I have a high fitness level, but I'm overweight

Recent pic, just before ultramarathon last weekend.

Hi all! I'm 36F, 5'6", and 165 lbs, down from my (post-pregnancy) highest of 225. To give you some idea of my exercise capacity, I'm a casual distance runner and last Sunday, I completed a 50k/31 mi. road race at a slow but steady pace (just over 6.5 hours in all). My strength training routine is very inconsistent, but that's something I'm trying to work on. I'm built for endurance and struggle with speed (my best recent 5k is about 28 minutes), but being lighter would help so much with this. It would also help with wear and tear on my joints.

With my bulky bone structure (very broad shoulders, thick joints, big hands and feet), I look peaky at 130 lbs, so I'm going to set my end-of-2025 goal at 135 lbs.

One challlenge: Running makes me so hungry, especially very long distances. I may need to transition to training a shorter distance while I'm in active weight loss, maybe work on my 5k / half marathon time for a while.

Lifestyle changes:

1. I'm going to try to make 2025 a sober year. No alcohol, no drunk snacking, no hangover hashbrowns.

2. I will do more meal prep and bring my lunch to work (I have two jobs, which is itself another complication) to avoid mid-shift snacking and post-shift binging.

3. Limit desserts/sweets/soda to one thing per day.

4. Avoid second helpings.

5. Do shorter runs fasting to avoid the second breakfast phenomenon.

6. Sounds stupid, but don't finish the kids' plates just to avoid wasting food.

7. Measure sauces/dressing/etc. Lot of hidden calories there.

Anyway, there's no time like the present to start. I would love to run another ultra next winter with 30 less pounds to haul around.

submitted by /u/Bernard_
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from loseit - Lose the Fat https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/1hivce1/i_have_a_high_fitness_level_but_im_overweight/