Started running and weight isn't dropping as fast

mybigfatweightlossjourney
mybigfatweightlossjourney Posts: 3
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I started Couch to 5k almost two months ago. I am taking each week a couple of weeks at a time to ease into it. I am now on week 4 and am running almost half the time. Here is my problem, when I was just watching what I was eating the lbs were dropping faster it seemed. My husband says it is because I am building muscle and I really want to believe him, but I am afraid I am not losing it fast enough. I am sticking strictly to my calories that I am allowed, and trying not to use the "extra" exercise ones...

Has anyone else experienced this? Help!!

Replies

  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    and trying not to use the "extra" exercise ones...

    Please eat your exercise calories. Especially with running, you need them! That could be the problem - you're eating too little.
  • JodaNord
    JodaNord Posts: 496 Member
    You need to eat the "extra" exercise calories, its what your body is using to do the exercise and depending on what your caloric intake is set to, you could be doing more damage by not eating enough instead and stalling your weightloss because of damaging your metabolism...
  • mybigfatweightlossjourney
    mybigfatweightlossjourney Posts: 3
    My goal daily is 1260 calories.. My treadmill typically tells me I am burning 210 calories a day. I was not aware that I needed to "eat" those too.. Some days I do because I am starving.. But most days I try not to..
  • jshaps7
    jshaps7 Posts: 74 Member
    You need to fuel your body and that extra exercise. You don't need to eat ALL the extra calories, but by all means you should try to make sure you're fueling yourself adequately (especially carbs and protein).
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    Yes, eat those calories (assuming that you're using MFP for your daily goal - that's how MFP works). My daily goal is 1300 and I eat up to 1750 on days I'm running! Less on walking days.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    My goal daily is 1260 calories.. My treadmill typically tells me I am burning 210 calories a day. I was not aware that I needed to "eat" those too.. Some days I do because I am starving.. But most days I try not to..

    Your daily goal is "net" 1260. If you consume 1260 and exercise an extra 210 that brings you awfully close to a net of 1,000 - too low.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    I'm going to go a different direction from the other comments here:

    I would go back to your diet and check all of your assumptions- the difference between 1260 calories and 1460 calories is a mere 16%. This means that if your portions aren't exactly what you think they are, you may already be hitting that 1460 calories without knowing it. Likewise, if your portions are smaller than you think you may be eating far too few calories. For everyone who is trying to lose weight and has a budget around that 1200 cal mark, its crucial to weigh/measure everything. Here's an example:

    I still eat fresh bagels as a part of my diet. They're my splurge food that I can't give up- but I make sure to log them accurately. If I measure my bagels they are about 4" diameter. If I use the entry for a 4" diameter bagel on MFP it is listed as 245 calories. But because density of the bagel isn't considered in that calorie count, if I weigh my bagel it comes out to a whopping 120 g, which equates to a 330 cal bagel which is much more accurate. Had I not weighed the bagel I would have accidentally left 85 calories out of my diary!

    Another example is my tortillas- I use Mission brand Carb Balance tortillas which are listed on the package as 1 Tortilla = 42 g = 120 cal. BUT when you weigh the tortillas by my estimation they average at 47g, which would equal ~135 calories. So if I don't account for that extra 15 calories it gets lost. And that is a single serving packaged food. My point here is that this kind of error happens all the time! It may not be significant if you have a lot of weight to lose and you are operating with a big calorie deficit cushion, but particularly for short women, these errors can be devastating. If it weren't for the 1200 minimum that I try to stick to, my personal net goal would be 950-1000 calories, so at 1200 calories I am already cutting in to my deficit, and I want to be really careful not to hurt it even more.
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