Running and losing weight

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krawhitham
krawhitham Posts: 831 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been a runner my whole life, except for the past 5 years or so. The past 5 years is when I gained all my weight.

That being said, I'm getting back into running. These are my monthly mile counts so far:
July: 18 miles
August: 32 miles
September: 39 miles
October: on track to do 45 miles

Since Jan 1st of this year (when I started MFP religiously, weighing food, got my body fat % and lean mass done hydrostatically etc) I've only lost 7 lbs and have not lost inches since March.

It doesn't seem that increasing my running miles is helping me lose weight. I haven't lost anything in the last 3 months of running very, very hard and consistently.

So here's my question: How many miles a month did it take you to see results in weight loss?

I am counting, weighing and measuring everything. I know my TDEE, body fat % and all that jazz. I am just trying to figure out how exercise is going to fit into the whole equation, and I want to know what everyone elses experience with running and weight loss has been.

Thanks in advance!
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Replies

  • aphanson
    aphanson Posts: 3 Member
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    You say you are counting, weighing and measuring everything, are you currently in a calorie deficit? If you are in a calorie deficit you should be seeing weight loss regardless of what running you are doing.
  • Maleficent0241
    Maleficent0241 Posts: 386 Member
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    Exercise is mainly for fitness, and not for weight loss. That's what your diet is for. Think of it this way:

    Using your October mileage and current weight (sorry to creep your profile to find it), you are burning about 104 net calories per mile of running, give or take. Multiply that by 45 miles, and that is an extra 4,680 calories earned for the month. Sounds like a lot, right? Well, divided over 31 days, and you're only averaging an extra 151 (rounded up) calories per day. Not much and easy to out-eat.

    Doing that for July, you got an average of an extra 60 calories per day from your running.

    Even training for a marathon at 45+ miles per week, all that work can easily be outdone by overeating. Of course, high mileage will give you some extra calories to play with, but hopefully the above helps you understand why the running isn't giving you the results you desire. It's not meant to be discouraging, it just is what it is. Running is great, and keep it up!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    The time in my life when I ran the most miles (marathon training) I gained weight. Not a lot, but some. Now I'm losing running about 30 miles a week, but I was losing running lots less too. What matters is calories. Running means you can eat more and still lose, all else equal, but personally I have to pay attention to my diet in addition to exercise.

    What you just need to figure out, as you say, is how running affects your tdee. I find 100 calories per mile is a good conservative estimate, so if you have a sense of maintenance without the miles maybe try adding in your weekly average to get the running tdee.
  • lkoconnell
    lkoconnell Posts: 21
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    I was in the same boat about a year ago. I never really believed the "fat burning zone" was adequate for burning enough calories but running wasn't working ( I was way above fbz when running) so this summer when I was relegated to the gym, I walked on the treadmill, keeping my heart rate within my fbz. I use a heart rate monitor not the treadmill sensors. Lo and behold I started losing. 12 lbs so far since mid summer. So maybe the fat burning zone is legit. I still run though because I love too and plus it's cooler out now. Good luck to you. :O)
  • LoadedM6Tina
    LoadedM6Tina Posts: 63 Member
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    I lost 20 pounds by changing what I ate. When I couldn't lose anymore with healthy eating, I started running, I lost another 20. I stopped running and started eating a little less healthy I gained 15 back. But when I started refining what I was eating, I started losing again so I have kept 25 of the weight off. If I keep eating healthy, I will again get to a point where eating healthy isn't enough. I will then shock my body again by getting into running which will put me in the losing weight category again. I think if your body is doing all that work, you should shock it by taking a break from running so much and lighten up on your food intake. Not enough that you start losing your edge but long enough to shock your body back into losing weight. I'm very anti-protein powders and all that crap, great health can come from eating healthy food! I'd rather be able to eat a delicious lean steak than drink all of my protein in a crappy shake.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
    edited October 2014
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    krawhitham wrote: »
    I've been a runner my whole life, except for the past 5 years or so. The past 5 years is when I gained all my weight.

    That being said, I'm getting back into running. These are my monthly mile counts so far:
    July: 18 miles
    August: 32 miles
    September: 39 miles
    October: on track to do 45 miles

    Since Jan 1st of this year (when I started MFP religiously, weighing food, got my body fat % and lean mass done hydrostatically etc) I've only lost 7 lbs and have not lost inches since March.

    It doesn't seem that increasing my running miles is helping me lose weight. I haven't lost anything in the last 3 months of running very, very hard and consistently.

    So here's my question: How many miles a month did it take you to see results in weight loss?

    I am counting, weighing and measuring everything. I know my TDEE, body fat % and all that jazz. I am just trying to figure out how exercise is going to fit into the whole equation, and I want to know what everyone elses experience with running and weight loss has been.

    Thanks in advance!

    I absolutely love to run and have been running on and off since I was in my twenties, but have been running regularly for the last 15 or so years.

    I ran when I was fat, lost weight while running, gained weight while running, ran less because I got too fat, and now I still run while at a healthy weight for almost a year.

    We can run all we want, but we can still gain weight if we are eating more than we think we are.

    Weight loss comes down to calories in/calories out, and if you are not losing weight then you are eating too much.

    You say you religiously weigh your food. Do you weight ALL your food? Are you sure you choose correct entries? Do you log every single thing you eat, including condiments, sugar drinks, alcohol, everything?

    Do you log your exercise calories and eat them back? If so, where do you get those exercise calories from?

    7 pounds lost since March is a pound a month. Nothing wrong with that.
  • hortensehildegarde
    hortensehildegarde Posts: 592 Member
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    I don't run at all and lose weight. Though I do look forward to getting back to being able to run again I'm just too big and too long away from it so still at the walking stage.

    It sounds like running before helped keep you at maintenance and it sounds like running is again helping you stay at maintenance.
  • krawhitham
    krawhitham Posts: 831 Member
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    Yeah, it feels that way at least, but I'm just not sure if I'm running enough. When I used to run regularly I'd do 70-100 miles a month.

    I feel that if I work up to 70-100 miles a month and I'm running 7-8 minute miles I'm still 35-40 lbs overweight, the weight probably isn't an issue at all and I should just start ignoring my weight.

    Thank you for your feedback!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
    edited October 2014
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    krawhitham wrote: »
    Yeah, it feels that way at least, but I'm just not sure if I'm running enough. When I used to run regularly I'd do 70-100 miles a month.

    I feel that if I work up to 70-100 miles a month and I'm running 7-8 minute miles I'm still 35-40 lbs overweight, the weight probably isn't an issue at all and I should just start ignoring my weight.

    Thank you for your feedback!
    Do you like to run, or do you do it because your think it will help you lose weight? Or, maybe both?

    If you think you are not running enough, then you might have a problem. I say with all due respect--and there really is no other way to say it--but it seems to me the issue right now is whether you are eating too much, not that you aren't running enough.
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    Steady state cardio doesn't make me lose weight. A combination of HIIT and weight lifting got the fat dropping for me. I do run but it's more for enjoyment and relaxation rather than weight loss.

    Kudos to you for wanting to put in close to 100 miles of running a month! There are other ways to drop body fat though.
  • krawhitham
    krawhitham Posts: 831 Member
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    SLLRunner wrote: »
    krawhitham wrote: »
    Yeah, it feels that way at least, but I'm just not sure if I'm running enough. When I used to run regularly I'd do 70-100 miles a month.

    I feel that if I work up to 70-100 miles a month and I'm running 7-8 minute miles I'm still 35-40 lbs overweight, the weight probably isn't an issue at all and I should just start ignoring my weight.

    Thank you for your feedback!
    Do you like to run, or do you do it because your think it will help you lose weight? Or, maybe both?

    If you think you are not running enough, then you might have a problem. I say with all due respect--and there really is no other way to say it--but it seems to me the issue right now is whether you are eating too much, not that you aren't running enough.

    I definitely do it because I really enjoy it and it has helped me lose and maintain weight in the past (when I was in my mid-20s, I'm now 32)

    It's not that I don't think I'm running enough, it just makes me feel really good, and the better shape I get into the faster/longer I want to run for. I want to start running races like I used to, that's my goal.

    In terms of my food intake, I can't argue! I've considerably decreased my food intake in comparison to last year, and maybe that's something I still have to work on. I feel like I eat like a bird, thinking about eating even less makes me want to cry.
  • philwrightfitness
    philwrightfitness Posts: 122
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    If you like running then you may just have to accept the physique it gives you, most modern advice is that a combination of weight training and HIIT is best for fat loss. There are concerns that large quantities of steady state cardio produce high levels of cortisol which can hinder fat loss. You could integrate HIIT into your running regime by doing interval sprints once or twice a week. You seem to be progressing ok , if you want to run races I would talk to your local athletics club for sport specific diet and training advice
  • LunaStar2008
    LunaStar2008 Posts: 155 Member
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    It is also amazing how our bodies adjust to an impact(run). You state you run at a very decent pace 7-8 min is pretty good. You got to change it up, do fartleks, speed training, hill training, HIIT. All these training units will also increase your stamina and speed, as well as increase your calorie burn. I made the same mistake and run miles and miles, but don't see any progress in weight loss, maybe even started to eat more, since I felt more hungry.
    Currently I am reading a book, how to incooperate running into weight loss, because I rather run outside then lift weights in a gym (I can easier stick to running and some callesthenics). I am aware that a good balance between cardio and weight training would bring greater results. Therefore I incooperated some resistance band training in my running training, when I use the track for speed training or just to mix it up.

    So, if you are like me and just love to run, just switch it up and let your body guess, what is in store today.

    By the way, when I am not running I am hiking or cycling.
  • pander101
    pander101 Posts: 677 Member
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    You lose weight by a calorie deficit. Running is mainly for cardiovascular fitness. You don't burn nearly as many calories as you think you might. Eat less and you'll lose weight.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    People are right - it's about a calorie deficit. You can not exercise and have a good deficit and lose weight and you can exercise a lot, but have no deficit and not lose weight. When I started running, I was losing a lot of weight - it was great! But now? I've essentially maintained for 2 years (still trying to lose the last 20 lbs) while running and working out a lot. Why? Eating too much, plain and simple.
  • 2013sk
    2013sk Posts: 1,318 Member
    edited October 2014
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    If your not losing weight - Your eating too much!!!

    Log everything, watch everything that goes into your mouth - Add the calories.

    Be stricter, drinks lots of water and I am sure the weight will come off

    Ps) Work out your BMR & TDEE
  • krislshoe
    krislshoe Posts: 459 Member
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    try switching things up and doing some exercise classes and some strength training along with your running. Run a couple of days and do the other workouts on the days you dont run. Maybe your body just needs you to mix things up a little bit.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
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    "I am counting, weighing and measuring everything."

    Those famous last words what so many people say on here. The blunt explanation is that you arent eating at a calorie deficit. There really is no other way.
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
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    Do you eat back your exercise calories? Just truly curious because I'm a beginner runner and I don't at the moment. It's working for me now, but I imagine with running so much like you do, you would need to eat at least a fraction back?

    I do think if you switched things up and tightened up your food intake you would start to see more losses.

    Good luck :)!
  • throoper
    throoper Posts: 351 Member
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    I always lose weight or at least maintain at a healthy weight when I run consistently (3-4 times a week, 3-6 miles per run at least). The key is to stay at a defecit and not overeat because "I went for a run today, I deserve this!"

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