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Run break and weight loss, with science tangent
On 2/25 I ran a 5K and have been kind of bumming around since then, with only 4 runs in the 10ish days since the 5K. That 5K was the culmination of C25K from late October to late February, and during that 4 month period I had run 3 times/week consistently, no breaks.
So during this short little lull in my running, I've seen some considerable movement on the scale and am seeing lower numbers than I've ever seen before.
Is there science on my side to explain why an activity lull or hiatus might temporarily boost weight loss? Maybe something to do with appetite or metabolism??
(And while I'm on the topic of weight loss, could someone explain how weight loss physically works? I keep googling, and I keep getting answers like eat less, move more, but I'm really questioning where the weight "goes." Is all weight lost through excretions and respiration? How does my body physically decrease in mass through this process of working out and eating better. Can you explain the science? Sorry....totally tangent. I've just been wondering.)
Re: Run break and weight loss, with science tangent
I have no idea what any of the answers are but I really hope someone knowledgeable answers. I'm very interested to see what they have to say.
My understanding is that fat loss is accomplished by the diminishment of your fat cells in size - they are able to store the fat in each cell and as it is used, the cells get smaller. During weight loss you really don't lose fat cells; they just get smaller. This is one reason that long term weight loss is much harder for obese people: they lose fat but still have the same number of fat cells, which still churn out "hunger" or appetite hormones. You can also lose mass via losing muscle, but that's not likely the case.
If you were working out regularly before, it could have been that your muscles were holding on to water on a regular basis. (which is why you should never weigh yourself after a long run or strength training - often you are heavier!) Once you stop for a while, you "lose" that water weight. But 4 runs in 10ish days is nothing to sneeze at, so maybe the loss is just a delayed effect from your previous work?
I am a runner, knitter, scientist, DE-IVF veteran, and stage III colon cancer survivor.
Eh, these runs were easy and shorter than usual as well as less frequent. Not like I was a total bum, but I wasn't pushing myself, as I had in the previous 4 months, with incrementally increased duration throughout. They were "lazy runs," if there is such a thing.
This happened to me when I broke my foot. Some things to consider:
1. Your metabolism is still high from working out so you are still burning
2. You aren't as hungry so you aren't consuming as many calories or
3. You think you are eating enough calories for your activity level but you really aren't so by reducing your activity level you are no longer "starving" yourself and your body sheds weight more efficiently
(For me, I realized I'm just not eating enough for my activity level)
I agree with the others about the appetite issue. There are also lots of theories out there about how cardio is not the most efficient way to lose weight.
On the science part, I too have tried to google it. A professor once told me that you lose the weight through respiration. Although he's brilliant, he was an architecture professor (who had lost a ton of weight), so I'm not sure how accurate that is.
I'm a scientist by training and that (and the previous explanation) sound about right. Basically, it's "fat stored in adipose tissue-->lots of intermediate metabolic steps--->respiration". The phrase "burning fat" is actually not that inaccurate - your body uses fat for fuel, burns it, and you excrete the byproducts through waste in all its forms.
I am a runner, knitter, scientist, DE-IVF veteran, and stage III colon cancer survivor.
Basically everyone else has it right. Your body uses glucose preferentially for fuel, and when you run out of glucose, you start to break down triglycerides and fatty acids in order to generate more glucose. You run through the glucose in your blood pretty quickly, and then you switch to a combination of fatty acid mobilization and production of glucose from sugar stored in your muscles. In long runs like marathons, you "hit the wall" when your body switches over completely to fatty acid metabolism, which is a lot less efficient than glucose.
Like epphd said, you don't lose fat cells; you just make them smaller when you use up their lipid contents.
(Med student/biochemistry degree here - I love this subject)