Why don't I lose weight?

There is a saying "you can't out run a bad diet." Like you said, running doesn't burn many calories. Weight loss is done by eating less calories than you burn. You just have to be careful because caloric deficits can lead to running injuries.

When I was twenty I could eat an entire pizza after running and still lose weight. Needless to say I'm older now and it's much more difficult. I have to watch my intake or I'll gain weight fast even with running.

The weird thing is I've never really had an issues with my weight. When I was in my 20s I was a weight lifting goon so I bulked up to 192 lbs. Then I stopped I went down to 180 or so and it took until I was 40 for my weight to creep into the upper 180s. My weight has been quite static so I was really frightened by running so much I would get down to 155 and quickly.

Now I like running so much I don't even care and simply want to be lighter to run 5ks faster even though I feel like I would look better at a heavier weight.

If you ever touched a weight, it leaves a memory making it easier for your body to go up to that compared to if you had never gone there in the first place. This is just my hunch and I don’t have anything to back it up.

Less cake. More lettuce. Hope that helps.

That's very interesting and in a strange intuitive way sounds like something that might have a real physiological basis.

So I looked it up and it can be explained after all with things that are well understood scientifically and that I knew too but just didn’t put two and two together earlier:

1) Muscle size is easier to regain to a previous level than to get there for the first time because of myonuclei retention and nervous system adaptations that are sticky.

2) When the body gains fat, fat cells both increase in number and size, but when you lose, the fat cells typically only shrink in size making it easy for them swell back up again.

Yeah, you've never been 41 before. Now that you are, the weight doesn't come off quickly. It can, but you have to pay close attention to portion size and empty calories and all that other stuff. Running helps a bit, but most of what it takes to lose weight is just eating less.

Well you have lost 7lb in 5 months which is pretty good. Losing weight too fast is a bad idea. Just keep doing what you are doing

I was a sprinter in my early years and my weight was static for the first 50 years of life. Now that I am 60 years, I am noting a fluctuation of between 2-5 pounds. I do jog a few times per week and try to eat healthy. Sometimes I fall short doing both, but falling short doesn't last long, thankfully. My advice is to not agonize over it. As you grow older it just takes more effort. Totally up to you how much effort you want to put in.

25 miles isn’t that much a week for weight loss. Say you run 5 miles 5 days a week and you burn maybe 400-500 calories running. You can easily over eat that especially with a sedentary life. Try increasing your protein intake. Maybe you’ll be less hungry.

You also don’t seem that heavy honestly compared to the average person nowadays. You are doing your heart a favor by continuing to run your 25 miles a week.

Also add weight training 2-3 times a week.

This is the answer. That said, it seems like I can basically eat whatever without any weight gain when I'm consistently putting in 60+ mile weeks

Have you tried Ozempic?

I have recently done a 180, it’s a wonderful drug and should be prescribed much more.

There are 3500 calories per pound of fat. So at a calorie deficit of 100/day you’ll lose about 1lb per month, which is about where you are at and in line with the amount you have been running. It’s also probably what is manageable long term

I outrun a bad diet around 100mpw... Less miles than that I have to be disciplined about how much I eat. You are asking for injury if you are trying to outrun a bad diet.. you can only do that if you built up for years your mileage.

Are you doing anything else, like strength training? You'd benefit from 1 - 2 days of strength training if you are looking to improve your running and also fat loss.

It does. It's related to muscle memory...