Is running hindering my fat loss?!
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Being hypothyroid and on T3/T4 supplementation, I find it hard to believe that exercise can cause the endocrine system to malfunction like that. Some forms of hypothyroidism are an auto-immune disease and some are genetic. Mine runs in my family.
I didn't read the studies cited in the article, but did note they are all at least a decade old with some dating back into the 70s and 80s for publication dates. There has been a lot of research on hypothyroidism in the last ten years, including the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists lowering the threshold for hypothyroidism from a TSH of 5 to a TSH of 3.
OK, so I skimmed most of the first study. 10 rowers experienced decreases in T3, 7 rowers experienced no change. Not big participant numbers here. And there weren't enough rowers to find the change statistically significant. And "The hormone changes observed in the (-) responder rowers [the ones who showed a decrease in T3] were not significantly (P>0.05) correlated with changes in body composition or hydration status during the study." Soooo, this study did not show a relationship between decreased T3 and body composition, i.e. holding onto de fat. Not what the summary article that cited the study implied.
My biggest pet peeve is when people mis-represent research to support an idea. Which is what I feel is going on here in the article linked by OP. Totally not your fault, OP.
I'm not gonna lie. I gained 75-80 pounds when mine went out. It sucked. It took years to get my levels regulated into something that would allow me to function like a human being. It took years after that for me to lose weight. I experimented with diet and exercise. My macros are set to 35p/35c/30f. On an ideal day.
I life heavy three times a week, run intervals three times a week, take a couple long walks a week. Try to get my 10,000 steps in outside of that. I weigh less now that I did before my thyroid went all wacky bo-bo. And I'm in better shape.
Every time I feel like I've gained a little, I go back to the diet. I tighten it up and I'm good. For me, it comes down to diet. Always. Maybe you could tweak your macros and meal timing a bit. I have to think it's diet and not that exercise is screwing up your metabolism. It just doesn't make sense to me--look at all those elite athletes who train for hours every day. They don't seem T3 deficient.
Awesome information, thank you for taking a look at a couple of the studies. I too hate it when information is misrepresented and now I feel a little stupid for not taking a closer look myself at first.
The good news is that I haven't really gained any weight, I'm just failing to lose it. That hopefully means I don't actually have a thyroid issue, as those seem to usually lead to weight gain. I think I will get it checked if I'm still not seeing progress after the race though, just in case.
Until then, I think I'm going to go with some theory of a combination of water retention/muscle stress inflammation and underestimating my intake. It's really hard to accept that I'm eating more than I think, especially since I don't feel fueled enough on my runs sometimes. But I think a lot of posters are right that that is the most logical explanation.
It's kind of frustrating because that means the only way to fix the problem is to basically stop eating out, since that's the only calorie variable I don't control. With my schedule and lifestyle right now, I really can't see that happening. Perhaps though, if I reduce my calorie goal after the marathon, it will make enough of a difference that I can see progress even without cutting out the fast food.
I've also been forcing myself to meet my calorie goal some days - for example, today even, it's 11pm and I have 700 calories left. And I feel pretty satisfied already. But I would normally make a hefty protein shake and force it down since I know it's really important to fuel my body properly from all the running. But then again, maybe listening to my body would be better - if I'm feeling satisfied, should I really consume more? My only concern is how that would affect my energy on runs, which is already not where I want it to be.0 -
I'd be very surprised if running is decreasing your metabolism aka as the causal factor. If your CO is being reduced, I imagine it is by something else...thyroid, etc. I also do think that the muscle inflammation/water weight might be an issue, but I don't think it is as big as you may want to think. I get some inflammation the day after my long run, but then it is gone a day or two later. I am only training for a half, so I know there is a difference in the mileage load, but I would be surprised. I do run 20-30 miles a week and get in close to 25K steps per day. My metabolism is chugging along like a mofo.
Once the race is over, I would invest in the $40 to get some tests done to see if anything physically is going on with you. The interwebs make horrible doctors. (For years I didn't have health insurance and every time I tried to use the web....I was pretty sure I was dying from a bajillion different things )
Since we have similar activity levels, if you don't mind me asking, how much are you eating to maintain or lose? I know our requirements will be different due to different physical stats, but I just want to make sure my TDEE estimate isn't totally off.
And yes, I think getting tests done will definitely give me peace of mind. It's all speculation until then!
I'm 5'8" and currently weigh 144 lbs....sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. I am currently trying to maintain. My FitBit tells me my maintenance TDEE is about 2600 calories per day, on average. I've been undereating on most days because my head is having a hard time catching up with what maintenance actually means. I do tend to overeat on my long run days, so it kind of evens out...with a lost pound here or there.
When I was losing I ate about 1800 calories a day on average.
Thanks! 1800 seems so little to me with all the running... but if that's how much you ate to lose, and you're taller than me too, maybe that's more like where I should be. I probably won't adjust that drastically while training, but 6 weeks from now I'll be free from the clutches of the marathon and I can play around with it.0 -
Also and no one has mentioned it, if you are eating out once a day, then you are probably eating a lot of sodium. One of my mfp friends eats out quite often and her sodium levels are through the roof. How much water are you drinking? If your cells need water for metabolism plus the extra sodium in your diet, then it makes sense that you are retaining water. You are also very close to goal and your weight loss is really going to slow. I am about 6 or 7 pounds away from goal and I am thrilled to have lost 5 pounds in 6 months.0
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Also and no one has mentioned it, if you are eating out once a day, then you are probably eating a lot of sodium. One of my mfp friends eats out quite often and her sodium levels are through the roof. How much water are you drinking? If your cells need water for metabolism plus the extra sodium in your diet, then it makes sense that you are retaining water. You are also very close to goal and your weight loss is really going to slow. I am about 6 or 7 pounds away from goal and I am thrilled to have lost 5 pounds in 6 months.
Good call on the sodium. I don't track mine but I'm sure it is high. However, I do drink a ton of water - somewhere close to a gallon a day. But you also made me realize I eat a lot of carbs, which can cause water retention too. I try to eat 200-300g carbs per day for running purposes. I kind of have a feeling that if I cut down carbs after the marathon to what I used to eat (I think like 100-200g per day) I might see a loss of a couple pounds right away just from that.0 -
If you're eating out, try something they can't sneak a lot of extra fat on or into. Salad with dressing on the side. Grilled fish/chicken. Extra veggies.
What about carbs like quinoa? A lot of bang for your buck. Fiber and protein, too.0 -
If you don't feel hungry, don't force it. I find that if I'm not hungry, but still need more fuel, my body will tell me, even if it is the next day.
That said, sometimes that translates to sore muscles if I lack protein. On intense days, I try to eat more protein dense foods, but not more food than I feel like I need. Or, if I am really not hungry, but need protein, I like almond milk with cocoa, stevia, and raw egg/egg whites. Not super filling, but tasty, with a good dose of protein.0 -
christinev297 wrote: »@LaurenAOK I cant help with your question, but I just wanted to say that I would kill to have your stomach!
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I've seen it time & again, it's actually rather common not to lose weight (fat) with tons of running. Running more isn't the answer, neither is "just eat less". You need to start a structured strength program. The couple days a week circuit training isn't cutting it obviously.0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »most likely you are underestimating your intake. training vs working out is pretty rigorous...I usually put on a couple of pounds when I'm actively training for a bike race simply for the fact that I need to eat a certain amount just for proper recovery. I've never lost weight while actively training...it's very difficult to keep calories in check when you're working at that level of effort.
i personally think you're eating a bit more than you think...enough to maintain...500 calories is pretty easy to underestimate.
All of this.
Your are putting your body under high amounts of stress which it will seek to guard against or recover from through a number of mechanisms which include unconscious food seeking behaviours. Your body isn't stupid.
Lots of people will get sorely disappointed if they are using marathon training as a means to drop body fat primarily. That is why some people have a specific weight loss phase in their yearly plan which compromises performance in favour of dropping weight before they get into the meat of their training.
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cwolfman13 wrote: »most likely you are underestimating your intake. training vs working out is pretty rigorous...I usually put on a couple of pounds when I'm actively training for a bike race simply for the fact that I need to eat a certain amount just for proper recovery. I've never lost weight while actively training...it's very difficult to keep calories in check when you're working at that level of effort.
i personally think you're eating a bit more than you think...enough to maintain...500 calories is pretty easy to underestimate.
All of this.
Your are putting your body under high amounts of stress which it will seek to guard against or recover from through a number of mechanisms which include unconscious food seeking behaviours. Your body isn't stupid.
Lots of people will get sorely disappointed if they are using marathon training as a means to drop body fat primarily. That is why some people have a specific weight loss phase in their yearly plan which compromises performance in favour of dropping weight before they get into the meat of their training.
I will echo that steady weight loss and marathon training don't coexist.0 -
My weight loss slowed when I started running. I think a lot of it is water retention.
I wonder too if people just don't overestimate how many calories running burns. I was very disappointed when I realized that it just didn't burn as much as I thought.
I mean I see people training even for half marathons then go and eat 3000 calorie meals after because they 'deserve' it...0 -
If you're eating out, try something they can't sneak a lot of extra fat on or into. Salad with dressing on the side. Grilled fish/chicken. Extra veggies.
What about carbs like quinoa? A lot of bang for your buck. Fiber and protein, too.
Budget is a problem with those things... I can really only afford fast food most of the time. There is a salad place by my school that I LOVE but it is around $10 to eat there. Or I can get lunch at Taco Bell for $3. I'm vegetarian too so that complicates things, like Wendys near me does have some salads but if you get them without the meat they aren't filling whatsoever. Quinoa is expensive too, though I do get it sometimes. I do pretty okay eating at home - lentils, for example, are one of my favorite things to make for dinner. They are really cheap and have a ton of protein/low calories.I've seen it time & again, it's actually rather common not to lose weight (fat) with tons of running. Running more isn't the answer, neither is "just eat less". You need to start a structured strength program. The couple days a week circuit training isn't cutting it obviously.
I definitely agree. I used to lift 3-4 days a week and run 2-3 days and I was seeing great results. I definitely plan to get back to that once the marathon is over! I switched to circuit training rather than regular lifting because I was fining heavy lifting while training for a marathon to be too exhausting.Homemaker57 wrote: »christinev297 wrote: »@LaurenAOK I cant help with your question, but I just wanted to say that I would kill to have your stomach!
Thanks, you girls are sweet I think that's another problem, I don't have that much fat to lose any more, and I know the last bit can be the hardest.snowflakesav wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »most likely you are underestimating your intake. training vs working out is pretty rigorous...I usually put on a couple of pounds when I'm actively training for a bike race simply for the fact that I need to eat a certain amount just for proper recovery. I've never lost weight while actively training...it's very difficult to keep calories in check when you're working at that level of effort.
i personally think you're eating a bit more than you think...enough to maintain...500 calories is pretty easy to underestimate.
All of this.
Your are putting your body under high amounts of stress which it will seek to guard against or recover from through a number of mechanisms which include unconscious food seeking behaviours. Your body isn't stupid.
Lots of people will get sorely disappointed if they are using marathon training as a means to drop body fat primarily. That is why some people have a specific weight loss phase in their yearly plan which compromises performance in favour of dropping weight before they get into the meat of their training.
I will echo that steady weight loss and marathon training don't coexist.
But I guess my question is why. Let's say, for a second, that I am logging very accurately - why can't I lose weight while training for a marathon? I think a few people now have pointed out that losing weight while training just doesn't seem to happen - you need to choose between one or the other. And that is okay! If I had known that before I would have just focused on the training and not gotten my hopes up about fat loss. But I'm talking scientifically - something just is not adding up to me. Even if my body is prompting me to overeat, etc... if I'm using MFP correctly the weight should be coming off whether my body wants it to or not. I know some have suggested I must not be using MFP correctly, but part of me is still finding that hard to believe because of my long-term use and prior success with it.
I had someone send me a PM about the matter saying they had experienced something very similar. They were logging with MFP, losing weight great, then started a very intense cardio program 6-7 days a week and their weight loss completely stopped for months. They were using MFP exactly as they had been before, but all of a sudden couldn't lose weight. I know their story, and mine, and the stories of many others are simply anecdotal evidence, which does not count for much. But I really have to think that something is going on here besides "you're not counting correctly."My weight loss slowed when I started running. I think a lot of it is water retention.
I wonder too if people just don't overestimate how many calories running burns. I was very disappointed when I realized that it just didn't burn as much as I thought.
I mean I see people training even for half marathons then go and eat 3000 calorie meals after because they 'deserve' it...
I think a lot of people do overestimate. But I try not to fall into this trap - especially after getting the Fitbit Charge HR, I love this thing lol. It seems to track my HR as well as the chest strap monitor I used to use and I find that the calorie burn it gives me is spot on with that too. For example, for my 15-mile run last weekend Runkeeper gave me like 1600 calories, but Fitbit said more like 1300. I always go with the Fitbit number and even then, I usually don't eat them all back - 1300 calories is a LOT extra to eat for me, haha.
Side note, which I find pretty hilarious: After all this, I step on the scale today to find myself at 137, which is the lowest I've been in MONTHS. I think the last time I saw below 138 was over three months ago. Will it stick around? Certainly not, I'm sure I'll be back up to 139 tomorrow haha... but just thought it was ironic after posting this thread. It was nice to see, too.
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Well, I'd think it would happen more often if it was really the case. I do an hour of cardio every day (walking at an incline, not running) and my TDEE hasn't moved a bit in a year, and I've maintained my weight just fine.
My guess is that you're underestimating your 'eating out' calories, you might be retaining more water because of all that running, or you have a thyroid issue and overestimating your TDEE.
That being said, I do think that there is such thing as too much cardio.
I'm going to agree here. Underestimating your eating out, and possibly overestimating your calories burned, although it looks like you've switched to only logging 1 calorie (Or something) for exercise?
Also, it looks like your TDEE is way too high. Mine is set at 1600 calories per day, for a target of 2 lbs per week, and I walk 4 miles a day, and run for 30-45 minutes every other day.0 -
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Hi, I have been in the same position as you and I know how frustrating it can be. I did a marathon in May and like you hoped to lose weight during training (aimed for same as you, .5 a week). My weight didn't budge either. Here are the lessons I learned.
1. Forget about trying to lose weight until after your race. Your body is under a lot of strain and psychologically you need to focus on your race.
2. Focus on being hydrated, getting loads of sleep and getting the right nutrition. Don't eat any empty calories. Your body needs a lot of good stuff for a marathon.
3. My weight did gradually drop. It's very very slow but if I look back at a pattern from the last year, it's very slowly going down. I'm speeding it up now by eating a lot less and not always eating all my calories. But that's not a good idea in marathon training.
4. Try to stop eating out if you can. I think that could be the problem for you. Make a box of stuff the night before to bring to college - even if it's cold leftovers!
Good luck x0 -
You mention eating out alot. Is this a new development? Could the sodium be effecting your water retention?
I am training for my first half. I'm not as diligent about logging as I used to be, but I've noticed that if I log correctly for a few days in a row, I AM seeing a loss. I'm not running nearly as many mile as you though (I'm averaging around 18-20 a week right now).0 -
coreyreichle wrote: »Well, I'd think it would happen more often if it was really the case. I do an hour of cardio every day (walking at an incline, not running) and my TDEE hasn't moved a bit in a year, and I've maintained my weight just fine.
My guess is that you're underestimating your 'eating out' calories, you might be retaining more water because of all that running, or you have a thyroid issue and overestimating your TDEE.
That being said, I do think that there is such thing as too much cardio.
I'm going to agree here. Underestimating your eating out, and possibly overestimating your calories burned.
Fitbits (And MFP) are "notorious" for overestimating caloric burn. In fact, for this reason, I disabled automatic adjustments to my calorie goals for the day, just for this reason.
Actually FitBit aren't notorious for that BTW. They are usually pretty spot on, especially the longer you have had it. Said someone actually in maintenance who uses my FitBit to track my day to day TDEE.
P.S. Veggie here too. Not vegan though. I joined this facebook group of vegan athletes and considering it down the line, but right now....I need whey protein and cheese and well...ice cream!
I was going to say this, if used correctly Fitbit is actually very accurate from what I've read. It actually underestimates RMR because it assumes BMR for all non-moving time (which is lower burn than RMR). So that tends to balance out any overestimation that may occur. There's a lot of good reads about it in the Fitbit users group. I especially trust my HR one since it seems spot on with chest straps I've used in the past.
Haha, same! I totally support the whole vegan thing but I don't think it's for me. Most of my protein comes from whey, dairy, and eggs.DeborahKilpatrick wrote: »Hi, I have been in the same position as you and I know how frustrating it can be. I did a marathon in May and like you hoped to lose weight during training (aimed for same as you, .5 a week). My weight didn't budge either. Here are the lessons I learned.
1. Forget about trying to lose weight until after your race. Your body is under a lot of strain and psychologically you need to focus on your race.
2. Focus on being hydrated, getting loads of sleep and getting the right nutrition. Don't eat any empty calories. Your body needs a lot of good stuff for a marathon.
3. My weight did gradually drop. It's very very slow but if I look back at a pattern from the last year, it's very slowly going down. I'm speeding it up now by eating a lot less and not always eating all my calories. But that's not a good idea in marathon training.
4. Try to stop eating out if you can. I think that could be the problem for you. Make a box of stuff the night before to bring to college - even if it's cold leftovers!
Good luck x
Thanks for posting! It's cool to know I'm not alone. I agree I need to work on my nutrition, that's the hardest part for me. I did pack a lunch daily over the summer (though I didn't see an improvement in weight loss then either). I haven't done it since school started because now I'm a lot busier and even finding the 10 mins extra to do that is hard. Plus I don't like to carry around a lunchbox all day in addition to my huge backpack - I live in the city, so I have to carry everything with me, I can't just throw it in a car or whatever. Maybe if I could start packing lunch even 1-2 days instead of eating out that would help, though.
Congrats on getting through the marathon - I'm so excited to be done with it! This whole process has been really exhausting. Cool, but exhausting.You mention eating out alot. Is this a new development? Could the sodium be effecting your water retention?
I am training for my first half. I'm not as diligent about logging as I used to be, but I've noticed that if I log correctly for a few days in a row, I AM seeing a loss. I'm not running nearly as many mile as you though (I'm averaging around 18-20 a week right now).
Sadly no, fast food has always been a big part of my lifestyle lol. I know it's not the healthiest, but it's easy, and it's cheap, and I've really got a taste for it. Some people don't like all that grease, I say bring it on
I too lost weight while I trained for a Half. Then I was running 3 days a week... it's only since I committed to the marathon that I bumped up running to 4 days a week, and that's when my weight loss stopped. Have fun at the Half, btw - they are a lot of fun! I think I will stick to those after this marathon is done.0 -
I lost a few pounds training for a marathon last year, but it was very slow going, almost unnoticeable over time. I'm a couple inches taller than you but similar weight, with similar mileage and calorie burns. I dropped a couple more pounds pretty quickly after my race. I'm going to vote for water retention/inflammation. Your blood volume also increases with endurance training (not sure how much of a difference that makes though). And you're probably storing more glycogen, which also brings water with it.0
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I bet you'll drop pounds post race. I Have pretty opposite advice. I think 2,000 cals/day is not enough to fuel all the training you do and your overall activity level. Your body is probably stressed to the max. I would try slowly upping your calories to your TDEE and see what happens. Just try it for a couple of weeks and see how you feel. You really have nothing to lose. You can cut more after the race. But I'm thinking your body is stressed and feeding it will help performance and comfort - at least - and perhaps weight loss. Though you are so close to goal that it's easy for your body to hang on - especially given conditions. Whatever you do, I would not drop calories more. And if your goal is.5lbs/week then don't do more than a 300 cal deficit. Once your race is over, take a rest week, eat at maintenance and then start a heavy lifting program with minimal cardio and eat at a small cut. I bet you'll see real results post-race.0
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FWIW, I don't think I've ever seen a training article on running marathons say you'll lose weight while training. If anything, I've seen lots and lots of anecdotal commentary about people gaining a few pounds due to their increased calorie intake.
Remember, professional marathon runners look like sticks because they're running 90-150 miles per week; an average marathon plan probably peaks at 60 miles per week and more likely has you in the 30-45 miles per week range for most of the training. That seems to be a volume that makes you need more food, but not enough to necessarily burn everything you're taking in.
Speaking purely for myself, I tend to lose weight if I'm in the 15-25 miles per week range, and maintain or gain at 30+ miles per week.0 -
I don't know the answer to the question, but I just want to say I've had the same experience. I gained weight (not a lot, maybe 5 lbs) when I did a marathon some years ago, and recently I increased my training a lot to do a half ironman and found I simply could not lose weight at the same time (I did lose last year training for a half marathon, but I also had more to lose), as I couldn't cut my calories beyond a certain point without feeling like I was compromising my training and because I was tired/needed to focus on recovery.
I've been looking forward to being able to cut back on the cardio and focus on losing again, which sounds weird but is true for me. (I've also been toying with the idea of marathon training, but I may wait 'til I get to goal after all, as I don't think I can do both.)
I'm not sure why given your past experience which would seem to be comparable, but I know for me the cardio doesn't seem to increase my TDEE as much as it might be expected to -- in part because the calories from long endurance activities are overstated due to not subtracting out amount you would burn anyway. (But in my case my logging has been poor so while I have an estimate of TDEE I can't really stand by it.)0 -
Loved your thoughtful post and everyone's helpful responses. It confirmed my experiences in that when I trained for longer runs (max for me was 1/2 marathons) I really didn't lose much weight, and I did retain water. It was all I could do to focus on training and maintaining my weight -- it wasn't the right time to focus on weight loss!
I'm not running so much now because of knee arthritis, but when I do 3 or more hours of aerobic exercise (like hilly bike rides, or 2 hours of rowing on the river), I do retain water for a couple of days as my muscles repair themselves. If I did longer aerobic training more often, I think I would hold on to more water weight. Right now I only do long aerobic training once a week or so, and the rest of the time I lift heavy weights or HIIT boot camp. I can feel my metabolism rev up after weights and HIIT. After a long aerobic session, I can really feel myself hold onto water.
Your abs look great, and I think it is very exciting that you are doing the marathon. Enjoy the training, don't be afraid of maintaining you weight during training, and good luck!0 -
If no one's asked yet, how are you calculating your run calories?
MFP is a bit high, and most other calculators are gross burns and not net. It doesn't make much difference when you're running shorter distances, but it'll pretty much wipe out a 500 cal deficit when you're around the midpoint of Hal Higdon's marathon training (gotten to half-marathon long runs).
I had the same thing happen to me last time I did half-marathon training and used MFP to try to keep a slight deficit (fail) although I'd had no trouble when I was running shorter distances and lifting. This time around I'm using 0.63 * weight in lbs * mile and the weight is coming off as expected. I'm at the 10 mile long run mark. Like the others, I don't recommend you use it while training for a race, though. You need the fuel to keep your recovery up to snuff.0 -
CICO doesn't go out the window because someone is running. Running burns calories - a lot of them. There are few activities that burn more, in less time. If someone is running a lot, and not losing weight, then they are eating at maintenance, and an elevated maintenance at that.
Running cannot stop weight loss.
I looked at the OP's diary. Many entries are not consistent with the description made in the OP's posts. That is the first place to look...
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I'm trying to respond to everything because I appreciate all the feedback, but it's hard to keep up! Just know that I'm reading everything everyone has to say and I really do appreciate it.newyorkcitymom wrote: »I bet you'll drop pounds post race. I Have pretty opposite advice. I think 2,000 cals/day is not enough to fuel all the training you do and your overall activity level. Your body is probably stressed to the max. I would try slowly upping your calories to your TDEE and see what happens. Just try it for a couple of weeks and see how you feel. You really have nothing to lose. You can cut more after the race. But I'm thinking your body is stressed and feeding it will help performance and comfort - at least - and perhaps weight loss. Though you are so close to goal that it's easy for your body to hang on - especially given conditions. Whatever you do, I would not drop calories more. And if your goal is.5lbs/week then don't do more than a 300 cal deficit. Once your race is over, take a rest week, eat at maintenance and then start a heavy lifting program with minimal cardio and eat at a small cut. I bet you'll see real results post-race.
I actually posted this inquiry just to my MFP friends a couple weeks ago and most of the responses were more similar to yours - they seemed to think I wasn't eating enough. The thing about that is it just doesn't make sense with CICO - if I wasn't eating enough to fuel my body, I would be losing weight. But on the other hand, what you're saying makes sense, especially because I have been feeling really low on fuel lately. For example in my workout today (one hour of circuit training) I felt really really awful, like by the end I felt like I was going to puke or pass out. And I have not felt like that while working out in a LONG time. To me, that's a red flag that I'm not eating enough. But I think most people on this thread agree that if anything, I'm eating more than I think I am, and at least eating at maintenance. And maintenance should be enough to keep me going - It's really confusing!!questionfear wrote: »Speaking purely for myself, I tend to lose weight if I'm in the 15-25 miles per week range, and maintain or gain at 30+ miles per week.
Yep, this sounds exactly like me. Previously I was running maybe 20 miles per week and that's when I was losing weight with no problems. Once I increased mileage, I stopped losing.lemurcat12 wrote: »I've been looking forward to being able to cut back on the cardio and focus on losing again, which sounds weird but is true for me. (I've also been toying with the idea of marathon training, but I may wait 'til I get to goal after all, as I don't think I can do both.)
I think the general consensus in this thread is that yeah, you can't do both. I definitely wish I had realized that before, so it's good that you're aware of it!I looked at the OP's diary. Many entries are not consistent with the description made in the OP's posts. That is the first place to look...
I'm genuinely curious, what did you see in my diary that was not consistent with what I've described? If I'm making errors I definitely want to know about it. The only thing I can think of is that often you might see "1 tablespoon" or something in my diary, but even if I log it like that, I did actually weigh out the serving size. Sometimes it's just hard to find the entry by weight on MFP, so I'll log the equivalent of the same serving.
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It sounds like you ARE losing body fat -- so something good is happening, right? I agree with a lot of the previous comments -- I do think that, if you are eating a lot of fast food, those quantities are not necessarily as consistent to published counts as you'd expect. And yes, lots of sodium. So could be a combination of water retention from the running inflammation, and maybe a bit of additional non-fat mass (muscle or even bone density) on the margin. Also, as you're running long distance, and you walk a lot of steps besides, you could possibly be becoming more efficient and the burn might be a little less on the margin. 10% over on fast food calorie counts, 10% over on the exercise burn -- these are not big numbers but combined with the inflammation it could be the answer. I don't think it's a fancy body chemistry problem
Overall, I agree -- stay the course, train for your race. I get the sense that you're aware your choices could be better, but hey, that's certainly true of me as well and many of us. When you are ready to take it to the next level, there are lots of people here who can advise you very well.0 -
michelle7673 wrote: »It sounds like you ARE losing body fat -- so something good is happening, right? I agree with a lot of the previous comments -- I do think that, if you are eating a lot of fast food, those quantities are not necessarily as consistent to published counts as you'd expect. And yes, lots of sodium. So could be a combination of water retention from the running inflammation, and maybe a bit of additional non-fat mass (muscle or even bone density) on the margin. Also, as you're running long distance, and you walk a lot of steps besides, you could possibly be becoming more efficient and the burn might be a little less on the margin. 10% over on fast food calorie counts, 10% over on the exercise burn -- these are not big numbers but combined with the inflammation it could be the answer. I don't think it's a fancy body chemistry problem
Overall, I agree -- stay the course, train for your race. I get the sense that you're aware your choices could be better, but hey, that's certainly true of me as well and many of us. When you are ready to take it to the next level, there are lots of people here who can advise you very well.
I definitely think you're right, it's probably a combination of different things. I have also wondered about the efficiency thing. Running 7 miles now might not burn as much for me as it would have a few months ago, but TDEE calculators are not going to know that. I would love to know some more stats about efficiency reducing calorie burn over time - I will have to look that up.0 -
Being hypothyroid and on T3/T4 supplementation, I find it hard to believe that exercise can cause the endocrine system to malfunction like that. Some forms of hypothyroidism are an auto-immune disease and some are genetic. Mine runs in my family.
Auto-immune diseases are genetic - they are passed down through the HLA genes on chromosome 6.
OP, I agree with several others who suggest a blood test to either confirm or rule out your concern about a thyroid issue. After that, make a decision about whether you want to focus on marathon training or if you want to focus on weight loss. Don't try to multi-task this.0 -
As far as sodium goes, a lot of users forget that increasing potassium intake will help balance out a high sodium intake, provided you are drinking enough water. In fact, there was a study I read in a peer-reviewed academic journal (I'd have to go back and find it to cite, and I can't do that right now) that expands research on high sodium intakes. Prior studies had concluded that high sodium intakes in adults increased risk of heart disease. The new study finds that it is less about sodium intake as it is about the ratio of potassium to sodium. In other words, if you have high sodium intake, increase your potassium intake to balance it out. Doing so should also decrease water retention caused by sodium.0
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