Week 3 of half marathon training

RGRgoddess
RGRgoddess Posts: 9 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
And I've only lost 1 pound I'm eating less and running more i don't understand ?? Back ground I'm 40 and sit on the job all day
Right now my training is
Week one
Mon 3
Tues 2
Weds rest
Thurs 3
Friday cross train (weights )
Sat 4

Week 2
Same as week one but sat 5
Week 3
Mon 3.5
Tues 2
Weds rest
Thurs 3.5
Fri cross
Sat 6
So I'm running more then I ever had but not losing idk what to do? Just keep running and eating clean and hope for the best ???
Thanks for any help

Replies

  • RunnerElizabeth
    RunnerElizabeth Posts: 1,091 Member
    Give it a little time. Diet is the main factor, excercise just helps increase your deficit.

    I didn't lose any weight wirh running until I was consistently running 20 miles a week and keeping an eye on my diet.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    It is all about diet.

    Running can often trigger appetite so if you aren't tracking it can be easy to negate your extra calorie burn from running.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    I've never lost weight while training for a half marathon. I lose weight when not training, but not during. Even when eating at a deficit, according to weighed/recorded foods and HRM calories burned.

    And I've read a lot of similar stories that had the same experience. Even one that someone posted recently about a woman who lose her ab definition and ended up pudgy around the middle while she was training hard for a triathlon. All of which she promptly lost after finishing the competition and getting back to her normal workouts.

    So don't beat yourself up if you don't lose weight while you are training. The more important thing is to make sure your body is fueled for everything you are putting it through!
  • bert16
    bert16 Posts: 726 Member
    I have lost (and am losing) weight while marathon training; as with any other weight loss, it requires eating at a deficit. As wolfchild pointed out, you do want to make sure you're fueled for your runs, but you can do that by making sure your deficit isn't anything too extreme. But, as others have pointed out, you can't outrun a bad diet. Many people make the mistake of thinking that, because they're running quite a lot, they've got carte blanche to eat whatever they want, which is just (unfortunately!) not at all the case. Log what you eat carefully and eat at a deficit and you'll eventually lose weight.

    Happy running! :flowerforyou:
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    I should add that, while I never lost weight while training, my clothes would fit better by race day.

    And I agree that you have to be extra careful about logging everything. I ate as cleanly as possible, weighed everything down to the gram, and recorded every bite that went into my mouth. But, I did find that if I didn't eat enough on one day, I would be ravenous the next and it would be really hard to not want to just overeat.

    I typically tried to keep my deficit around 500 most days, and then would eat a few extras calories on long run days, closer to a 250 deficit on those days, so my hunger would stay on an even keel. :)
  • RGRgoddess
    RGRgoddess Posts: 9 Member
    Thank you guys, but I'm confused running is supposed to help you lose weight no???
    My main concern is I'm 224 pounds and it hurts when I run I'm a big girl and I know if I lose weight my running would become better/easier
    So I should eat 1500 calories a day but burn 3599-7000 a week to lose a pound or 2?
    Sorry I really wanna learn how to lose weight while training
    Thank you for helping me
  • RGRgoddess
    RGRgoddess Posts: 9 Member
    I should add that, while I never lost weight while training, my clothes would fit better by race day.

    And I agree that you have to be extra careful about logging everything. I ate as cleanly as possible, weighed everything down to the gram, and recorded every bite that went into my mouth. But, I did find that if I didn't eat enough on one day, I would be ravenous the next and it would be really hard to not want to just overeat.

    I typically tried to keep my deficit around 500 most days, and then would eat a few extras calories on long run days, closer to a 250 deficit on those days, so my hunger would stay on an even keel. :)


    So instead of my 1500 I should shorten it to say 1200 ?
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Thank you guys, but I'm confused running is supposed to help you lose weight no???
    My main concern is I'm 224 pounds and it hurts when I run I'm a big girl and I know if I lose weight my running would become better/easier
    So I should eat 1500 calories a day but burn 3599-7000 a week to lose a pound or 2?
    Sorry I really wanna learn how to lose weight while training
    Thank you for helping me

    A calorie deficit helps you lose weight - eating less than you take in. If you are active, you can eat more and still lose. Running itself won't make you lose weight if you are eating more than you burn off.

    2 lbs a week is a pretty high goal. For what you have to lose 1 to 1.5 lbs a week might be more appropriate.

    No! You should not lower to 1200. If anything you aren't eating enough at 1500.

    Are you following MFP? If so than you should be eating to your calorie goal, and on days you exercise log those calories and eat at least a portion of them back (the average burn is 100 calories per mile, it would be a safe estimate to go with).
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Keep in mind that your MFP goal already has you at a deficit. So if your weight loss per week goal is 2 lbs and your goal is 1500, you are already eating 1000 less calories than you need. That is before exercise. So everyday you need about 2500 calories to live and function plus daily activity. When you run on top of that, you need more.

    If you only eat 1500 calories and do a long run that burns 1000 calories you are only giving your body 500 calories to function.
  • bert16
    bert16 Posts: 726 Member
    You generally have two options of how to set yourself up; you can either follow the MFP setup, select 1 lb/week (I wouldn't select much more than that, though you can try and see if you feel consistently fatigued, in which case you'd increase your caloric intake) and then eat back some/all of your exercise calories. As 3dogsrunning pointed out, the calories you burn while running will allow you to eat more and still remain at a caloric deficit. It is the caloric deficit that causes you to lose weight; you can achieve a caloric deficit by eating less, exercising more, or a combination of the two.

    [ETA] If you run all day, but still eat more calories than you burn, you won't lose weight... that's what I meant by "you can't outrun a bad diet".

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