Tuesday, February 7, 2012

WEIGHT for me!

My weekly weigh-in was yesterday at the gym.  Pulling no punches here, it was a roller coaster week. I let stress get the better of me on Wednesday, resulting in a major food splurge.  On Thursday, my hubby returned from his work trip and we went out for dinner.  I ordered from the Guiltless Grill, but it was still a higher calorie dinner than I've been used to lately.  Then Friday, we ordered pizza from my favorite place (Monical's), but I held myself to only 2 small pieces.  A little struggle on the food side...

Thankfully, it was a strong week on the workouts.  I ran 33 miles, swam twice for 80 minutes, completed 1 Spinning class and 38 miles on the bike, several DVDs including yoga and abs, and 2 strength workouts.  After a last-chance workout Monday morning, the scale was nice to me...
-2.5 lbs this week!  
My 4 week total for the Weight Loss Challenge is now -17.6 lbs or -9.7%.


I'm not defined by the number that appears on the scale.  However, over the past several years, I have learned one thing... my running speed has a direct correlation to that number.  Research has shown that, on average, runners get two seconds per mile faster for every pound they lose.  Of course, this is not all inclusive, but all other measurables the same (training, health, race conditions), I believe it to be pretty accurate.  At least for me.  Last spring, I was at my lowest running weight and all my current PR's are from that time frame. This past summer, I got lazy on the food and gained 10-15 lbs back, despite running 40+ miles each week training for a marathon.  The extra weight resulted in disappointing times at the finish line last fall.

Source

As the weight drops off in recent weeks, I'm clocking improved paces - with the same exertion level.  It's exciting to see what each run will bring.  It also keeps my will power strong at the dinner table.  I'm so determined to PR in both the Half and Full Marathon events this spring. To reach those lofty goals, I know that the work I do in the kitchen is just as important as the work on the track.


Do you run to lose weight? or lose weight to run faster?
Right now, I'm pretty focused on the latter.



Losing weight may not be the option for everyone, especially if you're BMI is already in the low 20's. My BMI still classifies me as obese (what the?!), so I have a long way to go yet. What's your ideal running weight? Check out this good article from Runner's World here for more information.

36 comments:

  1. Thank you for this. I am on a weight plateau and also a running plateau so it explains a lot. Something I always assumed but at the same time thought it might just be wishful thinking. I know I am building muscle but when the scale and the time on a finish line don't move it really sucks!

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  2. I appreciate this...I always figured I'd run faster if I shaved off the few pounds I've been keeping..hoping to do that by spring...and it really does feel fantastic all around to be lighter and smaller.....and you're doing an amazing job!

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  3. Thanks for the reminder, 2 seconds per pound? 10 seconds for 5 pounds lost? Girl, you are going to kill your PRs this spring.

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  4. I asked SuziStorm about this awhile back. She knocked off about 2-3 minutes per mile on her time when she reached her goal weight after loosing 100 lbs.

    The proverbial question though is can you loose weight while training for a marathon. I asked that yesterday on the blog because loose weight is very important to me but so will be fueling for Chicago. ugh. HARD. HARD. HARD!

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  5. I need to check my bmi. I don't think I have much to lose but always have a layer of flab over my abs. Not cool. I'm pretty much hitting it as hard as I can but I definately want to be faster! Great job! Really amazing! Keep it up; you are doing it!

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  6. You are doing so awesome! Thanks for the information and inspiration!
    Do you think the cross training or diet has helped you lose the weight the most? I bet the crosstraining is helping your speed too...... Gosh I really need to buy a stationary bike!!

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  7. Girl you are killing it on the weightloss and workouts! WOW! I can feel the difference just a few pounds makes on my running. I definitely do not run to lose weight. Sometimes weightloss is a byproduct of running but sometimes not. For me it's really diet. I can't wait to see you crush those old PRs of yours this year!

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  8. Congrats on another solid week of weight loss!! And a great week of training! I like you am trying to lose weight to hopefully gain speed! I've lost 15 pounds since Oct, and I don't know that I have really seen the benefits yet, but my marathon training kind of took a toll on my overall speed - I was focused on endurance instead of speed, but now I'm back to speed again.

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  9. Great week with the workouts! And impressive weight loss. I think that I'd love to lose a few pounds, I'm in the "healthy" weight range, but near the top and I think if I lost 5 pounds I'd see the difference in my running speeds. But I've been really lax about my eating :-/ and I can't seem to force myself to care enough to change it.

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  10. I don't understand where they get the obese from with BMI. My husbands says that he is obese also and he is definetly not obese and nor are you!! So crazy! Great job on the weight loss! Keep it up.

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  11. Nice week, Jess. Good for you!

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  12. ah the weight and BMI numbers....first congrats on your weight loss you are doing great. I lost 75 lbs through running AND lifestyle changes..that is also a big part of the loosing weight plan. I did get alittle faster as the weight came off...not super fast though :) now I cannot loose more weight..BMI is 18.5 so not an option so I have to work hard on other area and try to get stronger

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  13. you are a true inspiration! :) Great job!

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  14. Don't get too freaked about that BMI number. It's not meant for athletes b/c it does not distinguish between muscle and fat.
    Read this article: http://www.revolutionhealth.com/healthy-living/weight-management/learn-the-basics/ideal-weight/interpret-your-bmi

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  15. Congratulations on the weight loss! You are doing great!

    I don't need to lose too much weight, but maybe 5 pounds would be good. I definitely would lose it to run faster.

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  16. Great work! I have noticed that I feel lighter and faster when I weigh less, so it makes sense that it would translate to faster times. Lately, I've been dropping out sweets before races (maybe for a couple of weeks), and I always lose a couple of pounds even though I'm not really trying to. The sweets add up!

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  17. Nice weigh in! I also subscribe to your philosophy of less weight = PRs. I'm trying to lose 5-10 lbs right now too in an effort of hopefully getting a little faster for my big spring races. Have you read Racing Weight?

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  18. You are rocking both your weight loss and your workouts! Thank you for posting this. It makes a lot of sense. I have been stuck on both my weight loss and running.

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  19. Very Interesting Blog, thank you once again!! I'm trying but I need to try harder in the kitchen!! Congrats to you on your weightloss ~

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  20. Awesome job on the weight loss!! I run to lose weight and to run faster, I gained 74 lbs over my pregnancy and have been working at loosing it all, I have 5 lbs to go until I'm at my pre-pregnancy weight (baby is 11 months now) but not at my ideal weight. I have to lose about 13 more lbs to be at my ideal weight. Ugh! Sometimes it feels like it’s an uphill battle but I love when all my hard work with food and workouts pay off for a negative on the scale. :)

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  21. Wow Jess, your stats on your workouts are so impressive. Truly inspiring. I have to say, losing weight to run faster is more motivating to me. Speed is addictive!

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  22. great job and what a great reminder :) thanks!

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  23. Awesome loss and 18 pounds in 4 weeks?! That's amazing! I run to lose weight too. I'm a 10+ minute miler and that's enough for me!! :) Keep up the hard work!

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  24. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE LOST A LOT OF WEIGHT super fast. Your food journal inspired my to start tracking my cals on MyFitnessPal

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  25. Congrats on the weight loss! Mine is going a little slower than yours. But, it's going the right direction. So....right now, I'm running for both those reasons. I have a time goal for an upcoming half and I run to keep weight off and to lose at the moment. Good luck!

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