Title basically says it all. I don't think anyone running 10+ miles a day would actually get FAT, but can you notice the difference in how you feel and how you look based on what you are eating?
Title basically says it all. I don't think anyone running 10+ miles a day would actually get FAT, but can you notice the difference in how you feel and how you look based on what you are eating?
I've never run 70+ miles a week, but when following Hal Higdons Intermediate II plan a few years ago for my first marathon (heaviest week only 45 miles or so), I ate junk all the way through, and paid absolutely no heed to what I ate, yet still lost a small amount of weight through the 18 weeks.
You guys pounding out 70+ would have to eat what the TdF guys eat to put on weight, I would think. At least 4000 calories plus per day.
I've been averaging a bit over 120 and gain weight very easily if I don't pay strict attention to my diet. I assume my metabolism is far lower than average and that this is not the norm.
I gained weight while running 100+ mpw earlier this year. The killer is when I am traveling and just grab fast food from the airport or hotels. Plus my metabolism is apparently nowhere the level it was 10-15 years ago.
I'm 25. In the last few years my metabolism has slowed dramatically. I could eat a ton on 45mpw marathon training. I train similarly but I have to be much more careful. Oh well...cheaper food bill
I am 6'4" and 170-175 lbs. I don't really watch what I eat or how much I eat. When I go a few days where I eat an unusual amount my weight still seems to be about the same. The only difference is I poop more often
I think the question OP should have included was age.
I'm 31 now, and my metabolism has definitely slowed down. I only ran 30-40 mpw in high school and could put away whatever I wanted and not gain weight. The number was more like 50-60 in college. As I stated in my earlier post... I now gain weight while running 100 mpw if I am not careful.
Virginia Runner wrote:
I've been averaging a bit over 120 and gain weight very easily if I don't pay strict attention to my diet. I assume my metabolism is far lower than average and that this is not the norm.
Hey man you should really get your thyroid checked, that does not seem normal, and sounds like a legit thyroid disorder.
Was about 140-145lbs when running 50-60mpw then started running 80-90mpw and dropped to 135-140lbs even though I was eating a lot more and binge drinking twice a week. I couldn't have gained much weight when running that much if I tried.
Frightened Inmate # 5 wrote:
I've never run 70+ miles a week, but when following Hal Higdons Intermediate II plan a few years ago for my first marathon (heaviest week only 45 miles or so), I ate junk all the way through, and paid absolutely no heed to what I ate, yet still lost a small amount of weight through the 18 weeks.
You guys pounding out 70+ would have to eat what the TdF guys eat to put on weight, I would think. At least 4000 calories plus per day.
Not necessarily... the body's homeostatic mechanisms are pretty powerful, and if you watch what you eat too closely and don't consume enough calories, your metabolism could downregulate so it doesn't lose mass/energy. It would then be subsequently harder to keep your weight low once your metabolism changes.
25 years old.
I don't gain or lose weight anywhere from 0 to 70mi a week. Your body just knows how much to eat and does it.
I have never run more than 70mi/week.
At 70, I could see it. At 90+, it's probably impossible. If you're not slowly losing weight, you're at the very least clinging to the old weight.
Source: I've been over 100 for 16 straight weeks now, and have lost about 3 pounds in that time. Depending on the day.
80-90/wk guy here, and I've found that at that mileage, I can still gain weight from drinking too much alcohol during the week. If I deprive myself of my weekday "1 beer while cookin' dinner, 1 beer while eatin' it" and keep my weekend evenings modest, I'll be about 5-7lbs lighter at the same mileage.
As the others have stated, it really depends on your age/metabolism, as well as how long you have been running that kind of mileage. As you sustain bigger mileage over time, your body becomes more efficient and learns to do more with less so you stop burning calories as quickly.
I'm 35 now and each year, it gets a little harder to maintain the weight. Generally, I still find that once I begin to exceed 80/week, I start to drop weight fairly quickly. However, I run 60/week close to year-round and have to diet and more importantly, watch my beer intake. I might have a few glasses of wine during the week, but now try to only drink beer once on the weekend and even that, can cause calorie excess.
Yes, I can gain wait on that mileage if I dont watch my diet. I dont eat much junk either and never eat fast food; just too much of the good stuff will do it. I am 31.
Virginia Runner wrote:
I've been averaging a bit over 120 and gain weight very easily if I don't pay strict attention to my diet. I assume my metabolism is far lower than average and that this is not the norm.
How much do you weigh? Perhaps you just don't weigh enough to need to eat that much. There's no reason to assume there's something wrong with your metabolism.
25 years old wrote:
25 years old.
I don't gain or lose weight anywhere from 0 to 70mi a week. Your body just knows how much to eat and does it.
I'm 29 and have had the same experience. My weight has barely budged over the past 7-8 years (basically after I stopped growing completely), probably staying within a 5 lb. range the entire time. This was regardless of whether I went months without running a step or was doing periods of prolonged training at 60+ miles with occasional weeks up in the 80-100 range. My appetite has just always naturally adjusted to whatever my activity level is. It's going to be quite a change if/when my metabolism eventually starts slowing down with age.
I've averaged 70mpw since January of this year and I believe I am at the same weight as when I started doing 70mpw, give or take a pound or two for measurement variation. I must watch what I eat or my weight goes up though I have treats once or twice a week. If I cut those completely I think I might actually lose a little weight. I'm 52.
The GarbageDisposal wrote:
I gained weight while running 100+ mpw earlier this year.
Don't worry, you're fine.
The natural bodys reaction to CHRONIC CARDIO is that it increases appetite and that the stomach holds on to as much BF as possible. What you end up is the often described runners problem "SKINNY FAT".
Running 100+ mpw takes 10+ hours, even for the great runners. Trust me, you spend half of that time in the weight room and sprinting and you're gonna looks incredibly BUFF/RIPPED.
Yes.