Meeting with Nutritionist and Progress Report

irunsf85

I met with a sports nutritionist on Saturday and had my RMR measured using the breathing test and it measured 1470. After discussing my half marathon/marathon training plans and other activities, she has put me on a daily calorie intake of 1700 cals/day. She said that this will leave me at about 500 calorie deficit which will put me at a loss of ~ 1 lb/week. She mentioned that it is possible that I may not lose any weight, which is common of other people training for long distances, because the body is so stressed that it's trying to hold on to what it can.

A couple of weeks ago, I weighed in at 120.6. This morning, when I got on the scale, the numbers read 121.2. I'm not incredibly worried about the gain though because I haven't had a bowel movement since Friday and I attribute some of the weight gain to stuff that's sitting in my track. Sorry, I know that was TMI. I was out of town for the weekend and can't seem to have any BMs if I'm not at home. It also will be TOTM for me in a few days so I'm probably experiencing some bloat. On Mondays, I usually weigh my heaviest due to bad eating habits on the weekend and being extremely bloated.

The amazing thing since I upped my calories is that my endurance has increased. I went on a 14 mile run on Sunday and ran the whole way without feeling like I was about to drop. I actually felt like I could have gone for a few more miles. I also ran my fastest 5K this morning, averaging 8:47 minutes/mile, about 30 seconds faster than what I normally run.

I also met with my personal trainer today. It's a free service that is provided through my membership at the gym at my work. I asked her about lifting heavy and she said that it was the exact opposite that I should do because it will hinder my distance running. I should not be adding any additional bulk and should work on lighter weights and longer reps which will build the strength required for endurance.

Sorry... I'm sure that was long winded but I just wanted to share my experience and perhaps can maybe help someone out there.

CoderGal

I'm sorry, but your **** doesn't weight several pounds. Try it out some time. Before you need to take one, weigh before and after. You'll likely be the exact same weight, as the **** is negligible lol. That being said, there's many reasons body weight fluctuates, I wouldn't call that a gain. Congrats on increasing your calories, that's definitely a step in the right direction. I'll never step near that dreaded 1200 number again. I much rather numbers that start with 2s

irunsf85

I'm sorry, but your **** doesn't weight several pounds. Try it out some time. Before you need to take one, weigh before and after. You'll likely be the exact same weight, as the **** is negligible lol. That being said, there's many reasons body weight fluctuates, I wouldn't call that a gain. Congrats on increasing your calories, that's definitely a step in the right direction. I'll never step near that dreaded 1200 number again. I much rather numbers that start with 2s

I never said that my fecal matter weighed several pounds... Having said that, I have weighed myself in the past before/after. There was a time that I had chronic constipation where I would go once a week and I can tell you that it did make a difference on the scale. It wasn't a huge difference.. I wasn't 10 pounds lighter but there was definitely a difference in number.

Thank you for your support and as tempting as going back to 1200 when I don't see the scale budge or if the number increases, I too will never to go back to 1200 and put my body through the hell that it's gone through.

fittiephd

I've heard that you actually are highly encouraged to do heavy lifting during marathon training. Maybe you should do some research on this on the internet before you listen to that PT.

HeidiHoMom

I've heard that you actually are highly encouraged to do heavy lifting during marathon training. Maybe you should do some research on this on the internet before you listen to that PT.

I have also heard this.


Also, to the previous person who said her **** doesn't weigh that much....have you ever been seriously constipated?? Mine does weigh several pounds when I actually go (usually between 3-4 lb difference).

irunsf85

I've heard that you actually are highly encouraged to do heavy lifting during marathon training. Maybe you should do some research on this on the internet before you listen to that PT.

I have done research. Weight training is highly encouraged but not HEAVY weight training. Low weights and high reps is what is recommended by many runners and articles. The more bulk you add on, the more you have to carry when you run, which slows you down. The reason why i asked my trainer was because I just finished reading NROLFW and that book also says weight lifting and endurance are counterproductive.

My trainer has been running since she was 14 and has completed several marathons and more half marathons than she can keep track of.

31prvrbs

Your trainer was correct. You want to hold off on trying to put on excess muscle mass as it will slow you down. Training for endurance and training for strength are two opposite goals, so you need to pick the one with highest priority and work toward that right now. Depending on where you are in your training, you should be becoming more sport specific as you reach race day. Once the race is over, you can resume trying to rebuild excess muscle that was catabolized.

It's the same reason that we warn against "too much" cardio for the person trying to build muscle. The two are opposing goals, so one must take priority (even if you don't consciously decide, your body will, and endurance typically wins).

The body is very adaptive and will break down the muscle tissue (sensing that you don't need it) so that you can move faster. This is a desired result for endurance runners.


Sprinters, on the other hand, carry a bit more muscle because they need the power for the bursts of energy required, which is more like strength training.

For "endurance" training with weights, you would use higher reps with lower weights.

~Kiki

irunsf85

Hi Kiki,

Thanks for the clarification. It helps that someone like yourself recommends the same. Right now, we are doing a lot of training using own body weight and 5-8 pound weights and reps lasting 1 minute long. When I worked out with her today, she handed me a 3 pound weight and told me to do an exercise. Naturally, I thought 3 pounds was too light and easy so I asked her if I could have something heavier. She told me to trust her and to stick with the 3 lbs. After about 45 seconds, my arms were burning. I'm glad I didn't go with anything heavier because I'm sure I wouldn't be able to change my clothes tomorrow!

So, if I'm understanding everything correctly, lighter weights and high reps will allow me to get stronger without adding muscle mass and will also prevent me from losing what muscles I have, right?

31prvrbs

Lol. I can imagine how your arms felt after a whole minute!

The high rep/light weights won't give you any significant strength gains or muscle size, but instead will promote endurance in the muscle. It teaches all of the muscles to work together and makes sure that the smaller, supporting muscles don't give out before the larger ones.

This actually will assist you when you go back to heavy weights because if you go to say, perform a barbell row, you'll be able to focus on back strength without the forearm or bicep giving out before your back does. In the race, it can help to make sure your muscles don't fatigue before your heart does.

There is definitely a possibility of losing some muscle as the body will see that you are serious about this running thing, and decide that it wants to become as efficient as possible. The longer & harder you train, the more your body will accept this as a reality, & your muscles become a costly resource to keep around. To reduce cost, and perform efficiently, especially when you move into longer workouts, the body will move to muscle as a fuel source.

You can do your best to counteract this by fueling with sufficient carbs (as muscle is not the preferred source of energy, but it moves to it when it plows through other sources during extended sessions)

CoderGal

I've heard that you actually are highly encouraged to do heavy lifting during marathon training. Maybe you should do some research on this on the internet before you listen to that PT.

I have also heard this.


Also, to the previous person who said her **** doesn't weigh that much....have you ever been seriously constipated?? Mine does weigh several pounds when I actually go (usually between 3-4 lb difference).

I acknowledged the fact the poster mentioned the pound being over a couple of weeks, and hasn't **** since friday and was a young female who only wants to loose 20 lbs starting and I assumed she was not over morbidly obese.

If you're a average sized male the average value is .27 lbs day, average people poop about once a day (it varies, 3 not being unusual). Assuming that the .27 lbs is from an entire one sitting every time, which it isn't going to be usually...and acknowledging that women have significantly lighter stool and the smaller you are the smaller your stool is generally, for some healthy people that would be over a month of poop to hold in. I highly suggest seeing a doctor before that. The weekend isn't a month. However, if this wasn't the case, it's normal to weigh several pounds different between morning and night. If you weighed yourself immediately before and immediately after, I really doubt your average woman could **** out a small child (my sister's baby weighed about 4, actually). Considering a child tends to be denser then a dense ****, I'm hoping the difference you were talking about was between night and morning.

SweatpantsRebellion

This post is reassurance that I'm actually doing the right thing. As much as I want the gains from lifting, I've chosen to hold off on starting NROLFW or Stronlifts (haven't decided which) until I'm done with my half marathon in September. For now I'm using Pilates and a Plyometric strength workout that I found to improve muscle endurance. That being said, once my half is done in September, it's on!

irunsf85

Wow Kiki! Thank you. You are a wealth of info and amazing!

Kiki, does the caloric intake sound about right to you? I realize that I may not be able to lose any weight as the nutritionist had mentioned but it would be nice to lose some pounds, especially if it will help with my running. Even though she said I wouldn't gain any weight, I'm still nervous about upping my calories so high especially since I work a desk job (I make it a point to get up and walk as often as possible) and I have one day where I remain pretty sedentary to allow my body a break.

I am aiming for 45 carb/30 protein/ 25 fat which is what she suggested.

lillebanon

I get colonoscopies every 3 years (yay me), and on average I lose 5 to 8 pounds overnight doing the colon prep. You'd be surprised how much poo can weigh! :huh: But from what i can see she only had a 0.6 lb gain... that could reasonably be waste... or water...

31prvrbs

Wow Kiki! Thank you. You are a wealth of info and amazing!

Kiki, does the caloric intake sound about right to you? I realize that I may not be able to lose any weight as the nutritionist had mentioned but it would be nice to lose some pounds, especially if it will help with my running. Even though she said I wouldn't gain any weight, I'm still nervous about upping my calories so high especially since I work a desk job (I make it a point to get up and walk as often as possible) and I have one day where I remain pretty sedentary to allow my body a break.

I am aiming for 45 carb/30 protein/ 25 fat which is what she suggested.

The thing about training for endurance, is that everything becomes more performance based, first and foremost. So the food, the workouts, and everything else is centered around performance, not weight loss. Anything else that happens as a result, is just a side benefit (or consequence, depending on how you view it).

So in order to perform properly, you have to fuel properly. Upping your cals, you will probably notice that you have more energy for your runs than usual, and that you can last longer than when running on less fuel. This may or may not affect your weight loss, but again, the race is first priority. :ohwell:

Another thing to consider is that if you under-fuel, you will actually get the opposite reaction of what you are hoping to accomplish, because your body will hold on to the fat, instead of burning it as fuel, so net effect you will seem like you're getting bigger....


~Kiki