Running

Sanvita58

Hi Friends,

I read somewhere that we burn 2000-2500 calories a day by doing our routine work. So if MFP suggests 1200 cal per day obviously without exercising we are in 800-1300 deficit. I am running @ 5 miles per hour for 30 to 40 mins 5 days a week and my average Net calories has been 1500 per day then why is that I am not losing weight. I have 10 pounds to go and have been stuck to this weight for the past 3 months. I plan to run 10k in February and also need advice on kind of food I should eat to build endurance.
Thank you all for your inputs.
Regards.

asyouseefit

How old are you? Are you female or male? How much do you weigh? How tall are you? What's your activity level on a non-workout day?

Sanvita58

36 female,5.5 feet..64 kgs and I have desk job for 8 hrs..so not much of physical activity apart from my running.

asyouseefit

1500 NET seems reasonable for your stats...

You've been stuck at this weight for 3 months but you had lost 6 kg prior to that eating the same amount or did you change anything? You've maybe hit a plateau, which sucks but seems unavoidable for many. There are several threads around on how to break a plateau; mostly by changeing your calories allowance and your exercise routine. Maybe you should check them out?

asyouseefit

1500 NET seems reasonable for your stats...

You've been stuck at this weight for 3 months but you had lost 6 kg prior to that eating the same amount or did you change anything? You've maybe hit a plateau, which sucks but seems unavoidable for many. There are several threads around on how to break a plateau; mostly by changeing your calories allowance and your exercise routine. Maybe you should check them out?

xxquzme

At 64 kg that converts to 140 pounds. So that means that your body will burn 1400 cals a day just by being awake. If MFP puts you at 1200 cals that makes a deficit of 200 cals per day or 1400 per week. If you do the math thats less than a half a pound per week. Not of course taking in your activity. I dont know what you burn running but unless you burn a lot it could take some time to get that extra 10 pounds. A good rule of thumb is that doing daily acitvities wheather you sit at a desk or do construction you will burn 10 times your weight in pounds in cals. EX 140 pounds is 1400 cals. Good luck.

asyouseefit

At 64 kg that converts to 140 pounds. So that means that your body will burn 1400 cals a day just by being awake. If MFP puts you at 1200 cals that makes a deficit of 200 cals per day or 1400 per week. If you do the math thats less than a half a pound per week. Not of course taking in your activity. I dont know what you burn running but unless you burn a lot it could take some time to get that extra 10 pounds. A good rule of thumb is that doing daily acitvities wheather you sit at a desk or do construction you will burn 10 times your weight in pounds in cals. EX 140 pounds is 1400 cals. Good luck.

Hmmm, no. 1400 would be her BMR, at best. BMR is, as you said, cals burnt just by beng awake (actually, even if she was in a coma she'd still burn her BMR). Deficit is way more than 200 cals since every single activity is added on top of BMR.

Sanvita58

MFP and my HRM says I burn around 300 calories in 30 mins. My net was 1200 earlier..burnt 200-400 cal 5 days a week.....I stalled to upped it to 1430..burnt 400 cal average and lost 1 kg but now its stuck for 2 months...

xxquzme

At 64 kg that converts to 140 pounds. So that means that your body will burn 1400 cals a day just by being awake. If MFP puts you at 1200 cals that makes a deficit of 200 cals per day or 1400 per week. If you do the math thats less than a half a pound per week. Not of course taking in your activity. I dont know what you burn running but unless you burn a lot it could take some time to get that extra 10 pounds. A good rule of thumb is that doing daily acitvities wheather you sit at a desk or do construction you will burn 10 times your weight in pounds in cals. EX 140 pounds is 1400 cals. Good luck.

Hmmm, no. 1400 would be her BMR, at best. BMR is, as you said, cals burnt just by beng awake (actually, even if she was in a coma she'd still burn her BMR). Deficit is way more than 200 cals since every single activity is added on top of BMR.

And how much do you think that she gets done by sitting at a desk? If you want to base your caloric intake and output on your BMR, go ahead. If you want to be serious and lose the 10 pounds then listen to what i am saying. There is no reasonable way that you could count each activity that you do throughout the day and log them and use them effectively to lose weight.

asyouseefit - you said nothing more than what i just said. Take a look at your reply to me and you will see. I specifically said that i have no idea what she burns running or doing her activity. Best advice here is to count only activity that you intend to burn calories and not the every day acitivites or you will find yourself wondering why you cant get that last 10 pounds off.

asyouseefit

She does not need to log every single activity. There are formulas to calculate TDEE. I think for a sedentary person it's 1.1xBMR. At 10 kg from her goal weight, there's no need to have a huge deficit.

xxquzme

MFP and my HRM says I burn around 300 calories in 30 mins. My net was 1200 earlier..burnt 200-400 cal 5 days a week.....I stalled to upped it to 1430..burnt 400 cal average and lost 1 kg but now its stuck for 2 months...

I would take a look at what workouts you are doing and make sure that it isnt muscle building of great measuers. Other than that i am not a person of " starvation mode " i believe that at times your body adjusts to what you are giving it. If you are going to work out 5 days a week and have a caloric deficit of 400 cals each workout that gives you 2000 cals a week, on days that you workout, which is still less than a pound a week. That gives extremely little room for error. Thats why the last 10 pounds are so hard to get off. I say drop the cals to 1000 intake a day for 7 days and the days that you workout eat back half of them and see where you go from there. Good luck.

xxquzme

She does not need to log every single activity. There are formulas to calculate TDEE. I think for a sedentary person it's 1.1xBMR. At 10 kg from her goal weight, there's no need to have a huge deficit.

True but you cant complain that your not losing the weight then. You can argue this anyway that you like. To lose weight you need a deficit regardless of where you are at on your personal goal status. She asked for a solution, not a reason.