Runners that need some nutritional accountability

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  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    @Elise4270 That free one is good motivation. I will ask them to make me a deal like that. Though it is pretty hard to lose 5% ... no? I should figure that out before I ask.

    Ya, I figure that's why they make the offer. I think I'd have to lose 10 pounds of fat. Well ya also lose muscle, so I'd probably have to drop 15 pounds to get there. That's 105. Ya, not happening ever, willingly, or in a not sick state. Not worth a free scan.

    I have 1 year to use the second scan, figure I'll go 8-10 months and just take what I get! I'm moving forward- that's good enough for me.

    Freebee would be awesome, but I doubt I'll make that happen. The gym will be the only way to get anywhere close. I'll take the motivation though!
  • shanaber
    shanaber Posts: 6,373 Member
    I got some more good news from the nutritionist yesterday - I am up another pound of muscle and down another percent in fat. Weight is about the same but things are moving in the right direction.

    She gave me some specific requirements for eating in the morning, especially after my run - basically making my post run snack more of a 2:1 or 3:1 carb:protein split and adding in more protein to my breakfast.
    Also I should be having 20g of protein at every meal which is tough but I am working on it.

    Finally she is having me add in another interval run each week and I can go back to my previous run schedule of 4 weekday runs and a long weekend run... that means interval run, recovery run, rest, interval run, recovery run, long run, rest... or something like that if I can fit it in around work.

    The intervals should help with building more muscle and dropping my fat percentage as well as also bringing my weight back down. I am very positive about all of this. I have really wanted to build muscle and get the body fat % down, probably even more than losing pounds at this point so to actually see the changes in number is SO encouraging!
  • RunRachelleRun
    RunRachelleRun Posts: 1,854 Member
    That's wonderful @shanaber and thanks for sharing her tips. I will try that running schedule once my calf is healed. I have been aiming for 30g of protein per meal and 10g per snack, but it is tough to achieve at all meals. 20g sounds good. Congrats on the lean muscle gain!
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
    There is no time when a runner needs more nutritional accountability than when he is on the couch.

    So let's throw this out there: After being told I will not run for 6 weeks or so, I trimmed my calorie allowance yet again. It now stands at 2600 per day, compared to 3200 per day at the height of marathon training. The difference is actually greater than 600 calories per day, because I allowed myself some modest increments for running (less than the Garmin calorie burn calculation), and I wasn't super strict about tracking stuff. With no running, I will need to be strict about compliance.

    So . . . today I will come in at target. I don't think this will happen every day, but I should be able to make it happen on any day with no social commitments. The one benefit of having been on the couch for so long is, I no longer physically need to eat every two hours. Just have to watch my habits, and build new ones that support the reduced calorie allowance.
  • hanlonsk
    hanlonsk Posts: 762 Member
    I understand @mobycarp - this thread has done at least some to remind me to self check nutritional choices... sometimes I even do something about the check... other times, I just end up explaining that check did not change anything. :(

    I am quite impressed with myself that I seem to have maintained - if not had a few brief periods of loss while not running since June (outside of the 2 weeks where I stopped listening, briefly).

    I have tried very hard to do intense enough lifting, which works better some weeks than others, to make up for no running. Next week is vacation trip where between eating, and not even a hotel gym, may not work so well. Today has also been one of those days where I have gnawed on everything I had and still been starving all day. :( That is a big issue I have with lifting instead of running in general though. Long hard terrible run, and I would have no appetite after, like have to force myself to eat on principle sort of no appetite ... long hard terrible lifting session and I want ALL THE FOOD!! That aspect is also making weight control/loss very tricky.

    In other news.... I should probably buy stock in halo top... <<<<best explanation of how nutrition is working for Sarah this week....
  • RunRachelleRun
    RunRachelleRun Posts: 1,854 Member
    I envy your metabolism, @MobyCarp . I had to go down to 1300/day before exercise this last little bit while I was sidelined. It's been really tough.

    Good job staying on target today!

    How long do you expect to be on the injury list? My calf strain has been healing just over three weeks now and I'd say I'm about 90%. I had no improvement for over two weeks and then it improved quite rapidly.
  • RunRachelleRun
    RunRachelleRun Posts: 1,854 Member
    @hanlonsk That is so interesting about your appetite. I find I get quite hungry later on in the day on running days, but not till the day after on strength days. So the appetite is suppressed for a while with each, but it always catches up to me.

    I am being careful to eat enough immediately following each workout. I usually prep protein balls or protein cake on Sundays to make it easy to grab something that's tasty and quick right after. They are a bit too tasty though, and everyone in the family eats them so they rarely last more than half a week. If I don't make myself eat immediately after, I easily forget and go for hours without eating.
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
    Tough day. It's mid-afternoon. By the numbers, I should be in good shape for compliance with food today. But I need to spend some time sitting on my hands instead of just grabbing another banana/apple/whatever I feel like. Brewed a nice 18 ounce cup of coffee, will try to sip that and not have anything with calories for a couple more hours.

    Reminder to self: You're not in marathon training any more. Just grabbing something at random is a lot harder to overcome.
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
    @RunRachelleRun - The prognosis last Wednesday was maybe 6 weeks till I could start adding back running, but that's fuzzy. It could take longer.

    One of the keys for me while on reduced calories is to distinguish between appetite and hunger. Hunger, I need to feed. Appetite, I need to understand. I could have an appetite from a real need for food; from boredom; from stress; from social triggers; or temporarily, from eating something that stimulates further desire to eat.

    In the weight loss phase, I learned that I eat for a lot of reasons other than being hungry. I don't think I've really eliminated any of them, I've just managed them. I've had good success forcing the boredom and stress eating to conform to planned nutritional targets. I've had mixed results and a few spectacular failures trying the same thing with social eating. Stress eating is less of a problem in retirement, because I have less stress; but the boot makes boredom eating something I need to watch. Lesson of the past 2 days, when I want to eat from boredom I need to go do something interesting, even if it's sedentary.

    Came in 20 calories over target yesterday, which is close enough to right on. Today is feeling easier to manage. I'll see how it goes.
  • RunRachelleRun
    RunRachelleRun Posts: 1,854 Member
    I bet six weeks sounds like forever. Sorry to hear it!

    I agree. I have been focusing on eating slowly and learning to recognize true hunger vs emotional hunger (I eat outside of meals for all of the reasons you've listed) for the last month.

    And I just added working on eating to 80% full. It's been quite eye-opening. I was raised to eat what was on my plate, so if I don't have the ability to measure and portion my food, such as eating out or in social situations, I tend to eat everything I'm served, even once I'm full.

    I went out to dinner with a group of ladies, one of whom is a very fit marathon runner, and she pulled out a Tupperware and portioned a third or more of her meal into it right away. I don't want to carry around a Tupperware, but I put a Ziploc in my purse and hope I have the wits to do that myself next time. I also find once I have even a little alcohol, eating anything nearby seems like a very good idea lol

    20 calories over target is definitely close enough. Great job.
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
    Weighed in this morning at 162.2, the lowest I've been since the morning after running Pound the Ground 10K the previous evening. That's a pound loss since yesterday, which has to be water weight; but it's still a total weight loss since injury. So, with some fear and trembling, I gave myself back another 100 calories per day today. I have no idea how I'm losing weight when I'm not even getting 10K steps per day in, but if the scale goes back up I can always cut that 100 back out.

    Hmm. Maybe being strict about measurement and recording is cutting more calories than I thought it would.
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    edited August 2017
    @MobyCarp Be careful. I found when I was off running my weight droped easily. I'm now convinced that is just glycogen stores and water as we adapt. I lost ~5 pounds just sitting around. I run, I gain weight. I guess it's adaptation to the demand.

    Great job balancing weight and activities! Way to stay after it.
  • seanevan10
    seanevan10 Posts: 385 Member
    Since I have been running more, I have stopped losing weight consistently. It is hard to have a good run and be in a deficit. oh well. Hubby is low-carb due to being diabetic and getting me on that bandwagon a little. I still eat a ton of fruit and veggies, just getting rid of the bread and baked goods for a little bit. I am hoping that helps. @MobyCarp I hope eating a little more helps the recovery quicker!!!
  • MobyCarp
    MobyCarp Posts: 2,927 Member
    @seanevan10 - Eating a little more or a little less won't materially affect the healing process. What it will do is make my weight trend sideways. Been here, done this before, know how to get that done. Not putting on the weight while sidelined is a secondary concern to getting enough better to run; but it will help with the pace when I am running again.
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    I was doing so good until a few weeks ago. I let others convince me my weight is "too skinny". Work still hasn't fulfilled my request for pants that fit (6weeks now), so I think it just appears I'm "too skinny". My pants are just too big, men's 32.. Because when I put on my going out clothes, I was in fact not too skinny and spent most of the evening feelin' self conscious, sad and angry.

    I decided to make sure I add gym days, even if it's mostly upper body so my legs wont be so sore, that I can run away for an hour at time.

    I had givin myself permission to add a few calories. My weight has not changed.. Seems I've hit maintenance, which is nice to see where that happens. My food choices have been poor.

    I'm back on track today, somehow I'll refocus.
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    I'm without anything to do. Had a light lunch, not really hungry- but there are break room donuts.

    What's for dinner? You eating healthy?
  • hanlonsk
    hanlonsk Posts: 762 Member
    Ummm... yeah, no.... left over pizza from going away date night last night. (Boyfriend got picked to head to Montana on fire duty for two weeks minimum) followed by halo top. Whoever invented halo top deserves a Nobel prize. But I've done decent the rest the day. I do need to get more water in though. Especially if lack of water is what led to my freaky lifting day Monday- don't need that again.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    I have started to realize that weight loss and training don't always go hand in hand. I am 10lbs from "goal" weight, which is 5lbs from a normal BMI. I have my settings at .5 loss per week. But the runger is so real. So real. I find myself needing to eat well into my exercise calories, and have had some inconsistent logging due to some traveling.

    I really want to shift my focus to training, but not sure I am ready to mark my calories at maintenance. Anyone have this situation before? What did you do?
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    @fitoverfifty And that my friend is our quandary. Both can not be done, easily... if at all. If I cut my calories, my runs suffer. If I eat to fuel my runs, I'm not losing.

    One thing I can suggest is to alternate between loss and fuel. I tend to fuel my weekend runs and "starve" my week day ones. Which means my week day runs are short, weekend longer. Of course, you could do it by months or weeks if that fits your needs better.

    Of course better food choices might help qwell that runger. Soups? I like curry dishes because I crave the fat and they seem indulgent and are quick. But some days I still find myself in the bread and butter :smiley:

    Do you have a good healthy cookbook to lean on? I have a few I really enjoy. And as our weather cools, I'm more likely too cook from them. Runners World has some yummy ideas, and a cookbook.

    Too often I think "I'm a runner. I can eat stupid". It's amazing how important our food choices become. Or maybe they always were, I just hadn't noticed until I wanted to be fast and slim.

    Adding weights, for me, seems to do the most for weight loss. Maybe swap out run day for the gym and see if that helps. (If your are not already).

    Good luck. I do best when I use Matt Fitzgerald's DQS app. He also has a book "racing weight". I read it. But ate cookies the whole time.... :blush:
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    @Elise4270 Thank you! This is what I needed to hear. Honestly, I am fine with focusing on training as long as it means maintaining, not gaining and I am definitely working in more strength work, simply because I know I will need it to sustain the longer runs and not become injured.

    I've flirted with some of the 'racing weight' information, even used a calculator that puts me about 20lbs less than what I am now (but I don't know my body fat % so I had to guess based on what I think). My body fat % is pretty high still. I just know I don't have the wherewithal to put in time at the gym for strength, so it will be bodyweight exercise and the stuff I have at home (which is probably fine because I'm such a beginner anyway).

    I'll tinker with my calories a bit by day to see if that helps a bit, too. Since I run early early AM, I tend to run fasted, but I know on race day I had a yogurt and fiber cereal before, and I am so thankful that I did. As my long runs get longer (on weekends), those aren't as early and I can pay more mind to nutrition before those runs.

    I feel like I just unlocked a whole other level on a video game or something and just when I had weight loss level figured out, I have this whole other level to figure out. I guess that's what keeps this interesting, eh?