Forums >Off the Beaten Path>Do I REALLY eat that much?
ultramarathon/triathlete
I must eat a lot more than I realize. I seem to have gained 5 lbs in the last couple of months and I generally feel bloated and spare-tire-y. But I'm running a lot. I run to and from work 3 -4x a week. It's 5.3 miles each way, sub seven pace so it's no joke. 2 nights a week I also coach speed sessions, so I get more miles then, at least 6 miles per session including the run to and from the workouts. On the very rare non run days I'm biking to/from work. I think I take the subway an average of mayyyybe once a week, more like 2-3 times a month.
I've stopped the weekend long runs since having twins (they were 10-15 miles every weekend, occasionally marathon distance or more), but now I'm on weekend long strolls with the twins in their buggy. At least 4 or 5 miles each weekend day. We stroll a lot. So, I must be getting a good deal of calorie burn weekly, but still, I think I'm gaining weight. I must be eating a lot more than I realize.
Maybe I just need to accept that I'm getting old. Once upon a time I could eat a whole pizza and come away lighter, now I look at a slice and bam. Not lighter.
I did use one of those meal tracking apps a while back when I was supporting a friend on her weight loss. I did the app with her so she could see what others were eating and exercising. Each day it said I was in a caloric deficit, or certainly well under the 1,500 or so I was "supposed" to consume. I think the program was off a bit though. I was maintaining weight then, not losing or gaining.
On the bright side, I don't think I'm getting much slower, but it's hard to tell because I'm not racing much these days. The last race I did I was pushing a double jogging stroller, and I rocked that race but I have no idea how a ten miler would have been w/o the twins.
I'm not lifting weights, so I can't blame it on extra muscle mass and while I'm still getting at 40-50+ miles a week, it's a lot less than last year, so it's not leg strength adding to my weight either. Maybe my metabolism is used to 75-100 mile weeks. Maybe I have an alien growing inside me. Is so, I promise to post pics when it bursts out of my chest. I hope it wears a little top hat like the one from Spaceballs.
HTFU? Why not!
USATF Coach
Empire Tri Club CoachGatorade Endurance Team
Yep. You are.
I'm a firm believer in calories in vs. calories out. I don't buy the high metabolism type stuff.
At my weight (200ish) I burn 160 calories per mile that I run. I've run 1,500 miles so far this year so that equals 240,000 calories I've burned this year so far running. If I was eating normally I would have lost almost 70lbs this year alone. Needless to say I'm not eating normally, I'm eating on average about 1,000 calories more than I could if I wasn't running.
It's turning into one of the primary reasons that I'm keeping my miles where they are at, if I cut back on miles I'm going to have to cut back on eating and I've really enjoyed being able to eat pretty much whatever I want.
I'm trying to shed 5 lbs to maybe help me on a goal race coming up in 3 weeks and it has been tough to give up my sweets! I'm not doing a very good job of it.
Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)
Current PR's: Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)
Maybe I have an alien growing inside me. Is so, I promise to post pics when it bursts out of my chest. I hope it wears a little top hat like the one from Spaceballs.
That would be awesome, Dave!
- Joe
We are fragile creatures on collision with our judgment day.
Periods of high stress can cause weight gain in some people. Cortisol. Add lack of sleep to that and it can be worse.
I was just thinking about this. --------^
I've quite the sweet tooth myself. I think I'll implement a "no dessert" rule for one month, or until I've dropped 5 lbs, whichever comes first.
Since I'm typing this, it makes it true (at least in my mind).
So, let's see what happens in the next month. But it sucks that I'm meeting friends tonight at my favorite italian place that just happens to make a nice tiramisu.
Ok, I'm going to my gym to run.
Hmmm, another potential cause.
My sleep has been cut to 6 hours from my usual 8 (I'm not complaining!) . The sucky thing is there's no sleeping in on the weekends anymore --my twins wake up at 6 on the dot (well, 5:58am this morning) regardless of the day. There were months of them waking up every 2 or 3 hours so this really isn't that bad... but how I miss the 8 hour nights.
Ok, NOW I'm going for my run.
Running a lot can help, but if you have poor habits with food and other stuff, then it's no guarantee to lose weight.
FWIW I always lose a few pounds in January by sticking to the following rules:
- Eat three proper meals a day. Other than that the only thing I eat is fruit or raw veg if I get hungry between meals
- No sweets/cookies/biscuits/cakes/candy/soda etc.
- No booze.
Latent Runner
Running a lot can help, but if you have poor habits with food and other stuff, then it's no guarantee to lose weight. FWIW I always lose a few pounds in January by sticking to the following rules: - Eat three proper meals a day. Other than that the only thing I eat is fruit or raw veg if I get hungry between meals - No sweets/cookies/biscuits/cakes/candy/soda etc. - No booze.
And no fun either.
Personally I'd rather eat that mint chocolate-chip ice cream in a waffle cone and run a few extra miles than not.
Fat old man PRs:
Running more makes me crazy hungry all the time! I think sometimes it is because of nutrition inbalance. My body is craving something ... so I give it everything. Maybe it just needed more salt or carbs or protein ... but I end up eating a bunch of stuff it was not craving too.
I have run 500 miles in a month and gained 10 pounds if I am not careful ,,, and that not careful usually involves a fair amount of beer. Beer is the gateway drug to bad eating.
I am fuller bodied than Dopplebock
Running more makes me crazy hungry all the time! I think sometimes it is because of nutrition inbalance. My body is craving something ... so I give it everything. Maybe it just needed more salt or carbs or protein ... but I end up eating a bunch of stuff it was not craving too. I have run 500 miles in a month and gained 10 pounds if I am not careful ,,, and that not careful usually involves a fair amount of beer. Beer is the gateway drug to bad eating.
Uh-oh, I'd better be careful then. I've been experiencing relatively minor symptoms of electrolyte depletion and have been told on more than one occasion that "a beer" can help restore a balance. Of late I've been consuming a nightly post-run IPA; so far at least I've lost a few pounds since I started with the beer.
And no fun either. Personally I'd rather eat that mint chocolate-chip ice cream in a waffle cone and run a few extra miles than not.
Yeah - but it's not that simple, at least not for everyone. As you exercise your appetite increases too. I can do quite high mileage (although I'm not running at all at the moment because of injury) and not lose weight if I don't eat sensibly.
I guess I'm lucky; I stared running again in April, didn't change my diet one bit (errr, except for the aforementioned IPA), and have managed to lose over fifty pounds in four and a half months.
I do not comprehend what "a beer" is ... I am from WI ... Beer is always plural
Basically up to 150 miles per week, I have to think about how much I am eating ... > 150 miles a week and I am spending so much time running, that I do not have enough time to eat too much. This is also because I do not like to run on a full stomache and if I am running 3 times a day, it forces me to eat less.
I am also injured, so I am running very little and biking a little and walking a little = major suckage!