Help losing weight

You think you weigh too much at 6' and 160? I think you need to chill out. If you want to lose weight, stop lifting, it's that simple.

...or a troll. Pick one.

Not a troll.

I know by no means am I overweight but I do feel that my weight limits me from being as competitive as I could be if I was 10 pounds less. I'd ideally like to break 15:30 in the 5k this season and most of the guys I see doing this look to have a more naturally skinny frame than myself.

Is it possible for me to get this frame or am I simply at the lowest I can go for my body type? It seems regardless of how much/little I work out and if I don't eat for an entire day or eat non-stop my weight only ranges a few tenths of a pound different.

Wondering what other eating habits are of people above 70mpw, if anyone else is greatly hindered on their runs if they haven't ate enough in a single day, etc. I know all the questions seem fairly basic with straightforward answers but I feel like I've tried every method of weight loss (healthy and not) and wondering if maybe I'm just not supposed to weigh less and be happy with it, or if there is something significant I'm completely missing.

I should also emphasize by my lifting I didn't become excessively stronger. Prior to lifting I could probably only bench 100 pounds while today I can bench 160 pounds twice.

How's your nutrition?

Dieting is not a good idea when you're running that kind of mileage. As long as you aren't gaining weight, I'd say you're fine. I'm shorter and heavier than you, but I know that I will never be a 15 minute guy (before I started lifting I was 5'9.5" and 155lbs). I make up for it by throwing things during track season.

As far as your lifting is concerned, what kinds of sets/reps do you do?

My nutrition I guess is mediocre. I don't count calories or carefully monitor how much protein/carbs/fat I intake and I eat whenever I'm hungry which can sometimes take all night. But I also generally eat all healthy foods and I can't remember the last time I ate any sort of junk food. Never have desert, a glass of chocolate milk after each run is by far the worst thing I consume each day.

I know in the average world using the scale at my doctor's office I'm a completely healthy individual and if anything, weigh a few pounds less than I should. But when comparing myself to other runners of my height reaching the goals and aspirations I've set myself, they weigh less than me but at least (appear) to have an identical build as me (but with maybe a slightly slimmer torso).

I'm just trying to find out if anyone else has had this similar struggle or unsettled feeling about weighing too much to achieve their goals, and if/what was done to slim down when you felt all else wasn't possible.

I have a similar issue right now, and I am trying to deal with it with reduced calorie intake (mainly with focusing on drinking a lot of water).

My problem, however, does not deal with running a lot of mileage. I am trying to finish out the indoor season (my last season of eligibility), and can only run about 10 miles per week - I cross train the other days of the week. I am 6'4", and my ideal racing weight is 175 (maybe even 172 for anything over a mile). However, I am right around 187 right now, and I notice it a good bit in a mile race (and I would notice it even more at the 5k). Also, I am trying to incorporate celery and carrots into my diet for snacking purposes - I would usually have corn chips or other things with more calories, something you can do at 100 mpw, but not 10 mpw and cross training.

bump

Last try, any thoughts?

Eat good quality food until your full, eating less is not smart. Your racing and performance will suffer.

don't ever eat after dinner, EVER

Body fat?

Thats a much better predictor of weight you can realistically lose.

Also try

http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/

It'll help you to make sure you are getting the correct nutrients from your meals. You don't want to just reduce calories with no concern for your carb/fat/protein intake.

I have basically the same problem, if you want to call it a problem. I too am 6' and 160. However, I am 60 and running about 50-55 miles per week. When racing and younger I ran at 152. Weight is composed of both muscle and fat. Lifting adds muscle which weighs more than fat. As one poster said, test your body fat compsition. If you are in the 7 -10 % range, you don't have much to lose and I would not worry. Keep running and eating. If you are over 10%, get rid of meats and dairy products for awhile, filling yourself with fruits and vegtables. Beans and tofu for protein.

Thanks! All of this is really helpful!

I've always known not to eat after dinner/before passing out for the night but I normally always get hungry later and eat a bowl of cereal every night. What's the reason behind eating at night having negative effects?

I also don't have access to calipers to measure my BMI. I did a very rough measurement last night using the US Navy measurement system, and a piece of string and ruler to measure. I came out to 11.04% which I thought was going to be closer to 15-17%. What would be a healthy number that I could lower down to?

Also, that MyPlate program is great. I've always wanted to track my daily intake but was always too lazy to do it. It says that I should be eating ~3200 calories. Does that seem like a fair number based on my training? What would be a good balanced percentage of carbs, protein, and fat?

That US Navy measurement can be woefully inaccurate.

At 6'0, 160 you are pretty skinny.

Don't eat crap. Don't gorge. Train hard. The rest should take care of itself.

Protein at every meal (lean beef or pork, fish, poultry), veggies at every meal, fruits and natural starchy carbs (potatoes, yams, rice, oats, just don't go apeshit).

Most people just need to stay away from crap and added sugars to get down to their "ideal" weight.

Alan

I ran 15:23 a few weeks ago at 6'0" and 170, so I don't think weight will prevent you from getting your goal.

I can also bench 175 10 times. I don't watch what I eat, and I only run 60 miles per week (but I run pretty much everything hard).

at 6 feet and 159 you are sort of a beefcake not gonna lie ( i am 6'1" 142lbs) so if you lost a few you would definitely run faster just gotta stop finishing your wife's meals lol. but no seriously do you really need to be lifting? also the other guy is right that you dont need to be eating at nite, at that point in the day you aren't burning like you are earlier and you dont need the extra food just to go to sleep, eating at nite is how most people gain/maintain unwanted weight, best of luck

rough guide wrote:

at 6 feet and 159 you are sort of a beefcake not gonna lie ( i am 6'1" 142lbs) so if you lost a few you would definitely run faster just gotta stop finishing your wife's meals lol. but no seriously do you really need to be lifting? also the other guy is right that you dont need to be eating at nite, at that point in the day you aren't burning like you are earlier and you dont need the extra food just to go to sleep, eating at nite is how most people gain/maintain unwanted weight, best of luck

He's not a beefcake, you're a fvcking skeleton!

do you go to whitewater?