Timing of meals (Read 890 times)

This has been a segued topic of discussion elsewhere, but it's something I consistently have a hard time figuring out. Specifically, running on average 8 miles per day -- I have difficulty in getting enough quality carbs during the day, in such a way that it digests well and leaves me ample energy for the next effort. I do the whole thing of downing a pint of milk after runs, but even still -- grains, in particular the whole-grains, have a tendency to stick in my stomach during the day whilst I am doing other activities.

I am on my feet for much of the day most days, which doesn't agitate the stomach as much as running, but even having a bowl of oats and a bagel can make it unpleasant / make me not want to move around as much. Ideally I'd want high-energy / low stomach volume in what I eat, which is where fats can be utilized, but here is what happens if I skimp on carbs: I'll have a poor workout at some point in the week where I have no energy, which will usually be followed by a night where I eat a large quantity of grains to "recharge" what didn't get replaced during the week. When this happens, I usually won't be able to run in the morning due to digestion issues, so it'll get pushed back to the afternoon. For the next six days I'll have plenty of energy/glycogen and will do fine. Then I'll crash, and the cycle repeats the next week. 

I wouldn't worry about this as much -- if not for two factors. One: I think I'm not getting the full potential of the daily runs as a result of this. Two: running long distances on low glycogen is an invitation for injury. To make it even more difficult... I'll be at university soon, but I still live with my parents, who have a habit of eating dinner - their largest meal of the day - at 7 or even 8 PM. This is a problem because I'm usually running by 6 AM, due to the daytime heat here in Australia. Late-night, slow-digesting meals are out of the question. 

Could be over-thinking it a bit, but I'm just trying to fit running into a lifestyle somewhat compatible with the rest of the human race follows. I've even thought about beer (liquid bread?), but something tells me that isn't the solution either... 

You won't have anything in your stomach by morningtime from dinner the day before, so your digestive issues must be something else.  Perhaps it is TMI but without some sort of clarification it is hard to know what your issue is.

Your "low glycogen is an invitation for injury" comment is curious; running on low glycogen is not going to predispose you to some sort of injury.  Feeling like hell or low on energy, perhaps.  Increased recovery time, perhaps.  But not injury.  And, unless you are regularly doing long runs, normal length runs...say an hour...will only be affected by making you run slower if you are chronically low on glycogen.  

Within reason, what you eat is not going to affect your glycogen levels a lot as long as you are getting in enough calories.  Your body can turn most fuels into glycogen....after workouts if your glycogen is low it may even take body fat to restore glycogen stores.  So you don't need to over-complicate things being fixated on carb intake.  Runners don't need some huge carb intake to support normal levels of running.

grains arent the only sources of carbohydrates.  If your body doesnt like grains, find a different source.

My guess is if you slowed your runs down a bit you wouldnt notice carb dependency quite so much. 

Are you sure the good runs are due to "recharging" on grains or are they because the grains "force" you to take a morning off.  Are you sure the bad runs are due to glycogen depletion or just maybe you are due for a rest/recovery day. 

If it really is because of the recharge/depletion cycle then perhaps quit the recharge cycle.  Your body WILL adapt to running on a lower level of carbohydrates given enough time .

And finally, if you are old enough to be at university soon then you are old enough to cook your own meals and not wait for your parents to eat dinner. 

It seems like you are the perfect candidate for more simple sugar in your diet. 

 

By replacing your carbs while running (gels or energy replacement drink) or directly afterwards with something else that is low-bulk and high calorie, you should be able to have the power you need for good performance. Also, by replacing with simple carbs right away, your body will not be craving them so much later in the day.  For example, the Kenyans fuel themselves on a diet high in tea with milk with sugar. Article here.

 

Not that I am an expert, but that has been my experience. Best of luck in finding the solution!

+1.  Why not try honey?  No bulk, high sugar content, high minerals/vitamins...and sweet.  Unless of course you have a stomach problem with honey.

Also, what's this "whole thing about downing a pint of milk after runs..."?  Do you crave milk (I've noticed, if I do speed training, I seem to crave milk)?  Do you have a trouble AFTER gobbling down lots of milk?  We found out our daughter is lactose-intolerance after all these years we kept telling her it's good, and important, to drink lots of milk!  Come to think of it, she always had some trouble after drinking lots of milk...

It seems that you're thinking too much based on bits and pieces of information without quite going down deeply into the subject.  Read what Spaniel said--mechanism of fat and carb and glycogen.  Also what Ennay said--she's very smart and logical.  You seem to be trying to suit your lifestyle based on what you've read; but the truth is; our body really adapts to whatever it is put under and function just fine.  If your body is not quite adapting to the situation, the issue is most probably somewhere else.  I don't think eating your "tea" at 8 would likely cause any problem, or at least I don't think it should.

I'm not a doctor and know very little about the disease - I've just know people who have it - but if the symptoms seem mostly tied to grains, I wonder if you could have celiac.  Do you know if anyone in your family has it?  Might be worth laying off the grains, if they seem to be the problem, for a while and seeing if you feel better.

OK, I just did a workout on top of a med-sized breakfast without any issues...so I'm guessing my system is more robust than I had thought. It wasn't as comfortable as it could've been, but I had more energy than the mornings in which I've gone unfed. It'll take some experimenting. 

Glad you had a good workout. I think with consistency, your system will continue to get more robust.

Gotta say, though, that in my case, anyway, there's a lot of randomness to my energy levels.  Most times, I can't point to a reason that I'm energetic or conversely, sluggish on a given morning.  I just try to eat and work out in ways that are healthful in the long term, keeping in mind that the quality of a given run will vary due to a mix of factors, some of which I can identify, and some of which are out of my control.