Long Distance Running vs. eating Back Calories

I don't eat back my calories for anything but long runs. I set my calories at 2000 a day, as that's what I'll be eating when in done with my weight loss. I've been going for 32 months now, have lost 70 lbs (30 kg) and I'm running as much as my 40 year old body can take: three times a week plus 2-3 other shorter cardio sessions of 15-25 minutes. I've PR'd every single distance except 400 meters this year (for as long back as I have GPS-data, that's sinde 2009).

Anyway, I set the calories of 2000 and for the first 20 months I didn't eat anything back. I think it's unhealthy to vary your diet like that, going up and down 1500 calories in different days, so I set it at 2000.

Now I've added long runs and I need to fuel for them - and recover. If I don't I tend to get sick. On the day before a long run (90-100 minutes) I eat 2300 calories, on the day of the run I eat 2500 and the next day I eat 2300.

It should be said I'm on an old-man's running schedule (I'm all of 43 years old), where my running week is four runs, which is 9-10 days. I go long, interval/speedwork, slow 50-60 min, slow 35 min. That way my body can recover.

That works out so I eat extra calories 3 days out of 10, which works for me.

heybales wrote: »

mads_o86 wrote: »

I don't eat back my calories for anything but long runs. I set my calories at 2000 a day, as that's what I'll be eating when in done with my weight loss. I've been going for 32 months now, have lost 70 lbs (30 kg) and I'm running as much as my 40 year old body can take: three times a week plus 2-3 other shorter cardio sessions of 15-25 minutes. I've PR'd every single distance except 400 meters this year (for as long back as I have GPS-data, that's sinde 2009).

Anyway, I set the calories of 2000 and for the first 20 months I didn't eat anything back. I think it's unhealthy to vary your diet like that, going up and down 1500 calories in different days, so I set it at 2000.

Now I've added long runs and I need to fuel for them - and recover. If I don't I tend to get sick. On the day before a long run (90-100 minutes) I eat 2300 calories, on the day of the run I eat 2500 and the next day I eat 2300.

It should be said I'm on an old-man's running schedule (I'm all of 43 years old), where my running week is four runs, which is 9-10 days. I go long, interval/speedwork, slow 50-60 min, slow 35 min. That way my body can recover.

That works out so I eat extra calories 3 days out of 10, which works for me.

But in reality you are eating back extra calories because of the workouts.
You are merely using a TDEE method where the planned workouts for the week are averaged over the 7 days, and a deficit for weight loss is removed from that total, and you ended up at 2000.

And then with the longer runs you are eating even more.
You just aren't using MFP's method totally, modified like I do though.

And 2000 eaten now is unlikely to be what you'll be eating when done with your weight loss or you'd really never get there if you think about it.
Because if 2000 was allowing any discernible loss now, it would still cause it at goal weight.

Well, obviously weight loss has slowed down as I've gotten closer to the goal. I'm 4 kg/10lbs out from my current goal (my first goal was 90 kg/200 lbs but I'd forgotten how big I was at that weight, so now it's 83 kg/183 lbs).

But you're probably right. I might have to raise my calories a little bit, but that's not the main point of keeping my calories steady day by day.

The main point is to create some good habits of eating steadily instead of it varying by 1500 calories from workout day to non-workout day. I'd never be able to do that for the rest of my life, but if I can create habits that get me to a steady 2000 calories a day, I can go on forever.

The raise in calories around long run day is mainly carbs and I only started doing it after finding out I was really fatigued after long run days, causing me to be tired and eat uncontrolled (I live 20 seconds from a supermarket...)

heybales wrote: »

mads_o86 wrote: »

heybales wrote: »

mads_o86 wrote: »

I don't eat back my calories for anything but long runs. I set my calories at 2000 a day, as that's what I'll be eating when in done with my weight loss. I've been going for 32 months now, have lost 70 lbs (30 kg) and I'm running as much as my 40 year old body can take: three times a week plus 2-3 other shorter cardio sessions of 15-25 minutes. I've PR'd every single distance except 400 meters this year (for as long back as I have GPS-data, that's sinde 2009).

Anyway, I set the calories of 2000 and for the first 20 months I didn't eat anything back. I think it's unhealthy to vary your diet like that, going up and down 1500 calories in different days, so I set it at 2000.

Now I've added long runs and I need to fuel for them - and recover. If I don't I tend to get sick. On the day before a long run (90-100 minutes) I eat 2300 calories, on the day of the run I eat 2500 and the next day I eat 2300.

It should be said I'm on an old-man's running schedule (I'm all of 43 years old), where my running week is four runs, which is 9-10 days. I go long, interval/speedwork, slow 50-60 min, slow 35 min. That way my body can recover.

That works out so I eat extra calories 3 days out of 10, which works for me.

But in reality you are eating back extra calories because of the workouts.
You are merely using a TDEE method where the planned workouts for the week are averaged over the 7 days, and a deficit for weight loss is removed from that total, and you ended up at 2000.

And then with the longer runs you are eating even more.
You just aren't using MFP's method totally, modified like I do though.

And 2000 eaten now is unlikely to be what you'll be eating when done with your weight loss or you'd really never get there if you think about it.
Because if 2000 was allowing any discernible loss now, it would still cause it at goal weight.

Well, obviously weight loss has slowed down as I've gotten closer to the goal. I'm 4 kg/10lbs out from my current goal (my first goal was 90 kg/200 lbs but I'd forgotten how big I was at that weight, so now it's 83 kg/183 lbs).

But you're probably right. I might have to raise my calories a little bit, but that's not the main point of keeping my calories steady day by day.

The main point is to create some good habits of eating steadily instead of it varying by 1500 calories from workout day to non-workout day. I'd never be able to do that for the rest of my life, but if I can create habits that get me to a steady 2000 calories a day, I can go on forever.

The raise in calories around long run day is mainly carbs and I only started doing it after finding out I was really fatigued after long run days, causing me to be tired and eat uncontrolled (I live 20 seconds from a supermarket...)

It is a good routine that many use.
As long as the recollection you gotta lower it down when doing less - like winter, like a busy period, ect.
Many forget to do that coming out of active college life, and sit down job comes, and family, and life - next thing you know 20 yrs later and 40 lbs more.

Oh - is the 20 sec part of the speed work aspect of the workout?

As a 6'1 male in his 40s I won't need to go lower than 2000 calories a day. It's more a question of possibly raising it a bit if I stay as active as I am now. I've already done the 7 years later, 70 pounds more...

The 2x20 sec to the supermarket is definitely HIIT

Assuming that your estimated expenditure is reasonably accurate (I use the .63 x weight x miles mentioned above to sanity check my Garmin and it's usually very close)
eat back those calories....those long runs take fuel. In the later stages of a training plan I love sitting down to a 1,000 cal brunch after my Sunday LSD.

My 2cents:

My big issue has been overeating due to training for a HM. I've had to really be careful about it to avoid gaining weight.

- The good (gym quality) treadmills give good numbers for calorie burn. (I've eaten them back without gaining weight)
- Most of the apps and watches give good numbers for outdoor running. (Garmin seems a little low sometimes.)
- You don't do a long run every day, so you don't need to eat it all back on that day. I'm often very hungry the next day no matter what I eat, so it helps to bank up a few extra calories.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

mads_o86 wrote: »

heybales wrote: »

mads_o86 wrote: »

heybales wrote: »

mads_o86 wrote: »

I don't eat back my calories for anything but long runs. I set my calories at 2000 a day, as that's what I'll be eating when in done with my weight loss. I've been going for 32 months now, have lost 70 lbs (30 kg) and I'm running as much as my 40 year old body can take: three times a week plus 2-3 other shorter cardio sessions of 15-25 minutes. I've PR'd every single distance except 400 meters this year (for as long back as I have GPS-data, that's sinde 2009).

Anyway, I set the calories of 2000 and for the first 20 months I didn't eat anything back. I think it's unhealthy to vary your diet like that, going up and down 1500 calories in different days, so I set it at 2000.

Now I've added long runs and I need to fuel for them - and recover. If I don't I tend to get sick. On the day before a long run (90-100 minutes) I eat 2300 calories, on the day of the run I eat 2500 and the next day I eat 2300.

It should be said I'm on an old-man's running schedule (I'm all of 43 years old), where my running week is four runs, which is 9-10 days. I go long, interval/speedwork, slow 50-60 min, slow 35 min. That way my body can recover.

That works out so I eat extra calories 3 days out of 10, which works for me.

But in reality you are eating back extra calories because of the workouts.
You are merely using a TDEE method where the planned workouts for the week are averaged over the 7 days, and a deficit for weight loss is removed from that total, and you ended up at 2000.

And then with the longer runs you are eating even more.
You just aren't using MFP's method totally, modified like I do though.

And 2000 eaten now is unlikely to be what you'll be eating when done with your weight loss or you'd really never get there if you think about it.
Because if 2000 was allowing any discernible loss now, it would still cause it at goal weight.

Well, obviously weight loss has slowed down as I've gotten closer to the goal. I'm 4 kg/10lbs out from my current goal (my first goal was 90 kg/200 lbs but I'd forgotten how big I was at that weight, so now it's 83 kg/183 lbs).

But you're probably right. I might have to raise my calories a little bit, but that's not the main point of keeping my calories steady day by day.

The main point is to create some good habits of eating steadily instead of it varying by 1500 calories from workout day to non-workout day. I'd never be able to do that for the rest of my life, but if I can create habits that get me to a steady 2000 calories a day, I can go on forever.

The raise in calories around long run day is mainly carbs and I only started doing it after finding out I was really fatigued after long run days, causing me to be tired and eat uncontrolled (I live 20 seconds from a supermarket...)

It is a good routine that many use.
As long as the recollection you gotta lower it down when doing less - like winter, like a busy period, ect.
Many forget to do that coming out of active college life, and sit down job comes, and family, and life - next thing you know 20 yrs later and 40 lbs more.

Oh - is the 20 sec part of the speed work aspect of the workout?

As a 6'1 male in his 40s I won't need to go lower than 2000 calories a day. It's more a question of possibly raising it a bit if I stay as active as I am now. I've already done the 7 years later, 70 pounds more...

The 2x20 sec to the supermarket is definitely HIIT

I would think you'd need to raise your calories significantly in maintenance. I'm 5'10" on a good day and 45 years old and maintain on roughly 2,800-3,000 calories per day with a desk job and moderate exercise throughout the week.

Yeah, I'd think so too, but that's not the reality I've experienced. On 2000 calories (plus ketchup, I don't count ketchup, calories be damned, but I don't have that much) without exercising i tend to gain. I'm planning on testing 2300 at some point to see where that gets me, with exercise, before possibly raising it a bit more.