RunningAHEAD - Topic: long and slow = fat?

long and slow = fat? (Read 1042 times)

evtish

posted: 9/12/2008 at 1:10 PM

I've been running for a over a year. And, haven't lost any weight.
But I certainly didn't think it was leading to fat storage!

Penny_A: You're only running 10 miles a week..that's only ~1200 calories/wk your burning. Up your mileage by 10 miles/wk,eat the same amount, and you will lose 1 lb every 2 wks guaranteed. Based on your pace, that's an extra ~ 2 hrs of running per wk. OR reduce calorie intake by 1200 cal/wk ((<200/day) + extra 10 miles running = 1 lb/wk weight loss.

That's if you are in this for the weight loss.

Figbash

view log

posted: 9/12/2008 at 4:28 PM

I always take "expert" advice with a gain of salt.

Iin my experience LSD runs do just the opposite, they condition the body to conserve carbohydrates(glycogen) and burn fat. That is why high mileage and lots of long runs reduce the chance of reaching glycogen depletion in a marathon. And whether you lose or gain weight during training depends on how much you eat relative to your training, not the type of training you do. High mileage and LDS's definitely increase the appetite which makes it easy to eat more than you actually need.

Tom

John A view log	posted: 9/12/2008 at 4:55 PM modified: 9/12/2008 at 5:32 PM
	Quote from Penny_A on 9/11/2008 at 10:32 PM: Here's an email "quote" from a training expert in my area: Penny -- You state this person is a training expert from your area. I would definately be interested in knowing a little about his credentials.....as stated above, there are a lot of guys that get jobs in Gyms (cause they pump iron) and they suddenly become experts. Normally it has been my experience that in the process they usually give out really 'bad' advice. Not to mention that they are usually very opinionated also. Base on the advice given and the comments of other runners, I think I'd be a little cautious taking any advice from your 'expert'..... I have known few people who actually loose weight from running...most start running and pick up other good habits like diet, drinking more water and sleeping better and the combination causes a much more healthy person......that also drops a few lbs.....most weight loss is done at the diner table - not on the running track or on the road.
	2009 GOALs -30 MPW (MINIMUM weekly mileage) -5K time of 23:59 or faster -5 Mile time of 42:59 or faster -Half Marathon - 1Hr 59mins or faster -Run Bay State Marathon (completion - no time goal) Favorite Running Quote: Champions are made when no one is watching.

RunZRun

running yogi

posted: 9/12/2008 at 8:51 PM

Quote from Penny_A on 9/11/2008 at 10:32 PM:

I've been running for a over a year. And, haven't lost any weight.
But I certainly didn't think it was leading to fat storage!

For a lay person like me all I understand is "calories in-calories out"
The day I realised that I was eating more than I was running, and learnt to calculate how much(and what)I shud eat for the work out I was doing, the weight started peeling off.

After a 2 mile run we think deserve to eat that 350 calorie icecream cone. It's doesn't work when you are trying to lose weight.

willamona view log Hawt and sexy	posted: 9/12/2008 at 9:55 PM
	People generally do not train to lose weight, they train to be faster or to go further. Burning fat while you run just means that you are using less glycogen at one particular speed or HR compared to another speed or HR. What does this mean in the end, not much and it really depends on what event you are really training for as to which training is best for you. It doesn't mean you will lose weight by training at a slow pace since generally you have to eat. People doing Ironmans train at low rates of speed/HR because the event lasts hours. It would be similar to training for a 50 or 100 miler. For an event of that nature you train to keep moving for hours on end, that means using more fat as fuel. But then, at those distances, you are also training to eat on the move since the body will need replenishment during the race. This is not done a breakneck speed and it works the fat burning metabolism. The problem is, as soon as you are done, the body says, "Hey! You took all that energy away! EAT!" So you eat and usually replenish what you spent during a workout. Now, if you WANT to lose weight, diet is the only way to go. Exercise just allows you to increase fitness and eat more while on a diet. People generally like to eat more when on a diet, or so I have heard. Yeah, I am the skinny chick everyone made fun of and called anorexic in high school. Meh, but then I am still very active and I generally eat a ton. And still quite thin too. I also don't eat very many foods that you can't buy from the produce or meat department. I don't know if that helps any.
	Running is like sex; the more you do the more you want.

Penny_A view log World's Largest Penny	posted: 9/15/2008 at 1:19 PM
	Thanks for all the input. I was TOTALLY the person who would eat the ice cream cone after a run. I thought the running would cancel out the extra calories. I SO SO SO wanted it to be that way. As my mileage increased, so did my eating. Before my injury I got up to about 15-18 miles a week. I was waiting to hit some magical MPW that would let me eat whatever I wanted. I injured my adductor in May, and took off most of May, June and July. Boy, did the weight pile on. In August, I started making baby steps back into running. PLUS, I now realize like many of you have mentioned that it's DIET that takes care of the weight. We'll see how it goes this time with a more realistic mindset. BTW, I don't know the "expert" who made the comments. He runs "boot camps" in our area, and got some local press coverage. I was intrigued, and subscribed to his email blog. (Not intrigued enough to attend a boot camp however.) I've grown to love running, and was disappointed at the suggestion that it could be STORING the fat I was trying to lose.. Thanks for the advice. I trust you guys here at RA as the true experts. P.
	2009 Goals 1. get to and maintain 20 MPW 2. sub 50 min Crazy Legs 8k -- April 09 3. sub 30 min 5k 4. finish Mad City half marathon -- May 09

Teresadfp view log	posted: 9/15/2008 at 1:29 PM
	Penny, I found that I wasn't losing much weight when I started running almost two years ago, so I went on a diet. Now that I've lost 30 pounds, though, I find I don't have to think much about what I eat to keep the weight off. I've had it off for 10 months now, which is the longest I've ever kept weight off. Keep up the good work - it will pay off! I've also found that I'm still losing inches (taking my belt in), even though the scale has held steady. I get compliments all the time on how much better I look.

John A view log	posted: 9/15/2008 at 1:31 PM
	Quote from Penny_A on 9/15/2008 at 1:19 PM: BTW, I don't know the "expert" who made the comments. He runs "boot camps" in our area, and got some local press coverage. I was intrigued, and subscribed to his email blog. (Not intrigued enough to attend a boot camp however.) I've grown to love running, and was disappointed at the suggestion that it could be STORING the fat I was trying to lose.. Thanks for the advice. I trust you guys here at RA as the true experts. P. Penny, what I find to be mind boggling is that people will PAY this 'expert' for really poor advice..........and then when they don't get the results that expected, they will think something is wrong with them, when the problem is the bad advice and poor guidance..............You are on the right track........
	2009 GOALs -30 MPW (MINIMUM weekly mileage) -5K time of 23:59 or faster -5 Mile time of 42:59 or faster -Half Marathon - 1Hr 59mins or faster -Run Bay State Marathon (completion - no time goal) Favorite Running Quote: Champions are made when no one is watching.

Nobby415

posted: 9/15/2008 at 3:35 PM

Quote from Penny_A on 9/15/2008 at 1:19 PM:

Thanks for all the input.

I was TOTALLY the person who would eat the ice cream cone after a run.
I thought the running would cancel out the extra calories. I SO SO SO wanted it to be that way.
As my mileage increased, so did my eating. Before my injury I got up to about 15-18 miles a week.
I was waiting to hit some magical MPW that would let me eat whatever I wanted.

I injured my adductor in May, and took off most of May, June and July.
Boy, did the weight pile on.

In August, I started making baby steps back into running.
PLUS, I now realize like many of you have mentioned that it's DIET that takes care of the weight.

We'll see how it goes this time with a more realistic mindset.

BTW, I don't know the "expert" who made the comments. He runs "boot camps" in our area, and got some local press coverage. I was intrigued, and subscribed to his email blog. (Not intrigued enough to attend a boot camp however.)

I've grown to love running, and was disappointed at the suggestion that it could be STORING the fat I was trying to lose..

Thanks for the advice.
I trust you guys here at RA as the true experts.

P.

Penny:

If your objective for running is to "lose weight", then here's a news for you... ;o) So whatever you do (physical activity, that is) which you hadn't done, you WILL lose fat. Fat, besides providing energy, won't do much; it won't contract to move your legs or anything like that. Muscles, on the other hand, does something; it contracts and move your arms and legs. As you start working out, you do lose fat and your muscles become bigger to do the work (you'll get stronger). Now, muscles are hell of a lot more dense than fat (fat is basically a blob). You'll hear this many many many times from many people; so they started running (like you said, perhaps somewhere around 15 miles a week kind of range) and surely they burn fat. But they also get stronger and their muscle size increases. Most likely they'll slim down; but their weight won't change--in some cases, they even gain weight!

At the moment, I've been working out like a mad man; while in Colorado for our family vacation, there's this one day I ran 2-hours up on this hill early in the morning; then did 2:30 bike ride with my family; then when we got home, I went for an easy 30-minute jog. Yesterday, I ran 3-hours in the morning with a girl I'm coaching to run Twin Cities marathon in 3 weeks; then turned around and did 40' jog in the rain in the evening. I don't check my weight. As you get to my age, it's so darn hard to lose a little flab around the belly and it's still there (!) but I also DO know ALL my pants are now baggy. I can remember, even as recent as last winter, some of them were tight. I don't know about my weight loss situation--I don't check it, though I probably should; but I probably care more about how I might look (slimmer) and this pants incidence sort of indicates I'm on my way.

I don't know any real research or anything but I think there is some sort of boarder line where you actually start to lose weight vs. just get more muscular. It probably depends on the individual and background of exercise but I have a feeling it's probably quite a bit more than 15~20MPW. It might be discouraging to hear that especially if your purpose of running is to actually lose weight; but put it this way; you would be feeling heck of a lot better, you're fitter and have more energy for everything, and at least you ARE on your way to actually do more to go beyond that boarder line mark. Even if some research might indicate you need to run 30MPW or 50MPW or whatever to actually start losing weight (I don't know the number so I'm just throwing some bogus figures here); but, just because of that, you cannot simply jump out and start doing that much. You've got to start somewhere and you ARE on your way. A typical American dream of "lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks by doing 10-minutes of this" usually ain't gonna happen. Anything worthwhile takes some time to achieve; so be patient. It'll come.