Running and....gaining weight?

Barefoot Liam

Barefoot Liam

Barefooters
Nov 13, 2011
20
5
3
Syracuse, New York
#1
Hey folks!

Happy 2012 to ya! I've made a commitment this year to run 5 days a week taking the weekends off to recover. I have a question I'm hoping someone here can give me some insight on. Though I run only 3-3.30 miles a day, I've noticed I'm gaining weight. The injuries I spoke of previously are all but gone. My knee pain is pleh and the aching I once felt in my achilles tendon and calf is non-existant...paritally thank to the stick:) In any case, I got on the scale thinking the pounds must be falling off, but instead, it appears I gained 2. What gives?!
 
#2
Increase in muscle mass?  How

Increase in muscle mass? How are your eating habits?
 
#3
If you think about weight

If you think about weight loss as simply a matter of creating a calorie deficit (which it's not, but it helps the illustration), then running is only going to burn between 100-150 calories per mile. Since a pound of fat is around 3500 calories, you have to run around 30-35 miles per week just to lose a single pound...which you're not doing. So I'm not surprised that you're not losing weight.

In fact, running isn't going to do much for actual weight loss. I remember a study not too long ago about weight loss in folks training to run a marathon. I believe at least half of the runners didn't lose any weight or actually gained weight. Any sort of fitness plan is just a supplement to the most important factor for weight loss...diet. Your running creates an environment that promotes weight loss more than sitting on your butt, but it doesn't do much to cause weight loss in and of itself.
 
#4
In addition to walking and

In addition to walking and running, I have changed my diet to nearly eliminate all soda (maybe 1 12 oz. can a week) and greatly increased my water consumption. I've lost a few pounds over the past few weeks. Hoping the loss will continue.
 
#5
You know, I really hate the

You know, I really hate the blanket statements that people will not lose weight running. We don't know where Liam is nutrition wise or healthwise or cardiowise. I know for me, I can change my diet and won't lose weight at all, but, if I add running in the mix with that changed diet the weight comes off. It goes vice versa though too for me, running by itself I can lose a little until I'm about 200 pounds. At 200 pounds I plateau at that point and then I also have to change diet as well to keep losing. It really is a give and take of cardio and diet, depending on the person. If the person has a physical lifestyle, construction work for example, they may lose weight just adding in running. A person at an office job that sits most of the day may have to change more about their lifestyle. My mom can change her diet and excercise but she still can't lose weight. She has no thyroid so is on pills to try to help give her somewhat of a metabolism so she doesn't just gain weight with every meal. Not everyone is the same so everyone needs to find that right balance for them that works. Sorry for the rant.
 
#6
Nutritionally I'm doing

Nutritionally I'm doing well...I think. My average day of eating consists of:

Breakfast: Bowl of instant oatmeal with two teaspoons of natural peanut butter and a teaspoon of honey to sweeten it. Also, one bolied egg and a cup of black coffee.



1 medium apple (I love apples core and all!)





Lunch: Usually lentils with indian spices and green chilies. Or flat bread with canned fava, garbanzo or pinto beans. Sometimes mixed or mashed. Coffee.



Apple



Dinner: It varies. The following are examples of what I eat from night to night: Pot stickers (shrimp or vegetable dumplings) Chicken (without skin) and spicy green beans, vegetable omelets, etc. You get the point. Mostly a lean protein with some kind of vegetable.



After runs I always have one glass of chocolate milk. I read this is a good post run drink from Runners World.



I also forgot to mention there are glasses of water throughout the day, not just with meals.



So there is a little bit of insight on what I eat. Good? Bad? Not enough? Too much?



Thanks for your kind replies
 
#7
wow, that diet looks a lot

wow, that diet looks a lot better than mine lol
 
#8
There are so many factors

There are so many factors here to talk about. I was able to lose all but the last 10 lbs. of extra weight I carried just with walking for about 2 hours daily and a healthy mildly low-carb (natural, organic foods) diet, no calorie counting. I think if instead of walking I had jogged the same distance my calorie-burn would have been similar.

The other issue is whether body weight is really the best gauge anyhow. I tried FOREVER to lose the last 10 lbs. until I finally realized that it's not weight that I wanted to get rid of but body fat. Lean muscle I would like a little more of.

Even though running is not muscle-building the way strength training is I found that I can carry 10 more pounds now and still fit in the same size 6 compared to last year.

Another important issue is metabolism. My energy level and metabolism has always been lower because of thyroid issues and adrenal gland issues. I could never have a sedantary job and maintain my weight. I need to pay close attention to getting enough quality sleep, enough sunshine/Vitamin D, keep the stress level down. Some people can do great and eat pretty much what they want and disregard life style issues, at least when they are young. Everyone's different. I know that low thyroid function is extremely common, in women as common as one in 10, and higher among overweight people, so that's always a good thing to rule out when maintaining a normal weight is a problem.
 
#9
You definitely need more

You definitely need more fried foods, beef jerky and beer which should be staples for all barefoot runners.
 
#10
Liam,just saw your food

Liam,

just saw your food post. You might want to experiment with going a little lower carb or at least whole grain carb only and increasing your fat. I find that if I eat very low-fat I have to eat extremely low calorie, about 1600-1800 to maintain, if I eat about 40% carb, 30% protein, 30% fat I can maintain on 2600-2800 calories. Everybody is different of course.
 
#11
Nick, you can rant about it

Nick, you can rant about it all you want. But you still won't lose a ton of weight running. It's right there in the numbers. In order to even begin to create the appropriate calorie deficit (assuming you change nothing else about your lifestyle) you need to run 30+ miles per week. 4-6 miles a day to maybe lose one pound if you're lucky and do everything right? That's a ton of miles for not very much benefit. In fact, running usually results in an increase in appetite and can create a tendancy for the body to store fat instead of losing it. So you might hate blanket statements like that...but it's the facts man.

Yes...if you include it in a healthy lifestyle, you will have greater success losing weight. Of course. That's obvious. But the poster only asked about why they are not losing weight running. So I answered the question. Dude didn't ask about all the other issues that you mentioned.
 
#12
When I run more, I eat more,

When I run more, I eat more, so I have remained stable. But I lost about 20 pounds last year in a couple months by running and using a calorie calculator. Nothin special, just left 1,000 calories on the table a day after running. I am doing it again now to drop a few pounds before a race this month. 3 miles a day, to me is more of an amount you would run if you were trying to maintain than trying to lose weight. That is probably around or under 30 minutes a day. From what I have read and experienced, you don't start really burning fat until after 30 minutes. I think you might even have more success with half the runs a week, doubling the mileage. so instead of 6 3 mile runs, 3 6 mile runs.
 
#13
Liam,I don't know when you

Liam,

I don't know when you are weighing yourself, but weight varies by several pounds depending on when you take the weight and what your hydration level is.

If you really want to lose weight, the best way is to combine cardio, resistance, and diet. Resistance training (increased muscle mass) ups your metabolism so that you burn more calories when you are not doing anything. It may not apply to you, but most people are too heavy because they don't eat enough, not too much. We are a nation of people who are simultaneously overfed, overweight, and malnourished to the point of starvation.

A great program is P90X.

-Jim
 
#14
NotSoDoomedRunner wrote:I

NotSoDoomedRunner said:
I think you might even have more success with half the runs a week, doubling the mileage. so instead of 6 3 mile runs, 3 6 mile runs.
Click to expand...

Last week NSDR I lost 5 lbs doing this and making a slight change to my diet. I got rid of my one 7up a day and have been able to eat more foods cooked at home. I went from running 4-5 miles 4-5 days a week to 8.5-9.5 miles 3 days a week and bam, the weight came off. My pace running was very slow so I went from a little over an hour of running to nearly 2 1/2 hours of running.
 
#15
Thanks folks! This is all

Thanks folks! This is all great advice. I'm still fairly new to running, so my 3.5 miles takes me about 35 minutes. I'm pretty happy about that since I'm asthmatic and just a year or so ago, I couldn't run from one end of the block to the other without gasping for air, seriously. I've built my lung capacity to be able to run this far, I'm sure I can go further. Any advice on how to start adding on distance safely? Again, thanks to everyone for their time and advice. It's all appreciated:)
 
#16
There is the 10% rule and all

There is the 10% rule and all that, which I follow loosely for a cap on my weekly miles and long run, but really just listen to your body.

I have a question. When you run, are you running so hard that it makes you out of breath? If so, you are probably building aerobic capacity, but not burning fat. To burn fat and increase miles, slow down and run at a pace you can hold a conversation. When I am adding miles I always do this. I look crazy running down the street with no shoes talking to myself, but it seems to work.
 
#17
I do get quite out of breath

I do get quite out of breath toward the end of the run. Perhaps I should slow down, but I always felt slowing down would lessen my chances of losing weight. I try to get in as much distance as I can handle in the 30 I alot for myself. But I'll slow down and go longer if that will help. Right now I use a treadmill since running barefoot in the inner city is begging for cuts and disease. I plan on buying VFF's in the near future and venturing outside. Maybe the scenery will make slowing down a bit more pleasant.
 
#18
Going faster does not mean

Going faster does not mean you'll burn more fat. Somehow (I don't understand this myself but I know it to be true) when you run slower and at a lower heartrate you burn more fat. It is easier to run for longer distances at the slower pace to when your not killing yourself to run. U have more energy and can run farther at the slower pace. Who'd have thought? Eventually your pace will get faster too, although in the future you may want to add speed training once you've got your aerobic self in shape.
 
#19
Thanks a lot Nick (as well as

Thanks a lot Nick (as well as everyone else) for your advice. I think I'm gonna give my legs a rest tomorrow and start going slower for longer and see how it works out after a week or two. This comes as good news as I was beginning to dread getting on the mill. Wow, for once an online board that is useful! Thanks again guys :)
 
#20
I agree that everyone is

I agree that everyone is different, but I also think sometimes our bodies can become almost too efficient when it comes to exercise. When we put the same amount of stress on our bodies over and over (whether it be running, strength training or anything really) our bodies adapt. Our muscles are the engines that help burn the calories and if the engine doesn't burn much fuel because its learned to be efficient it may need some adjustments and fine tuning. Maybe changing up your exercise routine and doing some cross-training or adding in weights on your off-days to "trick" your body into using new muscles so that you can maximize your weight loss efforts. Of course nutrition is HUGE, but this may help. :)
 
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