To ask how to shift 7lbs?

[MushySeas]

After losing a significant amount of weight years ago, I'm gutted and feeling depressed to have put half a stone back on since I started running a year ago, and I've tried and failed for 6 months now to lose it again. I love running (15k a week on average) but should I give up?

I'm only short so every pound shows.

I eat healthily, and cook from scratch so no hidden calories. I thought running would help shift a few more pounds!

Every day I'm feeling like a failure for putting this weight back on and I feel very chubby and unattractive.

Any advice at all?

Thanks so much for the kind words. I am quite a harsh critic of myself, I fear losing control and piling the weight back on so I have to keep myself 'in check'. I feel the normal rules of praise and achievement don't apply to me because I look so gross.

Okay, I'll cut back on carbs, watch my portion size, try to eliminate the evening hunger and I'll look into strength training and increase my run milage.

I don't just want to weigh a certain amount...I really want to be fit. Sadly I'll never look toned or like a beach model but hopefully it'll help me look less top heavy.

So you’ve identified the cause, what can you do to fix it?

I'll do all those suggestions and if I'm still hungry in the evening I'll just ignore it. I've done it before! I really don't want to put more weight on and I have to lose this half stone.

Norovirus! Head to nearest nursery and lick a few spoons

Slim fast is good, you can get a 7 day starter pack from superdrug with shakes and snacks to keep you going through the day, and you have a 600cal dinner

Running is great for your health but it makes you bloody hungry! If you're not tracking what you eat I'd suggest that, because you're probably upping your food without realising it. Try MyFitnessPal. You're not a failure - you're awesome and you'll have vastly improved your overall cardiovascular health.

HIIT exercise/interval training is one of the best things for weight loss, particularly if you're in a plateau at the moment, it sort of 'shocks' your body. It can also use other body muscles so you get more of an overall toned and fit look - I remember I lost 10 pounds in a month on a calorie controlled diet and doing Jillian Michaels 30 day shred.

@StillIRise87 if I see anyone sneezing en route I'll ask them to kindly lick my face.

@Halloumimuffin would this be good enough to follow?

Just thinking maybe you need some snacks throughout the day? Apple, nuts, seeds etc. Might make you feel better?

Mushy are you on Strava? It's a free running app that tracks your routes and your speed, I was very skeptical at first but since I've been using it I've started really pushing myself more. You don't need to run further, especially if time is tight- but by using your run like a training session, so do some normal running, but also do bursts of high intensity, or run up a hilly street then walk back down a few times, or try to beat your 1 mile personal best within a run for example will make your workout much more effective. Running for 5km at a steady pace really isn't the most efficient way to burn calories. Instead of viewing your running as a way of 'undoing' your food intake, see your food as a way of improving your running

Oh and that 30 day challenge is exactly what I was talking about up thread. They have gyms here that only do those classes - 40 minutes at a time and you’re done 😊

Don't cut out food groups. Eat lean protein, small amounts of healthy fats - nuts are good for portable snacking, coconut, avocado & their oils for cooking, eat olives but save olive oil for salad dressing. Wholegrain carbs (like brown or wild rice, pearled spelt & barley in place of pasta or in salads, freekeh, etc). No bread, pasta, white rice etc as they break down very quickly & you're far more likely to snack or eat junk food as they're easier. Eat a lot more raw food - I've started doing this recently & it's more filling than a lot of other diets, easier to prepare a batch in advance so I can be ready for when the munchies hit, & probably works out a bit cheaper as no cooking involved. I look on pinterest or just search online for ideas.

Have you tried the Hairy Biker diet books? The food is calorie counted, but so packed with veg that you feel full afterwards and it doesn't taste like diet food, which is great. I've just got 2kg off ds in a month using these without trying.

For evening hunger have Total 0% yogurt with fruit (about 100 - 200g) which is about 20g protein. That will eliminate all the hunger pangs and stop you from snacking.

Or perhaps you are burning much more calories than you are eating which has put your body into starvation mode so you won't actually lose any weight despite your best efforts. Am not a nutrition expert but had to study a lot of this when I did a personal training course.

@AwdBovril I'm happy (and proud!) to say my diet is as you describe. I don't eat red meat, white bread/pasta or anything processed, sugar or have takeaways.

I have at least 10 portions of fruit/veg a day. Everything is made from scratch - my treats are a few squares of very dark chocolate or rhubarb and Greek yoghurt.

Breakfast is fruit or porridge with chai seeds, lunch is a mackeral or feta cheese salad and dinner usually a variation of veg Thai curry (homemade) or veg chilli. I include a handful of brown wholegrain rice.

But my portions must be creeping up? It obviously going on so it must be what I'm eating. And then in the evening I'm really ravenous so I eat nuts, seeds and dried fruit. I only drink green tea or water - I'm not into tea or coffee.

It's so frustrating to put so much effort into my diet and exercise, only to still feel fat, frumpy and gross. :(

I'm good in the day at eat only 3 healthy meals (no snacks) but by 6-7pm I am so hungry that I feel faint when I stand up, so I have to have something.

Well done for identifying the problem - when you've lost a lot of weight its very easy to relax a bit on your portion control and snacking. And if you're anything like me, your brain goes "well I've been running so I've earned this snack" without registering that your 2 mile run has probably burned 80-100 cals a mile but your 'snack' is 400 cals! This is a battle I've been fighting for years and its not an easy one to win.

I can recommend the messageboards on MyFitnessPal if you would like some proper advice - some of the posters on there spout incredible nonsense but there are some properly qualified folk who give really good advice. ps there's no such thing as starvation mode

@thenewaveragebear1983 I've used Runkeeper to keep track the past year - was amazed my 5k time has improved by 9 minutes.

Is Strava better? I'll download it :)

Sorry @MushySeas my post didn't highlight the quoted bit!! Also forgot to add a huge Congratulations for your progress so far

The slimmer and the more active in general you are, the harder it is to lose the last few pounds. When I come back from a holiday or want to get rid of 2-3 lbs really the only thing that works is to seriously cut back on food. I eat two meals a day, no snacks, hour long dog walk before black coffee in the morning, then brunch at around 10am (oats and/or a couple of pieces of toast and eggs), then maybe some fruit mid afternoon with more black coffee, early evening workout, then dinner. Lots of water and herbal tea. It sucks but I can easily lose 3lbs between Monday and Friday.

@Blobby10 I think that must be exactly what it is - and only a couple of weeks of eating 300kcals extrava day is all it takes...

I'm SO annoyed at myself. I kept it off for 5 years. I probably have been more relaxed, and used 'well I have run today!' without really thinking. And my appetite has definitely gone up.

Urrrg.

Thanks SO much everyone.

I've tried a beginner HIIT class (YouTube) and done a 3.5 run. I was attempting 5k but it's bloody hot out there!! Nearly melted.

I'm going back to being super strict and counting calories. My DH won't like it, he said I was grumpier and less energetic when I was 7lb lighter. I'll do it stealthily!!

Muscle weighs a lot more than fat, so as you get stronger you will get smaller, but you won't necessarily lose weight.

Don't give up running: it's really important that you stay fit and healthy. But if you're determined to lose this weight then first of all speak to your doctor to see if you're anaemic, as it does sound odd that you get so hungry after having three good meals a day; and also consider eating a little later in the evening, so that you fill that hungry gap you're getting at 6-7pm.

Do you actually need to lose another 7lb?

@MushySeas it really unfair isn't it? The more we exercise the more hungry we feel!! This year has been a real eye opener for me in terms of my fitness and losing weight - I've finally been honest with myself about what I am eating and that I and I alone am accountable for what I put in my mouth! And that however hard I work in the gym or however far I cycle, it won't outweigh a poor diet.

Like you so rightly say, you only need an extra 300 cals a day (4 chocolate digestives!!! and who can stop at one?!) before youve eaten enough to gain a pound in a week! (roughly as calorie counting isn't an exact science )

Good luck for the running and I hope that you enjoy getting fitter as your weight continues to drop. Just don't get too disheartened as it goes up and down a bit now you are a healthier weight. To parrot a phrase oft heard on MFP "Weight loss isn't linear"!!!

DH has lost a stone in a month on low carb high fat
I lost over two stone on it and am still losing despite re-introducing more carbs
As for the running do it because you like it, to get better at it or improve cardio etc but for weight loss, exercise isn’t especially effective as it just makes you hungry.

Maybe get a fasting blood glucose test done-ask for a full blood count when you get the anaemia done. One of the things attracting me to low carb was that I had blood sugar issues (slumps/extreme hunger/become more hungry the more I ate) and low carb has resolved them.

Strict calorie counting is the most reliable way of losing weight. Buy a food scale and use it religiously. Count every single BLT (Bite, lick and taste). Then you'll have an accurate idea of what you're actually consuming and this will help you create the deficit needed to lose weight. Good luck!