When will I begin to lose weight?

[Candice]

I have been running for a while but had foot surgery in March. I just increased my mileage two weeks ago to begin training for a 10K and 1/2 marathon. I also want to lose about 10 pounds. I have yet to see any change in my weight though. I have been trying to eat healthier but just haven't seen a difference. Any suggestions or similar experiences you can share? Thanks!!

[Michelle Lowry]

I had about 20 lbs to lose a couple of years ago and it just came off slowly.  Just continue to be consistent with your training and eat right, and you will lose.  I have used mypyramid.gov to track my activity and caloric/nutrition intake to make sure I was on track.  The good news is the better you train the easier it is to eat right.

[Jeff Linger]

Work your way towards running consistently 5-6 days a week 30-40 minutes/day. Do a max heart rate test to find your max heart rate and, in turn, your fat burning zone. Keep your heart rate in that zone as much as possible. When possible, work out first thing in the morning when you get up. Merely 20 minutes of aerobic excercise on an empty stomach first thing in the morning will burn about the equivalent of an hour or more of aerobic excercise later in the day after you've eaten. It will also put your body in a state to burn more calories after you complete your workout in the subsequent hours immediately following.

[Jose Jimenez]

I started running about 2 years ago but I did not see any weight loss until my weekly mileage went above 25 miles.  Once I hit that mark the weight loss has been slow but steady.  I have lost 25 pounds and I keep going down as I slowly increase my mileage.  I also did not alter my diet a lot.  I am eating healthier but the change has not been dramatic.  I just think it's amazing when I look at my driver's license and see the difference.  So, be patient.  I think the loss will come but it is usually slow and steady.  Increasing your weekly mileage gradually should also help.  My guess is that if your weekly mileage is significantly below 20 or 25 and the changes in your diet are not significant you will see progress but it will probably be very, very slow.

By the way, the reason I started running was not for weight loss but because my doctor told me my blood pressure was borderline.  This scared the crap out of me and got me back on the roads.  Happy to report that my blood pressure is now completely under control. 

[Bob]

When I started running more consistently 6 years ago I weighed approx. 250 lbs.  I was a die hard powerlifter and could pull 500 lbs off the ground and squat about the same.  Then I realized that running has more to offer and I stopped lifting and eating so much.  I now weigh about 170 lbs, but that was over 6 years.  However, I lost most of my weight by simply eating less and limiting the amount of processed foods (breads, pasta, baked goods, sweets, etc.) while keeping up with my running program.  I had my ups and downs and still battle some food addiction issues.  I still occasionally partake in sweets because it's good for the spirit, but my real issue is with bakery items and peanut butter (yes, peanut butter is good for you, but not in the quantity that I can haul down).  Anyway, I'm blabbing.  A startegy that works well for me is do limit my breakfast (250-300 cal) and lunch, but eat a full plate for supper.  All totaling about 2000 cal per day if I want to lose weight quickly.  I know that is backwards to what nutrition experts say to do, but it works well for me because I'm not thinking about food all the time (small 6 meals advice doesn't work) and I get to eat a larger supper (I've been programmed to do this since childhood and I don't fight it anymore).  Here are some other tips that work well for me; 1) eat very slowly (you want to be the very last one to finish), 2) drink a large glass of water before and after each meal, 3) wait 20-30 minutes after the meal and see how you feel, if still hungry then plan to have a piece of fruit for a snack a little later, 4) veggies and natural food sources make up the majority of the plate, 5) if you really want 2nds then go for the veggies, 6) eat more fish (oily fish is good), 7) use more spices instead of butter and dressings, really consider if you are hungry or just bored, and 9) don't eat mindlessly but focus on the meal and the flavors.  I hope these help.

[Sasha Pachev]

Candice:

Two things to keep in mind.

One is mileage. From your blog entries you are running less than 20 miles a week. As other have pointed out, you need more miles for the weight to start coming down. However, do not force the mileage just to lose weight. Be patient.  Forcing things to try to meet unrealistic expectations results in injury and overtraining. Increase your mileage gradually. I would start by running 4 miles a day 5 days a week, and going 6 on the 6th day of the week with full rest on the seventh. Very important to be religiously consistent, not to skip for any reason other than sickness or injury. Get used to that, make sure you are handling the mileage well, then increase it to 5 on a regular run and 8 on the long  run. Get used to that, then post again, and we should have an idea of what to do next.

The other issue is that not all weight loss is healthy, not all weight gain is unhealthy, and just because your weight does not change does not necessarily mean your body does not change. E.g. if your bones get thicker (good thing), and/or your muscles get stronger (good thing), and/or your blood volume goes up (good thing as well), and nothing else changes, your weight will increase. On the contrary, if you lose muscle mass (bad thing), your bones thin out (bad thing), and your blood volume goes down (bad thing as well), and nothing else changes your weight will decrease. It is very common for the weight to stay the same for a while after you start eating better and exercising. What happens is that because the muscles and the bones started out in such a bad shape they are improving (and thus increasing in weight) at a high rate which matches the decreases in the fat mass.

Thus a weight goal, while extremely popular in our society, is very misdirected. A better goal would be some kind of a performance goal. For example, how fast you can run a 5 K. A stopwatch is a much better witness to your health than a scale. To run a fast 5 K you need to have a good heart, strong muscles, healthy nervous system, and a multitude of other organs in order. Low weight can be frequently achieved with very poor overall health.

[April G]

I started running in late August 2008(about 9 months ago) to make myself stop smoking once and for all.  It worked and I quit smoking 3 days after starting running.  I started out at about 126 pounds(I am only 5'1").  I lost two pounds almost immediately and then the weight loss was slow.  I now weigh 109--it took me 9 months to lose 17 pounds--an average of less than two pounds a month.  I feel great!  My best advice for you is be patient.  Healthy weight loss that you can maintain will probably be slow, especially if you are not significantly overweight.  I do think that getting over 25 miles a week broke me through the initial plateau at 122 pounds.   I eat a big breakfast(around 700 calories) AFTER my morning run, and then snack in very small portions throughout the rest of the day, including one sweet every day which is either a few pieces of dark chocolate or one scoop of ice cream, any flavor I desire(you gotta live).  I am interested in what other folks are eating and how they maintain/lose weight as well.  I currently run 45-52 miles a week and this is a sample menu:
Pre-run: one cup coffee to get things moving and avoid an unfortunate mid-run accident
post-run: Breakfast--two eggs cooked in olive oil, two pieces whole-wheat toast with jelly, one piece whole wheat toast w/peanut butter, one cup skim milk
snack: low-fat yogurt, apple
lunch: bean and mozzerella burrito on whole-wheat tortilla
snack: banana
snack: scoop of chocolate ice cream
snack: 3 cups fresh spinach with diced tomato tossed with a tablespoon of light ranch
If I am still hungry later I will usually eat an orange
I think this is about 1800-2000 calories a day
I drink a lot of water all day and once a week I eat dinner out with my husband and blow my diet

[adam]

I haven't read everyone's response, but, you don't necessarily need more miles. You need to burn more calories.

Miles are an easy way to ensure that you are burning the needed calories (3500 calories ~ 35 miles).

But if you were only able to run 20 miles a week, you would need to find other activities that would help make up that deficeit (other forms of exercise, or calorie reduction).

Remember that if you want to lose consistent weight, you need to be on a diet that is not restricting to the point of you being unable to keep it for many months or years. A calorie reduction does not necessarily mean you must go through each day feeling hungry. Especially if you are adding exercise to the mix, you will need to eat in order to fuel that exercise. 1-2 lbs a week is generally safe, but most may not even experience this. Some will only see 1-2 pounds a month safely.

I've lost about 35lbs in the last three years (after having gained alot of weight...well alot for a distance runner). My mom has lost around 50lbs in the last few years. Consistency is key.

[ktjo]

I have been stuck at my same weight for a couple of months now. The scale is not the best way to set your goals, like others have said. 
Although Since January I have only lost 10 pounds, I have dropped 2.5 sizes and my body fat has dropped 4%.  I have 15 more to lose. 
I do alot of cardio and Aerobic's with strength training.  I am trying to bring up my miles now.
I think for me running has always given me the best weightloss results.  I know if I added even one mile more a day I would lose the weight.   
I gained some weight when I hurt my knee (not a ton) but last summer I was 5 pounds lighter than I am not but I am in the same size now as I was then. (if that makes any sense)
     

[allie]

 the simple weight-loss rule = calories in < calories out--- that being said, if you don't consume enough calories to get through a run, the running aspect is no longer going to be enjoyable, but rather draining---and you will most likely lose the consistency aspect that everyone has mentioned as the key to bringing your weight down. the body adapts when you start running consistently, and overtime it will stabilize at a weight that is most efficient for your running.

just as an example: in january of this year, i increased my mileage by about 35% and since then have actually gained 4 pounds. i don't consider this a bad thing, however. like sasha said, this is probably due to increased muscle mass/blood volume/bone density/etc. fitness-wise i feel better than i ever have, which tells me that this may be more of an ideal weight for me.

 if you think you have 10 pounds to lose, keep running, keep eating healthy (eat enough!), and the weight will drop naturally overtime

[David S]

In line with what others are saying is that you want to lose the right kind of weight.  For us runners that means body fat.  Studies have shown that a decrease in body fat will increase a runner's VO2 max (http://www.edb.utexas.edu/fit/runningaf.php.)  So the first thing you need to do is find out what body fat percentage you are at right now.  It is critical that you get an accurate measurement.  I did mine at the local YMCA - they use a 7 point caliper measurement which is quite accurate.  I have had one done at 24 hour fitness that was only a 4 point check - they did not even check the thigh - and it was horribly inaccurate.  In any case, you need to know where you are now so that you can re-check 6-8 weeks down the road to see where you are at.  Your weight may not change dramatically as your body adapts to running.  However, if you know that your body fat is decreasing you will know that you are on the right track. 

Once you know what your body fat % is, go to this calculator and punch in your information: http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/nutritioncalculator.htm.  It will tell you what your daily caloric intake should be for your target weight loss, and even how many grams of carb, fat, and protein to eat per day.   

Everyone is different, of course, but I find that when I hit 45-50 miles a week, running each day early in the morning, that the fat just comes off very quickly. Two years ago I was 205 lbs with 24% body fat.  Today I weigh 172 with 12% body fat.  So I have lost over 30 lbs of fat. So it can be done!

Also, make sure you are taking in sufficient protein so that you keep your lean muscle mass. 

Good luck!

[David S]

In line with what others are saying is that you want to lose the right kind of weight.  For us runners that means body fat.  Studies have shown that a decrease in body fat will increase a runner's VO2 max (http://www.edb.utexas.edu/fit/runningaf.php.)  So the first thing you need to do is find out what body fat percentage you are at right now.  It is critical that you get an accurate measurement.  I did mine at the local YMCA - they use a 7 point caliper measurement which is quite accurate.  I have had one done at 24 hour fitness that was only a 4 point check - they did not even check the thigh - and it was horribly inaccurate.  In any case, you need to know where you are now so that you can re-check 6-8 weeks down the road to see where you are at.  Your weight may not change dramatically as your body adapts to running.  However, if you know that your body fat is decreasing you will know that you are on the right track. 

Once you know what your body fat % is, go to this calculator and punch in your information: http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/nutritioncalculator.htm.  It will tell you what your daily caloric intake should be for your target weight loss, and even how many grams of carb, fat, and protein to eat per day.   

Everyone is different, of course, but I find that when I hit 45-50 miles a week, running each day early in the morning, that the fat just comes off very quickly. Two years ago I was 205 lbs with 24% body fat.  Today I weigh 172 with 12% body fat.  I have lost over 30 lbs of fat. So it can be done!

Also, make sure you are taking in sufficient protein so that you keep your lean muscle mass. 

Good luck!