PROTEIN!!

GohardgetHOTT
GohardgetHOTT Posts: 13
in Food and Nutrition
I am trying to eat a low low calorielow carb diet, I have been dieting for about four years but have always just counted calories. Iam currently training for a marathon and would like to be in great shape from head to toe. Today my diet allotted me 45g of protein but with my diet i have eaten 75g of protein. I am going to run 3 miles in about an hour but can should I limit my protein intake? Can too much protein cause weight gain?

Replies

  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
    if you are training for a marathon.. i would eat carbohydrates..
  • Lady_Bane
    Lady_Bane Posts: 720 Member
    Protein is needed more for strength trainers
    Cardio needs carbs
  • DaBossLady24
    DaBossLady24 Posts: 556 Member
    Protein is needed more for strength trainers
    Cardio needs carbs

    ^^ took the words outta my mouth! Good luck on your marathon, by the way! :drinker:
  • mrykyldy2
    mrykyldy2 Posts: 96 Member
    If you are running a marathon, you want to get a moderate amount of protein as that does keep you full longer but up the amount of carbs you are eating. If the run is on saturday, then on thursday and friday up the amount of carbs you are eating to keep up your energy levels for saturday. When I was swimming competively in high school, it was typical for me to eat a box of mac n cheese thursday night and a plate of spaghetti friday night as I usually did the 500 meters nd a couple other short heats as well. The swimmers also would eat things like french fries and hamburgers for lunch the day before a meet. yeah it was high in fat but we also swam for 2.5 hours 4 days a week and then our meet once a week.
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    Unless you are really small, that's not a lot of protein, but agree with the others that you need carbs for cardio. I eat twice that much protein most days, and I'm training for a half-marathon.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Excess calories cause weight gain regardless of macronutrient.
  • Dan112358
    Dan112358 Posts: 525 Member
    Eating at a caloric surplus causes fat gain, doesn't matter where the calories come from. The number I'm most familiar with is 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass, let the remainder of the calories fall where they may. The most important thing is hitting your caloric goals for fat gain/loss. If you're looking for a source of "quick" energy, carbs can fuel a workout as your body breaks them down into sugar a bit more quickly than protein/fat.
  • Masterdo
    Masterdo Posts: 331 Member
    You don't need anything crazy in terms of diets for your goals. Something really generic at 40/30/30 Carbs/Proteins/Fat would be ok for example. Just make sure you eat enough, food intake, sleep and rest are preventing injuries, so take it seriously. Plenty of people from very varied diets are performing at the top level in marathons, from omnivore to even raw vegan, so don't over think this needlessly....

    Feeding during a marathon and during the training for one is all about carbs and calories per hour.

    Anything over 45-60 minutes you want to take the opportunity to "practice" your food/water intake seriously. This serves to make sure you react to that food/gel/etc well and give you a sense of timing too.
  • lynheff
    lynheff Posts: 393 Member
    Basically you can eat too much of anything. Yes, protein sources have calories too and those should be counted along with your fat and carb calories. Most people find that protein is self-limiting due to the anorexic effect of ketosis. Good luck.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    Wait.....What? to several things

    1) LOW, LOW calorie diet for 4 years? yikes!

    2) Marathon training uses a lot of calories. If you don't eat enough, you're not going to be able to perform well, bottom line. Adequate protein is necessary to avoid muscle loss. I have a really hard time believing 75g or protein is *too high* for anyone- it's only 300 calories.

    3) Re: low carb marathon training: There's 2 ways you can go about this- you either need to eat a good amount of carbs to support your training, or you need to go all the way to ketosis. There are endurance athletes that perform well in ketosis- but the middle ground of low-carb but not ketosis-low is a recipe for disaster with marathon training. You can't half-*kitten* either option- it's one or the other, pick carbs and eat a pretty good amount of them, or go all the way to ketosis.

    4) Real marathon training and weight loss don't mesh that well together, contrary to popular belief. Training and performance are much better on maintenance. If you have a performance goal, you might consider a very slight deficit fore the duration of your training. If your only goal is to finish, you can probably get away with a higher deficit, but don't expect the process to be pleasant or fun.
  • GohardgetHOTT
    GohardgetHOTT Posts: 13
    Thanks for the input! I am small 5'4 123 right now but usually around 117-120... I will have to increase my carb intake, tonight i was feeling weak and tired after my run, :-)
  • GohardgetHOTT
    GohardgetHOTT Posts: 13
    Wait.....What? to several things

    1) LOW, LOW calorie diet for 4 years? yikes!

    2) Marathon training uses a lot of calories. If you don't eat enough, you're not going to be able to perform well, bottom line. Adequate protein is necessary to avoid muscle loss. I have a really hard time believing 75g or protein is *too high* for anyone- it's only 300 calories.

    3) Re: low carb marathon training: There's 2 ways you can go about this- you either need to eat a good amount of carbs to support your training, or you need to go all the way to ketosis. There are endurance athletes that perform well in ketosis- but the middle ground of low-carb but not ketosis-low is a recipe for disaster with marathon training. You can't half-*kitten* either option- it's one or the other, pick carbs and eat a pretty good amount of them, or go all the way to ketosis.

    4) Real marathon training and weight loss don't mesh that well together, contrary to popular belief. Training and performance are much better on maintenance. If you have a performance goal, you might consider a very slight deficit fore the duration of your training. If your only goal is to finish, you can probably get away with a higher deficit, but don't expect the process to be pleasant or fun.
  • GohardgetHOTT
    GohardgetHOTT Posts: 13
    thanks for this!

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