Wanting to lose weight for running

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?
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Replies

  • Gothicwench
    Gothicwench Posts: 7 Member
    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
    karenertl Posts: 271 Member
    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
    tbrain1989 Posts: 280 Member
    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
    Gothicwench Posts: 7 Member
    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
  • 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?
  • 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
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    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
    stu1102 Posts: 129 Member
    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
  • Thanks :)

    I've just opened up my food/exercise diary, so open for any comments :)
  • jamesantonyarnold
    jamesantonyarnold Posts: 14 Member
    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
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    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
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    where's the logging? i only see part of 1 day.
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    if you're burning more, then you need more fuel. it can be done in a healthy way.
  • where's the logging? i only see part of 1 day.

    I only joined today, so there's not much info there yet!!!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    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
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
    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
    WhaddoWino Posts: 146 Member
    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!
  • 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
    WhaddoWino Posts: 146 Member
    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
  • 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.
  • I've eaten 2300 and am 327 under my goal. It just feels like 2300 is too much to lose weight :( I'm 860 net. I guess will see what happens....
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    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

    Definitely read this link.

    Also, if you are eating at a deficit and running a lot, you have to pay special attention to your macros (especially protein). Runners have a bit of a culture of carb overload, and it's important to get plenty of carby fuel for your running, but you don't want to lose lean body mass if you're reducing your intake. Getting sufficient protein is important to retain LBM while on a diet.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I've eaten 2300 and am 327 under my goal. It just feels like 2300 is too much to lose weight :( I'm 860 net. I guess will see what happens....

    That net is far too low!
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
    Well, weight loss is a simple formula. There are lots of different programs and opinions out there but ultimately it boils down to calories in versus calories out. If you are not losing weight and there is not a medical reason why you are not losing then you are eating to many calories.

    Out of curiosity, how far did you run today, for how long, and what was your average HR? I looked at your diary and 1450 calories burned is a heck of a run. I am 200+ lbs and I have to run 2 hours to get those numbers. I guess where I am going with this, is are you overestimating your calories burned? It looks like you are eating most of your exercise calories and if they are being overestimated then that could be part of the problem.
  • That burn was for a 5 mile run (350 cals) and 2 hours 45 cycling
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
    That burn was for a 5 mile run (350 cals) and 2 hours 45 cycling

    OK, that sounds about right then!!

    I know me personally, I very seldom eat back all my exercise calories. At the most it is usually half but most the time I only dip a 100 or so calories out of my exercise calories burned. I will usually on average burn 500 to 600 calories in exercise in a day. On my long run day I burn anywhere from 1100 to 1400 calories. Usually about 2 or so hours of running. Those are the days where I will eat back about half of my calories burned.
  • So I have some people saying I'm eating too many ex cals back and others saying my net is too low.

    I'm confused!!!
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
    This would be a really good avatar for you girl-running-md.png

    I got it from http://www.clker.com/clipart-girl-running-6.html

    I think you would have to go there down load it on your computer and upload it to your profile to use it.
  • Love it :) on my phone at mo but will do it tomorrow
  • missybct
    missybct Posts: 321 Member
    Yep, your net calories right there may be an issue. If you are training as hard as 4 hours a day at times, you need to make sure you're not netting 800 calories a day because MFP automatically assumes a deficit anyway - so you are restricting upon restricting.

    I would really encourage bumping up calories. It's daunting, scary and unpredictable and may take a while to take effect, but I do think it will help.