Not Running My Butt Off

Kittyfeliz

So I started C25K 2 months ago and I'm just curious if anyone else has had this problem. I have not lost a pound. Not one!! Admittedly I was not eating awesome but I started cleaning up my diet almost immediately and now my diet is not perfect by any means but it's waaaay better.

In the past I have been able to track my food and little else to lose some weight so I thought for sure if I started doing consistent cardio the weight would just melt off. And yes I know muscle > fat and sure I have been noticing some small changes so I know I've lost some fat but the scale is my enemy! It tells me I'm working hard and not getting results. I just started measuring which I know is a better way to track my progress at this point. But honestly, I'm just wondering how long it took people to see a loss on the scale after they started running?

Jaradel

If you just started measuring, I'd keep doing what you're doing and measure again in a few weeks - I bet you'll see a change. How about your clothes - are they a little looser (or if they were somewhat tight before, do they fit properly now)? Sometimes it's difficult to take these changes on faith, but I'd bet that there ARE positive changes happening inside, and pretty soon you'll be seeing them too.

Congrats on starting C25K! That in itself is quite an achievement. I wish I could tell you when I started seeing results while I was doing C25K, but I don't think I was tracking my food all that closely at the time. I think it took at least 2-3 months of running 3x/week before I started seeing the scale trend consistently downward. I noticed my clothes fitting better before I noticed the scale showing results, if I'm honest.

corsayre8

Many people think that just because they are running, they can eat as much as they would like. Your diary is set to private, so can't take a look and see if that is what is going on.

But know for me personally, I run nearly daily and still have to watch what I eat to lose weight. Even if I do a two hour, five mph, (significantly more than you would be doing in c25k), I earn just over 1100 calories. As I am 5'10, many women would earn less than that. Now 1100 calories may sound like a lot, but realistically that and more could easily be blown with one meal out.

Always remember that it is 90% Diet and 10% Exercise. You are not going to lose unless you are being honest about your consumption.

***edited because apparently I don't know the difference between five miles, and 5 MPH***

Kittyfeliz

Thanks for your response. I guess I'm just glad to hear you eventually saw the results. I'll keep it up and measure as well. :happy:

TourThePast

It's unlikely that you'll lose a lot of weight by just running, unless you curb your diet too.

The amount of calories you burn when running is absolutely tiny compared to the amount of calories you eat every day. I'm only on Week 5 and burn maybe 180 calories in a really good hard 30 minute C25K session. Maybe you run harder than me, so say 300 calories a session.

If it takes 3,500 calories to lose 1lb of fat, and if you're doing three 300 calorie runs a week, that's 900 calories a week, so it would take 3500 divided by 900 = 3.8 weeks to lose one pound of fat.

So, by just running, without reducing the amount of calories you eat, you'll lose only about a pound a month.

If you really want to lose weight without further restricting your calorie intake, weight training would be far more effective than cardio. But really - eating 300 fewer calories will have the same effect as running a C25K session, which do you think is easier? :bigsmile:

Kittyfeliz

Don't get me wrong, I'm tracking my food and rarely ever going over my calories. I don't eat white foods nor much in the way of processed. My question is only if it takes time for beginner runners to see a drop because of gaining muscle and a possible shock thing. I'm sure my body thinks I lost it, all this running with no destination! So how long did it take before you saw significant results?

Homer3D

Many people think that just because they are running, they can eat as much as they would like.

When I was training for my first half marathon, I was eating about 3k calories a day and still losing weight. So there is some truth to this level of thinking. With that said, my goal during this training wasn't losing weight, it was being able to run 13.1 miles. I haven't done the C25K training myself, but I looked at the training plan. It is similar to the 12 week training plan I used for my half marathon training, just with lower mileage goals. I didn't start losing weight weight right away either but didn't care too much since every week I was improving my distance and time. And my resting heart rate dropped from about 70 to just a little over 40 bps. So I know my heart and body was getting healthy. But as time went on, I noticed I was hungry all the time and I made sure to eat "good" snacks and meals. By the end of the 12 week plan, I dropped 10 lbs and my legs were ROCK SOLID!

Keep at it. Don't over eat and watch those snacks. You will get there!

yanicka

An easy exemple for you. 2 weeks ago I gained 2 pounds....but lost 1 inch at my hips (1/2 inch waist) in the same time. The scale does not tell you what is really happening.

Kittyfeliz

An easy exemple for you. 2 weeks ago I gained 2 pounds....but lost 1 inch at my hips (1/2 inch waist) in the same time. The scale does not tell you what is really happening.

Awesome! Thank you, and Homer3D too. I was looking for some inspiration!! I will keep measuring.

ilsie99

I ran twelve miles yesterday, and the entire calorie burn for that was equal to one ham sandwich that I had for lunch.

Granted, it was a melty, cheesy, toasty, delicious ham sandwich, but my point is that you still have to watch your calories.

socre8eve

I'm in somewhat of the same boat as you. I've been running consistently for almost a year and I'm only a pound lighter than when I first started. I have however lost over 5% body fat and 3-4 inches in my hips and waist.

Now I certainly haven't been eating my best and unfortunately, as much as I enjoy runnng, my body doesn't really respond to cardio like it does to resistance training. I've started lifting weights again, cutting back on my carb intake and pushing my protein back up (which kinda hard being a vegetarian). All in all, don't just go by the scale. Take other measurements (body fat too), mind your meals, and stick to it. You'll see the results.

turboturtle

I too had the same disappointing result! I trained and ran my first half marathon and I still weigh exactly the same as my first training day! BUT I am much more fit and I can feel my muscles.