Running but no weight loss!

Same here - although my legs have noticeable more muscle and my tummy is flatter. Trying to tell myself the scales dont matter so much 😬

Although I may have not lost a great amount of weight running, I do run a lot.

It has changed my shape, I can feel, and see muscle, legs are leaner and I have dropped a dress size running.

It has taken 3 years though. It takes 30 miles or so to lose a pound solely through running.

Doing 8k every day will make a difference, it will take a while. All successful changes do though.

For those asking about a book for understanding how weightloss is regulated by hormones eg. Insulin.

I would highly recommend Delay, Don't Deny by Gin Stephens

Also would add that even if you are not seeing much weight loss I think that regular runners have a runners bounce - I don’t know how to explain it but it’s like an energy someone gives off, a flow on their body.

It might have been said but 80% of weightloss emanates from the kitchen. I know a couple of runners and whilst it's great that they love it etc, I'm not inspired by it purely because I'd hate to put that much time and effort in an still have their shape. They acknowledge that it does very little for their weight or overall shape

Thanks to all the posters who have given advice about calorie deficits. I tracked my food intake religiously when I lost weight after my children and recently have been "guessing" although using the "Lose It" app too.

Now I log absolutely everything so that I don't go over 1k calories a day whilst also enjoying a glass of wine. I'm also low carbing and burning off between 200-400 calories a day (which I don't normally "eat"), with running / online workouts. Already I've dropped 2lbs which is great as I'm aiming for 2lbs a week and to lose 1 1/2 stone.

@Lobsterquadrille2

Really pleased to hear you’re walking and... eating well. Am I right in thinking you used to suffer badly in seriously restricting? So 2-3k is brilliant

@hamstersarse can you recommend any reading for the ideas you have posted. I’d be interested to know more.

I'd also recommend searching for James Smith. Very sensible advice particularly on females and the impact of hormones. He has a book out called Not a Diet Book which is worth reading, it's a whole body approach, less stress, plenty of sleep.

Try Nutracheck if you don't get on with MFP. And don't go too low with your calories, slow and steady weight loss is much better for you. Well done on the running.

More HIIT, fewer calories. Low carb works well. A lot of what are perceived to be healthier meals really aren't (pasta, sandwiches, jacket potatoes)

How are you sleeping? Work on that too to reduce snacking.

@hamstersarse thank you. I thought that being menopausal must be the root of it - I have no signs, but the right age. If I really wanted to lose the seven pounds, what would be the best way?

@Lobsterquadrille2

Weight is controlled by hormones - insulin, cortisol and our sex hormones. They are the 'things' that do the divvying out of the energy I have mentioned. They are the flaw in the calorie in, calorie out model - they mediate how you use your energy, so menopause is a great example of how your hormones will be all over the place (sorry, if you are not actually menopausal, but I would guess you are somewhere near)

To demonstrate this further - we all know that we get weight gain just before our period despite what we eat in terms of calories. We all know this. All women know this. And this very simple example, dispels the myth that it is all about calories in and calories out, and in fact we need to look to the hormones we have rushing around our body trying to organise the energy we put in. Insulin is the key hormone here, hence the mention of sugar and carbohydrate, but there are more, such as leptin that is crucial for us in weightloss and health.

@hamstersarse can I second the request that you start a thread about this please? I've started walking 10k steps in the idea that I might build up to running .... but I've put on about seven pounds over my own "normal" weight. It's not huge, I'm not overweight but it's big for me. I tried 1,000 calories a day for a couple of weeks, no loss at all. For three lockdown weeks I ate between 2,000 and 3,000 calories a day 😳 - no gain. It's as if I am stuck firmly at my current weight and cannot move from it - it coincided roughly with my 50th last year. It's annoying me.

@hamstersarse
Thank you for sharing your knowledge- what you're saying makes sense but I can see it's not a case of 'one size fits all'.
Do you have any book recommendations to help me learn more about this?

Some people will come along and tell you muscle turns to fat

To be fair, I hope no-one was going to come on and say that .

OP I started the new year at a size 20 and took up running a long with a diet. I am now a 14-16 running 4k 3times a week and eating approx 1500 calories a day. Can you record your calories today and see what you're honestly eating?

Well done that’s great!!
However if it’s weight loss you’re after it’s more about the diet. As my mum would say - ‘you can’t outrun a bad diet’ (she says while wondering when she’s going to sort out her own diet!)

Salene

It is not as simple as that. The body is not a straightforward combustion engine. As above, if you give it 1000 calories a day, it will manage its budget carefully. It may start giving less energy to the brain ( brain fog), it may give less energy to hair (hair loss) and it won’t necessarily use the fat it has stored. Usually because it doesn’t know how to because it is confused by the level of high carbohydrate it keeps getting every few hours (anything less than 4 hours)

It matters what you fuel your body with. Of course calories have some impact, and if you consistently fed it 800 calories a day, you would lose weight eventually but it would be at massive cost to your health as it takes energy from other functions to survive.

You need to look at what you eat. And when you eat it (spaced out)