Last sentence should read: happy and as healthy as THE ONES I know that don't put too much thought into it.
Last sentence should read: happy and as healthy as THE ONES I know that don't put too much thought into it.
yeah, that is basically what i was trying to say, the more i worried about weight the more stubborn it seemed... now that i relax about what i am eating and i continue to run for fun, weight has taken care of itself and I am much happier
Time will Tell wrote:
Don't sweat your weight. I did for some time and it didn't want to go anywhere. Sometimes you are what you are. The people that I know worry about their weight never seem to be as happy and as healthy as though I know that don't put too much thought into it.
Solinsky -Your weight is staying so high because of all that upper body mass you've been putting on during your UW wrestling seasons. Time to give that a rest and just focus on running.
happening carl sandwich wrote:
I've been a serious runner for 8 years. I'm 21 years old. I ran close to 4,200 miles in 2006. That averages out to slightly over 80 mpw. Each week I run two doubles, an extralong run (16 + miles), one tempo workout, and one track session. That is in season of course.
Out of season I run upwards of 95 miles per week. There are roughly 4 or 5 doubles per week during base periods.
3 or 4 days a week I will do a light routine of 5x20 pushups, 5 x 10 pullups, and some light exercises with 20 lb dumbells.
I do 10 min of abs every day.
I ear fairly healthy. A few sodas each day, maybe a bit of food around 9 p.m. but not much at all. I drink a lot of milk, eat a lot of Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, fruit, and pasta. Maybe pizza once or twice a week, same with McDonalds. But I don't eat to stuff myself.
Why the hell am I still 170 lbs? How can I run 80+ miles per week for years and still weigh this much?
I am 6 ft. I have raced at NCAA's before and I will most likely be there again this year. I'm just wondering WHY is my weight constantly and consistently so high and would it improve my running to lose a few lbs? get down to say...164 roughly.
Thanks in advance
Water, water, water. Someone please confirm this...doesn't water flush out a lot of bad fat,waste,etc.
I'm not a big fan of consuming large quantities of water but I seem to keep my weight down and feel better when I do.
Soda. Get rid of it. Juices can be really high in sugar also. I'll get orange or cranberry and water them down(half glass). They still taste good and you get more for your money. I love juice. Not Barry Bonds style.
I eat better than anyone else I know and run more miles than any women I know, and I am still pretty heavy. I would love to be a skinny runner chick, but I'd rather run well than go hungry. I'm a believer in eating when you are legitimately hungry and eating small portions often. I also try to eat good stuff as much as I can. I keep a food journal, and it's amazing how if I short myself on food one day, I totally make up for it the next day. If I don't worry about how much I'm eating but just eat what seems right, my caloric intake is as steady as a rock. I don't know what the real answer to your question is (i.e. why you are still what you think is heavy), but I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just try to make good decisions about what you eat for every meal and eat what it feels like you need, not more and not less, and I think the rest takes care of itself.
wow - i would never bother with food journal...you sound like you have a good attitude but it just sounds too obsessive imo... food should be eaten in moderation but also enjoyed too i thinki guess if i ran less miles now i might be singing a different tune
fashionista wrote:
I keep a food journal, and it's amazing how if I short myself on food one day, I totally make up for it the next day.
At 5.9% body fat, I'm guessing your body has found its preferred equilibrium point. Don't fight it as it will offer only short term gains at best.
As others have said, I would lose the soda except as a rare treat and maybe cut out the McDonalds except for the same. Pizza is ok in moderation. There are worse things in life than to be fit, fast, and not look anorexic.
If you're lifting, make sure you only lift in the areas you need to be stronger. You could maybe stand to lose a little muscle weight, perhaps, but you don't want to lose the ones you need most.
Overall, I'd say you're doing fine and you should worry about something else.
Your bodyfat is pretty ideal for a male distance/mid-distance runner. Any change in that will probably only hurt.
Do you do any weight training? You might be one of those guys who gains 15 lbs (of muscle) just by thinking about a benchpress. If that happens to be you, you might want to talk to your coach about altering your weight program. You might end up just doing a little core work and nothing else. On the other hand, you may end up running better as a big, strong guy (especially if you run 1500m and under). It's an individual thing.
I seem to recall (and I could be misremembering this) Joe Falcon saying that he dropped weight training, lost 10 lbs of muscle, and ran better. No dieting involved (I am anti-dieting for runners).
Here's how:
It sounds to me like you would most definitely be a running faster if you lost 10-15lbs. Despite what some people are suggesting, having a BMI of just over 23 might work for a shorter guy, but it is probably too much for a 6ft runner.
I have a similar build and before I really payed any attention to my diet, my natural equilibrium was about 170-175. The bottom line on every successful diet is this: you end up consuming fewer calories than you burn. South Beach, Atkins, low-fat, etc... If you're stuck at a weight, this has to be done consciously, because if you just try cut out certain foods from your diet, ex: soda and fast food, you're body will most likely just make up for it elsewhere.
Firstly, you should determine two things:
1) your daily calorie requirement:
This is the total caloric intake required to maintain your current weight, and will be a general estimate. The first step here is to calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate(BMR), which is about 11 x (your total bodyweight). This is how many calories you would burn if you slept all day. Next, you need to multiply this number by anywhere from 1.2 to 1.5, depending on how active your lifestyle (not factoring in running at all!) Then for each mile you run, at 170lbs, figure another 120 calories needed. This will be a very rough approximation of what you need each day.
2) your caloric intake:
Don't change any of your habits for a few days, but record as best you can the total amount of calories that you're currently consuming. If you eat a lot of fast food, this is easy to do, since most places have nutrition info on thier websites. It's important that you make an accurate accounting of what you eat.
If your actual caloric intake is at least as high as your recommended intake, then you will need to start cutting calories from your diet. If it is a great deal higher, then you should make changes based on your current intake for the time being and not based on your 'recommended' intake. Try to set a target of cutting out 500-700 calories per day less than you require. The easiest change you can make is to drink less soda and gatorade and drink water instead. You may find yourself after a few days eating smaller portions and snacking more during the day to meet this goal without being overly hungry.
You may lose a couple pounds the first week, which is okay, but after this, adjust your intake so that you're losing no more than a pound per week. Since your bodyfat is already fairly low, most of the weight you need to lose is going to be muscle mass. Your performance may decline while you're cutting calories, so you should probably wait until the offseason before trying to lose weight.
That's it!
Good for you. But for someone without a sub-optimal lipid profile (as you may have), it is not unreasonable to question the wisdom of that person eating junk food, period.
some random weirdo wrote:
Here's how:
It sounds to me like you would most definitely be a running faster if you lost 10-15lbs. Despite what some people are suggesting, having a BMI of just over 23 might work for a shorter guy, but it is probably too much for a 6ft runner.
I have a similar build and before I really payed any attention to my diet, my natural equilibrium was about 170-175. The bottom line on every successful diet is this: you end up consuming fewer calories than you burn. South Beach, Atkins, low-fat, etc... If you're stuck at a weight, this has to be done consciously, because if you just try cut out certain foods from your diet, ex: soda and fast food, you're body will most likely just make up for it elsewhere.
Firstly, you should determine two things:
1) your daily calorie requirement:
This is the total caloric intake required to maintain your current weight, and will be a general estimate. The first step here is to calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate(BMR), which is about 11 x (your total bodyweight). This is how many calories you would burn if you slept all day. Next, you need to multiply this number by anywhere from 1.2 to 1.5, depending on how active your lifestyle (not factoring in running at all!) Then for each mile you run, at 170lbs, figure another 120 calories needed. This will be a very rough approximation of what you need each day.
2) your caloric intake:
Don't change any of your habits for a few days, but record as best you can the total amount of calories that you're currently consuming. If you eat a lot of fast food, this is easy to do, since most places have nutrition info on thier websites. It's important that you make an accurate accounting of what you eat.
If your actual caloric intake is at least as high as your recommended intake, then you will need to start cutting calories from your diet. If it is a great deal higher, then you should make changes based on your current intake for the time being and not based on your 'recommended' intake. Try to set a target of cutting out 500-700 calories per day less than you require. The easiest change you can make is to drink less soda and gatorade and drink water instead. You may find yourself after a few days eating smaller portions and snacking more during the day to meet this goal without being overly hungry.
You may lose a couple pounds the first week, which is okay, but after this, adjust your intake so that you're losing no more than a pound per week. Since your bodyfat is already fairly low, most of the weight you need to lose is going to be muscle mass. Your performance may decline while you're cutting calories, so you should probably wait until the offseason before trying to lose weight.
That's it!
Thats some great info. Most of you guys seem to share the idea that the soda should be kicked. I think I can manage that. I'll monitor my weight each week at the University training room facility. I replaced a few cookies at lunch today with a cut up green pepper! Not so bad eh? I'll make some slight adjustments here and there, nothing drastic. Other than that, I guess my body is just going to do what it wants to do. My running has been going great. I can deal with a slight drop in performance for a short time. I'm not much of an indoor runner.
Lets just hope that once outdoor rolls around, I'll be at the NCAAs again. I'll swing back around and update this thread if/when that happens!
its going to happen!
thansk again to everyone who took this thread seriously and gave some solid input!
A few soda's a day? McDonalds? Lots of peanut butter (the kind that is not just peanuts, I bet)? Pasta? Pizza? Dude, you need to seriouly do some reading on nutrition.
Fruits
Veggies
WHOLE grains
Beans/legumes/starchy veggies like sweet potatoes & corn
lowfat dairy/ a little full fat like cheese
lean organic meats like chicken
A few soda's a day? McDonalds? Lots of peanut butter (the kind that is not just peanuts, I bet)? Pasta? Pizza? Dude, you need to seriouly do some reading on nutrition.
Fruits
Veggies
WHOLE grains
Beans/legumes/starchy veggies like sweet potatoes & corn
lowfat dairy/ a little full fat like cheese
lean organic meats like chicken
Wow that would suck. Try eating less than you expend. I am 40 years old. 5'10". 135LBS. around a 4% body fat.( I use calipers). I know there not the REAL way to test. I run 65-95 MPW
Jif is shit. What with all the preservatives, it's like eating a cadaver.
You want to be eating the kind of PB you have to stir.
A bigger breakfast will get your metabolism going.
dude, shut up... like he or most peole for that matter don't know that sodas, mcd's and stuff like that aren't ideal... i don't think he needs to read up on nutrition to recognize thatmost people when they run don't have to follow the weight watchers / fat camp diet you listed belowand seriously while his diet could use improvement certainly it is probably better than 95% of americans out there
is this a joke? wrote:
A few soda's a day? McDonalds? Lots of peanut butter (the kind that is not just peanuts, I bet)? Pasta? Pizza? Dude, you need to seriouly do some reading on nutrition.
Fruits
Veggies
WHOLE grains
Beans/legumes/starchy veggies like sweet potatoes & corn
lowfat dairy/ a little full fat like cheese
lean organic meats like chicken
Since your good enough to make NCAA's and already at a fairly low body fat % I would not worry about it too much.
I ran 75-80 mpw in college and ate a shit load more that you do. If anything I have no idea how you make it through a hard run or workout off a glass of chocolate milk, english muffin, PBJ, and Banana over the previous 15-18 hrs.
If anything I would suggest two things. Cut back your upper body weight workouts. Then eat more at breakfast and lunch, a little less at dinner, then eat a little more for your 9pm snack. Hopefully this would accomplish two things. Maybe drop a couple lbs in upper body mass, and give your body more fuel spread out through the day instead of mostly at night.
I was 6' 145lbs in college, but my NCAA ticket was 10 seconds and 12 places away in XC. But I was no where close to the times on the track.