My body things running is normal lol

swanny320
swanny320 Posts: 169 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm training for my second half marathon and I'm so frustrated by my body's ability to adapt. I've been running for so long my body has accepted that it's the norm so it seems as if the calories I burn from running don't really contribute to fat/weight loss. Frustrating.

Replies

  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    Yes, I would be really frustrated too! I certainly burn far fewer calories running now than I did when I started 6 months ago. Still an acceptable amount, but probably at least 30% less than before.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    As you get fitter, you burn less calories.. it's just a fact of life.

    Also, as long as you are eating in a calorie deficit, you should be losing fat/weight.... so I'd really make sure your diet is in check.
  • AShawneeF
    AShawneeF Posts: 123 Member
    aww that really sucks, i know what you mean. I've only been running for about a week, and i check my HR every few minutes to keep the treadmil as accurate as possible when it calculates my calories. my HR is really high the first five minutes, then dips way down to like 130 until i up the intensity, then the same thing happens!

    i hope that you figure out a way to keep up the good work and still lose the weight/gain the muscle you want.
  • rotill
    rotill Posts: 244 Member
    As you get closer to a normal BMI, you also have less weight to lose. I have no idea what your weight is now, but you look really good in your pictures! You can't have too much spare weight. So: you're fit, you don't have a lot to lose, and you work out a lot for a marathon, probably also building more muscle. You may actually start going up instead, as your fat/muscle ratio changes.

    Good luck with your half marathon!
  • swanny320
    swanny320 Posts: 169 Member
    Thanks everyone
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    If you're doing marathon training it is possible to maintain or gain weight even if it seems like you're eating right. What percentage of your diet is coming from carbs? I've never trained for a full marathon, but during the training times for the two half marathons I've done I found that my weight would hold pretty much steady and saw no inches lost if I was eating around a 40/30/30, give or take, kind of diet. But when I switched it to a 50/25/25 ratio I actually lost body fat again.

    I still maintained my same weight from start to finish of training, but I lost a full inch each on my waist and hips, .5 and .75 inches on each of my thighs (right and left, respectively), and even .5 inch on my under bust measurement. Plus my runs got "easier" feeling but my pace was getting faster, so the increased pace kept my calorie burns a bit higher despite it feeling easier on my body.

    For the two weeks prior to my last half I actually ate around 60/20/20 and somehow still managed to be down in weight on race day instead of a few pounds up like I'd expected from the increased carbs for the race. Thankfully it was still fueling my body properly and it was a great race.

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