High carb + running = slow weightloss

I'm a long distance runner...I just finished running a 1/2 marathon last week and have another run on the 4th of July...I don't do high carb diets...I don't know what works for any other runner, but I end up having stomach craps and feel sluggish. I usually do a high fat, mid level protein and low carb diet and I feel more energized during my workouts.

And you also have to keep in mind, if running is all your doing you will not be very successful in your weight loss venture. Maybe at first if you have tons of weight to lose; but once it comes down to those last 10- 20 lbs, may be difficult. I added some weight resistence dvd's (One on One with Jackie--its on Amazon and some of her other ones) And added some extras on some of my short runs like, a bike ride with my daughter or a walk. Maybe your body has gotten used to your work out and you need to change things up....maybe add some speedwork, intervals or hill runs...
Just a thought!

Conclusion: High carb freakin sucks - im gonna cut out carbs except an hour before run - why do I keep falling for these lies that you can lose weight fast while eating carbs - they're all freakin lies.

Just an FYI it takes hours for the carbs you ingest to be uploaded as glycogen into your muscles. Having a small carb snack before a run is a good idea but it won't give you the fuel you need to complete the run. That's done in the days before the run. I would also add that if you're running less than 6 miles at a time then carb loading isn't going to do much to improve your runs.

Losing weight is about calories in vs calories out. That's what you're doing incorrectly. I would start by looking at the idea that a 3 mile run burns 1,000 calories.

Started about 2 weeks ago - lost about 4 lbs.

Conclusion: High carb freakin sucks

You've lost 4 pounds in 2 weeks, and you're already concluding that high carb sucks as a result?

..... What? First of all, it's crazy to think that 2 weeks of any dietary change is enough to draw any conclusions at all about its effect on your weight loss. That's way too short a time. On top of that, you've lost 4 pounds in those two weeks. That's 2 pounds a week. If anything, that's solid weight loss.

It's a long way, sometimes my weight doesn't go down for week or two, but I just carry on, good luck, don't give up!

Um no you are wrong - I've tried a couple of different models and I do burn that much on the hills I run - try it yourself - 45 degree hills for 2 miles.

45 degree hills?

Maybe not.

I've lost 10 lbs in one week of low carb and some waking.

Fine one more week - im averaging 250-350 right now of my first week and am making good running progress (up to 3.3 miles, half uphill) - if I dont lose at least 5 lbs this week carbs are bye bye

AT LEAST 5 lbs. in one week?! You are setting yourself up for failure. It seems like you want to say be able to say, "Ah ha! I'm right! Carbs are the devil!" Well, I'm out at this point, good luck on your carb-less journey.

Ok, sucked me back in. I would venture a guess that a good amount of those 10 lbs. was water weight. According to you, you only have 30 lbs. or so to lose. It slows down when you have less to lose. If you try to lose it incredibly fast, is it going to be sustainable? Healthy? I truly believe that cutting down carbs is going to nothing for you then help you lose some water weight and give you a false sense of fat loss. Carbs do not make you fat, nor do they hinder fat loss. Want the best way to lose fat? Calorie deficit.

I find for me that I lose more fat on a lower carb diet. I don't consider myself LOW carb but like to stay under 100 grams total per day. When I eat too much white starches I am more hungry then if I skip them. I'll eat lots of veggies including white & sweet potatoes. I try to get ample protein, and eat healthy fats. You need some carbs to help w/ protein uptake after a workout. ( per a trainer I recently spoke with) I also turn into a Queen 'B' if I get too few carbs. I think it's different for everyone and you have to experiment to see what works best for you.

I find for me that I lose more fat on a lower carb diet. I don't consider myself LOW carb but like to stay under 100 grams total per day. When I eat too much white starches I am more hungry then if I skip them. I'll eat lots of veggies including white & sweet potatoes. I try to get ample protein, and eat healthy fats. You need some carbs to help w/ protein uptake after a workout. ( per a trainer I recently spoke with) I also turn into a Queen 'B' if I get too few carbs. I think it's different for everyone and you have to experiment to see what works best for you.

How do you know it's fat you're losing since low carb diets tend to depleat the body of water stores?

And I wouldn't consider myself low carb but people complain I don't eat enough and I usually get around at 200 :S

It's all about preferences really, people tend to take in different ratios, but I would definately say that most people would think that amount of carbs is to low and considered low carb.

There is a medical term for this. It's called insulin resistance or being prediabetic. When some people eat carbs, their insulin spikes and remains high for the rest of the day. High levels of insulin is well documented as stopping the fat burning process. There is a very cheap simple test you can do to determine if you are insulin resistant. Go to Walgreens and buy a Blood Glucose Meter. It's only 10 dollars.

I don't think "I only lost 4 pounds in 2 weeks" is a reason to suspect insulin resistance.

The test is only 10 dollars and with it, he can 100% confirm if carbs are really holding him back.

There is a medical term for this. It's called insulin resistance or being prediabetic. When some people eat carbs, their insulin spikes and remains high for the rest of the day. High levels of insulin is well documented as stopping the fat burning process. There is a very cheap simple test you can do to determine if you are insulin resistant. Go to Walgreens and buy a Blood Glucose Meter. It's only 10 dollars.

I don't think "I only lost 4 pounds in 2 weeks" is a reason to suspect insulin resistance.

The test is only 10 dollars and with it, he can 100% confirm if carbs are really holding him back.

100%? No. No test has a 0% false positive and 0% incorrect negative rate.

There's a reason physicians don't perform tests if there's no reason to suspect a given issue.

There is a medical term for this. It's called insulin resistance or being prediabetic. When some people eat carbs, their insulin spikes and remains high for the rest of the day. High levels of insulin is well documented as stopping the fat burning process. There is a very cheap simple test you can do to determine if you are insulin resistant. Go to Walgreens and buy a Blood Glucose Meter. It's only 10 dollars.

I don't think "I only lost 4 pounds in 2 weeks" is a reason to suspect insulin resistance.

The test is only 10 dollars and with it, he can 100% confirm if carbs are really holding him back.

100%? No. No test has a 0% false positive and 0% incorrect negative rate.

There's a reason physicians don't perform tests if there's no reason to suspect a given issue.

Also, it means he'd only win 10$ from this bet.
And he seems real set on that 20$

More Carbs= More water retention
Starting new exercise = Even more water retention.

Conclusion: Water retention.

Good job on 4 lbs lost in 2 weeks. Healthy pace for weight loss.

You obviously don't know what's included in a single test kit. With one kit, you can test 10 times because it comes with 10 samples. Assuming that he screws up the test the first two times, he has 8 more to go.

*facepalm*

Most prediabetics show no visible symptoms and close 1/3 of the American population is estimated to be insulin resistant, or 70 million people but I understand your comment isn't here to help the OP, just to show how big your EPEEN is. Troll on, Troll.

You obviously don't know what's included in a single test kit. With one kit, you can test 10 times because it comes with 10 samples. Assuming that he screws up the test the first two times, he has 8 more to go.

*facepalm*

Most prediabetics show no visible symptoms and close 1/3 of the American population is estimated to be insulin resistant, or 70 million people but I understand your comment isn't here to help the OP, just to show how big your EPEEN is. Troll on, Troll.

The answer is not to have everyone run out and buy a $10 home testing kit just in case.

It also has nothing to do with this thread. There's nothing whatsoever to indicate the OP is insulin resistant. You might as well post it in literally every thread.

Again, show how little you know and raising your EPEEN again. Everyone does get tested but it depend on your age. The guidelines are set by the AMA on when a doctor should perform a test. The OP has already stated that he noticed to be losing more weight on low carbs compared to high carbs, in addition to that, he is 30 pounds overweight. Thirty pounds is at the very low end of obesity, and obesity is known to be very closely related to insulin resistance so he does in fact have good reason to be tested. I believe my EPEEN is now bigger then yours.

Okay, I guess I took the EPEEN comment too far after the facepalm comment. Hopefully, the OP gives us an update on what he decides to do to get back on topic.