5k RUN

Hi Guys.

Im pretty new to running and absolutely loving it.

I run 5k on the treadmill 4 times a week in a time of just over 30 mins. I don't seem to be losing any weight which is a bit odd as my diet is very high protein and very low in carbs . I am 32 years of age 16 stone 9 in weight and desperately want to get fitter and slimmer. Every time i hit that treadmill i aim to run faster each time. Maybe it's time for a differenrt regime and diet change? any useful advice will be very welcome. Thanks. Josh.

Assuming that the treadmill is set to produce the same resistance as real running, then using this website http://www.runtheplanet.com/resources/tools/calculators/caloriecounter.asp  , that's 473 calories a run, so 1892 calories a week, which assuming that you haven't eaten anymore to compensate, e.g. energy drinks, recovery drinks, I can have a biscuit because i've exercised etc. then that calorie deficit is about 1/2 a pound a week (assuming that the rest of your diet isn't in calorie excess)
Excercise per se isn't a great way of loosing weight unless you're doing hours and hours and hours and hours of it.

Joshua, i had/have the same problem. unfortunatly running is not the key to weight loss, however your clothes fit you better . I am on week 8 of a 10K training plan and have not lost any weight. I now realise that YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT . My diet has not really changed and this is the reason i have not lost weight. So if i keep up the running and cut out the Pizza, crisps, chocolate and beer then the weight will come off. I am 15 stone and would love to lose a stone or 2 , so i am really going to watch what i put in my mouth for a few months and see how i go. 

Joshua - the key to it all (imho - not necessarily fact) is portion control. Eat healthily, you don't have to be a saint about it, but be careful with the quantities. I can maintain my weight on practically no exercise whilst enjoying all the good things in life (the edible ones!) and stay steady around 11.5st.

Forget the scales! Do skin fold tests if you want to know how your muscle-to-fat ratio is changing. Lots of research using techniques that indicate body fat more directly (your BMI only is only a 200 year old estimate of body fat composition, not a measurement, it's only still used by doctors because it's cheap) show just how inaccurate it is. A recent study using actual measurements of body fat found the BMI is wrong for half of women and 1 in 4 men. It's inaccurate in both directions: it indicates too much fat in some people who don't have too much (more common in men and younger people) and healthy fat in many people who do have too much (called 'normal weight obesity').

I have a low BMI but I'm all flabby and wobbly, I know that if I got a proper body fat test it'd show I still have too much. Certain parts of your body should wobble, and certain parts shouldn't. We all know which these are. Since I've started running and doing hard resistance training, my arm muscles are already firmer after a few weeks and I feel I can lift, push and open things more easily. If you're just running a lot, then eating a lot of protein might not be enough to preserve your muscle mass, you should really lift weights etc. as well. The last thing you want is to lose a load of muscle, because that muscle loss is the reason that people's base metabolic rate slows down and they gain all the fat back when they try to transition to the maintenance period. Less muscle = lower base metabolic rate, weakened bones, less attractive body. It's not worth the lower BMI, trust me.

You need to combine running with diet to lose weight! I am doing Weightwatchers and I get a daily allowance of 26 points (A man would get more!) along with 49 points as a weekly allowance. If I do a 45 minute run I only 'earn' an extra 3 points enough for a Breakaway so hardly loads!

Weightwatchers is not just for women and you can do it online if you don't want to do a meeting.

One thing I would say is that I have found that you can eat too little  and not enough carbs my body goes into a sort of starvation mode and I gain weight rather than lose!

C

Thanks for your help & advice everyone.

Are you going to the gym to run on the treadmill or is it at home?

If you are going to the gym then get a few sessions in with a personnal trainer. They should be able to provide you with an all round exercise plan that will help get the weight down and tone up the muscles.

Doing the same thing day in day out is not good, your body gets used to it. You need to mix your exercise up and do some high intensity stuff as well as the cardio.

Agree, running does burn calories but is not the best way to lose weight, diet is. Be very careful about low carb diets, these have been shown to have health risks (high incidence of stroke among others) attatched. Additionally, if you eat too much protein your body will just store what it doesn't need as fat so there is no real gain there. Watching what you eat and ensuring a good balance is key.

You've made a great start to getting yourself into shape.  Don't be fooled by quick fixes, getting a fit body is a long hard slog. The only magic wands in this game come with very large penalties.