Diet while training for a marathon

bozzasean
bozzasean Posts: 59 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've heard you shouldn't be doing that but I've a stone to lose ideally by mid October. Any thoughts ?

Replies

  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,594 Member
    It’s a tough balance to maintain a deficit and properly fuel your runs. I found this from Hal Higdon that addresses the issue.

    https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/marathons-weight-loss/
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Long distance cyclist here but same things apply....
    You should be able to maintain a sensible deficit while your mileage ramps up but when it does it gets harder and may start to impact on your training and recovery.

    Monitor how you feel but also perhaps track your minimum heart rate, if it starts to increase it can be a sign your body is under stress and it's time to reduce or remove the stress of a deficit.

    What I find is an irregular daily deficit works better for me as opposed to an every day deficit so I can target the long days / intense days and eat at maintenance for them. The easy or moderate days I can tolerate a significant deficit with no performance impact.
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    You’re going to have quite a few long runs between now and then, preparing for a mid-October run. It’s probably a good idea to keep your body fueled. You know yourself best though. Is this your first marathon?
  • bozzasean
    bozzasean Posts: 59 Member
    No I've done a few but being injured for a while and gained weight so looking to get back on track .11 miles done today with plenty more to go
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,746 Member
    I have been able to lose weight in the early weeks of marathon training with a small deficit, but as the training ramps up, it is hard to maintain a consistent deficit because I get so hungry. Feeling deprived is not good for training. I can usually maintain my weight until just around the time of the marathon, when I cut back on mileage for taper and recovery but still have the runger.

    Try a 500 calorie deficit and see how you do with it. Sometimes just cutting things like beer and ice cream can help lose a few pounds if you've gotten into the habit of eating them regularly. If you are starving the day after a long run or hard speed session, eat at maintenance levels. If you are feeling like you don't have energy for your long runs, then eat a bit more the day before. IOW, listen to your body and make training the priority rather than the weight loss.
  • bozzasean
    bozzasean Posts: 59 Member
    Thanks @spiriteagle99 you give sound advice. Upping my mileage in the next few weeks so I'll see how 500 deficit goes

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