Are there any serious athletes on here?

I am a cross country runner in college and I'm on here because a good diet is very advantageous to a serious athlete. But it is so easy to just eat like my (non-athlete) friends, or even like the other girls on the cross country team who don't put care into nutrition.  So I would love to find someone on here to start an accountability/motivation partnership. It would help to just talk to someone daily or weekly that would remind me that I am serious about my performance, so my diet is very important too. And I could help you too in the same way! :)

    Well I am not sure about a serious athlete but I train hard in martial arts and I design my whole workout and nuitrition around it.  
I train mainly in tae kwon do and jiu-jitsu but also work on some stand up techniques like kickboxing.  Hey while I know our goals are totally different if you need some motivation or advice about training I am always around these boards and I am also a college student so I am in the same boat with you there.  

Have you frequented the Runner's World discussion boards? There is a community dedicated to nutrition. A lot of runners who all care about eating healthy (and enjoying food as well).

Diana

I'm a rhythmic gymnast, and I train 9-13 hours a week.

Rhythmic gymnast...very cool! When I was little I loved to watch them in the Olympics! So how do you manage to stay focused throughout the day, eating with non-gymnasts (or people not into martial arts)? Man, it's hard when my friends get coffee cake and cappuccinos for breakfast or cookies and ice cream with dinner! I know that I will perform better if I put good stuff in my body, but...

mduffel,
Hey, my name is Brigid, and i am a cross country runner in my senior year of high school, and Im one of the captains. I contemplating whether I should run in college, or just do road races.... how are you able to manage both school work and running practices? Is it hard?

At my age, nutrition is the most important part of my training.  I'm currently training for the Las Vegas Marathon on Dec 10th, with a goal to drop 10 lbs.

On a 1700 cal per day, 65+%  carb plan.

Hey Brigid... actually I think having those 2 hours devoted to cross country practice everyday (well, Monday through Thurs. for us) helps me manage my time better. My classes are fairly easy this semester, so it's not too hard at all yet! If you're used to having practice every day in high school it shouldn't be that much different I'd say. I am contemplating not being on the team next year, but for a different reason: I'm more of an individual runner!

gscott: I read in runnersworld or something that training for a marathon and losing weight are hard to do at the same time because they have such different goals. I forget their reasoning, but it sounds feasible to me! Good luck! Oh, and why 65% carbs? For easy energy for all the running you're doing? Hmm...I ought to pay more attention to how big a percentage my carbs are. Here's my analysis for one month during the summer:
Fat - 23.1% (1,377 grams)
Protein - 20.1% (2,707 grams)
Carbohydrates - 56.8% (7,632 grams)
What do you think? Should I as a runner eat more carbs?

While thinking about my answer, I did some research as to why I aim for 65% carbs, and my rassional was probably off.  It would seem that 65% suits more elite athletes, while a 50-25-25 is more suitable for the rest of us.  Just wondering where a 2-4 hours run falls in the scale??

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,sss6-242-304--7771-3-1X3 -3,00.html

Ugh, guys I just had two really bad days in a row. Like 1000 calories over my expenditure each day! It's terrible because it even affected my running today...since my stomach hurt from eating junk before my workout, I didn't run as much as I had planned! I keep flipping between "I have to watch what and how much I eat so I fuel my body properly for running" and "I'm a runner...I can eat what I want!" Do you guys ever start thinking something like that? I'm getting rid of the junk food in my room. So...hopefully tomorrow will be better! :)
P.S. Isn't it weird that the analysis gave me a B for those days?

    Heh the analysis is wierd like that somtimes, I had one day a few weeks ago where I decided to have a full cheat day since I didnt have one in awhile.  I ate somewhere around 6,000 calories(Japanese Buffets are evil) but I still got a A rating for the day.  

    Well back on topic I guess, I know most people would not want to do this but I tend to think about food more as fuel then as treats.  For example eating that sweet potato over those french fries will keep me strong and feeling better in 3 hours. Or passing on those candy bars for a piece of fruit will let me get a extra lap when I run later that day. I know its a really big step for people to change their attitude for food like that but if you do you start to realize how much your emotions and energy is related to what types of foods you put in your body.

yes, food is fuel! It's so true, even though I give in to "peer pressure" often! Today is going well so far, good fuel: oatmeal and homemade applesauce and skim milk for bfast!

alright guys, I'm about to go to a cross country bonfire tonight. Fudge, smore's, cookies galore but I pledge to not eat any of it since I already had my dessert for the day! This is to hold me accountable!

Original Post by mduffell:

I am a cross country runner in college and I'm on here because a good diet is very advantageous to a serious athlete. But it is so easy to just eat like my (non-athlete) friends, or even like the other girls on the cross country team who don't put care into nutrition.  So I would love to find someone on here to start an accountability/motivation partnership. It would help to just talk to someone daily or weekly that would remind me that I am serious about my performance, so my diet is very important too. And I could help you too in the same way! :)

I've been trying to find other college athletes with very little success (I'm still pretty new to this site though) .. I play college baseball and I've recently decided I want to put on weight. I've been getting 5-6k calories per day for the past week and I've put on 8 lbs. (released from the hospital last mon., lost 10 lbs. while i was there, so this isn't a trend that will continue, but still it's a good start.. i'm at 190 and want to hit 220 by mid-summer).. My biggest problem is that I'll only eat like 1k cal by 2pm, then i have a 3 hr practice and then i have to throw back like 5k cal in the evening. my intake is so condensed. how do u make sure to spread your intake throughout the day even w/ classes and commuting and practice... should i get up earlier to force down a bigger breakfast? lemme know