Running, Dieting, Not losing...

2

Replies

  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,582 Member
    Open your diary.
    This. $20 says OP isn't eating enough.

    called it.

    not eating enough.

    OP: http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
    go there. fill it out.
  • TyTy76
    TyTy76 Posts: 1,761 Member
    There’s a Jessica in every gym. Spotting them is easy. They’re the women who run for an hour or more every day on the treadmill, setting new distance and/or time goals every week and month. Maybe they’re just interested in their treadmill workouts, maybe they’re training for their fifth fund-raising marathon, or maybe they’re even competing against runners in Finland via some Nike device. Doesn’t matter to me, because years of seeing my friend on the treadmill has exposed the results, which I’m not going to sugarcoat:

    She’s still fat. Actually, she’s gotten fatter.

    Her metabolism had slowed to a snail’s pace, and the fat was accumulating. This was her body rebelling. When Jessica asked for my advice, I told her to do two things: To schedule a second test for two weeks later, and to stop all the goddamned running until then.

    Read for the rest: http://athlete.io/5343/why-women-should-not-run/

    Yea, I see lots of fat runners and triathletes.
  • fatfudgery
    fatfudgery Posts: 449 Member
    I hate to be a horses butt, but weight loss is all math. If you have a calorie deficit you lose weight. Even if you put your body in "Starvation Mode" you still can't maintain or gain weight with a big calorie deficit. If that were true no-one would starve to death.

    When I just looked at the diary most days were blank or incomplete.


    Flame away.

    Nah, man, she just has to eat more, bro!

    Seriously, it is physically impossible to maintain your weight while on a long-term caloric deficit. If you're maintaining when you think you should be losing, you're either underestimating your caloric intake, or you're overestimating your exercise calories or TDEE. I realize it is frustrating to go through this and think you're doing everything right and still not lose weight, but there is simply no way that the laws of thermodynamics seize to apply inside your body.
  • RunningRichelle
    RunningRichelle Posts: 346 Member
    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/case-against-cardio/#axzz2cinIepOZ

    I ran long distances for almost two years. For more than half of it, I didn't count calories, and the above info described me to a T. When I started counting calories, I was always miserably hungry, even when I had eaten at maintenance cals for the day.

    When I ditched the processed grains and sugars, I started losing more and feeling a lot better. I also run much less now as well.

    Best Wishes.
  • palmerar
    palmerar Posts: 489 Member
    The diary looked pretty well filled out to me....

    Don't know... are you missing logging something obvious - alcohol or fizzy drinks?

    If you go back a few days, to the weekend there is barely anything filled out.
  • fatfudgery
    fatfudgery Posts: 449 Member
    The diary looked pretty well filled out to me....

    I just went looked at the last week and found three days (Saturday, Sunday and Monday) where she didn't log...
  • shannashannabobana
    shannashannabobana Posts: 625 Member
    But yet I never lose weight while I'm running
    Quick question, have you tried scaling back on your running and doing more slow moving (walking, hiking, etc)?

    Just curious. I know you've tried lots of things and that's frustrating as hell.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,249 Member
    There’s a Jessica in every gym. Spotting them is easy. They’re the women who run for an hour or more every day on the treadmill, setting new distance and/or time goals every week and month. Maybe they’re just interested in their treadmill workouts, maybe they’re training for their fifth fund-raising marathon, or maybe they’re even competing against runners in Finland via some Nike device. Doesn’t matter to me, because years of seeing my friend on the treadmill has exposed the results, which I’m not going to sugarcoat:

    She’s still fat. Actually, she’s gotten fatter.

    Her metabolism had slowed to a snail’s pace, and the fat was accumulating. This was her body rebelling. When Jessica asked for my advice, I told her to do two things: To schedule a second test for two weeks later, and to stop all the goddamned running until then.

    Read for the rest: http://athlete.io/5343/why-women-should-not-run/

    What a crock.......
  • ameliarose31
    ameliarose31 Posts: 6 Member
    billsica AND trogalicious - Last time I had my RMI checked professionally, I had a VERY low metabolism (around 1080), and that's when I was in high school swimming competitively 5 days a week and eating my heart out. I'm a little reluctant to rely on being able to cut calories unless I have a deficit AND i'm working out. Plus I have a desk job, so unless I work out, I'm not burning much more calories than my RMI anyways.

    bmckinneybc - I do admit I'm bad at this because I'm afraid of water retention. But I am trying to up this (1.5-2 L a day) and I also drink herbal teas about once a day. We will see if this helps.

    Hildy_J - not usually missing anything. I'm pretty crazy about measuring things now because I know I get myself in trouble if I don't. I don't drink any sugar drinks, mainly water, coffee, and tea. And I only have alcoholic drinks once every couple weeks because I know that's not going to help me (plus if when I look at the calories it makes me feel like I just wasted half a days food on one drink).

    In general, I spread meals out some (I don't eat "lunch", I eat parts of my lunch all day long). I've also started doing way more grains and fibers than I used to. To estimate my burned calories after exercise, I use whatever fitness pal says, but I don't necessarily RELY on that number. running 25 mins and walking 10 is somewhere between 250-350 calories at my understanding.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,582 Member
    billsica AND trogalicious - Last time I had my RMI checked professionally, I had a VERY low metabolism (around 1080), and that's when I was in high school swimming competitively 5 days a week and eating my heart out. I'm a little reluctant to rely on being able to cut calories unless I have a deficit AND i'm working out. Plus I have a desk job, so unless I work out, I'm not burning much more calories than my RMI anyways.

    1. you're not in high school now.
    2. metabolism changes.
    3. If you're burning more than your resting metabolism, you're gonna have a bad time.

    Here's a thought. Stop running until you figure out what you need to eat to maintain. Once you have a good grasp on that, then consider running with a HRM and eat some of those back. If you're not losing right now you're either at too much of a deficit, or not enough. With what you're eating, I seriously doubt it's "not enough of a deficit."
  • erikmsp72
    erikmsp72 Posts: 137 Member
    you're not eating nearly enough just to live. you're eating way way way to little to be a runner.

    Try at least getting to 1200 calories a day, net for a week. See the green "300 extra calories a day" try to eat em all and see what happens.


    ^^^ yup. This.
  • Pangea250
    Pangea250 Posts: 965 Member
    This is what I see...

    8/1 - 400 calories
    8/2 - 1024 calories
    8/3 - 160 calories
    8/4 - didn't log (or didn't eat)
    8/5 - 975 calories
    8/6 - 452 calories
    8/7 - 323 calories
    8/8 - 678 calories
    8/9 - 860 calories
    8/10 - 160 calories
    8/11 - didn't log (or didn't eat)
    8/12 - 493 calories
    8/13 - 1014 calories
    8/14 - 1079 calories
    8/15 - 927 calories
    8/16 - 831 calories
    8/17 - 160 calories
    8/18 - 393 calories
    8/19 - didn't log (or didn't eat)
    8/20 - 837 calories
    8/21 - 1012 calories

    It's clear you eat nearly nothing on weekends and not much more the rest of the time. It's simply NOT ENOUGH FOOD. But I'm sure you know this.
  • ameliarose31
    ameliarose31 Posts: 6 Member
    Ok, so here's what I'm getting:

    Eat more so that I'm meeting that 1200 mark more often.
    Drink more water.
    Run less.

    I'm training for my first 5k in October, so I can't back off the running too much, but after the race, I will go back to other activities for the most part. Running at 5k was on my bucket list and I'm committed now.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,582 Member
    Ok, so here's what I'm getting:

    Eat more so that I'm meeting that 1200 mark more often.
    Drink more water.
    Run less.

    I'm training for my first 5k in October, so I can't back off the running too much, but after the race, I will go back to other activities for the most part. Running at 5k was on my bucket list and I'm committed now.
    The 1200 should be the absolute MINIMUM you eat. Say your old RMR was still the same at 1080.. you'd need to eat that amount to keep your body just going. Now, say you burn another 400 with your training. That'd put you at needing to eat 1480 for the day.
    As it stands right now, I'm still firm on the "you're not eating enough" train. By your own admission, you aren't eating enough. Eating under your RMR isn't going to do you any favors.
  • Breezy929
    Breezy929 Posts: 17 Member
    It's so hard for me to watch replies on threads like this. Because I wish I had the answers for the OP, because then it would solve problems for me too.

    I weigh (using grams) and log everything I eat. And yes, if it goes in my mouth, I log it.
    I workout 5-6 days a week. Most of it cardio/running as I train for races (currently just a 10K). Anywhere from 40 min-90 min (longer on the long run days when it's for half marathons)
    I do strength, heavy, two nights a week, both upper and lower body.
    I alternate fartleks with hill training every other week.
    I wear an HRM.
    I deduct the amount that I'd have burned not working for that period of time from the calories my HRM tells me I've burned before entering them in my log.
    I've done the cook every meal from scratch, eat as clean as possible route.
    I've done the easy on the stress version where I cook my dinners but will eat frozen meals for lunch with breakfasts jumping back and forth.
    I've done cheat meals.
    I've done cheat days.
    I've done lower carb.
    I've done carb re-feeds.
    I've tried working out on an empty stomach.
    I've tried working out after eating (after waiting a bit for food to settle/digest).
    I've done 1200 net calories.
    I've done 1400 net calories.
    I've done 1600 net calories.
    I've done 1700 net calories.
    I've given all of them fair shakes, no less than two months before changing any changes.

    But yet I never lose weight while I'm running. I usually gain when I'm running. And I'm female, and not bulking, so it's not muscle. My clothes fit tighter and the scale goes up.

    Then once I stop running, I lose weight again. The race I'm running at the end of this month is actually my last for at least six months, simply because I need to not be running for awhile to try to get off some of the weight I've gained while running so much for so many races the past couple of years.

    So I feel for the OP, and, like I said, I wish I had the answers. But all I have is empathy. Well that, at least I don't have the automatic expectation that it's something she's doing wrong either. :(

    I hope you find your solution OP!

    I could have posted this word for word.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
    That and I've read a few times that just running, all the time, you'll plateau. I used to go to the gym and only run and/or do the elliptical and kept wondering why I wasn't losing any weight. Quite frankly, it takes a little more than that. Start picking up some weights, you'll see definition and start losing weight.

    ^ This happened to me. As soon as I started lifting weights, the weight started to drop again.
  • SHHitsKaty
    SHHitsKaty Posts: 301
    That and I've read a few times that just running, all the time, you'll plateau. I used to go to the gym and only run and/or do the elliptical and kept wondering why I wasn't losing any weight. Quite frankly, it takes a little more than that. Start picking up some weights, you'll see definition and start losing weight.

    ^ This happened to me. As soon as I started lifting weights, the weight started to drop again.

    I'm glad you're not the only one. People think I'm being full of crap, I'm not. It takes more than cardio, it just does.
  • ameliarose31
    ameliarose31 Posts: 6 Member
    Ok, so here's what I'm getting:

    Eat more so that I'm meeting that 1200 mark more often.
    Drink more water.
    Run less.

    I'm training for my first 5k in October, so I can't back off the running too much, but after the race, I will go back to other activities for the most part. Running at 5k was on my bucket list and I'm committed now.
    The 1200 should be the absolute MINIMUM you eat. Say your old RMR was still the same at 1080.. you'd need to eat that amount to keep your body just going. Now, say you burn another 400 with your training. That'd put you at needing to eat 1480 for the day.
    As it stands right now, I'm still firm on the "you're not eating enough" train. By your own admission, you aren't eating enough. Eating under your RMR isn't going to do you any favors.

    Ok, I get that. My only issue with meeting the 1200 minimum is how to do that without blowing over the daily sugars recommendation since I sometimes do that already even when I'm not eating things that are very high in sugar relative to...sugary foods... for lack of a better term.
  • ami5000psu
    ami5000psu Posts: 391 Member
    Ok, so here's what I'm getting:

    Eat more so that I'm meeting that 1200 mark more often.
    Drink more water.
    Run less.

    I'm training for my first 5k in October, so I can't back off the running too much, but after the race, I will go back to other activities for the most part. Running at 5k was on my bucket list and I'm committed now.
    The 1200 should be the absolute MINIMUM you eat. Say your old RMR was still the same at 1080.. you'd need to eat that amount to keep your body just going. Now, say you burn another 400 with your training. That'd put you at needing to eat 1480 for the day.
    As it stands right now, I'm still firm on the "you're not eating enough" train. By your own admission, you aren't eating enough. Eating under your RMR isn't going to do you any favors.

    Ok, I get that. My only issue with meeting the 1200 minimum is how to do that without blowing over the daily sugars recommendation since I sometimes do that already even when I'm not eating things that are very high in sugar relative to...sugary foods... for lack of a better term.

    Work on hitting your calorie goals consistently. Unless you're diabetic or otherwise insulin resistant you shouldn't have to worry too much about going over on sugar. Pretty sure I do that every day.
  • lua_
    lua_ Posts: 258 Member
    There’s a Jessica in every gym. Spotting them is easy. They’re the women who run for an hour or more every day on the treadmill, setting new distance and/or time goals every week and month. Maybe they’re just interested in their treadmill workouts, maybe they’re training for their fifth fund-raising marathon, or maybe they’re even competing against runners in Finland via some Nike device. Doesn’t matter to me, because years of seeing my friend on the treadmill has exposed the results, which I’m not going to sugarcoat:

    She’s still fat. Actually, she’s gotten fatter.

    Her metabolism had slowed to a snail’s pace, and the fat was accumulating. This was her body rebelling. When Jessica asked for my advice, I told her to do two things: To schedule a second test for two weeks later, and to stop all the goddamned running until then.

    Read for the rest: http://athlete.io/5343/why-women-should-not-run/

    What a crock.......

    As a runner, I am horrified by this article and I hope no one takes it seriously.
    Running makes you fat...that's a new one.
    :explode: :explode: :explode: :explode: :explode: