Already eating a lot, need to eat more??

sweetheart03622

So I'm training for a few half marathons and I'm trying to lose weight at the same time. Currently, I'm netting 1,500 calories a day, but I'm having a tough time keeping myself under control on the weekends and I've noticed myself needing extra rest days and feeling more drained recently.

I lift twice a week, run 3-4 times a week, cross train once a week, and take a dance class once a week. My question is, do I need to be eating more? Will that help me keep myself more in check on the weekends? I'm thinking of bumping my net to 1,700 and trying that for a few weeks. I've been losing REALLY slow recently because of the junk I eat on the weekends, so I'm wondering if this will help. Thoughts and advise please

Stats: 22, female, 5'7, low 160's (fluctuates), size 8

iplayoutside19

Yes

Rompa_87

Definitely!

I train for triathlons, currently the ironman and on days I train it isn't uncommon for me to eat 3000+ calories.

Definitely aim for closer to 2000 even if you are trying to lose weight. Endurance training makes you more efficient at burning fat anyway so you will likely maintain body weight but lose body fat if you eat enough

sweetheart03622

Definitely!

I train for triathlons, currently the ironman and on days I train it isn't uncommon for me to eat 3000+ calories.

Definitely aim for closer to 2000 even if you are trying to lose weight. Endurance training makes you more efficient at burning fat anyway so you will likely maintain body weight but lose body fat if you eat enough

Eek 2000? That seems so frighteningly high! I wouldn't mind maintaining this weight if I could lose the fat, but that number definitely scares me. I'm running about 15-20 miles/week right now. Is 2,000 net really where I should be at?

thkelly

Definitely!

I train for triathlons, currently the ironman and on days I train it isn't uncommon for me to eat 3000+ calories.

Definitely aim for closer to 2000 even if you are trying to lose weight. Endurance training makes you more efficient at burning fat anyway so you will likely maintain body weight but lose body fat if you eat enough

where are these numbers coming from?
seems strange to just throw out a number like 2000 calories

lmarshel

Have you tried letting MFP calculate your calorie goal for you? That's what I do, and I have it set at a .5 pounds per week loss. I've been averaging more than that, but I usually leave a few calories at the end of every day. That might be a place for you to start. Then you can play with the numbers from there.

Just a thought...best of luck!

Schwiggity

What did you set your calorie goal to lose per week? You could possibly, cut it back a bit to get more calories, and probably still lose more weight (doesn't make sense thermodynamically, but I've seen it happen many times because people have higher BMRs than they think).

wendybird2

Hi, I'm a runner too, and have done the half-marathon & full marathon training thing for years. I'm not currently training for anything in particular, just getting my base back after being sidelined by an injury, but I'm probably doing about the same amount of training as you each week. I'm also starting to notice some of those same side-effects: doing well during the week and getting ravenous on the weekends. I'm shooting for a 1 lb of weight loss a week, but I'm thinking about dropping to 1/2 lb loss. I'm at 140lbs, currently eating about 1500/day. Two years ago when I dropped my weekly milage and started doing more intense speed work, I found that I had to increase my calories from the 1300-1500 range to 1700-1900 range, and suddenly my workouts felt better and the weight dropped. I'd also have a "cheat day" on my long run day, the rule being that I HAD to track everything I ate. Usually I ate 2300-2500 on that day. I also ran first thing in the morning each day, but if I didn't eat half a cliff bar before hand I'd literally fall over. Make sure you're resting at least one day per week. I'm always hungriest on my rest day for some reason.

That being said, during marathon training, I'd always GAIN about five lbs. Your body will get really good at storing energy and water when you train to run long distances. If you are hungry, your body is telling you something. You need to eat. My advice for longer distance runners, especially if you haven't been doing it for years and years, is to NOT try to lose weight when training for a distance race. Worry about getting stronger and faster instead. You'll be getting healthier on the inside, even if the scale doesn't tell you so. (focusing on shorter, TOUGH speedwork and intervals, on the other hand, always seems to help drop the weight. It just hurts more!)

Best of luck with your race!

~Wendy~

cmw72

Your diary looks pretty solid. I don't think you need to add too many more calories. You're taking in 1500 NET calories per day, not TOTAL, so that should be fine.

You might consider adding more protein to your diet. You can add a protein shake on the weekends for only a couple hundred calories. That should help curb your hunger.

Rae6503

I'm 5'9", 153, size 10. I TRY to net 1750 (which is a half pound loss a week), but usually end up averaging 2000.

ETA: I'm losing weight slowly too and I'm good with that. 25 pounds in 13 months. 8 pounds in the last 3 months.

DontThinkJustRun

Maybe, maybe not. We work out about the same and I'm running a half maraton a week from Sunday. Right now I'm just rolling with it based on how I feel. Some days I'm netting 1000, some days 1200 other days 1500. I try not to let myself go above my maintenance which is 1700. At first I was doing 1500 and wasn't losing and once I got down to 1000 - 1200 I started losing. I try really hard to listen to my body and how I'm feeling and take my exercise for that day into consideration. I try to align my lower cal days with days I do less exercise.

IMO it's really about listening to your body. Be aware of fatigue, headaches, dizzyness, etc. And do your very best to choose the most nutritious foods you can. There are so many opinions about how much we *need* to eat and really it just comes down to what works for you. So if you feel good and are losing don't worry. If don't feel good and are losing eat more, if you don't feel good and aren't losing eat more, if you feel good and aren't losing eat less

Good luck!