What do we typically picture when we think of marathon runners?
Lean, fit people with well-defined muscles and no extra weight. That’s exactly how most professional long-distance runners appear. However, if we look at participants in mass marathons, we may be surprised to discover that many of them carry some extra pounds.
Some amateur runners struggle to lose weight, even when running marathons. They increase their running volume and cover greater distances, yet their weight remains stagnant or, even more surprisingly, goes up.
Additionally, the physical transformations are not as significant as expected: even marathon runners, both men and women, may retain a protruding belly despite having a toned physique.
As it turns out, running long distances doesn’t guarantee an ideal body. Why does this happen, and how can we effectively lose weight through running? Let’s delve into these questions in this article.
Contents
Why Running Can Lead to Weight Gain
Relying solely on the numbers displayed on a scale is not accurate. The body’s composition, specifically the balance between fat and muscle tissue, serves as a much more reliable indicator.
When we start training, our muscle mass increases. Since muscles are denser than fat, if the weight stays the same but clothes start to feel looser, it indicates an increase in muscle mass and a decrease in fat content.
In some cases, there may be a slight weight increase, especially if you had minimal muscle and a low percentage of body fat before starting your training.
To avoid overlooking weight gain due to fat accumulation, we recommend regularly assessing body composition through tests or visually evaluating muscle definition.
However, for most amateur long-distance runners, the lack of progress in weight loss may indicate an underlying issue.
There could be several potential reasons why the body fat percentage remains unchanged or even increases:
- Mistakes in the training process.
- Limiting factors related to lifestyle.
- Health issues that affect weight.
Further, we will examine these three groups in more detail.
Additionally, some marathon runners may have excess fat in the abdominal area, even if they are not overweight overall. This can make their physique appear less athletic and attractive. There are reasons for this, which we will also discuss in the article.
Mistakes in the Training Process
1. Excessive training volume
Both beginners and experienced long-distance runners often make the mistake of training excessively. This can include the volume of running, such as the distance covered per training session or week, as well as the intensity of the training.
Each training session puts strain on the body, triggering the production of stress hormones, including cortisol. When the body effectively handles this stress, proper recovery occurs, resulting in normalized cortisol levels and no negative consequences.
However, if the intensity of running and/or the mileage is too high, cortisol levels will remain elevated, which, in turn, hampers fat burning and leads to other negative effects. Moreover, it is low-intensity training that actually promotes fat burning.
Here’s the catch: The intensity of the exercise determines the energy sources utilized by the muscles. For example, when engaging in high-intensity exercises at the anaerobic threshold, the body primarily burns carbohydrates instead of fats.
In contrast, during prolonged low-intensity sessions, fats become the primary energy source.
So, the body can utilize both carbohydrates and fats as energy sources. What are the differences between these sources? They differ in terms of the speed of utilization and the amount of energy produced:
- Obtaining energy from carbohydrates is faster than from fats. Carbohydrates are stored directly in muscle tissue in the form of glycogen, while fats need to be transported from fat deposits to muscle cells, which requires more time.
- However, fats yield more energy. While 1 gram of glycogen produces 4.1 kcal, 1 gram of fat yields 9 kcal, which is twice as much.
Consequently, when we start running, the initial energy supply comes from carbohydrates. The transition to using fats as the main energy source occurs after approximately half an hour of continuous exercise.
This duration allows the respiratory and circulatory systems to “warm up” and deliver fats to the working muscles. Well-trained marathon runners, whose systems operate more efficiently, may experience a shorter transition time.
That’s why, for effective fat burning, workouts should be continuous, of low intensity, and last for at least an hour.
Related: How Much Running is Good for Your Health?
2. Adaptation to stress
Another reason why long-distance runners struggle to lose excess weight is the lack of changes in their training regimen.
For instance, someone may become accustomed to running 5 miles, 5-6 times a week, at a pace of 11 minutes per mile, and continue this routine for several years. While it may feel easier to run, it doesn’t contribute to achieving a better physique.
The reason lies in the body’s ability to adapt to training volumes. Our body only changes when faced with external challenges, meaning it responds to changing conditions.
If the conditions remain comfortable and routine, expecting any significant changes becomes unrealistic.
Any training program aimed at specific goals, such as enhancing running endurance, building muscle mass, or losing weight, must introduce stress to the body. In other words, it requires creating unusual conditions that will lead to certain transformations.
If you’re used to running for 30 minutes, it’s time to gradually increase the duration and aim for an hour.
If your goal is to run for longer periods, you need to do longer training sessions. The introduction of this unfamiliar volume will initiate weight reduction.
It’s important to avoid overindulging in food after a longer session.
If the running volume is new to you, there’s a risk of coping with stress by consuming calorie-rich meals. In such cases, don’t be surprised if the number on a scale disappoints you. We will discuss nutrition in more detail later on.
Don’t push yourself to run as long as possible to elicit a response from your body. Instead, opt for a moderate level of stress.
When creating a training plan, keep the following points in mind:
- Avoid excessive exertion, as overly intense workouts can easily lead to overtraining and injuries;
- It’s not feasible to continually increase a single parameter, such as mileage or the weight of a barbell, and expect continuous progress. Our bodies have limits that we will eventually reach. Further growth becomes impossible if we only focus on a single aspect.
That’s why incorporating periodization into the training process is crucial. This approach involves dividing the training plan into specific periods, or cycles, that address distinct training objectives while incorporating a variety of exercises.
In running, different periods serve different purposes:
- Base period: During this phase, we focus on establishing a solid foundation for future increases in volume and speed. This is achieved through a significant amount of functional training and plyometric exercises.
- Accumulation period: In this period, the main goal is to accumulate running volume.
- Intensification period: Here, the primary focus shifts to speed development. We incorporate speed work on top of the existing foundation to enhance running performance.
- Competition period: This phase revolves around preparing for competitions. The training is geared towards peaking performance at specific events.
It’s important to note that this is a general outline, and the specific periods may vary depending on the training system used.
The key takeaway from this article is that progress depends on finding the right balance of exercises and their combination.
3. Lack of intense training
Excessive focus on long, slow runs while neglecting speed and interval sessions is another mistake that may lead long-distance runners to weight gain.
Runners, particularly beginners, often prioritize slow running as the sole component of their training program. Undoubtedly, it is necessary and beneficial for safely accumulating running volume without putting excessive strain on the heart.
However, to enhance endurance, interval training becomes essential. In this context, we will delve into concepts such as VO2 max and the anaerobic threshold.
VO2 max represents the maximum amount of oxygen that the body can utilize per unit of time while pushing its limits.
The body acquires oxygen from the air, delivers it to the working muscles, and uses it to generate energy through intricate chemical processes. This is the main indicator that characterizes aerobic capacity, which significantly influences performance in marathon running.
The anaerobic threshold refers to the level of stress (intensity, running pace) beyond which the rate of lactate formation exceeds its utilization rate. As a result, lactate accumulates, hindering further performance.
The goal of marathon training is to enhance these indicators, enabling runners to achieve faster speeds while maintaining lower heart rates, without reaching the anaerobic threshold.
To accomplish this, sometimes it is necessary to push the body to its limits during training, specifically at the VO2 max level.
Interval training is crucial in this regard, as it involves covering segments of a distance at that intensity. Nevertheless, these sessions are physically demanding and necessitate proper recovery, so they should not be overly frequent.
It is precisely because of their high intensity that such training sessions generate the necessary stress to initiate the fat-burning process. But why does this occur? Let’s talk again about the energy supply and consider an example.
As mentioned earlier, burning fat requires running for a prolonged duration at a low heart rate. For instance, if your cross-country run lasts 1.5 hours, fat is utilized as an energy source for approximately one hour. During this hour of slow running, you expend around 350-400 calories (an average value).
From one gram of fat, 9 calories are derived, resulting in approximately 45 grams of fat burned from those 400 calories. In other words, only 45 grams of fat are utilized during one hour of running. While it may not seem substantial, the primary advantage of such training lies in its cardiovascular safety.
During high-intensity interval training, there isn’t a significant increase in energy expenditure (calories). Instead, substantial energy expenditure occurs after the workout during the recovery period.
The reason is that all tissues in the body, including muscle tissue, constantly undergo processes of cell synthesis and breakdown.
During training, when we actively strain our muscles, the breakdown process exceeds synthesis. However, during rest following the session, synthesis is activated, allowing damaged muscle fibers to be repaired, and this restorative process demands considerable energy.
Hence, interval sessions prove beneficial not only for enhancing endurance but also for weight loss.
4. Irregular training
Runners may experience weight gain due to irregular training and extended breaks in their training regimen.
Many runners limit their training to warm weather conditions. The lack of consistency in training is a significant drawback for both race performance and body composition.
Engaging in sporadic training, particularly by solely participating in races and collecting medals every summer weekend, poses challenges in establishing an effective training routine. Moreover, it fails to create the necessary stress on the body required to induce changes in its composition.
The reverse situation is also possible—running races once a week without following a systematic training plan can actually put the body under intense stress. Especially if each race is performed at maximum effort, pushing the limits, which can result in the body storing fat instead of burning it, resembling the effects of overtraining.
Unfortunately, there are cases where excess weight persists despite following a well-structured training program without major errors. In such cases, the reasons can be attributed to lifestyle factors. Let’s now explore these reasons in more detail.
The Impact of Lifestyle on Weight and Training
5. Insufficient recovery
The importance of proper recovery for an athlete can’t be overstated. First and foremost, this includes getting enough sleep.
For people engaging in intensive training, a minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep is necessary. It is preferable to fall asleep before midnight since that’s when the growth hormone, which aids in the recovery process, is produced.
Additionally, the duration of sleep affects the levels of ghrelin and leptin, the hormones that regulate appetite.
Leptin is responsible for the sensation of fullness, and its levels decrease when sleep is inadequate.
Simultaneously, sleep deprivation leads to an increase in ghrelin, a hormone that signals hunger to the brain. As a result, chronic sleep deficiency contributes to overeating.
Moreover, without conscious awareness, we will tend to opt for unhealthy food options—foods that are high in fat, sugar, and calories, which are rapidly absorbed. This response is also linked to the stress of needing to satisfy hunger quickly and store energy for a “rainy day.”
Lack of sleep also impacts insulin function. Insufficient sleep reduces insulin’s effectiveness in regulating glucose levels, causing them to remain elevated. This creates a condition similar to insulin resistance, which can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes.
Combined with an increased amount of fatty acids in the blood, another consequence of sleep deprivation, this can ultimately lead to obesity.
6. High levels of everyday stress
Stress is not limited to training sessions; it spreads to our everyday lives. Increased workloads, conflicts, and other stressful situations trigger the same increase in cortisol levels as training does.
When stress levels are manageable and our body can handle them, doing sports can be an effective way to cope with stress and reduce elevated cortisol levels, thereby minimizing its negative impact.
However, there are cases where, in an attempt to literally “run away from problems”, we find ourselves in a worse situation: the body becomes overwhelmed and has difficulty coping with excessive stress, resulting in prolonged cortisol elevation. As mentioned earlier, this can contribute to weight gain.
Therefore, runners should prioritize self-care and avoid pushing themselves too hard, both physically and emotionally. Failing to do so may hinder your ability to achieve desired athletic results and lead to unwanted weight gain.
Related: 9 Reasons Why Running Makes You Look More Attractive
7. Poor nutrition
This includes both overeating and following a very low-calorie diet, which ultimately leads to weight gain.
At first glance, nutrition may seem quite straightforward:
- If we consume more than we expend, we gain weight;
- If we expend more than we consume, we lose weight.
However, some nuances can influence weight. Let’s delve into what daily energy expenditure consists of.
Basal metabolism refers to the energy needed to sustain essential bodily functions, such as the nervous, respiratory, cardiovascular, and endocrine systems when the digestive system is inactive and there is no physical activity. It represents the energy we expend when we’re at rest, not even utilizing energy for digestion.
Total metabolism includes basal metabolism and the combined energy expenditure from all activities throughout the day. Basal metabolism depends on factors such as gender, age, health condition, and muscle mass.
Muscles are our allies in the battle against excess weight since they continue to burn a significant amount of energy even at rest. That’s what we mean when we talk about “increasing metabolic rate.”
The concept of a “uniform metabolic rate” does not exist; instead, all individuals’ bodies undergo chemical processes in the same way, with the key distinction being the amount of energy each body expends per unit of time.
While excessive muscle mass is not necessary for marathon runners, they still require a certain amount of muscle for effective running. Therefore, endurance runners are advised not to neglect strength and speed training, as these activities help maintain muscle mass.
The most accurate method for determining basal metabolism involves analyzing body composition using a specialized device. This device measures the conductivity of electrical impulses through various body tissues, providing valuable insights into an individual’s fat, muscle, and energy consumption.
To calculate your total metabolism, you need to take into account your activity level. In addition to your basal metabolic rate, you should include the calories you burn through work, daily tasks, and exercise.
If you consume more calories with food than you burn throughout the day, you’ll gain weight—that’s pretty obvious. That’s why it’s important to keep an eye on your diet even when you’re actively training.
Workouts can make you feel hungry, and it can be tough to resist the temptation to eat extra after a long run. However, if your goal is to lose weight, it’s essential to resist that urge.
To shed weight by reducing the fat in your body, you need to create a calorie deficit. This means consuming fewer calories than you expend in a day. The deficit doesn’t need to be drastic—ideally, around 10%.
This level of deficit is enough to kickstart your body’s utilization of fat reserves. It’s not too much stress on your body either, so it won’t trigger calorie storage, which is a risk with low-calorie diets.
If you follow a dietary plan with a calorie deficit of 20% or higher, especially if your calorie intake is below your basal metabolic rate, it puts immense stress on your body. This stress leads to counterproductive outcomes.
Your muscle mass will start to decrease, and consequently, your basal metabolic rate will drop, resulting in lower energy expenditure. Instead of losing weight, your body will conserve resources for a “rainy day.”
8. Health issues
Sometimes, even if the training plan is properly structured and there are no significant flaws in the diet and routine, the excess weight still doesn’t go away. Health problems, such as hormonal imbalances, can be a possible cause for this.
People with thyroid gland diseases often experience excessive body weight.
This organ plays a crucial role in metabolism: thyroid hormones control all the metabolic processes in cells, energy production, fat metabolism, and blood glucose levels. It’s no wonder that hypofunction of the thyroid gland can contribute to weight gain.
Metabolic syndrome
It is important to mention a condition known as metabolic syndrome, which is already considered the “disease of the 21st century.”
This condition arises from decreased insulin sensitivity primarily caused by factors such as poor nutrition, a sedentary lifestyle, and disrupted sleep and rest patterns. In essence, metabolic syndrome can be defined as a disease associated with one’s lifestyle.
The metabolic syndrome manifests with several symptoms, including:
- Excess weight;
- Visceral obesity (the accumulation of fat around organs in the abdominal cavity, hindering their normal function);
- Elevated blood pressure;
- High levels of cholesterol and glucose in the blood.
The main concern is the increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Therefore, making lifestyle changes becomes crucial not only for addressing aesthetic concerns such as weight loss but also for maintaining overall health.
Why Else Runners May Have Belly Fat
1. Visceral obesity
Despite having a normal body build, no excess weight, and visible muscle definition in the arms and legs, runners may still experience stubborn fat around their abdomen. This issue can affect both men and women, leaving them puzzled despite their regular running routine.
One of the reasons behind a protruding abdomen is visceral obesity, which is often linked to elevated cortisol levels caused by chronic stress. This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as “cortisol belly” due to its distinctive characteristics.
Cortisol belly is characterized by the accumulation of fat around the waist, while the limbs maintain a slender appearance. Additionally, a “hump” of fatty tissue on the back may also be present.
Along with these physical manifestations, other symptoms may arise, including high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, increased fatigue, depression, and elevated blood sugar levels.
Combating this type of obesity can be quite challenging since it is caused by significant systemic malfunctions in the body. However, it is still possible to make progress. Here’s what you can do:
- First and foremost, focus on reducing stress levels and establishing a regular sleep pattern. This will gradually decrease cortisol levels.
- Review your diet: Ensure to incorporate proteins (low-fat meat, fish, eggs), complex carbohydrates (whole grains, durum wheat pasta), “healthy” fats (nuts, avocado, vegetable oils, fatty fish, eggs), and a sufficient amount of dietary fiber (fruits and vegetables).
- Avoid fast food, fatty and fried foods, smoked foods, quick-digesting carbohydrates, and excessive sugar.
Moreover, engaging in moderate physical activity, especially cardiovascular exercises, will be beneficial. For example, light jogging would be an excellent choice.
2. Incorrect posture
Another reason why the stomach may protrude is due to incorrect posture.
Increased lumbar lordosis and anterior pelvic tilt contribute to abdominal protrusion. Typically, this posture is often associated with weak abdominal muscles, and it is commonly observed in women who have given birth.
To improve the appearance of the abdomen and achieve a flatter stomach, it is necessary to focus on strengthening the internal abdominal muscles rather than the external ones.
The transverse abdominal muscle plays a vital role in shaping the waist as its fibers encircle the abdominal cavity from the inside, running horizontally.
Traditional crunches are not effective for training this muscle because it remains inactive during those movements.
The transverse abdominal muscle is best engaged when stability is required, such as during exercises performed on unstable surfaces, various planks, TRX training, and other functional exercises that involve maintaining specific body positions.
7 Weight Loss Tips for Runners
1. Tailor your training plan to your individual needs
We are all unique, so it’s important to create a training plan based on our individual factors, performance indicators, and abilities. Instead of blindly copying other athletes’ programs, even if they have worked for them, we should focus on what works best for us.
Excess weight can be caused by both overtraining and a lack of physical activity.
2. Implement training periodization
During training, the body adapts to the stress placed on it. Over time, it may become less responsive, leading to weight plateaus or even weight gain.
To keep making progress, it’s crucial to vary the type and intensity of the exercises. Micro- and mesocycles are effective ways to structure these variations.
3. Maintain regularity in your training
Consistency in your training routine is essential for achieving results and losing excess weight.
4. Get enough sleep
A lack of sleep increases cortisol levels, which hinders fat burning, boosts appetite, leading to overeating, and disrupts insulin function, thereby raising the risk of obesity.
The recommended minimum sleep duration for proper recovery is 7-8 hours or more. However, individual needs may vary.
If, despite getting enough sleep, you still wake up feeling tired as if you haven’t slept at all, there may be issues with sleep quality or other underlying health problems. It’s advisable to seek advice from a specialist.
5. Reduce stress levels
Eliminating stress from our lives in today’s world may not be feasible, but it’s crucial to try to minimize it. We can reconsider our approach to unpleasant situations, reacting with less intensity and avoiding getting overly worked up about trivial matters.
Vitamins from the B group and magnesium can assist in supporting the nervous system, however, it’s important to consult a doctor before taking any supplements.
6. Maintain a healthy diet
Proper nutrition plays a vital role in managing weight.
Take a closer look at your food choices by keeping a food diary or using a specialized app to record everything you eat throughout the day. This simple step can help you identify and eliminate unhealthy or “junk” foods from your diet.
7. Embrace an active lifestyle
Although running is beneficial, a single hour-long jog after work can’t fully compensate for a lack of movement throughout the day. Strive to include more physical activity in your routine.
Walk more, take a stroll during your lunch break if possible, and spend your weekends outdoors instead of lying on a couch watching TV.
By making these small changes, you’ll inadvertently burn additional energy, creating the calorie deficit necessary for weight loss.
Read next: 10 Ways to Avoid Runner’s Face
