Losing Weight while training for a Half Marathon

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gbel1975
gbel1975 Posts: 86 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone out there had success in losing weight and training for a half marathon at the same time? I've read a number of websites that suggest the two goals are not good to take on at the same time.

For me, I find that when I'm running regularly and incorporating a "long" run every other week that I'm famished. With such hunger it's hard to eat with moderation. No matter how diligently I count the calories and make sure I'm eating enough to cover the running it's difficult. One way I find it difficult is that while I'm not overly hungry the day of a long run, the following day or two I'm extremely hungry. It's hard to "transfer" the calorie burn from one day to another and make sure it's accounted for correctly.

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  • DrJenO
    DrJenO Posts: 404 Member
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    I transfer calories all the time.

    I take my total calories for the week, add in my exercise calories, and then subtract what I eat. You can do it with an excel spreadsheet, or you can use the weekly calorie goal function on the smartphone app (it may only be for iphone though).
  • gbel1975
    gbel1975 Posts: 86 Member
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    Thanks for the suggestion.

    One thing I should clarify. Certainly, by running I have lost weight over the last year. About 10 pounds total. But I do seem to plateau at a point weight-wise while doing a lot of running that is higher than I'd like to be.

    So to clarify my question...is consistent weight loss a realistic goal while training for a long event as opposed to maintaining weight?
  • CharleneM723
    CharleneM723 Posts: 80 Member
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    I tend to drop weight when training for a race. From normal running without a specific goal in mind, I maintain. I don't understand exactly what your question is.

    From my own experience, I tend to eat more the day BEFORE a long run or bike ride so I have the energy to get thru it. As the other poster stated, worry about weekly totals, not daily.

    Maybe you can share a bit more about the plan you are following and let us know exactly which days and distances you are running and which days you are hungry and what your actual caloric intakes are for those days? Maybe we can see something that can aid you in not wanting to eat 8954393 calories the day after a long run. :)

    Charlene
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
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    I tend to drop weight when training for a race. From normal running without a specific goal in mind, I maintain. I don't understand exactly what your question is.

    From my own experience, I tend to eat more the day BEFORE a long run or bike ride so I have the energy to get thru it. As the other poster stated, worry about weekly totals, not daily.

    Maybe you can share a bit more about the plan you are following and let us know exactly which days and distances you are running and which days you are hungry and what your actual caloric intakes are for those days? Maybe we can see something that can aid you in not wanting to eat 8954393 calories the day after a long run. :)

    Charlene
    I lost more weight in my 5K training than I did in the training for halfs. Mostly I think of all the speed work I did in the 5k training circuit and during the HM i was so hungry and ate more.
  • gbel1975
    gbel1975 Posts: 86 Member
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    Maybe you can share a bit more about the plan you are following and let us know exactly which days and distances you are running and which days you are hungry and what your actual caloric intakes are for those days? Maybe we can see something that can aid you in not wanting to eat 8954393 calories the day after a long run. :)

    Charlene

    Running plan: 30-40 minutes on Tuesday and Thursday. Alternate 30 minutes and "long" runs on Sundays. My next half marathon is in August, so I'm scheduled to do 8 miles this coming Sunday.

    Eating plan: Here's where I'm having a hard time. I lose weight like a madman on crack if I go with high-protein, low carb diet. But, if I do that I find that I seriously crash on the long runs. Crash like shakes, stupor, tunnel vision. Just can't seem to go past 45-50 minutes without the crash, which I think is typical when it's anaerobic exercise. Yes, at this point running is anaerobic for me...I'm a relatively "bigger" guy at 215 lbs and 5'9".

    Question 1: if I'm trying to lose weight (i.e. fat) by eating a low-carb diet, then when/how do I need to eat carbs to ensure I have the fuel to get through the long runs? Some people say carb load the day before. Some say the week before. Some are in the middle.

    Question 2: When I'm famished for 1-3 days after a long run, should I be eating carbs for those days or just immediately go back to the high protein, low carb diet to get the fat loss?

    Not sure if I clarified my question, but perhaps I gave a little more insight on why I can't seem to find the balance here.
  • Cpollard6608
    Cpollard6608 Posts: 22 Member
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    I will try to help out the best I can and am only speaking from personal experience. I started running as a means to lose weight and eventually ran a half this past April. I often struggled with the caloric balance of feeling famished and still losing weight. I personally did not believe in a low-carb approach to weight loss as I love my carbs, but I also realized that I needed them for the long runs. That being said, I tried to get around 1g of protein per pound of body weight, and then ate at a caloric deficit of about 500-700 per day. The weight began falling off rapidly, and then it plateaued. So I readjusted my total caloric intake and increased fruit and vegetable intake to gain more fiber and filling meals. Additionally, I used the 16/8 IF routine to allow me to eat two big meals rather than graze all day, which led to me overeating etc. For example, my daily caloric intake was around 2600, I would eat two 1300 meals (lunch and dinner) and feel stuffed rather than three or four smaller meals.

    When you say long runs, how long do you mean? From my experience and understanding, unless you are running more than 9+ miles, you do not deplete glycogen storage by any means and can often rely upon your locally stored energy i.e. daily calories. If you are running more than 9+ miles per week, you are significantly overtraining for a half and need to up your overall caloric intake. However, I know I always felt hungry after the mileage got up around 10+ etc., so I would drink a lot of water and coffee, and eat lean protein for the next day and slowly replenish glycogen through increased carb intake over the next two days.

    Again, I am not a pro at this and I am still very much a work in progress myself, but it worked for me. Also, I would recommend using some of the GU or Clif Gels on long runs to help replenish carbs and ease recovery! Good luck!
  • ekat120
    ekat120 Posts: 407 Member
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    I haven't had much success losing weight while training for HMs before, but I think I (personally) thought I needed more "fuel" to get through my runs than I really did, and probably just needed to slow my pace a bit. I'm training for a full right now and running a little more than I did in HM training (currently 20-30 mi/wk), and I've lost a couple pounds. Some of it might be the extra mileage, but I think most of it is getting smarter with my nutrition.

    I try to time my runs for right before meals (preferably before breakfast, but that varies) so I can have something substantial after I run. I also make sure I'm hydrated (big glasses of water before and after runs and before each meal). I've upped my protein substantially, from maybe 70-90 g/day to 130-140 g/day (~25-30% of my Cals), which helps a LOT.

    I've also been aiming for a smaller deficit. I'm 5'6.5", high 130s, with maintenance of around 1900-2000 without exercise. I've been aiming for 1900 Cals/day (and averaging closer to 2000), so my deficit is basically my workouts. If I go over, I don't sweat it. I just try to have a little bit of a deficit most days. Too big a deficit and my mind and body freak out.
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
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    One thing I should clarify. Certainly, by running I have lost weight over the last year. About 10 pounds total. But I do seem to plateau at a point weight-wise while doing a lot of running that is higher than I'd like to be.

    So to clarify my question...is consistent weight loss a realistic goal while training for a long event as opposed to maintaining weight?

    You can lose weight while training. Just keep the calorie deficit to a minimal amount. Don't shoot for a 2 pound a week loss. Calories in vs. calories out. It doesn't matter what you're doing. It's still the same story.
  • jenbikeswim
    jenbikeswim Posts: 10
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    I'm training for a triathlon. I'm bigger, I have at least 40 pounds to lose, perhaps more. But I do get famished for a couple days after any workout over 90 minutes. I just started the program to lose some weight a month ago, so I'm going to hold off on reporting any results. I will tell you, I'm not of the mind to starve off the workout calories by sticking to 1200 calories a day. I may not eat everything back, but I will eat a good amount. I have two small kids, and they don't need a crabby, hypoglycemic mama.

    will be following this post to see how everyone else does it. It seems that everyone who's posted thus far have been in maintenance mode.
  • Linli_Anne
    Linli_Anne Posts: 1,360 Member
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    While it wasn't for specific scale weight loss goals, I found that following the TDEE method helped keep me from being crazy hungry the day after my long runs. By eating the same amount each day, as long as I was sticking to the training schedule/activity level that I did my calculations from I was feeling fine.

    There is a big differences though between how to eat to just drop weight, and how to fuel your body to perform on runs. I finally decided that during my training I was only interested in maintaining my weight, and I would revisit that goal area after my races were complete. Now that I've done my marathon, and am not following a strict training plan for a month or two and just running because I love it, I have created a bit more of a deficit in hopes of dropping some more weight before maintaining again during the next big training cycle.
  • CharleneM723
    CharleneM723 Posts: 80 Member
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    My training for HM:

    M, Th: Short runs, anywhere between 3-4 miles.
    T: Speedwork on the track.
    Sat: Long run, usually anywhere between 9-12 miles.

    I eat normally all week, but will eat a bit more on Friday. Now I do exercise other days of the week and sometimes I have to rearrange my training schedule. I fly from New York to Europe 6-7 times per month and sometimes the training calendar just doesn't align with the work schedule. I also bike and swim when I can. One day per week I do nothing but foam roll and walk.

    I suggest, I am not a RD or a professional runner- my HM clock at 2 hours or so. Eat at maintenance minus let's say 5%. Without having the data to figure out what that is for you, I will improvise. If maintenance is 2500, eat 2375ish. I tend to eat 45%C,30F/25P. That's what works for me, my traveling, my cooking skills, and my taste buds, as well as my fitness.

    Maybe the day of your long run (or as you say the day after) eat an extra few hundred. If you are burning 110 cals/mile and you run 8, eat back 400 and see if that helps. If you find yourself still famished, eat more. If the scale stalls, eat less. I eat the day before big workouts; I see the extra 300 calories as massive improvements in my times and my moods on long days. But during this time, I am also not *trying* to lose weight, it just happens.

    Personally on long bike rides, I grab a can of Ensure. It's tasty, easy to digest and gives me 220 calories which is enough to get me thru about 2 hours (I drink it halfway). For running, I eat a cereal bar just because it is easier to carry. I am also a female that normally weighs 120lbs (gained almost 20 from steroids recently).

    I am sorry if I am not answering your question specifically. I can only share what helps or hinders me. I love the HM distance. It's challenging, but training is manageable. As I always suggest too, hit the pool or jump on a bike from time to time.

    Charlene

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