Running and not losing weight

rbcca19
rbcca19 Posts: 91
in Health and Weight Loss
I am currently working out 6 days per week at 1-2 hrs a day. I have been doing this for going on 3 months now and have only lost 5 lbs. The motivation for me to start running wasn't to lose weight, but for peace of mind and meditation.

However, now I am wondering why I'm not losing any weight and must be doing something wrong with my food. I have not been keeping track of calories, but I avoid processed and fast food and junk food.

Am I eating too little and putting my body in starvation mode? Am I not eating the right amount of protein and carbs?

Has anybody else had any experience with this? I'm fairly new to this and would appreciate any advice.

Replies

  • spngebobmyhero
    spngebobmyhero Posts: 823 Member
    If you want advice on your food, you'll have to open up your diary.

    Running will get you in better shape, but it won't necessarily help you lose weight if you aren't eating the right things or the right amount.
  • rbcca19
    rbcca19 Posts: 91
    My diary is empty! I just jumped back on this site and haven't been saving anything in it, but I will start saving my foods and open it up. Thanks for the advice.
  • carol989
    carol989 Posts: 19
    make sure you are drinking plenty of water, try replacing most (if not all) sweets with honey related foods,honey is useful for a lot of things, as shown here: zozler.com/benefits-honey make sure you are burning calories throughout the day, and get a good night's sleep. and making a diary will probably help as well.
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    You should start logging your food first. To be working out 2 hrs a day is quite alot so you need to make sure you are eating enough and quite simply you may not be.
  • tenunderfour
    tenunderfour Posts: 429 Member
    Alternatively.... you could easily be eating too much!! If you are not in a deficit you will not lose weight.
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
    if you're working out 1-2 hours 6 days a week, I'd bet you aren't eating enough -- I just got a body bugg to get a more accurate picture of what I burn in a 24 hour period. surprised me - I burned 2900 on Saturday (a work out day) and 2500 yesterday (which was a rest day - I did a 39 min bike ride - but other than that it was just a relaxing day around the house -- I didn't realize I was burning anywhere close to that on my non work out days.

    **I have been stuck for a while on my weight loss so I needed proof that I was burning more than I thought -- thus I've upped my calories to 2000 (Had been at 1800 for a long long while)**
  • grinch031
    grinch031 Posts: 1,679
    You are definitely not in starvation mode after losing only 5 lbs unless you are already very lean.

    Most likely scenario is that you are eating more to compensate for the exercise. I have been running for years and find it impossible to lose weight when I run alot. I actually have to cut down on running so I don't get so crazy hungry and end up making the wrong food decisions.
  • silkysly
    silkysly Posts: 701 Member
    If you want advice on your food, you'll have to open up your diary.

    Running will get you in better shape, but it won't necessarily help you lose weight if you aren't eating the right things or the right amount.
    ...agreed.
  • MeMyCatsandI
    MeMyCatsandI Posts: 704 Member
    You are definitely not in starvation mode after losing only 5 lbs unless you are already very lean.

    Most likely scenario is that you are eating more to compensate for the exercise. I have been running for years and find it impossible to lose weight when I run alot. I actually have to cut down on running so I don't get so crazy hungry and end up making the wrong food decisions.
    ^This. since you're not keeping track of your food intake, I'd be willing to bet you've unconsciously upped your food intake. Try logging your food for a week and see what that tells you.
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    "I have not been keeping track of calories"

    This is your answer right here. If you have no idea what you're consuming, you can run until your heart's content but you probably won't lose any weight.
  • NakAttack
    NakAttack Posts: 64 Member
    You sound like me in March of 2011. I started the C25k program and saw no loses. I had two problems. On some days, I would eat too much and then others days, I would not get enough. And unless you are running 30+ minutes, the calorie burn is not as significant as you would think. I now run three days a week and supplement with weights and cross training. This is gotten me the best results!

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