marathons put weight on

Lou H

08/02/2007 at 10:42

Hi,

I seem to be loosing the plot again, this happens every time i train for a marathon. I cant stop eating, my husband says i am like a hoover. Normally i am able to find a balance with eating and training and therefore dont normally have weight issues.
However i dont seem to know how to control myself with food, yes i know its cos of the increased training but i am putting on weight.....does anyone else have this problem.

Artemis

08/02/2007 at 10:51

Yes!!

My appetite has ballooned, and so have I!

First time mara training. Wasn't expecting this side effect!

Gym Queen

08/02/2007 at 11:03

Same here! when i was just running and cross training, i slimmed right down. Now i'm marathon training i xcan't seen to lose the 4 lb from xmas. not usually a problam at all!!

Nick L

08/02/2007 at 11:13

Me too....i feel like a right fat bloater at times! After a long run I normally have a low desire for food, then a few days later...BOOM stuffing all sorts into my head!

My approach to try to lessen the damage is to chop up lots of veggies (sweet pots, parsnips, sweede, onion, peppers, pots, courgette, etc etc etc) bung em in to roast before you go out to train on a low heat, then by the time you get back theyre done. Lots of good nutrition, but not too much in the way of calories, so you can fill your face! Of course you need to have some meat/fish with it too, and poss some brown rice.

Trouble is, the large slab of cake afterwards undoes all the good work!

Velociraptor

08/02/2007 at 11:29

I've surprised myself by putting on a wee bit of weight (not "ballooning" by any means - no more than 2-3lb but it's a definite trend) since increasing my mileage in December. Some of it could be blood volume and some of it could be muscle, and a little of it definitely IS F.A.T. but in the right places :o)

Nick, the large-volume, low-calorie approach doesn't work for me. There's a little meter at the top of my stomach that clocks in every calorie and sends out for more if I don't give it enough.

Gym Queen

08/02/2007 at 11:30

How hard is it though to run, not be hungry and stick to eating the good stuff?

Artemis

08/02/2007 at 11:33

Glad it's not just us ladies Nick!

I usually have some homemade soup/stew ready. So I'll have that when I get in, and a sandwich.

And then the cake!

Gym Queen

08/02/2007 at 11:36

If i try and eat the calories i did before i trained purley for a marathon, i have to get up and eat a banana at 3 in the morning cos im hungry!

Lou H

08/02/2007 at 11:37

So pleased to see that i am not alone out there!!!! although it is very depressing, if i continue like this i will be to fat to run the race. So much going on in my head, feelings of giving up, especially when i make the effort to get up at 5am to do my training and then to find i have put weight on aswell....perhaps i am having a bad day.

Nick L

08/02/2007 at 11:41

V'rap....i just like to 'feel full' after eating, so yeah that approach may not work for all....as with you!

Arty - nope, not just me...I would like to be about 6lbs lighter...but I guess that is silly. I dont know what % of me is fat though, which clearly is a better indicator of ones weight/size etc.

I try not to make cakes or buy biscuits, otherwise I just eat them!

Of course a good way to lose weight would be to eat some slightly off fish/meat/chicken....as the resulting food poisoning would shed pounds!...

Gym Queen

08/02/2007 at 11:42

I know what you mean Lou H, it does make you feel like that, even worse if you can see it on a training log! i don't put my weight on it anymore, its too depressing.

MikeFrog

08/02/2007 at 11:45

Me too, I've only done two marathons, and both
times I put on weight during the training.

Artemis

08/02/2007 at 11:45

Vrap - you summed that up well. That applies to me as well. Large volume, low cal - not working right now!

GQ - I did that a couple of weeks ago too! Banana and a drink of water in the middle of the night. I was ravenous! hee hee

Lou - Don't give up! Keep on going. This is a side effect of training, but not a reason to give up.

Ah Nick - the quickest weight loss diet in the world! lol Not sure I fancy that one.

I do wonder how much runs would be easier with out the extra weight. I will find out. One day!

Gym Queen

08/02/2007 at 11:47

I know muscle weighs more than fat, and we are bound to gain some muscle but what about the 'bulge' around my belly!!!!

Nick L

08/02/2007 at 11:50

....ok Arty, then the other approach is an extremely stressful event in your life, which again isnt entirely desirable!!!

...or go out and get 'proper' flu (not man flu!) I lost 3/4 of a stone in 2 weeks once and went under 11 stone! I was told that I looked awful though!

Seeing as I am more or less always training for a mara or similar, then I guess I am not going to lose weight.....sob!

Gym Queen

08/02/2007 at 11:54

i wondered if it was because i stopped weight training (body pump class 2 a week), you know, burn more calories, always. So i've strted again. I'll let you all know.

Artemis

08/02/2007 at 12:00

Ah yes Nick! Stress. Must admit to hitting the cake and wine heavily the other week when I had all the trouble with my boss. So that hasn't helped!

Buzzstar

08/02/2007 at 12:07

hoorah, this posting has saved my sanity, thought it was all going wrong. a month away from my first marathon and i've put on a good three to four pounds and just cannot shift, don't think my running has faultered though. my leg muscles are a lot firmer so perhaps that where the weight is ...

Lou H

08/02/2007 at 12:26

Thanks everyone for your input, so pleased that i am not the only one out there with this problem.
I am off to the gym now before its to late and i hit the vending machine....

Heavyweight

08/02/2007 at 13:39

I take issue with one of the swaps recommended - they suggest Gouda over cheddar based on fat content. Whereas Gouda (40-48% fat) is typically higher than cheddar & other hard cheeses (33% fat)

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