Runners that need some nutritional accountability
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I gotta say March has sucked for me as far as weight loss. Holding exactly even despite logging every day, being under calories, and set to a theoretical 250 cal / day deficit. It seems like MFP is giving me such wildly overinflated burns for my runs that I can’t rely on it at all.1
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@rheddmobile Sorry you had that kind of month. It's frustrating. Hang in there. It'll come off eventually. I have seen on here that some people only eat back about half of their exercise calories, since it is all just a guesstimate. That may help.0
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Anyone see any of the research on gut micros being (at least partly), responsible for weight?
Exapmle. I saw a show where a woman had a c.diff. overgrowth and had a fecal transplant from her daughter. I mean, whos to say why the woman really gained weight, but they theory is she gained because the bacteria from her overweight daughters donation. Said after 4 generations of overweight parents, your chance of being overweight was significant and your gut microbes can't be changed easily.
This reminded me of Fitzgerald's "slimming foods and non-slimming foods" guide. Any thoughts?
Be awesome one day to help with weight loss (and prevent all the nasty ailments that accompany it), if one could eat certain foods and have a bacterial transplant.1 -
@quilteryoyo - maybe having something with electrolytes when you run and it is hot? I would definitely ask your doctor though about what is best.
@rheddmobile - have you considered just setting a reasonable calorie goal and ignoring the MFP or Garmin generated caloric burn? For example I know for me 1500 on a rest day and 1900-2000 on a short run/strength day works well. I ignore whatever MFP gives me (some people set the exercise calories to 0) and just try to hit those goals.
@elise4270 - I have heard about the importance of gut bacteria but I have not heard about it being responsible for weight. I do think that 4 generations of overweight parents may have a lot to do with eating and exercise habits. The kids eat and exercise how they have grown up. That said I think there are definitely genetic predispositions toward being heavier or lighter that can be difficult on either end to overcome.2 -
Yes. @shanaber, I agree that its lifestyle. But it is interesting that theres some science behind how those choices effect us genetically (an example of epigenetics- documented in rats. Fat father rat begets daughter rat that is likely to be overweight. Horrible how these genetic changes piggyback on the female gene.). So it's all very interesting to me how intertwined weight/health and food choices are.
I worked with a guy that ran. He was convinced he could eat anything as long as he ran. Maybe in his case. But I'm inclined to think that catches up with you. Diet quality is also key.
Just "food" for thought today. Dh wont let me debate with him anymore. So I'm stimulating your neurons. You guys think its overreaching? Or see evidence of it in your families?
None of my family is or was overweight. But my daughter's fathers side is. (All kids have same dad- just playing on the father/daughter rat study. I was married to a rat 😳😜). Dd is is overweight, doesnt exercise, but is in her room 26 hours a day. So genetics or self choice? Maybe both. Its all curious to me. How much of us is just written in to our genetic code? Seems more than we ever imagined.0 -
I find genetics fascinating as well. Then I wonder too, what it looks like in people who are adopted. Do they gain or not based on their adoptive family or does their genetics win out? Back to that entire nature vs nurture discussion...
In my own case my mom and her family were very active (surfing, skiing, tennis, etc.) and no one was overweight (Grandpa was director of physical education). My mom never weighed more than 110-115lbs and was 5'5" tall (skinny!). My dad's family not so much but they were not particularly overweight until later in life. My brother is tall and skinny too and can literally eat anything and everything and doesn't gain. I am more like my dad's side for sure. Very short, barely 5' and fighting weight my entire life even though we were very active as kids. Always outside all year round, biking, swimming, skiing and playing team sports.
DH was never overweight (until the last 10 years) but was never skinny either even though his entire family was despite none of them being particularly active. He really doesn't look like any of them based on build (he is bigger with bigger shoulders, etc. where his brother is pretty slight) but he favors his dad's family.
DD has also been active since she was small (swimming, running, water polo, etc.). The only time she was really overweight was when she didn't have time to be active much in med school and her 1st year residency. Now that she has fit working out into her schedule she dropped all the weight she gained so I think that was more life style but maybe with the predisposition to be heavier? Or it was just continuing to eat as if she were still active...
I do think social media, video games, etc. have a direct effect on kids (and some parents too) being overweight. If they don't move and mindlessly eat they are going to gain, no matter how good their diet is.
ETA - I agree about the runner that thinks he can just eat anything no matter the quality. He may not gain weight but it doesn't mean that it won't catch up to him or still cause problems like heart disease.2 -
You know there's also a theory about how we haven't genetically adaped to our current lifestyles. Our genetics still think we hunt, forrage and raise our food. The DNA doesnt know (yet), that food is plentiful, no reason to store an abundance. Just a trip to the store- an abundance of calories! That DNA never got snipped because of the intervention of modern medicine. We live longer with vaccinations and medical care, and education. Ooh, and because of that- we are evolving faster than ever! Uh, evolving/adapting... Not taking sides on the means in which we've come to be. Only how adaptive our awesome bodies are.
Our genetics took how long to make sure we didn't die of starvation? It worked pretty well. How odd it be if our bodies said, "nope. We're good. You can pass on that cake" and we had no desire to eat it! Whaaa? Nah!
(Im still on a cake hunt.. dh has yet to come through). Haha! "Hunt"! definitely, tracking that cake down!1 -
Ha! I think I have the foraging down pretty well... I go foraging through the fridge looking for 'something'!! Unfortunately it isn't much of a caloric expenditure the way I have to forage vs 100s of years ago!
Hey maybe when we are running our bodies, cells, mitochondria, whatever, 'think' we are hunting and chasing down the food and that is why we are so hungry afterwards. Gotta eat whatever it was we were chasing!4 -
I’ve only had coffee so far today. No food plans yet. I did put a scoop of hot chocolate in my coffee today. I may fix some eggs with cheese in a bit.
What’s on the menu today?
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@Elise4270 Just had my usual breakfast - one piece of toast, a fried egg, some cheese, and 4 cups of coffee. Since I'm not working today, I'll probably have a couple of snacks - walnuts or peanut butter, and then cook dinner around 4...thinking about a baked pork chop, baked cubed potatoes, and some steamed veggies.1
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I had a pre-run snack of toast and PB, my post-run protein/chocolate milk and lunch is sliced ham, cheese, crackers and some tangerines. Dinner will likely be leftover chicken and a big salad. Hobbes and I have agility class and it is going to be hot so likely won't be super hungry when we get home. If DH was here he would make something or more likely go and get Panera while we are at class. I think I take for granted that he does those things for me.
I have to mention I finally made my breakfast wrap yesterday morning. Bacon, eggs, avocado, tons of spinach, a bit of cheese and some onion! YUM (and I am not much for eggs)!!4 -
@shanaber Thanks for the input! Since one of my main reasons for running is that it lets me a eat a ton of carbs that my diabetes can’t handle on non-running days, it works better for me to have more calories based on my running. But I think I am going to need to add calories manually instead of by syncing.
Although - maybe not - after posting that I was annoyed I hadn’t lost anything during March I had a whoosh on April Fools and ended up approximately 2.5 lbs down, which is pretty much exactly where it should be on a half pound a week deficit. I am actually .5 lbs down according to my new scale, but the new scale appears to be about 2 lbs higher than my old scale, based on my husband’s weight, which is more or less stable. Unfortunately not able to compare the two directly since the old one died before we got the new one.4 -
Think I’m going to dig in to watching my foods. Four weeks off if it if probably long enough. I’ve had enough pizza and cake the last 2 days. So, that means I’m skipping calories for breakfast. I have errands at noon, so my usual lunch had been taco casa. Last time i grabbed some tacos, i didn’t have time to eat them until after class, 2 hours later. I love “old” tacos. The fat permeates the shell and makes it more like a soft corn tortilla. But, oi the grease. I do have roast and beans left which sounds like a fine choice.
To be honest, I really would like some egg rolls. It could happen.
What April changes are you making? What are you eating today? Can I have some?3 -
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@quilteryoyo
Glad to be of service. Horrible if you can’t find a chuckle in your day- so I try.
How about this one:
I go to pick up my Walmart order. Asked the young guy if “so and so” was working. He said “no. Are you her mom?” Ok fair. She is the same age as my dd. No worries. But I did second guess that nice review to leave him.... no? I haven’t done it... hmmm. I may, later. Maybe Johnathan shouldn’t have gone there...
Happy mood. I’m getting stuff ✅. Head to the post office. Figure “oooo hot ketchup and pickles!” McDonald’s splurge. Pull up to the grab window and the woman, that looks older than I says in a syrupy sweet gentle voice “oh, you’re just a little old lady. I’m sorry we got your order wrong and it’s a double patty (instead if the single). Is that okay?”. I’m cool. Okay. Give me the extra fat burger. One day after my birthday, I’m a little old lady? Outrageous. Why I aughta.... 🤔😠 why I ought to have asked for a damn senior discount!3 -
@Elise4270 You should have definitely asked for a Senior Citizen discount plus another one for getting your order wrong!! Of course, if you want to look on the bright side and give her a break, I think she was emphasizing the LITTLE part and was afraid you might not be able to eat a double patty.
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Ya. I had a good laugh. I told dd she said no way I look my age or older. Meh. Ok.
Today is a total wash food wise. Cake and McDonald’s? Ugh. So much for knuckling down. Tomorrow is a new day and I am sure I can do this once again. I did climb a ladder three times into the the loft of the shed where my baby cat is hiding out just to be away from the kitten of a monster kitten. I caved and put food and water out there for her instead of making her sneak in the house where she’s stressed. She was so happy to see me. It was kinda hard, I thought I was going to be an add for life alert, but I did it. My knee is unhappy, but so worth seeing my widdle girl, fwuffums.2 -
I've made no progress in the last couple of weeks but haven't regressed either. I get upward spikes in weight but in a couple days it drops back to where I was. Late night snacking is the culprit. Still.
I've been trying to eat even more fruit and veggies and eating large portions first during supper. It works great for supper, but not for late night snacking. I need to get better choices at night so when I do snack, it's not crap like cereal or crackers. I love carrot sticks but get tired of the prep after a while. Two nights ago I fried up a bunch of pheasant, sprayed with lemon juice and sprinkled with greek seasoning. Sliced up for easy snacking, it was very tasty, very lean, and very good for me. I need more of that.4 -
@7lenny7 I always want to eat at your house!
I’m up on the scale this morning after a post-run splurge at a Mediterranean grill. They have a massive food bar full of things like hummus, baba ghanoush, stuffed grape leaves, roasted beets, tabbouli, and so on, plus they come around to your table with an infinite supply of seven different meats - two different types of chicken, lamb, prime rib, kefta kabob, top sirloin, and some other cut of steak which I can’t recall. Dessert is grilled pineapple. Anyway it’s like paradise for a diabetic, I can literally stuff myself without having to worry about a blood sugar spike. Usually I save this place for long run days, but yesterday was a speedwork day and I just needed my steak fix. I ate fairly modestly, all things considered - only a single small slice of each meat, and one plate of sides, avoiding the oil and mayo based calorie bombs like the crab salad.
At the table next to us was a family who brought out my judgy side. Now that I’ve lost weight I find myself much more judgy than I ever was as a fat person. Parents were hugely obese, four teen children all trending that way. They gave their order (you can choose from all or a smaller selection of the meats) and stood up, Mom saying brightly, “Let’s hit the salad bar!” and you could see a look go across the kids’ faces as if she’d asked them if they wanted to be keelhauled. My husband remarked to me later that she should have chosen her words more carefully - it’s by no means limited to salad, and in fact there are things there that even the most sheltered American child will usually eat, such as pasta, corn on the cob, and roasted potatoes. But no, she mentioned salad, so none of the kids would even look at it. So the four kids all sat there eating platters of literally nothing but meat. No sides. Just huge chunks of plain meat. And dad did the same.2 -
I think @7lenny7 ‘s would also be the best place in town to eat. All I can get dh to do is pizza and make chili once in a while. But, he did just buy a rifle hoping to hunt next season. There maybe hope.
@rheddmobile Wow. Wow. Wow. The old “everyone is doing keto family”. Er, whatever was up with that. Ya know nowadays that’s just dangerous forcing kids to eat a diet that is not well rounded. I remember hearing about a family who was vegan getting hauled into court. I have no idea if it was warranted or not. Surely not. Can’t believe you didn’t order a basket of rolls and hand them over when mom was at the salad bar.3
