Loosing weight while training for a marathon
Options
Nereneia
Posts: 1 Member
How can I loose weight while I am training for a marathon? When I reduce my carbs I feel tired when I do my runs. Last year I was training for a marathon and I’ve put on weight(4kg). Everyone was saying that I look like I’ve lost weight and I assume this was because my muscle weight increased which is ok. This year I’ve put on more weight(3kg) during Christmas and now I need to loose all of it so I can improve my running times. My main goal is to loose the weight without affecting my training. Does anyone have any suggestions preferably based on their own experience?
0
Replies
-
Track you food
1 -
How can I loose weight while I am training for a marathon? When I reduce my carbs I feel tired when I do my runs. Last year I was training for a marathon and I’ve put on weight(4kg). Everyone was saying that I look like I’ve lost weight and I assume this was because my muscle weight increased which is ok. This year I’ve put on more weight(3kg) during Christmas and now I need to loose all of it so I can improve my running times. My main goal is to loose the weight without affecting my training. Does anyone have any suggestions preferably based on their own experience?
Do your best with your deficit before your mileage gets too high.
The runger is real!4 -
Slowly!
Maybe with a deficit only on days when you aren't doing long runs.
Maybe with diet breaks if your training or recovery starts to suffer.
(Generally I can lose about 0.5kg a week for about 6 weeks while training hard for an endurance event then I can't both train well and lose weight at the same time.)
I wouldn't specifically target carbs as the macro to reduce to create your deficit, I might time them strategically around big training days.
2 -
Everything I've read says its super hard to lose weight when training for a half or full marathon.
When I first started running three years ago, it was a major component of helping me lose 60 lbs. However, when I started adding on the mileage and train for my first half-marathon last March, I maintained weight, but continued my strength training, which helped me continue to lose inches even if the scale didn't budge.
Now working on my fourth half-marathon coming up this March, I'm losing (I gained about 10 lbs back during the summer), but it's slow. I'm really focusing on everything that goes in my mouth, and being very careful about which types of carbs I choose. I'm also keeping my sugars under control and trying not to eat any junk, which I think is helping. And of course staying hydrated -- I drink a ton of water every day, which helps to flush out my system and keeps my hydrated on long runs.
I am currently working with a sports nutritionist who used to run competitively, and she said it's possible to lose, but no more than half a pound per week for runners.3 -
I normally recommend against trying to lose weight while endurance training - I would eat at maintenance and go from there - you don’t want to compromise workouts and recovery but cutting nutrition down6
-
How can I loose weight while I am training for a marathon? When I reduce my carbs I feel tired when I do my runs. Last year I was training for a marathon and I’ve put on weight(4kg). Everyone was saying that I look like I’ve lost weight and I assume this was because my muscle weight increased which is ok. This year I’ve put on more weight(3kg) during Christmas and now I need to loose all of it so I can improve my running times. My main goal is to loose the weight without affecting my training. Does anyone have any suggestions preferably based on their own experience?
I was training for a marathon and just trying to maintain, I couldn’t eat enough food to stop losing weight. Ended up having to visit the buffet weekly so I wouldn’t disappear lol. I would eat at maintainance, wait and see what happens. Make sure you eat those exercise calories back.
Some people do claim the opposite though, running makes some hungry. For me it was an appetite suppressor.2 -
I’ve been thinking about this thread - I’m currently training for a 1/2 marathon. I’m getting into peak mileage now and honestly I can’t eat enough to stop losing. I’m 6’1” and 186 pounds. I’ve been eating 3,000 to 3,500 calories a day and still losing weight. I’ve lost .5 to .75 pounds a week for the past couple weeks in spite of eating so much.0
-
garystrickland357 wrote: »I’ve been thinking about this thread - I’m currently training for a 1/2 marathon. I’m getting into peak mileage now and honestly I can’t eat enough to stop losing. I’m 6’1” and 186 pounds. I’ve been eating 3,000 to 3,500 calories a day and still losing weight. I’ve lost .5 to .75 pounds a week for the past couple weeks in spite of eating so much.
I wish I had that problem. I put on 7lbs my first half....
i can more or less manage it now, but i have to really watch myself with the runger or I gain!3 -
@TavistockToad I guess I’m lucky. Exercise tends to suppress my appetite to a point. I experience runger at times, but not like some others describe.3
-
consider what you are eating.
i've eaten at a deficit much of my running career. i'm not a fast runner but i've ran up to 18 miles. the more i make the calorie count nutrition wise the easier eating at a deficit. i have runners cookbooks and it seems to help1 -
I've never had luck losing weight while training for a marathon. If I've got weight to lose, I typically choose to do it after training is over. My goal while training is just to maintain.
That said, your carbohydrate intake can still be relatively high while losing weight. It's your overall calorie intake that will determine your weight loss, not your carbohydrate intake.
2 -
To summarise the different experiences:
You will either lose weight, gain weight or might maintain your weight.
You might be more hungry, less hungry or hungry some of the time.
Sounds like a some personal experimentation and reassessment as your training goes on is in order.
9 -
To summarise the different experiences:
You will either lose weight, gain weight or might maintain your weight.
You might be more hungry, less hungry or hungry some of the time.
Sounds like a some personal experimentation and reassessment as your training goes on is in order.
:laugh:1 -
I am training for a marathon. At about 20 miles/week in my training plan. I'm 4'11" and about 110. I would like to be about 100 by the start of the race, but that said I'm not planning on messing up my training for a few vanity pounds (22 bmi to 20 bmi, basically vanity pounds). I just keep a lot of healthy snacks around, like fruit and fresh vegetables. I eat more on long run days and less on rest days but nothing drastic. So far my progress is slow. But I have 3 months, and im not going to stress over the number too much.1
-
Also, don't cut carbs (at least not mostly/primarily). Cut fats.3
-
-
TavistockToad wrote: »
No, as in not a good idea, or no as in you love your fats?2 -
-
TavistockToad wrote: »
lol... ok. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something and giving out bad advice.2 -
I started running in October. I am losing weight but it is a slow loss. I'm ok with that because my measurements have changed dramatically. Log religously and do the best you can. Start keeping track of your measurements if you don't already and take pictures. Even if the scale isn't moving, you will probably see progress.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 390 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 922 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions