Training for 1/2 and dieting

terbee

Hi guys -
I'm training for a half marathon right now and am just a few weeks away from it. My long runs are up to 10 miles and my weekly distance is about 23-25 miles. I've been monitoring my diet for the past 4 months or so and have lost some weight, and now have just about 5 pounds left that I would like to lose. The problem is that since my long runs have ramped up, I feel REALLY hungry ALL the time! In the past I have been netting around 1300 cals (eating back my exercise cals so usually eating 1800-2000 actual calories a day). Wondering if I should stick to this, or move into maintenance mode for awhile and up the cals, then go back to netting 1300 after my race when I'm not doing such long distances. This is what I'm inclined to do, since I don't think I really care that much about the 5 pounds at this point, and want to focus on feeling good running. Any input welcome!

My diary is public, I'm a vegetarian with a sweet tooth, please don't be too harsh and yes I ate apple pie a la mode today!

ebaymommy

I just have a second to respond so I didn't look through your diary but I would recommend eating at/near maintenance until after your race and then worrying about those last few pounds. It's really hard to lose weight while training for a distance run without sacrificing your training. I'm not sure of your height but at 130lbs I don't think netting 1300/day is enough either.

I'm 5'5", 34 years old, 120lbs and currently eating at maintenance as I'm just about 5 weeks out from a full marathon. I'm eating 2400-2800/day (probably netting around 1700/day) just to keep up with my TDEE and keep my energy levels up for training.

mlachance9

I've run two halfs since staring MFP in December and here's what I did:

I had 25 to lose and was at 1 1/2 lb weight loss per week goal, when I got near 10 lbs left and was training for the first spring half I then lowered my weekly weight loss goal to 1 lb a week as I knew the last 10 lbs would go slower and my mileage was upping and my body needed the calories. Then 2 weeks before the half I lowered my weekly weight loss goal to 1/2 lb a week, then 1 week before race I lowered again to "maintain". Once the race was done I upped it back to 1 lb per week. Then I started training for my 2nd half marathon and followed the same plan where at the 2 weeks out mark I went to 1/2 lb and then maintain with 1 week. It's been 1 1/2 weeks since the 2nd half marathon and I had upped my weight loss goal to 1 lb again and it's working well for me. Granted it makes losing those last few lbs go slower, but you'll feel better because you're giving your body what it needs while training.

bstamps12

I think you should not hold yourself to the 1 lb per loss per week while training since you are hungry all the time, but you shouldn't feel like you have to do maintenance either. Make sure you don't go over maintenance but other than that, eat healthy foods until you're full. Also remember that your body doesn't automatically add .25 lb at 11:59 pm if you are over one day--for many of us, we can't eat the calories back from a long run. I often net 800-900 calories on long run days because I'm simply not that hungry, BUT the next day is when I'm starving. Then I'm over on calories by 400-500 but it's okay because it averages out. Eat when you want up to the point of maintenance but at the same time, don't let it feel like a license to eat crap when you aren't hungry. Good luck!

mlb929

I found my most useful information of running and diet in the book Racing Weight, it was extremely helpful. My thought would be get your race done, THEN diet. There is a theory out there that our bodies can't lose weight with intense exercise like training for a race can be.

terbee

Thanks guys! That is all good advice. I've re-set to maintenance and am not stressing. I'm hovering between weight loss and maintenance targets, and feel more full/fueled. My goal is to spend the extra calories smartly, and not go overboard on things like bags of skittles!

grinch031

I think trying to lose weight while training for a race is futile. Being in a calorie deficit is going to hinder your performance and motivation during training. The excessive hunger I get usually causes me to gain weight several pounds of fat by the time race day arrives. Instead I found trying to eat cleaner, less processed foods helps keep me from overeating and I might even drop a little bit of weight, but don't expect any major losses of weight. Do the weight loss thing in between training programs.