A "big" runner with low BF

OK but still post pics please.

Thanks again and I'll post pictures next time since I know I am J*RK worthy. Peace.

Fatbutnot? wrote:

I am a 5'5" college female who weighs 133 lbs and runs primarily the steeplechase, but also run 1500 and 5k. Everything and anything about getting faster talks about losing weight and ideal weights put me at 118-125, but I'm already at 18% body fat, and when I lose more, my hormones are thrown off and I don't get a period, but will just endlessly bleed and get iron deficiency (yes, male counterparts, bleeding does not automatically mean period). I have big boobs for a runner (DD) and I even got a mammogram to see if they are fatty or dense, and turns out they are denser than average (aka not going to get them much smaller).

Do I just give up on getting lighter? Doctors are not helpful. I run 40 ish mpw, but that's because I am slowly building back from the low iron.

Just run and enjoy it and do the best you can with your current healthy weight. Once you get past the college level, there are a high percentage of runners on PEDs and some are doing damage to their bodies taking medications that they do not need but help their performance, like thyroid meds. Not worth it in the long run.

I'm sorry, but she has a completely valid point. Being and identifying as a cis-male myself, I believe that a guy would totally do what she was afraid of happening. Not every guy, sure. But, I'd say at least 1 who was reading that post would consider it unless he found her to be repulsive enough for his own tastes. Just sayin.

To the real point of your message, Fatbutnot, have you ever had your thyroid checked? I'm no doctor, but I had a similar situation my whole life. At the peak of my training, when I am at my lowest BF, I'm still classified as "overweight." This is even in times where I'm close to my lean body weight of 154 lbs (measured using submersion test). I've been as low as 154, yet I'm still 20-30 lbs heavier than most male runners my height (5'8). I have a hypothyroidism and being medicated for it has helped me to keep a regular weight, however, I'm just denser and more muscular than the average runner. It is what it is. This may be your case, as well. Doesn't stop me from being fast, though. I just got a lot of "what's that wrestler/lineman doing on that track??"

I feel like we're getting a little side-tracked from the OP's discussion, but...as a guy runner, and maybe it's just me, I never really thought too much about weight.

I don't think any of my teammates were all that concerned either. Maybe if you were like over 200 (exaggeration), I would say something, but I feel like weight is just an aspect to the whole training regimen. Do you have enough base mileage? Are you nailing your quality sessions or are you absolute garbage? Training logs should be a better indication of finding out what you want. I knew guys who ate like crap and still did fine....

TL;DR

Don't worry too much about the weight . Changing your workouts/identifying ways of overcoming poor performances, tactically/training-wise might be more effective. If that doesn't work, then well...truth hurts and what else can you do? Good luck.

Yeah, that was a male OP indeed. A serious female would be flattered if a guy did that over a picture of her, yes, they really would. And if she was decent looking, she'd post it hoping it would go viral. Total joke post.

wow that sucked. I truely felt bad for you

Don’t worry. You are at a low but healthy BF. Just enjoy running.

Hello OP, fellow female runner here. I have a couple pieces of advice.

I'm 5'5, and was running at a 123 weight coming into college. Like you, I ate very little, around 1500 calories a day. With the advice of a nutritionist, I learned that I was not eating ENOUGH, and not nearly enough protein. I was soft and fatigued. Now I make sure to eat a gram of protein per pound of body weight daily, or even more. I upped my calories to 2500-2800 per day.

This allowed me to lose 9 pounds, and I'm so much leaner and more muscular. My 5k dropped from just under 20 to mid 16s. PROTEIN IS SO IMPORTANT. An easy way to get enough is to eat a few cups of plain yogurt. Don't cut carbs, and don't go crazy cutting sugar, but cutting EXCESS sugar will help you be leaner.

I'm lighter than you, but I'm very small boned. You are a completely acceptable weight for even an elite runner. If you get enough calories and protein to fuel yourself and train consistently, your body will become YOUR best running body. Look at Elle Purrier, she is busty, not skinny, and fast as hell!! Look at Emily Sisson, Erin Donohue, not all runners have the same shape and that's okay, don't starve yourself-fuel your training.

OP, congrats on being brave enough to post on LetsRun. You can usually get some good information here, but the site attracts a sub-culture of insecure, juvenile males. Any post about anatomy is going to get some juvenile responses. It comes with the territory. These same guys would probably be too insecure to talk to you face to face.

I agree with the posters that say you shouldn't worry about your weight. I would suggest that you experiment with diet. The old low-fat, high carb diet has been scientifically debunked, but we are deluged with advertising touting low-fat foods. Here's a 30-minute video explaining why the low-fat, high carb diet is still so prevalent and so bad for you. It's funny and it covers the key points.

The bottom line is that you might want to add more healthy omega-3 fats--olive oil, avocados, certain fish-- to your diet and cut back on carbs from sugars, grains, and all trans fats. You need proper fuel more than you need to lose weight. More healthy fats will not cause you to gain weight. Fat curbs hunger. You also need more protein than your nonrunning peers.

Good luck,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWaOX2aC9_A

Oh, here's a shorter video (5 minutes) by the same guys that covers the myth of the low fat diet. This is the one I was trying to link to in my previous post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rWjb7t8cfo

Yeah, the OP says I won't post a picture because it will give the guy something to jerk off over???

I wouldn't post a picture either, who would?

But to say that is beyond narcissistic and shows that it's no female or a very classless one if it is.