Long distance running and having trouble losing weight

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rle2512
rle2512 Posts: 44 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I fell in love with running back in May of 2013, at that time i was 196 lbs and was only able to run for 30 seconds at a time. Here i am January 2014, this past Saturday I ran a half marathon and then some,(15.53 miles in 2 hrs and 50 minutes) I am thrilled, want to increase and do more, more, more. I was doing a very low carb diet. I have increased the carbs (with the advise of fellow runners) but I am stuck at my current weight, its been two months. I have done a small amount of research about attempting to lose weight with long distance running. Any advise? I still want to lose 10-15 more lbs, the number isnt as important as how my body looks/feels, i do understand i will be increasing muscle mass but i still have a bit of fat on my abdomen/legs/arms that i want GONE!
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Replies

  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    If you are truly in a calorie deficit, you won't be putting on muscle. Adding more carbs into your diet may have contributed to some added water weight. What's your height, current weight, and calorie intake?
  • lmd_1979
    lmd_1979 Posts: 130
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    From what I understand doing any exercise for more than an hour is counter productive. Try interval training which is short bursts of sprinting whilst your running/jogging.
  • Runs4Wine
    Runs4Wine Posts: 416 Member
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    I have found with 1/2 marathon training I tend to gain weight.

    My "sweet distance" where I get maximum WO and can lose weight is around the 10K mark for long runs. Everyone's different, but this is what I've noticed for me.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    You may find this useful

    http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/miles-and-meals?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-RunnersWorld-_-Content-Training-_-MarathonWeightGain
  • kristy6ward
    kristy6ward Posts: 332 Member
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    I'm in pretty much time pretty much the same boat. I fell in love with running and the challenge of running long distances. But I haven't seen much change in my weight and in fact feel even more flabby than when I was focused for a time on lifting. Distance running didn't give me muscle mass, it stole mine. I think part of the problem is all the running made me super hungry and I felt entitled to eat more because of the huge burns I was getting in 2 hours of running. I was eating back every single calorie my hrm told me I burned. This was a mistake in hindsight. I didn't gain, but I didn't lose either. This year, with race training starting back up again, I plan to really watch my calorie intake. I have no real advice for you, I just hope you get some good responses cause I need the advice too.
  • rle2512
    rle2512 Posts: 44 Member
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    I am 5 foot 8 my current weight is 156-158, calories vary between 1200- 1600 depending on workouts
  • rle2512
    rle2512 Posts: 44 Member
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    "fatdoob" hehe, that article was actually extremely helpful, kristy6ward, you should take a look.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    I used to be a medium-distance runner (my longest run was 25K/15.5 miles). Now I'm a long-distance cyclist (up to 125 miles in a day). What I discovered is that running or cycling long distances is a lot of fun and improves my fitness. However, it does nothing for weight loss unless I run a calorie deficit. In 2012, I put on weight while cycling about 2400 miles. In 2013, I lost 45 lbs. while cycling 3600 miles. The difference? In 2013, I counted calories carefully and ran a deficit of about 450 calories a day (on average).

    I'd recommend that you get a high-quality heart rate monitor (the best you can afford--the Garmin units that use the FirstBeat algorithm, like the ForeRunner 620, are pretty good, and they adapt the more you use them). Use it to measure your running calories. Then set MFP for your desired weight loss, record calories you eat carefully (I strongly recommend a food scale), record and "eat back" your running calories, and check your results after a couple of weeks. If you're losing at your goal, keep on as before. If you're not losing as much, cut back on calories. If you are losing too much, add in some additional calories.

    You can get faster while running a deficit. I increased my average cycling speed and hill climbing power substantially last year while running a deficit. It's not easy (interval training helped a lot), but you don't have to choose between improving performance and losing weight.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    From what I understand doing any exercise for more than an hour is counter productive.

    That is completely, irredeemably wrong.
  • lmd_1979
    lmd_1979 Posts: 130
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    From what I understand doing any exercise for more than an hour is counter productive.

    That is completely, irredeemably wrong.

    Really? Explain boyo.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    From what I understand doing any exercise for more than an hour is counter productive.

    That is completely, irredeemably wrong.

    Really? Explain boyo.

    Why? What's in it for me, "boyo"?
  • lmd_1979
    lmd_1979 Posts: 130
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    From what I understand doing any exercise for more than an hour is counter productive.

    That is completely, irredeemably wrong.

    Really? Explain boyo.


    Why? What's in it for me, "boyo"?

    Nothing, just looks a bit odd on your part. Boyo is slang.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
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    From what I understand doing any exercise for more than an hour is counter productive. Try interval training which is short bursts of sprinting whilst your running/jogging.

    Gawd I hope this isn't turning into the "how to run >90min thread."

    Post what you know rather than what you "understand."

    My $0.02 is that the more aerobically fit you are, the less intake you need (your HR is lower and you burn less calories). Perhaps try a different model (IIFYM to TDEE or the other way around) and see how that works. If you do IIFYM, eat back maybe 1/4 of your burned calories on your dailies but about half on your longs. I'm in maintenance now and that's what I do, but I was actively losing weight on 15-20 MPW a year ago.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    From what I understand doing any exercise for more than an hour is counter productive. Try interval training which is short bursts of sprinting whilst your running/jogging.

    how else would a runner increase their milage?
  • lmd_1979
    lmd_1979 Posts: 130
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    I think were getting confused between exercising to lose weight and simply just partaking in your sport as a means and not to lose weight.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    I think were getting confused between exercising to lose weight and simply just partaking in your sport as a means and not to lose weight.

    no, you're getting confused.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    From what I understand doing any exercise for more than an hour is counter productive. Try interval training which is short bursts of sprinting whilst your running/jogging.

    Gawd I hope this isn't turning into the "how to run >90min thread."

    Post what you know rather than what you "understand."

    My $0.02 is that the more aerobically fit you are, the less intake you need (your HR is lower and you burn less calories). Perhaps try a different model (IIFYM to TDEE or the other way around) and see how that works. If you do IIFYM, eat back maybe 1/4 of your burned calories on your dailies but about half on your longs. I'm in maintenance now and that's what I do, but I was actively losing weight on 15-20 MPW a year ago.

    I'm a little confused by this.

    IIFYM and TDEE aren't mutually exclusive. I do both. TDEE method refers to your overall calorie intake. IIFYM just means that you make your food choices fit your macronutrient requirements. It doesn't have anything to do with exercise calories.
  • lmd_1979
    lmd_1979 Posts: 130
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    Well explain then?
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    Well explain then?
    I have a better ideas - since you made the original claim, how about you explain to ujs how doing an exercise for longer than 60 minutes is "counterproductive".
  • lmd_1979
    lmd_1979 Posts: 130
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    Well explain then?
    I have a better ideas - since you made the original claim, how about you explain to ujs how doing an exercise for longer than 60 minutes is "counterproductive".

    I haven't made a claim, I simply said from what I understand exercising to LOSE weight shouldn't be more than a hour at a time. Don't forget you have to consider a persons starting weight which if you are obese,then an hours exercise or more will be pretty tough particularly if you haven't done much exercise before. Obviously as you get fitter then you can do more.

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