Runner's World weight-loss feature

The magazine is working on a feature about losing weight through racing and we want to hear your stories.    We are looking for people who have signed up for a race, and found it helped them to lose weight. Perhaps you've tried to lose weight before but struggled with motivation etc but found this really worked.    We're looking for stories for each of the following distances: 5K, 10K, half, and full marathon.   Tell us: the lessons you've learned, the things they did right and the mistakes made (and put right). And importantly how racing was the catalyst for the weight coming off.   If you want to contact us directly to tell us your stories please email, editor@runnersworld.co.uk and put 'racing weight loss' as the subject. 
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Comments

  • I've managed to lose about 25KG in last 8months from never run before to running a half in a couple of weeks. I love running. Have emailed the editor. Who knows. image

  • I started running last September . I had lost 4 1/2 stone when I started and have lost another 1 st 10lb since and ran my first half marathon 2 days before my 44th birthday in march and have entered another two . I feel better now than I have in the last 25 years .

  • 7 and a half stone lost through running. From zero to ultra marathons in 3 years. 

  • I put on weight when i marathon rain or ironman train..........so make sure that you don't make it sound like everyone who starts running loses weight......

    if you overcompensate and give in to the feeling starving after exercise its easy to gain even when training 14 hours a weekimage

  • I have lost over 2 stone since Christmas. Training for and completing the London Marathon last Sunday. I took over 2 hours off my 2012 VLM time.

  • I used to be a big boy. At my heaviest I tipped the scales at 15 stones - thankfully no photos exist.

    I was about 14 stones when I ran my slowest half marathon (2006 St Albans Half - 2:11:07) This prompted me to start taking running a bit more seriously as a way to lose weight. I ran the 2007 London Marathon in 4:58:09 and after that the running bug bit deep. Through a mixture of diet and exercise the weight started to drop off. The more I got into running the more I began to eat healthier, the less weight I carried, the easier the running became and so on and so on. The weight eventually dropped to 9st 6lbs & to others I looked ill. Eventually the muscle mass built up and the weight settled at 10st 6lbs. In the meantime, PBs fell at all distances & I just ran VLM in 2:54:22 

  • I have lost a total of 6 stone and running was a hugely importantly part of keeping the weight loss going and then maintaining it.

    Also a massive personal sense of achievement as I always used to the 'fat one' at school who couldn't wheeze my way around the track.

    I have done numerous half marathons, 16 milesraces, a 20 mile race and now can say that I am a marathon runner after finishing the London Marathon last week.

    However I have struggled at times with the correct diet in order to have enough energy top run long distances while keeping weight low - anyone else experienced this and have any advice?

  • Hi karen, I did London last week too, and put on a few pounds as the long runs got longer and I was starving! Weight is back down now and for me the answer is to make sure I have carbs with every meal, and cut out ALL biscuit, cake and other sugary snacks, and stick to fruit, but it takes a lot of will power and I don't always manage it!

  • I did 12 Marathons last year and although I got my PB down from 4:33 to 4:20 I put on a stone over the period.

  • My general experience is that running helps me control my weight but I trained for and ran my first marathon in London this year and am now as heavy as I've been in ages....I'm confident it's not all muscleimage You have to be disciplined not to fall into the 'Well, I've run 18 miles, now I can eat what I like' mindset.

  • booktrunkbooktrunk ✭✭✭

    6 stone on 12 months using weightwatchers online and running.

    It's been an awesome year, and running has given me so much more energy for life.

     

  • booktrunkbooktrunk ✭✭✭

    Karen fruit and homemade pastaimage I'm in the lost 6 stone camp and know how hard it is.

  • I was over 19 stone when I took up running to lose weight. Down to 13.5 now and still loving the running image

    Story here for anyone interested in what I did http://herbifit.wordpress.com/2012/07/21/95/

    Mark

  • Why not just copy the article from the American RW like you usually do?

     

  • Think I am a non responder - I run to maintain weight, if I didn't run I would be size of a house. Would love to now lose some extra pounds to improve my running. Really hard as spend most of my time starving, downside of marathon training. I am convinced that I could know some considerable time off my times if I wasn't carrying extra pounds. Would love help, but know ultimately it has to come from me and my motivation!

     

     

  • I lost 3 stone through running.I will still continue running because i need to loose more weight.

  • E mmyE mmy ✭✭✭
    seren nos wrote (see)

    I put on weight when i marathon rain or ironman train..........so make sure that you don't make it sound like everyone who starts running loses weight......

     

    completely agree. It's only been through careful eating habits that i've lost weight and not through running. I would use running a marathon as an excuse to carb load, eat whatever I wanted/when I wanted.

  • I plan to run my first 10K in June, started running in March and have lost 8 kilos so far - about another 30 to go!!

  • I have signed up for a half marathon in September and hope to loose weight. I will be recording it all in my journal so I can keep track of what works and what doesn't.

  • So many people are bigger when they cross a marathon finish line than when they started training for it. It takes enormous will not to eat back the training calories. That has to be mentioned in the article. As some have said I think key is no refined sugar snacks at all, no late eating and plenty of warm drinks . I have maintained low weights and importantly energy levels on porridge and drinking tea and for salt veg stock is great. Plentiful fruit and veg too. Not so exciting, but works.

  • booktrunkbooktrunk ✭✭✭

    I just ditched all sweets and replaced them with fresh fruit image that made a huge difference.

  • When I started running I was around 7stone now I'm closer to 8 and it's not all muscle. So like the others have said racing doesn't automatically equal weightloss...

  • booktrunkbooktrunk ✭✭✭

    No it doesn't I think everyone agrees that but it does help put you in the right frame of mind, you have more energy, feel better about yourself, which all lead to extra motivation making it 'easier' to stick with a diet, it's how's you can commit and cope when your body is moaning which helps you to be able to say no when it's grumbling saying feed me. 

    Personally when I started running my body ached for the first month pretty much non stop, made my silly little tummy grumbles way less important and helped put them in perspective. Mind 1 tummy 0

  • I think it depends on your starting weight to be honest.   If you are already a "healthy-ish" weight then you might tend to put some on either through gaining muscles of eating back your training calories.

    If you are like me and hugely overweight then running will help you lose some weight initially (assuming you are not eating 5000 calories a day of course).   It also depends on metabolism, diet, muscle structure, and so many other things!   

  • I've never really had any weight issues, even before I started running (

    last September). I'm 19 y/o so that probably explains it! I run about 34-40 miles a week and don't eat sweets, pastries, chocolate or crisps. Plus I only drink at weekends. During afternoons i like to have a bowl of cereal- it really picks me up! Hopefully this means I won't put on weight. I'm 6 foot and weigh about 10.5/ 11 stone according to the ridiculously old and unsophisticated scales I use at home.

  • I've lost 1/2 a stone through a combination of running and circuit training at the gym - but more importantly have lost approx. 4 inches off my hips and bum, for me inches lost  was/is more important than weight loss.

     

  • booktrunkbooktrunk ✭✭✭

    Yikes I'm famous*

     

    * Not really. image 

  • It doesn't matter how much you run, If your diet is rubbish then you will probably put on weight. Sort out the diet and the weight will come off naturally.

    I've lost 4.5 stone over the last couple of years by diet alone (17st down to 12.5st) and recently started running now that I am a sensible weight.

    These people who talk about carb loading before going for a training run are potentially eating more than they burn off and hence will put on weight.

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