Do I need to gain weight for better performance and health?

FMaddyF

I am 177cm tall and I weigh 125lbs(56.5kgs). I do a lot of running and I'm training for a half-marathon currently but I'm so tired all the time and I eat roughly 1400 calories because I can't force myself to eat more(feel stuffed). Is my weight still healthy though or am I going to continue losing weight? I don't want to lose anymore because I am already quite boney in my appearance. Any advice please?

whereelse

I found I had the same problem. The only solution was to either cut back on the running or increase calories. Carbs give you energy - I'm not sure what your current diet is but I found the following breakfast set me up for the day: 1/2 cup Oatmeal & 150 grams egg whites ( I cook and eat them separately). Eat clean and always include carbs and protein in all your meals. I had to up my caloric intake by about 300 calories per day. Hope this helps.

arrseegee

I think eating 1400 while training for a half marathon is why you are feeling tired.

Two questions:
Is your weight currently stable, or are you losing?
Are you tracking your intake on MFP, and if yes are you eating back your exercise calories?

If you're losing weight and not currently tracking your calories I think it would be worth doing that for a few weeks to see whether you are actually eating 1400, and also how many calories you are burning through running. If you are getting full trying to eat 1400 calories space your meals out more through the day, e.g. have breakfast, a morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack, dinner, more snacks if necessary. I got caught out yesterday by not eating enough during the day then going for a spontaneous run, and there was no way I could eat 1000 calories last night before bed. If you plan to space your meals out you will be better able to meet your calories and also ensure that you are well-fuelled for your runs.

TavistockToad

you're training for a marathon on 1400 cals??? you need 2 things... peanut butter and a spoon!

Francl27

You're underweight, and it's only going to get worse. Please go see a doctor.

FMaddyF

'Two questions:
Is your weight currently stable, or are you losing?
Are you tracking your intake on MFP, and if yes are you eating back your exercise calories? '

My weight is quite stable...but it can fluctuate sometimes from between 56-58kgs depending on what I eat but recently I feel I'm losing weight over the weeks more and more.
I do track my calories most days and normally I find I burn way too many calories than I eat back but like I say it's difficult to force yourself to eat at times. I think realistically then I must choose foods that are higher in calories? I do have three meals per day and I snack in between on things like fruit and energy bars. Do you have any suggestions on high calorie foods that will also help me with my running performance?

TavistockToad

My weight is quite stable...but it can fluctuate sometimes from between 56-58kgs depending on what I eat but recently I feel I'm losing weight over the weeks more and more.
I do track my calories most days and normally I find I burn way too many calories than I eat back but like I say it's difficult to force yourself to eat at times. I think realistically then I must choose foods that are higher in calories? I do have three meals per day and I snack in between on things like fruit and energy bars. Do you have any suggestions on high calorie foods that will also help me with my running performance?

the extra calories will help with your running performance full stop.

erickirb

eat full fat, full sugar, no lite foods. The fats will up your cals without having to eat a lot, and the carbs/sugar will fuel your workouts/runs

AZKristi

http://skepchick.org/2014/02/the-female-athlete-triad-not-as-fun-as-it-sounds/

Yes

FMaddyF

Very interesting article and it makes a lot of sense, thank-you AZKristi!

jimmmer

I am 177cm tall and I weigh 125lbs(56.5kgs). I do a lot of running and I'm training for a half-marathon currently but I'm so tired all the time and I eat roughly 1400 calories because I can't force myself to eat more(feel stuffed). Is my weight still healthy though or am I going to continue losing weight? I don't want to lose anymore because I am already quite boney in my appearance. Any advice please?

If you're training seriously for an event, then 1400 is NOT enough. You're going to be cannibalising muscle, soft tissue and bone density.

If you want to get more calories, then eat more calorie dense foods - peanut/nut butters, bread, pasta, carbonara sauces, cheese, etc.. It's really quite easy to eat twice as many calories as you are currently consuming....

Techmuse

My son has similar issues to what you describe. He is only 14 but trains 6 days a week up to 3 hours per day, for the Decathlon (Ranked top 10 in the country). He has trouble getting enough food in because his ADHD meds suppress his appetite. In order to provide him enough high quality calories we make sure he eats lots of high protein bars (the kind weightlifters use). He also tries to get as many high calorie/high protein shakes as he can. We use weight gain protein powder, mix it with chocolate syrup, flax oil, heavy cream, ice cream, etc. By the time we are done its about 1000 cals per glass. If he can he tries to get 1-2 of those per day down. Even then he barely holds weight.

Try and keep high protein bars with you and use them to snack. They are very dense high quality calories and will not fill you up as fast as "normal" food.

The bottom line is that you are burning way to many calories for the amount of running you are doing. As a result you will be fatigued and will also be burning muscle tissue for energy, which you don't want. Up you calories and focus on getting more protein for that amount of training as a percentage of total calories. When training you want to be about 1g of protein per pound of body weight. So for you, that's about 125g of protein per day.

Consider that if you are running say 7 miles in 1 hour (not sure what mileage or pace you are doing for training) at your weight you would burn about 662 calories for that run. That's over and above your TDEE which scooby says should be about 1653. So therefore in order to maintain your weight you would need about 2300+ calories on days when you run just to maintain weight.

SLLRunner

Eat clean and always include carbs and protein in all your meals.

Eating clean has nil to do with anything.

OP, if you are losing weight, and if you are training for a marathon you won't decrease your running, so you need to increase your calorie intake. I do weight lifting, and now that I can do those 9.5 minute miles again, I've had to make sure my calorie intake is higher.

You say you eat about 1400 calories because you feel stuffed. You can increase the calories with higher calorie foods: nuts, avocados, beans, legumes, wild rice, etc.

Edited to add: i agree with the poster who said you are underweight and need to speak with your doctor about this. You also said you are quite bony in appearance.

whereelse

Eating clean has everything to do with any type of physical activity. And life in general for health and to avoid yoyo dieting. It was a general comment. You listed clean foods as well. And yes there needs to be a caloric increase.

I obviously don't understand the need to loose weight only the need to try increase - it is just as hard.