Some Ask Box Questions
I’m always a little reluctant to answer questions like these because I am such a firm believe that there is no right way to lose weight or live a healthy lifestyle. So my little disclaimer: these are the things that worked for me and NOT AT ALL what I think everyone should do. Plus, I’m clearly not an expert.
What was your diet like while losing the weight? Did you restrict calories?
Although I couldn’t really describe it at the time, looking back, my diet mainly consisted of whole foods and fresh produce in reasonable quantities. I didn’t follow any branded diet, just ate good, fresh foods that I enjoyed (and still enjoy today). I kept it really simple and while I didn’t make a lot of recipes per se, I did cook a majority of my meals.
For breakfast I ate a lot of oatmeal with peanut butter and fruit or a minimally processed cereal with milk and fruit.
Snacks included fruits/vegetables, nut butter, Greek yogurt, and string cheese. If I had blender access a quick smoothie of yogurt, fruit, and ice was a favorite.
Lunch was usually a salad topped with as many veggies as I could find, beans, grilled chicken, and balsamic vinegar or leftovers from dinner the night before.
Dinner was almost always a piece of grilled or baked chicken, roasted vegetables, and baked sweet potato.
I’m a new runner and the moment I started training for a half marathon, I quit losing weight. Really frustrating.
This is an often heard complaint and it’s become common knowledge that distance running is not generally conducive to weight loss. I’m not entirely sure if I agree with this. In my opinion (which is obviously not scientific or based off anything besides my own experiences), if you’re at a reasonable weight for your height and body, the increased activity will not result in weight loss. But, if you’re overweight for your height and body, it is totally feasible to lose weight while training.
I started half marathon training in late June weighing 198 pounds. I ran a half marathon eight weeks later weighing 185 pounds. Weight loss while training is possible.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think people use running as an excuse to over eat. I claim this statement because I sure as hell do. My weight has remained pretty constant within the last five months or so and I can’t write it off as marathon training weight. Only you know what you’re eating and it can be tough to find the delicate balance of fueling your body and your training while not over eating, but ask yourself if you’re making excuses.
How did you start running?
I started running the way most people did, slowly. I didn’t do the official Couch to 5k program, but I did my own run/walk intervals starting with 30 seconds running/4:30 walking x 6. I gradually worked my way up to running a mile straight then pushed farther. I knew as a bigger runner my risk of injury was higher so taking it slow was probably the best thing I ever did.
