The Long Green Tape Measure......

Hello folks,

As we seem to be chatting about weight loss on the GNR thread a lot, I thought I would start a sub-thread so that we can chat about weight loss here, and not drive everyone crazy about it.

I read somewhere that for every pound in weight you lose, if you are a regular runner, then it could be worth 2 seconds off each mile if you run a marathon, or up to 6 seconds off each mile if you are running a 10k.  I have to try and find that information again so I can see how accurate that was.  If anyone can help me out there I'd be grateful.

I personally would like to shift 2 stone if at all possible.  This would give me nearly 15 minutes off my best marathon time, if the information I have read is correct.

How much weight would other people like to lose?

I do not believe in faddy diets, where you are only eating one or two items of food at every meal, so any of that chat can be taken elsewhere.....  Slimming World and Weight Watchers chat is ok though.....

Wipe your feet on the way in. image

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Comments

  • I should add - you don't have to be doing GNR to join us.....
  • Hi Vixx (not a GNRer)

     It was in RW sometime last year, I remember reading it.

    I've been HM training all winter and having lost about 8lbs before Xmas, it has all snuck back on and then some, so I'm back on WW to lose some b4 my next HM (5 weeks) to try and knock another few mins off. Despite the weight gain I did manage to knock 14 mins off my time for RHM from last year so something must be going right. Am trying a total embargo on chocolate and dried fruit (my personal foibles) so I'll see if that helps the will power, which ultimately is what is required, along with sensible habits and persistance.

    Good Luck.image

  • Hi Foxy,

    I know what you mean about weight gain - it just sneaks up sometimes.

    I worked out that I am 2 stone 4lbs heavier than when I ran in Edinburgh in 2006, but have knocked nearly 40 mins off my marathon PB since then.  I am starting to get muscle strain now though after various races and I feel it is because of the extra weight I am carrying.

    I need to get my body fat stats done so I can see where I am at, and how much fat weight I need to lose.

    Well done on your 14 minutes - that's still excellent effort image

    And you are right - sensible habits are important in the long run, to get it off and keep it off.

    The weight that is......

  • Found it image

    There was a nice little table in Runner’s World this month that illustrates how much faster you could be if you lost weight. Of course, this would not take into account speed increases due to training.

    Pounds Lost 5k10k1/2 Marathon Marathon2:12.4:25:521:455311:022:114:22101:022:044:228:44202:044:088:4417:28

    According to RW author Amby Burfoot, the table is based on research that runners, on average get 2 seconds per mile faster for every pound they lose. The times you see above are the amounts a runner can shave off his/her race times by losing weight.

    Feel motivated?
    Note: Weight loss is for people who are overweight - not for people who are already slim. Losing weight when you are slim means you are losing muscle tissue and that means you are losing strength which in turn makes you slower. If at all in doubt, discuss with a professional (a doctor or your coach).

    Taken from http://completerunning.com/archives/2007/06/08/lose-weight-get-faster/

  • Hmm ! Wonder if I could crack a sub 1hr 10K then -

    lose 2 stone that's 28lbs = 56 seconds per mile (almost a minute!) so almost 6mins off my 10k pb of 1:04:54 - Cool ! !

    Is that right image ?

  • Bugger - I didn't notice that the table came out like that....

    RLTW - that's about right...... image

    My 10k PB is 1:04:48......

    We could both go sub-60 on that basis...... image

  • Ah yes, but when?  How long do your reckon it should take us to lose that much (in a reasonably healthy fashion) ? 

    Haven't actually been on the scales for months image . 

     I suppose it also depends on how much I weighed when I got the PB.

  • Best of luck with the weight loss ladies!

  • Posted this on GNR thread before I noticed Vixx had started this! 

    Haha! just done that calculation Martin posted last night!

    To be at the ideal weight for a non-active person, I'd need to lose over 30 lbs, and the 10% goal would see me losing 45lbs!  image  Not on your life! 

    That gives you an indication of my weight, but given that the scale used by WeightWatchers puts me at 'only' 10lbs overweight image , I'll stick with my 1 stone goal for now - anything more than that will be a bonus! image

    Try this:  Calculator for pace gained vs weight - just 3lbs loss should see me cracking my HM PB image  (although I should just do it anyway based on recent training....)

  • If you want the weight loss to stay off then it should be lost at no more than 2lb per week, unless you really have it to lose.

    Thus GNR at this point, with approximately 20 weeks to go, would be the appropriate time frame to lose between 1 and 2 stone, and get a new PB into the bargain...... image

  • I recommend this thread to everyone, have just lost 2lbs!
  • I lost 2 stone with WW (piled on the pounds after giving up smoking). Have been the same since last Oct now about 12 stones 6. Have taken up watchin my cal intake on weightlossrecources as I want to get down to 11 stone. Lost 2lb a week (eating 1600 cals / day) then got injury and have not run for 3 weeks feel like weight is just waiting to pounce back on image. The bike is keeping it at bay at the moment.
  • Hi Rodeo CLownz - what's your injury?  How long are you likely to be out for?  It's good that you can still use the bike as it'll give you some cross training.

    Welcome to the thread image

    Foxy - are you wanting to lose weight?

    I think we should have Friday as weigh-in day.  What do you think?

  • Hi Vixx - great idea this thread image

    Don't have lots of weight to lose, but a few pounds off would be good.  Not going to lose any before Edinburgh marathon though.  Just want to eat more healthily, and in smaller quantities image.

    Tanita body fat scales say my fat percentage is 24.2  - is that good or bad?  BMI is 22.

  • Friday- because it's before the weekend blow-out, very sonsible!image

    I have several weight goals- need to lose about 6 to get to last year's RHM weight (although was very ill just b4) , another couple to get to where I blipped down to before Xmas blow-out, and another 5 to achieve the dream/fantasy weight (pre kids/running etc.) So a total of about a stone.  Would like to lose about 6 over next 5 weeks before Wokingham HM and then steadily shed the rest which I know will be really hard to achieve- they've been there a while now so will be the hardest to lose!!image

    Just run 11.5 miles so that was about 1200 cals, however ate 70 cals of jelly tots on route!! 3 runs like that is a lb/week,  but want to do it without impacting some fairly full on HM training.

  • Hi all.

    I've been hovering around 14st 4lb since January-ish but since I stopped running through injury 3 weeks ago i've put on 3lb image  Why is it so goddam easy to put it on image

    I'd love to get to 13st 6-ish lb for the GNR which Is my target weight. 
    I tend to judge how chuncky I am by the size and shape of my love handles!
  • RtG - you are pretty much good to go.  Body fat is in the right range for age, and your BMI isn't anything to worry about.  At this point it is how YOU feel that matters.

    Foxy - how did you work out your calorie burn? The adage of 100 cals/mile is based on a 55kg woman, so if you weight less you will have burned less and vice versa.  The 70 cals of jelly tots were necessary, and if it is anything like when I had jelly tots on a long run you will have lost most of the sugar into your pocket.... image

    Mick - 13st 6lb is certainly do-able, even with your injury, but at the moment you should be focussing on healing first - plenty of calcium for you.

    I might do a 'Tip of the Week' to put on here on a Friday too......

  • Great idea Vixx !

    Friday it is !  Just need to find the scales . .  I think my eldest nicked them.  Haven't weighed myself for ages but I feel like I;ve put on weight over the last few weeks (since the kids started asking for crisps to have with their school lunches image)  

    Foxy - How did you lose your 2lbs?

    So 2 stone weight loss by GNR = knocking off 12+ minutes =  a sub 2:30 half marathon - oh yeh!

  • Do you have 2 stone to lose RLTW??

    Was it you or RtG who started the Long Green Ribbon thread? I have to give correct respect to whomever I have partially plagiarised from..... image

  • Vixx76 wrote (see)

    Mick - 13st 6lb is certainly do-able, even with your injury, but at the moment you should be focussing on healing first - plenty of calcium for you.

    I heard a rumour that calcium is found in Cheescake.
  • evening all image

    im about 12.5 stone at the moment and want to get down to 11.5, that puts me nicely into the 'normal' weight category and has me  at the ideal thing that martin mentioned, but not the 10% thing as thats bloody crazy !!

    i was half a stone lighter in nov/dec but i put nearly a stone on when i was injured in jan/feb/mar, so far ive lost around half of that but working on the rest. weird thing is that im actually running faster now than i was when i was lighter but i felt much fitter and faster when i was lighter, i think if i can combine being lighter with my new speed then that'll work for me image

  • Just weighed myself for the first time in yonks and am happy to say things are not quite as bad as I had feared.  Still not good though!  Losing 1.5 stone would be a much more sensible/realistic goal that I would feel comfortable with - just as soon as I've finished eating this chocolate mini roll image 
  • Hey, can I join too? I remember about 18 months ago being on this forum worrying that i had reached 9 stone....since then i have moved to oz, got out of my routine and now sit at 10 stone 1!!! I would of course love to be 9 stone now!

    so my first target is to get into the 9s (should be done by next week)....then i want to be 9 st 4lbs in july when i come back to the UK as this is the weight i left the UK at, then down to 9 by september when i run my 3rd half marathon - i really don't want to race at this weight, knowing i'll be automatically slower than i used to be!

    My best running weight has been 8 stone 10lbs so this is my ultimate goal....

    I'm the opposit to most people, i'm super good at weekends and then it all goes wrong at work, i get bored or stressed and snack on chocolate and biscuits, need to stop!

  • Hi all- Calorie burn based on Garmin data with my details programmed in.

    First 2 lbs "fell off" as soon as I stopped chocolate and other snacky stuff. Also just cranking up running mileage again after 3 light weeks due to injury, hols and illness, so that always helps as long as I don't start eating to match it.

    As I said I'm hoping the "top half" will go fairly easily but am resigned to some hard work for the residual bottom half!

    Mind you if I spent less time foruming I might have a less sedentary lifestyle!

    Good Luck all

    BTW Mick Stringy, there's lots of calcium in brocoli too!image

  • i get most of my calcium from peanut m&m's (greater levels in family size bags).image
  • Hi all. Great idea Vixx.

    I want to lose 2 stone before GNR. I hav done a crash diet for a week to give me a kick start and lost 7bs all in last week.

    My best running weight was 11.5 stone when I did FLM in 2003 which I got to from 13st 11lbs by following a low fat diet and taking up running a couple of years before that. I became obssessional about losing weight and went down as far as 10 stone 11 lbs at which point I was told that I looked awful/ gaunt. I hovered between 11.5-12 st for a couple of years but then started a new job with long hours and my running and weight suffered so I have ended up back where I started pretty much.

    My problem with eating is that I eat next to nothing between waking up and getting home from work and then stuff my face to oblivion with crap when I get home.image

  • Thanks Vixx - it was RLTW who started the Long Green Ribbon thread, peeps often get us mixed up image

    Blith - how do you go so long without food?  I have to have something first thing, then elevenses, then lunch, possibly a snack around 4.00 then dinner image.

    I didn't have enough to eat before my LSR today (14.26 miles).  I did have a gel, but could have done with eating more earlier.  It was hot, and I also got dehydrated as I forgot my money to buy a bottle of water en route.  Only had a small bottle which I soon used up, then had to beg nice lady at sandwich shop to fill it up.  Had to stop again at Tescos where I dashed up the travelator to the ladies so I could fill up bottle again.   Not very good planning for an LSR image.  Will be more careful next time!

  • RtG - that eating pattern is about right for timing - it just depends WHAT you eat at those times image

    Stringy - I'll barter you.  You can have some cheesecake if you eat your broccoli and drink some skim milk.....

    Welcome newbies - weigh in is Friday image

    BBS - I know what you mean, sometimes my eating pattern is like that, but more often than not I eat a little less than I should.  I do have low stomach acid though so am working on that too so my digestion will improve.

    mr sj - I think your weight target is do-able.  You have come so far, and I think you can get that last bit off no probs, and then I can watch you PB at GNR.....

    Hi Foxy image

  • I posted earlier and it's disappearedimage.

    Wot I said was to Blith

    It is said one should "Breakfast like a King, lunch like a Lord and dine like a pauper".  Nowhere does it say starve yourself and go home and eat loads of crap.

    Trick is not to have crap in the cupboards at home. Simple- if it's there I eat it, so I just don't have any crap in the house. If you live with others, tough, they need to be supportive of you, it's better for them too!image

    Mr sj- interesting. At RHM this year I weighed about 9 lbs more than last year but still knocked 14 mins of my time. Either there's a lot of newly developed muscle somewhere, or a year's hard training is paying off, so imagine what some weight loss could do to that time.

    B4$tard- Mr FL is making me watch Nigella    aarrghhh image

    Bon soir and happy dieting all!

  • Raring to go wrote (see)
    Blith - how do you go so long without food?  I have to have something first thing, then elevenses, then lunch, possibly a snack around 4.00 then dinner image.

    Errr, I just never even really thought about or considered eating until lunchtime. I would just always go for the extra time in bed in the morning (rather than get up for breakfast) so time in the morning and then at lunchtime I am often so busy with work that I end up not grabbing anything much for lunch or just grabbing a sarnie from Boots or Sainsburys and then I get home and (no shit Sherlock) I'm starving so stick bread in toaster and get the peanut butter/jam/ both out to keep me going. Then it's kids' bath and to bed etc... so at about 9 we sit down to eat a proper meal.
    and then often I'd have a pound of chocolate after my tea.image Maybe that's why I am not hungry next morning, because I eat so much the night before so it keeps me going?image 

    Vixx76 wrote (see)
    Welcome newbies - weigh in is Friday image

    Gulp!imageimageimage

    Vixx76 wrote (see)

    BBS - I know what you mean, sometimes my eating pattern is like that, but more often than not I eat a little less than I should.  I do have low stomach acid though so am working on that too so my digestion will improve.

    How do you know you have low stomach acid Vixx?

    Foxy Lady wrote (see)
    Wot I said was to Blith

    It is said one should "Breakfast like a King, lunch like a Lord and dine like a pauper".  Nowhere does it say starve yourself and go home and eat loads of crap.

    Trick is not to have crap in the cupboards at home. Simple- if it's there I eat it, so I just don't have any crap in the house. If you live with others, tough, they need to be supportive of you, it's better for them too!image

    I know FL. I am not advocating it as a lifestyle, just saying it is the food pattern I have had recently. Not any more as of last week! Am now having breakfast, no chocolate, low fat meals (after crash diet last week to get me moving).

    I agree it's about not having it in the cupboards and OH is helping me on that one for now at least.

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