| Author |
Topic: Can't Seem to Lose Weight! |
vanillagu
Member |
 posted May-01-2006 05:20 PM
  
Help please! I am an avid runner at the end of her laces on this one....I am 5'6 and weigh 140lbs. I was at 155 for years and last spring lost 20lbs though running and watching what I eat a bit. But I have hit a plateau as of this past winter and can't seem to lose any more... I would like to lose 10 more lbs, but I am really stuck! I have been adding more miles (increasing my mpw from 25 - 30 up to 40 as of the past 3 weeks) and still have seen no loss... What’s happening? Any thoughts/suggestions? I know I do snack more than I should but I was hoping my increased miles would make up for any extra snacks I have....is this not so? Do I need to add weights? Speedwork? More miles? Less snacks?? (that's it, isn't it!) Any tips? Please? I have size 6 pants collecting dust in my closet....
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LeahC
Cool Runner |
posted May-01-2006 05:32 PM
Less snacks might help.. Running makes you hungry enough that you'll eat more. Sometimes more than you need and almost always more than you need if you want to lose weight. The average person burns 100 calories running 1 mile. That's about half a glass of orange juice or a banana.If you keep your miles up and cut back on snacks (or at least make healthier choices..) you'll probably lose a little more. Veggies are much lower in calories than most fruits, so try to choose them when you can. Weights would be great as well but they may make you gain weight. Your clothes will fit better and you'll lose inches but muscle, by volume, weighs more than fat. So you might not see the result on the scale..
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Born to Run
Cool Runner |
posted May-01-2006 06:18 PM
Less snacks. As you get lighter you need less calories. Read my reply to "Distance and intervals" in this forum.
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DFMAR50
Cool Runner |
posted May-01-2006 06:23 PM
From my own experience, I'd agree that the snacks might be the culprit. I was in that same kind of rut for a while. I would run more, then get hungrier and snack more. This may not work for everyone, but for me, if I drink more water I can sometimes reduce the snacking a bit.
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Cynthia Blue
Cool Runner |
posted May-01-2006 07:51 PM
Yeah I'll agree with the snacking too. Since I cut it out in the evenings, my worst time, I'm starting to drop again. 
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vanillagu
Member |
posted May-02-2006 02:46 PM
Thanks for the responses! I know that's where I need to focus - less snacking, less overall calories. I think I was hoping that increasing my mpw alone would get these last 10 lbs. off but thats not working as I wanted! I am going to start a daily food journal to go along w/ my running log and we'll see how it goes...
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gooddogs
Cool Runner |
posted May-02-2006 11:05 PM
vanillagu, good luck. I have had the same experience. I am 5'2" and went from about 150 to 125 over the past 1.5 years, but in the past few months I have been stuck. At this point I am ok with how I look, but wouldn't mind taking off another 5-7 lbs. My body however seems to have met its happy point where the amount of food I'm eating and the amount of calories I'm burning have equalized. Of course as you weigh less you require less calories just to maintain that weight. So I'm not going to worry too much, concentrate on sticking with my exercise and if I lose it, great, but as long as I can maintain I think I'll be ok.
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hurryinhoosier
Cool Runner |
posted May-03-2006 07:15 AM
I have been through a similar thing lately but have a different take.My mileage has reached over 50/week now and my calories did not increase (tapering at present though). You would think weight would drop but it did not. Even has some weight gain. After a lot of playing around there are three things that are helping me drop weight very easily:
1) Decrease Sugar. i probaly have less than 20-30 grams most days unless I go for a really long run. I have increased my protein via shakes and bars (watch the sugar). 2) I have been making my self eat every 2 hours or so. I eat ~200/300 calories. I travel a lot so I use the atkins, South Beach, or other lower sugar bar. My only advice on these is to watch the Saturated Fat. some bars have much more than others, even those from the same company. 3) eat protein as last meal, not starch/sugar. Again, you can eat whatever you want but I travel a lot and rely upon prepared forms unfortunately. For some reason this seems to help me awake looking and feeling slimmer/lighter. Now, I do have a sweet tooth and can pick up a few pounds when I have a bad few days. But when I follow these rules ( along with at least a gallon of water each day) I find I drop the weight again quickly too. Hope that helps. ------------------
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skikatie21
Member |
posted May-03-2006 09:28 AM
I had the same problem...hit the plateu after loosing a whole lot. I spoke with a nutritionist who suggested I cut the following (back not out of diet completely): dairy (dairy helps you loose the easy early fat not the last bit), grapes, apples etc (stick with banannas and oranges - the sugar in these is easier to process, and watch which veggies you eat ( peas, beans, potatos all have sugars that are hard for the body to process) stick with spinach, peppers, sweet potatoes.
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hurryinhoosier
Cool Runner |
posted May-03-2006 09:36 AM
quote:
Originally posted by skikatie21:
I had the same problem...hit the plateu after loosing a whole lot. I spoke with a nutritionist who suggested I cut the following ...grapes, apples etc (stick with banannas and oranges - the sugar in these is easier to process,...
I disagree with the apples and to add banana and oranges. I think oranges and bananas cause a much greater insulin spike and thus storage as fat (assuming not post run food) than do apples which have a good amount of fiber. Not an RD but oranges and bananas are foods I eat sparingly, usually after exercise to replenish glycogen.
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vanillagu
Member |
posted May-03-2006 09:52 AM
Just wanted to ask about the previous comment from hurryinhoosier:"1) Decrease Sugar. i probaly have less than 20-30 grams most days unless I go for a really long run. I have increased my protein via shakes and bars (watch the sugar)." I have heard a lot of people say cutting back on sugar will help (I think I eat way too much anyway). How do I find out how many grams I should be eating per day? Whats a heathly range for a runner trying to lose weight?
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hurryinhoosier
Cool Runner |
posted May-03-2006 10:54 PM
There is an article in the May 2006 Runners World about sugar/carbs as fuel.The dietician recommends 10% of daily calories come from sugar. So on a 2000 cal/day diet you would eat 200 calories or 50 grams/day (4 calories per gram of sugar). I am trying to mix protein or good fat with any carbs. I must say I am one who goes on a binge of garbage every couple weeks but try to make up the rest of the time. ------------------
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