Running & food intake

Hi all.  I sat down with a nutritionist last night to assess and find out how many calories I should be taking-in in order to lose a little bit of weight.  I am a conditioned runner.  I do competetively race.  A typical running week is 35-40 miles (during this season).  Sometimes it's more (up to 50 miles). 

I'm curious what you eat by way of calories. I did not post this on the weight-loss forum, because of the special circumstances of my training/running.

I'm 5'6", 28-yo female. Current weight: I am guessing between 138-140 lbs. 

The nutritionist told me that I should be taking-in between 1,800-1,900 calories a day to LOSE.  And that when I hit the weight I want to be, that we will have to bump that for sure.  My goal weight is 125lbs. I am most comfortable with my body and running performance at that weight.

Your thoughts/input please???  Thanks in advance!!

Susan

My input is probably not going to be very useful to you. I'm a 47 y/o woman, I am 5'5" tall and think I weigh around 120 (total guess, no scales for me!). I run three days a week (about 3 miles each day) and do pilates or power yoga for 45 minutes three days a week.

I aim for between 1600 and 1700 calories a day, generally more toward the 1600 mark.

When I first started counting (had never done that before) I started at 1500 but lost weight. I've bumped up and seem to be holding steady at the 1600 to 1700 mark.

Given our age differences and the difference in the amount of running we each do, I would think you need exactly what you rnutritionist suggested. Were you thinking that number was too high?

 

All that running...I'd go to a reputable running store or running club and ask one or more of them. It's not the lower calories that concerns me its the % of protein with all that running, how many time a day you eat the protein as well. I'd imagine that you'll need to take in alot more protein so as not to lose muscle mass. Also, do some functional training too, to retain, make more muscles. There are also some amino acid formulas trhat help retain muscle mass. Check that out too. Make sure you're buring fat and not muscle with all that running.

WOW, thank you so much both of you!! GREAT suggestions/input.  I suppose that was just a TOTAL shock to my system to hear that 1,800 number.  It did sound incredibly high to me - especially for weight LOSS.  She said that once I am DOWN to where I want to be, we have to hike that number even higher.  The longer I think about it and mull it over, it is beginning to make more sense to me.  My RESTING metabolic rate was around 1854 a day in calories burned just BEING, not counting regular daily activities OR exercise.  I think I may be expending around 2100-2200 a day with regular activities, and then even more with my running.  Wow, I have to become an EATING MACHINE!  LOL 

Pinksalmon, thank you for the advice on a running club.  I've wondered that myself. 

10/4

hi susan,

that number sounds good to me.  i exercise + eat more than you.  i'm losing pretty slowly.  but, proportionately, for the amount of exercise you're doing, you'd be eating a couple hundred calories less than i am.  since you probably want to lost more than 2-3 pounds a month (that's how slow i'm losing), your nutritionist sounds bang-on right.  good luck!

I'm 5' 6'', 124.5 lb 21 year old female that works out 5 days a week but not much else. I have 23% body fat(healthy) and am in decent shape. I mark sedentary as my activity level and log all my activity since I am a student that sits most of the day. And yet my burn meter is still around 1700 a day for doing nothing at all.
Therefore, with the amount of activity that you do I would agree with your nutritionist that you eat at LEAST 1800 cals a day if you are running competatively.
If she's a nutritionist, she probably knows what she's talking about. Get a second opinion from another nutrionist if you aren't sure, but take a professionals opinion over people on the internet-they have your body right in front of them to analyze, while all we can do is speculate.
The worst thing you could do would be to eat too far under and ruin your muscles.

I'm 18, and 5'3'' and i weigh anywhere between 115-120lbs (depends on how much i eat) and i've just recently completed my 2nd year of cross country in october. The most i've ran at one time was 11miles, and that was pretty fun x_x.

I'm a lazy runner, so my exercise routines fluctuate, but mostly, i consider 3miles as easy, 5miles as decent, 8miles as good. (during season or during summer when i'm not bogged down with hw -_-) right now i go around 4-5 days a week, 2-3 mile jogs with my friend or go do some heavy excercise at the gym (1-2hrs)

But enough with background info-    I'm 3 inches shorter than you, and i've always consumed 2500-3000 calories, and on the days i binge, i go up to 4000-6000 calories (couple years ago). But i've always kept around 120lbs, 122lbs max.

I joind CC a week or two ago and i decided to lower my calories to around 1600-2000 (healthy, normal range), and i've lost around 3-5lbs (it's hard to tell with all the water i drink) and it's only been a week since i really started sticking to it.

So, if you normally consume more than 1800 calories a day, i'm guessing that you'll start losing weight like crazy once you start on your diet :)

Like ixxmmmxxi, I am 5'3 (and some change). I'm 31 years old and about 107lbs.

I run about 25 miles a week, unless I'm training for a marathon and then it's about 30-40 miles a week. When I'm running 30+ I eat anywhere between 2,000-2,500 cals a day. I might have up to 3,000 cals if I've run 18 miles or more in one day. When I'm not running very much, I have 1,800-2,000 cals a day. Any less than that and I get hungry and get too thin.

You are taller than me and younger than me and are running more miles than me per week. I would think that 1,800 cals/a day would definitely make you lose weight and that you need more if you want to maintain. However, everyones metabolism is different. Still, most runners logging as many miles as you are logging definitely consume more than 1,800 cals a day, twice that easily at the peak of their training. 40+ is really a lot of miles per week--you need lots of fuel to expend that kind of energy, and to expend it efficiently!

Honestly, I'm suprised you found 1,800 cals a day shockingly high. How long have you been running these distances?

Lots of good replys. I ran distance until I broke my right ankle in an accident, it's now arthritic. The most important comment for you was the protein intake. Without enough protein, your body will canabalize your muscle and give you an imaciated look. The protein helps feed the muscle. We use to load up on carbs the night before a big race or a distance treck. It helps. You can buy a meal replacement drink with or with out carbs to help accomplish this.  I looked at your profile, and you look great, eating right will keep you there. Best wishes
M

Thanks so much everyone for the input, really.  I suppose I just needed a little time for it to 'settle-in'. 

I've been running competetively now for more than two years, and never really did get a grasp on the 'how many calories do I need' thing.  Prior to my sit-down with the nutritionist, I was under-eating - only to get so, so hungry (waking up in the middle of the night out of sheer hunger), that I'd often end up binging on very unhealthy food 2 or 3 times a week as of late.  And of course, that reeks havoc on your stomach as a runner!! 

I realized that I was not on a good path, which is why I seeked-out the nutrionist.  I want to be consistent and get out of this bad cycle I am in.  It's like that saying: If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you always got.  I recognize my need for change.  And quite frankly, as knowledgeable about food and such as I am, I'm shocked this didn't register for me on my own much sooner.  It's going to be awesome to take in MORE food/nutrition cumulatively, and level-out my hunger patterns.  By EATING ENOUGH, I know my potential for bingeing will be far, far less, if not null and void now!  Yay!

BTW: I ate 1900 calories (balanced & healthful) yesterday.  That was a big step!