Wanting to lose weight for running

runninggirl1981

Hello

I exercise so much but I can't lose any weight. I'm not overweight but I'm about 10lbs over what I want to be for running and it makes a huge difference to my times.

I'm going to count everything on here, can anyone see if my diary is public because I would welcome any comments.

I also do alot of cycling, but MFP is wayyyy too optimistic with the calorie burn for cycling, so I'm logging all my cycling, even hard cycling as 'easy' as I think that's more accurate calorie wise.

Any comments welcome. I hope that having to log everything should mean I will eat less chocolate

Should I eat back all of my exercise calories? I'm set up to lose 1lb a week, but if I ate them all back, I'd be eating 2500 or so a lot of the time which seems a lot if I want to lose weight?

Gothicwench

Hi I think you need to keep within the calorie range given and log the correct amount of exercise you are doing so you get a more accurate account of what your body is doing. I am no expert on exercise but do you think you might be building more muscle weight with the extent your are exercising. Good luck xx

karenertl

I only eat back my exercise calories when I'm hungry. Lately, I've been trying to keep myself down to 1200-1500 calories a day.

Feel free to add me as a friend. I figure we could all use all the support we can get!

tbrain1989

i dont log any exercise as part of my intake because MFP is way overzelous and with out HRM and GPS etc etc it cant really know what your doing,.

for example if you cycle a mile on a pleasant day with the wind behind you it will be completely different too against the wind, up hill.

one of the things i find amazing about the calories is that apparently walking for 30 minutes at 4mph burns over 2000? that is essentially 3/4 of a pound in weight. this cant be true, otherwise you could walk for an hour a day and lose 6 pounds a week...

Gothicwench

I was told by a G P that if you eat meals the same time every day this can help with weight lose, it seems to work for my sister so this is what I am trying to do xx

runninggirl1981

Thanks- anyone feel free to add me- I need help!!!

I could no WAY eat 1200-1500 a day. I don't know how people do it.

For today, MFP has given me my 1200 base, + 1450 for nearly 4 hours of exercise, so thats a total of 2,650. That seems a lot. I struggle to keep under 2000, but say should I try and eat 2300 ish for a bigger loss (its set up for 1lb week) or eat all 2650? or try and eat less?

runninggirl1981

i dont log any exercise as part of my intake because MFP is way overzelous and with out HRM and GPS etc etc it cant really know what your doing,.

for example if you cycle a mile on a pleasant day with the wind behind you it will be completely different too against the wind, up hill.

one of the things i find amazing about the calories is that apparently walking for 30 minutes at 4mph burns over 2000? that is essentially 3/4 of a pound in weight. this cant be true, otherwise you could walk for an hour a day and lose 6 pounds a week...

Are you SURE it didn't say 200?!?!?! Not 2000. I'd say it was much more like 200.

I need to take my exercise into account in some way as I do 3-4 hours a day, and that accounts for a lot of calories. It's just a matter how much I need to take it into account.....

BerryH

If you run and cycle a lot, there's a law of diminishing returns in how much you burn because you become very efficient at it. I put on weight while marathon training! I think using a TDEE method works better for those of us who do lots of long, steady-state cardio. Check out In Place Of A Road Map:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

stu1102

I run and cycle a lot too..

I use Endomondo (which is a sports community app based on free real-time GPS tracking of running, cycling, etc) it also calculates the calaries burnt and sends them to MyFitness pal so you don't have to manually enter them. Also its more accurate as well I find in calculating calories burnt

Please feel free to add me as a friend

runninggirl1981

Thanks

I've just opened up my food/exercise diary, so open for any comments

jamesantonyarnold

Thanks- anyone feel free to add me- I need help!!!

I could no WAY eat 1200-1500 a day. I don't know how people do it.

For today, MFP has given me my 1200 base, + 1450 for nearly 4 hours of exercise, so thats a total of 2,650. That seems a lot. I struggle to keep under 2000, but say should I try and eat 2300 ish for a bigger loss (its set up for 1lb week) or eat all 2650? or try and eat less?

MFP told me to limit intake to 1450 calories a day which I thought would be impossible, but I have to say, with a little will power and some minor adjustments, I actually dont now find it that hard. Drinking lots of water to feel full helps. I tend to up my intake to around 2000 if Im doing a good gym session, otherwise I feel a little lethargic and it kind of defeats the object. Ive sent a friend request, feel free to add me if you need any help.

katy_trail

I was told by a G P that if you eat meals the same time every day this can help with weight lose, it seems to work for my sister so this is what I am trying to do xx

meal timing is irrelevant, you can eat all your calories twice a day, or 6 times a day, or vary it from one day to the next.
adjust the timing to prevent your hunger. some people do well with frequent small meals, others a few bigger meals,
or 1 meal after a workout. as long as your macros and calories are on point, you're golden.

also, you can eat 10% of your daily or weekly calories of chocolate or whatever your thing is.
for someone eating 2k calories a day this is about 200 calorie snack, and it won't impact
your results negatively, while still helping your sanity. it works for many people.

katy_trail

where's the logging? i only see part of 1 day.

katy_trail

if you're burning more, then you need more fuel. it can be done in a healthy way.

runninggirl1981

where's the logging? i only see part of 1 day.

I only joined today, so there's not much info there yet!!!

TavistockToad

Thanks- anyone feel free to add me- I need help!!!

I could no WAY eat 1200-1500 a day. I don't know how people do it.

For today, MFP has given me my 1200 base, + 1450 for nearly 4 hours of exercise, so thats a total of 2,650. That seems a lot. I struggle to keep under 2000, but say should I try and eat 2300 ish for a bigger loss (its set up for 1lb week) or eat all 2650? or try and eat less?

if yo uonly have 10lbs to lose, then you only need a small deficit, and should really only be aiming to lose 0.5lbs per week. that way you are less likely to burn lean mass instead of fat.

given that you do a lot of exercise iyou should be eating back all your exercise calories as you need fuel for your workouts!

also, think about adding in some strength training if you dont already do it.

Lupercalia

Exercising 3-4 hrs per day may be holding up any sort of fat loss you're trying to achieve. Is that all cardio type exercise? Your caloric deficit could be too great, and/or there could be a negative hormonal response to that amount of activity. Just my thoughts--I'm not an expert.

WhaddoWino

It's curious to me that you want to lose weight to run rather than wanting to run to lose weight. If you become a dedicated runner and work up your miles per week you will lose weight.... It's one of the best ways to melt the fat off, seriously. Rather than work out all kinds of convoluted ways to eat at certain times or worry about the calories in a "leisurely walk," get your feet on the street and start wearing out those shoes! You will enjoy the endorphins, gain stamina, and shed fat. Otherwise, eat sensibly, stay hydrated, and sleep well!

runninggirl1981

It's curious to me that you want to lose weight to run rather than wanting to run to lose weight. If you become a dedicated runner and work up your miles per week you will lose weight.... It's one of the best ways to melt the fat off, seriously. Rather than work out all kinds of convoluted ways to eat at certain times or worry about the calories in a "leisurely walk," get your feet on the street and start wearing out those shoes! You will enjoy the endorphins, gain stamina, and shed fat. Otherwise, eat sensibly, stay hydrated, and sleep well!

I am a dedicated, competitive runner. I am not losing weight- that is why I'm here. And I need to train as much as I do to be competitive.

I also do strength training on top of the cardio.

WhaddoWino

It's curious to me that you want to lose weight to run rather than wanting to run to lose weight. If you become a dedicated runner and work up your miles per week you will lose weight.... It's one of the best ways to melt the fat off, seriously. Rather than work out all kinds of convoluted ways to eat at certain times or worry about the calories in a "leisurely walk," get your feet on the street and start wearing out those shoes! You will enjoy the endorphins, gain stamina, and shed fat. Otherwise, eat sensibly, stay hydrated, and sleep well!

I am a dedicated, competitive runner. I am not losing weight- that is why I'm here. And I need to train as much as I do to be competitive.

I also do strength training on top of the cardio.

Hmmm... given that, are your weight goals possibly unrealistic? If you are doing all of this cardio and weight training, might you have quite a bit of muscle at this point? Have you ever done a body composition measurement to get a handle on your muscle mass versus fat? I'm just wondering....

I recommend that you read Racing Weight--- my husband got it when he started training for triathlons. LOTS of good advice on diet!
http://www.amazon.com/Racing-Weight-Lean-Peak-Performance/dp/1934030511

runninggirl1981

I've read it yep.

And I'm carrying plenty of extra fat I do have a lot of muscle, but I also have love handles, a big bottom and a belly I don't need!! 10lbs off would make a world of difference.