Running and Weight Loss (Read 3186 times)

Hi Geordie Girl,

There's no secret to weight loss -- use more calories than you burn and you will lose weight. It doesn't matter whether you get them from ice cream or granola bars. (it does matter nutrionally of course).

I'm in a similar position: beginner at running, looking for fitness, weight loss, karma upgrades and all that other good stuff. I'm coming to the conclusion that I can't just work out to lose weight - I must also watch what I eat or when I exercise more I'll just eat more. So I'm also going to track calories as well as miles. But that's just me. You'll come up with whatever metric you find most convenient, perhaps as simple as "the pants test" or as complicated as the BodPod.

Trent gave an excellent overview on energy delivery and "sustainable eating habits". Advice on other posters on strength training is also valid. I think balance is key though: eat a little less than you do now, run a little more than you do now, and maybe lift weights or do some situps and pushups during commercials on TV .

You just have to realize that your body got the way it is now over several years so changing it will also take time. It's *so* much easier to do all this a little bit at a time and realize that you're in it for the long haul -- no pressure so less stress. Consistency and will power are key here -- planned, long term caloric deficit is way more effective at losing weight than any exercise regimen. Don't get me wrong, you *have* to exercise to get fitter, but you must *also* watch calories to lose weight at the same time.

If you run a 500 calorie/day deficit you'll lose a pound a week. 52 pounds a year. I wouldn't want to go much more than that if you're also increasing your exercise since your body needs fuel to do all this new moving around stuff.

Good luck at it. I'm sure you can do it.

I am down to the last 1/2 stone to lose and finding it very frustrating but I'm probably putting too much emphasis on the scales. So while I understand the principals for weight loss I had hoped the increase in training would give me the boost, just as ever with me its never quick enough

I will start monitoring calorie intake to ensure I'm not eating more than I think or maybe even less than I need. I'm sure at somepoint it will all even out.

thanks and good luck too.

Trent, what do you eat normally though? I eat about 350 grams of carbs (285 after netting fiber out) and about 1850-1650 cals a day. 60% carbs, 25% protein, 20% fat. I am 124 pounds or something close to that and 5'5'' I need to lose fat and it's going to take me FOR EVER to get the fat off. I'm thinking 3 pounds of fat and I'll be happy. That should take me a good 2-3 months if I am consistent.

Ya pick up some weights Nothing helps burn fat like muscle! I'm not Trent, but I'm going to put in my 2cents worth. Since I put alot of miles in as well as weight lift I try to keep my calories to 2000-2400. I'm 5'6 and 126lbs (was 130 a month ago). I'd up the calories a bit if I were you Muse.

I think you should be eating way more!

Unless you have been told otherwise by a doctor, you should eat no less than 1200 calories a day or risk putting your body into starvation mode. You need calories to just function! So you're burning calories by just being alive, and then you're burning a bunch more by running. Your body then puts itself into starvation mode. Essentially, it holds onto everything you give it, because you're not getting enough to eat, and your body wants to protect itself.

Eat more! Healthy calories. Add a handful of almonds. Protein shakes. Protein bars. If you continue the way you're going, I'm afraid you're going to end up hurting yourself.

Quote from piper0110 on 3/21/2007 at 12:43 PM:

SECOND THIS!

Geordie, use this calculator just to get an idea of what yoru body needs for simple daily function. That will give you a good baseline of what you need just to be alive and breathing (this doesn't include any activity...just what your body burns to stay alive).

k

Rockin' Mama is right. Muscle burns fat and calores. If you have a good bit of muscle, you will burn more calories during they day than if you do not. If you are loaded with muscle, you could spend the day in bed and burn more calories than most folks in our society do when they sit at a desk working.

I try to eat a varied diet, taking in < 1800-2000 kcal per day, except in the days leading up to a long run. When I am paying closest attention to my intake, I will go as low as 1000-1500. To do this, I need to employ several techniques to keep myself from cravings. These include eating a lot of lightly cooked or raw veggies which fill you up, bulky fruits, complex carbs, etc. I rarely drink soft drinks (although I do love Coke) and never drink diet drinks (there is research that shows that artificial sweeteners over time increase cravings for other sweets and may correlate with increased caloric intake over time).

For example, most mornings I have a serving of raisin bran (which is much less cereal than you'd think) with 1% milk and a banana: 300 kcal. An apple midmorning: 60 kcal. Lunch may be 1.5 cups of brown rice, some seaweed and some grilled salmon: 400-500 kcal. An alternate lunch is a baked potato with tons of lightly steamed brocolli and a touch of parmesan cheese: 250-300 kcal. A few bites of dark chocolate, an espresso or two and maybe a granola bar: 200 kcal. Dinner varies from pasta to stir fry to home made pizzas to rice and beans, but usually ~500 kcal. Total: 1400 - 1500 kcal. A bit of juice and a couple of other snacks that I don't think about during the day and I am probably at 1500-1800.

www.nutritiondata.com is a great resource!

Oh, and eating too little will put you into starvation mode and you will hold on to your consumed calories more tightly, paradoxically making it harder to drop the weight.