Weight loss

[JulieMae]

I keep hearing about people’s weight loss but I am curious as to how this happens. I’m 5ft 2in, 13st, 57 yo, eating healthily (but not a saint) and on week 8. I’ve not lost any weight. Anyone else found this? I’m not down about it but it would have been a nice bonus .

[Buddy34 Graduate]

Not everyone loses weight . For me I used the Samsung health app and typed in everything I ate. I was eating 1500 calories per day and most days still do. I've lost just over 3st but it's taken just over a year. So be mindful of what you are eating and be patient. Good luck

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

Running in itself isn’t a weight loss thing... unless you’re running big distances and not having to fuel them. Some people actually put a few pounds on during marathon training.

What running will do is build muscle while burning fat (assuming you’re running at a conversational pace or thereabouts, fast running doesn’t do this) so in the early days these two processes can cancel each other out in terms of weight. Muscle is denser than fat, so you may see that while the scales say 0 loss, a tape measure will show half an inch off here and a quarter off there as it starts to tone you up.

The most important things here are getting fitter and healthier, and if looking to lose weight, turning on the fat burning systems with slow running... once the body is used to fuelling itself by burning fat, running will add to weight loss that is driven by a healthy nutritionally balanced food intake. I’ve been careful not to use the word diet there as it’s been hijacked by the rapid weight loss companies... diet should just mean “what you eat”

Hope this helps. During my weight loss journey years ago I recalibrated my scales in the back garden with a sledgehammer and haven’t had any in the house since... I get weighed every six to twelve months at the doctors.

[2718281 Graduate in reply to UnfitNoMore]

I like that calibration procedure...

[UnfitNoMore Graduate in reply to 2718281]

One time only too 🤣🤣🤣

[JulieMae in reply to 2718281]

Me too! 🤣

[Couchpotato2 Graduate in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Haha good recalibration. That made me laugh so much

[Davo123 Graduate]

I’m the same Julie. I graduated about 4 weeks ago and haven’t lost a pound!! I’m about a stone and half overweight so expected some weight loss but hey ho...I feel a lot fitter anyway. People tell me it will happen but WHEN!?!?

[JulieMae in reply to Davo123]

Yes I’m fitter and my mental health is the best it’s been. Not hung up about the weight (I refuse to be!) but it just would have been nice, you know?

[damienair Graduate]

I was running for a year after the C25K plan , I had toned up a little without losing any weight. I thought I was eating a healthy diet but still I was about 2.5 stone overweight. In January this year I started to eat a healthier diet and stepped up the running. I basically cut out bread and sweet treats and was very mindful of what I ate. As a result I have lost the 2.5 Stones off the scales and I have also lost 8 minutes off my 5K time.

I learnt that weight loss is 90% food related and 10% Exercise.

Damien

[JulieMae in reply to damienair]

Yes I agree it’s about the food. I don’t eat pasta rice potatoes etc and have the occasional wine. Plus I’m vegetarian so plenty of the green stuff. Hey ho! It’s not a biggie but would have been a nice bonus 😁

[2718281 Graduate]

Hi Julie, as others have said, running (or other exercise) doesn't really make you lose weight. Discussing at the beginning, you build muscle, and you also have muscles being repaired (that's how they grow), a process that usually requires more water than normal (so more water is selected to your muscles for the repair and they weight more)

I started losing weight before I decided to start running (I was too overweight and unfit at the beginning and would have probably injured myself), and what has worked for me is logging food, so I realised where I wasn't making healthy choices and allowed me to make decisions to change my lifestyle (I'm avoiding the word diet too because for me these are lifestyle changes)

[Hidden]

Have a look at how many grams of carbohydrate you are eating each day. The recommended amount is 130g or less. Keep a record for a week or two and it might surprise you. Even though I was eating "healthily" I was still eating 200g+ of carbs with rice, pasta and bread.

I have a two step action plan to try next month. (I'm one of those folks who always starts on the first of the month!)

1) On the rest days, use the dumbbells I bought to do some strength training

2) Get my carbs down to 130g or less. If weight loss doesn't occur after a month, drop this amount down to 50g or less.

I was reading this documentation which seemed to know what it was on about.

phcuk.org/healthy-eating-gu...

[JulieMae in reply to Hidden]

I don’t eat pasta bread( well maybe 1 slice a week) potatoes cakes sweets or drink alcohol except for special occasions. I am vegetarian so plenty of veg, lower fat cheese and average 1400cals in a day. I didn’t do this for weight loss but am just wondering how it is happening for others.

I’ll try your suggestions tho👍My mental health has improved so that’s worth much more.

[GoGo_JoJo Graduate]

I think it often happens when folk eat a bit less without realising, ie not sitting about snacking but being out and active instead.

I had already started a weight loss journey prior to starting by logging my food and taking responsibility for what I was really consuming, not what I thought I was. Being more active has helped my body burn what I do eat faster. I then changed diet completely last Oct, cutting out all meat/dairy.

I still eat a lot; I love food, I don't drink or have any vices really so I rarely deny myself an edible delight, but by making better choices and having more self control, I think I actually weigh the same now as I did in my twenties. I have lost 36lb so far but that was over 2.5 years, just a bit at a time.

[JulieMae]

Mmmm, I’m vegetarian and log my food which is 1400-1500 cals in a day. I don’t understand it and not hung up as my mental health is so good!! I’ll crack on with the running for this alone. Tho a few pound off would be nice! 😁

[GoGo_JoJo Graduate in reply to JulieMae]

That's very low. They say if you eat less than you should then you stall your metabolism and won't lose weight anyway.

I eat that much before dinner. My ave is around 2600/day but I do have a physical job. It might be worth checking into what you really need. You only need a deficit of about 2-300 cals a day to see results. According to the tdee calculator I still eat more than I should but I think they don't really work out the exercise component very well so pick one up from where you think you are exercise-wise.

[JulieMae in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

Never thought I wasn’t eating enough. Brucie bonus if it turns out I need to eat more 😂

[GoGo_JoJo Graduate in reply to JulieMae]

That doesn't mean more cake! 🤣

[Couchpotato2 Graduate]

Hi Julie, I didnt lose any weight in C25k but I did lose some when i was consolidating and running 30’ every ither day. You are by then running much more. However despite the limited weight loss, my body shape is much better and I am getting more toned. Tbh I’m trying to ignore weight loss and focus on my gain in fitness and mental well-being. I must also avoid eating cake after ling runs....

[JulieMae in reply to Couchpotato2]

Totally with you on the mental health issue. My mental health has improved no end since I’ve been doing this and like you that’s worth more to me 👍

[Couchpotato2 Graduate in reply to JulieMae]

Yes! The rest will come and anyway you will be fitter. I tend to only put on /lost weight very slowly. Some of my friends can lose (and gain) weight fast but that’s never been me!

[Kevtrev]

I have to watch what I eat for a man I’m 5ft 6in which isn’t tall 😂 it doesn’t bother me at all though now.

I started a diet Atkins in March this year and then started C25K in March and I graduated in June and started going to the gym around may and at the moment I’m training for a 10K my starting weight was over 14st 7lb now today I’m weighing in at 11stone 11lbs.

But muscle does weigh more than fat and you probably are toning up with your running keep at it your doing fantastic 😉🏃‍♀️👏👏👏👏

Maybe try the Atkins diet and see how it goes it’s working for me it is strict but you’re not allowed bread pasta fruit etc but salad eggs meat some veg but be careful some veg is high.

I have 1 piece of toast with eggs it’s still loosing weight as I love toast and I still have a beer at the weekend and it’s been working for me so far but the gym and my running has helped me so so much. Hope you find something that helps as with the size I am I have to watch what I put in if I eat what I want I do put it on I’m not one of the lucky ones that eat what they want and put nothing on it’s all down to our metabolism rate

On a side note when my wife and sister in-law were running which not at the moment because they both was putting weight on even on a strict diet so my wife is getting down to the weight she wants and then start up CT5K hope that’s helped you.

When you run your muscle tears and burns fat and legs tone up as muscle is heavier than fat

[JulieMae]

I eat low carb too but am vegetarian so Atkins was really difficult for me. Like you, I’m not too hung up about it as I’m really enjoying the running. Thanks for the tips! 👍