Weight and running

Cabaal

So when I started running back in February I was approx 200lbs (14.3stone) back then I could barely keep running for 60sec.

I'm now able to run 10km in about 67min (fastest time yet for me) but checking my weight I'm now just at 15stone (210lbs), my diet hasn't changed but yet I've gained 10lbs between February and May.

I can understand some weight must be down to building muscle but didn't think it would be this much and hoped I would loose weight doing this as well as improving general health, is this normal?

Krusty_Clown

Not really. I would have thought (but I'm no expert) that the curve would be steep and downwards and eventually plateau, as you hit your natural weight, and begin to replace fat (weight) with muscle (weight).

Are you eating more, as a consequence of the extra exercise? Do you use sports drinks and such? It's probably time to start looking at your diet and if you're not doing it already, and keeping a food diary.

OI

When I started running last year, I put up some weight and was running for about a month before it started to come down, then I started losing weight steadily. This is without changing diet and even slightly improving it.

I have really run for about 5 months and now that I've started again, again I've slightly improved the diet (some ways to go) and my weight is gone up a couple of pounds. I can't suggest a reason for this, I'm just sharing my experience. I've been back running two weeks, I've toned and I know that after 3 - 4 weeks of running the weight will start dropping off again. Stick with it.

ecoli

I wouldnt worry too much just yet. I know last year i went 4 months injured and for the first 6 weeks after i came back i actually put on weight and was perplexed this however soon shed off again and i went back down to my optimum weight. Give another bit of time before you start to concern as you may just be drinking more to stay hydrated and this could allow for the extra weight.
Though i agree with KC there nothing wrong with having a look at your diet and see is there minor tweaks you can make which can have major benefits on your running

Cabaal

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Are you eating more, as a consequence of the extra exercise? Do you use sports drinks and such? It's probably time to start looking at your diet and if you're not doing it already, and keeping a food diary.

Nope don't use sports drinks at all, just drink water

I don't keep a food diary but I might start one alright might help keep track of things abit, at times I may have eaten slighly more due to the running but certainly not that much.

woodchopper

ecoli wrote: »

after i came back i actually put on weight and was perplexed this however soon shed off again and i went back down to my optimum weight.

How do you define optimum weight? One should identify that optimum racing weight is different for everyone. It really comes down to BMI that is weight compared to size ie an athlete who stands at six foot and weighs 150 pounds is in better racing weight shape than an athlete who stands at 5:8 and weighs 145 pounds provided there is no let down in performance. Very rarely would an athlete have optimum racing weight.

superjosh9

You could go to a gym and see about one of their schemes? Personally I seem to lose weight when running - I find that annoying since I'm a bit of a weiner anyway. 10 stone when running, 11 when not. Prefer the gym these days myself..

iceage

When I started back running a while ago my weight rose slightly and I put it down to building muscle but I didn't really notice a drop in my weight for at least 8 weeks and I was being very careful with my carbs intake (that was back then, I'm a carb monster at the minute ) But it took quite a while for me to see it falling off me, I was almost at the point of jacking it in. How are you on carbs? breads, pasta, etc. And I know it sounds silly what time of the day do you weigh in? Morning or evening?

ecoli

woodchopper wrote: »

ecoli wrote: »

after i came back i actually put on weight and was perplexed this however soon shed off again and i went back down to my optimum weight.

How do you define optimum weight? One should identify that optimum racing weight is different for everyone. It really comes down to BMI that is weight compared to size ie an athlete who stands at six foot and weighs 150 pounds is in better racing weight shape than an athlete who stands at 5:8 and weighs 145 pounds provided there is no let down in performance. Very rarely would an athlete have optimum racing weight.

BMI is a very loose guideline as the range of normal weight is between 18.5-24.9 which is a very wide range and as such two athletes can be normal weight and not be at there best.
Ideal race weight is a weight in which you perform to the best of your capabilities while keeping low injury risk and maintaining hard training and is unique to every individual runner. Closest rough chart i could find for an active runner is this:

Allocate 110lbs (56.2kg) for the first five feet (1.524m) in height and 5 1/2lbs (2.296kg) for every inch (0.025m) thereafter. With women, giving them 100lbs (45.3kg) for the first five feet and 5lbs (2.268kg) for every inch above this.

Having established the average, the ideal weight for athletic performance, as follows:
Sprinters (100-400m): 21/2 per cent lighter than average (6ft/176lbs - 21/2% = 4lbs)
Hurdlers (100-400m): 6 per cent lighter (or 9lbs)
Middle-distance runners (800m - 10K): 12 per cent lighter (or 19lbs)
Long-distance runners (10 miles onwards): 15 per cent lighter (or 251/2lbs)

woodchopper

ecoli wrote: »

woodchopper wrote: »

Allocate 110lbs (56.2kg) for the first five feet (1.524m) in height and 5 1/2lbs (2.296kg) for every inch (0.025m) thereafter. With women, giving them 100lbs (45.3kg) for the first five feet and 5lbs (2.268kg) for every inch above this.

Having established the average, the ideal weight for athletic performance, as follows:
Sprinters (100-400m): 21/2 per cent lighter than average (6ft/176lbs - 21/2% = 4lbs)
Hurdlers (100-400m): 6 per cent lighter (or 9lbs)
Middle-distance runners (800m - 10K): 12 per cent lighter (or 19lbs)
Long-distance runners (10 miles onwards): 15 per cent lighter (or 251/2lbs)

There are very few athletes in Ireland who stand at five eight for example and weigh 135 pounds. Irish runners tend to be very heavy for distance running eg many athltes weigh around 70-72kg for average height which is too heavy for optimum performance. I believe this is the case as many Irish athletes are afraid to run high mileage even for marathons and above, Seeing as Ecoli you mentioned that you reached optimum racing weight and you ran a half marathon then are you suggesting that you weigh under 25lbs for your average weight height. If so well done

ecoli

woodchopper wrote: »

There are very few athletes in Ireland who stand at five eight for example and weigh 135 pounds. Irish runners tend to be very heavy for distance running eg many athltes weigh around 70-72kg for average height which is too heavy for optimum performance. I believe this is the case as many Irish athletes are afraid to run high mileage even for marathons and above, Seeing as Ecoli you mentioned that you reached optimum racing weight and you ran a half marathon then are you suggesting that you weigh under 25lbs for your average weight height. If so well done

As i said this is the closest general table i could find but i am 5"7 and 128lbs which is a wieght which even during hard training regardless of changes in my diet i have not shifted and only seem to change weight during injury. I would disagree with the generalization that most are that weight much like the generalization that many avoid high mileage. I know many club runners who would be like me around 70-80 miles a week and weigh even less than that.
The point i was making was not Irish culture but the fact that everyone has an optimum weight which doesnt always correlate with BMI

misty floyd

Article from time magazine last summer: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html (why exercise won't make you thin)

Some good points to look out for. I was definitely guilty of over eating after exercise in the past....and now from time to time. I know muscle weighs more than fat but isn't it hard to gain muscle if you are calorie deficient? Its just not possible to gain weight (other than water) unless you are eating too much.

Dave_

Reading a good book at the moment called Racing Weight. Very interesting and gives some good advice to, at first, calculate and then achieve your ideal weight as an endurance athlete.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1934030511?tag=z10.10.03-20

Cabaal

Thanks lads for the helpful links, I'll give them a read later and monitor things over the next while

woodchopper

ecoli wrote: »

I would disagree with the generalization that most are that weight much like the generalization that many avoid high mileage. I know many club runners who would be like me around 70-80 miles a week and weigh even less than that.

Since when is seventy miles a week high mileage.

Krusty_Clown

Off-topic guys. Start your own 'what is high mileage' thread.

ecoli

woodchopper wrote: »

I would disagree with the generalization that most are that weight much like the generalization that many avoid high mileage. I know many club runners who would be like me around 70-80 miles a week and weigh even less than that.

Since when is seventy miles a week high mileage.

I was not clarifying this as high mileage it was in correspondence to weight to mileage ratio as a comparison to your two generalizations of these two topics. I do agree with the lads though this is not a mileage thread because this is subjective the point that was being made was the achievability of a persons optimum race weight

dna_leri

Cabaal wrote: »

So when I started running back in February I was approx 200lbs (14.3stone) back then I could barely keep running for 60sec.

I'm now able to run 10km in about 67min (fastest time yet for me) but checking my weight I'm now just at 15stone (210lbs), my diet hasn't changed but yet I've gained 10lbs between February and May.

I can understand some weight must be down to building muscle but didn't think it would be this much and hoped I would loose weight doing this as well as improving general health, is this normal?

This is not unusual.

See also this thread http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055889976

When I started back running, I lost about 2Kg in the first 3 months, but then knocked off another 10Kg in the following 6 months.

Keep at it, monitor your intake, and see if you can start to vary your runs as you build your fitness.