I am posting this for my brother. He is a bigger guy, former college football player. He has become a very good duathlete and adventure racer and is looking to enter some tris this year. He is about 6’1" and has a muscular frame, was probably as high as 230ish playing football. However, last year he was racing duathlons in the high 170s-low 180s.
He and I are running in the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler in DC in April. He has been following a pretty good run training plan for 4-6 weeks now and has a long run of near 10 miles, plus usually 3 other runs a week and a couple days on the tri bike or mountain bike. That said, when he first started training for this season he was around 182 and now is up to ~192. His diet is very good and really nothing has changed other than beginning to get back into consistent training for year.
And I don’t think it is a case of people initially gaining weight when they first start a serious training plan, he has always been lean, in good shape and eats healthy. So where is this 10 pounds coming from?
Good question, I’ll ask him tonight and report back.
In speaking to him though he didn’t mention anything about clothes fitting different. Just that he feels he is getting in better shape (running was always his weakness) yet has been consistently gaining weight.
As I said, his diet is good, he is doing some very minimal weight training (less than in the past) and he is in good shape (can avg. over 20mph on the bike and run a 5k in 19ish).
This is a very N=1 observation, but one thing that I have sometimes experienced when ramping up run mileage is weight gain during the first few weeks. Typically my weight then goes back down and after six weeks or so I am below the weight where I started. It has happened to me enough times that it no longer makes me alarmed. I now tell myself (bearing in mind that I have NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER to support this view, it’s just an opinion about things that I find too complex to bother trying to measure) that it has something to do with the increased level of inflammation in my legs that causes my body to retain water. Then once my body gets used to the increased running volume, the inflammation goes down, I stop retaining water, and my weight drops pretty quickly in a week or so.
I suppose I could just as easily file this one under “lies I tell myself”, but in any case I have observed the phenomenon you mention
Thanks, that seems like it makes sense. This is really the first time he has ever committed to a serious and consistent run training program so inflammation could be an issue.
His diet could be good and he could still be eating too much. When I came home from Iraq I gained 10 pounds in the first two months while averaging 16-18 hours a week training. You still have to watch your portions and be sensible. I was a little crazy since I went back to eating the food I liked, but it was just too much.
He needs to read Desert Dudes 8 cardinal rule when trying to lose weight.
That’s the thing, he isn’t eating too much. Portions haven’t changed since the off-season when his weight was a consistent 180-182. The only thing that has changed has been increased running mileage, everything else is constant.
I was in denial when I first stepped on the scale. “This can’t be correct.” Then I went back and examined my eating and found it was excessive. I cut out the “eat 'til I’m stuffed” dinners and boxes of Wheat Thins (those things are evil) and sure enough I dropped back to my normal weight. Your appettite changes and you are always hungry so you think that means you can always be eating.
He could have some bizarre medical condition, but generally the simple answer is correct and he is probably just taking in more calories than he is expending. If he does a detailed analysis of his diet and finds that not to be the case then it could be time to look elsewhere.
Chad
Thanks again for your idea, but like I said, nothing has changed.
He is like me, kind of boring and routine based (I have the same turkey sandwich on wheat every day for lunch). He was eating the same foods in the same quantities in November and December as he has been in January and February. He is now running significantly more and has put on close to 10 pounds in a little over a month.
Interesting. My guess would be this is a combination of putting on a bit of muscle in his legs and retaining water. Something must be causing him to retain water, and his is probably consuming way more water to make up for the increased cardio. Maybe check out sodium intake?
Again, just a guess. I lose weight pretty quick when I up my running mileage, even eating obnoxious amounts of food.
