Hi all,

I usually go jogging at 6.30am for roughly 10 miles at about 1 hour and 30 minutes. I do this on empty, twice a week. I use this approach to try and burn body fat. I was doing it 3 times a week and dropped down to 61kgs. I am 5 foot 8. I've adopted this theory from when I used to do a weightlifting program. I would do early morning cardio but not for 10 miles, only about 5. I would also use whey protein before hand to prevent muscle loss. My nutrition following my 10 mile run for the day usually consists of:

8.30/9.00 – Bowl of shredded wheat with a banana and semi skimmed milk or rolled oat cereal with dried fruit.

11.30/12.00 – Wholegrain sandwich with mackerel or sardines and a portion of assorted vegetables.

14.30/15.00 – Two portions of assorted vegetables and a portion of sugar free jelly.

17.30/18.00 – Portion of wholegrain pasta or bulgur wheat with tuna and garlic/onions/tomatoes and a portion of fruit.

I add olive oil to a lot of my food, drink a fair amount of water and tea and will sometimes have another portion of sugar free jelly. When I can I change the tuna for chicken or lean red meat.

I follow the same diet on days where I don't run and will usually do a bit of moderate walking. I do feel tired during the day after a run. Some people have suggested that I am going catabolic through doing this but I am unsure. I am also unsure about how to fuel such a run so I would like to hear from you about this.

Many thanks,


Toni

My initial reaction is that there is no way that this amount of food makes up for the 1000-ish calories that a 10-mile run would burn. I'm not surprised you feel tired the day after a run. Depends what size "portions" you have, but the above can't be more than 2000 calories a day. Try using a programme like fitday.com to work out how many calories you eat, and where they come from (carbs/lipids/protein). I would be tempted to add some carbs to your 14.30 meal.

I think that the total amount of calories is roughly around 1600. By portions I mean 100g of tuna or 100g of pasta etc. I am planning on adding another slice of wholegrain for carbs with some cottage cheese as protein at about 20:30/21:00.

So... Your basic calorific requirement is about 2500. You run 3X10 miles a week, burning an additional 3000 cal or so. So you need about 3000 cal a day, and you wonder why you're tired on 1600?
Jeez...

Well 2500kcals is an assumption for maintenance right? I only run 2 X 10 miles a week now. So lets say that is 2000kcals. Why would I need 3000kcals a day though? That sounds like somebody who is trying to bulk up through weight training. I can see that this would leave me with 2000kcals for the day which I think is what you are suggesting. However, as I don't have a high muscle mass do I really need that many calories.

I wish things could be more simple.

http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/calories.php This site is a good guide.

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Fetcheveryone

Thanks for that it is quite helpful.

There is a bit of a difference in what it suggests for me when I change my lifestyle from sedentary to moderately active. However, it is indicating that my calories need to be at least 2500.

Right

2500 + 1/7th of 2000 = 2800 ish

Which isn't a millon miles away from the calculations on runningforfitness.com

Yes what you suggested was very close to what they threw up.

Are you drinking enough both during exercise and afterwards? If you run over 1 hour you should think about using a gel or dextrose tablets as well as taking in liquid.