Triathlon training and STARVING! HELP!

Goofy4running
Goofy4running Posts: 3 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all. I'm sorta new to fitness pal.
Got a question for anyone who has or is training for long distance swim/bike/run. I'm STARVING! I have run several marathons and never had this issue. However, now I'm training for a 1/2 IM training and it is making me very hungry.
I eat several little meals a day, try to eat somewhat healthy....ect...
Any suggestions?

Replies

  • chadgard
    chadgard Posts: 102 Member
    I'm far from a triathlete - just been considering training for a sprint triathalon at some fictional future point, and maybe a "dirty duathalon" (mountain bike and trail run) this fall. So please don't consider this in any way expert advice. That said, looking through your diary thus far, you've usually been considerably below your daily goal, especially the days you are doing more exercise. So, the logical suggestion would be to eat more!

    In your profile pic, it looks like your'e already at a healthy weight. I'm not sure if you have your goal set for weight loss or not, but if you do, you should probably change it to maintenance, which would mean you'd be eating more still. If you're training for a HIM, you're probably doing a lot of endurance work in all three sports most days of the week, presumably with some bricks a few times a week. If you want to gain the endurance you need, you need to eat enough to fuel all that training!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    When I'm training for a long cycle ride I follow a carb before / protein after routine for the multi-hour sessions. Also try to replenish electrolytes lost through sweating.
    The several small meals versus few large meals style of eating is really personal choice although large meals before training is a recipe for seeing your food twice!
    I struggle a bit with the different calorie demands from day to day when you are training for an endurance event and I'm carrying a lot more fat than you. :smile:
  • Cyclink
    Cyclink Posts: 517 Member
    Looking at your diary, my first guess is that you're not eating nearly enough. Most days you are several hundred calories under your goal.

    Losing weight and training for events like that require a balance of making sure you eat enough while being just under enough to burn off a little fat.

    I'm averaging 3000+ calories a day and it's not always easy to eat that much, but I know that if I don't, I'm not getting enough fuel for the next workout.
  • Goofy4running
    Goofy4running Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks everyone! :smile:
    chadgard- that profile pic was taken during the Boston Marathon 2012 at mile 23. I was around 110 at that point and as of today I am 116. I race best at 110, but it seems that I cannot get back to that weight in tri training. You and Cyclink are probably right. I'm not eating enough. I feel like I eat ALL THE TIME though.
    Sljomil, thanks for the cycling advice. That is when I am the most hungry...well, and the swim...
  • chadgard
    chadgard Posts: 102 Member
    If you race better at 110, then loosing that 6 pounds by shortly before the race would probably be good. Certainly, going 70.3 miles with 6 pounds less should make it easier! but, 6 pounds isn't much. How long 'till your race? Assuming it would end up less than 1/3-1/2 pound per week, I'd set your goal in MFP to loose 6 pounds by a week before your race. if it's too close for that, I wouldn't aim to loose more than 1/2 a pound per week, so you still have enough energy to prevent hampering your training process (and feeling hungry.

    Since several little meals tend to work for you, I'd look to just make each one slightly larger, or at least more calorie dense, and Sljomil's advice about meals surrounding your longer training sessions seems logical as well - you'll have the carbs to provide easily accessed energy during the workout, and then protein to help speed recovery and repair following.

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