Unsure how much to eat as injured runner?

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Serena795
Serena795 Posts: 21 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am temporarily out of commission as a runner because I hurt my foot. I'm wondering how much I should eat, calorie-wise. I do at least an hour of exercise 6 days a week, with a rest day on the 7th. I try in my workouts to simulate running training plans so that I won't lose so much of my fitness. I've not been able to run for at least two weeks now; it's quite discouraging.

I bike 4-5 miles a day in my commute on top of taking public transport. I have a pretty sedentary job, but I do my best to drink a lot of water and go to the bathroom a lot.

My stats:
Female
5'1.25"
100 (?) lbs (one scale at one doctor said 100 lb; the next day, another scale at another doctor's showed 106 lb????)
MFP calorie setting: active (1,380 calories/day)

Here's my general workout routine:
M: 1 hour hill/interval workout on the elliptical + 1-2 extra miles biking
T: 1 hour easy elliptical + 1 hour weightlifting
W: 1 hour hill/interval workout on the elliptical
Th: 1 hour easy/moderate on the elliptical
F: 1 hour weightlifting
Sat: 1 hour spin (+1 hour moderate elliptical if I have the energy)
Sun: REST (try to hit 10,000 steps of walking)

My intake is usually around 1,200 calories a day. I didn't track my food intake when I was running, but I ate a lot of nut butters and nuts (1-2 Tbsp nut butter, 1-2 servings of nuts daily) and went out 2-4 times a month on dates/outings. I maintained a weight of 100-103 lbs when I was running.

Replies

  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    This calculator from the Baylor College of Medicine will tell you how many calories & how many servings of the
    food groups you should have to maintain any particular weight, at whatever age, height, & activity level.

    https://www.bcm.edu/cnrc-apps/healthyeatingcalculator/eatingCal.html

    Just from looking at what you've outlined there, I'd be surprised if 1200/day is enough, even with being short.
    But go with empirical evidence: if you're maintaining your weight, you don't need to adjust calories.
    If you're gaining, and don't want to, cut 50-100.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    it's going to take a lot of trial and error. log everything, including your calorie burns. weigh in often, but do not get discouraged over a couple of pounds up or down
  • Serena795
    Serena795 Posts: 21 Member
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    Thanks, MKEgal. The Baylor College of Medicine told me that I need around 2,000 calories. That seems like quite a lot of food. Then again, since I've been eating 1,200 calories a day, I noticed that my strength workouts have really been in the crapper. :(
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Serena795 wrote: »
    Thanks, MKEgal. The Baylor College of Medicine told me that I need around 2,000 calories. That seems like quite a lot of food. Then again, since I've been eating 1,200 calories a day, I noticed that my strength workouts have really been in the crapper. :(
    If you are not comfortable at 2,000, do 1800 for one or two weeks. For the third week, you might feel comfortable going to 2,000.

  • Serena795
    Serena795 Posts: 21 Member
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    Does anyone know how to adjust for the settings in MFP? I've put myself down as sedentary since my job pretty literally keeps me tethered to the desk by a pair of earphones. I do work out at a moderate to high intensity unless I'm exhausted and need a rest day.
    So I would have 1,200 calories as BMR/RMR and add on whatever exercise calories I have?
    Also, the amount of calories I burn on the elliptical is pretty depressing for the time I need to spend on it. I really have to watch my diet.

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