Balancing Fitness Gains and Weight Loss

Charlene____

Hi All,

How do you balance the lack of energy from being in a caloric deficit to gaining fitness? I am still in my base building stage of training for a 15K in February. I'm currently at 25mpw, running two easy runs, a tempo or a fartlek or 1/2M intervals with 1/4 recovery (only one of these per week), a pace run, and a long run. However, I am also trying to take off about 12lbs. I am 15 weeks out from the race. I also like to eat my calories looking at a whole week versus each day as my running distances do vary and I need calories on Thursdays for long run Fridays. I don't run Wed or Sat. but stay active with at least 15K steps each day from walking, running, or just going about my normal life.

Would you suggest sticking with -1lb per week and hopefully reaching maintenance about 3 weeks before my race, or should attack my weight loss more aggressively at this point? I burn about 17K calories per week according to my FitBit and I've been eating on average 13-14K. I'm happy with my fitness and can run my 4 mile pace runs at about 8:15/mile and can handle my long runs at 9:30/mile for about 8 right now. I am adding approx 2 miles each week in total distance with every 5th week being a reduced load. However I do notice that days I eat at or over maintenance, my runs the next day are full of strength and I feel strong and energized.

I am not overweight, but I gained more weight this past running season than normal due to a reduced run load from getting bronchitis in June. I normally gain 10lbs from March to July due to racing and my inability to balance my calories with hunger and racing, then I work on taking it off in the late summer and fall. This year I gained 18 and have taken off about 6 since mid September. I'm unhappy at my current weight, my clothes are tight, and I feel like I can race better when lighter.

estherdragonbat

Do you eat back your exercise calories?

Charlene____

I eat at a deficit of 3-4000 per week.

estherdragonbat

Okay, but when you burn 500 calories due to exercise, do you eat those back?

Charlene____

Yes. Fitbit calculates caloric burns by adding your BMR and any calories burned from regular movement and exercise. It does not separate exercise calories from your BMR. It gives a number at the end of the day which is your total burn. I do no log anything on MFP exercise wise as I am given an adjustment usually of between 500 and 1500 per day. I use MFP to log food.

When I say I burn approximately 17K calories per week, that is total caloric expenditure from eating, breathing, sleeping, running, walking to the train, thinking, etc. I then aim to eat about 3-4000 less than that to lose approximately one pound per week. Some days I am 1000 calories in the negative, some days I am over maintenance but on average, it comes out to a deficit of 500 per day. I'm wondering if I should increase that deficit to lose weight faster since my fitness doesn't seem to be suffering right now while I am still running low weekly mileage. Once I climb over 30 miles per week, I am afraid that I won't be able to maintain fitness gains while still producing a 3500 calorie per week deficit and my weight loss will slow.

estherdragonbat

I don't train to the extent you do, but when I was training to run a 5K I kept my normal deficit on MFP (I'm set to sedentary since all my exercise is purposeful) of 250 calories and eating back 50% of my fitness burns. On running days, I went up to 75% if I felt hungry. Should probably mention I haven't got a Fitbit and don't know how fast I was running. I logged it at the slowest option in the MFP Exercise tracker. That worked for me. Now, with only 12 lbs to lose, a 250-calorie deficit is probably better for you. (Or do you have more to lose overall, but expect to go down 12lbs during the training?)

Charlene____

No, 12lbs is all I have to lose. I am 132 right now and feel my best around 120 (118-123 is fine with me). I just don't want to be in a deficit when it comes down to the last 4-6 weeks of training. I have a 13.1 a few weeks after so I will technically be training for 13.1 come December.

jenilla1

I haven't had a lack of energy problem because I don't do large deficits. I've been in maintenance forever, but back when I was losing, I was set to about a 250 calorie/day deficit. Takes a while to drop weight at that rate, but I don't suffer (and my training doesn't suffer) while I'm doing it. I've never technically been overweight, just dropped some extra pounds I didn't need, so since I didn't have that much to lose, it made more sense to have a smaller, more comfortable deficit. I was in no rush.

estherdragonbat

Charlene____ wrote: »

No, 12lbs is all I have to lose. I am 132 right now and feel my best around 120 (118-123 is fine with me). I just don't want to be in a deficit when it comes down to the last 4-6 weeks of training. I have a 13.1 a few weeks after so I will technically be training for 13.1 come December.

With less than 15 to lose, 250 calories is generally the optimal deficit. It doesn't need to be daily. If you find that you're getting hungrier on run days, there's nothing wrong with, say, running a 500 calorie deficit on rest days and eating at maintenance on run days. Figure out what works best as your training progresses.

mreichard

I probably would not try to run a more aggressive deficit now (I think that’s what you asked) so that you can be in maintenance for longer before you race. I’d probably just be steady with the deficit. Years ago I was losing as I was trying to break a 19:00 5k and running a lot of miles (50 MPW of my training plus 20 MPW with kids I was coaching). I found that a small deficit was OK, but anything aggressive messed with my recovery and my energy levels.

Running2Fit

Expecting to lose 1 lb a week with only 12 lbs to lose and training for a race isn't very realistic and you are going to have trouble doing that in a healthy way that gives you the energy you need to train for your race. I would lower your goal to 0.5 a week, accept that you probably won't reach your goal weight before the race, but your training will likely be better for it.

But if you really want to lose that 1 lb a week you could try intermittent fasting and drop your calories to 500 on days you don't train so you have more calories to fuel your run days.

TavistockToad

Personally I would reduce the deficit now, if I was feeling it already. It'll only get worse as you increase your mileage more.

sijomial

Charlene____ wrote: »

How do you balance the lack of energy from being in a caloric deficit to gaining fitness?

Primarily by avoiding a large weekly calorie deficit.
I also have an irregular deficit rather than an everyday deficit.

On easy intensity exercise days I don't find it a problem to have a substantial deficit with no performance impact or excessive hunger. On the more intense training days I'll want to be fully fuelled for best performance to maximise quality of the training session but also I know I will be more hungry.

Personally I don't think 12lbs in 15 weeks is that unrealistic but Christmas and New Year might throw a spanner in the works! But if you are planning "I just don't want to be in a deficit when it comes down to the last 4-6 weeks of training" then that's taken a chunk out of your timeline. My training/event prep only has me back at maintenance for the last (taper) week before the event unless I'm feeling fatigued or feel my training is impacted.

As you are saying your "fitness doesn't seem to be suffering right now" then carry on - but I wouldn't increase the deficit. When your mileage and intensity goes up then reassess and adjust if required.

If it ends up being a choice between being at peak fitness and a few pounds too heavy or the "right weight" and less fit then I would prioritise the fitness aspect.

robertw486

Charlene____ wrote: »

No, 12lbs is all I have to lose. I am 132 right now and feel my best around 120 (118-123 is fine with me). I just don't want to be in a deficit when it comes down to the last 4-6 weeks of training. I have a 13.1 a few weeks after so I will technically be training for 13.1 come December.

So the half is a few weeks after the 15K in February?


For me personally I would stay on track with where you are. If I'm running a deficit my training does suffer, but recovers fairly quickly if and when I eat at maintenance again. But in my case that is also impacted by the size of the deficit. Being a 6' guy and obviously heavier than you, if I run more than about a 500 calorie deficit things slow down a lot more, and I notice it more in longer workouts.

But regardless, if I just bounce back to maintenance for even a few days, my pace picks up almost immediately, especially on longer distances. The last time I did that I just really wanted a break from the deficit and had been hungry constantly. Though I was still on the heavier side for my weight range I set several PR times on the bike a couple days later, set close to an all time record calorie burn for an hour on the elliptical the following day, and then managed just shy of 13 miles running later in the week, and I hadn't run in over a month. Those extra calories really make a difference for me personally.


Being lighter and smaller, you might want to play with numbers and see where you feel best. I usually don't often notice that my training is being impacted when on a deficit... I often feel great. But when I do add those calories, it's obvious that the deficit was impacting things.

jjpptt2

There's a lot of personal preference and personal priority involved in this conversation, so take everything with a grain of salt.

Personally...

• 1lb per week would be too aggressive for me during high training phases. I can lose comfortably during base building phases, but less so during speed/strength blocks.
• I found nutrient timing made a difference... post workout meals, before-bed shakes, etc.
• I found that keeping daily net intake fairly constant helped (i.e. no big swings day to day).
• I found sleep to be HUGELY important.

firef1y72

For me personally, I'd either forget about the weightloss or drop the deficit to a very tiny amount, all that running takes fuel and it will suffer if you don't eat enough and you may find that you need even more food if and when your training ramps up.

I'm in very early stages of marathon training (I seem to always be training for something or other anyway) and have a ten miler in 2 weeks, probably doing around the same mileage as you atm. I find if I try to scale back my eating I struggle more with my longer runs, once I get up above 30 miles a week I'll probably start needing to eat at a surplus to make sure I'm fuelling those really long runs.

Charlene____

Thanks for all the replies. I think I'll stick with the 2500 calorie a week deficit for now since I don't really notice it right now. I am a meticulous logger when I am home though I travel out of the country often for work which can lead to logging issues, but I do my best to be accurate (and smart most of the time). I looked back between my Fitbit and MFP and found that my average daily deficit since Sept 16th when I started purposely eating at a deficit to be 405 actually so a bit smaller than what I was assuming I had. But over 7 weeks, that is 20,000 calories or 5.5 pounds which is about what I lost (6.4 pounds).

From past experience, once I cross the 30 mpw threshold, I have a much harder time sticking to caloric goals- which is why I gain so much during my race "season" of March thru July. Once I do hit the magic 30 per week, I'll adjust my deficit to a more manageable level.

This year is harder for me- I gained more weight than normal and my first race is 4 weeks earlier this year than when I normally start racing. I'll be careful to keep eating at maintenance the day before my long runs- I personally believe the long run is the most important run of the week and can be the most enjoyable if properly fueled or it can the the most hellish if not.

I especially liked the replies from you all who stated that eating at maintenance isn't necessary so far out from a race. I've never considered that eating at maintenance about one week out would be sufficient.

Thanks again for your help.

HoneyBadger302

Obviously every person is different, but I find I can't maintain my intense pre-race (different kind of racing, but racing none the less LOL) season training while in any kind of noticeable deficit (maybe a slight one, but very slight - like lucky if I lose .5/lb month). If I'm looking to lose weight, I need to adjust my training accordingly while also accepting a slower loss rate. The only times I've been able to maintain a 1-1.5lb/week loss was when I wasn't exercising, or only very lightly.

I find I am much happier overall, and have more energy, at a slower loss rate. Mentally it can be a little hard to have such slow progress, but moment by moment it's a LOT easier, and my training doesn't suffer anywhere near as much.

I have nearly twice the pounds to lose as you, and I can't do 1 pound a week and keep up any kind of real training routine, and I'm at a point where fitness will have far more benefits to my racing than those 20-ish pounds will, so I've accepted (begrudgingly) the slower loss rate.