Running and weight loss

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archer0830

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Hello everyone! New to the forum but have looked around and everyone seems to be very helpful. First of all, my background in a few short sentences. Freshman year of college I came in at 6'0, 155 lbs (I'm a male) and never had to worry about fitness. Well, here I am, 3 years later, and am now at the 200 lb. mark. So, before this thing gets out of hand, I've been trying to get myself into shape.

I found a great racquetball partner and we've been playing everyday for the last month or so. Also, I started running 1 to 1.5 miles everyday just before we play racquetball. Haven’t looked into any kind of special diet program but have been staying away from fast food and things that are obviously bad for you. Trying to eat more fruits and vegetables as well. Don't drink soda at all. Water is pretty much all I drink but have been like that for a long time.

My problem is, after two weeks of running and after a month of playing racquetball, I have gained one pound. What’s going on? Is this normal? It would be nice if I could see some results after the hard work I've been putting in. I'm far from giving up as I've just started, but still a little frustrated.

Also, does anybody know anything about excessive sweating? When playing racquetball or when running, I literally soak my shirt. Some people say its a good thing but it bothers me a little. I always keep myself hydrated so that’s no problem, but what’s with the excessive sweating?

Thanks for anybody who can help! Sorry to make it such a long post.

Mike
 
i sweat like a monster too it usally means you have good circulation or a high metabolism which doesnt really make sense if your like me and 280lbs, but trying running a bit more than a mile i usually do around 10 miles running 10 miles biking every day.

another thing is cut out all junk food, no pop, candy, chips anything you think is bad for you, probally is, and eat regulary like 6 meals a day to keep your metabolism up all day to help burn fat.

and just all around keep active and you'll lose the fat
 
Thanks for the advice Grammaton. Speak of the devil, I lost two pounds since yesterday. I'm sure it will fluctuate but hopefully it will trend more downwards.

10 miles!?!? Howly cow! I don't know how you can run that much. My goal was to run 2.5 miles and at a good speed. I'm ready now to start doing 1.5 miles.

Interesting about the sweating thing. Thats news to me.

Thanks again!
 
i was pretty active before i started "working out" and i have some of the most muscular legs but, i got a fat belly and man boobs... you just have to find the right thing to drive you and you can easily do 10 miles... mind you im aching after that but, im so determined right now its worth the bit of pain.

also the sweating thing can also be genetics, cause my father sweats just as much as me, kinda of a pain, but it cools you off faster
 
medically speaking the danger is electrolyte imbalance. you see, when there is an electrolyte imbalance, bluntly speaking, you die (i dont want to go through the physiologic process). HOWEVER, electrolyte imbalance in relation to sweat ONLY happens to those who consume too much (waaayyy too much) water before, during, and after a VEEEEERRRYYY LOOOOONG period of high body activity. infact, the only news ive heard of these cases are marathon runners (who run for 4 hours non stop!!!) and these two cases happened on women (check news archives). In your case, I wouldnt worry about it. I do HIIT and it causes me to sweat alot but i always make it a point to be hydrated. I also never go to the gym without my water bottle. ^_^ I hope this helps! cheers!
 
I assume we are talking about Hyponatremia. Hyponatremia is a life threatening condition that occurs when runners drink an excessive amount of fluids and fail to replace sodium (salt) lost in the form of sweat. Runners out on the course for four hours or longer are particularly at risk. Overzealous drinkers who drink lots of water in the days before their run, and then continue to drink excessively along the course, also may risk Hyponatremia. Hyponatremia can lead to nausea, fatigue, vomiting, weakness, sleepiness, and in severe cases, seizures, coma and death.

So, the moral is: intake some sodium during these period by drinking some Gatorade or actually eating something salty.

Also, try wearing a coolmax type shirt. This will not soak up your sweat and will allow your body to breathe properly.

-Rip
 
BTW - I ran 26 miles on Saturday. I drank water and Gatorade (~3 gulps every 8 minutes) and ate gu, Balance bars, and pretzels every 45 minutes. I ran for 5 hours and 30 minutes with no problems.

The key is to keep sodium in your body while sweating profusely. Otherwise, you will sweat it all out and create a SERIOUS problem.
 
The pound you gained is probably just muscle. I'm sure you've heard before but muscle weighs more than fat. Lets say you lose 20 pounds of fat and gain 10 pounds of muscle, the scale is only going to tell you that you lost 10. Don't despair because I'm sure you probably ARE losing fat! Muscle also helps the body burn more calories when you do ANYTHING, so the more, the better! Bottom line: don't get discouraged by the scale! There are a lot of things affecting your weight (fat, muscle, water, etc), so don't depend on the numbers too much. Just stick with it and if you feel better- that's almost enough isn't it? : ) Good luck!
 
Thanks for the great advice everyone. I ordered a coolmax t-shirt today. Just bought one for now, if it works well I’ll buy more. I think I got a pretty good deal. Paid 11 bucks for it

Here is another link that I found today too. It's a "dri-release" t-shirt site. The shirts are only $5.80 for any quantity although i'm not sure how expensive their shipping is. What is the difference between "coolmax" and "dri-release"? Since dri-release is about half as much I might purchase those in the future. Anybody have experience with dri-release?

Thanks again for your help and encouragement everyone!

Mike
 
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