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@Noanie, really helpful-- I suspect by upping my weight sessions (3xweekly) and perhaps increasing intensity might help a lot-- the dietary info was very helpful. I usually eat 1-2 pieces of wholegrain toast for breakfast (with PB or bovril, don't judge me on my spread choices, hehe
@ Popsider, you read my mind. Part of the reason I have given up asking advice of runners at my club or gym coaches at college is that they just assume I have some sort of ED. I know that people are just trying to be careful about the advice they give, and I completely understand why.
When I first started running, there was a period where I became very restrictive of what I ate and suffered a lot of fatigue and a brief spell of anaemia. Because of one fainting incident I decided it was not healthy and that I'd rather be fast than thin. My family are also very watchful of me and would never allow me to go that far.
I don't wish to look like anyone else, I really just want to be the leanest, fastest version of me that I can be, without putting my health ( and pb's) at risk.
You guys are really helpful, and I am really grateful for all of your input.
Pre-run: banana;
Post-run breakfast: 1-2 slices toast; porridge (made with full fat milk, added dried fruit and nuts and sprinkled with sugar - apologies to Scots purists);
Lunch: sandwich, crisps, slice of cake, apple/orange;
Dinner: c 100g pasta/noodles/rice + sauce (I'm veggie so the protein will usually be tofu, eggs, pulses, etc.) + veg (if still hungry I will also have cake/biscuits/yoghurt).
I also usually snack on fruit and biscuits. I'd guess I eat another couple of pieces of fruit and about 4 biscuits.
If I eat less than this I can't train as well. I get tired, ill and injured. I genuinely think that if you ate a bit more and maintained your training you would lose weight. Don't suddenly eat loads, because your body will need to adjust, but just gradually increase your portion sizes. I think you'll be surprised.
Well, if you're genuinely wanting to be faster and leaner, and not specifically thinner and lighter, it should be obvious to most people that there's not an eating disorder thing going on. And yes, I got all that crap too when I was training seriously and being very strict with what I ate. I actually think my mother would have preferred me to be fat as she was horrified at any mention of bodybuilding and kept showing me pics of beefy chicks with facial hair and steroid induced adams apples to try and put me off. I know for a fact if I'd been a guy nobody would have thought anything of the amount of training I was doing. Really pissed me off big time!
What does your coach say about your fat loss aspirations? Have you been following specific dietary advice or just kind of making it up as you go along? From the info you give, I'd say your diet appears to be really lacking in protein. If you're pushed for time, sardines on toast is a quick high protein breakfast option. Tuna pasta requires a bit more preparation but you can make enough to last a couple of days. Couple of tins of tuna, some low fat mayo, fresh chopped peppers/onions or tinned sweetcorn/green beans all mixed in with cooked wholemeal pasta. Tastes great warm or cold.
A diet that's very high in protein might not suit your running training, so go carefully here. All the dietary tweaks that bodybuilders use to shed fat quickly DO work but they might not be compatible with 50+ miles a week of running. Though I have to say when I was on high protein/low carbs I had tons of energy and I had no problem bashing out 2 hours of high intensity cardio a day...
If I were you I'd try to get some dietary advice that's targeted at your specific goals. Have a look for a book called Racing Weight - nutritional advice specifically for competitive runners. I've no idea how good it it but it gets great reviews on Amazon.
Also think about getting a couple of sessions with a personal trainer who can show you a good weights regime. Forget messing about with little pastel coloured dumbbells - use a barbell and go for big power moves like squats and deadlifts. Maybe try BodyPump classes - I've never done them but the folk who do always seem to be lean, toned and not overly muscular. And forget about your scales - chances are you will lose fat and look leaner but actually put on a few lbs.
Please keep this thread going - I'd like to see how you get on
@ Joolska- you're very light-- and looking at your times pretty fast too. Interesting that you eat quite a bit more than me, and that is simply to maintain your weight! Recently I have been feeling tired, getting ill and getting injured, which concerns me greatly-- I never thought that my diet/intake may play some part in that, so I will be investigating that further.
Noanie- diet wise I've been making it up as I go along really, however I have a physio/nutritionist who helps me pro-bono, he said that I'm lacking in protein too. I've recently been trying to eat more protein in the form of egg on toast, peanut butter, more milk, fish etc. I'll perhaps write up a proper food diary and get him to look at it-- hopefully he can draw up some sort of plan. I've spoken to my coach about wanting to lower my BF% and increase my lean mass, but he told me not to worry about it and just focus on the running and the rest
will sort itself-- good advice, however it has left me feeling rather lost with regards to what I may be doing wrong. Thanks for the tuna pasta idea, it's funny I actually see all the gym buffs walking around with containers of tuna pasta at college-- so I may just give it a try.
The thread is becoming more helpful as it goes along, so as long as others have useful info they can keep posting!!
Haha. Yeah, tuna pasta is pretty standard stuff for the muscle crowd. I snacked on it constantly for 2 years practically nonstop. And yes, diet and nutrition plays a huge part in keeping you healthy and injury free. And in getting your body the way you want it to be. Basic bodybuilding mantra I used to read and hear repeated all the time is that getting the perfect (in their eyes) body is 35% training, 65% nutrition.
A food diary is an excellent idea. Be utterly precise and write down what times you eat as well as how much, also what you drink and how much and when. Do it for two weeks and have a close look at it yourself before you pass it on to your nutritionist friend - if you've been scrupulously honest in recording everything you eat, you may even be able to see for yourself what you should be changing..