Running and Weight Gain!

I have been training since January for a May 1 half-marathon. I joined WW the month before I began the training and was truly committed to losing some weight in the process. I was losing about a half-pound a week for the first month, then lost nothing for a month, and now I have started gaining weight! Five pounds to be exact. I weigh more now than I ever have my whole life and 14 pounds more than I did a year ago but am wearing the same clothes!!!! My stomach has shrunk and I feel thinner but the scale is saying otherwise.

I had my yearly checkup yesterday and I complained to my doctor about it. She tells me how muscle weighs more than fat and that I am building muscle which is a good thing at my age (51) because we are losing muscle all the time. She also pointed out that my bp and pulse were that of a 20 year old and that I should stop worrying about it. She also pointed out that middle age rears it's ugly head whether we want it to or not.

I'm very frustrated by this. I have cut out sweets, beer, fried food and simple carbs. I am eating lean protein and fruits and vegetables. If I do indulge in an occasional dessert or cocktail, it shows. I swear one beer puts two pounds on my rear!!!

So, to all you experienced runners out there, is this normal? Will the pattern reverse itself eventually if I stick with it? Or am I missing something?

Oh, and by the way, DH is training for a marathon and is eating everything that is in his path and losing weight. So unfair!

I'm not an 'experienced' runner per se but I can give you my two cents :) I don't weight myself because I go by how I feel and clothes fit. I can tell I've developed some mammoth quad and thighs since I've been running. I have some shorts that are too tight in the thigh area now? The rest of me feels fine and seems normal just a bulk in the leg muscles from running I guess??? I always hear people talk about how much weight they lost running too and that just does NOT happen for me.

I lost ten pounds three years ago, at which point I increased my riding and started running distance last year. My weight doesn't budge anymore, so I stopped worrying about it. You really have to judge by how you feel and look, and throw that darned scale out the window!

I agree, if you're feeling good and you're clothes are fitting great, what's to worry about?

Although, if you do want a number to focus on, what about your body measurements or body fat% ?

I've mentioned this before, but when I was at my lowest weight, 155lbs, I wore the same size clothes as my sister-in-law who weighed 125 lbs--we're the same height and have similar bone structure. I just had a lot more muscle where she was jiggly :)

This same sister-in-law has taken to running the last 2 years. And she weighs more now, but wears a smaller size. And looks fabulous.

Just to say it again, it's not the number on the scale that's the most important. If you're smaller and fitter, who cares if that number's gone up a little?

For my part, over the last 6 months or so I've been running more and more, and I've put on maybe 5 lbs and dropped another pants size. What you're going through is (unfortunately) completely normal. Frustrating, but normal...

*SIGH* Did you hear that? It was a sigh of relief. I knew I had asked the right people. Poor DH is beyond knowing what to say and try as men do, they always seem to say the WRONG thing. I did my longest run ever on Saturday (10 mi) and was so pumped only to have my enthusiasm disappear when I stepped on the scale Monday morning for it to say 160! OMG! Two more pounds! I thought I was past the age of giving a rip what the scale said until I saw that number in front of me. Tears ran down my cheeks as I peered at the *@$! scale.

Thanks so much. You have all made me feel much better. To hell with the scale. I will keep on running.

Get out the tape measure and throw away the scale (or maybe just put it on a back shelf and bring out out once a month or so). You're doing awesome!

After a big effort, your body may have been holding on to water and doing some repair and recovery. Give it some time.

I started cycling to lose weight, and it was slow as I built more muscle. But even during the plateaus I seemed to be getting thinner, according to how my clothes fit.

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Originally Posted by azfiddle

After a big effort, your body may have been holding on to water and doing some repair and recovery. Give it some time.

I started cycling to lose weight, and it was slow as I built more muscle. But even during the plateaus I seemed to be getting thinner, according to how my clothes fit.

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Funny that you say this. I actually feel swollen the day after my hard workouts. Holding water, repair and recovery. I like it!

A few years ago, I was training for a big race. DH helped me train. I gain 5 pounds, he lost 12. grrrhhhhh.......

Don't weigh yourself every day. Weigh yourself the same time of the day every time you do, and keep in mind what you ate or did beforehand - if you weigh yourself first thing in the morning but had a salty meal or a hard workout the day/night before, you might be higher than your "normal" weight. Or, if you are a little constipated for whatever reason but normally relieve yourself before you weigh, that will be different, too. Or, being dehydrated/well-hydrated. So, basically, it's not an exact science. You have to figure you'll fluctuate, and look at things on a longer-term scale.

Don't just take stock in your weight - also start measuring your arms, waist, hips, etc. Sometimes your weight goes up, your measurements go down. If you can measure body fat % regularly, that might be another good one.

Stress is a factor! If you stress out, you freak your body out, and your body figures it better hang on to that weight as some kind of bad juju is coming.

Think about how you feel. Repeat this to yourself. It will be hard. Maybe by repeating "I feel healthy, I feel good, I feel strong, I am in the best shape of my life" over and over you will start believing THAT is the key over your weight. :)

It might be best to step awayyyyy from the scale for a little while. Some of us get a little... anal... about measuring and tracking and watching and everything and sometimes it's just not the best approach.

Mostly I write this stuff down so I listen to it, regardless of whether anyone else actually reads it. ;) I weigh myself weekly and sometimes I just write down the number and walk away from it - use it for data gathering, not for mulling over and pondering. After doing this for about a year, I can see the big picture - I know what I felt like, looked like a year ago, I can compare that to what I weighed a year ago, and one of them is a more dramatic change. :)

That's good advice, Colby, and Rocknroll, I understand completely......tain't fair.

I'm not going to step on the scale for a while and just worry about my running and having a good time doing it. I will, of course, always watch what I eat and eat healthy but I'm not one to be so disciplined as to never, ever indulge in a cheeseburger on occasion or a cold beer on a Friday night now and then. Life's too short. I did think that running 20 miles a week and riding my bike would give me a little wiggle room to do that. I have found out differently and I think it has to do with being over 50. When I was 35 I could drop 5 pounds by giving up soda for a week.........now I don't even touch the stuff.

I was stressing so and you have all made me feel better. Thank you.

I'm with the others: I don't know what's to be worried or frustrated about. You're fitter, you run for longer, and your clothes fit fine. Just enjoy!

Wot Grog said!

Years ago when I ran for a half marathon I'd lose about 7lbs. Last year, when training for a marathon, I only lost about 5lbs. which must have been bodyfat considering how cold I was most of the time! I dropped a dress size, which wasn't big to begin with. I'm 4'11 and an average size 10 so going down to an 8 lost its appeal after about a month.

Put the scales away for the time being.

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Originally Posted by rocknrollgirl

Funny that you say this. I actually feel swollen the day after my hard workouts. Holding water, repair and recovery. I like it!

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I'm so glad I'm not the only one who notices this. I retain water--during hard efforts AND my period. If they coincide, it's like I'm a different person (or two people). Weird.

When I first started riding, I lost weight after every ride, especially hard ones. Now I mix up the kind of riding I do, do core work/weights twice a week, and hike or walk. I nordic ski in the winter.
I pretty much can bet that I will gain weight after a work out. It eventually goes away, but the stuff about the salty meals, etc. is very true for me. The issue is that it sticks around longer and longer and it is getting harder and harder to maintain my weight. At 5' 1", every 1/4 of a pound makes a difference. I've cut my portion sizes and try not to eat too many carbs if I'm not riding. I never eat junk. Not much more I can do. Perhaps this sounds obsessive, but I figure if it's starting to become hard to maintain now, with all the activity I do, what's going to happen in a few years when I am 60 :eek:?

I wonder the same thing, Crank. It gets harder and harder every year. And I do enjoy an occasional cheeseburger and a beer or a piece of chocolate. I can't imagine giving all that up.

Well, I won't give up my red wine a couple of times a week and my daily square of dark chocolate, which help get my cholesterol down.
I love whole grains in all forms, but I pretty much have to ration those, too, even though they are "healthy."
I do go out to eat more than most, but I even try to be "good" there, but sometimes I do eat the bread and I don't skip the rice either. I have pretty much stopped eating Chinese or Indian food, but I can't give up Mexican; thankfully, here in New England I have to drive a bit to get the really authentic stuff I am used to.
Unless I start doing the type of heavy duty training like Veronica is doing, it's going to be a constant tweaking and restricting myself for the rest of my life.

What everyone else said about not worrying about it, especially if you're losing inches and becoming firmer.

But I will say this: for me, when I'm running more than I'm riding, I will gain weight. Simple reason is that it's just more intense and I can't sustain it as long. Even now that I'm doing one four- or five-hour run each week, that's way different from three or four six-hour rides each week at a lower intensity.

So if you're running more and riding less, take a look at your total expenditure.

Thanks, Oak. I had suspected that intensity might be the case. I'm only riding once a week and running 4 x a week until the HM is over. I'm hoping once I'm back on the bike more I can drop a few pounds. It sure is stubborn though and has been frustrating. I think what bothers me most is that I want to be thin and trim and look athletic. I want to look as good as I feel. I look like Beaver Cleaver's grandma instead. It's hard to be taken serious and I feel like I need to wear some SPANX under my running and riding shorts:(

Ok ladies I have to report that I took your advice and quit jumping on that darned scale every day! I also got serious about tracking my food with Weight Watchers online. I pulled a pair of summer slacks off the hanger this morning and dreaded putting them on and low and behold they were loose around the waist! I weighed myself just to see and I have lost 6 pounds since my original post. So I feel like a big crybaby for complaining in the first place. I just needed to be patient and pay more attention to what I'm putting in my mouth.

Congrats on the weight loss. Six pounds is an awsome number. Whoot! I am excited for you. Keep it up.

Red Rock

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Originally Posted by Bike Chick

I also got serious about tracking my food with Weight Watchers online.

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Accountability is key. I track everything I eat, and all my activity, by time & exertion level. When I slack off on tracking, I can feel it in my waistband soon enough. :o

In general, people eat more than they think they do, and expend less energy than they think they do.

I tried cutting my portion sizes a little and adding in very small amounts of whole wheat grains (1 slice of bread here and there, brown rice a little more often) and found that my weight has stabilized over the last few days. I am not overweight, but it seemed like all of a sudden, the pounds were creeping up. I eat plenty of protein, that's for sure.
Running kept the weight off like crazy, so since I stopped running, I don't have that to help control things. I notice I lose or maintain when I ride at a moderate pace, but when I do long rides or very strenuous climbing, it goes up, probably because I am just plain hungrier.

Way to go Bike Chick!

I'm a runner who cycles so running keeps me in check, especially when I'm training for marathons. I tend not to watch what I eat. In fact, I regard training as a reason to eat almost whatever I like! Although I do keep an eye on it when not training. Beer anyone? :D

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Originally Posted by Bike Chick

Ok ladies I have to report that I took your advice and quit jumping on that darned scale every day! I also got serious about tracking my food with Weight Watchers online. I pulled a pair of summer slacks off the hanger this morning and dreaded putting them on and low and behold they were loose around the waist! I weighed myself just to see and I have lost 6 pounds since my original post. So I feel like a big crybaby for complaining in the first place. I just needed to be patient and pay more attention to what I'm putting in my mouth.

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Sometimes this forum is useful for the sole purpose of telling you what you already knew but refused to believe. ;) Keep it up.