Long distance running, not seeing any weight loss

julianpoutram

Great advice again mfp's! I think the really difficult part is as people have said, making sure there is a deficit, but only to an extent where it isn't affecting my health physically and mentally. It is a much finer balance than an overview of diet and calories in vs calories out might suggest. Everyone is different and I think I need to study hard at how my body reacts to certain foods and times of day and exercises. The variables are worryingly numerous, but I will do my best to find some balance in all of this. I am optimistic about the future though and I am doing well at logging for the past few days since I asked the original question!

Couldn't ask for better advice, gonna have to book mark this thread now, some very knowledgeable people on here! I feel like this could become like the encyclopedia for runners who are doing it wrong or badly haha

thavoice

I know when I train for half marathons I get extremely, extremely hungry with all the calories burned in the runs so yeah, if you dont watch it you can actually gain weight in the whole process.

froeschli

I did the same this year, took up running, and cycling, again after winter, and lost 6lbs in the first month, then it started crumbling.
my main guideline so far has been to only eat when i am hungry. which actually has given me good results, only those are tainted by the times i've decided to "just have another" etc... eventually i want to get to a point where that system holds true, because it seems more realistically maintainable (for me personally) than counting each and every bite all the time.

now i've decided to work out what i am eating by logging without restriction. seeing what the weight does for that trial period, and then i will decide on what my calorie intake should be.

calculators can only take you so far. mfp wants me to eat some 1500 (net) calories - scoobey says that's below my bmr and i should be eating anywhere between 1800 and 2300 (total) - well, that's a big range. so i am decided i will do the math myself with my own numbers, once i have collected them.

in the end, we all need to find our own sustainable solution :happy:

SingingSingleTracker

Won't beat the dead calorie horse, but only offer my empathy. I lost 89 pounds, then got more serious about running distance and training to complete longer races (just did my first 10k and doing a half marathon in November). I find it really hard to maintain good endurance, strength, and motivation to be the best runner I can be while still eating at a serious deficit. I was trying to run 20 miles per week on a 1400 calorie diet and failing on both fronts. Upping my calories to 1800 has helped me run better and more energetically while also starting to finally lose a bit of weight again. Many runners fall into the trap of eating way too much after a long run due to fatique and mistaking dehydration for hunger.

There is an excellent book by Matt Fitzgerald called Racing Weight: http://www.amazon.com/Racing-Weight-Lean-Performance-Series/dp/1934030996

There was a study done that was outlined in the excellent book which used 4 groups of endurance athletes to conduct a purpose study on weight loss. It was something like group 1 worked only on improving their power output for 4 weeks and did not try to cut weight, group 2 worked on power output while also trying to cut weight at the same time, group 3 worked only on cutting weight, and group 4 trained and ate as usual.

I would have thought that the group cutting weight and working on increasing their power at the same time would have had the best results. Instead - they saw no improvement. Ouch!!! The group that worked on improving their power only saw a 10% increase, and the group that worked on cutting weight only, saw a 9.3% increase.

So, in terms of racing, the time to lose the weight for runners, cyclists, etc... is in the off season. I managed to reach my racing weight goal at the end of April, and now that I am not in "weight loss" mode - I am seeing a lot of improvement in my power output in training that I had hoped would have come in April. But, at least the results of the study in the book inform me why.

Just keep in mind your running performance as you prepare for the November 1/2 Marathon probably should include a stopping point for weight loss about 12 weeks before the event so that you can build, peak, and race your best while the "weight loss" is put on hold leading up to the event.

sengalissa

Won't beat the dead calorie horse, but only offer my empathy. I lost 89 pounds, then got more serious about running distance and training to complete longer races (just did my first 10k and doing a half marathon in November). I find it really hard to maintain good endurance, strength, and motivation to be the best runner I can be while still eating at a serious deficit. I was trying to run 20 miles per week on a 1400 calorie diet and failing on both fronts. Upping my calories to 1800 has helped me run better and more energetically while also starting to finally lose a bit of weight again. Many runners fall into the trap of eating way too much after a long run due to fatique and mistaking dehydration for hunger.

There is an excellent book by Matt Fitzgerald called Racing Weight: http://www.amazon.com/Racing-Weight-Lean-Performance-Series/dp/1934030996

There was a study done that was outlined in the excellent book which used 4 groups of endurance athletes to conduct a purpose study on weight loss. It was something like group 1 worked only on improving their power output for 4 weeks and did not try to cut weight, group 2 worked on power output while also trying to cut weight at the same time, group 3 worked only on cutting weight, and group 4 trained and ate as usual.

I would have thought that the group cutting weight and working on increasing their power at the same time would have had the best results. Instead - they saw no improvement. Ouch!!! The group that worked on improving their power only saw a 10% increase, and the group that worked on cutting weight only, saw a 9.3% increase.

So, in terms of racing, the time to lose the weight for runners, cyclists, etc... is in the off season. I managed to reach my racing weight goal at the end of April, and now that I am not in "weight loss" mode - I am seeing a lot of improvement in my power output in training that I had hoped would have come in April. But, at least the results of the study in the book inform me why.

Just keep in mind your running performance as you prepare for the November 1/2 Marathon probably should include a stopping point for weight loss about 12 weeks before the event so that you can build, peak, and race your best while the "weight loss" is put on hold leading up to the event.

Thank you so much for mentioning this here! I run a lot, preparing for my first half marathon. However, I felt like my running plateaued soon after newbie improvements. I took a week off in my calorie deficit and my running was way better. I thought it might have been my imagination :huh: But that's frustrating! I need to run to lose weight (exercise helps me stay on track), but that means I cannot really get much better until I am done losing weight? I'd rather hurry then!

carrieous

you cant outwork a bad diet