Hi,
Im currently 9st 10lbs, and i would like to get down to 9st. My body fat is around 32% which i know isnt good! I have been running hard (about 4 miles most days) for a few weeks now and have actually put weight on, I know that I have probably been putting muscle on and I know muscle weighs more than fat but its a little disheartening! Has ANY professional runner or personal trainer got any tips for me like what to eat etc? Im also loosing almost all my energy about 2 miles into my run so any advise on that would also help!! My daily diet is usually something like this…
Breakfast- Wholemeal toast with Natural peanut butter (only if after morning run) or bran flakes with blueberries & skimmed milk or porridge with flaxseed.
Mid morning- Banana or Apple
Lunch – Tuna Salad & a yoghurt or if no bread in morning i will have a sandwich to fuel my run in evening.
mid afternoon – protein shake if running in evening or fruit.
Dinner – Chicken Breast or Fish Jacket Potato salad or veg followed by another yoghurt.
I dont really snack on cakes/chocolate or crisps as i know they wont help but i just need advise as to whether im doing this right. I know the toning up will come if i continue but i dont want to stall that happening by not doing something right.v
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you seem to be doing everything right. just make sure you keep protein and carbs in your diet and you should be good.
Now I am definitely not a professional, but I have been running for over a year. Last October I started using Nike+ (which keeps a record of your runs) and to date I have run for about 475 miles. I started running to try and lose weight. To date, I have only lost about 5 pounds. Depressing, I know! However, I must add that I did go down about two jean sizes so thats good. Also, I feel great!
Now during the past year, I tried really watching my diet and eliminating sweets etc. I went for well over a month being really careful and lost a pound maybe two. After that I said screw it, and just ate what I wanted for while. Good news is that not much changed. Gained the pound back but no more.
Recently I signed up for a half marathon training group, where we do have professional coaches helping us along the way. Their advice has helped me TREMENDOUSLY! It sounds to me like you may be running on an empty stomach in the morning since you say you eat peanut butter “only if after a morning run”. You need to make sure that you have eaten carbohydrates to fuel your run. You really don’t want to eat protein before because it is hard to digest. I usually eat a banana and drink green juice. After your run, you want to recover with something with protein in it to feed your muscles. They suggest chocolate milk because it has the right ratio of protein and carbs. It is really supposed to help your recovery. (Haven’t tried it yet)
They are also really big on hydrating!! You need to be drinking water during your run. I wasn’t doing that when I started and it has made a HUGE difference. The other thing that has made a HUGE difference is refueling during a run. Your body is using up a lot of calories and if you don’t replace them, you will begin to feel run down like you have been. I know that you are thinking that you are trying to lose weight and burn calories (I thought that too) but it makes a huge difference. There are special performance gels that you can buy that you can take during a run. Power bar makes one (I don’t particularly like that one but you might) also there is a brand called GU. They make a couple of different ones. I prefer the “Rocktane” it has caffeine. There is also one called Hammer. They are all about 100 calories but they are easy to digest and give your body the fuel that it needs to keep going. It’s especially important when you start getting even higher mileage. The other day I was feeling rather pooped at the 2 mile mark so I took a Rocktane and by mile 3, I felt so much better that I went for another mile. Tomorrow I will be running 8 miles so I will probably need to refuel twice. Oh and remember to take the gel with water. You can probably find the gel at your local sporting good store. Probably won’t find it at the market.
Lastly, you probably need to work in some rest days! Give your body a break and some time to recover! Or, try swimming or biking, but do take at least 1 day off a week to give your body a break. I am currently following a training plan specifically for running and we are running 4 days a week with three rest days. (about 20 miles a week currently)
Anyway, keep it up! I am thinking about trying a raw vegan diet to try and lose weight. I’ve done it before with much success and no excercise but it is difficult to keep up with.
I’ll start with a couple of sums and things.
1 mile of running generally takes about 115 calories.
Burning 1lb of fat generally takes about 3500 calories.
So to burn 1lb of fat just with running you need to run about 35 miles. If you have been running 4 miles a day, say 4 days a week, then you will loose about 1/2 lb a week just with running – so long as your weight was stable and nothing else in your life has changed.
For a few weeks running you might have expected to burn 4 to 6 lbs worth of fat in that time. You will have gained some muscle from the running and toned some as well. Don’t be disheartened by the weight at the moment – look again in a couple of months and then you will see a big difference – weight loss is a slow gradual process to make it sustainable (crash diets rarely work long term).
If you really want a good comparison then you could take a photo of yourself now (with T shirt and shorts on – so you can get a good look at your body) and take one again in about a month – stand the same way in the same position – and then compare the 2 – the later one will show a thinner you (with luck) and that is a far better way than concerning yourself just with weight at the moment. This is very similar to seeing how your belt or clothes size change over time.
Apart from the weight loss an exercise regime (such as running) will work your insides as well – your heart gets fitter, and your lungs work better and this is a good thing. As these get fitter you will find that you will also work out harder – and so the weight loss accelerates a bit.
Loosing energy 2 miles into the run usually suggests you are working a bit hard – at the moment – for you. Set off a bit slower and you might find you are running longer. The other option is to set off at the same speed but at about 2 miles, walk for a minute and then run on again, over time make the 2 miles 2 1/4 before the walk, then 2 1/2 and so on – pushing the run distance further before a walk with the goal now being 30 minutes of non stop running.
Diet looks quite healthy and good – make sure you are getting a range of coloured fruit and veggies – Red, Yellow, Green etc. with the diet (different colours contain different minerals and vitamins, so get a mix), and also a mix of carbohydrates and meats
If you are worried about stalling then set yourself a goal, either a very personal one like being able to run a certain route, or something like completing a 5km or 10km race