Why I was injured all the time as a new runner

No offense, but this really is a, "No sh*t, Duh!" kind of post. You need carbs to run well.

You claimed that you ate "clean" before, but you didn't eat a well balanced diet, as you realized later.

The problem is that there is so much misinformation about diet and nutrition available out there and each person is going to pick some philosophy that they like even though they have no scientific evidence. Then, not only will they think that they eat well and they they are correct, but they will be offended if they are told otherwise.

I have a friend that eats a terrible diet and then complains about all sorts of digestive problems, and lack of energy. However, I know that she would tell you that she eats very well, and I know that if someone told her otherwise she would not listen and would take offense to such a claim.

Couple of thoughts...

No need to cut back on fiber. Just stay away from it until you get your run in, assuming you run in the morning. I learned, the hard way, to not eat water soluble fiber foods before a run, since it slows things down. Also, don't eat your quick sugars and starches after anything with fats or oils. The fats will delay digestion and the carbs won't be available. I also discovered that carbs in my system helps with overnight recovery. It seems like whatever happens at night to repair or adapt, seems to do it easier, more reliably, with glucose. Maybe that's why you had better luck with the night snacks.

"Fatigued and tired" is not the same as injured.

What is "sleep eating?"

Due to me being "fatigued and tired" I was injured. Feet injuries.

You probably simply weren't taking in enough calories or had some kind of imbalance with not enough carbs for a sportsperson. If you're under-fuelled you will feel horrible and I'd imagine you're a lot more likely to get injured. I'm glad you found a solution.

track chick wrote:

You probably simply weren't taking in enough calories or had some kind of imbalance with not enough carbs for a sportsperson. If you're under-fuelled you will feel horrible and I'd imagine you're a lot more likely to get injured. I'm glad you found a solution.

Possibly. I feel so much better now. Thank you. :D

For active people, it is actually difficult to get sufficient fuel while eating ‘clean’. It can be done, of course, and certainly recommended, but people underestimate how much healthy food equals a bag of M&Ms. When eating out, 1000 calories is nothing. Cooking good stuff at home, it’s a ton of food.

I'll stuff myself at lunch at home, do a quick calculation and I'm at like 600 calories only. Go out to a restaurant and the healthiest option is some small salad with 700 calories.

Anyway, I generally agree. If you are running high mileage, every now and then I think it's good (or perhaps necessary) to not eat clean. I eat pretty healthy (fiber, brown grains, veg/fruit, lean protein, red meat) but every now and then I find my energy levels are low. If I have a few white tortillas with some gooey cheese or box mac n' cheese or a good old fashioned pizza, it seems to help.

Literally same!!! I often find my energy levels are low, even though I eat enough (I'm not losing weight). But then I eat some pizza or toast or cookies and I almost instantly feel better. Weird.

softclassic wrote:

Literally same!!! I often find my energy levels are low, even though I eat enough (I'm not losing weight). But then I eat some pizza or toast or cookies and I almost instantly feel better. Weird.

If that's the case, then your blood sugar was out of whack.

chiedf wiggame wrote:

I'll stuff myself at lunch at home, do a quick calculation and I'm at like 600 calories only. Go out to a restaurant and the healthiest option is some small salad with 700 calories.

Anyway, I generally agree. If you are running high mileage, every now and then I think it's good (or perhaps necessary) to not eat clean. I eat pretty healthy (fiber, brown grains, veg/fruit, lean protein, red meat) but every now and then I find my energy levels are low. If I have a few white tortillas with some gooey cheese or box mac n' cheese or a good old fashioned pizza, it seems to help.

I would wager that the occasional junk helps out mentally too. For me, it takes a toll to be so consistently healthy all the time, even when loading my body with all the right stuff like plenty of carbs.

hansen9952 wrote:

I would wager that the occasional junk helps out mentally too. For me, it takes a toll to be so consistently healthy all the time, even when loading my body with all the right stuff like plenty of carbs.

I would wager that a convincing marketing team could give many people two of the exact same thing but convince you that one is the "right stuff" and one is "junk." I think that people don't realize how similar the "right stuff" and "junk" really is to the human body. People that obsess over what they eat can be convinced to buy all sorts of "healthy" foods that cost more than normal whole food equivalents.

Something similar. I've found drinking apple or orange juice is a great way to get that sugar in (and the good kind too). Eating a few oranges takes forever and the fiber slows it down anyway. Sugar is enemy #1 these days and people are super obsessed with the glycemic index which makes white bread and apples look like death sentences which sky-rocket the "inflammatory response" and ruin your week.

The problem was definitely not eating enough. I don't mean to sound sexist, but every female I've ever met barely eats anything. I used to work with a woman who ate one meal a day and it was less food than I'd eat for a light snack between meals.

I don't know about anyone else, but in order to fuel my runs I eat a TON. I don't calorie count but I'd say I eat 6,000+ per day easily. You really do need to fill yourself up in order to fuel your running.

Use

I remained injured for a couple of months. It all started from a run without stretching before. But after that, maintaining nutrition was a big hurdle for me to come back on track. Well I found a healthy foods list here https://www.aqfsports.com/blogs/news/what-are-the-best-foods-to-eat-for-muscle-growth . They were titles as for building muscles, but they helped me much in healing my calf injury. Daily water intake plays an important role in keeping muscles healthy and flexible.