Healthy eating to supplement running - Page 3

**richardsimkiss** · #31 27th Jun 08, 08:52 AM

revenged, surely you must understand that there are different types of fuel? Yes it's quite easy to say that all we need to run is enough fuel... but surely you must understand that a better diet would provide better fuel? You wouldn't see an F1 car racing on super unleaded from tesco's now would you? Whilst the car would still run, it certainly wouldn't be race worthy! (i.e. competitive in a race)

Perhaps I've read your second statement wrong as well - that someone running 100miles a week needs no more nutrition than someone running 15miles a week?

Unless of course you mean they don't need any different a diet, and they just need to eat more of the same stuff? even then I'd suggest that was a rather simplistic view to take!

Karen Edmunds · #32 27th Jun 08, 12:42 PM

Thanks Richard, I am sleeping okay, normally get 8 hours a night during the week, and sometimes at the weekend too! Maybe it is to do with stress, but I dont feel stressed any more and have finally settled down and getting into a routine. I have still been running three mornings a week, and eating quite healthily, dont eat white bread only granary or wholemeal with seeds and grains and drinking lots of water (apart from a few weeks ago when ate a few cakes when stressed!!) lol. Its just the fact that I am finding it such a struggle, I am really motivated and want to do it. Have tried telling myself that I feel energetic, but its not working. I have the race for life on Sunday 13th In Shrewsbury, so want to feel better for that.

Revenged · #33 27th Jun 08, 05:31 PM

your car analogy is hardly applicable RS - muscles do not care whether your carbohydrates came from apples, rice or crisps the night before - it won't make a difference in a race just as long as you have enough carbs to give you energy to run with... i don't think you have evidence, other than your belief, that what you eat reflects running ability and your suggestion to pedestrian that he has been held back in this runinng career because of his diet definitely caught me by surprise!... i see no basis for this - his PB times certainly do not show any evidence of being held back !!!...

**richardsimkiss** · #34 27th Jun 08, 08:44 PM

Be reasonable revenged... you're right I am basing my posts on what limited knowledge I have picked up from reading various bits of literature, combined with my own personal beliefs... is that not what you're doing?

Pedestrian's PB's are undoubtedly impressive, and the envy of the majority on the forum... whether they could have been improved upon with a better diet simply cannot be proven, ever, though we're entitled to our own beliefs.

Ultimately I understand what you're saying, in that if there is enough glucose, the muscles will be able to function properly... but there is so much more to the body's energy system than glucose levels.

Whilst i'll never be able to prove it myself, I remain confident that should two persons of identical genetic make-up be subjected to an identical training regime, but given differing diets - one a healthy, balanced, calorie controlled diet, and the other given merely the carbohydrate intake required to fuel his runs... then the person ingesting the balanced diet would progress further, and at a quicker rate than the person on a basic diet.

Revenged · #35 27th Jun 08, 09:34 PM

maybe you didn't understand me - I am not saying eat anything - what I am saying is that I don't believe that very strict controlled diets make you any better at running... If you think that being very strict about what you eat will make you a good runner then go ahead, I am not going to argue about it, I have the mistfortune of having a medical condition where I have to be very strict about what I don't eat and I didn't realise that other people followed strict diets because of delusional visions of their supposed health benefits... People can do what they like, I am not out to convince them, but all I'd say that I'm far from convinced that strict controlled diets have any significant benefit running ability or to health... Certainly nothing compared to the massive difference cardiovascular exercise makes to health... People who spend every day of their life weighing themselves and destroy their souls though trying to lose a few pounds through punishing diets would do good to realise this... You'd do better to ditch the diet, save your soul and put all your energy into cardiovascular exercise !

**richardsimkiss** · #36 27th Jun 08, 10:39 PM

Ah, you're making much more sense now! From your previous posts I was under the impression that you felt healthy eating was a waste of time and didn't do anything for your running!

I think there's a world of difference between a healthy balanced diet, and a strict controlled diet that prevents you eating any 'treats'... but very little difference between the two in terms of running performance...

I for one certainly don't adhere to a strict controlled diet

Scarbib_jack · #37 7th Jul 08, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revenged

maybe you didn't understand me - I am not saying eat anything - what I am saying is that I don't believe that very strict controlled diets make you any better at running... If you think that being very strict about what you eat will make you a good runner then go ahead, I am not going to argue about it, I have the mistfortune of having a medical condition where I have to be very strict about what I don't eat and I didn't realise that other people followed strict diets because of delusional visions of their supposed health benefits... People can do what they like, I am not out to convince them, but all I'd say that I'm far from convinced that strict controlled diets have any significant benefit running ability or to health... Certainly nothing compared to the massive difference cardiovascular exercise makes to health... People who spend every day of their life weighing themselves and destroy their souls though trying to lose a few pounds through punishing diets would do good to realise this... You'd do better to ditch the diet, save your soul and put all your energy into cardiovascular exercise !

You make some good points here Revenged, although you also made a few points a few posts previous I would like to pick up on aswell.

You taklked of people not wasting there time keeping check of quantites of what they eat etc - this is a sweeping statement as allot of people on the endomorphic side of the scale (naturally plump) tend not to know when to stop and benefit from having a bit of control and disciplin in there diet.

A healthy diet will over the medium to long term inprove your health in many ways and your sports performance. There isnt any two ways about it. Besides that, a forum like this should be seen as somewhere that promotes a healthy diet imo.

On the above quote you make a good point about the most importaint thing being exercise and diet being secondary. Bang on IMO. Look at cultures across the world (Massai tribe, Innuits) whos diets consist of around 30% saturated fat, yet they have heart disease rates 100X less than us muppets here. This is probably due to a few reasons. 1 being that they dont eat refined food junk, 2 being they have to do lots of exercise for there daily lives and 3 being that saturated fat isnt as much of a problem as its made out to be particulary when undertaking in daily ...or at least regular exercise. This proves your point quite well I think Revenged.

Revenged · #38 8th Jul 08, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scarbib_jack

A healthy diet will over the medium to long term inprove your health in many ways and your sports performance. There isnt any two ways about it. Besides that, a forum like this should be seen as somewhere that promotes a healthy diet imo.

Agree to disagree I think... I still maintain that eating apples instead of crisps will not improve sports performance one iota...

Maybe I'm in the minority with this but horses for courses... If everyone had the same views the forum would be very boring

!...