Weight-loss happening: I know this isn’t the... - Couch to 5K

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Weight-loss happening

Jay66UK profile image
Jay66UKGraduate
33 Replies

I know this isn’t the healthy eating forum but...

During the whole of C25K I lost about 2 kg. Admittedly I comfort ate through a lot of that.

This past week I’ve been using My Fitness Pal to track my eating and I’ve lost 2.2kg since a week ago. Just about 25kg to go.

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Jay66UK profile image
Jay66UK
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33 Replies
18Windmill profile image
18WindmillGraduate

Well done you. That’s a lot of will power. 👍👍👍😁

Kar43 profile image
Kar43

Jay that's fantastic well done 👍

I also use my fitness pal and it's so accurate unlike some I've used

Keep running your losing k's while running k's 😁😊🏃‍♀️🏃win win 😁

Ripcurlrana71 profile image
Ripcurlrana71

That’s brilliant Jay! It’s surprising when we track our calories/food intake where we overeat without realising. 😏

QueenTea profile image
QueenTeaGraduate

That’s brilliant Jay - well done👏. I definitely feel stronger for running & have been far more disciplined with my eating. Still have 2 stone to lose but clothes feel less snug & I like eating better - most of the time😉.

HoagyM profile image
HoagyMGraduate

Well done Jay, keep it going!

Pippayoungart profile image
PippayoungartGraduate

Sounds like it’s working! Great!

Visionon profile image
VisiononGraduate

Well done Jay66UK, top work, the problem is all this exercise does make you hungry, just have to swap the crisps for nuts!

pianoteacher profile image
pianoteacherGraduate in reply toVisionon

Not too many nuts though - they're good for you (a million times better than crisps!) but high calorie if you're trying to lose 😉

pianoteacher profile image
pianoteacherGraduate

I'm so pleased for you Jay! That is a fantastic loss just be prepared for it to slow a bit in the coming weeks. When you first put yourself in a deficit there can be quite a big waterweight loss. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll definitely get there x

Jay66UK profile image
Jay66UKGraduate in reply topianoteacher

Yeah I’m expecting this to slow down to around half a kilo or a kilo a week at best. But it’s a good boost. I’m trying to stick within the MFP calorie limit (just over 1800) rather than the NHS BMI one (roughly 2200-2800) when I can.

pianoteacher profile image
pianoteacherGraduate in reply toJay66UK

Just over 1800 sounds good if you're not too hungry on it. You've got some leeway there to play around with if you find you want to eat a bit more. Good luck with it x

Jay66UK profile image
Jay66UKGraduate in reply topianoteacher

Thanks. I’m stubborn, I can ignore hungry!

(I did the 5:2 fasting diet very successfully for a year and know I could do that again if I had to. It’s just not fun and wouldn’t be easy to fit around work and running.)

Equi-geek profile image
Equi-geekGraduate

I'm doing the same, Jay, with myfitnesspal and have a similar amount to lose too. We're running with all that extra weight on/in our bodies, so even more reason to celebrate the wins!

Jay66UK profile image
Jay66UKGraduate in reply toEqui-geek

I hate to think what a backpack of 30kg would look like and be like to carry. I’m really looking forward to slowly taking it off!

Equi-geek profile image
Equi-geekGraduate in reply toJay66UK

Likewise! I've seen RAF/Army guys running with backpacks in training. I used to lug 20kg sacks of horse feed about until recently - and they are heavy!!! Every time I start beating myself up about not being as good as some of the more athletic types, I remember that I'm doing all that muscle and strength work on inclines and declines, as well as aerobic exercise.

JennyH10 profile image
JennyH10Graduate

Nice one Jay!

I’m a long term fan of intermittent fasting too but sometimes I struggle fitting it in with the running too especially at the end of a fast day or the morning after one if I don’t have a snack first. I’ve decided to give the eating window method a try instead, fast for 16 hours every day and only eat during an 8 hour window, haven’t weighed myself since but I’m finding it easier to manage so far.

Jay66UK profile image
Jay66UKGraduate in reply toJennyH10

Good tip - I’ll try to incorporate this into my eating.

Rignold profile image
Rignold

First of alL: great work. You should be proud of your achevement and you clearly have a good attitude towards it.

Two things though: 1.) whilst. as Pianoteacher pinted out, a sharp initial loss is often water loss, and as you very sensibly expect to taper to 0.5 to 1kg a week, keep in mind that about 1kg a week is close to the max you can lose in fat. Much over that and you are losing lean mass, which is not the desired outcome at all. You want to preserve as much muscle tissue as possible and lose as much adipose tissue. Skewing your diet towards a hgher protein intake and doing regular resistance exercise will greatly iprove this. You don't have to become a bodybuilder (although why not?) but you should keep your muscles pushed just to their limits every day so they are incentivised to maintain.

2.) 1800 calories sounds very low for an adult male who is, if I read your post correctly, 25kg overweight. Unless you are 4 foot 2, I would think the NHS estiate sounds much closer. The 1200 for women and 1800 for men that MFP spits out is just a generic number, not calculated on weight/height/activity. I would strongly suggest you go to tdeecalculator.net/

and recalculate. there are options on there for lose/maintain/build and also macro split sugestions for carb/protein ratios etc. It is a much more accurate way of doing things.

Cuuting calories more than 500 below maintenance is not a sustainable healthy way of losing fat and keeping it off, especially f you are running.

for comparison, I am six foot and am losing weight at the moment. I reduced my calories to 2500 for the first six weeks and have now cut again to 2200. I don't envisage going much lower than that but might possibly drop to 1800 for a couple of weeks right at the end just to get the final striations, but that would be for sub 10 percent bodyfat, and I would not expect to sustain it for long

Jay66UK profile image
Jay66UKGraduate in reply toRignold

My reply went to the main post so just drawing your attention to it...

Jay66UK profile image
Jay66UKGraduate

Really helpful, thanks. That gives me a goal of 2244 cals as 500 under what I need.

MFP “gives back” the calories for exercise and this formula takes into account your exercise. So do I just ignore the added back calories and stick to 2244 regardless of exercise in any day?

Rignold profile image
Rignold in reply toJay66UK

It is averages over a period of time that make the difference. If I have a rest day, after skating over the ice in Hell and avoiding the flying pigs, I tend to eat a little less: I don't chug the post workout protein shakes if there is no workout, but I do not use extra exercise as permission to add calories.

MFP is very useful for tracking (although beware as all the data is user inputted there can be massive variations on foods) but I don't pay it much heed otherwise. I don't know anyone (athletes, bodbuilders etc) whose results are critical to their performance who go by MFP suggestions.

Also I would reccomend teh Evolve app: it is essentially exactly the same as MFP for your phone but you can enter dat by just speaking into it, whch saves so much time and makes the process so much more painless

Jay66UK profile image
Jay66UKGraduate in reply toRignold

I’ve noticed the variations. And how barcode scans can take you to the wrong data (or misleading data re portion sizes). I’m being careful where I can to check with the data on a pack (where appropriate).

Rignold profile image
Rignold in reply toJay66UK

lol. Don't eat anything with a barcode...

Jay66UK profile image
Jay66UKGraduate

Just worked that puts me half a pound under 15st. I’ve not been 14-something for a long time!

DeeRunning profile image
DeeRunningGraduate

Well done. It can be those early kilos falling off that give the incentive to continue on what can often feel like a tedious yet important lifestyle change. I had great success with myfitnesspal when I needed it; great to hear you've had a similar experience so far. If nothing else, it made me more mindful about what I was eating and make better choices as to where I got my calories from.

SandieF profile image
SandieFGraduate

That’s fantastic Jay!! Well done. To build up your running while also losing weight takes some serious willpower! Well done that man. You must feel great 💪👍

Jay66UK profile image
Jay66UKGraduate in reply toSandieF

Thanks. Yeah I do feel pretty good. I think it’s all linked up. Feeling good from running makes it easier to lose weight which makes you feel good.

SandieF profile image
SandieFGraduate in reply toJay66UK

Not a ‘vicious’ circle, more a happy circle! 😂

_SimonT_ profile image
_SimonT_Graduate in reply toSandieF

A virtuous circle!

Fabulous450 profile image
Fabulous450Graduate

Well done Jay!! That’s brilliant! I’m sure there will be more losses too! ❤️

Jay66UK profile image
Jay66UKGraduate in reply toFabulous450

Thanks. Hope so.

_SimonT_ profile image
_SimonT_Graduate

Congratulations Jay! With your determination I’ve no doubt you can do this!

It’s been a fantastic thread too! I’m no diet expert so really interesting to read the replies from Rignold .

Jay66UK profile image
Jay66UKGraduate in reply to_SimonT_

Thanks and agreed re Rignold’s input.

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