Marathon training and calories

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loopyedmonds4
loopyedmonds4 Posts: 5 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Is it okay to keep a negative 500 calories per day while training for a marathon even though it adds them to the daily calorie allowance? Need advice.
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  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    edited February 2018
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    what do you mean a negative 500 calorie per day? Like your dashboard is saying net -500 calories.

    Yeah, no...

    ETA: or are you talking about maintaining a 500 calorie deficit from maintenance? That could be a tough rode to hoe...I don't run, but I do endurance cycling events from time to time and I pretty much can't eat in a deficit if I'm training for a 1/2 century or more without feeling like crap.

    If I'm cutting weight I just ride normal fitness rides and do a 1/4 century or something if I want something to do...I put a 1/4 century kinda there with a 10K...not something you have to rigidly train for, just have to be out on the regular.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    losing weight why training for a marathon is always hard to do - i recommend eating at maintenance and then eat back a portion of your long run calories (or use them to figure out race fueling)
  • ccsernica
    ccsernica Posts: 1,040 Member
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    You don't want to do that, no.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Not the OP, but am curious. If I'm training for a half, should I give up on weight loss, slow down to 1/2 lb per week or what is the suggestion?

    Plan is a half June 10th. Just figuring out the training plan now (have done 1 10K and another this upcoming weekend, so not starting from scratch) but I also would like to lose another 10-12 lbs. Are the 2 goals too hard to do? I want to get to about 195 (I'm ~207 now).

    Thanks
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    i would probably slow down or go to maintenance - i find when i'm training that i tend to eat at maintenance and roughly recomp - because when i was trying to lose weight my training suffered and i was hangry all the time
  • loopyedmonds4
    loopyedmonds4 Posts: 5 Member
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    My daily allowance is 1200 calories, but when I run 6 miles it adds roughly 600 calories to my daily allowance. I’m not wanting to do the marathon training weight gain, so not sure I should really eat 1800 calories a day.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    what is your current weight and goal weight? because 1200cal while training for a marathon is going to cause serious stress on your body
  • loopyedmonds4
    loopyedmonds4 Posts: 5 Member
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    Currently 149, goal 140
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    loopyedmonds4 wrote: »
    Currently 149, goal 140

    i would re-evaluate your rate of loss - set it to no more that .5lb a week (with only 9lbs to lose); then eat back a portion of your run calories (the MFP calorie recommendations are based on the premise of eating back working cals)
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,677 Member
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    I started on MFP about 15 months ago when I wanted to lose 8 pounds to prepare for a marathon. I ended up losing 20. I found that I had no problem losing weight in the early part of marathon training, when I was just starting to ramp up the miles, but when my mileage is high I am hungry all the time, even eating at maintenance. I don't even do that many miles, peaking at 55 or so, and still I am always starving. Fortunately, I burn more calories than the app gives me, so even on days I go over, I am able to maintain a stable weight.

    For me, the problem with weight gain isn't during the marathon build up, it's the period just around the race when my mileage is cut but I still have the appetite. Taper and post-race I eat like a marathoner, but don't exercise like one any more. That's when I need to be careful to monitor my calories.

    Tacklewasher - you have lots of time before you'll be at peak mileage, so I would go ahead and continue your weight loss, but if you start getting hungry all the time, change your weekly weight loss goal.

    Loopy - eat back your exercise calories. Marathon training is hard enough without dealing with being underfueled.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    spiriteagle99 wrote: »
    Tacklewasher - you have lots of time before you'll be at peak mileage, so I would go ahead and continue your weight loss, but if you start getting hungry all the time, change your weekly weight loss goal.

    Thanks. That's kinda what I was thinking. And, really, my goal isn't 195, I just want to stay under 200 so the 195 was my buffer. I can lose 4-5 in March and be ready to up calories mid-April.

    Putting my plan together tonight. It includes a 10K Saturday that I've signed up for.
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
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    loopyedmonds4 wrote: »
    My daily allowance is 1200 calories, but when I run 6 miles it adds roughly 600 calories to my daily allowance. I’m not wanting to do the marathon training weight gain, so not sure I should really eat 1800 calories a day.

    Distance running training while eating only 1200 calories a day is a bad, bad idea.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    spiriteagle99 wrote: »
    Tacklewasher - you have lots of time before you'll be at peak mileage, so I would go ahead and continue your weight loss, but if you start getting hungry all the time, change your weekly weight loss goal.

    Thanks. That's kinda what I was thinking. And, really, my goal isn't 195, I just want to stay under 200 so the 195 was my buffer. I can lose 4-5 in March and be ready to up calories mid-April.

    Putting my plan together tonight. It includes a 10K Saturday that I've signed up for.

    if you decide you want to take the marathon plunge - lottery for Marine Corps opens mid-march ;)
  • loopyedmonds4
    loopyedmonds4 Posts: 5 Member
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    Thank you, very helpful advice! I appreciate all the help I can get as this is my first marathon and I’m in my fourth week of training and it’s going great, and want to keep it on that track.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    deannalfisher wrote: »
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    spiriteagle99 wrote: »
    Tacklewasher - you have lots of time before you'll be at peak mileage, so I would go ahead and continue your weight loss, but if you start getting hungry all the time, change your weekly weight loss goal.

    Thanks. That's kinda what I was thinking. And, really, my goal isn't 195, I just want to stay under 200 so the 195 was my buffer. I can lose 4-5 in March and be ready to up calories mid-April.

    Putting my plan together tonight. It includes a 10K Saturday that I've signed up for.

    if you decide you want to take the marathon plunge - lottery for Marine Corps opens mid-march ;)

    No idea what that is, but if things go well there is the BMO Marathon in October.

    I'm thinking we are talking different countries :)

  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    I'm the oddity in this scenario, but when I trained for marathons and get into my training cycles for trail races and ultras, I inevitably lose weight. Half's, if I'm only training to finish, it's a lot easier to maintain.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    spiriteagle99 wrote: »
    Tacklewasher - you have lots of time before you'll be at peak mileage, so I would go ahead and continue your weight loss, but if you start getting hungry all the time, change your weekly weight loss goal.

    Thanks. That's kinda what I was thinking. And, really, my goal isn't 195, I just want to stay under 200 so the 195 was my buffer. I can lose 4-5 in March and be ready to up calories mid-April.

    Putting my plan together tonight. It includes a 10K Saturday that I've signed up for.

    if you decide you want to take the marathon plunge - lottery for Marine Corps opens mid-march ;)

    No idea what that is, but if things go well there is the BMO Marathon in October.

    I'm thinking we are talking different countries :)

    Marine Corps Marathon in DC / one of the best experiences for newbies but if you aren’t in the US then London is supposedly a great marathon as well
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
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    I'm training for Brighton Marathon on 15th of April and I did try eating at a deficit to start with at the beginning of the year but found it unsustainable for a couple of reasons.

    1. Runger is very real, a couple of hours after a long run sees me eating everything in sight. it's my body trying to tell me something and I'm learning to listen to it

    2. Long distance running takes a lot of fuel, I was finding that I was running out of steam eating at a deficit, moved over to maintenance gave me far more energy and improved the quality of my long runs

  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    deannalfisher wrote: »
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    deannalfisher wrote: »
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    spiriteagle99 wrote: »
    Tacklewasher - you have lots of time before you'll be at peak mileage, so I would go ahead and continue your weight loss, but if you start getting hungry all the time, change your weekly weight loss goal.

    Thanks. That's kinda what I was thinking. And, really, my goal isn't 195, I just want to stay under 200 so the 195 was my buffer. I can lose 4-5 in March and be ready to up calories mid-April.

    Putting my plan together tonight. It includes a 10K Saturday that I've signed up for.

    if you decide you want to take the marathon plunge - lottery for Marine Corps opens mid-march ;)

    No idea what that is, but if things go well there is the BMO Marathon in October.

    I'm thinking we are talking different countries :)

    Marine Corps Marathon in DC / one of the best experiences for newbies but if you aren’t in the US then London is supposedly a great marathon as well

    West coast of Canada? Big one here is the BMO. It is a Boston qualifier. I plan to do the half there as well.

    It might change but I'm having a tough time seeing myself do a full marathon. I mean, I'm 53 and this time last year I was still doing C25K.

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