Runner nutrition tips

adphillips06
adphillips06 Posts: 8 Member
edited December 25 in Fitness and Exercise
I started running on Jan.1st by following C25K.
I run atleast 3 miles 3-4x's a week (currently working towards half marathon).

I'm currently trying to lose extra weight and MFP states I should stay around 1200cals a day.
Some days I do not feel like that is enough calories to run!

Do you increase your calories on your running days? Do you eat specific foods?
What are your tips?

Replies

  • FrugalMomsRock75
    FrugalMomsRock75 Posts: 698 Member
    1200 should be your net, so if you run and burn 350 calories, your new total intake should be 1550.
  • fhsjewfro
    fhsjewfro Posts: 101 Member
    are you tracking your exercise on MFP? if you do it should be telling you to eat more cals those days you run so much
  • Sharyn913
    Sharyn913 Posts: 777 Member
    1200 should be your net, so if you run and burn 350 calories, your new total intake should be 1550.

    Agree. But also keep in mind each body is different. It's hard to say how much you should be consuming without knowing your age, height, weight, etc.

    Listen to your body. If you are hungry, have a snack! Don't rob your body!
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    It's not enough for a runner... especially a distance runner. This is what brought me here... you need a smaller deficit. During your half marathon training, don't aim for more than a half pound weight loss per week. That will give you a number of calories that sets up a 250 calorie deficit per day... you could change it manually, but don't go over a 400 calorie deficit per day. So basically you could set your goal for a 1 lb loss/week but eat up to 100 calories over that every day.

    I am 36 years old, female, 5'7" and 167 lbs and I eat about 1600 net per day... on average that's about 2100 calories per day and I'm losing steadily and getting faster. I run about 35-45km/week and do 2 cross training activities with 1 rest day.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    Use a HRM and track your burn. Sometimes I can burn as many as 1500 calories on a long run. You need to eat those.
  • kazza2cats
    kazza2cats Posts: 87 Member
    You will need extra calories to run so eat back your running calories. You will still loose the weight. Don't be afraid of carbs they will keep you going. Wholewheat pasta, wholemeal bread and porridge work for me.

    Good luck :happy:
  • adphillips06
    adphillips06 Posts: 8 Member
    Thank you so much!
    I need to start loggin my runs on MFP. I currently use MapMyRun on my iPhone.



    I usually run at night, because of the cooler weather and when the kids are asleep. For some reason usually around 10pm I have a burst of energy and like to run. I think thats why I don't think about adding extra calories in because I normally don't go home after my run and eat.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    I agree with the others who say you should eat more! There's an excellent topic here that can help you figure out your target calories based on all your info: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    Yes, MFP does the same, but the tools in the topic are a bit more thorough, and I found the info a great companion to MFP.

    Great job on the running!
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    Thank you so much!
    I need to start loggin my runs on MFP. I currently use MapMyRun on my iPhone.



    I usually run at night, because of the cooler weather and when the kids are asleep. For some reason usually around 10pm I have a burst of energy and like to run. I think thats why I don't think about adding extra calories in because I normally don't go home after my run and eat.

    If I ran at night each time, I'd probably add my calories the next day.

    I sometimes do that anyway. Some days I can't eat all the calories I burned. But that's usually followed by my rest day (after my longest run) so I'll eat some of those extra calories that day.
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