Running and gaining weight...??????????

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  • johnsnana
    johnsnana Posts: 63
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    Sounds like your body might be in starvation mode!? If you're running several miles you need to fuel that and complex carbs are going to do it.

    I assure you 2-3 mile runs do not need to be fuelled by anything complex!
  • johnsnana
    johnsnana Posts: 63
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    Ditto! I run 8 to 10 miles & don't "carb load" in fact I still only eat 60 net carbs max. I may eat 200-300 more calories the same day (after my run) but that is after 8-10 miles.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
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    I lost 60 lbs on weight watchers many years ago and I began running regularly during that time... in fact, I ran a half marathon shortly before getting to goal and getting my lifetime membership. It was VERY hard to lose weight while running. Weight watchers is low calorie. It really is.

    When I went to start getting fit again in January of this year I was ramping up my running mileage for a half marathon again this august. I joined weight watchers but knew I wasn't eating enough. I lose 14 lbs from January through April and following WW. Then I switched to MFP... I set my goal to lose .5 lbs/week which turned into NET 1660 at the time. I ate my 1660 calories PLUS everything I was burning running. I dropped 8.5 lbs in 5 weeks after the switch. My average day was 58 WW Points Plus values. On WW I was allowed 29 plus 35/week or whatever.

    It wasn't enough food.

    If you want to lose while running, I recommend setting your goal to lose .5-1 lb/week at most. It was recommended to me by a professional that I have no more than a 400 calorie deficit per day to lose while running. Now, I'm running because I want to run and run well, faster, and farther. But I also still have pounds to lose.

    I eat at maintenance before races and average 2100 calories/day to lose while running about 35-45km/week.
  • RunMyOregonBunsOff
    RunMyOregonBunsOff Posts: 862 Member
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    Even running distance can cause muscle gain IF you have been very sedintary prior to starting your running program so you had very little muscle to start with. If you had already been pretty active then distance running probably isn't creating much muscle gain. Personally, I think that if you enjoy running, keep doing it with another rest day or two in there and do some weight training or add in sprints to your running and you might see a change. You are still new to running and I think that it's better to just let your body get used to it before you write it off, just like if you were doing anything else.
  • psec123
    psec123 Posts: 8 Member
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    I had the same problem and went to the doctor cause I was gaining wt instead of losing I gained . My doc ran some blood work checked thyroid as this is the most common reason then when that was negative she said my body was in shock and was storing water and pocketing calories my metabolism had shut down! I was working out 2hrs a day 7 days a week and eating between 12 & 1700 calories a day! I was drinking 8 glasses of water Pluss some. My doc said cut back to 4 to 5 days a week at the gym and gave me phentramine pills to restart my metabolism I have lost approx 7 lbs in a week and a half! Mostly water weight!

    Thanks for that! I haven't been running for 3 days now and I can see how my legs are getting thinner. I also have lost 2 pounds in those 3 days. I could feel there was lots of water in my thighs and muscle soreness.
    I will try to run every other day. Will see what happens..
  • Moira945
    Moira945 Posts: 14 Member
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    You cant gain muscle running especially 4 lbs of it in a short period of time, especially on a calorie deficit. And add in the fact that women only have the ability to gain 1-2 lbs of muscle a month, which requires weight training.


    You can't gain muscle running? That is blatantly false. OP may not have gained 4 pounds of muscle in this amount of time, but she is definitely gaining muscle. Do a little research, please.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    I started running 4 weeks ago and have gained 2 kg (4,4 pounds) since then!!! I have been using MyFitnessPal to count the calories and to work out the amount of calories I need to eat to lose weight. But nothing!
    I have been running 2.2 miles 5 days a week for the first 3 weeks. I started running 3,4 miles from this week (5 times a week).
    I haven't been running before, so first i thought maybe my body is retaining water, but it has been 4 weeks now??????
    I am just about to give up. I keep telling myself that I am doing the right thing and I love running. I really dont want to stop running. But I need to lose weight! I have been doing WeightWatchers and I know how much I need to eat to lose weight.
    I have been eating 1360 calories a day. Days when have been running 3.4 miles I have been eating extra 300 calories. Thats about 1700 kcal a day. Have I been eating too much???
    I just feel not motivated at all and feel like I have to stop running because I have been working out so hard and I am still not losing weight.
    I know if I would just count my calories without exercising I would lose weight.
    What am I doing wrong?
    I have been running every day from Monday to Friday. Maybe I should run every other day because I need some recovery time?
    Has anyone else had this problem? My logic tells me that if you eat less than what you use, you should lose weight?????Why am I not losing??? As I understand I cant gain muscle just by running, so it can't be muscle weight..
    I really need some motivation and advice!

    That happened to me last year. I was running like crazy and I still gained weight.

    Turned out I was eating way more than I thought I was.

    Look into your logging habits before anything.

    Are you weighing food?

    Are you logging every single thing you put in your mouth?

    Where are you getting your exercise calorie burns from? HINT: treadmills and MFP calorie burns are WAY high. Either get a heart rate monitor or only eat 50-75% of your exercise calories back.

    Weight loss is calories in v. calories out. If you eat less than you burn you will lose weight. Exercise is not required, but it sure is fun and helps a whole lot.

    The best of luck to you.
  • mortuseon
    mortuseon Posts: 579 Member
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    I need to lose 13 lbs. I am 139 lbs and 5 ft 6.
    Is 1360 kcal a day too much?
    Also, how important is eating all the fat MyFitnessPal is recommending me to eat? It is quite a struggle for me to eat as much..I usually eat about half of that.

    Fat is actually pretty vital for brain function, I don't know how much we need compared to what MFP says, except that my friends on MFP who are nurses often told me to eat more fat. Nuts, seeds, and cheeses are easy ways to get more fat into the diet.

    You're BMI is in a healthy range, I would suggest rather than trying to lose weight to start lifting, it will change the shape of your body, and really cause you to look much thinner because your body will be "tighter" as it will be more muscle and less fat. Check out some of the NROLFW threads/groups on here.

    Keep running though, that's good for the body and it's a natural mood enhancer.

    Your brain ONLY uses glucose for fuel with the exception of when it uses ketones when glycogen stores are out. Fats are important for membrane synthesis and vitamin absorption, though!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    Sounds like your body might be in starvation mode!? If you're running several miles you need to fuel that and complex carbs are going to do it. It's normal to gain weight when starting running. When I do couch to 5k I usually start losing in the last week or two. It's a huge high impact adjustment for your body and it takes some time for it to adjust. I would also consider looking at a diet that encourages healthy fats unlike weight watchers and low cal diets. Check out The Perfect 10 Diet. Your muscles are under a lot of strain and low fat is not helping. Best of luck! x
    No, I'm afraid most of this information is incorrect. Read up on the MInnesota Starvation Experiment to learn what starvation mode is about, fuel comes from food in general but carbs do help, I never gained weight when I started running and I've been running for years, and no special diet is needed.

    However, it's true that low fat might not be the best option for anyone and your muscles do take time to adjust. Any "weight" that is gained through new exercise is just water and will soon go away. Any other weight that comes and stays on could mean you are eating too much.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    I need to lose 13 lbs. I am 139 lbs and 5 ft 6.
    Is 1360 kcal a day too much?
    Also, how important is eating all the fat MyFitnessPal is recommending me to eat? It is quite a struggle for me to eat as much..I usually eat about half of that.
    That's not enough food for your height and your weight loss goals. With 13 pounds to lose you should set your goals to lose a half a pound a week. I'll bet that puts your calorie allowance up there to about 1700, plus any exercise calories.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    Fat is actually pretty vital for brain function,
    Your brain ONLY uses glucose for fuel

    Good news everyone! You're BOTH right!

    There's something called the blood-brain barrier. In simplistic terms, it's what keeps toxins out of the brain by making the blood system of the brain a bit separate from the rest of the body. For nutrients (like glucose) to get TO the brain, they have to be transported thru the blood-brain barrier with fat molecules. So yes, the brain only uses glucose for energy. BUT the energy can't get there without fat to help the glucose permeate.

    Science, b!tches!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    You are entirely mislead if you think "running doesn't cause muscle gain". Running engages almost every muscle in your body, especially your legs, and core. Running doesn't just increase your endurance but strengthens muscles as well. Try measuring yourself... it very well could be muscle weight. If your clothes are feeling looser, but the scale creeps up, you don't have much to worry about. Being healthy isn't always a matter of losing numbers on the scale.
    No, I don't think so. I've been running for years, including long distances, and it's only been since I've weight lifted that I've gained significant muscle mass. Also, the only time I've gained weight from running was when I was eating more calories than I was burning, but when I started out I didn't gain any weight.
  • JenRun1
    JenRun1 Posts: 212
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    Are you doing any strength training? I was running 5-6 days a week 5 miles or more a day for about 6 months. The scale never budged. I was eatting 1700-1900 calories (5 ft 2 in and 135 lbs) and like you was getting upset. Then, I listened to the MFP comments and started running less but lifting more. Bammmm, down 2lbs but lost a pants size. I never changed my calorie intake. It was all about doing something different besides running.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    You can't gain muscle running? That is blatantly false. OP may not have gained 4 pounds of muscle in this amount of time, but she is definitely gaining muscle. Do a little research, please.
    Nah, It's difficult for women to build muscle in the first place, and four pounds would take quite awhile of heaving lifting to achieve
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    you may be gaining muscle. try measuring yourself instead of weighing

    Not gaining muscle with running
  • xiamjackie
    xiamjackie Posts: 611 Member
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    This post is a year and a half old.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    You cant gain muscle running especially 4 lbs of it in a short period of time, especially on a calorie deficit. And add in the fact that women only have the ability to gain 1-2 lbs of muscle a month, which requires weight training.


    You can't gain muscle running? That is blatantly false. OP may not have gained 4 pounds of muscle in this amount of time, but she is definitely gaining muscle. Do a little research, please.

    What is your research? Yes you use your muscles running but eating at a deficit and not lifting does not cause muscle gains.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    Probably water retention.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    You are entirely mislead if you think "running doesn't cause muscle gain". Running engages almost every muscle in your body, especially your legs, and core. Running doesn't just increase your endurance but strengthens muscles as well. Try measuring yourself... it very well could be muscle weight. If your clothes are feeling looser, but the scale creeps up, you don't have much to worry about. Being healthy isn't always a matter of losing numbers on the scale.

    Engaging muscle and making it stronger, and causing muscle gain, or 2 very different things. You can do the former without the latter.
    Specific terms were being used which have specific meanings. Your terms are all over and don't mean the same thing.

    You know how pro's increase their pace, they do intervals. Intervals are an overload on existing muscle, much like lifting.
    That causes muscle gain if eating enough, maintenance or surplus.
    Now with more muscle, they can go faster.

    Just normal running isn't going to increase much except for at very start, noobie gains, then you are just going to use what you've gone better and for longer.
    But you can increase endurance, and improve running efficiency with what you've got, and keep causing an improvement for a good while before more muscle is actually needed.

    4lb muscle gain in that short a period of time?! That secret would love to be known by some natural bodybuilders, men and women.
  • CrusherKun
    CrusherKun Posts: 353 Member
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    60% of weight loss from Cardio alone is from fat and 40% is from muscle. If you lose too much muscle, your natural metabolism will decrease drastically and the result would be weight gain.

    I have added in a strength training regement to my work outs and have seen some great progress continue and actually push me through some plateaus. I suggest finding a program like Strong Lifts 5x5 and incorporating that.

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