running with diet plan (Read 824 times)

My guess is that if you feel fine and your runs are going well AND you are losing weight that you are eating enough. I have the problem that cutting my calories also cuts into my ability to run well...and by "well" I mean anything faster than a 13 minute mile. Come join us in Jiggly Joggers for daily support. Today is weigh-in! k

Are you counting your exercise points? I've watched my better half lose 35 pounds on Weight Watchers and I'm pretty impressed. I know they give you extra points for exercise ... and if you're putting in serious mileage, you should use them.

I don't know anything about WW but I do know that eating quality food is super important to me in order to maintatin my energy levels. I just started training for a marathon and was having some energy issues but I find whole wheat pasta, whole grains, fresh veggies and lean meats are my best bets when I eating for energy. I am not a very big eater so I eat about 6 to 8 times a day. I also take a multi vitamin every day on the advise of a personal trainer friend of mine. He also suggested that I focus on getting more protien but to watch out for those high sugar energy drinks. Hope that helps. Good luck with the running and the weight loss.

Yeah I do use them, according to Weight Watchers you are allowed to use no more than 12 bonus points gainerd during exercise a day. I earn the equivalent of about 65 bonus points a week through running, so i eat the 12 bonus ones. It just seems that due to all the exercise I am doing I should be eating more, still it is working so I wont try to fix it.

Eddy: This is my experience and opinion only, so take it as that. I think Weight Watchers is a brilliant idea - an easy way to learn healthy eating and portion control without counting every calorie. Of all the diet madness out there, if I was overweight, it would be the only thing I'd use. BUT ... it's really not designed for serious (or semi-serious) athletes, especially endurance athletes. And that arbitrary cut-off for additional points is the perfect example - obviously, if you were working with a coach/trainer, he'd be modifying your caloric intake depending on a lot of factors, including your mileage and training. It seems pretty clear that the WW "exercise points" are designed for someone exercising moderately - maybe half an hour, 3 times a week - to help them lose weight. They do not take into account someone running 30 or 40 or 50 miles per week. So it takes a little bit of tinkering to make it work. I'm currently cutting 15 pounds to get down to high school weight before a marathon in April, and I'm doing the WW thing (well, sort of ... I'm not exactly rigorous about it, and pretty much ignore it on weekends.) But since I'm running 40-50 miles per week along with lifting and other cross-training, I max out the "exercise points" just about every day - and I use every single on of them. If I tried to train that much on 22 points a day, plus that 12 exercise points a week, I'd either die, pass out, or - at best - see my training suffer. So the point of all the above is - you can use WW, I think, but you'll have to play with it, find the balance between weight management and getting enough calories for your training (and enough of the right calories). Just do NOT think you have to stick with their arbitrary guidelines for the number of exercise points - find what works for YOU. I'm currently eating something like 35 points a day, eating like a horse on weekends ... and I've dropped 5 pounds in 2 weeks (and there really wasn't much to lose, and I've probably gained 2-3 pound of muscle). So it WILL work. A final point, and it's important: be really careful about ANY sort of dieting and distance training combined. It can be dangerous. Most 'experts' tell first time marathoners not to even think about trying to cut weight while they train. Just don't overdo it. If you eat healthy and train hard, you'll reach your goal. And it looks like you don't have far to go, anyway. Good luck.

Hi Eddy, I read in the other thread that you started:

Started: Nov 06 weighing 268lb...Now: I weigh 219lb...

You've lost 49 pouns in 9 weeks, over 5 lbs a week. This sounds like a lost to lose in such a short time. Most things I've read recommend weight loss between 1 and 2 pounds per week. It sounds like you're not getting enough calories. I am not a doctor, and I don't know what are the consequences of losing weight too quickly, but its something you may want to look into. Perhaps others can comment as well. Take care of yourself.

Just a note--Weight Watchers in the UK is not the same as in the US. (Sorry, I don't know about Canada or other English-speaking places.) The points, both earned and expended, are VERY different, as is the entire set-up of the plan. Nonetheless, it is a good guideline for making healthier choices than chips and cheese all day, every day!