Training for a marathon while trying to lose weight

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RunZumba
RunZumba Posts: 13 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I struggle with this every year, especially this time of year. I've been trying to lose weight, but due to many family and personal challenges, I haven't been able to. Now that I am only 3 weeks away from running my fifth marathon, I know I need to start carb loading more and more. However, that doesn't fit with my weight loss goals, which are more attainable when I'm on a low-carb diet. Has anyone had this problem when training? How do you lose weight while trying to carb load? Perhaps I should just accept the fact that I will be the weight I am today for the marathon, and only afterwards try to go on a low-carb diet. However, part of why I want to lose the weight is because I will run faster during the marathon. My best so far was my first marathon four years ago, when I was 20 pounds lighter than I am today. What can be done? Any suggestions?

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  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    Most distance runners don't expect to lose weight in the final few weeks of a training plan. Those long runs take fuel and it's not uncommon to put on up to a kg of water weight in the last week or so depending on your carb loading as 1 g of stored glycogen bonds with 4 g of water.

    This close to race day ignore the scale.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Has anyone had this problem when training?
    My weight loss deliberately stops the week before the event - I revert to maintenance calories.

    How do you lose weight while trying to carb load?
    See above. Eat at maintenance calories - unless you are training carb depleted rather than just low'ish carbs you shouldn't have much gain without a caloric surplus.

    Perhaps I should just accept the fact that I will be the weight I am today for the marathon, and only afterwards try to go on a low-carb diet.
    Sounds sensible.

    However, part of why I want to lose the weight is because I will run faster during the marathon.
    With so little time you are more likely to lose performance from the deficit than gain any tiny performance benefit from losing a couple of pounds. Weigh up (sorry no pun intended!) the pros and cons.

    My best so far was my first marathon four years ago, when I was 20 pounds lighter than I am today. What can be done? Any suggestions?
    Chalk it up to experience and plan better next time. Enjoy your run.

  • RunZumba
    RunZumba Posts: 13 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your replies. Sounds like there is a general consensus that this close to race day, there isn't much I should do to lose weight. Seems like eating for maintenance for now is the most sensible thing to do.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,681 Member
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    The best time to lose weight for a marathon is before you begin your marathon training. Second best is the first month or so. After that, you need more calories to fuel your runs and to rebuild the muscles, so while a slow rate of loss is possible during training, but it isn't a good idea to decrease your calories so much that it hurts your training or your health. Worst time to lose weight is just before the race. Maximize your nutrition then. You don't have to overeat, but make sure you get the calories you need. You don't need to start carb loading until the week of the race, but don't try to eat at too much of a deficit. After the race you also want to be eating at maintenance for a week or so so that you have the calories to rebuild your torn muscles.
  • shrinkingletters
    shrinkingletters Posts: 1,008 Member
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    When I trained for my half marathon, I had initially started with the intent to lose weight in the process. I DEFINITELY lost weight in the process. Know what happened the last few weeks before my marathon? I became severely iron deficient and my training suffered BIG TIME for it. I did my best to make up for it by pounding down iron rich proteins and food with vitamin c like a monster. It made a small difference, but my final run was 20 minutes longer than I had planned, going in.

    Moral of the story is, you gotta fuel for something as taxing as this. You gotta drop that diet and pick it up afterward otherwise your run is going to suffer for it.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Three weeks out is too long for calorie loading. Give yourself permission to eat at maintenance for a week before the event.

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