Running - weight loss and diet

Hey guys, sure this is something that is asked frequently but here it goes.

I am running regularly, they are varied distances and speeds, I'm doing it to get fit and also at some point run a half marathon even build up to a full one day. The running is going great. I run running club twice a week for an hour, looking at about 2/3 miles a session. I normally do 2 runs on my own, one is a fast short one about a mile and half up hills and the seconds is a slower longer one which can be up to 7/8 miles, road running so there are inclines. Faster owners are about 8 minute miles, slower one more like 10.30 minute miles. Been doing this now an building up for 5/6 months and feel fit.

Heres the problem, I am losing any weight, I'm a size 12, 5'2 so "curvy" eating reasonly healthy, looking at about 1400 calories a day, staying away from chocolate and crisps as much as possible! I don't drink fizzy drinks and tend to mainly drink water, but nothing is budging, only place I have lost any inches is below my boobs, nowhere else! 

I need some advice in ways to speed up weight loss, not dramatically but enough that I can see some progress from all the hard work I'm putting into it! don't want to do silly diets etc, just need a good healthy plan to stick

Comments

  • Laura I wouldn't worry to much if you are losing weight but not fast enough. Better to keep losing it than yo-yoing up and down by doing to much at once if that makes any sence.

    Better half is a dietition and often hear what she's shouting at the telly when there is program on C4 one thing she always says is keep a food diary for a couple of weeks and then take a look at what your eating you might be surplised by some of the stuff on there and might be of use. She's on here a bit so if your lucky she might spot this thread and be able to give better advice. But one things she's said when shouting at the telly is always have a breakfast so you don't end up snacking later in the day.

  • These things do take time - I started conciously trying to get fit/lose weight last August, with a combination of gym, running and watching what I eat (but not religiously) and for 6 months did not lose an ounce - then it suddenly started to shift, and have (so far) gone from 11 stone to 9 stone 12.

    Perhaps mix up with a couple of gym sessions? - weight sessions are a great way to work at toning and losing inches.

    Whatever you do, don't lose heart!

     

  • As Charley suggests, some gym sessions will help. The exercise you do is fine, but for weight loss I would aim for 5 hours or more of exercise per week and try to keep active during the day too. Your body will want to compensate for the energy expenditure by slowing down the rest of the time, so don't just veg out infront of the TV for the rest of day. Add an evening walk, decorate the spare bedroom, weed the lawn, that sort of thing.

    With the diet, 1400 kcal is probably a good target. Just stick with it and reduce carbs to around 300 per day. Refined carbs (sugar, white bread, white pasta) are the things to drop, or swap them for the brown (wholegrain) equivalent. You've already dropped fizzy drinks, chocolate etc, but they put sugar in everything now so check the labels. It's common to see cereals and sauces (ketchup, BBQ, pasta sauce) with 20% sugar these days.

    Oh, alcohol is all sugar too.

    Increase your kcal intake up to around 1600 if you can do the 5 hours exercise.

     

  • Hi Laura,  I've being using running as my main form of exercise to loose weight. It's worked - so far this year lost over 3 stone. The 'trick' to it is absolute honesty in the exercise you are doing and the food that you eat. I track every step with a Fitbit - so some form of pedometer to track output and then track everything I eat and drink. I weigh almost everything and if I'm eating out then I try and overestimate things. By maintaining an average of a 500 calorie a day deficit then that's about 1lb a week. I say average, as I look at calorie input over weeks and months to drive the weight loss. I use myfitnesspall as it has a great Birtish database of food and allows you to track the balance of food as well.  I've tried calorie counting before and it has not worked, for me, it's being getting the output figures that helped me. It's a great diet - I often end a day saying 'I need more food' to hit my target fo rthe day if I've been running, so psychologically, it works wonders. 

  • Brilliant thanks, I use my fitness pal already but will be more ruthless when using it, also stood on scales this morning and last 2lbs from last week image

  • I too use myfitnesspal (MFP) with fitbit.. you can sync them together to work as a perfect input / output set up.. I agree that the only wiy that you will get the results is to be brutally honest and not cheat (as the only result is that you will cheat yourself out of your goal). I agree with Simon - you can easily eat more than you need when not being concious of it. the beauty of this is that it helps to change your eating habits and behaviour and quickly develop new ones. 

    One other tool that you might find useful is to use the Endomondo app and link in with others on there. I have been using the app for over a year, but only recently added friends. Within the app ypou can join challenges and see how you are matching up with your friends across the world - a BIG motivator for geting out there when you would normally find the excuse to stay in front of the TV..!!

    You can also sinc Endo with MFP and Fitbit but ther is a way of doing it:

    link Endomondo to MFP then MFP to Fitbit (sounds confusing) but this will stop you having repeat entries in your recordings..

    Linking the 3 gives you all you need to get you out there and have really accurate stats as to how your doing.. 

     

    Good luck..!

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