No improvements while running – is it my diet's fault?

How long have you been trying to run? How often do you go out? I go jogging a few times a week and find I have to eat more so that my body isn't wrecked - are you eating back exercise cals or rigidly sticking to around 1400?

Oh, and I picked up running again this June after taking a break of about half a year. But I'm still a total beginner, having only started to go running for the very first time in August the year before.

run for time not distance.

If you are running for 24 minutes, make a point of running for 30 minutes, run/walk it, then when you can run all 30 minutes up it to 35 and 40 etc. vary your runs with fartlek (speed play) and interval training, in weeks you will be running much further and much faster.

fartlek will really help you improve, set a time say 30 mins and then jog for 5, sprint for 20 seconds, run for 3 mins, jog for 3, sprint.etc.etc and vary the times, do it as you feel right dont worry about set times or order just vary the pace over the time.

interval is set distance reps, so 8 x 100m etc or 4 x 200 or 10 x 600 or whatever you can do, each time flat out (best effort and say a min or 2 rest between, only once a week though as it is taxing

Peace

I have to say I alternate between running for time and running for distance. Yesterday for instance, I ran for distance and did 8 miles (wasn't trying to do it fast, just wanted to DO the distance [it took 86mins]).
I would also consdier myself a beginner as I only started running last Christmas, then took a month off it in April this year. I did couch to 5k to get me started and then built up to 10km... still find it super tough.
Just make sure to feed the body (with the right foods of course) - I am finding I need to eat MORE to lose weight these days since I started running more often!? Kinda trial and error isn't it?

for sure, whatever works for you of course. But generally for beginners who have plateaued early on it is best to concentrate on time, most tend to focus on the distance and trying to do it faster, if you cover the time then you also cover the distance and the speed comes with the distance that you were doing previously.

I had the same problem until I went on the medifast diet. I was running 4.5 miles per day 5 x a week and wasn't dropping a pound. This was over several months so I tried this diet and the weight just melted off. Even when I stopped excercising. It was because you eat small meals every couple hours. I also noticed that my time improved and I have to wonder if it is because of how many vitamins are packed in their foods. I should be a spokes person for them but when I came off I didn't keep up with the same eating cycle and it quickly came back on.

When I first started eating clean and logging food and drinking more water I lost quickly too. I think this happens to a lot of folks on here but a lot of it is water weight. You couldn't have lost that much fat in so few days (1 lb fat =3500 calorie deficit). Keep watching your calories and the scale and see what happens but don't expect that the loss will continue.

As far as speed-keep running, run more if you can-slowly increase your mileage. It took me FOREVER to get below a 12 minute mile. Also do you wear an HRM with a chest strap? That will help you get a more accurate read on your calorie burn if your concerned about accuracy.

I had the same problem until I went on the medifast diet. I was running 4.5 miles per day 5 x a week and wasn't dropping a pound. This was over several months so I tried this diet and the weight just melted off. Even when I stopped excercising. It was because you eat small meals every couple hours. I also noticed that my time improved and I have to wonder if it is because of how many vitamins are packed in their foods. I should be a spokes person for them but when I came off I didn't keep up with the same eating cycle and it quickly came back on.

It's really not sensible to combine such a restrictive eating plan with heavy exercise.

Doesn't the fact that you gained your weight back when off the plan suggest to you there might be a fundamental flaw there... ?

I´m so sorry to hi-jack the thread, but I have the same problem. Startet running in april, run 3 times a week (just had a bad couple of weeks where I only ran 2 times) and can barely make it 3 minutes in slow speed. I just can´t push iy any more. I run out of breath and my legs get very sore. I eat back my calories, recently increased my calories with 300 cal´s. I try to eat properly with carbs before and protein after. My husband believe it´s my medication that spoils my physical, but can that be? What can I do? :frown:

What medication?

Again, April till now isn't a huge amount of time to notice big changes in speed. I knock off maybe a minute off my 6 mile runs each month. It takes time and endurance to build speed. It won't happen quickly.

How far are you running at the moment? Upping weekly mileage is, I suspect based on the little you've said here, what you need to do first

I´m so sorry to hi-jack the thread, but I have the same problem. Startet running in april, run 3 times a week (just had a bad couple of weeks where I only ran 2 times) and can barely make it 3 minutes in slow speed. I just can´t push iy any more. I run out of breath and my legs get very sore. I eat back my calories, recently increased my calories with 300 cal´s. I try to eat properly with carbs before and protein after. My husband believe it´s my medication that spoils my physical, but can that be? What can I do? :frown:

What medication?

Again, April till now isn't a huge amount of time to notice big changes in speed. I knock off maybe a minute off my 6 mile runs each month. It takes time and endurance to build speed. It won't happen quickly.

How far are you running at the moment? Upping weekly mileage is, I suspect based on the little you've said here, what you need to do first

I´m taking anti depressive, anti psycotic and epilepsy medication. I don´t care about speed yet, I try to get a little distance and endurance. My route is - at the moment- 4-5K. I have to walk most of it, and I don´t think I quit to easily. I can run about 3 minutes, walk 2, run 2, walk 2 and so on. I just can´t push it any more. My legs just won´t.

I´m so sorry to hi-jack the thread, but I have the same problem. Startet running in april, run 3 times a week (just had a bad couple of weeks where I only ran 2 times) and can barely make it 3 minutes in slow speed. I just can´t push iy any more. I run out of breath and my legs get very sore. I eat back my calories, recently increased my calories with 300 cal´s. I try to eat properly with carbs before and protein after. My husband believe it´s my medication that spoils my physical, but can that be? What can I do? :frown:

What medication?

Again, April till now isn't a huge amount of time to notice big changes in speed. I knock off maybe a minute off my 6 mile runs each month. It takes time and endurance to build speed. It won't happen quickly.

How far are you running at the moment? Upping weekly mileage is, I suspect based on the little you've said here, what you need to do first

I´m taking anti depressive, anti psycotic and epilepsy medication. I don´t care about speed yet, I try to get a little distance and endurance. My route is - at the moment- 4-5K. I have to walk most of it, and I don´t think I quit to easily. I can run about 3 minutes, walk 2, run 2, walk 2 and so on. I just can´t push it any more. My legs just won´t.

Have you talked to your doctor? That sounds like serious medication and I'm not even going to pretend to be able to give you advice on the feasibility of running as a hobby while taking it. If you have not done so, I *strongly* recommend talking to your doctor, and finding out what, if any, affects of that stuff are on your muscular and cardiovascular fitness. If, and only if, your doctor clears you to run, check out the Couch to 5K programs someone above recommended. Many runners I know, including myself and my wife, have used the program to get started (or in my case restarted, as I used to run when I was in the Army). The name is slightly misleading, it won't actually get you running a 5K. It's time based not distance based. It will get you running for 30 minutes straight by the end, which should be close to a 5k for most people.

OP, since you're already running 20ish minutes at a time I'm not sure how much C25K will help you, though you could definitely do the last few weeks and see. I tend to agree with the crowd that says for right now don't worry to much about speed. Increase the amount of time that you can run. It's a lot easier to improve your time on the two mile when you can run four miles. I also tend to think you're not eating enough to support your activity level. Especially since you're not very heavy and therefor don't have the eh... fuel stores... that some of us have.

Thank you so much drgndancer and meerkat70! I´m working on a C25K simular 30-weeks program. It takes things very slow and steady. I´m stock at week 3 and have been for like ages.... My doctor encourages me strongly to run, since the anti psycotic med makes me gaine weight. But you´re right, I haven´t mentioned the problem with endurance and physics. I have an appointment later this month, I will try to ask her. Thank you so much for "listening".

Questions about how long she'd been running were, in fact asked (and answered)....