If you are a runner who uses running as part of weight management, what is your min weekly mileage?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can’t outrun a bad diet. I don’t know any women who are thin who eats a crappy diet. Yes, I know women who “eat whatever they want” but I find that those women tend to not want a lot of junk or are really good at naturally stopping when full.

I also know quite a few overweight runners, were talking women who regularly run marathons.

The overweight runners are probably maintaining their weight, albeit at a number that you find unacceptable. Without running they would weigh more.

I never said I find them or their weight unacceptable. I just stated a fact. They are overweight and run a lot.

I also think running can increase appetite and be used as an excuse to overeat. "I ran 10 mile today" I deserve this or I need all these extra calories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can’t outrun a bad diet. I don’t know any women who are thin who eats a crappy diet. Yes, I know women who “eat whatever they want” but I find that those women tend to not want a lot of junk or are really good at naturally stopping when full.

I also know quite a few overweight runners, were talking women who regularly run marathons.

The overweight runners are probably maintaining their weight, albeit at a number that you find unacceptable. Without running they would weigh more.

I never said I find them or their weight unacceptable. I just stated a fact. They are overweight and run a lot.

I also think running can increase appetite and be used as an excuse to overeat. "I ran 10 mile today" I deserve this or I need all these extra calories.

You are implying that the existence of people who are overweight and run a lot means that running doesn't work for weight management because otherwise they wouldn't be overweight. I'm saying they probably aren't trying to lose weight and are perfectly happy to maintain their current size and diet with a high activity level. Weight management is not the same thing as weight loss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can’t outrun a bad diet. I don’t know any women who are thin who eats a crappy diet. Yes, I know women who “eat whatever they want” but I find that those women tend to not want a lot of junk or are really good at naturally stopping when full.

I also know quite a few overweight runners, were talking women who regularly run marathons.

The overweight runners are probably maintaining their weight, albeit at a number that you find unacceptable. Without running they would weigh more.

I never said I find them or their weight unacceptable. I just stated a fact. They are overweight and run a lot.

I also think running can increase appetite and be used as an excuse to overeat. "I ran 10 mile today" I deserve this or I need all these extra calories.

You are implying that the existence of people who are overweight and run a lot means that running doesn't work for weight management because otherwise they wouldn't be overweight. I'm saying they probably aren't trying to lose weight and are perfectly happy to maintain their current size and diet with a high activity level. Weight management is not the same thing as weight loss.

Agree. OP specifically asked about weight maintenance

[Anonymous]

I run 4 days a week, 5-7 miles at a time, typically around 22 miles/week. On the other days I lift and do non-running cardio, and I usually do a few yoga classes too.

That's generally kept the weight off, though once I hit 40, I've had to start really cleaning up my diet too. It was decent before, but needs to get better. I gained weight at 40 and wish I could lose it!

[Anonymous]

If I run 16 miles a week, I maintain a weight *that makes ME happy* without having to diet/count calories/fast/eliminate food groups such as white flour

A PP was definitely on to something when she pointed out that people like me tend not to go bananas eating Hot Pockets and frappucinos. I do “eat what I want” but that tends to be heavily vegetarian/vegan, and cold water fish. If I snarf a giant brownie every few days because f@ck it, I don’t gain weight.

I’m not skinny, so other PP might scoff that I should restrict calories to drop a size or 2, but I know I’m healthy on the inside based on labs, VO2, spirometry etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can’t outrun a bad diet. I don’t know any women who are thin who eats a crappy diet. Yes, I know women who “eat whatever they want” but I find that those women tend to not want a lot of junk or are really good at naturally stopping when full.

I also know quite a few overweight runners, were talking women who regularly run marathons.

The overweight runners are probably maintaining their weight, albeit at a number that you find unacceptable. Without running they would weigh more.

I never said I find them or their weight unacceptable. I just stated a fact. They are overweight and run a lot.

I also think running can increase appetite and be used as an excuse to overeat. "I ran 10 mile today" I deserve this or I need all these extra calories.

You are implying that the existence of people who are overweight and run a lot means that running doesn't work for weight management because otherwise they wouldn't be overweight. I'm saying they probably aren't trying to lose weight and are perfectly happy to maintain their current size and diet with a high activity level. Weight management is not the same thing as weight loss.

but that is the thing, it is hard and nearly impossible to say that you need to run x miles per week to maintain your weight without taking diet into account.

if two women weigh the same yet one consumes more calories on average than the other then she will need to run/burn more calories on a regular basis to maintain her weight.

There is no, as long as you run 30 miles a week you can eat whatever you want rule

[Anonymous]

I mostly lift every other day.

But I work from home, so when the weather is nice I can sneak out mid-day for a 7 mile run. I'll do it every day for a week and then not at all in the winter. The longest I can go on a treadmill at any speed is 45 minutes.

[Anonymous]

14:15 - when I was under 35 and running 40-55 miles a week, I could literally eat whatever I wanted and still lost weight. I was eating 3,000 calories a day and still got down to the lowest weight of my life because of exercise.

After I had a baby at 36 and then turned 40, that changed. Metabolism does slow down over time. I had to start paying more attention to my diet. (I'm running about half the mileage I was back then, so my calorie needs and consumption dropped accordingly.)

[Anonymous]

Over the past 10 years I’ve run anywhere from 30-60 miles per week and maintained my weight +\- 10 pounds. I do track calories using Lose It but I don’t really restrict them; typically I eat between 1700-2000 calories. The times my weight has gone up a bit have actually been when I’m training for short races (like the mile) and I can tell I have more muscle tone so the fluctuation isn’t due to overeating, IMO.

[Anonymous]

I run 5 miles or swim 1.25 miles every day. Weights 2x a week. An additional 10K steps in daily activity. I eat way healthier than most people I know, but wouldn't say I eat "clean."

This is what it takes for me to maintain 125 at 5'7". Early forties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I run 5 miles or swim 1.25 miles every day. Weights 2x a week. An additional 10K steps in daily activity. I eat way healthier than most people I know, but wouldn't say I eat "clean."

This is what it takes for me to maintain 125 at 5'7". Early forties.

Do you work or have kids?

Where do you find the time for this?

[Anonymous]

I walk 5 times a week, 45 minutes, over 4 m/h. Few minutes of running and add around 30 minutes everyday walking my dog at brisk pace.

[Anonymous]

Most people who run fairly competitively with a goal to get faster maybe running ~50+ miles per week seem to maintain weight without worrying too much about being restrictive with calories. However, to be able to run this much without getting injured, you typically need to approach eating more as fuelling...you can't have big caloric deficits without screwing up your hormones and risking injuries. Additionally, some very competitive runners watch their diet super closely to lose that last little bit of weight for performance reasons, but at that level it is a really walking a fine line that might not be worth it unless you are sub-elite.

I would say that to get to the point where running is an effective weight management strategy, you need to run a lot...like getting to averaging 1 hour a day. Most people who are doing that are doing it because they enjoy training for races and improving, not necessarily to manage their weight, although it can be a nice added bonus.

Also I've noticed in articles and on the internet and such discuss how people train for marathons and gain weight. In my observation, this is usually people running low mileage (for marathon training anyway) plans that top off at 35-40 miles per week and average ~20 miles per week with the goal of just finishing rather than chasing a time goal. For most people, this is just not enough exercise to make a dent in what they will compensate in eating. Once you get up to more like 60 miles per week, the compensation effect seems to be less dramatic.

TL; DR most people need to run a lot for it to be a particularly effective weight management strategy, and need to run a lot more than the recommended 30 minutes 3x a week to stay cardiovascularly healthy. And run enough that it is a time commitment that is really only worth it if you love running and training. It would be easier to manage weight through diet if that is your primary concern.

[Anonymous]

^^^
Interesting points. I’m one of those people who tends to gain a bit of weight marathon training. I’ve only run 2, and although I’m holding out hope I will one day do NYC, but I’m not interested in doing more. Both times the training just wrecked my body, both times when I got about to the 18 mile long run. The weight gain of maybe 2 or 3 lbs came from my hunger from the increased mileage just busting right past my normal sense of control when eating.

I use half marathons for weight maintenance and also (along with eating at a deficit), weight loss (after the holidays, after having babies, etc). I try and do a spring and a fall half, and use the summer to focus on strength and stability. I’m a slow runner, like, I’d consider a sub-2 hour half a great time. But casual half marathon mileage is my “happy place” for weight maintenance and injury prevention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I run 5 miles or swim 1.25 miles every day. Weights 2x a week. An additional 10K steps in daily activity. I eat way healthier than most people I know, but wouldn't say I eat "clean."

This is what it takes for me to maintain 125 at 5'7". Early forties.

Do you work or have kids?

Where do you find the time for this?

3 kids. Full-time job.
Get up at 5 to work out.
Walk to and from metro, I generally can't manage a lunch break but try to jump out to take a 15ish-minute walk to get coffee at some point during the day, short walk with dogs and alternating kid after dinner whenever possible -- I get to the 10K pretty easily with these choices.