Weight gain & What do I eat. On Wk2 Run 2 - Couch to 5K

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Weight gain & What do I eat. On Wk2 Run 2

Lane profile image
Lane
10 Replies

Hi Guys

I am on week 2, run 2 - What an achievement - huge pat on my back. Anyhow, I have gained 2lb in weight in one week and can't stop eating and being seriously hungry. I am obviously eating the wrong food to fill me up. Does anyone have a healthy meal plan to a semi-vegetarian please?

Thanks guys for the support by reading through all the questiosn and blogs.

Lane

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Lane profile image
Lane
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10 Replies
mrstickle profile image
mrstickle

Tempted to say the classic "muscle weighs more" but not sure that washes now a days? Did you look at the ideas on this from yesterday, couchto5k.healthunlocked.co... I've not yet checked out the links, but shall do soon:) just a thought but what drink are you using? if you've introduced sports drinks maybe as opposed to water ...

Lane profile image
Lane in reply to mrstickle

Hi, Thanks for taking time to reply to my question...I am not introducing any sports drinks as I don't take caffeine because I have a sinus problem. I will check out the healthunlocked link, I have not read any of those yet.

Anonymous36 profile image
Anonymous36Graduate

Google running and weight gain. You'll see it is common to gain weight at first but it will eventually start to fall as you begin running for longer.

I was always starving after a run so I swapped my run to before a meal so I could eat a big meal and be full, rather than running after breakfast/dinner and coming home to graze for the rest of the day.

Your body does get used to it all and you won't always want to eat so much.

Lane profile image
Lane in reply to Anonymous36

Again, thanks for tips and personal experience - I run around 6pm each evening and then come home to an evening meal - which hubby makes whilst I am running - bless him. Will do that google search and see what comes up. Let's hope that I don't put on much more weight then or the 5 stone I recently lost will be all back on!

justtom profile image
justtom

I love this site punchfork.com/vegetarian to spark up my Vegetarian Diet been veggie for about 5 months now,at the top under the sites title you may sort thru Vegetarian,Vegan,Gluten Free the recipes are great hope you folks enjoy it.

Lane profile image
Lane in reply to justtom

Hi thanks for idea, I will look at this site, I am also dairy free so this site sounds good for me. Enjoy your runs.

katrunkles profile image
katrunklesGraduate

Well done you - isn't it amazing! I too have gained weight (around 4-6lbs; now at W6R3) - but people keep saying I have lost weight, so I must be toning up. Encouraged that some may start coming off now the runs are longer. I am starving constantly but am trying to snack on fruit to at least be grazing healthily. I guess the great thing is not to worry about the weight for the time being - you are doing your body an enormous favour by getting fit.

Lane profile image
Lane in reply to katrunkles

Hi, sorry that you have put weight on too, but I am secretly pleased that it isn't jus tme. I am eating lots of sandwiches to fill up on and porridge! Thanks for your interest in replying and helping me.

katrunkles profile image
katrunklesGraduate in reply to Lane

LOL - maybe I'll try porridge too; a punnet of cherries right now, with a glass of wine!

Alaiyo profile image
AlaiyoGraduate

It can be really alarming, but it is normal to gain a little weight when you make a big increase in your exercise, like doing C25K. You may well be gaining muscle as well as fluid (your body may be increasing your blood fluid levels to help accommodate the demands placed upon it by running.) I recently wrote a post about fat loss and how to determine what is probably good news, even if the scale doesn't say so: couchto5k.healthunlocked.co...

Many people (including me) found a sharp increase in appetite when they begin exercising. After a few weeks, this usually evens out, so that you are still burning more than the extra hunger has you eating. But you are right, eating correctly can have a huge impact. There are a couple basic schools of thought about nutrition: 1) bulky foods make you feel full on less calories 2) protein and some fat make you feel full with less calories (due to the hormones they stimulate).

Either way, both types of diets generally put veggies and maybe lean protein high up on the list of foods to fill up on. It doesn't have to be carrot and celery sticks (unless you really like them, which is great) but you should aim for 4+ CUPS of veggies each day, and you pretty much can't overdo it. 7+ cups may well be fine. If you are eating that much veg, you are very unlikely to eat too many calories. So bring on the salads, steamed veggies and so on. Also, try to increase your fiber intake. (Veggies provide lots of soluble fiber already. Fruit provides insoluble fiber, and so does "inulin" a supplement made by "Benefiber".) Soluble fiber slows digestion, so you feel full for longer. Another excellent source of fiber is "milled flax seed". Flax oil is great, but the fiber is gone, so get the actual flax. Super filling, high in omega-3 fatty acids, stays with you for hours, and is generally a super food.

(Note: sugary foods and processed or "white" starches - like regular pasta, potatoes, white rice, chips, etc. are essentially sugar (or complex sugar) with little fiber to make them stick with you. If you are filling up on this as your primary fuel, that may be why you feel hungry a lot.)

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