I only want to lose weight. Why is everyone trying to make me feel so bad about it?

[oystergirl]

I greatly apologize I meant to say NOT out of control! DUH~ seriously for most folks 10 pounds is not a big deal but it does sound to me like you imagine yourself on the small side and you want to have a small weight. My dad is small boned and 5'6" and has always weighed around 140 when fit and 150 when he got into his 80's and got a bit of a gut.

[Dio]

I'm not really sure what you mean here, but I was surprised to see that I had gained 10 pounds and can't understand how it happened so fast when it didn't seem like I changed a whole lot about my diet or exercise. It happened over a few months, too. For years I had maintained around 124-127, and then BAM 140. I lost four pounds off that, but I still think it's way too much to have gained.

So I gained 8 pounds in a few days just by changing my diet and storing more water and such. Two weeks later it was gone. The body has the ability to fluctuate crazily when you're not keeping things exact. What Oystergirl is saying, I believe, is unless you're needing to make weight for wrestling or such, what your actual weight is really doesn't matter. It's how healthy you feel in your body.

I will disagree with BigM. If you are increasing your muscles and doing ANY kind of exercise (strength-training people don't like calling running exercising, but it is) your muscles will improve. You won't be loading on the protein probably (muscle shakes and the like) so your muscles won't get huge, but you may notice a lot more definition and new stabilizer muscles popping up you didn't see before. I know I can look at runners and guess who's getting protein and who's not.

Let me put it this way: I have HUGE thighs and big calves. Even during the years I wasn't running, they were still really hard and muscular, and honestly it's always kinda bothered me. I always wished there was a way to reduce that, and it's confusing to me. Most runners I know have very thin legs, yet somehow mine are huge. I am worried that this might be a genetic thing because they have never gone away.

As for huge thighs and big calves, what size shoe do you wear? My legs were much larger than anyone else when I ran cross-country, and someone told me lately that foot length has a lot to do with it (think of it as a fulcrum, lever, and having to move more in the exercise of rolling up the length of the entire foot) so I'd be interested to see if there's a correlation with you as well.

[bigm141414]

I will disagree with BigM. If you are increasing your muscles and doing ANY kind of exercise (strength-training people don't like calling running exercising, but it is) your muscles will improve. You won't be loading on the protein probably (muscle shakes and the like) so your muscles won't get huge, but you may notice a lot more definition and new stabilizer muscles popping up you didn't see before. I know I can look at runners and guess who's getting protein and who's not.

To clarify I did not say your muscles wouldn't improve, they will with any exercise. I stated that you won't gain muscle since you are eating at a caloric deficit to lose weight. Weight loss comes from both fat and muscle, but varies in the amount depending on the exercises and diet. That definition that shows up is a product of loss of fat around muscle that is already there, not from actually building more muscle during a caloric deficit.

[weirdquark]

I've tried cutting them in the past, and I know how hard it was for me then. Is there anything I can really do to try to make the withdrawl a little less devastating? I used to have a hardcore sugar addiction where I would eat a box of poptarts and drink cups and cups of chocolate milk as a midnight snack. I don't quite do that anymore with sugar, but I'm definitely too comfortable with my carbs in general.

There's a guide for cutting sugar over the course of a month here -- you could use a similar method for cutting carbs. (Basically, reduce the amount of carbs you eat slowly, if you're having trouble doing it all at once.) I feel that Stumptous has carb cutting advice somewhere, but the last time I poked around I couldn't find it.

You could also look into intermittent fasting -- this ebook was written by someone who experimented with different methods. The author does do weight training, but his goal was to cut fat without putting on a lot of extra muscle because he wanted to be lean enough for his running goals as well, so you might want to check it out.

[aj_rock]

if you get into marathon running, hands down your legs will get skinnier. The type of fibers that are used for long distance endurance do not take up the same space as the anaerobic ones do.

*shrug* eat healthy, and eat less calories. You'll lose weight.

[Bro]

As for huge thighs and big calves, what size shoe do you wear? My legs were much larger than anyone else when I ran cross-country, and someone told me lately that foot length has a lot to do with it (think of it as a fulcrum, lever, and having to move more in the exercise of rolling up the length of the entire foot) so I'd be interested to see if there's a correlation with you as well.

My feet are only around size 8-8 1/2.

[sumdawgtwigg]

Don't worry about what others say. When you try to accomplish things there will always be people that want to bring you down. When you start succeeding at it they will try even harder.

[Guest Carjack]

You should wear spandex tights until they're the in-thing again.

[ETFnerd]

You should wear spandex tights until they're the in-thing again.

Spandex tights aren't the in-thing where you live?

[Guest Carjack]

My town isn't very into the Robin Hood look.