Long distance running and having trouble losing weight
rle2512
Posts: 44 Member
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
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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?0
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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.0
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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.0 -
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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.0
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I am 5 foot 8 my current weight is 156-158, calories vary between 1200- 1600 depending on workouts0
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"fatdoob" hehe, that article was actually extremely helpful, kristy6ward, you should take a look.0
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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.0 -
From what I understand doing any exercise for more than an hour is counter productive.
That is completely, irredeemably wrong.0 -
From what I understand doing any exercise for more than an hour is counter productive.
That is completely, irredeemably wrong.
Really? Explain boyo.0 -
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"?0 -
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.0 -
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.0 -
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?0 -
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.0
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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.0 -
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.0 -
Well explain then?0
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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".Well explain then?0 -
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".Well explain then?
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.0 -
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".Well explain then?
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.
That's a claim.
Back it up.0 -
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.
I'll just call it "the one where I log all exercise as 1 calorie and eat more cals every day" and the other one "the one where I log calories burned and eat some/all of them back." If I butchered the terminology, I'm sorry, but that's what I meant. When my training kicks in, I have high burn and low burn days, and my eating is unpredictable, so I smooth it all out with the upped daily calories and non-logging of exercise. On steady maintenance training, my cals burnt are more consistent every day.0 -
i,m interested in what carbs you are eating and how much at your meals, what else are you eating with your carbs curious because what goes into our bodies is what makes us tick, i went vegan a few years ago and was running ok, i lost loads of weight felt great fitter than ever , i can say that worked for me , but i blew it and went back eat crap now i,m back losing the weight lol every one has a story , so i,m wandering whats your with your carbs...:)0
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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.
Heart rate is not directly related to calories burned. There is a relationship between VO2 max and heart rate that allows for a calorie estimation in specific circumstances(during steady state cardio) but having a lower heart does not mean you burn fewer calories.
Two people of the same weight, one fit and one unfit, running the same course at the same speed will burn the same calories. The fitter person may have a lower HR, and perceived exertion may be lower, but the calorie output is the same.
You will find that HRMs will give lower calorie readings to fitter individuals because they have lower heart rates. That's why it is recommended you get a HRM that will allow you to adjust the VO2 max setting as those that don't are based on averages.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak?month=2010050 -
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.
I'll just call it "the one where I log all exercise as 1 calorie and eat more cals every day" and the other one "the one where I log calories burned and eat some/all of them back." If I butchered the terminology, I'm sorry, but that's what I meant. When my training kicks in, I have high burn and low burn days, and my eating is unpredictable, so I smooth it all out with the upped daily calories and non-logging of exercise. On steady maintenance training, my cals burnt are more consistent every day.
:laugh: The one where you eat back your exercise calories I call the MFP model. IIFYM is a different thing. :flowerforyou:0 -
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.
^^^What he said. Aside from the fact that I'm a marathoner (not a cyclist) and I use TDEE (instead of eating back exercise calories each day), this is my experience. I use my Garmin to track my calorie burn, I use a food scale to weigh most of my food, and I use MFP to track my calories to ensure I'm eating at a deficit; doing that, I lost ~27 lb while training for my last marathon. If you're losing too quickly or feeling overly tired; eat more; if you're not losing at all / quickly enough, eat less. Adjust as necessary. That's really all there is to it. Overall, I wouldn't set an excessively large weight loss goal rate; but it's basically as simple as that. (Well, for me it was.)
Best of luck to you!
[ETA]: With 10-15 lb left, I'd target between 0.5-1.0 lb/week...0 -
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".Well explain then?
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.
That's a claim.
Back it up.
Like I said there's a difference between exercising to LOSE weight and what the OP's question was which is having trouble losing weight and long distance running, which the OP's has said DOESN'T WORK.0 -
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.
I'll just call it "the one where I log all exercise as 1 calorie and eat more cals every day" and the other one "the one where I log calories burned and eat some/all of them back." If I butchered the terminology, I'm sorry, but that's what I meant. When my training kicks in, I have high burn and low burn days, and my eating is unpredictable, so I smooth it all out with the upped daily calories and non-logging of exercise. On steady maintenance training, my cals burnt are more consistent every day.
:laugh: The one where you eat back your exercise calories I call the MFP model. IIFYM is a different thing. :flowerforyou:
Busted! In my defense, I eat all day like a friggin' cow and have maintained my weight for 8 months now
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Thanks to slow long-distance running my legs are all muscle, yet slim (albeit not AS slim as I'd like them to be, but I blame my body-shape for that).
The reason you are not losing weight is probably cause you are overestimating what you burn from each running session. I find that I have to eat sensibly, or else I won't lose any weight, no matter the amount of running I do.
If you don't want your legs to get bulkier, I would advise you to refrain from high-intensity interval training and sprinting. If you are already heavier than you'd like to be (and you build more muscle underneath the fat), you'll just end up looking bigger (which is probably not your goal).0 -
I would recommend running intervals. I have lost 50 pounds in 3 1/2 months running and strength training. Good luck to you0
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