Workout advice for a newbie runner!

kayleighlang5

Hey everyone! I need some help and advice on workout and weight loss.

So I've been running for the past eight weeks (excluding one week when I had a really bad cold) in an effort to train for a 5k (in fact, I'm officially on week 5 on the C25K plan-- Friday I will be doing my first twenty minute run!)

I love running-- it clears my head, it's challenging, it gives me time to reflect, and I feel sooo much better afterwards.

But I'm not seeing much progress in terms of weight loss of fat burning.


I know that I should probably do more than just running. I try to do yoga twice a week, I ride my bike EVERYWHERE, and I've been trying to put in 30 minutes of circuit training (but it's hard for me to get it in though-- I just really don't have time)

So here's my workout schedule, on average

Monday: 30 minute run
Tuesday: 30 minute run, yoga 40 minutes (depending on how much homework I have)
Wednesday: 30 minute run
Thursday: yoga 40 minute
Friday: 30 minute run
Saturday: rest day
Sunday: 30 minute run, 30 minute circuit training

I know that I should probably put more strength training, but I just don't know where... could I maybe cut my circuit training to 15 minutes and do it three times? Will that help my calorie burn?

I also try to make sure to make my heart rate between 80-90%, as I've heard that's a target heartrate for weight loss.

Additionally, I'm trying to make better food choice. I know that candy and sweets are my voice, but I'm gradually trying to cut down.... does anyone have any advice on fat-burning food that are filling and effective?

Thanks for your help!

Kayleigh

_Zardoz_

You don't mention your diet bar briefly . That's the most important regarding weight loss. If you're not eating at a deficit you can run to the moon and back and it won't help weight loss. Diet is for weightless and exercise for fitness. They is no such thing as far burning foods.

AnabolicKyle

dont run!!!


jk, good luck with running;)

janpuzzle31

Well done on your running, you are doing great. I find that when I run regularly I always carry a bit more weight, even when my body feels and looks slimmer. If you are eating at a deficit and exercising you will be making progress, however slow it seems.

Good luck with your 5K.

Hestion

Most C25K programmes are 3 days a week, you're running 5, straight away there you could cut that 2 days a week and add strength training, it really isn't necessary to run more days just for 5K, even my 10K training was 3, my Half Marathon is 5.

zensugi

If you want to lose weight you have to eat less; likely one of your runs will, at most, burn a burger. I'm doing a lot less running (although I walk 50 km a week) but making constant weight loss because of the focus on food.

kayleighlang5

I guess I did forget my calorie deficit

I'm eating 1200 calories a day and my deficit goal is to burn 400-500 on the days I work out-- so around 2,000 a week. I'm still really confused on the science behind this. I know I have to eat less in order to lose weight (duh, right?), but when I do, mfp tells me I'm eating too LITTLE calories. If someone could explain to me about calorie deficit in novice terms, that would be great too.

Maybe that's a question for a different topic, but I figure I should ask.

Also-- would it be a problem to cut back on running and add strength? I've just always heard that things like running is a great way to lose fat for fitness (all food aside), but maybe if I take a day off or too and focus on strength training, that might help?

Hestion

I mix both up, well i did! Not allowed to run at the mo as its done my hip flexor in, back off the running and do strength, you can still do other forms of cardio on the non run days, that's what i did, spin classes are great for improving cardio and running, right now I'm going to be living in spin class as can't even walk fast as physio has banned it ;-(

elleloch

So am I to understand that you are netting like 700 calories? You need to eat more.

claquettes

Are you tracking literally everything? Seemingly small snacks can pile up. Additionally, how much are you entering for your calories burned for your runs? The rule of thumb for running is that, depending on your speed/size, you're going to burn around 100 calories per miles, give or take a few. Doesn't seem like much, huh? If you're running at a 10 min/mile pace, your 20 min C25K run only burns 200 calories. So, make sure you don't splurge after your runs.

heybales

I guess I did forget my calorie deficit

I'm eating 1200 calories a day and my deficit goal is to burn 400-500 on the days I work out-- so around 2,000 a week. I'm still really confused on the science behind this. I know I have to eat less in order to lose weight (duh, right?), but when I do, mfp tells me I'm eating too LITTLE calories. If someone could explain to me about calorie deficit in novice terms, that would be great too.

Maybe that's a question for a different topic, but I figure I should ask.

Also-- would it be a problem to cut back on running and add strength? I've just always heard that things like running is a great way to lose fat for fitness (all food aside), but maybe if I take a day off or too and focus on strength training, that might help?

Wait, you are only eating in total 1200 calories - with that workout level?

1200 is recommended lower limit for safety to get all your nutrients in for a sedentary person - are you sedentary?

And just as building codes are for minimum safety reasons, not performance, longevity, nor looks, neither is that minimum.
But do you want to have better performance with exercise, live longer, look better? Don't do bare minimum.

That 1200 is ALREADY a deficit to what your burn daily with NO exercise.

To keep that deficit when you DO exercise, you need to eat more. That's not even considering if the deficit is reasonable for you.

Add strength training - your eating level and exercise type/amount right now is perfect recipe for burning off muscle mass. Eat low carb for the trifecta if you really want to lose some.

Follow the MFP program at least, reach your daily goal, that's why it says it's your eating goal - you reach a goal, right, not try to miss it by a mile.

If that was the case, why try to reach your weight loss goal?

kayleighlang5

Are you tracking literally everything? Seemingly small snacks can pile up. Additionally, how much are you entering for your calories burned for your runs? The rule of thumb for running is that, depending on your speed/size, you're going to burn around 100 calories per miles, give or take a few. Doesn't seem like much, huh? If you're running at a 10 min/mile pace, your 20 min C25K run only burns 200 calories. So, make sure you don't splurge after your runs.

At this point, yes, I am tracking everything-- last week I didn't, since I was sick ha. But, to answer your question, I do make sure to track my snacks and stuff-- as well as drinks.

And I wasn't aware of that. I've been using an rpm watch to track my calorie burn, but it's been saying that I've been burning more than 200 calories (and the most miles that I made is 2.8 miles at this point). I'll keep that in mind when I run next time.

kayleighlang5

I guess I did forget my calorie deficit

I'm eating 1200 calories a day and my deficit goal is to burn 400-500 on the days I work out-- so around 2,000 a week. I'm still really confused on the science behind this. I know I have to eat less in order to lose weight (duh, right?), but when I do, mfp tells me I'm eating too LITTLE calories. If someone could explain to me about calorie deficit in novice terms, that would be great too.

Maybe that's a question for a different topic, but I figure I should ask.

Also-- would it be a problem to cut back on running and add strength? I've just always heard that things like running is a great way to lose fat for fitness (all food aside), but maybe if I take a day off or too and focus on strength training, that might help?

Wait, you are only eating in total 1200 calories - with that workout level?

1200 is recommended lower limit for safety to get all your nutrients in for a sedentary person - are you sedentary?

And just as building codes are for minimum safety reasons, not performance, longevity, nor looks, neither is that minimum.
But do you want to have better performance with exercise, live longer, look better? Don't do bare minimum.

That 1200 is ALREADY a deficit to what your burn daily with NO exercise.

To keep that deficit when you DO exercise, you need to eat more. That's not even considering if the deficit is reasonable for you.

Add strength training - your eating level and exercise type/amount right now is perfect recipe for burning off muscle mass. Eat low carb for the trifecta if you really want to lose some.

Follow the MFP program at least, reach your daily goal, that's why it says it's your eating goal - you reach a goal, right, not try to miss it by a mile.

If that was the case, why try to reach your weight loss goal?

When I started MFP, I was sedentary. However, I'm probably more lightly active now. I don't MEAN to do the bare minimum-- and I'm not so vain as to do this simply for looks, but for a better lifestyle. Regardless, the reason why I'm working out isn't part of this topic. I'm doing it, and that's all that matters

Anyways, I'm just confused on how I can accurately determine my calories for my activity level. I don't really understand this whole deficit thing, and I really want to.

I'll make sure to add strength straining, but I'm definitely concerned about fat burn-- so I'll make sure to focus on my carb intake. My carb intake at the moment is165 per day. I'm not sure if this is too much or not.

I'm just worried my mfp goal, at this moment, isn't best for me-- or accurate. I don't really know what's accurate for me.

kayleighlang5

So am I to understand that you are netting like 700 calories? You need to eat more.

I'm sorry, I feel so stupid, but could you explain to me what you mean by netting? Do I need to eat the calories that I've burned?

SLLRunner

So am I to understand that you are netting like 700 calories? You need to eat more.

I'm sorry, I feel so stupid, but could you explain to me what you mean by netting? Do I need to eat the calories that I've burned?

Hi Kayleigh,

I noticed in your diary that you are eating way low calories. Never a good thing, but especially since you are running and doing yoga and some circuit training.

Yes, you are supposed to eat some or all of your exercise calorie back to properly fuel your body. What "net" means is that if you are alloted 1,200 calories and your earn 300 calories from that great exercise today, you must eat at least 1,500 calories in order to really have eaten your 1,200. Exercise calories are sort of an extra little treat. However, I rarely am able to eat all my exercise calories back because I'm just not that hungry sometimes.

AmyRhubarb

Your daily goal at MFP already has a deficit built in - meaning you could eat to goal every day, do zero exercise, and you'll lose weight because your intake is less than what your body burns doing normal activity all day long - walking, brushing your teeth, sleeping, laundry, etc. When you burn more calories through exercise, you are creating a much larger deficit, too large, which is why those exercise cals are added back into your daily goal. Your NET cals should be at or near your daily goal. Make sense?

I would also agree with the poster who mentioned that you're running 5 days a week - the c25k program works on a 3 day a week schedule, which is plenty. Follow the plan and that opens two more days for some strength training of some sort. There are some great free apps out there (Nike Training Club is my favorite) for exercises with dumbbells and/or body weight. The Nike app has over 100 different workouts in it from 15-45 minutes in length. Easy to mix and match and get a good workout in.

Back to cals - definitely need to up your daily cals. You don't have a lot to lose, so make sure you're set to no more than to lose .5 a pound a week. Weigh and measure food to log it as accurately as possible. Make sure you're fueling your body for your workouts! Food is fuel - and a small deficit is best for fat loss! I dropped my last 10lbs and quite a bit of fat and inches eating 1800-2000 cals a day, running three days a week (and I'm a c25k graduate - will be two years in January!) and doing the Nike Training Club stuff the other three days. :drinker:

heybales

When I started MFP, I was sedentary. However, I'm probably more lightly active now. I don't MEAN to do the bare minimum-- and I'm not so vain as to do this simply for looks, but for a better lifestyle. Regardless, the reason why I'm working out isn't part of this topic. I'm doing it, and that's all that matters

Anyways, I'm just confused on how I can accurately determine my calories for my activity level. I don't really understand this whole deficit thing, and I really want to.

I'll make sure to add strength straining, but I'm definitely concerned about fat burn-- so I'll make sure to focus on my carb intake. My carb intake at the moment is165 per day. I'm not sure if this is too much or not.

I'm just worried my mfp goal, at this moment, isn't best for me-- or accurate. I don't really know what's accurate for me.

There's your first confusion - those activity levels are non-exercise daily activity. Read the example descriptions. You probably are Lightly Active without exercise though, slight majority probably are.

And if you think with all that exercise you would only be at Lightly Active anyway, you are way off in what you think you eat and what you burn.

I'd suggest just follow MFP for what it does.

The deficit thing is how you lose weight.

Eat less than what you burn in total for the day. Total, doing everything. Like exercise too.

Eat a whole lot less, too much deficit, and burn fat and muscle.
Eat a reasonable deficit less, and hopefully burn just fat. Without doing strength training though, and eating enough protein, that's not going to happen anyway, you will lose muscle mass with current routine.

The 2 sides of the equation - eating and activity.
Activity is estimated - by your selection of activity level, and logging your exercise calories.
Eating can be much more accurate - by logging your weighed foods.

You probably burn over 2000 calories a day with no exercise, unless you've already burned off a decent amount of muscle mass.
You eat 500 less daily, so 1500, you lose 1 lb weekly.

You exercise and burn over 2500 calories on that running day.
You eat 500 less that day too, so 2000, you still lose 1 lb weekly.

That is why you eat back your exercise calories - to hopefully maintain a healthy deficit. And stop doing bare minimum that is intend for safety only for a sedentary person.

165 g carbs probably decent enough with the cardio. That's only 660 calories, but it'll be more when you properly eat back exercise.

And actually, exercise is part of the topic, because your body will be hard pressed to make improvements from exercise if you are underfeeding.
You can do a lot wrong and still see scale results at the beginning, but that focus on just scale will bite you big time later.
And I'm guessing the exercise is because you want it to get better, so fueling it will allow that to happen.

bokchoybaby

Anyways, I'm just confused on how I can accurately determine my calories for my activity level. I don't really understand this whole deficit thing, and I really want to.

I'll make sure to add strength straining, but I'm definitely concerned about fat burn-- so I'll make sure to focus on my carb intake. My carb intake at the moment is165 per day. I'm not sure if this is too much or not.

I'm just worried my mfp goal, at this moment, isn't best for me-- or accurate. I don't really know what's accurate for me.

In the beginning there can be a lot of guess work. How active you are and how much you burn is always going to be an estimate so don't feel bad if you're still trying to puzzle through what's an appropriate level. Faithful food logging will go a long way towards helping you set the proper activity level. I set myself as sedentary in the beginning and monitored what my weight did. Over time I've had to increase my activity level two times in order for it to be accurate. In essence, if your weight loss matches projections you are likely doing everything (or enough) right (measuring and logging of food, estimation of calories burned through exercise, choice of activity level, etc.).

It's really not worth worrying about fat burn as such. If you eat at a deficit you will burn fat. You don't really do strength training for the calorie burn as it doesn't burn all that much. You do it because it can help you to maintain your muscle mass as you lose weight so more of your loss will be fat than muscle.

I will also say that while many responders here are reasonably concerned about whether or not you're actually consuming enough calories, I do wonder how you measure your food and about how accurate your logging is. It's possible during that period where you weren't logging very consistently you were simply eating more than you realized which is why your weight loss wasn't progressing. I also see that some of the processed things you eat are probably individually portioned so while food manufacturers are allowed to be off with those calorie counts, they're still unlikely to be the biggest issue. However, for things that you have to portion out yourself how do you measure them? If a label says that a serving of nuts is 1/4 cup/1 oz/28 grams/12 nuts do you weigh them on a scale, put them in a measuring cup or count them out? If you're not weighing your food you might be surprised to find that the problem is that you're consuming more than you realize. I "plateaued" for four-five months until I acquired a food scale. Being off on denser foods like nuts or certain processed foods can add up quickly. It may not be enough to make you gain but it might stop you from losing.

*Edited to fix botched quote code.