Run-Down Forums

[Guest]

I lost 125 lbs. 8 years ago and kept off 90 of it, however, I am discouraged because I have gained 30 back. This hasn't been recent, but over the first two years, and I have gone up and down 15 lbs that seems to cycle each year. I lose 15-20, then I regain it back again. The part that frazzles me is that I exercise routinely (almost everyday), but running/walking 3.5 miles. I know that when you exercise you need to consome more calories, however, I am consuming approximately 1500 calories a day. Is this too much for a female that is 5'3 1/2 " that has a medium-large build. I know it is some muscle, however, beleive me, I know I see some extra weight. I am a sweet lover and tend to gear more towards candy vs. fruit. I find that when I do lose the weight, I do not focus so much on candy and sugar, but it also appears I consume less calories too. Any suggestions?

[Anonymously Posted by: 'laurah']

[Dan]

Laurah,

First of all, congratualtions on losing that much weight! Considering you've kept off more than 75% of the weight you originally lost, I'd say you've done pretty well. But I know that's little consolation -- you want it all gone.

1500 calories does not seem like much, although I admit to not being a calorie counter. My philosophy is that if you focus on eating good things (sorry, fruit wins out over candy ) and eat however much feels right, the calories are not very important. Trust me, I have a sweet tooth, too!

One thing you can try is to raise the intensity of your exercising. Conventional wisdom says you will burn more calories by running longer and slower, but a significant number of studies have shown just the opposite. High intensity exercising can keep your metabolism at its highest level for up to 17 hours following the workout. I don't remember the number for low-intensity, but I think it was around 4 hours max.

So what do I mean by high intensity? Think intervals. Stuff that gets your heart pumping, makes you gasp for air from the getgo, and makes you feel like you're going to throw up. You know, the fun stuff!

Dan

[Guest]

I just recently took up running about a year and a half ago. Between my junior year and senior senior I lost 30 pounds and dropped two and a half minutes off my 5k time. I am now currently running in college. I try to keep my caloric intake under 3600 calories a day, but sometimes I am really starving on that. Is this normal. Am I possibly to thin now. I currently run about 50 miles a week.

[Anonymously Posted by: 'john']

[Dan]

Hi John,

My advice is to not worry about caloric intake. I calculated mine once, and I was up around 4,000 on an average day. That was similar to what a lot of my teammates were eating, and it's what was necessary to keep the body going. If you feel like you're barely making it by, you definitely need to eat more. That's the beauty of running -- it will take care of excess calories by making the metabolism burn hotter and longer.

Dan

[Guest]

What about beer? I run 30 + miles a week, lift weights, ride my mountainbike 20 miles a day to work and back. I eat little to no dairy, mostly veggies, brown rice, fish and red meat. I am 195, 6 feet tall and can run a 5k under 19 minutes and rip the average guys head off.....but I drink beer....good beer like Guinness and micro brews. Supposed to be empty calories and lots of em.....What's the deal?

[Dan]

It could well be that you're doing well enough in the other areas to succeed in spite of letting down in another (beer).

Dan