) and I've shifted my focus to "training" rather than "weight loss," I totally feel like being at racing weight when training starts is correct.

    Running for weight loss, IMO, is a little different than race training. I don't like it, but that is definitely how it is for me. :/
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    123bean wrote: »
    Hello MFP- i'm a runner and currently training for a half marathon. I run 6 miles during the week and do longer (8-12) mile run on the weekends. I've been training for one month. I have lost ZERO pounds. I'm at a loss as to what to eat since on weekends i burn so many calories. Is it possible to lose weight running? or is this a myth?

    Running or any other exercise does not default to weight loss. Also, I don't train and try to lose weight at the same time. If I'm training for cycling events and putting in a lot of miles, I'm always hungry and also don't want to impede my recovery. I do a lot better when I need to cut weight with more modest amounts of cycling and some lifting and walking.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    fitoverfortymom wrote: »
    apullum wrote: »
    only6icecubes wrote: »
    Running is not great for weight loss. Most new runners who train for a half or full will gain weight. Weight loss for running will occur around 65 plus miles a week. Those who are training at higher mileage are already thin.

    If you want to be thinner for a race, you have to do that prior to starting the training cycle.

    How in the world did I lose 100 pounds by running 3-4 times a week, never even coming remotely close to 65 miles a week?

    I kind of get what @only6icecubes is saying. When you get within a certain range of goal weight (for me, it's been 10lbs away for a year) and I've shifted my focus to "training" rather than "weight loss," I totally feel like being at racing weight when training starts is correct.

    Running for weight loss, IMO, is a little different than race training. I don't like it, but that is definitely how it is for me. :/

    There's nothing wrong with having non-weight-related running goals, and your goals with running may or may not include weight loss. I think your training may be more productive if you're not in a deficit, though you can absolutely become a better runner while in a deficit--I PR'd nearly every race I ran while losing weight. It's hard to say how much of the improvement was from actually getting faster and having more endurance vs. just being lighter; I'm sure it's a little of both. But it's not true that running is inherently "not great" for weight loss or that you have to run a certain number of miles per week in order to lose weight. Running can be part of a weight loss plan just like any other form of exercise, as long as you're in a calorie deficit.

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