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CK - stop starving yourself now! It doesn't work you loon!! You need calories to convert into energy to be able to run. If you starve yourself your body will try its damndest to hang onto any fat it is storing. You said you watched Eddie Izzards marathon lunacy - did he starve himself? No. And he still lost weight.
I like your idea of just getting out there and run (even though it is not at all sensible).
However, as everyone else has said, trying to survive on 500kcal per day will render you absolutely useless (and probably asleep) within one week. On days before or after a decent size run (6 miles or more) I consume more than 500kcal just for breakfast.
What you are thinking of doing is putting 1 litre of petrol in your car and expecting to drive 500 miles....if you don't use the right fuel you will get nowhere....and probably do your body much more harm as when you start eating properly again your body will store the food as fat as it will not be sure when it will get the next meal.
Intermanaut: I have previously read about reducing caloric intake and increasing energy output for weight loss.
However, I do realise that there’s a fine balancing act between having a caloric deficit and having enough energy to maintain basic daily activity and run.The figure 500 is low enough to lose serious weight but enough to easily eat 2 -3 meal a day. (Granted there will be a lot of fruit/veg and protein and very little carbohydrate).
Also, I'm aware that the first couple of days will be tough but it will get easier after about day 5. After a few week of this I’m increase to an energy neutral caloric intake.
C.K
You read my mind.....
VLCD's are weight loss are one thing, but VLCD's and supporting exercise, particularly endurance running, is a whole different kettle of fish.
Go for it, but it'll all go pete tong in a short space of time.
CK - what is your 500 cals per day going to made up of for these few weeks?
Agree with others - Forget the diet, do the GNR.....
Then if you must try out the 500 calorie diet when you don't have he pressure of a race coming up. Try it for a few days a couple of weeks or so after the GNR and see how far you can run.
BTW well done on the 10km. Looks like you started at 5 min kms and switched to nearer 7:30 by about halfway. Biggest mistake most people make is setting off too fast - you dont "bank time" doing this but waste energy that you cant recovery.
Enjoy the occasion that is the GNR and worry about dieting afterwards.
LMAO
FF - yep and more because, as mentioned, you've made your body think food is scarce and triggered the famine mode. It will go back to the previous weight and then add a bit, for spare, just in case you decide not to give it food again.
Sounds like the OP (if he's not a troll) is Mr All or Nothing and I forsee a week or so of all and then...nothing. It's characters like this you hear moaning that doesn't matter what they do, they can't lose weight.
I think he is related to that other troll and for that reason, i'm out
Cheers ANTB.
Prefer the eat well, exercise regularly strategy myself
To clear things up I'm not a Troll.
You can check my Great Yorkshire Run time online if you want. You will also be able to do the same with the GNR in two weeks time. Also, I will be regularly updating my profile with my current times and weight.
TBH I'm really tired of being overweight and unhealthy and want to change this as quickly as possible and this time I’m determined to stick at it.
C.K
CK - I hear your frustration but VLCD's are not for runners. The key to healthy sustained weight loss is diet & excersize - you cannot have one without the other. If you persist you will become ill, unable to work, run or maintain your already hectic life.
I did check your time at Gt Yorks Run - I did think you could be a troll
. Seriously though matey there are no quick solutions to this. If there were there would be no overweight people! Work out your BMR (google it) and go from there. You are obviously reasonably fit - to run the 10k off no training in just over the hour proves this. Do it right and the athlete in you will emerge..........
Chris
Losing weight and training are two separate but interlinked things. Most people (but not all) who take on board a consistent training program will in due course both lose weight and keep it off. But both (training and weight loss) involve significant lifestyle changes that are big challenges in their own right and I would only recommend you targeting one initially.
You have a place on the GNR - its a fab race and should give you areal buzz over taking part and feeling part of a wider fitness community. You risk spoiling this experience and the day by crash dieting this week. All you will do is deplete your energy resources. Remember the feeling you had in the second half of the 10km....it will be five or six times worst at mile ten in the GNR if you carry on at 500 calories a day and you stand every channce of ending the race in an ambulace.
Its great that you have decided to change your lifestyle - just do it one step at a time!
Good luck
keith.
Of, if you're for real, I'll add my two'penneth of advice on running and weight loss. It will take time so be prepared to be patient. Breaking down fat to get energy actually takes a lot of energy so a body prefers to get energy from other souces, you have to train it to do otherwise. I'd also suggest that you don't weigh yourself but instead use other ways to measure your progress, such as whether your waist is getting smaller. Don't follow a VLCD, seriously, don't. Your body will get energy from muscles, not fat, and you won't be able to run. A long slow run trains your body to get energy from fat stores.
As you exercise, you'll build muscle, which weighs more than fat, which is why you shouldn't weigh yourself if you're combining diet and exercise to lose weight. Building muscle is good tho, not just because you're fitter, but because more muscle means you burn more calories just by being you.
A pound of fat is 3500 calories, so you need a deficeit of 3500 to lose a pound. Work out your basal metabolic rate (how many calories you need to do nothing but breath in and out) and then multiply it by whatever your level of exercise (all easily found via google). Deduct around 20% of the total and that's what you should aim for as your daily calorie intake. Various websites (Fetcheveryone springs to mind) will guesstimate how many calories you burn on a run.
Finally, bear in mind, this is not easy. I've been training for the GNR for 10 weeks and trying to drop my calorie intake as described above. I've gained weight, only a little, but definitely a gain in weight. I have, however, lost inches off my bust, hips and stomach. I'm also MUCH fitter than I've ever been, I feel happier and knowing that I'm going to complete the GNR fulfilling one of my goals is pretty awesome.
Don't go for a quick-fix, it really won't work. Do it right, it will take time, but it's so rewarding. Good luck
Quick fix DOES NOT WORK in the long term, its not effective.
I know this from (painfull) experiances.
Hey!
Thanks for all the advice. I'm on day two of the diet and it's going ok. I have to drink a lot of water to avoid becoming dehydrated. Anyway, I've decided to scrap the 500kcal diet and try to eat more balanced and healthy meals. In addition, I have decided to stop drinking alcohol as I've started to realise how many calories I ingest on a Friday/Saturday binge and running with a hangover is really not a pleasant experience.
Also, managing to do about a 5km (30 minute) run a day but really need to try and find some time to do some longer runs.
We’ll see how things progress.
PS I’ve lost a bit of weight (~1kg) already but I'm positive it must be water.
C.K
I'm glad to hear that CK. You will get there. I'm looking forward to hearing about your half marathon.
Just one more piece of advice - if you must weigh yourself - only do it once a week! To do it on a daily basis is soul destroying!
PS just signed up for the Mens Health Survival of the Fittest in October which should be good fun.
Can't wait
Much better! Alcohol adds a ridiculous amount of calories. As Danowat says, ditch the scales or at least keep your weigh in down to once a week. Your weight can vary on a daily basis.
Don't expect miracles either. Most people who have achieved serious weight loss and managed to maintain it have done it over a reasonable period of time and by changing their lifestyle. I also know a few people who lost an enormous amount of weight over 6 months or so, and as soon as they finished their get-slim-quick diet, they put most of it back on again. As people have already said, it's about making the change to a healthier lifestyle and maintaining it in the long term. I'm an ex-fatty myself, and there really is no miracle cure.