Advice needed for food intake when jogging

JeanetteSimpson
JeanetteSimpson Posts: 7 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Over the last few weeks I have started jogging, I am running approx. 3.5kms a day with a 1.5km walk. Each week I increase my running by 500 meters and drop my walking by 500 meters. I am currenlty trying to loose 3kgs and aiming to tone up. I am a clean eater, eating only fruit, veg, salads, eggs, chicken, lean meat and nuts. I do not eat processed or carb foods. Sometimes I eat dried fruit when I have a sweet craving. I jog first thing in the morning and eat breakfast straight after this. My question is, what is the best time to eat (before or after a jog) and what foods should I be eating to increase my energy levels. I am currently eating 1200 or less per day, I'm not sure if this is the correct level for weight loss also. I weigh 53kgs / 116 pounds and 5'2".

Replies

  • hamncheese67
    hamncheese67 Posts: 1,715 Member
    At 5'11" and 116 lbs, that's quite a low weight you already have, and eating 1200 calories or less will be detrimental to your health. Do a search on "medical effects of not eating enough." Without doing any calculations, I'd say you are already not eating enough for long term health and your body has adapted to the point where your weight loss has slowed. Eating any less will not help you. Eating more (which is what I would recommend) will lead to a short term gain and eventual stabilization, but you should really think about and research as to what is a healthy weight. Or, consult a health professional.
  • chris1529
    chris1529 Posts: 315 Member
    Did you just say that you weigh 116 pounds and that you are 5'11?! Wow that's thin. But anyways, I have heard that eating a banana about an hour before you run is good for your muscles and energy level. Also peanut butter.
  • JeanetteSimpson
    JeanetteSimpson Posts: 7 Member
    I'm actually 5'2". I typed that incorrectly.
  • JeanetteSimpson
    JeanetteSimpson Posts: 7 Member
    Thanks for the bananna tip, I will definately try this =)
  • chris1529
    chris1529 Posts: 315 Member
    Oh ok. I was thinking "wow she is super thin already" lol! :) I am 5'2 also.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    For the distances that you are running/jogging you probably don't really need to alter your diet too much, other than to increase your calories on the whole as the first reply stated. There's a common misconception that any and all running requires specific diet and eating plans to fuel the body when that really doesn't start to come into play until you're getting into doing longer distances. My only piece of advise would be not to try to dive into an Atkins/Keto/South Beach kind of diet if you are trying to build running/jogging strength and/or endurance simply because your body will need the carbs to keep your running well. I'm not saying jump up to a 50/25/25 or 60/20/20 macro like distance runners, but I wouldn't go much below a 40/30/30 split if you want to keep feeling good for your runs.

    That said, yes, I'm sure there are people out there that run on low carb and do just fine, but for the average person, it's best not to try that when you're just starting out. I had dropped to around 30% carbs for a while (not really a focused attempt, just kind of happened) and even that drop had me bonking runs constantly during training for one of my races earlier this year.
  • JeanetteSimpson
    JeanetteSimpson Posts: 7 Member
    the banana tip seems to be working! thanks for that! =)
  • JeanetteSimpson
    JeanetteSimpson Posts: 7 Member
    Thank you so much for your advice on that, it is really helpful. I have been aiming for higher calourie intake now as I feel like the weight is coming off very quickly. This week I am jogging 4kms, next week will be 4.5kms and I'm loving it. I have started introducing clean carbs this week as well. Thanks again =)
  • 70davis
    70davis Posts: 348 Member
    Bump
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