Posts by gterv

Ran the Chicago Marathon 3:42 Boston qualified!!! happy (and it was my first marathon)

I can understand a break from diet and counting calories, but why would you stop going to the gym? that does not make sense to me, because you will lose fitness and muscle.... you will probably start losing again but going back will be harder having stopped the gym

Hello to all!

Kent, for protein I do take protein suplements like a shake or a protein bar, andI eat chicken, fish and eggs also low fat cotage cheese its very high in protein.

Running-man I also have the same dilemma I will run Chicago in October 11th and I'm planning on doing the Miami-man a half Iron distance triathlon on November 8th, my training is definitely focused on the marathon but I do really want to do a half this year. So I'm in the same boat, my thoughts are that if your body recovers well from the effort of a fast marathon you can probably pull it off, I think that I will register this coming week.

jcl the time between your events its enough to recover an train properly, no problem there... I  don't ever take 2 weeks of complete rest, my trainer likes to give me 2 max 3 days of full rest and then start with slow short runs, with 2 weeks of total rest you will lose fitness (i think).

I really try to strech for about 10minutes after I run, Its basic to avoid injuries I use  the Jim Wharton Method.

Hi again

I think I can help a little in terms of weight loss and training, if you see my profile you will see I have lost 50lbs in the past year, i have always exercised a lot but despite burning 2000 calories in a workout I managed to eat them back and more thinking I could because I exercised so much, long story short weight management for athletes is 80% diet and 20% physical activity. I strongly recommend you find that magic calorie intake number where you lose and feel energetic through the day.

I always eat before and immediately after my workouts, that is key! and please try to eat 45-40% protein, 25% fat and the rest in carbs you will notice a huge difference in how you feel and start to look.

I'm running 45-50 mpw plus 2 bike and 2 swim sessions and I have to admit I'M TRIED! but feel good, marathon training is very intense, only 79 days left!

Hi Kent

I don't know how much you workout but I would probably increase the protein and lower the carbs, to lose more efficiently and avoid losing  muscle, but mainly I think that Training properly has no substitute, obviously if you weigh less you can run faster, but you definitely need to train.

What was your PR?

Original Post by bsh0611:

 I'm eating 1,800-2,000 calories a day and I eat to appetite.

You are 5'8" running about 35 miles a week, that is not enough. 1800cals is what I eat for weight loss with the amount of exercise you do. And again, a BMI of 17.5 is not healthy and  being a runner does not make it normal, I think that the most important thing should be your health, and as a runner I know that the last thing you want is not to be able to run anymore.

If you are 5'8" and weigh 115lbs (assuming that from your post) your BMI is 17.5 and that is underweight, your husband is probably worried more about your health than your look, you should really check with a doctor its sounds to me like you do need to gain weight.

good luck

Hi

I use caffeine only for races, usually I drink decaffeinated coffee, basically every day but for a race a do use 100mg before the race (=one strong cup) and during the race I take gu energy gel with 50mg caffeine every 45min. It works well for me, and its not illegal ;)

I would probably not use it for an everyday workout if you are caffeine free, because you will become dependant again.

If you quit exercising because you wanted to lose quicker then what you lost is probably muscle weight and that is not good, it slows your metabolism and makes keeping your lost weight harder, you should never quit exercise for weight loss reasons, also strength training.

so you should start now.

Hi jcl76!

Don't worry about your recommendations its perfectly OK! :)

I have a professional personal trainer, he used to be an elite runner and triathlete, and he is quite reliable, the reason I'm running 4 times a week is that in July and august i have Olympic distance triathlon events and in November I'm doing a half iron distance event and can't afford to stop biking altogether, in 3 or 4 weeks I will probably be doing 2 running sessions a day 2 times a week, so It Will really be 6 running sessions.

In terms of nutrition, unfortunately I'm not the kind of athlete that lbs just melt away with training (I have been competing in tris and road races for many years)  If I eat more that 2200- 2600 cals i just maintain, if more that 2600 I gain, stupid metabolism... for the first months of my diet I ate around 1400cals every day being very careful about time and nutrition it worked and I was able to complete several races feeling excellent. This is not for every one this is what worked for me.

I did read your other post regarding muscle loss, and in my particular case I have managed to gain 5lbs of muscle since August, and lose only fat, I go to a nutritionist that has a high tech body scale and I go every 5 weeks so I have all my progress in print, I know no one is supposed to be able to build muscle while on a calorie restrictive diet, but I have, I started with 37% body fat and now I'm 18.5%, started with 63lbs of muscle and now I have 68.2lbs.

My time objective for Chicago its based on my current race times, and the estimations my coach is making, this is actually my first marathon, I have done many half marathons and odd distance races like 26.2k, but never a marathon, so I'm very excited, I live in Mexico city and we have wonderful altitude for training, this gives us an edge when racing at sea level.

What are your time goals for your marathon? how many marathons have you done before?

Hi!

My Body fat is 18.4% I'm very healthy, very active.

My nutritionist told me that for a woman athlete It's OK to be in a range from 15% to 19% body fat.

As long as you don't lose your period and feel energetic and healthy I would say you are OK, but probably worth going to a nutritionist and measuring your real body fat.

good luck

Thank you all for your encouragement and your responses!!

OMG!! The buoyancy thing is so true!, I used to be able to float in the pool so comfortably and now I sink like a rock, I discovered this fact last weekend, and I always thought i had great natural buoyancy.

I eat a protein shake every morning for breakfast and a MET-Rx protein Plus bar for a mid morning post workout snack every day, then have a very healthy lunch and dinner, lots of veggies and fruit, lean meats etc... I have lost 45lbs in a very healthy way, look and feel great!

Original Post by deirdrereilly:

Job well done and thanks for the inspiration.  Can you share with us what kept you motivated and got you through the tough times? 

 

At times I was very frustrated with the scale because I weigh myself every day and it would just not move for weeks, my hardest period was at 160, I was in a bad plateau and it took a lot of perseverance and patience but if you keep your calorie counting strict, exercise it will come off.

I do log every day everything I eat and all my exercise is in my activity meter also.

Liskies be very patient, its so hard to fight for these last lbs!