Can I train for a marathon and lose weight at the same time?

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NitaCB
NitaCB Posts: 532 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm a runner and I'm just starting to train for my first marathon. I am trying to lose some weight, about 10 pounds, although I'm not overweight. I'm 5" 3 and 128 lbs, 23% body fat. I'd really like to reduce my body fat. Last night at the physio, who specialises in runners (I trust his advice as he has coached Olympic teams) he said, kindly, that I should lose a bit of weight. It's a bit of a harsh wake up call to be told that. He said that it would come off with training.

Recently I have put on some weight, a large part of it because of the stress here of a massive earthquake and having very little to do! I think part of it may have been trying to eat back my exercise calories and reach my daily goal. I know that I"m bound to be underestimating what I actually eat to a certain extent.

Some people say that it's very hard to actually lose weight while marathon training. That either your running suffers from the calorie deficit or you eat too much to compensate for the vast amounts of calories you're burning. I know friends who fall into either camp- either a) they lose quite a lot of weight without trying too much, or b) they don't lose anything. How do I know how to gauge my caloric intake with my energy output? How can I make sure I fall in the first camp where it does come back?

I do refuse to accept that I can't train for a marathon and lose weight.

Replies

  • tmcowan
    tmcowan Posts: 322 Member
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    Bump....training for my first full later this year. I've been at a plateau for quite awhile and was hoping that when I started my longer runs I would start seeing the weight drop.
  • lotrisneat
    lotrisneat Posts: 36 Member
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    Yes, you can! My Dad is training for a FULL Ironman, and has lost weight. And he was already in great shape. Just stick with it!

    Just wanted to add that he does not always eat all of his exercise calories. He sometimes earns thousands of exercise calories a day, and he'd have to eat like an elephant to consume them all, at least in a healthy way.
  • bunnysone
    bunnysone Posts: 486 Member
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    I dont have experience with a marathon (as a runner I have only completed quite a few 10kms and was training for a half before I got injured last year - thus my weight gain and time on this site!)

    However, running in general has helped me keep weight and stress off, as you will know.

    Running is one of the biggest calorie burners and it makes sense that training for such a long distance would mean that you would at least maintain your weight, but I cant see how you wont lose weight if you are careful about your running and aware of the kinds of foods you are eating to refuel?

    I know a few marathon runners who could all "lose some weight" but it hasnt affected their ability to complete a marathon, so I probably wouldnt be too concerned about that aspect.

    My humble opinion says go for it, be smart with your diet and dont try and "be on a diet" while you are running, but cut back on the low gi calorie dense crap (you know what im talking about!) and fuel up on the higher GI, more filling fuels.

    You might not get a lot of response to this kind of question here, but Womens Running (run out of the UK) will give you fantastic advice on their running forums if you want better advice from experienced runners at that distance!

    I take it you are in NZ (I'm in Aust)? Good luck with your training - I'll get the to marathon stage one day with you ;)
  • kaitlyn12osu
    kaitlyn12osu Posts: 26
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    I ran a marathon in October and gained weight (only 4 lbs--105->109). I trained from July to October and didn't weigh myself at all because I didn't want to worry about my weight while training. I ate ALL THE TIME because I was so hungry from the tough workouts--probably 2500 cals/day. I definitely think you can lose weight, but you would have to time out eating and fueling for your workouts so you don't end up too hungry because the runs make you really hungry. For eating back exercise cals, I would only eat half of them back while training. GOOD LUCK with marathon training--its so exciting! I LOVED it!!! :D
  • meagalayne
    meagalayne Posts: 3,382 Member
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    I have found that it's nearly impossible to run and keep weight on - Even when I try to maintain I still lose weight. So I am not sure why you'd have trouble losing, even if you are fueling quite a bit. Eat back a majority of your exercise cals in good wholesome food and you should be seeing sustained weight loss. If possible, couple your running with cross training once or twice a week, and include some strength training as well to build lean muscle mass and help your body burn fat.

    Good luck!
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
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    I read about a research study once that took a group of people who needed to lose weight and had them train for a marathon. They weren't told to do anything specific to their diet. The men lost weight, the women either stayed the same or gained, suggesting they compensated or overcompensated for the exercise. If you've ever tuned into The Biggest Loser, they have to run a marathon while they are dieting, so it is possible. I'm a runner too, though shorter distances (5K - 5M), and I find it harder to lose when I am seriously training, because I overcompensate, and overestimate the amount of energy I really need before/after that workout. Obviously you do need more calories for marathon training, but I think if you track what you eat religiously, and your calories burned through running, and aim for a slow weight loss (no more than .5-1 pound per week), I wouldn't think it would affect your performance adversely - experiment and tweak til you find the right calorie balance and energy level.
  • NotAllWhoWanderAreLost
    NotAllWhoWanderAreLost Posts: 615 Member
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    bump
  • VialOfDreams
    VialOfDreams Posts: 217
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    Running will make you lose weight, there is no question about it. But you need to be extra cautious when running for long distances, in order to avoid dehydration and muscle fatigue due to lack of glucose, electrolytes and water. It is extremely important that you hydrate well, and that you have an adequate amount of carbs and protein before and after your running session.
    Suggested formulas by the American Council of Exercise:
    Carb: 6-10g/kg/day
    Protein intake for those focusing on endurance: 1.2-1.4 g/kg/day

    (the numbers are different for weight lifters)

    Monitor your weight closely. You should NOT lose more than 1-2 lbs a week. If you're losing more than 2 lbs a week, you need to increase your carb and protein intake, plus it is possible you're dehydrated. (You don't have to be thirsty to be dehydrated.)

    Marathon runners should have a high carb diet, but you can get good carbs from whole grains, fruit and vegetables. Bananas will be your friend, because you need to watch your potassium intake, and bananas have plenty of it.

    I recommend you watch your carb and protein intake per above formulas, and if you want to lose weight, have a calorie deficit.
  • steveren0
    steveren0 Posts: 4 Member
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    I trained for a couple of marathons back in 2004. I didn't pay any attention at all to what I was eating. I continued with the fast food and eating when and what I felt like for the most part. At the age of 27 I still ended up being at my lowest weight since Junior High.. Unfortunately, I have no idea how many calories I was taking in, and only after see now what my workouts burn do I see what kind of calorie deficit I probably had.
    During my last marathon training, I dropped from 205 lbs down to 185. It was a 4 month training plan for the run, so probably not an unhealthy weight loss either.

    For me, at 200 lbs, running at my marathon goal pace of 6 mph burns around 900 calories an hour, so eating all of those exercise calories back from the long runs would be difficult without pigging out on those days.

    Good luck with your training!
  • steveren0
    steveren0 Posts: 4 Member
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    You got me thinking about training for a marathon again now..... I guess now that I think about it, one thing that really changes when you get into those long and early weekend runs is any weekend night life. Skipping the beers and late night junk food probably does help with the weight loss and definitely with how you feel when you go for those runs too.
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
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    I struggled to keep weight on...I was trying to eat back exercise cals and eat healthy balanced food etc. I can't tell you the number of nights I got to treat myself to ice cream AND beer (just one serving and one beer) and was still under my goal. LOG LOG LOG and it will help you figure out the right "formula" for fuiling effectively andlosing/maintaining etc
  • StacLegg
    StacLegg Posts: 346 Member
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    I have found that it's nearly impossible to run and keep weight on - Even when I try to maintain I still lose weight. So I am not sure why you'd have trouble losing, even if you are fueling quite a bit. Eat back a majority of your exercise cals in good wholesome food and you should be seeing sustained weight loss. If possible, couple your running with cross training once or twice a week, and include some strength training as well to build lean muscle mass and help your body burn fat.

    Good luck!

    thanks for the good news!! I was thrilled when I read your post!! I am training for a 20k, first long run!! and I've been stuck at this weight for 2 months..... so ready to see the scale move some!! =)
  • NitaCB
    NitaCB Posts: 532 Member
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    Thanks everyone, this is very encouraging. I've been working hard to put into place these nutrition principles from a nutrition workshop i went to. It should mean that my carb intake is lower, as you taper your carbs down after exercise. I am hearing a little conflicting advice though, one says that I should have 6-10g carbs per/kg per day. But even at 6g that brings me to about 350, which I don't even get anywhere near. Wendypenner you say you do 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat. The latter sounds like a better balance. I don't know, the guy who took the workshop said that if you just focus on getting complete carb, protein and fat in each meal and making sure that your carb heavy meal is straight after exercise then the rest kind of takes care of itself.

    I'm just really hoping for a loss this week, I've been working really hard. Although I do think I have been going too hard too soon and I'm struggling with my training! But on the nutrition side I should be getting there.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    I think the ease/ability to lose weight while training really depends on the person and how how much you pay attention. Last year I attempted to lose a few pounds while training for a half. It did not go well, so I just bagged it and waited until the race was over. After the race I continued running and got smarter about my eating habits and those few pounds disappeared with relative ease, and without a drop in energy levels.
    I am currently training for a full, and have maintained my weight so far, half way thru my program.
  • NitaCB
    NitaCB Posts: 532 Member
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    Is it the incredible hunger that you seem to get from running such long distances? Like there's a tiger in your stomach? Is that what causes some people to gain weight rather than lose?
  • meagalayne
    meagalayne Posts: 3,382 Member
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    Is it the incredible hunger that you seem to get from running such long distances? Like there's a tiger in your stomach? Is that what causes some people to gain weight rather than lose?
    Perhaps? I tend to be totally FAMISHED all the time... I can pack back food like a linebacker most days. Just absolutely ridiculous. I eat at least 6 times per day and so I am very conscious of the food choices I make, in order to avoid gaining. I think the biggest problems runners face with gaining weight is that they fail to understand that training isn't just an excuse to eat absolutely anything you want, without any moderation or consequence. It becomes far too easy to justify the ice cream and cake and pasta every day because you're burning so much - but those foods add up quickly and if you aren't careful, you actually end up over-compensating. Between poor choices and pre/post workout fuel/recovery carbs, you can totally massacre your diet and end up consuming way more than you need.

    Good rule of thumb - don't over-do it. With running or with food. Everything in moderation. Good luck!
  • blueyegirl0712
    blueyegirl0712 Posts: 135 Member
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    bump
  • sjp_511
    sjp_511 Posts: 476 Member
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    blueyegirl0712 wrote: »
    bump

    What is the point of bumping a 4 year post...you didn't even add anything to it...

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