Running and not losing
123bean
Posts: 27 Member
Hello MFP- i'm a runner and currently training for a half marathon. I run 6 miles during the week and do longer (8-12) mile run on the weekends. I've been training for one month. I have lost ZERO pounds. I'm at a loss as to what to eat since on weekends i burn so many calories. Is it possible to lose weight running? or is this a myth?
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Replies
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Are you tracking your diet?10
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I run too and I'm don't lose weight just running. I have to track my food, eat healthy and do some strength training to actually lose weight. I want to lose weight to be a better runner - I don't run to lose weight. I run for my mental health.9
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Running is not great for weight loss. Most new runners who train for a half or full will gain weight. Weight loss for running will occur around 65 plus miles a week. Those who are training at higher mileage are already thin.
If you want to be thinner for a race, you have to do that prior to starting the training cycle.33 -
If you want to loose weight then focus on what you’re eating.
Run/exercise because it’s good for your health.
I run, but I don’t find it has any positive impact on weight loss, that for me at least is all about what I’m eating.6 -
You don’t mention anything about your calorie intake. Are you tracking your food nd logging everything as accurately as possible (i.e. weighing all solids on a food scale)?8
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You have to eat less calories than you burn to lose weight.
Keep track of your calorie intake. I am guessing you are eating at maintenance if you are not losing weight, eating the same amount of calories that you are burning through running.
Are you keeping accurate records of everything you eat and drink and the calories you burn from exercise2 -
only6icecubes wrote: »Running is not great for weight loss. Most new runners who train for a half or full will gain weight. Weight loss for running will occur around 65 plus miles a week. Those who are training at higher mileage are already thin.
If you want to be thinner for a race, you have to do that prior to starting the training cycle.
This is absolute nonsense. I've been doing no exercise but running, two or three times a week for 35-45 minutes at a time (in no way 65+ miles), and I'm down 16 pounds.12 -
only6icecubes wrote: »Running is not great for weight loss. Most new runners who train for a half or full will gain weight. Weight loss for running will occur around 65 plus miles a week. Those who are training at higher mileage are already thin.
If you want to be thinner for a race, you have to do that prior to starting the training cycle.
I would disagree with this. But I only run ultra marathons and marathons, so could be wrong...6 -
Plenty of people maintain or gain when they've increased their activity because with increased exercise comes a bigger appetite. Track your calories.12
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Running alone doesn’t equal weight loss. Check your diet. I just trained for and completed a 50k last weekend and lost 12lbs in the process.3
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It took me a loooong time to realize one ultimate truth - you control your weight with a fork. Running influences your fitness.18
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Like everybody is saying, weight loss is about calories. Running increases how many calories you burn, but unless you're tracking what you eat, you have no idea of how many calories you are taking in. If you are not losing weight, then you are eating at maintenance (the amount of calories it takes to stay the same weight). To lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit (burning more than you consume/consuming less than you burn)5
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Hello MFP- i'm a runner and currently training for a half marathon. I run 6 miles during the week and do longer (8-12) mile run on the weekends. I've been training for one month. I have lost ZERO pounds. I'm at a loss as to what to eat since on weekends i burn so many calories. Is it possible to lose weight running? or is this a myth?
You cannot out train a bad diet (nor out run a fork). You have to be in a calorie deficit in order to lose weight, regardless of how much you run.4 -
I can lose weight while running until my long runs get over 10 miles, and then the runger is too great!1
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thank you everyone. Yes I realize the RUNGER is what is getting to me. I also think once i'm running 10 miles I cant stick to 1500 calories or even more. I'm going to start tracking again- and then on SUPER long run days make that a cheat day or at least have a cheat meal.0
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dont cheat or have a cheat meal just plan the indulgences you have. planning to cheat on your long run days can give you a negative relationship with food in that you need to "earn it" when life really is just all about balance and you dont need to run 10/12 miles to have that burger and fries. Log your exercise calories, eat back at least some of them to fuel your body and reduce the chances of injury and enjoy the running process.8
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thank you everyone. Yes I realize the RUNGER is what is getting to me. I also think once i'm running 10 miles I cant stick to 1500 calories or even more. I'm going to start tracking again- and then on SUPER long run days make that a cheat day or at least have a cheat meal.
1500 Calories when doing a 10mile run is just crazy low. All I did yesterday was 12km and that burnt 900 Calories (hills before you ask), I ended up eating around 2200 just for a 250 deficit.
Personally once my long runs get back up to the 17km+ range I'll be eating at maintenance or even a surplus so that I have enough fuel for both the run and recovery, which for 5'1" 148lb 46yo female me works out at around 2700-3000 Calories on a long run day. You get runger for a reason and my PT (who helps with my running training and nutrition) always tells me to listen to my body after a long run and to indulge the runger.1 -
thank you everyone. Yes I realize the RUNGER is what is getting to me. I also think once i'm running 10 miles I cant stick to 1500 calories or even more. I'm going to start tracking again- and then on SUPER long run days make that a cheat day or at least have a cheat meal.
On days that I'm running10+ miles I'll eat 1,000 cal for breakfast....you can't train for a HM on 1,500 cal / day. Running takes fuel. On long run days you should probably aim for maintenance and shorter days a very modest (100 or 200 cal) deficit.only6icecubes wrote: »Running is not great for weight loss. Most new runners who train for a half or full will gain weight. Weight loss for running will occur around 65 plus miles a week. Those who are training at higher mileage are already thin.
If you want to be thinner for a race, you have to do that prior to starting the training cycle.
Where did you get 65 miles/wk for weight loss from? While I agree that it's hard to maintain a significant deficit in the latter stages of a training plan it's not too hard early on while the training volume is lower.
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Everyone has said it.
Exercise alone can induce weight gain rather than loss. You are doing well to maintain! And you need good nutrition to do all that running, so at best you could try to lose weight very slowly. Plus, you are getting in great shape in the meantime.
Here's a brief article that reviews the science to back it up:
https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/why-do-i-gain-weight-when-i-exercise/0 -
while you are considering calories also consider the nutrition to help control the runger.
you should be eating exercise calories back.
you can absolutely lose weight and train. i did it the first time around and am doing it again the 2nd time. though i'm not training for anything.0 -
only6icecubes wrote: »Running is not great for weight loss. Most new runners who train for a half or full will gain weight. Weight loss for running will occur around 65 plus miles a week. Those who are training at higher mileage are already thin.
If you want to be thinner for a race, you have to do that prior to starting the training cycle.
Utter garbage. Calories out are calories out.5 -
only6icecubes wrote: »Running is not great for weight loss. Most new runners who train for a half or full will gain weight. Weight loss for running will occur around 65 plus miles a week. Those who are training at higher mileage are already thin.
If you want to be thinner for a race, you have to do that prior to starting the training cycle.
This is a bunch of BS.
Op, look at your diet and tighten up your food tracking.4 -
only6icecubes wrote: »Running is not great for weight loss. Most new runners who train for a half or full will gain weight. Weight loss for running will occur around 65 plus miles a week. Those who are training at higher mileage are already thin.
If you want to be thinner for a race, you have to do that prior to starting the training cycle.
the only weight gain there will be is excess water retention from introducing more exercise. weight gain comes from eating more calories than you burn period.3 -
only6icecubes wrote: »Running is not great for weight loss. Most new runners who train for a half or full will gain weight. Weight loss for running will occur around 65 plus miles a week. Those who are training at higher mileage are already thin.
If you want to be thinner for a race, you have to do that prior to starting the training cycle.
I'm going to admit I put on 8lb while marathon training, but that wasn't because running isn't great for weight loss, it's because I was deliberately eating at a surplus once the long runs really ramped up to give myself enough fuel to run and recover (and everything else I did). My bodyfat % remained around the same during that time so a good percentage of that was muscle, meaning when I cut I looked smaller than at the same weight before training.
In other words I treated it as a mini bulk (in my mind at least)1 -
thank you everyone. Yes I realize the RUNGER is what is getting to me. I also think once i'm running 10 miles I cant stick to 1500 calories or even more. I'm going to start tracking again- and then on SUPER long run days make that a cheat day or at least have a cheat meal.
Don't have a cheat meal, just eat at maintenance plus your running calories.1 -
I struggle with this a lot. There are a few of us here: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10573619/runners-that-need-some-nutritional-accountability
I play around with different things, and they all work to varying degrees.
I tend to do my long run early in the day, so I eat a BIG dinner the night before. I'll eat my normal dinner calories PLUS about half my exercise calories I anticipate getting the next day. I think of this as fueling rather than "going over." I find my run the next day is just better and I don't feel quite as famished. Then, I'll tack on the other half of my long run calories to dinner on long run day. The following day, I'll eat at maintenance if I'm feeling hungry still. I'm usually OK if I make it to my shorter training runs. Looks something like this:
Monday: Eat MFP calories + half Monday exercise (RUN)
Tuesday: Eat MFP calories + half Tuesday exercise (RUN)
Wednesday: Eat MFP calories + half Wednesday exercise (RUN)
Thursday: Eat MFP calories I'll dip into the "other halves" of extra calories if I'm feeling hugry here (REST)
Friday: Eat MFP calories + half Friday exercise calories + half Saturday anticipated exercise calories (CROSSTRAIN)
Saturday: Eat MFP calories + other half Saturday exercise calories (LONG RUN)
Sunday: Eat MFP calories OR Maintenance depending on runger (REST)1 -
only6icecubes wrote: »Running is not great for weight loss. Most new runners who train for a half or full will gain weight. Weight loss for running will occur around 65 plus miles a week. Those who are training at higher mileage are already thin.
If you want to be thinner for a race, you have to do that prior to starting the training cycle.
How in the world did I lose 100 pounds by running 3-4 times a week, never even coming remotely close to 65 miles a week?5 -
only6icecubes wrote: »Running is not great for weight loss. Most new runners who train for a half or full will gain weight. Weight loss for running will occur around 65 plus miles a week. Those who are training at higher mileage are already thin.
If you want to be thinner for a race, you have to do that prior to starting the training cycle.
How in the world did I lose 100 pounds by running 3-4 times a week, never even coming remotely close to 65 miles a week?
I kind of get what @only6icecubes is saying. When you get within a certain range of goal weight (for me, it's been 10lbs away for a year) and I've shifted my focus to "training" rather than "weight loss," I totally feel like being at racing weight when training starts is correct.
Running for weight loss, IMO, is a little different than race training. I don't like it, but that is definitely how it is for me.
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Hello MFP- i'm a runner and currently training for a half marathon. I run 6 miles during the week and do longer (8-12) mile run on the weekends. I've been training for one month. I have lost ZERO pounds. I'm at a loss as to what to eat since on weekends i burn so many calories. Is it possible to lose weight running? or is this a myth?
Running or any other exercise does not default to weight loss. Also, I don't train and try to lose weight at the same time. If I'm training for cycling events and putting in a lot of miles, I'm always hungry and also don't want to impede my recovery. I do a lot better when I need to cut weight with more modest amounts of cycling and some lifting and walking.1 -
fitoverfortymom wrote: »only6icecubes wrote: »Running is not great for weight loss. Most new runners who train for a half or full will gain weight. Weight loss for running will occur around 65 plus miles a week. Those who are training at higher mileage are already thin.
If you want to be thinner for a race, you have to do that prior to starting the training cycle.
How in the world did I lose 100 pounds by running 3-4 times a week, never even coming remotely close to 65 miles a week?
I kind of get what @only6icecubes is saying. When you get within a certain range of goal weight (for me, it's been 10lbs away for a year) and I've shifted my focus to "training" rather than "weight loss," I totally feel like being at racing weight when training starts is correct.
Running for weight loss, IMO, is a little different than race training. I don't like it, but that is definitely how it is for me.
There's nothing wrong with having non-weight-related running goals, and your goals with running may or may not include weight loss. I think your training may be more productive if you're not in a deficit, though you can absolutely become a better runner while in a deficit--I PR'd nearly every race I ran while losing weight. It's hard to say how much of the improvement was from actually getting faster and having more endurance vs. just being lighter; I'm sure it's a little of both. But it's not true that running is inherently "not great" for weight loss or that you have to run a certain number of miles per week in order to lose weight. Running can be part of a weight loss plan just like any other form of exercise, as long as you're in a calorie deficit.1
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