Angie here.
I just read Marianne's post from Monday, and I also felt like I had to confess. Is this turning in to more of an "overeating runners" blog than we first had anticipated? I, too, thought that running would just make the fat melt off my body. After all, you burn an amazing amount of calories, right? So why the weight gain? (Only a few pounds, mind you.) It's definitely the eating habits.
I'm positive that most of it is mental. "Oh- I ran 6 miles today- I can eat whatever I want" pops into my head at least once a week. Most of the time those thoughts stay in my subconscious, but they're there, and they're real.
After dieting it up for a few weeks in May ( I allowed myself to eat what I wanted, but only about 1500-1700 calories a day), I learned something important. I ran out of energy early on my runs for those weeks. I tended to cut the runs short, and to walk when before I would have run. The fact of the matter is that we DO need to eat more calories to sustain our heavy workouts, especially if we're training like we should- the problem is that we tend to eat the naughty foods more than we do healthy ones. And when it comes to that- I'm absolutely no help.
But if you need any advice on how to carb-load the day before the race (or any other day of your lives, really), I'm only a phone call away.
Food for thought: I weigh 150 pounds. The reason I tell you that is because that qualifies me to run in the "Athena" category of marathons- where the 150 + people rank. Surprisingly enough, I came in second on that list in last week's half marathon! I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing- but maybe, also subconsciously, I eat to maintain my girth so that I can set records as an Athena.
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Angie-
ReplyDeleteYou are doing great with your running. You weigh nothing, especially for your height!! I'm too embarassed to post my height at 5'2".
It is such a fine line between eating enough to have energy throughout the day, and not eatin gout of control.
Like today, I burned 1100 calories running, minus the 3 snacks, before and during, so that makes it 800 calories - minus what I would be burning anyways during that time --- and I wonder what my net calories burned is.
Worst of all, I went to Chipotle today and CHOWED!!!!
I have been "watching" what I eat now, not dieting at all. It is a lot more work, but I've been trying to eat snacks that at least have some protein, and avoiding sugary empty calorie foods. It is so hard!!! I feel like if I could slim down a bit I would be able to run faster, but then the running makes me hungry, and it is a vicious cycle.
At least I know my heart is healthier than it was 6 months ago!
Here is an article that explains the whole net calories burned thing. You all probably think I'm a little crazy with all my posts, but I am someone who has struggled w/ my weight my whole life.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.fitsugar.com/Whats-Diff-Total-Calorie-Burn-Net-Calorie-Burn-1523858
(by the way, i'm realizing how quickly i can replace those extra calories... por ejemplo, 1/4 cup peanut m&m's = 220 calories!!! - I'm sure I can easily eat triple that with out thinking about it!)
oh, calories. eating. reaching for the banana vs. the oreos... sometimes i do okay, and then sometimes... well, today i had a piece of the apple pie i made for father's day yesterday for lunch. only pie and that's it. and honestly, i felt really good about it. tomorrow i'll try to reach for the salad instead...
ReplyDeleteMarianne here
ReplyDeleteIt's good to hear this. How many miles did you run Suzanne to burn 1100 calories. Man! I only ran 2 today on a treadmill and my ankle hurts. I hope I didn't to anything too serious.
And Angie - Wow! 2nd place! Weight on you is different than weight on short people. I'll wave as you speed past me Aug 7th.
Noelle - like I said, apple pie = fruit :)
So glad to hear that I'm not alone in this struggle...I keep hoping that running will help me lose weight, which will help me to run faster and better, which will help me lose weight, which will...oh, you get the idea.
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