Triathlon and UNDER eating (Page 3)

Dan--

Dinner at Taco Mac?  Wings, burgers, beer and cheesecake?    

[Bikergrrl-

I couldn't agree with you more. Reading some of the diets of people who claim to 'eat all the time'- sorry guys, you're fooling yourself, to me, it looks like you are still underating a ton. I HIGHLY recommend using some calorie tracker, and for those that use trainingpeaks, I really like that one. It takes into account your daily workouts to determine what your target is. It also has very accurate food logs and gives you a nice pie (YUM!) chart of what your %'s are for fat, protein and carbs.

As an athlete, you get more leeway for fat, but at the same time, if you're eating more fat and sacrificing carbs, you are not going to recover well or be able to train as hard.

I also have a hard time getting in enough good calories- and not overdo the fat. I waaay undereat if I'm not tracking my calories, and then I get tired and have crappy workouts.

My rmr is 1200, but I burn at least 1000 more a day, usually more

Pre-workout: bagel with jam or cream cheese and OJ
Post-workout/Breakfast 1: Oatmeal with fruit, OJ and coffee
Breakfast #2: Cereal with soy milk (usually raisin bran)
Snack: Apple or a muffin (with whole wheat flour and flax seed)
Lunch: Left-overs- today, it was indian food with white rice, paneer, naan and olive oil, and a fruit salad
Snack: trail mix, or a muffin, or more fruit
Snack: Graham crackers with nutella
Workout food- GU and Infiinit
Dinner: Chicken breast (1/2) with a side of some type of whole grain (tonight, quionua), spinach and water
Snack: popcorn

Even with all that food, I am still hungry and seeking out food all day long. I too fluctuate about 5lbs around my race weight, but for my size, that is a 5% weight change....

Me today so far (in this order):

Banana
2 Clif bars
Large Earl Grey tea with 7 sugar packets
Piece of chocolate cake
Handful of pretzels
Cold Cut sub
Cup of Sprite
Another handful of pretzels

Yeah, I'm certainly short on calories.

I like most veggies, just don't get enough of them except at dinner.

You seem like a fairly rugged guy... but we need to work on this a bit.

Me today: and I have NO issue maintaining/gaining weight
Early AM: 2 slices Zucchini bread with PB, coffee with milk
Late AM: 2 oz cheese, banana
Lunch: Tuna sandwich, mixed fruit, sun chips, coffee with milk
likely PM snack (before workout): piece of fruit, handful of nuts
Dinner: Lots of either fish or chicken, pasta or rice, lots of spinach (maybe a little chocolate ice cream for good measure)

P.S. Vegetable suck but theya re good for you so I typically eat lots, but I usually have a massive salad at lunch as it fills me up and has few calories.  chocolate is better.  Hence my weight issue.

Edited by jsklarz 2009-07-01 2:14 PM

It's 12:00 noon here and I have been up since 4:00am. I have done a 300 yard swim and have a 32 mile ride this afternoon.

Here's what I have had:
Bowl of Kashai Go Lean Protien cereal
2 BIG cups of coffee
1 liter of water
1 apple
1 orange
1 small vanilla yogurt
Small bowl of cucumbers and cherry tomatoes with balsamic vinegar
Handful of pretzel sticks
Large spinich salad with red peppers, onions, baby carrots, alfalfa sprouts, soy beans with olice oil and balsamic vinegar.

Here's what I'll have later:
2 gels and one bottle of Gatorade on the bike
2 more liters of water
1 banana after the bike
Grilled chicken breast with a big sweet potato
2 glasses of Cabernet
Some grapes, strawberries, blueberries as a snack later

Edited by bryancd 2009-07-01 2:20 PM

Add peanut butter to your 1030 apple and maybe some toast with PBJ or a bagel with cream cheese
Add a handful (literally) of nuts or a banana to your 400 snack
Add some soup or salad to Dinner
Add a before bed snack (cottage cheese with fruit - you get used to it - and a slow-digesting carb)

All or some combination of the above puts you there easily.  Once you have a good sense of your base diet having a few levers you can pull at each meal give you a lot of flexibility to adjust as necessary.

What is your calorie target for the day and how many calories do you think this adds up to? 

It's a MAN-date!

I have a 25 min easy run, so we can run there and Nan can pick us up.

I LOVE veggies , what I ate yesterday:

b-fast - whole wheat bagel with natural peanut butter and honey + apple juice
snack # 1 - apple + sports drink (20oz) before run
lunch - 3 cups of mixed green salad with 1 cup brown rice with diced carrots, peppers, mushroom, artichoke and 4 oz of diced grilled chicken + water
snack # 2 - odwalla bar (chocowalla, yum!) before swim + sports drink (20 oz)
dinner - 1 cup brown rice with dices carrot, peas and corn, 1 cup spinach 1 cup of broccoli/zucchini, 6oz lean beef sirloin + water + ginger tea + honey

I have no idea. I don't count calories, I just eat a lot of whole, organic foods spread out over the course of the day. My weight is usually in a 7-8 lb range during the course of the year and part of the season. My coach did a RMR test on me a while ago, my body fat % was really low then, 5%, and gave me a calories/meal plan, but I eat better and healthier than he could plan out! I have a very stable metabolism, my biggest weight gain comes fgrom high sodium foods from water retention, I'm like a camel that way, but I never eat processed high sodium foods....well, I do like cheese a few time per week.

If I had to guess, I likely need 3500-4000 calories per day based on my current training schedule.

Edited by bryancd 2009-07-01 2:29 PM

Well, I am vegetarian... and here is what I eat on a typical healthy eating day:

7:30- Veggie breakfast sandwhich (fake sausage/ff cheese/english muffin)- 230 calories

10:30- Amy's bean and cheese burritto- 300 calories

Noon- Frozen meal of some sort. 300-400 calories

2:30- Skim milk (150 calories) and a Mojo bar (200 calories)

4:30- Light vanilla yogart and 1/2 cup of strawberries (130 calories)

6:00- Luna bar (180 calories)

9:00- Frozen meal (400-500 calories)

Yes, I eat a lot of frozen food. I don't like to cook and I hate eating the same meal for a week because I cooked. Not to mention I can control my calorie intake a lot easier with it's boxed and says what it is.

Depending on the week I might also have a salad at lunch, maybe a side of veggies, and some more fruit.

I also like black bean burgers as well. I use to drink the 100 calorie Muscle Milk but have replaced that with skim milk.

I don't know, but I do know that a 300 yd swim isn't going to get him to Kona.  :P

The water was cold!

...fixed that.

It's the sodium which is the killer with frozen foods that people overlook.

you two should instead take a ride to Wholefoods, get some veggies, grains, lean meat, greens and cook a nice meal (you still can make it romatic with candles and ) and get your bodies better fuel for your training...

Edited by JorgeM 2009-07-01 2:35 PM

Oh, I know. It's horrible. I just have no interest in cooking what so ever. And while I like some veggies, I hate most of them. Not to mention, I want to drown my veggies in butter- which I can't do (too many calories).

So even though I do eat a lot of frozen food, I do lean towards the Amy's organic frozen meals.

In the end, it's just all a trade off I suppose.

I'll admit I've been splurging the past few weeks.  I had been dieting since new years or so, and I simply tried to increase my carb intake when I started to try and maintain weight (I was already eating 3 cups of rice, 1 cup oatmeal, banana, apple/mango) and it came to the point where I was force feeding myself.  5 cups of rice is too much in one day, but I might be overdoing it since my weight is up slightly, but I also think that is a water weight thing from the junk food and not drinking as much water as I used to. 

2500 calories is what I would eat on most days to lose 1 lb a week, when I was still working up to 6-8 hours of activity, now I'm trying to get 8+, so on most workout days that puts me around 3000-3500, depending on intensity/duration. 

Edited by Bioteknik 2009-07-01 2:48 PM

Dollar doesn't like to cuddle and I hate veggies, so it's a deal breaker for me.

And that line right there is the point of the thread.    I would think that your diet today that you presented falls well short of 3500-4000.   That isn't a criticism, your diet works for you. 

The OP isn't about my weight.  Generally, I could care less about what I weigh.  I don't count calories for weight loss or gain.  The issue I raise is that I have trouble meeting my daily calorie need..which effects recovery, ability to train, etc.   I theorize that many of us under eat.  And though it is always easy to say eat more....that is easier said than done especially if you try to eat healthy.  I am often very full after meals.  I snack when I get hungry.  But when I add it up at the end of the day, I am well under where I probably should be. 

At some point under eating becomes a problem. 

why spend the extra money at whole foods?

whatever!  you just complain that i am always big spoon.  Sorry that i wear the pants in this relationship!!!!

I am vegetarian (someone wanted us to chime in?) and gluten free as well. I log my nutrition on here every day if you are interested in specifics. But a typical day for me will be:

8 a.m. Bagel or english muffin
10 a.m. Piece of fruit
12 p.m. Salad, lots of veggies
2 p.m. Granola bar (homemade) or nuts or smoothie
5 p.m. Leftover serving of dinner from last night or homemade baked good like a muffin or wrap w/ hummus
(((WORKOUT)))
8 p.m. Rice, pasta or quinoa dish with tons of veggies and beans or a veggie burger or Mexican casserole

I've been accused (I use that term jokingly) of under eating, especially on heavy training weeks. On weekends where I have a long run or ride I will eat a Clif Builder Bar after the workout and usually an Amy's pizza (900 calories) for dinner that night. I love love LOVE to cook and make the majority of my meals from scratch, except after a 4-hour ride I just don't feel like it so will pop an Amy's pizza in the oven

I am not trying to gain or loose weight, and have maintained ~120lbs for the past year and a half eating like this. I think calorie trackers can be useful, but so can common sense and reading labels.

 


Edited by lisac957 2009-07-01 2:55 PM

oh it can be wherever, I just happen to shop there and it is the 1st suggestion that popped in my mind