Following ju-ju’s plan. Went o...

[Outofpuff]

Following ju-ju’s plan. Went out to run 8km at 11.30am. Ground to a halt at 5km. Then realised I’d not eaten for 12 hours. D’oh. Turns out you can’t run on an empty stomach. I’m in my 40’s. Why did I not know this?!! Hope you’re all having a more successful Sunday!! I am struggling with nutrition though. I was hoping to lose weight but I keep building muscle and although I’m toning up I’ve not lost a bean. Any advice anyone? I’m vegetarian and am trying to stick to 1200 calories a day. I try to get a balance between protein/carbohydrate but I don’t think I’m doing it right. Please help!

[ju-ju- Graduate10]

Gosh that doesn’t sound good...horrible getting all dizzy on a run. If you really are only eating 1200 calories a day then I’m really surprised you haven’t lost any weight....

[Sadie-runs Graduate10]

Oh lorks! Not surprised you felt dizzy! I find half a banana sets me up for my morning runs (over 5k), I have it 45 mins before heading out first thing.

I’m vegetarian too - where are you getting your protein from? I have a boiled egg on toast after my run, and always eat pulses, every day pretty much. I cannot offer much advice on weight loss, but maintain my weight by trying to not eat enormous portions (hard, cos I have a huge appetite).

You do need good fuel to run, 1200 calories a day sounds so little to me 😬 Hope somebody with more knowledge of diet can step in and advise...

[Outofpuff Graduate10 in reply to Sadie-runs]

Hi Sadie. I actually didn’t feel dizzy. I just ran out of energy! I get protein from porridge, eggs, quorn, mushroom. I’ve always had to watch my weight - I think I’m now struggling to work out calories in V calories burnt.

[Sadie-runs Graduate10 in reply to Outofpuff]

Yes, that’s all rather complicated! To be honest, I don’t think running burns as many calories as we’d all like. 😞 Try a banana before your run, and a good protein rich breakfast/brunch post run. And as always, lots of water, all day! Best of luck to you. x

[Outofpuff Graduate10 in reply to Sadie-runs]

Thanks. Great advice. 👍

[mountaindreamer Graduate10]

Oh dear, that sounds scary! ❤️

I’m no expert either, I’m afraid, as I’m not trying to lose weight. (I seem to be getting heavier from running - presumably due to gaining muscle).

This link seems to have some useful info, though, and does mention one thing that I was aware of - that if you cut too many calories then it slows your metabolism to a crawl. It also mentions that if you cut too many calories then you won’t be able to fuel your training. Perhaps at least have half a banana before a longer run?

blog.mapmyrun.com/essential...

[Outofpuff Graduate10 in reply to mountaindreamer]

Brilliant - thank you so much for this. 😀

[MrsT0707]

I’m no expert by any means but I’m trying to lose weight too, that’s how I kinda ‘fell’ into running lol, I also do a variety of gym classes each week including body pump, fat burn, abs and spin. A friend of mine is the same and she works out more than me! Her PT has said that the best thing you can do is concentrate less on the scales if you’re doing a lot of exercise but focus more on fat loss than weight loss and track your measurements. When we start exercising we build muscle quickly which weighs more than fat but also is denser so 1lb fat is bigger than 1lb muscle. You’ll probably find your measurements reduce even if your weight in numbers does not. It’s frustrating I know - I consume roughly 1200-1400 kcal a day and exercise 6 (sometimes 7) days a week and usually lose around 0.5lb per week compared to friends losing multiple lbs a week with no exercise on SW or WW, it’s taken me since Xmas to lose 1.5 stone!

I just keep reminding myself that I’m setting myself up for a healthier future and in weight loss (as well as running) slow and steady usually pays off. Sorry for the ultra long reply 🙈 but I know just how you feel!

[Outofpuff Graduate10 in reply to MrsT0707]

I really appreciate your response. I lost 4 stone with SW doing no exercise at all - I’ve put a few pounds on and to limit this happening I’ve started running - but despite the exercise I’m losing nowt. Given what you’ve said I’ll start monitoring my measurements in more detail. I wish you all the best in your endeavours! I’ll follow you!

[MrsT0707 in reply to Outofpuff]

4 stone weight loss WOW that’s incredible you must be so proud. You’re doing amazing! I’ve not even graduated C25K yet so the fact that you even contemplated an 8K run to me is such an achievement, I still can’t even imagine myself running 8K - I’m still working on 5. Slowly but surely we’ll all reach our goals, with the help and support of one another. Keep up the fantastic work! Thanks for the follow, I’ll follow you back & look forward to seeing your progress