Running, Food & weight loss. (HELP!)

silkysly
silkysly Posts: 701 Member
edited September 30 in Food and Nutrition
I try to run about 3 miles a day, 4 to 6 times a week. (I’m building my way up to 5 miles a day.) I am always under my calories & rarely eat crap. (Ok, last weekend I had some crud.) I weigh around 128ish & still have fluff in the midsection & thighs. When I hit the “Complete This Entry” it always says I should weigh less than what I’m actually progressing at. I haven’t lost anything.., fat or inches, in a couple of weeks now. Take a look at my food diary & let me know what I’m doing wrong. If you’re going to tell me that my weight is fine, I already get that from my friends, so don’t bother. I want to know how to lose that last 5 pounds or so. Please & thank you!!

Replies

  • dljmurphy
    dljmurphy Posts: 6
    Are you doing any sort of strength training?
  • JDRBT
    JDRBT Posts: 264 Member
    Have you tried INCREASING your caloric intake? I read an article by Jillian Micheals that encouraged people stuck in their weight loss to increase your caloric intake by 10%. Sometimes your body needs to more fuel since the metabolism is trying to speed up. Less fuel won't allow it to speed up.
  • kmac420
    kmac420 Posts: 24
    Your diary does look healthy. However, as another runner I would say that MFP grossly overestimates calories burned during exercise - when you do the same exercise every week, your body will become more efficient at the sport and thus you will burn less calories. I would drop the calorie intake, maybe only consume 1/3 of the exercise calories? Or something like that. Good luck.
  • janet_pratt
    janet_pratt Posts: 747 Member
    Weight is kind of a relative thing. You can't always go by that. What it sounds like you are mainly concerned about is "fluff". That is more of a toning thing. You can run till you drop, but often cardio alone just won't do it. If you are not doing weight training, I would suggest it. Muscle increases your metabolism and helps your body burn more calories. You won't "bulk up". Weight adding weight training 3 times a week may be what you need to get things moving.
  • heather_elise85
    heather_elise85 Posts: 69 Member
    I didn't read any of the other reply's.. but since you are always under on your calories. Try going over for a few days or what is called zig zagging.

    Check it out. It has helped me when I am in a rut. : )
  • RaeannePemberton
    RaeannePemberton Posts: 382 Member
    i am in a similar boat... but i don't believe in running every single day. however, in my experience, first you need to eat more. especially if you are running everyday. i am sure your metabolism is on fire. secondly, eat LOTS more protein if you are eating high carb currently (this is what i think my problem has been.... ). i am reading a great book right now about the metabolic effect that our food choices have on our body fat. for me, i was eating carbs to fuel my running.... but that's all my body would "burn" so it wouldn't turn to the fat.... some people naturally burn muscle, and some do a little of both. very interesting read.
  • HeidiSBond
    HeidiSBond Posts: 17 Member
    Just looking at your diary, only clicked fast through the last few weeks...don't skip meals and even up your calories spread throughout the day. Also...noticed you were OVER in saturated fat...every day so I can imagine your regular fat intake is over too. I'd also cut out the soda and add an exercise that makes your body say what the heck??? Shock it a little.

    Good luck...I think you're doing fabulous!!!!
  • Tamstar1985
    Tamstar1985 Posts: 334 Member
    you may actually wanna cut down on the running and replace some of those workout days with strength training. for example, go running three days a week and then strength train two or three days a week (depending on your schedule). your body "gets used" to exercise, so you've gotta basically sucker punch it into a new groove! this is especially important if you are trying to lose those dreaded "last five pounds"...

    you may also wanna shake up your running routine! for example, if you run three days a week, why not do a long-distance run one day, a shorter and more intense HIIT routine the next, and maybe a hill run? you may also find this much more interesting than straight on running six days a week.

    as well, are you eating enough? sometimes in order to lose more weight, you actually need to give your body MORE fuel.
  • dmbnj
    dmbnj Posts: 15 Member
    Have you tried tracking your sodium? Could be water retention. Also do you weigh your food or just guesstimate?
  • go2grrl
    go2grrl Posts: 190 Member
    I might suggest tracking sodium. It looks like you're eating a lot of food that you didn't prepare yourself like, the hot dogs, brats, processed cheese and salad dressing. I would imagine that rotisserie chicken is packed with sodium too. Those last five pounds you're trying to lose may be little more than water retention.
  • dreanance
    dreanance Posts: 246
    How about switching up the running with weights, roller blading, biking, or even doing jog/sprint intervals?
  • Dave351
    Dave351 Posts: 45 Member
    Not to sound mean but cut out the rotessorie chicken and cheese/dairy products. Your daily numbers look pretty good for the most part. Fat numbers are low-good. Protein and carbs are low-not good. Your daily caloric intake is low as well. For me and a lot of people that I've trained I have found that 6-8 meals a day work the best. If you're running that much there is no way you're getting the nutrition that your body requires. Running (like my favorite sport Hockey) requires a huge amount of energy/calories-mostly carbs. So, in the absence of proper fuel your body is going into "famine" mode and protecting the fat stores that you do have instead of burning the fat you wanna get rid of. Try this for a week and see how it goes. Divide your total calorie goal by 6-8 (meals per day). Then every 2 or so hours consume that meal. The frequent meals will increase your metabolism. Plus with constant food intake you'll trick your body away from thinking it's "famine" time and you'll burn stored fat.

    Looks like the food that you eat is good and healthy stuff so stick with that. Also, you need to drink more water. They say at least 8 glasses a day is sufficient but that doesn't take into account all of the running that you're doing.
  • silkysly
    silkysly Posts: 701 Member
    Are you doing any sort of strength training?

    I was doing P90X, but something had to give in my schedule. I run & walk right now..., & getting no results.
  • silkysly
    silkysly Posts: 701 Member
    Have you tried INCREASING your caloric intake? I read an article by Jillian Micheals that encouraged people stuck in their weight loss to increase your caloric intake by 10%. Sometimes your body needs to more fuel since the metabolism is trying to speed up. Less fuel won't allow it to speed up.

    Maybe I should try that, but I was worried that not weighing that much in the first place, it may do the opposite.
  • silkysly
    silkysly Posts: 701 Member
    Your diary does look healthy. However, as another runner I would say that MFP grossly overestimates calories burned during exercise - when you do the same exercise every week, your body will become more efficient at the sport and thus you will burn less calories. I would drop the calorie intake, maybe only consume 1/3 of the exercise calories? Or something like that. Good luck.

    I based my burn on a heart rate monitor I wear. MFP said I should weigh 121 right now! That’s not true, lol.
  • silkysly
    silkysly Posts: 701 Member
    I didn't read any of the other reply's.. but since you are always under on your calories. Try going over for a few days or what is called zig zagging.

    Check it out. It has helped me when I am in a rut. : )

    I'll try anything at this point, thanks!
  • TS65
    TS65 Posts: 1,024 Member
    Adjust your settings! Set yourself to active or lightly active and to lose 1/2 lbs per week (read why below!).

    I wasn't losing at 1200 calories (even if I ate my exercise calories). I had been set at sedentary, but was working out 3-4 days a week for an hour - which meant I was really ACTIVE. Once I re-set myself for active AND started eating my exercise calories, the weight started coming off.

    Because you're so close to your goal weight, make sure your settings are only for 1/2 lb per week.

    **It goes against everything we THINK we know, but to lose weight, you HAVE to fuel your body (in other words, EAT).

    I didn't realize settings would make a HUGE difference.

    Then, I found this post: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits


    Here's a paraphrase:

    -1200 calories is a generic number. It's not right for everyone. It's a baseline minimum given out as a floor by MFP based on prior research by the medical community. NOT everyone will need a minimum of 1200, very small people can go under, and bigger people need more.

    ...

    If you have a desk job, and do very little walking throughout the day and don't really perform any sports or physical activities, then you are sedentary.

    If you do some walking every day (or at least 4 days a week) or other light activity for at least 30 minutes cumulative at least 4 times a week, you are lightly active.

    If you do 60 minutes of light activity 5 days a week or do some kind of sport that requires walking or light jogging (say swimming or mailman or warehouse employee) then you are active.

    If you do a physically demanding activity (one that makes you sweat) for 4 days a week or more and for more than 1 hour a day, you are very active (like a coach that runs drills or you play volleyball).

    When in doubt, go down 1 level, you'd rather burn more than you think than less.

    ~ ~ ~

    Also...

    Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit

    With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)

    With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)

    With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week) THIS IS YOU

    and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle building, and reducing fat. This means it is EXTRA important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode).
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