Female Racing Weight

Runnergal5120 wrote:

I'm a Female high school cross country runner, entering senior year. Ran a 3 mile PR last year weighing 104-105 18:57, and a 2:22 800 last track season. Gained 6 pounds from last season at 111, and I'm 5'1. I'm guessing that 3 poiunds of it is muscle and the other 3 is fat.

Had a time trial on a slightly hilly (but with downhills) 20:02, a little over a whole minute slower than last year. Three girls who I beat all last year and all track season were ahead of me by more than 15-20 seconds. My friend who lost 8 pounds since last year was ahead of me by more than 45 seconds and told me she felt like she had even more to give that race. I felt so heavy. Weighed down.

I definitely feel like I need to drop 6-8 pounds. It's so difficult as a petite senior girl to lose this weight compared to the guys and young girls who scarf down 3000 calories a day of refined shit. I have been focusing on a Whole Foods and plant-centered diet. I'm petite at 5'1 and 111 at 17 years old, and I am injury-prone. I get tight and muscle knots/soreness very easily especially in my lower leg (calves and long muscle beneath calves) because my legs are extremely muscular and defined. However, I really don't think that as a distance runner I need this much muscle. My friends tell me "it's all muscle!" But really, does a distance runner need this much muscle? Maybe I would if I ran the 100m. But I don't, I run 5000m and literally, physically feel weighed down by my weight. Sure I've gained muscle,but I definitely gained body fat considering I'm muscular but not super super cut. Im on lower mileage compared to other elders on the team and average around 45-48 miles a week due to my sensitivities.

After today's time trial, I feel just about done with my weight. Mentally I was there, but physically, I gave it my all, unable to stand up and barely breathing, running a 20 minute 3mile which is just pitiful. I was already extremely fatigued after the first mile, running a 6:30--- usually I go out 5:55-6:05 feeling tired but never breathing so heavy! I should be in the 18s. Sure, it does have to do with the fact that all of our training has been long tempos and hill runs which only provides an aerobic base w/o real pacing. But I still should not be THIS slow and THIS out of shape considering that I have been training consistently running 4 mile tempos and 7-8.5 a day at pretty good paces. And I'm planning to lose 3 pounds on an extreme cut by the 31st for our first tri 2 mile meet, and 6 by Sept 8 for the first invitational.

I'm not asking for advice, because I'm already restricting to 1450 a day following a 50-60% carb, 15-20% fat and 20-25% protein diet with purely Whole Foods and plants. However, I do need some people who do have experience with weight loss and weight gain issues being a runner. And maybe experiences and how much you improved, etc. And maybe some information on female weight gain with distance runners, the pattern of performance decline as they get older and bigger, etc. My body image is so flawed and I just want to be a quicker and more efficient runner for my last season.

Runnergal5120 wrote:

friendo wrote:

You will get very hurt within the year if you try to run 45 miles a week on 1450 calories a day. You probably need around 2500 calories a day and if you go much under that, you will break. You might get faster, don't get me wrong, but ultimately you will break.

Please talk to a doctor and a mental health specialist. You can be fast and healthy without the disordered eating you seem to be engaging in.

Also, did you ever consider you're slower BECAUSE you're restricting? Lighter doesn't equal faster if you barely have any fuel.

Omg trust me, 2500 is A LOT for my age, gender, and size. My maintenance caloric intake is about 2100-2200! Which means going over that would result in weight gain! I know since you're a male runner it sounds insane and you're used to eating probably around 2800-3200 but trust me being a petite female it is so so easy to gain weight because the calories are distributed over a much smaller frame with a slower metabolism.

runnerboy69 wrote:

Runnergal5120 wrote:

I'm a Female high school cross country runner, entering senior year. Ran a 3 mile PR last year weighing 104-105 18:57, and a 2:22 800 last track season. Gained 6 pounds from last season at 111, and I'm 5'1. I'm guessing that 3 poiunds of it is muscle and the other 3 is fat.

Had a time trial on a slightly hilly (but with downhills) 20:02, a little over a whole minute slower than last year. Three girls who I beat all last year and all track season were ahead of me by more than 15-20 seconds. My friend who lost 8 pounds since last year was ahead of me by more than 45 seconds and told me she felt like she had even more to give that race. I felt so heavy. Weighed down.

I definitely feel like I need to drop 6-8 pounds. It's so difficult as a petite senior girl to lose this weight compared to the guys and young girls who scarf down 3000 calories a day of refined shit. I have been focusing on a Whole Foods and plant-centered diet. I'm petite at 5'1 and 111 at 17 years old, and I am injury-prone. I get tight and muscle knots/soreness very easily especially in my lower leg (calves and long muscle beneath calves) because my legs are extremely muscular and defined. However, I really don't think that as a distance runner I need this much muscle. My friends tell me "it's all muscle!" But really, does a distance runner need this much muscle? Maybe I would if I ran the 100m. But I don't, I run 5000m and literally, physically feel weighed down by my weight. Sure I've gained muscle,but I definitely gained body fat considering I'm muscular but not super super cut. Im on lower mileage compared to other elders on the team and average around 45-48 miles a week due to my sensitivities.

After today's time trial, I feel just about done with my weight. Mentally I was there, but physically, I gave it my all, unable to stand up and barely breathing, running a 20 minute 3mile which is just pitiful. I was already extremely fatigued after the first mile, running a 6:30--- usually I go out 5:55-6:05 feeling tired but never breathing so heavy! I should be in the 18s. Sure, it does have to do with the fact that all of our training has been long tempos and hill runs which only provides an aerobic base w/o real pacing. But I still should not be THIS slow and THIS out of shape considering that I have been training consistently running 4 mile tempos and 7-8.5 a day at pretty good paces. And I'm planning to lose 3 pounds on an extreme cut by the 31st for our first tri 2 mile meet, and 6 by Sept 8 for the first invitational.

I'm not asking for advice, because I'm already restricting to 1450 a day following a 50-60% carb, 15-20% fat and 20-25% protein diet with purely Whole Foods and plants. However, I do need some people who do have experience with weight loss and weight gain issues being a runner. And maybe experiences and how much you improved, etc. And maybe some information on female weight gain with distance runners, the pattern of performance decline as they get older and bigger, etc. My body image is so flawed and I just want to be a quicker and more efficient runner for my last season.

You'll need to post pics before you'll get qualified advice on this esteemed forum.

friendo wrote:

Runnergal5120 wrote:

Omg trust me, 2500 is A LOT for my age, gender, and size. My maintenance caloric intake is about 2100-2200! Which means going over that would result in weight gain! I know since you're a male runner it sounds insane and you're used to eating probably around 2800-3200 but trust me being a petite female it is so so easy to gain weight because the calories are distributed over a much smaller frame with a slower metabolism.

I'm a woman. Taller than you (and possibly with faster metabolism, I don't know), but female. I run 50 mpw and eat probably 2600-3100 calories a day. Even if you don't need the calories I do, I know that you need way more than 1450. You admit you need 2100-2200. You can't go 800 calories under and expect to be able to maintain any decent level of training without getting injured.

Please get help.

Runnergal5120 wrote:

friendo wrote:

I'm a woman. Taller than you (and possibly with faster metabolism, I don't know), but female. I run 50 mpw and eat probably 2600-3100 calories a day. Even if you don't need the calories I do, I know that you need way more than 1450. You admit you need 2100-2200. You can't go 800 calories under and expect to be able to maintain any decent level of training without getting injured.

Please get help.

Have you been maintaining your weight eating that much? Because on my "bad" days if I eat like anything above 2300, eating that much on a daily basis would lead to weight gain for me. If my maintnece amount is 2100, 1450-1500 is a 650-600 calorie deficit. I know to most people 1500/1450 seems shockingly low, but for me that's only a 600-700 calorie deficit which is losing JUST over a pound a week- around 1.3 lbs. Which would be only 2.6 in two weeks (pretty much the 31st) , bringing me down into 108/09 by then.

Runnergal5120 wrote:

friendo wrote:

I'm a woman. Taller than you (and possibly with faster metabolism, I don't know), but female. I run 50 mpw and eat probably 2600-3100 calories a day. Even if you don't need the calories I do, I know that you need way more than 1450. You admit you need 2100-2200. You can't go 800 calories under and expect to be able to maintain any decent level of training without getting injured.

Please get help.

Have you been maintaining your weight eating that much? Because on my "bad" days if I eat like anything above 2300, eating that much on a daily basis would lead to weight gain for me. If my maintnece amount is 2100, 1450-1500 is a 650-600 calorie deficit. I know to most people 1500/1450 seems shockingly low, but for me that's only a 600-700 calorie deficit which is losing JUST over a pound a week- around 1.3 lbs. Which would be only 2.6 in two weeks (pretty much the 31st) , bringing me down into 108/09 by then.

friendo wrote:

Runnergal5120 wrote:

Have you been maintaining your weight eating that much? Because on my "bad" days if I eat like anything above 2300, eating that much on a daily basis would lead to weight gain for me. If my maintnece amount is 2100, 1450-1500 is a 650-600 calorie deficit. I know to most people 1500/1450 seems shockingly low, but for me that's only a 600-700 calorie deficit which is losing JUST over a pound a week- around 1.3 lbs. Which would be only 2.6 in two weeks (pretty much the 31st) , bringing me down into 108/09 by then.

Yes, I maintain my weight eating that much. If anything, I'm looking to temporarily /increase/ calories so I can get my period back.

You could probably maintain your weight at 2300 calories a day. You don't know because you haven't tried; you don't eat that much on a regular basis, just on your "bad" days. The fact that you even call it that tells me you have an unhealthy relationship with food. Regardless, the way that you've described your weight loss plan is very much oversimplified. That's not how weight loss works. Your body is better than you think at maintaining weight, and a sudden calorie deficit like the one you've outlined would cause your metabolism to slow considerably, possibly not enabling you to lose any weight. Even if you do lose weight, you'll probably either gain it back quickly because you'll go back to reasonable calorie intake, or get hurt because you'll maintain your unsustainably low calorie intake for too long.

If you want to lose 2.6 pounds, go for a 10 mile run when it's hot and weigh yourself right after. Boom. Water weight.

pop_pop!_v2.2.1 wrote:

Runnergal5120 wrote:

Omg trust me, 2500 is A LOT for my age, gender, and size. My maintenance caloric intake is about 2100-2200!

The difference between the two numbers is 300 calories. That is meaningless. That you have an exact number of calories and defend it vigorously suggests your priorities are upside down and backwards. Therefore, it is no surprise you are unhappy with your times.

1. You can't fight genetics or your body. Stop forcing it to be something it's not by concentrating on its appearance. Love and care for your body as it is by feeding it good stuff and getting rest. Your body knows what to do.

2. Concentrate on your times. You said you've been doing tempo runs. What were the tempos?

3. Are you sleeping well? Are you getting enough rest? 10-12 hours?

Enjoy every meal and eat a wide variety of fresh fruits, veggies, and some proteins. You posted it's early in your season. It's early. Again, concentrate on times.