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| Can someone recommend a good, reasonable way to lose 5-6 lbs? (Read 975 times) |
RIP, Henry, my soul mate |
posted: 1/9/2008 at 11:42 PM |
I really want to drop a fews lbs. before the spring race season starts up. I had a lot of success last year with Weight Watchers, but I'm finding that plan doesn't really meet my needs now that I'm running 20-25 miles per week. It must not provide the nutrition I need because I'm constantly light-headed and feeling weak.
Any other suggestions?
Thanks!
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First Half Marathon - Marine Corps Historic Half
5-18-08
2:10:30 |
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| view log Resonate |
posted: 1/10/2008 at 1:14 AM |
My favorite way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than I burn.
Check out the RA Running for Weight Loss group and look at the sticky posts. Dave has a cool excel spreadsheet that makes it easier to make this happen. |
Mike | Current Training Plan
Out near the edge where life is in full color. |
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posted: 1/10/2008 at 1:32 AM |
| I have to agree with Bonkin. Someone asked me today how I manage to stay fit/monitor weight (I still fluctuate 5-6lbs if I am not careful)...I answered the same way-I burn more calories than I consume. I would add though that in addition to that, I eat when I am hungry, I don't when I am not...same with thirst. Also, and this may just be me...but I stay away from anything with the words: low calorie, low fat, diet, etc...full flavored, natural foods taste better and are better for me...and I think my body knows when I am trying to fool it. |
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| view log Funky Monkey |
posted: 1/10/2008 at 1:51 AM |
To run, you need calories.
To propel yourself at speed, you need stored glycogen, which is the storage version of carbs. At any given time your body stores a maximum of about 2000 cal of glycogen. Your body does not particularly care how it gets those carbs (i.e., there really is no such thing as junk carbs in terms of glycogen storage, however complex carbs are less likely to be easily absorbed from your GI tract and therefore less likely to replenish glycogen or to make you gain weight). French fries and potato chips help replenish glycogen as well as pasta, but bring with them extra fat. High fructose corn syrup may be more likely than other simple carbs to form abdominal fat when consumed in excess. Whether you run or not, your body uses up about a third to a half of its glycogen just to keep you alive as you sleep at night, so you are constantly using and replenishing your glycogen.
To sustain and increase muscle mass you need proteins. To do this, you need to consume the variety of amino acids that serve as the building blocks for protein. As long as you are able to find and eat the diversity of needed amino acids, including the ones that your body cannot manufacture on its own (the so called, essential amino acids) then the source does not matter. If you like tofu, so be it. Egg whites, great. Steak or fish or chicken, bring it on. As long as you are getting all the needed amino acids in sufficient quantity, you should be fine.
To sustain yourself when not running at maximal pace and to support your running at that pace, you need fats. You are always burning some fat, even when running at maximal pace; the proportion of calories supporting your effort coming from fat simply drop as you increase your effort. One pound of stored fat is enough to propel most runners about 80 miles, provided that there are also enough carbs around to support the fat (or that the runner is running slow enough that the carbs are not the major energy source). There are lots of different fats out there, and some are better than others. The fats that are bad are considered so because they damage your body in ways that the better fats do not, and some of the good fats actually protect your body. Trans fats inflame arteries. Saturated fats do the same, and increase your risk of cancer. Cholesterol fills the walls of the inflamed arteries. As we are learning more about fats, it seems that the more natural fats (e.g., olive oil, butter, grain oils) have fewer troubles than the relatively synthetic ones. The major problem with snacks and fast foods is that they are made using the synthetic oils that contain the trans- or saturated- fats. Eating out at nice restaurants, you often will encounter just as many hidden fats and bad fats as you will at a fast food restaurant, so don't be fooled by ambiance or price.
However you choose to eat, you need to do it in a way that is sustainable. If you feel like you are eating special on a diet, or feel like you do not have energy then you will not sustain that type of intake. If all you eat is fast food, you will balloon up, feel terrible and then get sick and die, also not sustainable. A nice balance of interesting foods, including a healthy and well balanced base with occasional snacks and meals out is generally sustainable and inexpensive. Making your own foods helps you be in control, cut cost, and ensure that you get the needed calories to support your running.
You do not need to eat salads only, and can loose weight eating pasta and bread and rice, so long as you balance those things with proteins and healthy fats, and keep the portions in balance with your energy needs. You can use on line sites like nutritiondata.com to figure out how many calories are in a serving of food, and match your running miles (~100-130 cal/mile) and your living calories (~1500-2000 cal/day) with what you eat. If you weigh, for example, 160 lbs and you run 20 miles per week, you need approximately 1800 cal/day to live and an additional 2600 cal/week for your running. No more.
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| It's all fun and games until the flying monkeys attack. |
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RIP, Henry, my soul mate |
posted: 1/10/2008 at 2:21 AM |
| Folks, this is great stuff. Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks, and keep it coming! |
First Half Marathon - Marine Corps Historic Half
5-18-08
2:10:30 |
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RIP, Henry, my soul mate |
posted: 1/10/2008 at 2:33 AM |
| BTW, knifey, is that a little Frenchie in your avatar? He/she is so freakin' cute! |
First Half Marathon - Marine Corps Historic Half
5-18-08
2:10:30 |
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posted: 1/10/2008 at 2:59 AM |
| Quote from horsemom2b on 1/10/2008 at 2:33 AM: BTW, knifey, is that a little Frenchie in your avatar? He/she is so freakin' cute!
It IS a little Frenchie, my dog Igor! He is a sweetie! Thanks!
And also, I see Trent (in addition to all the other wealth of information!) recommended a website that tracks nutrition, and I was going to do the same...when I get out of whack or tend to start not feeling right I track what I am eating on USDA website: http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/
It helps me keep things in check when I need it... |
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| view log Funky Monkey |
posted: 1/10/2008 at 3:06 AM |
| By the way, I made a HFCS comment. So as not to inflame anybody, this is based on observational science which is not the highest tier of scientific methodology. |
| It's all fun and games until the flying monkeys attack. |
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| view log Slow-smooth-fast |
posted: 1/10/2008 at 12:43 PM |
| Quote from horsemom2b on 1/9/2008 at 11:42 PM: I really want to drop a fews lbs. before the spring race season starts up. I had a lot of success last year with Weight Watchers, but I'm finding that plan doesn't really meet my needs now that I'm running 20-25 miles per week. It must not provide the nutrition I need because I'm constantly light-headed and feeling weak.
Any other suggestions?
Thanks!
I got to my goal weight last year with WW, and I am still following it. If you are having problems, let me tell you about me. I am currently on 27 points a day, and I run 60-70 mpw. Now this is hard to keep up. What I do is skip breakfast, that way i can have more at lunch, and a big dinner after my evening run. works for me, but hard to keep up with high mileage.
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Professional Magician |
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posted: 1/10/2008 at 2:09 PM |
Different methods can obviously work for different people, so if you consider yourself to be successfully healthy while not eating breakfast, I wouldn't say that you have to be wrong. But, I would caution against the advice to skip breakfast. Skipping meals is not a good thing to do with your body. And no, I'm not a nutritionist, but I have studied a lot of nutrition and have helped several people lose weight in addition to the good bit of weight I've lost myself. Small meals throughout the day will keep your body much happier, will keep your metabolism high (not usually a problem for runners, but it can be) and will help prevent binges.
Not saying that Eddy needs to start eating breakfast, just saying that others may want to think twice before following that example. |
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| view log Hurdle the Dead |
posted: 1/10/2008 at 3:15 PM |
Are you actually using the exercise points and flex points that Weight Watchers gives you?
If you do - there's plenty of calories, unless you're doing some pretty serious marathon training.
Simplest way to lose those pounds is just to run more. Then again, I think "run more" is pretty much the answer to everything. Depending on your goals, you might want to consider building up to 30-40 miles per week. |
E-mail: JakeKnight2002@aol.com
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"The past is nothing but a series of recollections; it does not own you ... if we are prisoners of the past, we are jailer as well."
~~ Jack Kerley, The Hundredth Man
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posted: 1/10/2008 at 10:17 PM |
knifey - your frenchie is cute! hope you think my boston is too!!!
Back to business....
1 lots (1 wedding dress size = 1 adult pants size = 2 juniors pants sizes = gosh being a woman with so many options sucks!) of weight cutting calories (tracking on sparkpeople) and increasing my running (i was a new running so I went from no exerice to 3mi 3x a week with a slowly building long run). Now I eat more because i had no energy and i'm trianing for a half. I eat anything I want but watch the portion size (did that before too) but now instead of obsessively counting serving portions I use my salad plate as my dinner (lunch and breakfast) plate. It REALLY helps!
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Training is futile... i've seen the error in my ways...
Bring on the Monkey! |
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| view log A is A |
posted: 1/10/2008 at 10:49 PM |
Count calories. This way you can cut back on calories for weight loss while being careful about intake in order to maintain your body for the vigors of running.
I like the site caloriecount.about.com . It will help you to not only log your foods but calculate your caloric needs for weight loss based on several factors including activity level. Its much like a WW method, but you are more in control of what you eat.
Best wishes. |
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posted: 1/11/2008 at 12:42 AM |
Hey Marnee, nice to see you here!  |
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posted: 1/11/2008 at 2:38 AM |
Quickest way I have found to drop 5 lbs....STOP DRINKING ALCOHOL!
I hate to do it, but when I need to shed 5 lbs for an event ( or little black dress ) I quit drinking. Even my 1 or 2 glasses of wine a day adds up. I *love* wine, so I have to go cold turkey for about 2 weeks and I drop the weight. It may also have something to do with not eating empty calories with the wine that I drink??? 
Good luck  |
Philadelphia Distance Run HM 9-21-08
"Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it." -Ella Williams |
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