The Ultimate Guide To Weight Loss For Runners 2024

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Boost your recovery with my free recovery nutrition guide! 💪 👉nutritiontriathlon.com/running-course?

[@tritondriver1]

Over 7 yrs have lost 109lbs - Im 53 Ultra Runner. Training just destroys calories. Zone 2 forever - Feels good hearing Doctor say," You don't need to loose anymore weight "

[@NutritionTriathlon]

AMAZING! That's inspiring, huge congrats and thank you for sharing!

[@fictionalreality1010]

Bravo 👏

[@user-mi8gg3nv6r]

so what was your weekly schedule like in terms of workouts?

[@dennishansen1787]

Two years ago my uncle died, cause of death was obesity, at that point my weight was 136 kg. I know it might Sound crazy but his death motivated me to lose weight at the very same Day at his funeral i’ve decided to do visit the local running store, i bought my very first running shoes (saucony Omni 20) i don’t Lie the Max distance for me When starting was 50 meters. Now 2 years later (and 10 pairs of running shoes in the closet) i Lost 50 kg. And doing my first half Marathon in about 2 weeks 😃

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Hey. I'm really sorry to hear about your uncle, but what an amazing story. Kudos to you and I wish you all the best in your half marathon! Please let me know how you get on 🙂

[@isitlina]

im so sorry about your uncle, i bet he’s looking at you now and feeling very proud of you

[@dennishansen1787]

@@isitlina thank you so much for the kind words 😊

[@Yzyenthusiast]

How was your race

[@dennishansen1787]

@@Yzyenthusiast it was great 😊 I got caught behind a group that was running slower than myself so unfortunately I didn't keep my pace but I finished (without walking a single time, which was my real goal) 2 hours and 27 minutes 😅

[@intosite7279]

I find weighing myself daily and tracking it in garmin connect is very useful as I can track weekly averages. Which flattens the daily spikes pretty well.

[@NutritionTriathlon]

If it works for you then that's awesome. From previous experience with clients, weighing too regularly just distracts. I think this is even more of an issue if you're doing it solo, because of the risk of your weight affecting what you do that day rather than sticking to your plan

[@suranperera4620]

Do exactly the same, nice and easy

[@HollyDunnDesign]

James, these videos are an absolute goldmine! Thank you for continuing to make such valuable content 💛

[@NutritionTriathlon]

You're welcome, it's my pleasure 😊

[@buffywhatever1093]

I’m glad you mentioned bone health, this is massive for perimenopausal and menopausal women. Strong not skinny should be our mantra!

[@NutritionTriathlon]

:) It's an area I care a lot about!

[@hannahx212]

Curious where the numbers for the recommended calories at 9:00 come from? 1400 calories is super super low. Even if you're in a rest day, you're still recovering.

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Great question! Many females will have a basal metabolic rate between 1300-1500 calories per day. So this is the amount of calories you're burning with your basic physiological functions. All I'm trying to do with this rest day is cover your basic energy needs and not drop under that. As I show in the video this does depend on the individual but is a ballpark figure. Realistically, without exercise most females would technically need around 1000-1200 calories per day to lose weight, but this isn't realistic or advised for most.

[@akvillea]

I'd be starving on that

[@hannahleigh7008]

@@NutritionTriathlonthis is wrong information. 1200 is for a toddler, never a grown woman

[@NutritionTriathlon]

@@hannahleigh7008 I didn't suggest 1200... Please read my comment again. Technically many females would need between 1000-1200 calories to lose weight, based on their metabolic rate but I do NOT suggest that. And it is common for a woman to have a basal metabolic rate of 1300-1500 - it might even be as low as around 1000 based on muscle mass, weight and height. These are from lab tests.. And if you don't want to believe science that's fine, that's your choice. If you watch any of my videos you'll see I am VERY pro-fuelling and encourage good nutrition intake. These amounts that I have suggested, as ballpark figures, are suitable for weight loss.

[@Ashley-wu8bd]

@@NutritionTriathlon hi there. Fellow dietitian. We never recommend anything below 1500 kcal even for weight loss and especially for females. Anything below that number isn’t even recommended for someone laying in a hospital bed all day. I work with both sports nutrition and eating disorders- id be mindful about throwing those numbers and weight loss around in the same sentence. Appreciate the video. might be a good idea to look into TDEE, basal metabolic rate, activity factors and women’s health in general.

[@marisanesta2239]

I am a 40 yo runner.I train between 40 and 50 km per week. My BMI is 19.8 and I would love to shred a pair of kilos,especially for my knees and ankles during long runs i know it makes a huge difference . I am lean but have quite an important pair of cheeks,a bit of stubborn junk in the truck 😊 and am quite muscular in general. Well, truth is it is being extremely hard to loose this couple of kilos, I have been in a little kalorie deficit for three weeks and am loosing 0.5 kg per week, just making my zone2 runs longer and cutting a little bit on sugary fruit and healthy fats.

[@ithinkthereforeitalk935]

You are already very very skinny judging by your BMI. You need to do a lot more strength training if you want to burn stubborn belly fat, running more can be counterproductive as long aerobic training sessions cause high levels of cortisol preventing your body from burning fat. I am a runner myself and I run more than you do but until I cleaned up my diet and started doing push ups and pull ups I also had these extra 1-2 kgs in my midsection that just wouldnt go away.

[@PraveenSrJ01]

I’m 41 years old and my BMI is at 21.9 now and I weigh 144 lbs.

[@marisanesta2239]

@@ithinkthereforeitalk935 thank you very much for this kind and interesting comment I had not read before. Well, answering a few months later, what happened is quite surprising!!! I am training for a marathon,and so my km load is getting bigger and bigger and I would always feel a bit dizzy and hungry. So I had a little medical check, and after seeing everything was ok with overall health and heart and lungs, I started tracking my macros, and realized I did not eat enough protein :-) so, I am making sure I am eating enough protein and not cutting on healthy carbs. My diet is very clean, I am a vegan and never eat out, I Cook 99% of my meals. Paired with strenght training (mostly hills and stairs) and some sprints, I have gained a tiny bit of weight but in the right places ( which is very pleasing on the aesthetic point of view) and my pace and HR are improving quite satisfingly. Especially my pace on 10 and 20 k is so much better, so I am not stressing on weight too much. Six packs showing, big quads and a little bit of breast ( long time no see), not too bad,not too bad. Enjoy your runs for 2025!

[@blurgit]

The calorie amounts listed were a bit low in my experience! I would definitely recommend using a calorie calculator and/or seeing a nutritionist! I was able to lose about 40lbs on 2100 cal/day exercising between 30-60min a day.

[@NutritionTriathlon]

It'll be different for everyone for sure but these numbers are pretty good for a ballpark range. I've had clients who have needed to be anywhere between 1300-3000 depending on activity levels, muscle mass, age and gender!

[@SeanConway99]

All in all it's about being in a calorific deficit using exercise. Meaning; you MUST get all your maintenance calories plus a little extra for enjoyment purposes, particularly for those like me who comfort/stress eat. The deficit comes from activity. 30 minutes walking will be enough for beginners. I have been pretty good with running (slow runner) 5 days a week with one speed session, one long run and 3 easy runs. No additional meals other than a post run snack. I've done a 12 week half marathon plan, now on a 5 week 10k plan. Last year I did a 12 week plan for my first 10k. I did no exercise over winter and of course piled the weight back on but I'm definitely seeing the progress now that I'm back to it. My main focus is running consistency (cutting down the run-walk ratio) and the weight loss has come with it. I used to be religious about logging food in myfitnesspal every day but now I only do it on big training blocks to make sure I'm getting the right nutrients to recover.

[@NutritionTriathlon]

I wouldn't necessarily agree that the deficit has to come through exercise but it does make things easier. You can lose weight without exercising it's just not ideal, in part because it will mean eating under your metabolic rate but also exercise is just so good for you! Would totally agree about walking being a simple and effective way of getting active though! 🙂

[@peacemaster8117]

I tried out-running a bad diet, it's just not plausible.

[@deanb4427]

2 years ago I went to +-1800 CAL a day and have lost 40KG. I now run 35KM a week and do not feel like the 50 year old I am. This is great advice and just remember, you do not need to count every CAL you consume, just be aware of sneaky calories in sauces and things. Measure just the "main" elements of your meal to keep you sane and do not get to obsessed with it all. Tomorrow is another day.

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Great advice, and congrats on your weight loss! Sounds like you smashed it 🙂

[@PraveenSrJ01]

Thanks 🙏 I will definitely try running 🏃 again at age 41 since I always walked a lot since the start of the pandemic 😷 5 years ago

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Go for it!

[@somethingsaboutmary3134]

I have been running the past three months wprking towards a 10k, so I am running at least 40 minutes at a time. Haven’t lost a single pound. However, I do feel all the other benefits that I love about running and my clothes do fit a little better. I think in the long term I will lose the weight if I keep up my running consistently. I have been running a very long time and I do think that running is not the fastest way to weight loss, it hasn’t been that way for me anyway, I think it’s more realistic to expect the weight to come off slowly as a runner.

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Great to hear you've been running and working towards a 10k, that's fantastic 🙂 glad you've been enjoying running! It sounds like you're having a shift of body composition if you've noticed your clothes fit you better, and you've found the non-scale benefits too which is super. I obviously can't say this for sure without knowing you or your diet, but if you're not losing weight and you're regularly running then it's more likely that your diet is the issue and you'd probably benefit from a review of it!

[@davidbowman2035]

During 2020, I was running a lot desperate to lose weight, but I was failing because my diet was rubbish. At the end of january 2023, I was 225lbs and I minimised my carb and sugar intake: no bread, pasta, rice, potato, chocolate biscuits, apples or bananas. I am now 180ish lbs.

[@leilaniz5909]

So...from my experience, you need to incorporate something super relaxing, like breathing meditation or yoga. The running every day is making you hungrier. Eat squash.

[@KeltaHeroe]

I always seem to drop my weight (or at least my fat) when I run consistently 😊 It’s a wonder, then, why I seem to forget about it from time to time. Especially that I love running with all my heart. It keeps me happy and healthy. I’ve been running for 2 weeks now, again, working my way up to a 5k. As a returner my only recommendation would be for those who are in the same shoes as I am, that you start out slow. Do walk runs and then gradually work your way up to a consistent 30min run over the course of 5-6 weeks. It’s rough when your body can’t do what it did X years ago. But it will pick it back up in no time. Happy running everyone! You can do it! 🎉

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Well done on picking running up again! Definitely agree with you on starting slow. Good luck and enjoy your running 😊

[@sarahosborne7477]

Great advice

[@pierre-yvesdantec3802]

Very interesting, thanks 👍

[@NutritionTriathlon]

My pleasure! 🙂

[@OurSouthAfrica]

I have been cycling for about 3 weeks and was looking at doing a triathlon this year, so tried doing some running or more. . Walking as im very unfit and over weight Around 108kg and 1.78m Been trying to do more walking during the day even at work but find my feet start to hurt, not sure if its combination of unfit and the police boots not actually proper footwear And advise? Feels hard to just get into a groove when running

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Hey! Brilliant to hear you're considering a triathlon! The tri community is wonderful so you'll get lots of support if you decide to do one. Running can definitely be troublesome on your feet. Police boots could contribute for sure. They're generally not well padded or supported. Is there any scope to change footwear? Or you could consider insoles which provide more support and cushioning. As I mentioned in the video, even with something like walking just be careful of how quickly you do "more". If you aren't used to it it can quickly add up and lead to aches and pains. Generally this sort of thing gets better as you get used to it and also lose weight. Would also advise trying non-weight bearing sports while you lose weight because it will alleviate some of those issues! So cycling and swimming are excellent, and then you can slowly build up the running as you lose weight and hopefully feel a bit more comfortable on your feet! Best of luck to you!

[@OurSouthAfrica]

@NutritionTriathlon Thanks alot for the advise Appreciate it !!

[@robintaylor1466]

"The tri community is a supportive"..except when you start the swim and then it's every man for himself...kicking,pulling you back by the neck...😂

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Every person for themselves in the swim 😂

[@PraveenSrJ01]

Best of luck 🤞 to you 😊

[@saikame5833]

I'm not as fit as I once was but overall, I started my journey at 290 lbs at my heaviest and 170 lbs at my lowest. Currently 180 lbs. I'm not entirely sure what or why, but when I start consuming over 1800 calories, no matter how active I am ... I get sick to my stomach and makes my body feel like throwing up. It's rather odd. I've never had energy deficiency though. If anything, I've always been (according to my Wife) insufferably energetic and annoyingly too awake in the mornings ROFL.

[@saikame5833]

According to BMR calculators, my maintenance calories should be around 2700 cals per day. There is no way I could consume this. The days I go over 2000, it's like my body is revolting against itself. It's very very odd.

[@sarahosborne7477]

Yes me too and not too much liquid before my workouts

[@Starrr-ro8hg]

Thank you love the video

[@NutritionTriathlon]

My pleasure! 🙂

[@i8anapplemac]

Interesting video but I do not agree with the recommended calorie amounts shown at 9.00 I, female, ate 1800 calories a day on rest days and 2200 on training days (usually 1.5 hr) and lost around 1 lb a week. Please be mindful that NO calorie number can be followed as a hard and fast rule and your hormone health is crucial to your overall health

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Hey, thanks for the comment! You're absolutely right and I did put a note to that effect underneath the calorie amounts. This is completely dependent on the individual and how much they are training. If you're training for 1.5 hours a day then you're going to need more calories than someone who trains for an hour a day. Unfortunately, there's no way to be specific about calorie amounts on a video with a broad audience, which is why I've made sure that these calorie amounts should at least keep people safe by not going under their basal metabolic rate even on rest days. It's why I always also talk about intensity of training and checking in with how you're feeling! It's not easy to cover everything in one video but I hope on balance the information is more beneficial to people than it not being here!

[@fictionalreality1010]

Best way to help with pain in your feet while running? Not trying to be a smart azz, but losing weight will work wonders on all joints. The trick is to work through the pain without getting injured. It’s a fine dance, but what an amazing adventure ❤

[@PraveenSrJ01]

I will join a walking 🚶 or running 🏃‍♀️ club in west Cary, NC.

[@StevenHaggis]

Can I please why I've been in a calorie deficit for at least a year and hardly lost anything. Do I need to have a diet-rest?

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Good question. Two thoughts 1. You're consuming more calories than you realise, especially at certain times eg. The weekend 2. Yes, you need a break. Going to maintenance for a couple of weeks as a reset and then start again

[@StevenHaggis]

@@NutritionTriathlon hey thank you very much. I certainly haven't been consuming too many calories, I track calories in/out everyday. I will try the reset for a couple of weeks to see how that goes. Thanks.

[@MrSeedi76]

It's impossible to be in a caloric deficit and NOT lose weight. So either you're counting wrong or you're using less calories than you think. Another problem is when cutting calories too much your body will adjust. But if you had cut too much you'd have lost weight. So there must be another reason.

[@StevenHaggis]

@@MrSeedi76 Thank you for your highly contradictory comment. Did you actually read what you wrote?

[@danni9867]

Eat more protein, at every meal and atleast walk 30 minutes a day. Good luck.

[@ericahouston4395]

Your calorie slide is a bit simplistic. lol. I am a female the trains about and hour a day, but my calorie needs are closer to 2000 because I'm 5'11".

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Of course, I can't cater for everyone! 🙂

[@mikaelrosing]

Bascially just eat less and run. You dont lose weight by running its all diet. Eat healthy dont eat oversaturated foods that means like very condenced food. You can eat 1 kg of strawberries insted of 100 grams of chocolate same calories same energy. One thing will fill you up makes u not want to eat much more and last longer the other doesnt feel like anything.

[@NutritionTriathlon]

It is all diet but exercise is good for you and makes it easier to lose weight 🙂 so I think it's a balance

[@Red-gy9gx]

C25K is good for weight loss running plan?

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Hey, to clarify do you mean couch to 5k? Definitely can be! It all depends on activity levels and how many calories you're consuming. So the answer is yes, if your nutrition is correct too!

[@theneophytejournal]

I've run so much my posterior shins are injured

[@NutritionTriathlon]

☹️

[@ithinkthereforeitalk935]

Bruh, I run for 4 hours and lemme tell you, a runner's diet is the king. You can run a ton and still not lose a single gram if you consume shitty foods. I need to run for one hour straight to burn 600 calories but I can eat them in a couple of minutes. (a big piece of chocolate cake).

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Yup, absolutely!

[@nidunihad8205]

If I lose 12 kg fat will it can improve my timing by 19 seconds in my 800m as present timing is 2:30

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Sorry I don't quite understand your question!

[@nidunihad8205]

Will weight loss increse timing in 800 m by losing 2 seconds per kg

[@NutritionTriathlon]

I can't tell you the answer to that, sorry!

[@riichobamin7612]

I went running yesterday, didn't go today, still feeling the high 🥳😂🍻👍🏼

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Super glad to hear that! 😃

[@riichobamin7612]

@@NutritionTriathlon thanks man !

[@Archbishop112]

Tracking calories has been hugely important for me. Thought I could have a couple handfuls of peanut m&ms throughout the day as a snack. Can't be that bad, they have peanuts, right? 700 f*cking calories a day. F*ck peanut m&ms.

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Yeah it can be super insightful and surprising!

[@amandabloom8428]

It's not all about calorie deficit which can LOWER YOUR METABOLISM. It's about the time of day you eat and spiking your insulin less which speeds your metabolism.

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Hey. A calorie deficit can lower your metabolism, yep. The part about the time of day you eat or spiking insulin is not backed by science and should not be promoted.

[@randomfluffybirb5494]

What happened to "not fueling your runs is bad"?

[@NutritionTriathlon]

What do you mean?

[@gabrielmartins7344]

Great Video! Actutally all of your videos are Gold. I am trainning for Sub 2:00hs Half Marathon. Don´t you wanna help me with that? (Race is in May 5th). I need to lose 8 kgs. Greetings from Brazil.

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Thank you, appreciate that! I would love to help, definitely! If you'd like to enquire about coaching you can email me directly on [e-mail] or visit nutritiontriathlon.com/consultation 😊

[@betchieharrison5526]

New subscriber here

[@NutritionTriathlon]

Welcome! 😃

[@betchieharrison5526]

@@NutritionTriathlon thank you for welcoming me

[@toni8131]

Jesus I thought id overcome this

[@gorbylerestu1139]

Why do you say they

[@fongsterturbo]

This is just generalize knowledge BS.

[@NutritionTriathlon]

What makes you say that? 🙂