nutrition

either burn 300-500 extra calories a day or cut some out. You have to eat more calories than you burn. I don't think there is anything wrong with your weight right now though. Who knows...I would also like to lose a few pounds to get an edge on the competition. I am currently 5'3 around 99-100lbs I would like to get down to 95.

You're right. You need help. Go see a nutritionist and a counselor about the eating disorder you're working on. You want to make sure you have a good recovery plan for afterward when you've developed osteoporosis and haven't menstruated in three years. Why bother staying healthy when you can look like someone in a long-term care ward?

How's this for a meal plan? One bean, one nut, one mouthful of chicken, a leaf of lettuce, and then a bite of bread that you spit out, then throw it out and drink water instead.

Or you eat a healthy diet and don't lose weight you don't need to lose. You want to go faster? Run more. Eat to fuel your body. Rest so you recover. You want percentages? Something like 60-70% carbs, 15-25% protein. 5-20% healthy fats. Talk to a sports nutritionist who knows endurance sports instead of using Google.

Anyway, decent troll attempt. I'll give you a 7/10 because you sounded like every unhealthy, underweight female runner I've met, so it was almost convincing. The meal descriptions were great. Sounded like just the thing needed to start off an eating disorder.

^ Seconded. I know the temptation is always there to lose weight because it will allegedly give you "an edge on the competition," and if you already have disordered eating the solution is not this simple, but run more, train hard, fuel your body properly, and you will be JUST FINE.

I am not trolling...

If I eat carbs or sugar then I put on weight. I can only run so much because I am injury prone. Do you think lack of milk can lead to stress fractures?

I know this sounds like trolling, but it's not... seriously.

yes lack of milk (calcium) can be a factor related to stress fractures. Ok, honestly in the end it comes down to how many calories you eat compared to what you burn. If you cut out carbs and eat the same amount of calories in salads and nut, you will still gain weight. Carbs and sugar may not fill you up as much, hence causing you to be hungrier sooner but you lose weight by eating less than you burn. I would just try to stick to as much whole, less processed foods as you can but I would not cut out carbs completely.

If you're not trolling, that's even worse. My advice: don't get preoccupied about your weight. It sounds like you're at a healthy weight right now, and you definitely don't need to try to lose any by cutting calories. Eat healthy, but don't restrict your eating, because you need to take in enough calories and nutrients to fuel your training. If you don't, performance may suffer, and it's simply not good for you. The meals you list sound healthy, but insufficient. So basically keep the same idea, but include other (also healthy) foods and simply eat more. Don't worry about exactly how much; rather, just eat until you feel satisfied, and don't starve yourself. If I were you, I'd focus on running, not eating. Your training is going to have a much greater effect on performance than your diet, and honestly the weight you listed sounds almost perfect for your height to me.

I too am a 120 pound Div 1 female runner who runs 40 to 50 a week (800 runner). I am 5 foot six and my goal is 115 as well which is what I weighed 6 months ago when I wasn't injured. 115 is my race weight and the extra 5 really slows me down. What works for me is just eating CLEAN. Veggies, fruits, whole grains. I ONLY drink water for fluid intake. Juices and beer are empty. You should be getting your calories from solid food. But every once in a while, hey its OK to have your cake and beer :)

My healthy eating plan:

breakfast- 1/2 of it should be carbs, 1/4 should be protien 1/4 should be fiber (1/2 cup oatmeal with raisins, banana, 2 eggs for example)

Lunch-1/2 protien, 1/4 carbs, 1/4 fiber (apple, sandwich with turkey and veggies, cliff bar for example)

Dinner- 1/2 fiber, 1/4 protien, 1/4 carbs (1/2 cup cooked brown rice, chicken breast, large plate of veggies for example)

And of course, snacking and post-fueling your run is nice with nuts, chocolate milk, something to recover with.

The diet examples above obviously can vary. Get creative with what you eat and not the saaame thing everyday or it gets boring. I am always satiated when I eat this way and always lean up. Keep portion sizes appropriate, make sure you aren't starving, and eat healthy!

I would advise losing 1 pound a week as you are already small. Losing 2 a week may fatigue you and affect your runs.

Good luck!

Careful with losing too much weight. Generally, if you just eat healthy and put your training in, your body will naturally adopt its most efficient form--and that may be more muscular than other runners. Check out Erin Donohue. When you don't get enough calories, your body won't repair the damage you do in training. If you've been injured and have gained some weight, that's one thing, but if you have been running healthy and well at 120, don't be too quick to drop 5 pounds to race a little faster. It might work briefly, but remember, you are short-changing your body. It's not an effective long-term strategy. Ask any number of runners (mostly female) who have burned out due to trying to "stay lean" to run fast.

Saw an article on Chelsea FC recently that had some very sensible advice on nutrition, (if you don't know them they're one of the biggest soccer clubs in the world), and the person in it talked about the training/nutrition regime at the club. He said in every meal, players are advised to divide their plate into thirds, one third for energy (pure carbs, pasta/rice/bread/oats), one third for repair (protein- chicken/fish/beef), and one third for regeneration (vitamins/nutrients- fruits/veg). So for breakfast oatmeal with fruit and egg fits that, and lunch and dinner are pretty easy then. Don't be draconian and cut out carbs, they are your body's rocket fuel for running. One pound a week would be more than enough for you IF you want to lose weight. Make sure to eat plenty before/after training, if you're reducing intake do it at times of the day when you're not very active, most likely nighttime.

NO,NO,NO Please don't even consider a low carb diet, it's suicide for an athlete and incredibly unhealthy, you will get injured. Carbs are the key to success, the fat is what you want to cut out. I can prove this very easily, how many kenyans do you see on low carb diets? It's not as simple as calories in calories out, certain foods will store fat and others won't. Get most of your carbs from healthy sources like fruit and rice/potatoes. This may be controversial but i'd also suggest cutting out meat and dairy. Eat more green vegetables, beans and nuts for protein.

Honestly, i think you're O.K. where you're at. If you lookk at most 5'6"-ish females that are running well (Huddle, Barringer, etc, etc) they are in the 110-120 range. However, they are most likely a lot STRONGER than you hare (read: heavier, but a higher lean muscle percentage).

I feel like you're in the same trap my grilfriend is... She's at like 104-106 at 5'5-6", but worries that 'good' runners are smaller than her. Do you know how hard it is to convince someone that she needs to a) gain weight and b) have most of it be muscle? Pretty damn hard. I'm hoping both your urge, and her's, to be a better athlete overcomes the thought that this will simply come from weightloss.

But I ramble...

Point is--stay where you're at. Work hard, and really try and consider things from another--more rational, I believe--viewpoint. Good luck!

trackrunner XC XC wrote:

I am a female NCAA cross country and track athlete. I am around 5'6'' and 120 lbs. Someone once told me that if I lost a little weight I would race faster. I do 40-50 miles/week and would like to get down to 115. I plan on 2lbs per week. My strategy is to cut my carbs down to 15% of my diet. Most of meals are a salad with a small amount of nuts/beans it, sometimes with chicken. Occasionally a slice of whole grain bread.

Is cutting my carbs down that much OK? What are the results of a low-carb diet as a female distance runner? .

You asked for advice from someone who knows something about the subject?

Here goes: cutting your carbs to 15% of your diet (if that is what you were really going to do) is a terrible idea for a distance runner. Period.

Also, there is absolutely no evidence that a low-carb diet is better for losing weight than a low fat or low anything diet. 99% of weight loss will be about calories in, calories out. For a distance runner, it is really a bad idea to make cutting carbs your goal.

Up your training slightly (gradually) if you can (maybe some weight training and/or cross training if you can't handle additional miles), and cut out any and all junk food. That alone should get you headed in the right direction.

trackrunner XC XC wrote:

I am a female NCAA cross country and track athlete. I am around 5'6'' and 120 lbs. Someone once told me that if I lost a little weight I would race faster. I do 40-50 miles/week and would like to get down to 115. I plan on 2lbs per week. My strategy is to cut my carbs down to 15% of my diet. Most of meals are a salad with a small amount of nuts/beans it, sometimes with chicken. Occasionally a slice of whole grain bread.

Is cutting my carbs down that much OK? What are the results of a low-carb diet as a female distance runner? Suggestions? I need help. A percentage reference would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

P.S. I have googled stuff but would rather hear from experience or expertise.

i wouldnt change your diet, but getting your miles up to 60 or 70 would probably lead to some weight loss. i lost almost 10 lbs this season going from injured to 80mpw