Weight gain??!!

[FlyKEW]

Just started week 7 and not given in yet. However, am feeling disheartened as have put on over 4lbs in the weeks I've been doing c25k. I realise that this is due to muscle building but as was trying to lose weight doing this, I feel like i should have just stuck to dieting! My body shape is changing, for the better, but my scales are not my friend. Has this happened to many of you and does the weight eventually go down as you're getting more muscle?

[NewRunner1979]

Hi FlyKEW. Well done on Week 7...I’m not far behind you. I too, started in order to lose weight. And like you, it’s not happened, despite eating healthily too. I’m hoping that now I’m into the stage where all the runs are one solid long run, that the weight might start to shift. Interested to hear what other say.

[FlyKEW Graduate in reply to NewRunner1979]

Hi. The other comments do shed some light on a few things. I've been doing slimming world, lost nearly 2 stone but as my excercise has increased, I've put on several pounds but gone down in clothes size. Very frustrating. Good luck with your next few weeks!

[Buddy34 Graduate]

This was one of the reasons I started c25k. The scales don't give the whole picture because like you say you may have gained a little but your body shape is changing and that's great.

It depends on each individual but what I did was used the Samsung health app and ate 1500 calories per day and drank 2-3 litres of water each day. Even write down exactly what you're eating in a day , it might be more than you think.

Be patient watching what you eat and running especially when you're doing the longer runs 3 x per week can have amazing results.

I have now been running since October 2018 and the 4 and a half stone I put on from stopping smoking has gone . I feel and look better than ever.

My advice throw the scales away .

This is my story and just my opinion. Good luck 👍👍

[FlyKEW Graduate in reply to Buddy34]

Wow! That's amazing. Thank you for the advice.

[damienair Graduate]

Buddy34 is correct. Unfortunately I too was the same. I thought I was eating a healthy diet. I started running to get fit and lose weight. I was 2.5 to 3 stone overweight when I started. I lost a little first but gained the weight again. I’m running 3 years now. The first 2 years I was running I was still 2.5 stone overweight despite running 5K 3-4 times per week. Last January I decided that enough was enough and I was going to be honest with myself. I tracked everything that went into my mouth. Absolutely everything. It did not come off easily but it all came off within 6 months. I got down to my healthy BMI last June.

I learnt that weight loss is 90% food related. You only burn about 350 to 400 calories running a 30 minute 5K. So if you reward yourself after a run with a little treat then that’s the benefits of the running gone.

But for the time being just concentrate on the running. When you graduate and start consolidating your 5K’s then start working on food etc. It’s very easy to fool ourselves into thinking we have a healthy diet or a healthy relationship with food. But when you honestly track food intake it will really work.

Damien

[FlyKEW Graduate in reply to damienair]

Thank you. I do sometimes think, you've done a run, have a cookie!! Wrong mindset. Your advice very welcome, thank you.

[damienair Graduate in reply to FlyKEW]

I gave up bread, cakes ,biscuits, all the good stuff. Eggs became my no.1 go to food. I had the same dinners I always had, but the portions were greatly reduced. If I was really really hungry I would have a small piece of fruit or a raw carrot. After a while it just became normal. This morning I had a gorgeous 3 egg omelette, for lunch I’ll have a Salad.

My enemy is bread. I adore bread but if I give bread up I lose weight. I still struggle with my weight. It goes up and down but now I manage my weight within 7 lbs of my BMI. If I gain 6 or 7 lbs then I’ll work hard to shift the excess again within 2 to 3 weeks. Good luck.

Damien

[FlyKEW Graduate in reply to damienair]

Hi Damien. Unfortunately I don't like eggs so I'm stuffed with that!! Would make my life a lot easier if I ate them. Going to keep a strict eye on all I eat and hope for the best. Gin as nd chocolate for treat days only!

[sTrongFuse Graduate in reply to damienair]

I've never been a big fan of BMI as it kind of assumes all weight is fat and that we are two dimensional. My current BMI is around 25.5 and I'm fine with that. Having played rugby in my younger days, I've always carried quite a bit of extra muscle weight in my shoulders and legs, so using BMI alone, I've would have been in the seriously overweight-obese range almost all my adult life.

That said, at Christmas 2018, I topped the scale at 95kg, was definitely no longer fit after tendinitis in my knees meant I hadn't even been doing my refereeing and something needed to change. During C25K, I didn't lose much, but my body shape did change, losing 2" of my belt size. It was only when I progressed to running the longer runs on a regular basis that the kg started dropping. I now hover around 79-81kg, but I'm probably the fittest I've been since my teens/early 20s.

Weight is just one part of the equation, and not all weight is "bad" weight. You can be light and still be unfit, just as you can be fit, healthy and on the heavy side; it's just about finding the balance that works for you.

[FlyKEW Graduate in reply to sTrongFuse]

Thanks for your advice, I'm definitely going to keep up the running and hope for the best.!

[Hidden]

I was sooo frustrated last summer when I saw the scales going in the opposite direction to the way I wanted them to go!!

After posting on the forum, fellow members explained that this was because I was building muscle, which weighs more than fat. I immediately put the scales to the back of the airing cupboard and that is where they remained!

Go by how the waistband on your favourite jeans feels - it's a much more reliable indicator of what's changing than the scales 😊.

[FlyKEW Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Thank you, think I'll stick the scales away too.!!

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

As mentioned in the guide to the plan, just doing C25k without addressing diet is not going to make you lose weight.........you need to be in caloric deficit.

This article may help explain it to you anitabean.co.uk/https-anita...

[FlyKEW Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Thank you, very helpful article.

[Tasha99 Graduate]

Micro tears

[Hidden]

I'm w5r1 completed. I have a Charge 2 and I log everything in the app. I'm not thinking about weight yet, more about getting a picture of what and when I eat or graze. I feel my body is changing. I'm also feeling it wants different food. I can happily eat cold cooked chicken as a snack when I get back instead of biscuits. You're doing well and the weight loss will come. Keep going 👍

[FlyKEW Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Thank you, now on final 2 runs and changing my mind set as it was driving me crazy! Not worrying about the scales anymore, seeing results in my body shape. Good luck to you too!