Eating disorders encouraged?!?

First of all, I agree with you. 1200 isn't enough calories, and 1700 probably isn't either. You want at least the normal 2000, because you're burning a lot.However, I'd just like to point out that this is a fallacy I see here often. I used to do X and I ran slow. Now I do Y and I run fast. Therefore Y caused me to run fast.. not quite. Distance running takes time to get fast at. The higher calories may have helped, but your longer history of training is why you do better now.

normal, but not necessary wrote:

First of all, if you are 5'5 and 110, you are extremely thin. Second of all, 1200 calories is way too little to run well. That said, I can tell you that yes, particularly if you are a female, you will feel lots of pressure to restrict calories consumption in a D1 program. To some extent, clearly, you need to watch what you eat. Weight is important for a distance runner. That said, I can tell you that as a D1 collegian (female) I definitely restricted what I ate, probably to about 1600-1700 calories a day. I am 5'7 and weighed 120-125. Now, 5 years later, I eat 2500 calories a day, weigh the exact same, and am running MUCH better than I ran as a collegian. So, I think that for me, restriction wasn't a great idea.

My coach weighs all the females NOT the males. I weigh 90lbs and he wants me to be 80lbs before Xc season.

I can't speak for all D1 coaches, but I can say my team is full of girls with eating disorders and the coach is the cause!!

sorry - late for the tip off. Not intended for "restricted" but certainly applies. This eating thing is / can be a very serious problem - very serious. One of the problems is that girls who lose xx amount of weight may indeed improve running performance.

Anyone caught in this ought to research "Female Athlete Triad", a tri-dimensional syndrome - very disturbing. If this has been mentioned on this thread I apologize - didn't read the whole thing. Coaches are either knowing or naively encouraging (demanding) participating in a very dangerous slippery slope. Don't be fooled or 'lured' into the 'game' ... period

restricted wrote:

My coach weighs all the females NOT the males. I weigh 90lbs and he wants me to be 80lbs before Xc season.

I can't speak for all D1 coaches, but I can say my team is full of girls with eating disorders and the coach is the cause!!

Can any adult female weigh 80 lbs without needing hospitalization? Geez, that's crazy!

restricted wrote:

My coach weighs all the females NOT the males. I weigh 90lbs and he wants me to be 80lbs before Xc season.

I can't speak for all D1 coaches, but I can say my team is full of girls with eating disorders and the coach is the cause!!

Get help now. And report your coach. If he really wants you to be 80 pounds then that's nothing short of abusive.

female D1 distance running has the potential to turn you into such a crap shoot. I remember coming home from my freshman yr of college and picking everything out of my salad except for the lettuce and calling that a sufficient dinner and skipping lunch and post run breakfast if I wasn't doubling that day. This seemed completely normal to me, I seemed like a crazy person to everyone else. I eventually quit the team a few years later and couldn't stand to look at my body in a normal fashion, if I didn't have a full view of my hip bones I would want to cry. It drove me insane. Somehow or another, maybe just after being away from the enviornment for 6-12 months I normalized and think that 3 slices of pizza or a burger is no big deal.I was good at running too. I'll tell all you girls one thing, life is A LOT better when you can just relax and be a normal person.

That sucks that people have to put up with it. Our girls team was second at NCAA cross one of the years when I was there and they ate pizza and chicken wings and what not and drank beer all the time.

People who think college runners should subsist on 1200 cals are sick f****s. You can't run mileage on that. Eating a plant-based diet and training hard will bring you to your ideal weight. I would have a conversation with the AD and President about these intrasquad eating expectations and practices. I would refuse to keep a food log and refuse to be weighed. You are not indentured servants. Eating disorders are serious and life-threatening.

Hi, not sure if it got mentioned here b/c I didn't get a chance to skim thru all the posts, but "She Was Once a Runner" is an accurate source that proves, yes, eating disorders ARE encouraged on the collegiate level(as long as you're racing well). Here's the link:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/156110

Some programs breed eating disorders in female athletes. Duke is renowned for this, and there are many other coaches encouraging this disturbing behavior.

the fact you are asking this has already showed the eating disorder bug is catching you. Be careful as the anorexic runner trend is contagious. You should focus on eating like a normal athlete would. I think we as athletes should be able to recognize when our bodies are hungry and have a taste for healthy things. Really, it's okay to eat a burger and fries once a week too. Your a runner you should be able to indulge in sweets and such here and there. Seriously, the training alone will regulate your weight to where it should be, not the eating. Don't become like them dear, in the long run you will be the one coming out on top...mentally and physically