Deciding to STOP Looking at Weight until AFTER the Half Marathon

myfavoritealpha

Got back on the Wagon in January after another diabetes scare. Lowered A1c from 14 to 5.2 by IF (20:4) and adding running and then weights. Dropped 40 lbs.

Decided to run a Half Marathon in November and started using the Nike Run Club app to prepare. A few weeks into the 14 week plan, I've discovered that my IF is making my nutrition difficult and I'm having a difficult time breaking the 11mi barrier. My legs just give out. around 10.5miles.

Made the decision about a week ago to forgo the IF and focus on just staying within my calorie alottment (<1800). Running 5 days a week, lifting four days weekly (2 leg days to strengthen my legs). But I'm noticing I'm having a difficult time staying in my caloric targets. I make it through the day but get hungry later in the evenings.

I'm starting today to focus on getting my gallon of water daily to deter cravings. I'm nervous to weigh myself just to see if I'm gaining. Pants fit a little tighter in the thighs, but about the same in the waist. Any of you got any thoughts?

cwolfman13

I used to do a lot of endurance cycling and various endurance cycling events. For myself personally, I found trying to lose weight while actually training for something like that was an exercise in futility. It's just too much work to also try to diet at the same time. When I was doing that I focused on losing weight (if necessary) during the offseason, not while actively training.

For my friends who ask me, I generally do not recommend to engage in long endurance activities and training during weight loss. It sounds good because people think, "oh it's so much exercise that weight loss will be inevitable"...but deep into training the hunger is for real. I generally recommend to my friends that they stick to a moderate amount of exercise and if they're looking to do events and whatnot, sticking primarily with 5Ks if they're a runner or 1/4 century rides as cyclists as those don't really require too much hard training.

I know others who have managed to lose weight just fine while endurance training, my wife being one of them when she used to do marathons and 1/2 marathons...for myself personally, I just couldn't do it and besides being hungry my performance suffered immensely.

sijomial

I can maintain a sensible calorie deficit in the early weeks (c. 6 or 7 weeks) of a training plan but as the volume and intensity ramps up if I want to keep on improving I need to eat closer to maintenance (often higher on hard training days and lower on easy days) with the final few weeks very definitely at maintenance.

Forcing down a load of water to suppress what are probably genuine hunger signals seems like an awful idea - sorry!
Trying to do what you are doing on a tiny calorie allowance is a triumph of determination but it's not in your best interests.

IF with such a big fasting period isn't at all optimal for training and you were sensible to can it.

One thing I monitor in a hard training block is my minumum heart rate (first thing in the morning at rest before eating or drinking anything). If that starts to climb from my normal sub-50bpm I know I'm putting too much stress on my body and need to adjust my nutrition and recovery.

sijomial

BTW - Regarding not checking your weight..... When training hard in a deficit weight doesn't always follow your calorie deficit due to stress / cortisol / water retention. You would still be losing fat but that can be masked by holding more water. It's actually a useful signpost you are pushing too hard if your weight stalls despite knowing you should be losing. I wouldn't stop weighing as it's useful data.

myfavoritealpha

Thanks for your input folks!

sijomial wrote: »

One thing I monitor in a hard training block is my minumum heart rate ... .

I do as well. It's normally mid 60s in the AM. I've noticed an increase in the past couple weeks, but it correlated with the new measuring device.

sijomial wrote: »

BTW - Regarding not checking your weight..... When training hard in a deficit weight doesn't always follow your calorie deficit due to stress / cortisol / water retention. You would still be losing fat but that can be masked by holding more water. It's actually a useful signpost you are pushing too hard if your weight stalls despite knowing you should be losing. I wouldn't stop weighing as it's useful data.

Perhaps, you're right. I just need to treat it as data and not get bent out of shape if it doesn't look how I would like. I know how to get it down and I'll get back to that after the race.

Djproulx

OP, first of all, congratulations on a significant weight loss and A1C success! I'm watching my A1C these days despite being very active.

I've been active in endurance sports for the last 15 years. A couple questions based on your post. Are you new to running, or have you been a runner previously and just now re-starting your running plan? I ask this because if you are just beginning a half marathon running plan (Nike) and you say your legs give out at 10 miles. Is this a beginners plan, or a more competitive focused plan? If it is truly just leg fatigue, then maybe your run mileage has ramped up too quickly? I'm guessing a run plan would lay out a gradual increase in long run mileage, such as a 10% increase weekly, with a reduced volume week after three or four weeks of increase.

On the other hand, if you are suffering from overall fatigue, perhaps pre-run fueling or fueling within the run would help. My running coach used to prescribe fueling (gels, etc.) for workouts that exceeded 75 minutes.

As others have said, if running endurance is your goal, you'll need to provide enough fuel both for the longer workouts, as well as for recovery.

And good luck with the race! The half marathon is my favorite distance.

Mikeruns2021donotaddme

My feedback is that weight loss and marathon training don’t go hand in hand especially if your going for a new distance pr. Keep trying and fueling your body and you’ll get where you want to be long term 👍🏻👍🏻

westrich20940

I am also training for a 1/2! I'm gonna tell you to eat more. If you are running 10 miles - you're burning a lot of calories that you *need to replenish, even if you are currently wanting to NET a calorie deficit.

I'd actually just forgo being in a calorie deficit and eat maintenance (plus what you burn on your run) while training and doing your race. But this is up to you (for a full marathon I'd definitely not suggest trying to be in a deficit, it's not as big of a deal for a 1/2 I'd say).

I am in a good place as far as my weight but am also preparing myself for gaining weight as my training progresses. Because ultimately - I wanna pound the pavement for 13.1 miles and whatever weight I have to be to do that, that's the weight I'll be! I'd suggest the same for you - give your body what it needs to DO the thing and enjoy it. You don't want to feel disappointed if you feel you can't run the race like you want in the end. =D

I find when I hit a wall like that with my distance or duration for runs - eating more usually helps - as well as having enough fuel ON my run (running gels, mashed potatoes, pb&j)...whatever you're using.