Marathon deficit -- REALLY eat all those calories?

brits111383

Hi, all:

This is kind of the "what's you're weakest trait?": "I try too hard" job interview convo-equivalent of a post on MFP, but I really do need help to make sure I'm not slowing my metabolism or putting on extra weight after working my butt for 5 hours straight. That would be totally disappointing, no?

I just ran a marathon today and burnt 2,800 calories, and then I also (very lightly) biked to the start/finish and back to avoid parking issues and to save time. I estimate that burnt about 3,000 calories.

I ate about 700 calories on the run, and I had a normal breakfast and have been eating a hearty amount this afternoon and evening, making sure to do the whole recovery protein thing. Yet, I'm still working on a 1,500 calorie deficit. I'm really totally full.

What is the way to best deal with this type of deficit? Eat a lot of protein/recovery food and eat until I'm satiated and call it a day, or keep shoving it down and eating until I reach the calorie goal outlined on MFP?

Thanks!

psmd

I wouldn't meet the deficit if you're full/satisfied. It's not like you're running a marathon every day right?

raevynn

I wouldn't worry about one day's calorie deficit. Just eat what you are hungry for. You MIGHT find yourself really hungry tomorrow, though, as your body struggles to balance that one out. Watch for it.

Not eating your deficit every day would be an issue, I think. But just one day? nah. Let it go.

bahacca

Did you carb load the night before? (I'm mainly just curious as I plan to before my 1/2) I'd just eat what felt right and I'd eat whatever the heck sounded good to me! Maybe a protein shake before bed would be a good idea.

jturnerx

I routinely run huge deficits on Saturday and Sunday. The volume of training I do really does a number on my appetite. However, once Monday rolls around, which is a rest day, I'm super hungry. So I typically eat at a surplus on that day. Same goes for my other rest day on Friday. I don't stuff myself with food just to meet some calorie number when I'm not hungry. Neither do I deny myself food if I'm hungry and it means going over said calorie number for that day. It all evens out in the end.

Marcelynh

Did you run the Houston marathon? Congrats on finishing. What was your time? I am doing the 1/2 in Galveston next month. I was interested if you had carb loaded the night before or not. Have you found that helps? I think having little "snacks" on the run helps me more but I haven't enough experience to know if the carb loading really works. I figure since you're running the ironman in May you have experience with this.... any advice?

brits111383

Hi, all! Thanks for your thoughts -- this totally makes sense. I've been trying to listen to my body and not worry about those scary red numbers on the bottom of my food entry page during the week, and on the weekend I'm going to just let the calorie deficit be what it is after I've had some immediate recovery protein and had a good meal later.

This is what I typically do for nutrition for a big training day or event: about 3 days to one week before, I really start making sure I'm drinking enough water -- 10-12 cups per day at least, including caffeine-free tea. This is especially important in the summer, but it's still a year-round ritual. You can't really drink a lot of water the night before and expect to be hydrated, and I also experience this phenomenon I've deemed "water belly" when I'm working out and my stomach gets upset from too much liquid. Drinking a lot of water just prior will just inconvenience me with frequent trips to the gross port-o-potties, which I try to avoid for as long as possible. I honestly feel like when I hydrate last-minute, it just goes through my system -- none of it sticks.

The night before, I have high-quality whole grain, complex carbs the night before, but I don't overdo it. I eat until I'm satisfied, and I still have simple carbs like veggies to make sure I'm not weighed down. In the past sometimes would have a glass of wine or something the night before if I went out to dinner with friends for an out-of-town event, but I have found that feel so much better if I leave alcohol as an after-exertion award instead of a pre-race de-jitter fix or night cap, which I hear is a bogus concept, anyway.

The morning of, I have either:
(A) a green smoothie (ie, a normal smoothie with greens added: 4-8 fl oz of vanilla unsweetened almond breeze, 1-2 cups of greens, 1-2 cups of frozen fruit (frozen is more economical and makes the taste richer), including a fresh or frozen banana for the potassium (note: peel a banana before you freeze it), and 2 fl oz low-cal FRS for taste and energy, plus water/ice to make the consistency I want) or
(B) one serving of oatmeal (1/2 cup dry) with fruit (usually frozen cherries or strawberries, but sometimes fresh berries).

What I have for breakfast depends on the weather and the activity. I prefer smoothies in the summer or before running, and I like oatmeal when it's cold or I'm cycling and I'm not worried about stomach issues.

In terms of green smoothies, try spinach if this totally freaks you out -- it's the least obtrusive green for taste. I had baby kale this morning, and they were pretty good. If I only have stronger tasting greens such as (non-baby) kale, mustard greens or swiss chard, I'll make the green smoothie chocolate by adding some cocoa powder (not cocoa mix), which is really low-calorie and quite healthy. Chocolate smoothies are the best with frozen cherries! For my smoothies, I use a Vitamix, which is a commercial-grade blender. It is the brand that is used at Jamba Juice. It has a 7-year warranty, and the way I use it, it's worth every penny. I got a refurbished one, but it still put me back about $250, if I recall correctly. Most blenders are not worth your time if you drink a lot of smoothies because they'll die, do a bad job blending, or start malfunctioning. However, the new-ish Ninja blenders are in the $100-range and are supposed to be top-notch for the price/quality.

During my workout, for liquids I'll have low-cal FRS in the winter because I'm not so concerned about salt loss. I might also have some straight water, but I get bored by water sometimes. FRS tastes great and provides a good energy boost. In the summer, I've been drinking Cytomax, which tastes really good, but I really need to revise this. I think I gained weight this summer because of it -- it's something like 80 calories a serving. Cytomax is supposed to prevent cramping from excessive salt loss, and in Texas that's a top concern. My friends and I did notice that we weren't cramping as much, too. However, some of my friends have been swearing by low-cal Nuun tablets, and I've yet to try them. I'll report back. Oh, and for really hot/long rides or runs, pickle juice (either straight from a pickle jar or the stuff that's actually bottled as a fitness aid) is AMAZING. I used this first during the Hotter 'n Hell Hundred in Wichita Falls, TX in August, and it really does the trick. It's super low-cal, as well. If I run out of liquid in my fuel belt bottles or cycling water bottles, I'll drink either the event-provided Gatorade or water depending on how I'm feeling -- I think a gut check is the best way to tell if you're just low on water or also need salt, as well. I do try to avoid Gatorade if possible, though, because I hear it's a bad idea to drink calories for workout fuel-- it's better to eat them. I'm not sure if this is a preference thing or an effectiveness thing, but I tend to agree out of preference.

If I'm working out for over an hour, I'll have energy gus or gel every 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how I'm feeling. After I surpass 80 minutes of working out, I will have a gel right then if I haven't yet and I won't wait more than an hour between gels, because if I wait any longer I'll start to bonk. I just go by taste for most of this stuff - so find out what you like. Some fuel is almost like delicious frosting, and some is just like cough syrup. My personal pref is to stay away from fruit flavors because they don't mask the medicinal flavor as well as the chocolate, coffee or vanilla flavors out there. However, Hammer makes an excellent Apple Cinnamon flavor (no caff) that tastes like apple pie filling. Their espresso flavor tastes terrible to me, though. I like Gu's Espresso Love (w/caff), Vanilla Bean (w/caff) and Chocolate Mint (no caff). Clif's Chocolate Cherry (with caff) is also good. I also like Clif shot blocks to mix things up if I'm bored of gel, but I can tell that more digestion/hydration is necessary when going that route. Some of my friends love Honey Stinger Waffles because they taste really good and are supposed to be more "natural". They don't really fit in my fuel belt, so I haven't had one yet, but I have some sitting in my bag. They have about 60 more calories per serving (160 calories) than most other fuels, which are around 100 calories each. The longer I'm working out, the more I lean towards fuel with caffeine -- it is supposed to reduce swelling and soreness, especially with women.

After I'm done, I always, always try to follow the "Golden Half Hour" or "Golden Hour" rule and get myself a recovery protein, such as some Muscle Milk or FRS Recovery Protein.The idea is that after you work out, your body is craving nutrients to rebuild your muscles, ligaments and bones that you were torturing for however long, and there is a limited amount of time to get your body the fuel it needs to repair itself to its best capability. I think you have a little bit longer to get the protein the longer you have worked out, but it's best to have this protein as soon as you can (unless you're queasy -- that's a good reason to wait!). Even if I'm not hungry, I'll have a protein shake as soon as possible. Also, I drink water until I'm not thirsty, of course. On the marathon today (yes, it was the Houston Marathon!), there weren't any protein recovery shakes, but there was low-calorie yogurt, so I had that. There was also scrambled eggs and sausage, but I don't eat that stuff -- either or both of these would have been good choices if you do eat those items. I also try to follow up with caffeine because it's supposed to help with reducing swelling. I'll have a diet soda or two. At the Houston Marathon, they were out of diet soda, so I had one serving of regular soda since it was 120 calories and I knew that wouldn't hurt my count today.

Later on in the day, I'll have a normal meal based on how hungry I'm feeling. I'll still try to have more protein than usual if possible, and I'll try to get more veggies and nutritious food, too. But I'll also splurge and eat the bad stuff at this time because this is when my calorie deficit is the most forgiving.

I got most of this information from listening to friends and reading articles online -- this seems to work for me, but if there are any points of improvement, let me know!

This plan has worked for me up to half Iron distances or for marathons and cycling centuries. For the Ironman, I still need to look into nutrition needs. One of my friends bought a variety of salt tablets and stuff for his Ironman, and he told me that he thought it helped a lot.

Also, my time for the Houston Marathon today was just under 5 hours (4:58), which was a 6-minute improvement from the Austin Marathon last year and a 30-minute improvement on my 2010 Houston Marathon time! I'm not very fast, but I still like seeing progress!

hedkell

Great info, I have my first half coming up and I have no idea what I am doing, or if I will even be ready! Well done on your Marathon!