Weight Loss / Weight Management

Disclaimer: Weight Loss programs can be dangerous or deadly for people with certain underlying conditions. Consult with your physician before attempting any program. The views expressed below have worked for me personally, but may not be best for you.

If you are a totally dedicated, no-nonsense, strong-minded person who wants to drop 30 pounds in one month, click here for a simple and free method.

The primary reason for weight management in all runners comes back to the concept of running efficiency / or mechanical efficiency - some may also discuss it in terms such as running economy. Sprinters and distance runners must develop an efficient and powerful stride, even though the two types of running (sprinting vs endurance) need different types of mechanical efficiency.

If your goal is just to be able to jog - cool. You don’t need to concern yourself with weight management issues. If you want to run your BEST, however, you’ll want to explore these concepts and get yourself very fit. Colorado Track Club works with all types of people, but our intent is to help those who want to explore what their BEST abilities are.

Weight Loss Programs

First, if you would like more details on the “why” for weight management in running please click here - I don’t want to make this page too dense for those who just want the “how” of weight management.

There are many weight loss approaches and programs - Balanced Nutrition, Keto, Atkins / Keto, “Going Vegan,” Fruitarianism, Noom, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and many more… I’m sure each of these programs… and many others, work well - “IF” the participant is compliant.

My method of choice has proven effective repeatedly for getting people to run faster and I’ll explain it here:

Note: If you are struggling with, or considering anorexia, bulimia, or obsessing over appearance issues - you are definitely NOT alone. Please place your health ahead of your 5K time, seek qualified help, and read this article by Coach Juli Benson. You’ll appreciate the proper choice for many years to come vs. the damage and health risks associated with excessive weight loss. A successful high school or college running career, achieved unhealthily, may compromise your ability to reflect and enjoy the experience later in life. Contact us at CTC for free if you need to talk through some of the issues from a coaching or athlete perspective. We care about runners and welcome your questions or concerns.

I’m going to explain my version of Intermittent Fasting below. I am able to turn this method on with little notice and get my body quickly moving in the desired direction within a month.

Intermittent Fasting

Why do I pick Intermittent Fasting (I-FAST):

I absolutely love sugary foods and drinks - I am a Coke fein. I absolutely love McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, candy, pizza, whatever…. I absolutely love wine - red or white. Further, during high stress times, I often “eat my way through it.” The approach has worked well for me in my career. I realized early on that I needed a way to turn this love affair off when I needed to peak or get in shape for work or personal goals.

Note: No matter what method you select, you will read articles and news feeds from experts explaining why they disagree with a particular method, as well as why they think another method is the best ever. I try to be aware of the science, but I also purposefully avoid analysis paralysis. A lot of slow and unfit people suffer from too much information and not enough work.

I use IFAST only to quickly get my weight back into control for faster running. For example, I may use it to get from 27% body fat to 15% body fat. Once I hit the 15% mark, I then switch to performance nutrition - eating the foods needed to energize my workouts. Read Racing Weight, by Fitzgerald for a great summary.

For what it’s worth, I have zero desire to hit my best racing composition, which is about 5-7% body fat. At 11% body fat, I can sustain a string of sub-6:00 miles and that seems good enough for me. I bring this point up because - if I needed to get down to 5% body fat - I would stick with IFast for another month or two to get under 10% body fat before switching to performance nutrition.

Who do I recommend the IFAST approach for: Males over 20% body fat and females over 26%. If you are in this category, your issue - like me, is often a case of calories in (food selection) vs calories out (exercise or work throughout the day). Some women are much more fit at 26% than men in the same range. As I stated above, each case is considered differently and we tend to avoid simple declarations on this topic. Heavier people often have cravings - IFAST gets rid of the cravings within about 1-2 weeks for most people.

Note: Stress can also be a factor that sets back our weight loss initiatives. Learn to manage your stress if possible. There may be seasons in life where exercise is just not your top priority - I’ve been there and made that choice as well. For peak running performance, you’ll want to address the stress factors alongside your training regimen. It may also be time for a new career path that provides more opportunity for healthy living.

Goal for IFAST: The goal for me is to get my feeding window into a 6 hour block during each day. That means 18 hours with nothing but plenty of water - called fasting. No snacks, no carrots, no nothing during the fasting period - except water. If you feel like you are going to pass out, you may need to eat something and schedule a doctors appointment to be evaluated for blood sugar issues. Make sure you are DRINKING WATER.

Challenge / Difficulty: When I eat sugary carbs and snacks I find that I am CONSTANTLY “hungry” all day. It is a false hunger signal, but I keep grazing all day - I enjoy it! My weight skyrockets within days - I can gain 10 pounds in less than 3 weeks. I can no longer feel my hips - they quickly cover with a layer of fat, and my heart rate rises on my normal runs, slowing me down - remember, it takes large amounts of oxygen to move every ounce of your bodyweight. We transport more oxygen in running by increasing our heart rate. Excess weight wastes some / many of those valuable heart beats.

My IFAST Steps:

• I start with a 10 hour DAILY fast. I drink at least 1/2 gallon of water during the fasting period. 7 days per week. The first week is DIFFICULT. The cravings make me feel like I am starving.

• Every couple of days I add another 45-60 minutes to the fast. I will take a nap after work to help extend the fasting period - because my self-discipline is a little weak at first and I just need to remove the temptation to eat.

• After 14 days, I am up to 12+ hours and my craving for sugars is already under control.

• Rule of the 1%: When the weight loss is not working, just make another small adjustment. Keep with the fight, regardless of any setbacks and always return to the fight by making one more small (1%) change.

• For me, the 12-14 hour mark is the point were I stop gaining weight / level off. The 16-18 hour mark is where the weight starts dropping consistently - about a half pound per day, maybe less (with basic exercise). It is VERY PREDICTABLE.

• Always look for the small adjustment until the results become consistent - try burning 200 calories on an exercise bike each day at the end of your fasting period, for example. That is not hard to do (15 minutes), but makes a small difference. If it doesn’t work, make it a 400 calorie bike ride. Eventually, it will work.

• Just stay upbeat, thankful, and positive. Admit, that your approach is not working YET. Keep tweaking it until the scale starts moving in the direction you want. Once in full swing, I am happy with a 1-3 pound per week loss. It adds up quickly.

By the way, the Rule of 1% works for EVERYTHING. As Art Williams famously said, the greats do “just a little bit more” than those who settle for good. There is a very small difference between great and good. It works in business, fitness, and family.

• Note: You cannot lose a half pound per day if you are eating a ridiculous amount of calories in that 6-8 hour window. I’ve found, once I consistently hit the 16 hour fasting mark, I no longer crave all of the high calorie / empty foods. I’m content with drinking half of a small Coke at Wendy’s and I longer want the fries. I’ll still eat fast food: just 1-2 times per week and I no longer feel “addicted / crazed.” I am definitely not starving myself in the 8-hour eating period, but I don’t feel the need to eat everything I did before.

• Again, the 18-20 hour fasting mark for me is perfect for dropping weight quickly. I feel good mentally and physically, and I still get to enjoy eating a more balance selection of foods. I can actually feel the difference every couple of days.

• On weekends, I’ll occasionally do a 24 - 36 hour fast, with a half gallon of water spread out every 12 hours. I’ll schedule some easy walks to keep the calories burning off slowly. I’ll do an easy session in the weight room - low weights, high reps.

• Through experience and fitness, I am able to add 60-70 minute bike rides at a good training heart rate as well. This just adds to the calorie burn. On weekends, I may do 2 of those rides per day.

• Lance Armstrong once discussed his team’s weight loss approach for peaking - he said something like, “it’s okay to go to bed hungry.” When I first start losing weight, my body is sending all sorts of signals for me to obliterate the refrigerator after 7PM. That is when I know it (IFAST) is about to start working and resulting in weight loss.

• Try to add a big salad and some lean meat to your 6 hour block of eating. You can still have a small soda and piece of pizza. For me, the 6-hour window, and easy exercise, is the key discipline - even at 45+ years old.

• After a few weeks, your body has initiated the requirements to switch to burning off your love handles and other fat throughout your body.

• Law of Diminishing Returns: I may go from 180-156 in 14 weeks. It then gets a little more difficult, but it still works. As I stated in the beginning, almost any “diet” will work in the beginning if the client is compliant with the rules.

• One weird trick that I use is helpful with cookies and other junk foods. When in training / peaking mode, I may take a bite of a chocolate chip cookie - enjoy it - and then spit out the rest of it. This may sound weird and quasi-bulimic, but it works. I’ve enjoyed the food, but cut the calories in half.

  • Again, I am not going to offer binary answers to weight management - it is a little complicated. Some may say I am supporting bulimia - I am not. I have never induced vomiting and I think bulimia crosses the line of helpful vs damaging long-term behaviors. I just realize that our culture values eating and I admit that I want to partake in that culture. It is hard to go to a party and watch everyone else gorge. My way has repeatedly worked for me - it may not work for you.

Weight Training:

• During my initial weight loss phase of about 4 months, I add several types of exercise: Squats, Bench, Olympic Lifts, Kettlebells, core work / drills, plenty of cycling, walking, sprints, other weight routines, and moderate running.

• As the weeks progress and my weight drops, I slowly ramp up the intensity and mileage of the running. I will not hit 60-80 miles per week until my body fat is under the 13-15% mark.

• I think it is a waste of time and too much of an injury risk to run higher miles while obese. Further, I do not like training at slow paces all the time - which happens when we are heavier.

• Our culture has shifted the definition of obesity because we do not like the word. If you want to run fast, drop the muscle and / or fat that is slowing you down - period. The more cultural dances you do to get around the laws of physics, the longer it will take you to improve.

• Compliance with physics is going to net you much faster running times than your compliance with shifting cultural norms. If you prefer to be happy and heavier - cool; you just won’t maximize your running performance - it is okay.

• Once I’m under 160 pounds, I start to add more running into my schedule and that will carry me to 140 pounds (or less).

• 2-3 hour bike rides, with a heart rate around 140-155, really speed up the process for me.

Again, once I get my body fat % down into the 15-17% range, I’ll back off the IFAST routine gradually (17 hours, 15 hours, 13 hours, etc..). However, if I start cheating on the sugars and fast food, I’ll turn it back on immediately.

Finally, our pro athletes do not use I-FAST. I-Fast is intended for those of us who let our weight get a little (or a lot) out of control. Our pro athletes follow “performance nutrition” guidelines, such as those you may find in the Racing Weight book by Fitzgerald.