I'm going into week 4 of eating clean and I'm really enjoying it. However, this past week I felt a little zapped on my runs and during my 17 miler on Saturday I just felt like I didn't have much in me. On top of it, I'm not seeing weight loss results like I had thought I would and when I think back to over a year ago, I was eating more and weighed less. While I'm constantly eating with all the "mini" meals, I had a feeling my little meals weren't adding up to the calories I need. This morning I looked up how many calories I should be getting if I wanted to lose 1.5 pounds a week on livestrong.com and entered that I was extremely active. The result, around 2500 calories a day, which is about what I thought. From there, I decided to add up my eats for today to see what I'm actually getting, and I have to say, while I'm a little disturbed at what I found out, I'm glad I now know. My calories for today only came to 1500. Eeek. Not good. I thought I wasn't eating enough, and actually knew I wasn't, but I didn't think I was this low. No wonder I'm feeling sluggish lately when I work out and no wonder I'm not losing weight...my body needs every calorie it's getting! So while I'm not going to stop eating clean, I am going to stop following the recommended servings. I've been so hung up on how many grains/starchy vegetables that the plan suggests that I've cut out things like bulgar, whole wheat pitas, etc. I'm going to stay focused on eating clean and eating small meals during the day, but I obviously need to add some substance in there, too.
This is what I have to eat for today:
Breakfast: oatmeal w/ wheat germ, protein powder, pumpkin, agave and skim milk
Snack: pineapple, 8 almonds
Lunch: spinach w/ cucumbers, peppers, onions, chicken
Snack: 4 egg whites, chopped veggies, banana
Dinner: chicken chili (chicken, tomatoes, onion, corn, kidney beans, whole wheat pasta)
Snack: fat free plain yogurt w/ flax seed, apple, agave
My goal for this week is to eat more and see how I feel. That's actually more important to me than losing the pounds right now because I want to feel good on my runs. I was so bummed on Saturday when I got home from my long run. I had so little energy during the run and wasn't sure I wanted to keep going at times. That's not me and I hate that feeling. For most of the day I kept thinking that I suck because the run felt hard for me and didn't seem to faze anyone else. But I think I know what's going on, so all I can do from here is try to fix it.
Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 4mi
Tues - 7 mi, negative split run
Wed - off (lift)
Thurs - 7 mi, 6 x 200 at 5k pace
Fri - 4mi (lift upper body only)
Sat - 18 mi
Sun - off (lift)
Question: has anyone switched to the new format for posting? Where is the spell check button now?
30 comments:
i felt sluggish when i started clean eating but once i figured it out things got better. I haven't lost any weight since the summer but probably bc of marathon trinaing. i'll prob drop a few more pounds this summer. Whether i eat too much or not enough my weight is the same, 128. i try to eat like 2200 calories a day at least. to eat that many calories with just clean food means i pretty much just continuously eat all day long. its a lot of work but so worth it.
i was wondering yesterday, did your sister make out okay with the adoption? i'm still praying for her and hope thigns are going well! have a nice day.
I think it's so valuable that you are listening to your body and looking for problems/solutions. I hope the increase in your food intake helps with your energy level - who knows, it may help with weight loss too. Sometimes eating too little can be as bad as eating too much.
Wow girl I would be ZAPPED if I only ate 1,500 calories. I bet you up it and you will see instant results..
2nd the upping of the calories. And yeah I hate how there is no spell check now.... Where do we go to complain?
I didn't realize there was a new format. I am always surprised when I count things up for the day. I'm usually on the lower end, also and I do feel like I'm listening to my body. I think you definitely need the whole grains since you are so active!
I am sure I am post stuff with tons of errors because I no longer have the spell check.
Great job on eating clean. I still have to dust off that book and read it.
wuhhh 1500, I would drop dead and I know a lot of people eat that every single day intentionally...um NO!
Keep posting your meals, i love it and it helps me!
Wowza no wonder you weren't feeling good! Definitely not enough. Yesterday I had a TERRIBLE headache ALL day after my 9-miler (which went great) then at the end of the day I added up my calories and realized I'd only ate about 1750 calories when I'd burned over 1,000 on my run. NOT GOOD. I quickly ate a GIANT bowl of cereal and felt better :)
Listening to your body is the smart thing to do...and yeah...1500yikes! I'm sure we'll be hearing all about your high energy runs this week :)
I think I am one of those people...not eating enough. Need to count up my calories now and see.
Thanks for the reminder!
Glad to hear that you're listening to your body and recalibrating the routine.
This is really interesting to me, as I've tried eating clean and maintain a very active lifestyle and still lose weight. I found, like you, it didn't really work, for the lack of carbs/calories. I wish there was more information out there about active people who need to eat a lot but still lose weight! all the information out there seems to be for people who need a max of 2000cal a day. I'm very interested to see how upping your calories works out for you
I hope eating more calories works for you. With your quality workouts, you need them! Feed the run :-)
I know how you feel! When I started loosing weight so long ago and started running, finding the balance of the right amount of caloires was hard. Keep at it, I bet adding in more will def be the help you need!
I just copy and paste my post into a word doc and spell check there. It takes a few mins longer but then I don't look like a moron :)
I really admire your discipline in maintaining such a strict diet for 4 weeks, surely I'd have gnawed off a limb by now. Finding the right balance is tough. And with some adjustments I know you'll get there!
Glad you figured out the problem.
You will be feeling more energized in no time. Keep up the great work!!
I posted a ton of misspelled stuff when I first switched to the new format. Now I copy everything over to word and see what I've spelled wrong and go back and fix it. It takes a while, but it works. I thought they said the spelling thing would still be there but I've looked everywhere and can't find it!
I wanted to eat cleaner but I wondered how I would fit that into my day. I would love to eat lots of mini meals but I can't seem to find the time to do all of that, I eat when I can and usually its every 6 hours it seems. I try to have a good amount of carbs in each of those sessions so that I can function properly. It's been awhile since I've calorie counted, perhaps I need to do that.
1500 calories wouldn't sustain me! Love how dailyplate points that stuff out - a little awareness goes a long way :)
I've been doing the same thing the last couple of weeks. I realized that I was eating a lot healthier, but a lunch consisting of a chicken breast and lots of veggies was only adding up to less than 200 calories! I don't think I'm eating enough fat either. I found myself hungry and eventually binging later in the day. A revision is definitely needed! Good luck!
I had the same experience...not eating enough to lose weight. Who would have thought? LOL~ I ate more this week and lost the most weight all month. You have quite the schedule!! I would love to be where you are at someday. Keep it up!
Our bodies are amazing things - they tell us what they need/don't need! Good for you for figuring it out so quickly!
I havent switched, but I keep hearing people asking the same question. I have yet to hear an answer.
Wow! No wonder your long run was so hard. I always notice a difference in my energy level on long runs when I don't have enough calories. Hope eating more helps!
It's interesting to read all the comments about nutrition and performance. I also have the issue of trying to manage weight and at the same time consuming enough calories to train. I really need a systematic way to know how much I'm eating each day.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this subject.
always pair a carb with your protein (at breakfast,lunch and dinner) especially the day before your longer workouts. brown rice, sweet potato, oatmeal, quinoa... these are your energy sources. (more then the veggies)
I think nutrition is key to training strong. Your calories seem really low and maybe adding to your sluggishness. It's all a process of seeing what works - I hope you figure it all out and back on the road strong!
Sounds like you're going about this eating thing just the right way. Stay on top of those numbers and listen to your body.
It's worth checking out "The Paleo Diet for Athletes" too if you are having trouble. The basic approach is eat only lean meat protein, healthy fat, vegetables, fruit, some nuts and seeds...you eat as much as you want. You'll radically change your idea of what "clean" food is and your body composition wil definitely change. I'm a 40 year old male ultramarathoner, but I've been running my fastest 5k & 10k times of my life and in general training way harder and recovering faster...I was skeptical of not eating my precious bread and pasta and oatmeal (like I had done for 25 years of being an endurance athlete) but now I can't imagine going back. Try it and see how it works for you.
I suppose I don't quite understand the 'eating clean' terminology; I tend to equate it with being vegan and hence omitting any and all animal products. Be that as it may, I don't have a beef (ha ha) with what other people eat. One thing I do know though, is that inadequate calorie intake will definitely make you lose weight. Eating more (bigger portions) won't. But of course the priority should be to stay healthy and strong, especially for us runners! Good luck.
Um, there's a spell check button. I usually blog in firefox. It underline in red the misspelled words.
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