Weight gain with long distance training:

This is weird. When I did the Marcothon challenge last December, I ran every day but mostly sub 10k, and faster than I’m running now. The weight dropped off me, I lost a stone, had to buy new jeans and felt great. Now I’m half marathon training, running longer distances mostly slowly, five days a week, swimming twice a week, yoga every day, I’ve gained three quarters of a stone.

My diet is exactly the same, right down to how much I eat. I wasn’t swimming and doing yoga in December. I dog walk every day and always have. I gained a lot of muscle both times. This time I’ve gained a wobbly stomach. I’m not fat by any stretch of the imagination, I’m a medium in running gear, at 5’7”tall, but can easily wear a small, but I’m fat for me.

Other people doing long distance training have mentioned the same. So, the question is: why?

[MsLegs 10 Miles]

I’ve put on 3lbs. While I’ve been doing HM training, muscle is heavier than fat... I’m more toned now and have bigger valve muscles now

[Hidden in reply to MsLegs]

Yes, but read what I put, I have a lot more fat on my stomach, and it isn’t toned. I put on as much muscle in December 😊 also I’ve put on a lot more than 3lbs, and I’m a person with efficient metabolism!

[SlowLoris in reply to MsLegs]

What are valve muscles?

[Hidden in reply to SlowLoris]

I assumed heart?

[SlowLoris in reply to Hidden]

Not sure they weigh 3 pounds. That's six decent size steaks.

[Hidden in reply to SlowLoris]

😂

[MsLegs 10 Miles in reply to MsLegs]

Typo meant to be calf muscles

[MsLegs 10 Miles in reply to MsLegs]

😀

[Hidden in reply to MsLegs]

Ahh... yes mine are much enlarged too. My skinny jeans are too tight there- but this happened in December too, when I was running every day but less distance

[SlowLoris]

It wouldn't take many extra calories to put on 8 or 9 pounds over a reasonable time period. Perhaps the slow running just uses less energy. If the runs are longer are you fuelling more? I know someone who always puts on weight when he does an ultra.

[Hidden in reply to SlowLoris]

That makes sense - though I’m also doing tempo runs and intervals. Regarding food, as I said above, my diet is exactly the same. And I’m burning more calories with the long runs. This amount of gain is a lot for me as I have a narrow, small boned frame - two or three pounds in me makes a difference with fitting into clothes

[SlowLoris in reply to Hidden]

All I can suggest is keep an eye on it. See what happens.

[Sadie-runs Half Marathon]

Now that is curious. 🤔 I have stayed exactly the same weight despite definitely eating more to fuel my long runs. Sorry I don’t have the answer, but it seems to go against science - ie you are burning more calories and not increasing the amount you eat yet still gaining weight? A medical mystery! xxx

[Hidden in reply to Sadie-runs]

I think it MUST be the slow running. You’ve kept up a good pace throughout. But I’m not the only one to have reported this, along with loss of pace xxx

[Sadie-runs Half Marathon in reply to Hidden]

Maybe 🤔 but how?! Calories is calories. Baffling! xxx

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon]

livestrong.com/article/5401...

👍🏻😁

[Hidden in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

Thanks Jo. Phew, once I unknotted my brain, I deduced it is indeed the slow running - perhaps I should be eating less despite burning more calories.

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to Hidden]

Possibly by a little, or fit in a free run at your own pace if poss to burn off a bit more. Whichever works best for you.

[Hidden in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

Maybe cut back on the food. I’m running 5 days a week and people are nagging me to take more rest (which I shan’t as I feel really well). Chinese chips and curry sauce will be the first to go! Trust me to live opposite a Chinese takeaway 😂😂😂

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to Hidden]

Yes, reduce the takeaways! 👍🏻🤣

[Hidden in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

😂😂😂

[Snuffy_T Half Marathon]

Are you 100% that you are eating the same ? You might be consuming a bit more without realising it. It's easily done. Swimming can make you hungry as your body has to utilise more calories to maintain its metabolism , during exercise in cool water . I'm starving after a swim work out...!

[Hidden in reply to Snuffy_T]

Nope! Eating exactly the same. I’m not as hungry so should probably have cut down a bit. Swimming doesn’t make me hungry as I only do 20 lengths maximum very slow breast stroke.

[mrrun Ultramarathon]

I lost 6kg, no less, when training for marathon. I ran 4 times each week for 8 months, continued with cross training and ate sufficiently enough to, say, run HM without even stopping for water or taking any walking breaks. And I ran a good minute or more slower than my regular pace over long distances. I find it a bit strange that you've put on weight while doing it, something somewhere must have changed!?

[Hidden in reply to mrrun]

Yes, my running pattern. Jo’s link explains it very well, once you untangle what it’s saying. I’m heart rate zone training, which means 75% of my runs are in zone 2 at around about walking pace, quite a bit slower than my previous runs 😊

[mrrun Ultramarathon in reply to Hidden]

Yeah, but it's distance that takes its toll. I changed my running pattern so l could barely break sweat, slowed down to a level which was way too slow for me but if you drag along for four hours non-stop plus train before and after, the weight should drop. Any of my 20K plus runs dropped over 2000 calories each although l was running at funeral pace, and towards the end of each run l resembled a main funeral protagonist.

[Hidden in reply to mrrun]

My training plan goes for time not distance. I haven’t topped 10k on a training run (though I did 17k off my own bat to make sure I could). My last long run was 95 minutes in zone 2. Longer than most of my December runs, but not massively far

[Whatsapp Half Marathon]

Thats why HIIT training is so effective. If you want to lose weight try high intensity (fast) exercise. Long slow cardio running is no higher for calorie burning than walking

[Hidden in reply to Whatsapp]

Ha! Thank you 😊

[Hidden in reply to Whatsapp]

Mind you, I’m not running to lose weight, I’ve only had a weight problem after pregnancy or in the old days when I was on the pill. I’m not fat now, but the gain round the middle is annoying. I guess I need to cut back to eating as if I’m not running.

[Whatsapp Half Marathon in reply to Hidden]

Unfortunately, we can't pinpoint specific areas for weight loss in the same way we can build specific muscle groups. However, I understand with weight gain it is often a case of last on first off.

[Hidden in reply to Whatsapp]

Too true ☹️

[SlowLoris in reply to Hidden]

You’ve come off the pill and you’re putting on weight around your middle! Oh Flick, congratulations dear. Mr IDS must be over the moon.

[Hidden in reply to SlowLoris]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 thank you so much for making me laugh- truly. It’s a miracle, I’m a headline in the Sun and the Daily Fail. I’d better appoint my granddaughter its guardian when I pop my clogs 👶

[Clairecandothis Marathon Half Marathon]

It is the pesky zone 2! Grr 🤣🤣 It makes sense but it's annoying lol. I love chips and curry sauce!! Xx

[Hidden in reply to Clairecandothis]

Thought it might be. Mmm Chips and curry sauce with a dash of tomato ketchup. The Chinese over the road make the best chips - they taste like roast potatoes - and they’ve confirmed the curry sauce is vegan, so I’m super happy 😋 xx

[Lordi Marathon]

Flick, I went from about 82kg Dec 2017 down to 74kg autumn 2018 - C25k + B210K+HM+M, then back up to 77kg now. My waist is the slimmest ever (belt buckle hole evidence). Could be that you have more muscle than fat now, still slimmer looking overall but heavier than you "look"? My belly fat bit (the bit you can grab in your hands and damn to hell) is persistent but the male-type internal hoard has all gone (beer belly type).

[Hidden in reply to Lordi]

I do have a lot of muscle, but the tummy it doth wobble and my waistband is tighter

[Oldfloss Administrator]

Weird.. I need to fish out the scales....!!!

[Hidden in reply to Oldfloss]

You are slin as it’s possible to be! And you haven’t been slow running

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to Hidden]

Hmm... I still will find the scales and see...

[MadDave]

I’ve noticed speed sessions and intensity (fell running) have helped shift my spare tyre in a way that distance runs on their own couldn’t touch.

[Hidden in reply to MadDave]

interesting!

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon]

Interesting post Flick. I run slowly over longer distances nowadays, although I could run even slower. My heart rate is naturally low, so to run faster to raise it wouldn’t be sustainable for me. I’m hoping the duration of my runs is burning plenty of calories so I can satisfy my monster appetite (mostly healthy - not always!) 😅

I have no idea what I weigh, but my body shape has definitely changed for the better. I’ve regained my muscle tune, lost when I stopped riding and hitting middle age. 🙄

Do you think your weight gain directly ties in with starting the HR training? That article made sense to me, but yes it needed a bit of brain gymnastics to decipher it!

[Hidden in reply to cheekychipmunks]

I think it’s definitely the training. Nothing else has changed. I’m not as hungry as with normal running , but I haven’t cut back on food, and I do eat a lot, especially carbs. With pre training I got the shakes if I didn’t eat, but that only happens now with intervals and tempo runs.

My resting heart rate is very low for someone of my advanced years - 55bpm or less - but my active hr soars into the 170s on some runs, so keeping it low is a problem which the training has helped. But you’re a fast runner anyway x

[jrunner Marathon]

Look like my own story, I lost around 12-14 kg while running <10km par day, since I started going over 10+ (4-5 times a week) I gained around 4-5kg back, nothing changed in my diet. Weird.

[Hidden in reply to jrunner]

I’m so glad you said that. We aren’t the only ones! It HAS to be tied to slower pace over longer times

[jrunner Marathon in reply to Hidden]

Yeah, may be slower pace, though I am not too concern about this as I am at much better weight then I was before (starting running), but I hate to see my bear belly (which was going flat slowly), My pants size was 36, went down drastically to 32 within 3-4 month (had to buy new pairs within 4 month), but I was happy, comfortable and confident in new one. But since last month size 32 getting uncomfortable and bit tight. Not sure

What happened?

[misswobble Marathon]

I usually put a few pounds on during marathon training as I crave more protein. I get it off in tapering for two or three weeks when i’m Not as ravenous

If you eat healthily I wouldn’t worry

I went to WW this morning and I’ve gained 2 pounds I think it must be muscle 😃💪🏃‍♀️

[Hidden in reply to misswobble]

I think that’s the problem and the solution all in one. I’m not ravenous with the slow running, but am eating as I did when running faster. I’m hardly overweight but it’s annoying to have things a bit too snug round the waist! Plus every extra pound is a strain on my damaged left leg and knee.