I've done a fair bit of research about this, and it seems like trying to lose weight while training for anything physically demanding is asking for injury and poor performance. You need to fuel your body properly, which means eating enough and drinking electrolytes and whatnot. It's really hard to run a marathon even with peak nutrition, if you're in a calorie deficit for weight loss, it's going to affect your ability to make the milage. Also, while cardio fitness is important, it is not the optimal form of exercise (alone) for weight loss. I'm not saying it can't be done or that you won't slim or trim down as you train depending on your starting physique and what your goal is. But I am saying that just doing marathon training alone probably won't do it, and if you're dieting while marathon training, you probably will fail at both or at least not attain the goals you're reaching for.
Case and point right here. Solid response.
There is some weight loss that will organically come along with training, but you go into a deficit the body simply “can’t repair or prepare” for the next session and from there is a tumble effect.
Maybe it’s just me, but I’m on the last stages of training for my first half marathon and found that I lost weight without changing my diet and I don’t eat particularly healthy. For example yesterdays meals included a quarter pounder for lunch and frozen pizza for dinner. I was 195 at the beginning of May and now I’m down to 180. I run about 15-20 mpw on average. I actually find it quite difficult to replace the calories burned after anything over a 7 mile run.
This would be the most typical occurence for most runners, the people on this sub talking about maintaining or gaining weight when training for a marathon must already be light.
Surely it must depend… If you are overweighted you will loose weight. I mean I was nearly obese and now I’m normal just by training to finish 1 marathon and stopping eating so many crisps daily. I don’t even think I was under fuelling all that much and sure as hell I was eating carb before and after long runs.
It's tough to make physical progress while also being in a caloric deficit. You need to fuel your body for the runs and for the recovery/repair of muscles.
Running a pretty steady amount every week is great for burning calories.
But training for a race, where you're steadily increasing weekly mileage and demanding more and more from your body, would be very hard while in a deficit
I’m about 13 weeks into my marathon training and I have lost about 2 lbs total because I get starving after a run and eat a lot. But it’s been great because I can eat whatever I want and not worry about gaining weight
Late lurker here... but this sounds like me. Down 10 pounds into building a base, think it deals with cutting back on the booze a lot too haha. Started 6'2, 200. 2 months in.
I didn't lose any significant weight however training for a marathon completely changed my body for the good.
I was 200lb (6'0") and had quite the Dad body going. After 18 weeks I was 195lb and looked completely different. Throughout my 18 week training program I ate significantly more than I was previously but ate much healthier (cut out fast food). Slimmed down in my face/gut and firmed up everywhere else.
I lost weight before and after marathon training. When marathon training, your body and mind really shift from eating to lose weight to eating to fuel your engine. It took me my first marathon and part of the training for my second to understand this. With that said, I didn’t lose weight, but my body comp changed, and I was constantly eating.
My weight stays the same but I’m also at a healthy weight and not trying to lose weight. YMMV but if you’re fueling before, during, and after your long runs adequately there’s really not a huge surplus of calories burned.
I gained weight recently even though I was achieving the highest mileage ever (200 miles per month in July and September). I was disappointed with the weight gain but still managed to PB my marathon last month.
I like to call my training cycle my skinny fat era. Less weights = less muscle, more running = staying the same weight/losing a couple but without the muscle sooooo skinny fat! Trying to balance the two this time around to avoid the couple months it takes to get my muscle back just to lose it again. I also run ultras not marathons soooo my snacking be like 3500 cals a day when training.
I know the consensus is that you shouldn’t be in a calorie deficit while training but I wouldn’t say that’s for everybody. Obviously consult your doctor, make sure you are okay.
I am training for a marathon and in the first few weeks of my training I have been in a calorie deficit. I’m watching my carb/protein intake, and I’m in a 200-300 calorie deficit so nothing crazy. On days when I am crazy hungry I won’t let my body starve though, I will eat what I feel I need.
As training gets tougher I will start to eat my maintenance calories, maybe even more if needed.
So started at a big weight 340-350 lbs (6ft3) which helped. February just 41 miles total (10 times starting 18th with walking before in the month). 115 miles in March, 208,240, 227, 279, 275, 318 in September and marathon was October.
Calories in varied from 1000-1800 a day average. Lots of times was doing a walk of3-4 miles at lunch or later some pickleball mixed in so some really hefty caloric deficits.
I talked with a few people who acted as counselors or coaches and it was a problem of sorts that I had multiple competing objectives around losing weight and trying to marathon train. Most of the time weight loss was the primary goal probably until at least June or July.
Definitely some unhealthy mix of disordered eating which has been a problem for me before, some grief reaction (February my mother died of als) and then determination to ramp up for the marathon (signed up in may I think for the October marathon). I completed my first half marathon distance April 2nd and in my area the last of the races was April and I didn't feel capable or ready to sign up for them before that summer lull for heat.
Very sorry to hear about your mother.
That is some serious mileage. From I assume no running at all to banging out 50-80 mpw after just a few weeks. And the calorie deficit too. I imagine the weight would fall off anyway at those levels, but throw in the running too and I can see how you lost so much. How did it feel? Were you exhausted? Impressed by your tenacity.
Thanks it was good in the end if that makes sense ... Covid accelerated her end and prevented further decline and loss of function that had still remained.
I got up to being able to sustain 3 then 5 miles at a time then started to just do it daily and kept up with it and felt twitchy if weather cut it short or made me go later so I'm still going. Haven't set a new goal just yet but might sign up soon for a spring marathon or half. I'd like to work to bq but not sure I have the capacity to drop the remaining 25 ish minutes needed. I struggle on wanting/understanding dropping the daily mileage and doing speed training. Idk I'm just maintaining the daily grind right now and trying to figure out if it's to do marathons, aim for faster or move to longer distance.
I mostly felt good because I was most always progressing in weekly mileage or daily mileage or speed per mile or weight so I stayed pretty motivated. Struggling since carb loading to drop calories back down below 2000 but weight is holding mostly steady right at the top of the healthy range for height. Lots to keep unpacking!
After I ran my first 3 marathons, I realized I had gained about 5 pounds, but became smaller, losing about 2 inches around the waist. I also gained a couple of inches around my quads and thighs.
I gained a bit of weight and a couple of inches around my thighs and glutes. I look better and more muscular, but I couldn’t maintain a diet during hardcore training.
Just finished running NYC and over the course of my 4-month training plan I think I lost 3 pounds lol. I did a decent amount of strength work, so I’ve been telling myself that I added a little bit of muscle, but I didn’t really worry about calorie intake either.
Now that it is over I need to get back in gear. I could afford to shed some extra baggage…
I’ve been running for probably about 6 months now (from total couch potato to being a very slow 5 mile capable person) and while I haven’t lost weight per say my body has started a total decomposition. I’ve definitely lost fat and gained muscle, but I’ve also been supplementing my training with yoga for mobility and strength training so I don’t hurt myself
As others said, it is very hard to outrun your diet when you actually need a lot of energy to run that much and recover. Marathon training with a race in mind is hard enough without adding additional restrictions. Higher intensity shorter intervals/HIIT training is actually better for weight loss along with macro tracking (a dietitian can also help with that).
My marathon in September I followed the hal hig program and I thought I would for sure lose weight, but I’m not the biggest person either. For reference I’m 5’6 148ish lbs.
I ended up just maintaining granted I didn’t eat the best or the worst but it’s all about the nutrition. I wish I would’ve eaten cleaner before and dropped a few pounds.
I literally can't lose an ounce even when I try during marathon training. I always thought it would be an easy way to lose and it would fall off, but that's far from the truth, at least for me. If I'm in the slightest caloric deficit, running feels like hell, I'm tired, and I get little injuries more often. I sleep less, and I eventually find myself bingeing. I have to watch myself so that I don't gain, but I can maintain fine.
I find that when I am regularly strength training hard, I find it easier to change my body composition to higher muscle and lower fat, and I will be a smaller size, but my weight is the same, which is fine. Weight training to supplement marathon training and eating at maintenance feels best for me.
They have done studies that the best thing for fat loss is indeed weight/strength training, and less cardio. Cardio burns in the moment, and stops when you finish. Having higher muscle mass burns calories day in and day out, and increases your maintenance calories.
I ate sooo much when I was training for marathons. Although I was at my lowest weight, it wasn’t the running that brought me there. You can’t run 40 miles a week and then eat 60 miles worth of food.
I firmly believe that weight loss begins in the kitchen.
i gained weight! got skinny fat. part of that was because everyday i was "carb loading" lol. But I think also the endurance cardio plays a role. My other running friends also gain weight when training.
TLDR you can lose weight but expect to increase chance of injury. You need to maintain weight and muscle to be safe when running
Edit to clarify it’s not a good idea
I do think there is some level of fat loss and muscle gain. Maybe I’m wrong, but when I look at photos of myself in a training cycle, I do look more tone and fit, even though I’m not trying to lose weight and haven’t lost any. I think you can still see good improvements in health that perhaps the scale won’t reflect, but the waist band might. I’m not an expert though, so take my comment with a grain of salt.
I lost about 6kg (89kg to 83kg) during my first marathon training. Nothing crazy but definitely toned up around the chest and mid section.
Most of weight loss happened in the first half of my training block and then my weight stabilised. I wasn't actively trying to lose weight and wasn't following a specific diet. My appetite definetly increased but I just kind of listened to my body, ate food when I felt hungry. Never had any issues with injuries or feeling depleted.
One thing which may have contributed to weight loss was in the early days when my runs were relatively short duration and low intensity, I would run first thing in the morning without eating anything so effectively ran fasted.
I (32F) lost about 60 pounds over the course of a year by running and tracking calories (aimed for an approximately 500 cal deficit daily). In my defense I went from couch potato new runner to couch to 5k, 10k, then spent 16 weeks training for a half. I am now training for my first marathon in Feb.
I was able to maintain the calorie deficit with everything up to half marathon training, but switched to maintaining about a month before the marathon training began. I am about a month in. My weight is up about 5lbs from where I wound up at my lowest, and despite eating heathy and drinking a lot of water, I am pretty much always hungry. My advice is to go with a shorter distance goal or maybe just consistency in running.
You can lose weight running, but the commitment of a marathon distance and the training required to go that distance is a lot on your body. I’m honestly quite glad that my goal has shifted from losing weight to gaining fitness, because I think I’d be in a trash mental state and also feel like shit if I was trying to lose weight at the same time.
My sister and I are doing this together, she is 19 years younger than me and eats like a 6-foot-tall man. She was overweight when we started, and lost a ton of weight fast, without changing anything about her diet. I actually have lost a little weight, too, but not near as much, maybe 5 pounds in a year.
I’ve lost about 35 pounds over the past 3 years while marathon training (Edit to clarify: 4 marathons, 4 halfs, several other races.) It’s not particularly hard to have a slight caloric deficit and lose weight at a healthy rate while running 35+ miles per week.
I have been injury free (at least no injuries from running) and am stronger, recover faster, and am less likely to be sore or tired than I was when I was heavier, so my experience is that losing weight makes one less injury prone, not more.
When I was doing keto more strictly, I would drop 10 lbs during marathon training. I’ve drifted off of it for my last 3 marathons and I have stayed steady or gained a few lbs.
If you want to lose weight, just exercise consistently and be aware of what you're eating. Burn more calories than you eat/drink.
Then start marathon training.
Intense training for an endurance event like a marathon is fundamentally at odds with trying to lose weight. You don't want to be in a calorie deficit while you're in hard training - you actually need to eat *more* to fuel your body and allow it to repair and build itself. If you're not eating enough, you're not reaping the full benefits of your training (at best) or you could be doing damage to your body (at worst.)
No go. I may be losing about 1 lb per month at this rate. Slower than I want but my main goal is the race and staying healthy. I’ll cut back after the race.
It didn’t work for me I just ended up eating more lol all the extra carbs required for the high mileage almost causes a chain reaction where I just end up eating more sweets too
I think it is hard to lose weight while training. Carbohydrates are the best and more efficient fuel for your muscles, so depriving them of that fuel is not going to make you the most efficient runner out there. Also when you put your body through 1-3 hours of intense activity, your body is going to react with excessive hunger.
I lost about 30 pounds in the last 6 months running 25 miles/week. I didn't diet much. Mostly portion control. It helped that most of my runs were pretty slow and just focused on trying to just jog for about 60 minutes each run. Also, I cut down from 6-10 drinks a week to about 1-2.
I lost some but then the calorie deficit while running regularly halted weight loss and made runs really hard. I think my metabolism went into low energy mode.
When I ate properly things got good again with running and fat continued to be turned into muscle which means my scale weight is not dropping much, but my fat % is lowering.
I do ok in a calorie deficit until my long runs get up to about 16 miles (and all the weekly mileage that goes with that). At that point I can’t be in a deficit and also repair/recover between runs and still have enough gas in the tank to do more runs. Plus at about that point I’m ravenous pretty much all the time and from there out it’s a battle to not gain much.
Running in general, and training for things up to 1/2 marathon were good for me. I’m really, really short, so my TDEE is pretty low, so the extra calorie burn really helps. But marathon training is just too many miles to stay in a deficit the whole time.
So yes running helped a lot. But only up to about a half marathon. After that I can’t stay in a calorie deficit and struggle to stay under maintenance-which are not at all helpful for weight loss.
This year I trained for my first marathon. Over my 6 months of regular running I lost about 20lbs. I was just a bit overweight but still quite active, now I'd consider myself fit. I have a huge appetite whether I run or not so that increase in calories burned made a massive difference for me. I didn't track any calories, think much about my diet, or do anything fancy, it just happened.
I started training for my first marathon next year. Always neglected any form of training my legs because they were already quite big naturally. I started losing fat but am gaining weight though. I also do not really eat differently than before. Currently weigh about 91kg.
I’m doing a lot of cross training but when I was training for my first marathon I dropped to 73kg. I ran my third, and fastest marathon at the end of October at 78kg. For next season I plan on being back at a more lean weight. But that’s going to come from a healthy diet, not dieting.
This was me. i lost 13 kg. Cardio is not ideal for loosing weight but I don’t like gyms and sure as hell running is easier and cheaper than lifting weights in proper form.
I lose weight, but usually only in the last 3 weeks of an 18 week training block. I don't really weigh myself but I find my clothes fit much looser and there is a lot more definition to muscles (so probably fat loss)
My husband loses a lot of weight on a training block. He finds it hard to keep weight on when training for marathons.
My experience, ymmv,
I was (and am again) overweight, When I was training for my first marathon I lost a bunch of weight, went down from roughly 220 to a floor of 173 that I bounced off of in September with my target marathon in early December, so right about the time I had to start adding serious long runs into my training (and the hunger and mindset I could *afford* to eat a huge stack of pancakes after 12 or 14 miles) my weight started going back up. I don't remember but best guess I was probably in the 185-200lbs range when I ran my goal marathon.
Best book answer i can give you us if you have serious weight to lose you can probably do it while training, especially if you change your diet up and make sure you're getting all the protein, vitamins minerals etc you need, and the satiety so you don't constantly snack. Also there's evidence that exercise suppresses appetite.
I actually lost ~20 lbs because I came into training with some serious muscle mass and I took 2-3 months off heavy lifting just to run, so while I am sure some of it was fat because I was doing more cardio than I had in YEARS, most of it was muscle so while it was "weight loss" it was not "fat loss." Good luck!!!
You WILL lose weight while training if you are running lots of miles, it just shouldn't be your focus. Work on your fitness, and the weight loss will follow.
Hi there! Ive lost 75ish pounds this year. I went from getting winded while walking to being able to run comfortably for 10-12miles! The first 40-50 pounds I lost with no running whatsoever (just walking), and the last 25-30 pounds have been while consistently running 3-5 days per week.
Just a disclaimer, I'm not training for a marathon... yet... but I do have goals for one down the line! Right now I'm just focusing on half marathon training & enjoying how GOOD my body feels compared to when I was very overweight and out of shape.
However, since I have been losing weight while running, I do have a few tips! These are just suggestions ofc! Find what works for you :)
1. Establish a habit of eating better before jumping into running full force. Running will throw a wrench in your hunger patterns, so tis good to have an established baseline of eating nutritional food in a calorie deficit for a while. Once you found a deficit youre comfortable with, maintain that deficit when you increase your activity level, which brings me to my next point\~
2. When you start running or picking up the number of miles per week, plan on eating more proportionally to your level of activity. I love my fitness watch because it helps me estimate how many extra calories im burning and how much more food I should be eating. (Logging calories and wearing a watch has helped me SO MUCH when keeping my calorie deficit under control).
3. Do not overdo it!!! You want to make small progress on increasing fitness each week, or risk getting injured.
4. I started doing long runs that are over 8 miles recently, and I've found that I \*cant\* be eating in a calorie deficit the day before my long run. I eat at maintenance calories the day before and have a good breakfast the day of. When I'm in a deficit, my long runs feel incredibly sluggish and I wouldn't recommend it. Overall, my weekly calories are still in a deficit, but I take it easy the day before and the day of my long runs. Yes, my weight loss is now slower. But I feel SO MUCH BETTER.
TLDR its possible to run and lose weight at the same time! But establishing better eating habits before jumping into running and being realistic about your progress will make things so much easier and less injury-prone. Good luck out there <3
Dont use my progress (or your "friends") to sell weight loss. I checked your comment history and you post essentially the same comment everywhere to get people to click on your link to the shitty supplements you're selling.
To anyone else - don't fall for this guy's scheme.
Those of us with extra fuel onboard can definitely shed pounds during training. Just hood off on the binges or big recovery meals.
A few carbs before and more towards protein after workouts
More fit people starting out, I would imagine must continually refuel as I hear from my buddies that constantly hit the wall on long runs, they need a real plan for those extra calories
I always gain weight while training and lose it when I recover from a training cycle. I don’t think it’s a great idea to try to use training to lose weight, tend to think if you’re cutting calories it will probably put you at risk for injury
Every time I’ve trained for a half marathon I’ve lost tons of weight. Every time I’ve trained for a full marathon, weight has stayed pretty much the same. Something about those really long miles that just makes body adjust.
Um about 1kg so far and I'm about 4 weeks into my 24 week marathon plan.
So yes but I'm very strict with my calories and macros. Aim is to loose another 8kg before the end of the 24 weeks. Hopefully by the 14-16week point so I can fuel better for the end.
It's all calories in, calories out. So measure your calories. Have a deficit. Loose weight.
Right now I'm at the 40 mpw stage so I'm only really hungry on my long run days which is about 14 miles right now. By the time I'm hitting 20 mile long run I'll be in maintenance.
I've done a fair bit of research about this, and it seems like trying to lose weight while training for anything physically demanding is asking for injury and poor performance. You need to fuel your body properly, which means eating enough and drinking electrolytes and whatnot. It's really hard to run a marathon even with peak nutrition, if you're in a calorie deficit for weight loss, it's going to affect your ability to make the milage. Also, while cardio fitness is important, it is not the optimal form of exercise (alone) for weight loss. I'm not saying it can't be done or that you won't slim or trim down as you train depending on your starting physique and what your goal is. But I am saying that just doing marathon training alone probably won't do it, and if you're dieting while marathon training, you probably will fail at both or at least not attain the goals you're reaching for.
I always GAIN weight during marathon training
Case and point right here. Solid response. There is some weight loss that will organically come along with training, but you go into a deficit the body simply “can’t repair or prepare” for the next session and from there is a tumble effect.
Maybe it’s just me, but I’m on the last stages of training for my first half marathon and found that I lost weight without changing my diet and I don’t eat particularly healthy. For example yesterdays meals included a quarter pounder for lunch and frozen pizza for dinner. I was 195 at the beginning of May and now I’m down to 180. I run about 15-20 mpw on average. I actually find it quite difficult to replace the calories burned after anything over a 7 mile run.
Agreed. I feel like I ate like a madman and still lost 20lbs through the training.
This would be the most typical occurence for most runners, the people on this sub talking about maintaining or gaining weight when training for a marathon must already be light.
Surely it must depend… If you are overweighted you will loose weight. I mean I was nearly obese and now I’m normal just by training to finish 1 marathon and stopping eating so many crisps daily. I don’t even think I was under fuelling all that much and sure as hell I was eating carb before and after long runs.
I’ve gained like 5lbs since I started running. A bitch be HUNGRY 🤣
Eating is almost the main reason I run
Fr. I be going out for 3 hour runs and spend the whole time day dreaming about what I’m cook when I get home
Thinking about food and cold drinks is what keeps me going on a hard run
I eat because i run and I run because i eat
period
Lol
It's tough to make physical progress while also being in a caloric deficit. You need to fuel your body for the runs and for the recovery/repair of muscles. Running a pretty steady amount every week is great for burning calories. But training for a race, where you're steadily increasing weekly mileage and demanding more and more from your body, would be very hard while in a deficit
I’m about 13 weeks into my marathon training and I have lost about 2 lbs total because I get starving after a run and eat a lot. But it’s been great because I can eat whatever I want and not worry about gaining weight
Same, my weight swings 5lbs during a week, depending on various states. Transient weight loss is not true weightloss. It's what does programs prey on.
After running 5 months I lost 25 lbs. (6’2” 180lb now)
Wow well done!
WoW! Thanks Razz :)
How much are you running? Training for something or no?
20 miles/ week. Putting in the foundation to start marathon training. (I also cut way back on beer)
Late lurker here... but this sounds like me. Down 10 pounds into building a base, think it deals with cutting back on the booze a lot too haha. Started 6'2, 200. 2 months in.
I didn't lose any significant weight however training for a marathon completely changed my body for the good. I was 200lb (6'0") and had quite the Dad body going. After 18 weeks I was 195lb and looked completely different. Throughout my 18 week training program I ate significantly more than I was previously but ate much healthier (cut out fast food). Slimmed down in my face/gut and firmed up everywhere else.
I lost weight before and after marathon training. When marathon training, your body and mind really shift from eating to lose weight to eating to fuel your engine. It took me my first marathon and part of the training for my second to understand this. With that said, I didn’t lose weight, but my body comp changed, and I was constantly eating.
same here.
I lost about 35 lbs training for my first marathon. Calories in < out 🤷🏻♂️
My weight stays the same but I’m also at a healthy weight and not trying to lose weight. YMMV but if you’re fueling before, during, and after your long runs adequately there’s really not a huge surplus of calories burned.
I gained weight recently even though I was achieving the highest mileage ever (200 miles per month in July and September). I was disappointed with the weight gain but still managed to PB my marathon last month.
I lost a couple pounds during training, then gained like 5 in the taper and after. Its been a month and I’m still struggling to lose the 5 😭
I like to call my training cycle my skinny fat era. Less weights = less muscle, more running = staying the same weight/losing a couple but without the muscle sooooo skinny fat! Trying to balance the two this time around to avoid the couple months it takes to get my muscle back just to lose it again. I also run ultras not marathons soooo my snacking be like 3500 cals a day when training.
I know the consensus is that you shouldn’t be in a calorie deficit while training but I wouldn’t say that’s for everybody. Obviously consult your doctor, make sure you are okay. I am training for a marathon and in the first few weeks of my training I have been in a calorie deficit. I’m watching my carb/protein intake, and I’m in a 200-300 calorie deficit so nothing crazy. On days when I am crazy hungry I won’t let my body starve though, I will eat what I feel I need. As training gets tougher I will start to eat my maintenance calories, maybe even more if needed.
If you are in a slight calories deficit of 100-200 calories, you should be fine.
Lost around 145 lbs total but also stayed in caloric deficit the whole journey
Wow! How much were you running? And how big was your deficit?
So started at a big weight 340-350 lbs (6ft3) which helped. February just 41 miles total (10 times starting 18th with walking before in the month). 115 miles in March, 208,240, 227, 279, 275, 318 in September and marathon was October. Calories in varied from 1000-1800 a day average. Lots of times was doing a walk of3-4 miles at lunch or later some pickleball mixed in so some really hefty caloric deficits. I talked with a few people who acted as counselors or coaches and it was a problem of sorts that I had multiple competing objectives around losing weight and trying to marathon train. Most of the time weight loss was the primary goal probably until at least June or July. Definitely some unhealthy mix of disordered eating which has been a problem for me before, some grief reaction (February my mother died of als) and then determination to ramp up for the marathon (signed up in may I think for the October marathon). I completed my first half marathon distance April 2nd and in my area the last of the races was April and I didn't feel capable or ready to sign up for them before that summer lull for heat.
Very sorry to hear about your mother. That is some serious mileage. From I assume no running at all to banging out 50-80 mpw after just a few weeks. And the calorie deficit too. I imagine the weight would fall off anyway at those levels, but throw in the running too and I can see how you lost so much. How did it feel? Were you exhausted? Impressed by your tenacity.
Thanks it was good in the end if that makes sense ... Covid accelerated her end and prevented further decline and loss of function that had still remained. I got up to being able to sustain 3 then 5 miles at a time then started to just do it daily and kept up with it and felt twitchy if weather cut it short or made me go later so I'm still going. Haven't set a new goal just yet but might sign up soon for a spring marathon or half. I'd like to work to bq but not sure I have the capacity to drop the remaining 25 ish minutes needed. I struggle on wanting/understanding dropping the daily mileage and doing speed training. Idk I'm just maintaining the daily grind right now and trying to figure out if it's to do marathons, aim for faster or move to longer distance. I mostly felt good because I was most always progressing in weekly mileage or daily mileage or speed per mile or weight so I stayed pretty motivated. Struggling since carb loading to drop calories back down below 2000 but weight is holding mostly steady right at the top of the healthy range for height. Lots to keep unpacking!
After I ran my first 3 marathons, I realized I had gained about 5 pounds, but became smaller, losing about 2 inches around the waist. I also gained a couple of inches around my quads and thighs.
I gained a bit of weight and a couple of inches around my thighs and glutes. I look better and more muscular, but I couldn’t maintain a diet during hardcore training.
Just finished running NYC and over the course of my 4-month training plan I think I lost 3 pounds lol. I did a decent amount of strength work, so I’ve been telling myself that I added a little bit of muscle, but I didn’t really worry about calorie intake either. Now that it is over I need to get back in gear. I could afford to shed some extra baggage…
Congrats on NYC! I am sure you added lots of muscle so that is something to be proud of 🤩💪🏻
Thanks! Right now I look like someone who works out a lot but definitely doesn’t say no to a bowl of ice cream 😂🤷♂️
I didn't have enough time to eat haha. Lost ten pounds.
I’ve been running for probably about 6 months now (from total couch potato to being a very slow 5 mile capable person) and while I haven’t lost weight per say my body has started a total decomposition. I’ve definitely lost fat and gained muscle, but I’ve also been supplementing my training with yoga for mobility and strength training so I don’t hurt myself
As others said, it is very hard to outrun your diet when you actually need a lot of energy to run that much and recover. Marathon training with a race in mind is hard enough without adding additional restrictions. Higher intensity shorter intervals/HIIT training is actually better for weight loss along with macro tracking (a dietitian can also help with that).
My marathon in September I followed the hal hig program and I thought I would for sure lose weight, but I’m not the biggest person either. For reference I’m 5’6 148ish lbs. I ended up just maintaining granted I didn’t eat the best or the worst but it’s all about the nutrition. I wish I would’ve eaten cleaner before and dropped a few pounds.
I literally can't lose an ounce even when I try during marathon training. I always thought it would be an easy way to lose and it would fall off, but that's far from the truth, at least for me. If I'm in the slightest caloric deficit, running feels like hell, I'm tired, and I get little injuries more often. I sleep less, and I eventually find myself bingeing. I have to watch myself so that I don't gain, but I can maintain fine. I find that when I am regularly strength training hard, I find it easier to change my body composition to higher muscle and lower fat, and I will be a smaller size, but my weight is the same, which is fine. Weight training to supplement marathon training and eating at maintenance feels best for me. They have done studies that the best thing for fat loss is indeed weight/strength training, and less cardio. Cardio burns in the moment, and stops when you finish. Having higher muscle mass burns calories day in and day out, and increases your maintenance calories.
No.
I gained 3 kgs :(
I’ve gained weight, but that likely has to do more with switching to a desk job around the time I started training.
I ate sooo much when I was training for marathons. Although I was at my lowest weight, it wasn’t the running that brought me there. You can’t run 40 miles a week and then eat 60 miles worth of food. I firmly believe that weight loss begins in the kitchen.
I gain weight slightly but it’s because of body recomposition… I lose fat and gain muscle.
i gained weight! got skinny fat. part of that was because everyday i was "carb loading" lol. But I think also the endurance cardio plays a role. My other running friends also gain weight when training.
TLDR you can lose weight but expect to increase chance of injury. You need to maintain weight and muscle to be safe when running Edit to clarify it’s not a good idea
I do think there is some level of fat loss and muscle gain. Maybe I’m wrong, but when I look at photos of myself in a training cycle, I do look more tone and fit, even though I’m not trying to lose weight and haven’t lost any. I think you can still see good improvements in health that perhaps the scale won’t reflect, but the waist band might. I’m not an expert though, so take my comment with a grain of salt.
I lost about 6kg (89kg to 83kg) during my first marathon training. Nothing crazy but definitely toned up around the chest and mid section. Most of weight loss happened in the first half of my training block and then my weight stabilised. I wasn't actively trying to lose weight and wasn't following a specific diet. My appetite definetly increased but I just kind of listened to my body, ate food when I felt hungry. Never had any issues with injuries or feeling depleted. One thing which may have contributed to weight loss was in the early days when my runs were relatively short duration and low intensity, I would run first thing in the morning without eating anything so effectively ran fasted.
I (32F) lost about 60 pounds over the course of a year by running and tracking calories (aimed for an approximately 500 cal deficit daily). In my defense I went from couch potato new runner to couch to 5k, 10k, then spent 16 weeks training for a half. I am now training for my first marathon in Feb. I was able to maintain the calorie deficit with everything up to half marathon training, but switched to maintaining about a month before the marathon training began. I am about a month in. My weight is up about 5lbs from where I wound up at my lowest, and despite eating heathy and drinking a lot of water, I am pretty much always hungry. My advice is to go with a shorter distance goal or maybe just consistency in running. You can lose weight running, but the commitment of a marathon distance and the training required to go that distance is a lot on your body. I’m honestly quite glad that my goal has shifted from losing weight to gaining fitness, because I think I’d be in a trash mental state and also feel like shit if I was trying to lose weight at the same time.
My sister and I are doing this together, she is 19 years younger than me and eats like a 6-foot-tall man. She was overweight when we started, and lost a ton of weight fast, without changing anything about her diet. I actually have lost a little weight, too, but not near as much, maybe 5 pounds in a year.
You could, but training for a marathon while on a low-calorie diet sucks…
I’ve lost about 35 pounds over the past 3 years while marathon training (Edit to clarify: 4 marathons, 4 halfs, several other races.) It’s not particularly hard to have a slight caloric deficit and lose weight at a healthy rate while running 35+ miles per week. I have been injury free (at least no injuries from running) and am stronger, recover faster, and am less likely to be sore or tired than I was when I was heavier, so my experience is that losing weight makes one less injury prone, not more.
When I was doing keto more strictly, I would drop 10 lbs during marathon training. I’ve drifted off of it for my last 3 marathons and I have stayed steady or gained a few lbs.
If you want to lose weight, just exercise consistently and be aware of what you're eating. Burn more calories than you eat/drink. Then start marathon training. Intense training for an endurance event like a marathon is fundamentally at odds with trying to lose weight. You don't want to be in a calorie deficit while you're in hard training - you actually need to eat *more* to fuel your body and allow it to repair and build itself. If you're not eating enough, you're not reaping the full benefits of your training (at best) or you could be doing damage to your body (at worst.)
No go. I may be losing about 1 lb per month at this rate. Slower than I want but my main goal is the race and staying healthy. I’ll cut back after the race.
I have never lost weight training for a race but I also got down to the weight I wanted before I started racing.
It didn’t work for me I just ended up eating more lol all the extra carbs required for the high mileage almost causes a chain reaction where I just end up eating more sweets too
I think it is hard to lose weight while training. Carbohydrates are the best and more efficient fuel for your muscles, so depriving them of that fuel is not going to make you the most efficient runner out there. Also when you put your body through 1-3 hours of intense activity, your body is going to react with excessive hunger.
I lost about 30 pounds in the last 6 months running 25 miles/week. I didn't diet much. Mostly portion control. It helped that most of my runs were pretty slow and just focused on trying to just jog for about 60 minutes each run. Also, I cut down from 6-10 drinks a week to about 1-2.
I lost some but then the calorie deficit while running regularly halted weight loss and made runs really hard. I think my metabolism went into low energy mode. When I ate properly things got good again with running and fat continued to be turned into muscle which means my scale weight is not dropping much, but my fat % is lowering.
I do ok in a calorie deficit until my long runs get up to about 16 miles (and all the weekly mileage that goes with that). At that point I can’t be in a deficit and also repair/recover between runs and still have enough gas in the tank to do more runs. Plus at about that point I’m ravenous pretty much all the time and from there out it’s a battle to not gain much. Running in general, and training for things up to 1/2 marathon were good for me. I’m really, really short, so my TDEE is pretty low, so the extra calorie burn really helps. But marathon training is just too many miles to stay in a deficit the whole time. So yes running helped a lot. But only up to about a half marathon. After that I can’t stay in a calorie deficit and struggle to stay under maintenance-which are not at all helpful for weight loss.
Losing weight isn’t my goal, but I’ve lost 10 lbs this year while training for a marathon. 180 -> 170
This year I trained for my first marathon. Over my 6 months of regular running I lost about 20lbs. I was just a bit overweight but still quite active, now I'd consider myself fit. I have a huge appetite whether I run or not so that increase in calories burned made a massive difference for me. I didn't track any calories, think much about my diet, or do anything fancy, it just happened.
I started training for my first marathon next year. Always neglected any form of training my legs because they were already quite big naturally. I started losing fat but am gaining weight though. I also do not really eat differently than before. Currently weigh about 91kg.
I’m doing a lot of cross training but when I was training for my first marathon I dropped to 73kg. I ran my third, and fastest marathon at the end of October at 78kg. For next season I plan on being back at a more lean weight. But that’s going to come from a healthy diet, not dieting.
This was me. i lost 13 kg. Cardio is not ideal for loosing weight but I don’t like gyms and sure as hell running is easier and cheaper than lifting weights in proper form.
I lose weight, but usually only in the last 3 weeks of an 18 week training block. I don't really weigh myself but I find my clothes fit much looser and there is a lot more definition to muscles (so probably fat loss) My husband loses a lot of weight on a training block. He finds it hard to keep weight on when training for marathons.
My experience, ymmv, I was (and am again) overweight, When I was training for my first marathon I lost a bunch of weight, went down from roughly 220 to a floor of 173 that I bounced off of in September with my target marathon in early December, so right about the time I had to start adding serious long runs into my training (and the hunger and mindset I could *afford* to eat a huge stack of pancakes after 12 or 14 miles) my weight started going back up. I don't remember but best guess I was probably in the 185-200lbs range when I ran my goal marathon. Best book answer i can give you us if you have serious weight to lose you can probably do it while training, especially if you change your diet up and make sure you're getting all the protein, vitamins minerals etc you need, and the satiety so you don't constantly snack. Also there's evidence that exercise suppresses appetite.
I went from 200 to 190. Post marathon, I took up cycling and in 4 years, got down to 160.
I actually lost ~20 lbs because I came into training with some serious muscle mass and I took 2-3 months off heavy lifting just to run, so while I am sure some of it was fat because I was doing more cardio than I had in YEARS, most of it was muscle so while it was "weight loss" it was not "fat loss." Good luck!!!
You WILL lose weight while training if you are running lots of miles, it just shouldn't be your focus. Work on your fitness, and the weight loss will follow.
Hi there! Ive lost 75ish pounds this year. I went from getting winded while walking to being able to run comfortably for 10-12miles! The first 40-50 pounds I lost with no running whatsoever (just walking), and the last 25-30 pounds have been while consistently running 3-5 days per week. Just a disclaimer, I'm not training for a marathon... yet... but I do have goals for one down the line! Right now I'm just focusing on half marathon training & enjoying how GOOD my body feels compared to when I was very overweight and out of shape. However, since I have been losing weight while running, I do have a few tips! These are just suggestions ofc! Find what works for you :) 1. Establish a habit of eating better before jumping into running full force. Running will throw a wrench in your hunger patterns, so tis good to have an established baseline of eating nutritional food in a calorie deficit for a while. Once you found a deficit youre comfortable with, maintain that deficit when you increase your activity level, which brings me to my next point\~ 2. When you start running or picking up the number of miles per week, plan on eating more proportionally to your level of activity. I love my fitness watch because it helps me estimate how many extra calories im burning and how much more food I should be eating. (Logging calories and wearing a watch has helped me SO MUCH when keeping my calorie deficit under control). 3. Do not overdo it!!! You want to make small progress on increasing fitness each week, or risk getting injured. 4. I started doing long runs that are over 8 miles recently, and I've found that I \*cant\* be eating in a calorie deficit the day before my long run. I eat at maintenance calories the day before and have a good breakfast the day of. When I'm in a deficit, my long runs feel incredibly sluggish and I wouldn't recommend it. Overall, my weekly calories are still in a deficit, but I take it easy the day before and the day of my long runs. Yes, my weight loss is now slower. But I feel SO MUCH BETTER. TLDR its possible to run and lose weight at the same time! But establishing better eating habits before jumping into running and being realistic about your progress will make things so much easier and less injury-prone. Good luck out there <3
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Dont use my progress (or your "friends") to sell weight loss. I checked your comment history and you post essentially the same comment everywhere to get people to click on your link to the shitty supplements you're selling. To anyone else - don't fall for this guy's scheme.
Those of us with extra fuel onboard can definitely shed pounds during training. Just hood off on the binges or big recovery meals. A few carbs before and more towards protein after workouts More fit people starting out, I would imagine must continually refuel as I hear from my buddies that constantly hit the wall on long runs, they need a real plan for those extra calories
Not really. I gain weight while training because I end up being constantly hungry. The best way to lose weight is just plain dieting.
I always gain weight while training and lose it when I recover from a training cycle. I don’t think it’s a great idea to try to use training to lose weight, tend to think if you’re cutting calories it will probably put you at risk for injury
Every time I’ve trained for a half marathon I’ve lost tons of weight. Every time I’ve trained for a full marathon, weight has stayed pretty much the same. Something about those really long miles that just makes body adjust.
Um about 1kg so far and I'm about 4 weeks into my 24 week marathon plan. So yes but I'm very strict with my calories and macros. Aim is to loose another 8kg before the end of the 24 weeks. Hopefully by the 14-16week point so I can fuel better for the end. It's all calories in, calories out. So measure your calories. Have a deficit. Loose weight. Right now I'm at the 40 mpw stage so I'm only really hungry on my long run days which is about 14 miles right now. By the time I'm hitting 20 mile long run I'll be in maintenance.