Help!!! Running but I plateaued!

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samanthaannee2014
samanthaannee2014 Posts: 20 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
hi since I've started my weight loss journey I have lost 33 lbs, which I am extremely happy with but I have not reached my goal and I decided to step up my game the past two weeks by going for daily jogs. Before the jogging I had been doing daily walks. I jog for about 7 km or about an hour-45 minutes at the very least. My weight loss has stalled and it's extremely frustrating. What is the reason behind this? I really am getting discouraged and I have started weighing myself daily because I am so consumed with losing weight! What's happening! I don't get it I thought that if you add excersize to your dieting that's a good thing!??! Help me runners!

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  • fishcat123
    fishcat123 Posts: 74 Member
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    Congrats on the 33 pound loss!

    Could you possibly be eating a bit more? I find that when I run more I get hungrier, and it's actually pretty common to gain weight when you start running if you aren't careful with calories.

    Are you eating back the calories? I think MFP overestimates the running calories a bit. You ::might:: want to eat a little more if you are feeling super hungry or weak, but running 7 km only burns around 350 calories, so if you want it to help you lose faster it's better not to eat back more than a hundred or so at most. Personally I run about as much as you 4x a week (and do power yoga or hiking the other days) and eat 1200 and am fine, but I'm also pretty short.

    Also, if you sweat a lot when running, it can make your daily weight fluctuate a bit more depending on how much you drank/peed out the previous day.
  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
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    Cardio activity like running is *fantastic* for your overall health--heart, lungs, bones (weight-bearing exercise). As far as weight loss goes, it's kind of a wash. Yes, working out burns calories and can increase a calorie deficit. Just starting out, you might see some backlash from muscles retaining water, thus appearing to cancel out actual *fat* loss (which is what you want).

    But how closely have you been tracking your calories? Running/hard cardio can make you SUPER hungry, and it's really, really easy to eat back not just the calories you burned but to go overboard. (I don't know how much you weigh, but it can be kind of depressing to see how few kcal running even a decent distance burns).

    I hope you can start to enjoy running for running, and not for weight loss! It's a fantastic activity--a lot of fun, and so good for you!

    One other thing--as a beginner, it's probably a good idea to limit your runs to every other day instead of daily. The last thing you want is to injure yourself and temporarily lose the ability to run or even walk altogether!
  • samanthaannee2014
    samanthaannee2014 Posts: 20 Member
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    I actually am not following mfp I found it really depressing... Feeling bad for making a better choice like an orange instead of chips but still having to put it into my deficit. I lost all my weight with weight watchers! I just don't agree with feeling bad for making healthier choices.. I found weight watchers was an easier plan. Although I am a bit hungrier I still am below my points daily. I eat very clean but I do have a cheat meal once a weak which I find has helped keep the cravings at bay! I thought cardio like running is an overall fat burning exercise and would be a positive factor into my weight loss journey? Could this possibly be water weight?
  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
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    Two weeks in...it's possible, yeah, especially with running every day. Still, if you aren't tracking everything you're eating (I understand WW is a different system), it's also possible you're unconsciously eating more because--dude, we call it "runger" for a reason! On my long run days, I could eat my entire *house* afterwards if you'd let me! (Landlord might get grouchy, though.)
  • Cocoa1020
    Cocoa1020 Posts: 197 Member
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    believe it or not but as you lose weight your metabolism starts to slow. Its because it takes less effort to move the weight around therefore you burn less calories. one thing that might help is to start strength training. Muscle burns more calories at rest and even more as you work out. it can also help prevent the loss of muscle that tends to happen when you do cardio. but don't give up! 33lbs is amazing! you just need to get over the hurdle. you got this!!!!
  • samanthaannee2014
    samanthaannee2014 Posts: 20 Member
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    I do enjoy running for the running, mentally it's such a relief! Really loving the runners high! Just a bonus that it's a calorie fat burning exercise... Apparently? I'm just hoping I'm going to wake up one morning and poof like magic I've dropped five pounds
  • Cocoa1020
    Cocoa1020 Posts: 197 Member
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    samanthaannee2014 wrote: »
    I do enjoy running for the running, mentally it's such a relief! Really loving the runners high! Just a bonus that it's a calorie fat burning exercise... Apparently? I'm just hoping I'm going to wake up one morning and poof like magic I've dropped five pounds

    man i wish i woke up and dropped 5 lbs. i tend to fluctuate 5 lbs. T.T
  • samanthaannee2014
    samanthaannee2014 Posts: 20 Member
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    I was being sarcastic... Sigh.. A girl can dream
  • Cocoa1020
    Cocoa1020 Posts: 197 Member
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    haha yea i knew that. and make that 2 girls can dream. but the other people are right. cardio is just good for us to begin with. even if its not to lose weight it, we will be healthier, isnt that the real reason why we are trying to lose weight? to be healthy? :)

    i have a lot of trouble with running. i broke my ankle a couple years ago and it hurts. but i do walk on an incline on the treadmill. gets that heart rate up lol
  • samanthaannee2014
    samanthaannee2014 Posts: 20 Member
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    Haha well part of my weight loss is for my upcoming wedding... And to get healthy.. Yeah.. Haha but seriously I miss cupcakes. Well hopefully I see results sooner then later..
  • gdyment
    gdyment Posts: 299 Member
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    Hard to answer without knowing your numbers. But 7k run is like 350-500 cals - totally enough to cover a 1lb/week weight loss assuming you balance for the rest of the day.

    But I find it impossible to get down sub 10% bf without tracking. Even the act of tracking makes a craving seem less (or I at least have to justify it). I still eat pizza/cupcake/McDs from time to time - it balances or you catch up the next day or run a bit longer.

    I can't do my credit card statement and taxes and bills in my head so why think I can do calories in/out?
  • mwyvr
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
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    If you are new to running it's entirely possible you've been building some muscle along the way. Do you have measurements? Keeping track of body dimensions (including your thighs and anything else you care to track) might shed some light on the subject.

    One day I realized I had little muscles on top of muscles in my legs... things I'd not seen growing there for more than a decade. That muscle is much more dense than fat so you can lose fat, lose inches, gain muscle and actually gain a little weight but weight you shouldn't mind gaining because it's healthy lean muscle.

    I'm going through this right now. I've not run this much in many years but have plateaued for a couple of weeks. But body measurements are changing. I "can't pinch an inch" in a lot more places now.

    If you are certain you aren't over-eating to make up for your exercise burn, your body will eventually respond.
  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
    edited June 2015
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    mwyvr wrote: »
    If you are new to running it's entirely possible you've been building some muscle along the way. Do you have measurements? Keeping track of body dimensions (including your thighs and anything else you care to track) might shed some light on the subject.

    One day I realized I had little muscles on top of muscles in my legs... things I'd not seen growing there for more than a decade. That muscle is much more dense than fat so you can lose fat, lose inches, gain muscle and actually gain a little weight but weight you shouldn't mind gaining because it's healthy lean muscle.

    I'm going through this right now. I've not run this much in many years but have plateaued for a couple of weeks. But body measurements are changing. I "can't pinch an inch" in a lot more places now.

    If you are certain you aren't over-eating to make up for your exercise burn, your body will eventually respond.

    OP has not built leg muscle in two weeks of running 7k daily.

    Running doesn't work like that. Women's bodies don't work like that. Sometimes it is possible to "see" muscle growth because the muscles are retaining water as they rebuild after damage (a workout)--that's why college kids go to the gym on Friday afternoon to lift a little before hitting the weekend parties, to make their biceps and shoulder 'pop'. It's not actual muscle building.

    I am a distance runner and I can vouch that running A WHOLE LOT, OFTEN, WITH SPEEDWORK indeed builds decently strong legs (though certainly nothing that will impress anyone in the squat rack)--but not two weeks of 7k/daily.
  • Lynda5346
    Lynda5346 Posts: 3 Member
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    I was in and worked for WW on and off for 30 yrs. It's a totally different program than eating clean and wholesome as we know. Using MFP, weighing and measuring mostly more for the first year, has turned around my life. Eating whole foods keeps you fuller longer. It's worth if to me to change my entire intake lifestyle. Just my thoughts.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,493 Member
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    Perhaps you could try cutting out the 'cheat' meal for a couple of weeks and see what happens? A single cheat meal can wipe out the benefit of a few days of eating right.
  • samanthaannee2014
    samanthaannee2014 Posts: 20 Member
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    I really think that weight watchers-or eating clean depends on the person. Yes you can be on weight watchers and eat McDonald's but you can also be on weight watchers and eat clean. It depends on the person. I think it's an unfair statement to say weight watchers is not a good program. If I was losing inches of course I would be happy the number on the scale is just how I track my weight loss but the way my clothes fit and how my body looks is more important to me of course! I am keeping track of my measurements and although I've seen small changes I haven't seen changes big enough to keep me motivated. It's just a real pain in the *kitten* when you saw bigger changes when you weren't working out then when you are! I just wanted to know if this is normal to see the scale stall for a few weeks?
  • dvdadie
    dvdadie Posts: 193 Member
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    Lots of good replies given already. I jog 3 to 4 times a week and it doesn't do a lot for weight loss... I have had some success losing weight when I have " mixed up the pacing". Your body is an incredible machine and totally adjusts to the running quickly. Try this for the 45 min: Walk for 5, jog for 5, sprint for 5. Repeat 3 times. You can compare it to driving, you use less gas (calories, heart rate, etc) on the highway (running at a steady pace) than you do city driving ( stop and go). Good luck.
  • mwyvr
    mwyvr Posts: 1,883 Member
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    cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »
    OP has not built leg muscle in two weeks of running 7k daily.

    Running doesn't work like that.

    I should be clear, I'm not referring only to her running. The OP indicated she's been walking through her weight loss and with 33 pounds dropped that means she's been doing something to her leg muscles for many weeks beyond the last couple she's started running daily. Is the OP hitting the gym too? Unknown. Even if only walking, over the course of many weeks she would have built some muscle already. On top of that if she's actually running 49km a week - 7km a day, every day, some change will be occurring under the skin.

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