Athlete who can't lose weight

runner_chick24
runner_chick24 Posts: 31 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I've been trying to lose weight for a few months now and so far, I'm not seeing any results. Despite eating what I consider to be very healthy (no junk food, fast food, and somewhat low carb), my weight has just stayed the same. I run cross country and track and after xc season, I got injured and gained about seven pounds even though I was tracking my calories and didn't go over my daily needs. I'm still dealing with the injury, so no actual running yet, just running in the pool a few days a week and riding the stationary bike the other days. I don't see what I'm doing wrong. I'm not overweight, but I'm not exactly thin either. I'm hoping to lose about 10-15 lbs. Does anyone know what I can do to lose weight?

Replies

  • nwg74
    nwg74 Posts: 360 Member
    How much exercise are you doing on the bike ? As you have not gone over your daily calories, it isn't real weight but likely the body holding onto every bit of nutrient and water for as long as possible. Reduce your exercise or eat more to compensate for the amount of exercise. It is pretty much what I have to do to lose my last 10 pounds.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    I'm not trying to be critical, but after you were injured you obviously did go over your calorie requirements or you wouldn't have gained seven pounds.

    I suffered a bad injury last year. I joined this site because I was concerned that my weight would go up if I didn't keep track. Anything MFP suggested was a guideline. If I thought the recommendation was too high I disregarded it.
  • melissanorth35
    melissanorth35 Posts: 33 Member
    I was a runner who "could not lose" and even gained weight when training for a marathon. I also ate extremely healthy (grass fed meats, loads of veggies, beans, naked nuts, and whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice, and steel cut oats) however, what MFP taught me is that I ate way too much of it all.

    What happened is that running made me ravenously hungry and I would just comsume way too much. I thought is was good enough to avoid processed foods, trans fats, and simple carbs, but that is not the answer. Now I weigh everything I eat on an electronic scale, measuring to the nearst 1/8th of an ounce (especially high calorie items such as cheese). If I make a recipe (say spaghetti sauce) I will take the ENTIRE batch of sauce before anyone has eaten it and weigh the total ounces. I then use the recipe builder to make each serving once ounce, so that if I have 8oz, it is 8 servings.

    I feel that with this attention to detail and percision, it is helping me for the very first time lose weight easily. I'm also avoiding binging after my long runs.

    I will be having surgery at the end of March and plan to scale my eating wayyy back and I will not be eating carbs. No need for carbs if I can't move off the bed. This is my plan to keep the weight off.
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
    I'm not trying to be critical, but after you were injured you obviously did go over your calorie requirements or you wouldn't have gained seven pounds.

    Or possibly you weren't properly feeding yourself and caused your BMR to adjust in the downward direction...

    How long have you been trying to reduce your intake? It may be time for a "diet break" as in try to eat at maintenance for a few weeks before dropping calories down again. I am wondering if you are a high school student...drastically reducing the calories you eat now could have extremely detrimental effects long term on your metabolism. Please make sure you are eating a healthy amount.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    I'm not trying to be critical, but after you were injured you obviously did go over your calorie requirements or you wouldn't have gained seven pounds.

    Or possibly you weren't properly feeding yourself and caused your BMR to adjust in the downward direction...

    How long have you been trying to reduce your intake? It may be time for a "diet break" as in try to eat at maintenance for a few weeks before dropping calories down again. I am wondering if you are a high school student...drastically reducing the calories you eat now could have extremely detrimental effects long term on your metabolism. Please make sure you are eating a healthy amount.

    If you're injured, you're less active. If you're less active and eat the same number of calories, you gain weight, plain and simple.

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