Marathon training vs Daily Calorie intake
susie383
Posts: 4 Member
I need some advice on whether I'm eating enough to sustain my marathon training. I train 6 x a week which includes 2 gym sessions of approximately 90 min each and then 4 runs, one of which is usually around 2 hrs or more long.
Based on the above and me wanting to lose 0.5kg a week, MyFitnessPal says I should be on 1200 calories a day. I've been sticking to this for a while but have started feeling really tired and have had 4 colds since Christmas and I'm wondering if the low calorie intake has something to do with this???
Based on the above and me wanting to lose 0.5kg a week, MyFitnessPal says I should be on 1200 calories a day. I've been sticking to this for a while but have started feeling really tired and have had 4 colds since Christmas and I'm wondering if the low calorie intake has something to do with this???
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Replies
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First, you are eating your exercise calories back, right? That's crucial.
Second, have you ever calculated your BMR? You don't want to eat below that number, especially if you're doing endurance training. My guess is it's higher than
I'm probably a lot bigger than you, but my BMR is almost 1700 cals, which was a big shock after restricting to 1200 for a while. it was worth it to up my calories- huge performance gains and I'm still losing, slowly but surely.
Third, while CICO is the only thing that matters for weight loss, when you're training for endurance events, your macro ratios should probably be tweaked a little bit- higher carbohydrates will make life easier. Matt Fitzgerald's book Racing Weight has a handy chart for making sure you're eating optimal macro levels. He claims calorie counting is too much work and has a different system for tracking intake, but I find it confusing so I stuck with MFP. He has a lot of valuable insight into endurance athlete nutrition, though.
- Your longest run of the week is 2 hours, correct? What's your total training volume each week? Also, what are your stats (height, weight, age, etc.)0 -
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Thanks....glad to hear my instincts were correct:-). SBRRepeat, I'm a lot older than you (45), 172cm in height and 66kg. I must admit I haven't always eaten all my exercise calories. My long run on a Sunday is gradually increasing as I get closer to my marathon in May0
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Just to add, I'm probably doing about 50km a week at the moment0
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Thanks....glad to hear my instincts were correct:-). SBRRepeat, I'm a lot older than you (45), 172cm in height and 66kg. I must admit I haven't always eaten all my exercise calories. My long run on a Sunday is gradually increasing as I get closer to my marathon in May
I'm also doing a marathon in May, I eat about 2x as much as you do...
Based on your stats, the Scooby's Workshop TDEE calculator put your BMR at 1386, your TDEE (what you need to eat to maintain weight at your current exercise level) at 2392. If you want to lose at a reasonable rate, recommendation is then 1913 a day (TDEE -20%, that would include your exercise calories).
If you stick with MFPs NEAT method, that would be around 1525 net (and eat your exercise calories!)
So, yes, definitely eat more. I tried to do Tri training while eating at 1200 calories. My hair started falling out and my nails got brittle, so I said, eff this, bring me a (carefully weighed and logged) cheeseburger.
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I'm training for a half. I had to switch to the TDEE method, rather than eating back my exercise calories, because I discovered I wasn't properly fueling my runs that way. I was eating 1500 + exercise calories (after exercise) and set up to lose 0.5 lbs/week. Now I eat 1700 everyday, still set up to lose 0.5 lbs/week. My runs are MUCH better. Seriously, I couldn't believe how a couple hundred calories improved the quality of my runs. Granted, I could have eaten more beforehand, assuming the exercise burns in advance, but I'd been meaning to switch to TDEE for awhile now anyway.
Also, your profile says you only have 17 lbs to go? You might want to change your settings to 0.5 lb/week rather than 0.5 kg/week (1 lb/week). Running on 1200 calories a day seems like a really bad idea.0 -
I need some advice on whether I'm eating enough to sustain my marathon training. I train 6 x a week which includes 2 gym sessions of approximately 90 min each and then 4 runs, one of which is usually around 2 hrs or more long.
Based on the above and me wanting to lose 0.5kg a week, MyFitnessPal says I should be on 1200 calories a day. I've been sticking to this for a while but have started feeling really tired and have had 4 colds since Christmas and I'm wondering if the low calorie intake has something to do with this???
1200 calories is the minimum that MFP gives you for SEDENTARY...if you're training for a marathon, you are obviously not sedentary. If you're going to use the MFP method you're going to have to log your workouts and eat back exercise calories...otherwise I suggest using TDEE. Either way, you're going to be eating...a lot.
Granted I'm a male, but just to give you an idea...normally I maintain on around 2700 calories per day with my daily grind and my normal, regular exercise for which I'm still pretty active...so I lose about 1 Lb per week @ 2,200 calories or so per day. When I was training for my century ride (a roughly equivalent training regimen to a marathon, I was losing weight steadily while consuming about 3200+ calories per day.
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I am 5'7" 189 pounds (39) years old. I am also training for a marathon in june and still trying to lose weight while doing it. I eat 1700-1800 calories a day and on long run days I eat back my calories or at least 75% but the other days I do not. I set my macros to 40% carb 30% fat and 30% protien and its keeping me full and satisfied. outside of training and intential exercise I have a sedentary job. I am losing about 1 pound a week.0
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Thanks all....very helpful. Nice to know I can start eating more!!!!!0
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Thanks....glad to hear my instincts were correct:-). SBRRepeat, I'm a lot older than you (45), 172cm in height and 66kg. I must admit I haven't always eaten all my exercise calories. My long run on a Sunday is gradually increasing as I get closer to my marathon in May
I'm also doing a marathon in May, I eat about 2x as much as you do...
Based on your stats, the Scooby's Workshop TDEE calculator put your BMR at 1386, your TDEE (what you need to eat to maintain weight at your current exercise level) at 2392. If you want to lose at a reasonable rate, recommendation is then 1913 a day (TDEE -20%, that would include your exercise calories).
If you stick with MFPs NEAT method, that would be around 1525 net (and eat your exercise calories!)
So, yes, definitely eat more. I tried to do Tri training while eating at 1200 calories. My hair started falling out and my nails got brittle, so I said, eff this, bring me a (carefully weighed and logged) cheeseburger.
TDEE-20% is considered a fairly aggressive rate of weight loss. If she goes for a slower weight loss goal, she will probably see better performance on the marathon training. It is a matter of priorities: losing weight or marathon performance.0 -
Agreed. I was just trying to demonstrate just how much more she should be eating, even to lose weight quickly. Should have been more clear.Thanks....glad to hear my instincts were correct:-). SBRRepeat, I'm a lot older than you (45), 172cm in height and 66kg. I must admit I haven't always eaten all my exercise calories. My long run on a Sunday is gradually increasing as I get closer to my marathon in May
I'm also doing a marathon in May, I eat about 2x as much as you do...
Based on your stats, the Scooby's Workshop TDEE calculator put your BMR at 1386, your TDEE (what you need to eat to maintain weight at your current exercise level) at 2392. If you want to lose at a reasonable rate, recommendation is then 1913 a day (TDEE -20%, that would include your exercise calories).
If you stick with MFPs NEAT method, that would be around 1525 net (and eat your exercise calories!)
So, yes, definitely eat more. I tried to do Tri training while eating at 1200 calories. My hair started falling out and my nails got brittle, so I said, eff this, bring me a (carefully weighed and logged) cheeseburger.
TDEE-20% is considered a fairly aggressive rate of weight loss. If she goes for a slower weight loss goal, she will probably see better performance on the marathon training. It is a matter of priorities: losing weight or marathon performance.
Thanks for clarifying that!0 -
Agreed. I was just trying to demonstrate just how much more she should be eating, even to lose weight quickly. Should have been more clear.Thanks....glad to hear my instincts were correct:-). SBRRepeat, I'm a lot older than you (45), 172cm in height and 66kg. I must admit I haven't always eaten all my exercise calories. My long run on a Sunday is gradually increasing as I get closer to my marathon in May
I'm also doing a marathon in May, I eat about 2x as much as you do...
Based on your stats, the Scooby's Workshop TDEE calculator put your BMR at 1386, your TDEE (what you need to eat to maintain weight at your current exercise level) at 2392. If you want to lose at a reasonable rate, recommendation is then 1913 a day (TDEE -20%, that would include your exercise calories).
If you stick with MFPs NEAT method, that would be around 1525 net (and eat your exercise calories!)
So, yes, definitely eat more. I tried to do Tri training while eating at 1200 calories. My hair started falling out and my nails got brittle, so I said, eff this, bring me a (carefully weighed and logged) cheeseburger.
TDEE-20% is considered a fairly aggressive rate of weight loss. If she goes for a slower weight loss goal, she will probably see better performance on the marathon training. It is a matter of priorities: losing weight or marathon performance.
Thanks for clarifying that!
No problem. I thought all of your advice was pretty spot on.0 -
WickedPineapple wrote: »I'm training for a half. I had to switch to the TDEE method, rather than eating back my exercise calories, because I discovered I wasn't properly fueling my runs that way. I was eating 1500 + exercise calories (after exercise) and set up to lose 0.5 lbs/week. Now I eat 1700 everyday, still set up to lose 0.5 lbs/week. My runs are MUCH better. Seriously, I couldn't believe how a couple hundred calories improved the quality of my runs. Granted, I could have eaten more beforehand, assuming the exercise burns in advance, but I'd been meaning to switch to TDEE for awhile now anyway.
Also, your profile says you only have 17 lbs to go? You might want to change your settings to 0.5 lb/week rather than 0.5 kg/week (1 lb/week). Running on 1200 calories a day seems like a really bad idea.
Same experience. Happened once when I got a couple of months into lifting - started feeling tired all of the time. Increased a hundred calories and felt worlds better. Happened a second time during half marathon training. Same deal, but I added on a couple of hundred calories.0 -
just wanted to say how helpful this post has been. i too was trying to train for a half on 1200 calories (and eating some exercise ones back but not all of them). Am hoping that the long runs won't be so much of a slog if I up my food intake...0
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I'm also in marathon training, and I'm netting ~1400 a day, consuming a total of 1700-2000 typically depending on how much I ran that day. So you should definitely be eating more! More calories could help your weight loss, especially eating back all those exercise calories (though maybe not on 1500+ cal burn days... it can be hard to add all that extra food in!), in addition to boosting your training.0
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I tried cutting weight during marathon training last year and while it worked OK, my marathon A-race didn't go nearly as well as I would have liked and I suspect it was due to my calorie deficit during that time frame.
Granted I was eating closer to 3000cal/day every day and still in that deficit, but still that took its toll on me.0 -
I'm glad to find this thread. I've been marathon training and have packed on 10 lbs. I haven't made the best dietary choices because I think I've been super hungry but I seriously don't think I should have packed on 10 pounds. I had maintained for a couple years, so I don't believe I'm deluding myself.
My marathon is Dec. 5th, so my longest training week is next week, then taper starts.I ran 18 miles on Sunday, and was up 2.6 pounds the next day. I've tried eating a bit more this week, but the scale hasn't moved at all. It is not "muscle" - I wish!
Should i use "moderate" exercise as the selection? I have a desk job. I'm 5'3 and now, sadly, 178 pounds. MFP puts my baseline at 1310 if I add my weekly workouts and divide by 7.I also had my gallbladder out in Dec, if that makes any difference. I struggled until very recently with digestion issues while training, but I think I finally have that worked out. I had been unable to eat prior to a run...now I can have a piece of toast or a roll, but that's about it.
I think the TDEE method would be best, but I'm not sure how to work that with the varying training. Help?0 -
How many calories burned did you give yourself for the 18 mile run?
I'm similar size to op (but male) and I'm around 1600/day + every single scrap of exercise calories eaten back.0 -
MFP gave me 1200 and I got 2,578 for my run. (I'm slow - it took 4 hours and 9 min for my 18 miler). I ate 2,205 calories, which left 1573 calories that I didn't eat. I was satisfied and not hungry. Monday, I was starving, so I ate my 1200 plus another 600. I kept it whole grain and protein mainly but didn't see a drop...and haven't all week.
I'm also not counting the gu chomps I ate....I had 3 servings during my run.0 -
Last year I trained for my first Half.... and tried to eat back all but 500cals to stick to that deficit at all times. If I was hungrier, I ate more. I'd definitely say eat back those running calories. Of course, I was told by many an avid runner to NOT try to lose weight while training for a marathon because you put your deficit above your performance. I think as long as you are putting your health and performance FIRST and fueling your runs properly (ie: only leaving a small deficit).... you will be fine. I lost about 10lbs over the course of the training. Not great... but a loss is a loss, right?
Currently training for my first full... though sidelined with an injury for 5 weeks so I'm stuck biking only until then... however, I stuck to the same "leave only 500 calories" rule when I was running and it seemed to be working well. So definitely eat more! Good luck! If you guys haven't already you should check out Coach Jenny's Challenge Group on Facebook.... lots of other runners that share stories, racing recaps.. etc.. its a great group of fellow runners to share your trials and triumphs 0 -
Thanks. I'm eating them back 99% of the time, but Sunday, I didn't finish until 2, then ate. then ate again...there are only so many hours in a day. I had high calorie food! I'm trying not to focus on weight loss - but a 10 pound gain is not ideal. When I lost weight and hit goal a few years ago, I had to up calories by 100 per day to get over a plateau. I'm definitely not a habitual under-eater. I'm just not navigating the marathon training eating well at all for some reason.
Good luck with your marathon!
Sunday was unusual for me, maybe I'm eating back too many? I don't know. When you say you "eat back all but 500" are you talking about what MFP gives you plus the exercise cals it gives you, THEN subtract 500?
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Christi6604 wrote: »I'm glad to find this thread. I've been marathon training and have packed on 10 lbs. I haven't made the best dietary choices because I think I've been super hungry but I seriously don't think I should have packed on 10 pounds. I had maintained for a couple years, so I don't believe I'm deluding myself.
My marathon is Dec. 5th, so my longest training week is next week, then taper starts.I ran 18 miles on Sunday, and was up 2.6 pounds the next day. I've tried eating a bit more this week, but the scale hasn't moved at all. It is not "muscle" - I wish!
Should i use "moderate" exercise as the selection? I have a desk job. I'm 5'3 and now, sadly, 178 pounds. MFP puts my baseline at 1310 if I add my weekly workouts and divide by 7.I also had my gallbladder out in Dec, if that makes any difference. I struggled until very recently with digestion issues while training, but I think I finally have that worked out. I had been unable to eat prior to a run...now I can have a piece of toast or a roll, but that's about it.
I think the TDEE method would be best, but I'm not sure how to work that with the varying training. Help?
If you stick with MFP, set your activity to sedentary since you have a desk job. Use the following calculation for a good approximation of the calories for each run (this is net, not gross, so you should be able to eat all of them and not just a percentage back and maintain)**: net cals burned = 0.63 * (weight in lbs) * miles run
If you shift to TDEE, I'd recalculate it every week using the avg miles per day you plan to run as your exercise.
** As always, calories burned is an estimate - if you find your weight isn't doing what you anticipate, then make adjustments!0 -
Thank you, that is helpful. I'm working on the adjustments - thanks for your help!
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That formula gives me 242 calories less than mfp for my 9 miler as an example and 540 less for my 18...thats definitely enough to make a difference. ...thank you!! I'll give that a shot and adjust again as needed.0
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And -300 for the chomps and -whatever for any gatorade or sports drink. It doesn't take much to eat back a big run.0
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It really doesn't. I figured 300 on the chomps, but I don't do sports drinks..Just water.0
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Christi6604 wrote: »That formula gives me 242 calories less than mfp for my 9 miler as an example and 540 less for my 18...thats definitely enough to make a difference. ...thank you!! I'll give that a shot and adjust again as needed.
That's what I found when I started running longer distances. There wasn't much difference for shorter ones, so I didn't really notice anything while building to 10K other than it was taking a bit longer than I expected to lose a pound. It was after that when the effect became noticeable.0 -
You need calories for long runs you run them off. Just a 10 k is like around 1,000 calories burnt. You have to have fuel or your body will crash and go in starvation. You can have lower calorie days but not on long run days.0
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I just wanted to let you know that stealthq gave me worked great! I lost a couple pounds and my weight held steady after this weekends long run. I believe mfp was just giving me too many calories for exercise, so I was overeating a bit.
Thanks everyone!0 -
Glad you're having success, OP!heathandamanda wrote: »You need calories for long runs you run them off. Just a 10 k is like around 1,000 calories burnt. You have to have fuel or your body will crash and go in starvation. You can have lower calorie days but not on long run days.
How much you burn depends largely on how much you weigh. You have to be fairly heavy to be burning 100 cals per km. The generally reported gross calorie burn for someone who weighs 150lbs that runs one mile is 100 cals. That's 3/5 of the amount you're claiming (1 km ~ 3/5 mi) - and it's the gross burn, not the net.
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