quote:<HR>Originally posted by nycrunnr:
Hi,
Thanks for the help in advance! A couple of weeks ago I posted here because I was contemplating switching from a low carb diet to a more balanced way of eating because I am about to start training for a marathon. I have to confess that I am worried about my weight because I do feel better running when I am a bit leaner. I've added carbs, but I am now struggling with moderation and figuring out what's good and how many calories I actually need. I am 5'3, medium build, and since I started adding carbs my weight has gone from about 110lbs. to 114lbs. It doesn't sound like a lot, but I feel heavier and I'm certain that some mornings I weigh more than 114, but I tend to weigh myself after running.

I guess what I'm getting at is, maybe that's normal, but I don't know? About how many calories per day should I be eating? I am running about 35 miles per week at this point, but will be training for 18 weeks. I also don't really know how many carbs and how much fat and protein I should take in. I read a Nancy Clark about nutrition and marathon running, but she doesn't get very specific and I could really use some advice, especially from other women runners that eat a balanced diet of carbs and protein. I really do not want to follow a low carb diet during my training, but I would like to stay lean and not gain. Please share any thoughs or experiences. I would really appreciate it!!!<HR>

Unless you ate like a pig for two weeks, your 4 lb weight gain is phantom weight. It could be water. It could be a scale error. Or it could be your imagination. Two pounds per week would have required you to eat an EXTRA 1000 calories each and every day for two solid weeks. Only you can say if that was true.

I don't know where the idea comes from that protein has some different effect on weight than carbs. A gram of protein has exactly the same effect on weight as a gram of carbs. Both can be used to create fat equally as well and both can ultimately be used for running energy. Carbs are simply more readily available as running energy.

There is no easy or fixed answer regarding how many calories you need. There are formulae to calculate the basic calories someone your size needs to simply stay alive and healthy. Google Basal Metabolic Rate to get the formula or a site that with a calculator. Add about 400 cal per day for normal activities. More if you are particularly active and less if you have a sedentary job. Add the calories burned in running. About 100 cal per mile or a bit less for a small person. Pace doesn't matter. Add them all up and add about 10% more called the thermic effect of food (energy cost to digest the food) and you get the total.

There's no magic. Ignore all the nonsense about fast or slow metabolism. It is without scientific foundation. Ignore all the nonsense about every person being different. It is true in the sense that every person has a different activity level but all humans require the same energy to live subject only to differences in size and body composition. If you run into someone with a significantly different body temperature, then they may have a different metabolic rate. But they are also probably a different species. Don't try to mate with them.



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gotta run...