It's good to take some time off from exercise every few months. A week if you can stand it....but even 3-4 days can do a body good. I would say perhaps you are not eating enough to fuel as much exercise as you're doing. I see a lot of calories left on some of your exercise days.

I'm a small girl (5'5", 120lbs) and I'm eating as many or more calories than you at times! I started eating more in January (and am still losing a bit of weight even though it's basically vanity pounds at this point) and really fueling my body for my running and it has made a world of difference. I have so much energy and my running times are getting consistently faster.

It's good to take some time off from exercise every few months. A week if you can stand it....but even 3-4 days can do a body good. I would say perhaps you are not eating enough to fuel as much exercise as you're doing. I see a lot of calories left on some of your exercise days.

I'm a small girl (5'5", 120lbs) and I'm eating as many or more calories than you at times! I started eating more in January (and am still losing a bit of weight even though it's basically vanity pounds at this point) and really fueling my body for my running and it has made a world of difference. I have so much energy and my running times are getting consistently faster.

Thanks for the feedback!

I must admit that I have a small case of ffg syndrome (former fat guy) I actually want to I increase my muscle mass a bit, hence the strength training, but I'm obviously worried about regaining any of the fat I have worked so hard to lose.

I hear ya! After being somewhat overweight my entire life this is the first time I've ever been a "skinny girl" and the thought of eating more terrified me. I lost the majority of my weight by eating very low calorie. But now I am working out a lot and looking to accomplish some fitness goals and I need to eat right to do that. I took it a bit at a time, upping my calories 100-200 a day and keeping them at that level for a week or so before upping again. I now wear a BMF (bodymedia fit) so I know what I burn each day but prior to that I figured out my TDEE using an online calculator and took a very small deficit off that as my calorie goal.

If you are at or very near your goal weight and only looking to increase muscle/lose fat you should try to eat within a couple hundred calories of your TDEE every day otherwise with too big of a deficit you'll just lose that hard-earned muscle.

I have a couple (not the greatest) pictures on my profile page....the black sports bra/black shorts picture was of me in February. The grey sports bra/black shorts was of just a couple weeks ago. I barely lost any weight (less than a pound) but am gaining a bit of definition in my abs that I never have had before and have lost some inches off my waist and hips. All while eating more food than ever. I'm currently eating pretty much at maintenance although I don't quite have it figured out yet because the scale has moved down a bit for me.

And congrats, by the way. You've lost a ton of weight and you look fantastic! I'm always amazed by people who have lost 100+lbs - just the dedication and motivation to get where you are is awesome!

That's exactly what I was going to say. If you think you need a break, you do. Lots of other things you can do to stay in shape until you're feeling ready to go back to running.

i didn't even need to read your post. If anything even thinks they need a break from running, you need a break. Running is so hard on the body, and for a big guy it's even harder. Why not cut out just the running, i don't think you need to cut out everything, unless of course you are just spent. Taking a complete week off won't hurt you as long as you eat right.

good luck.

There are times that I just need to switch it up. Try a different form of cardio if you are worried that might make life a little easier - what about swimming? Works totally different muscle groups and you'll still get the sense of a workout but without the same stress on the body.

I agree with all the other posts.