How Much to Eat?

[Steve P]

I am spinning off a new thread that is related to the America's Future thread. I expressed the opinion that the number of calories is more important in losing weight than the types of foods you eat (though I believe it is smart to eat as healthily as possible). Jake explained that healthy foods like fruits and vegetables often are more filling than less healthy foods, so you feel full on fewer calories. On the other hand, if I stuff myself with carrots and apples, I will feel hungry later, probably because it won't increase my blood sugar enough.

In general, I struggle with knowing how much to eat on a given day. I don't find it pleasant or practical to try to count the number of calories I eat. Besides that, I feel like setting a specific number of calories would be an arbitrary choice that may or may not be best for me. Eating too little can also have negative health effects and negative effects on your running performance.

One rule of thumb (apparently a Japanese tradition) is to eat until you feel 80% full. Another is to never go back for seconds (but I guess it depends on how much you put on your plate the first time). Other advice is to eat slowly enough that you can sense how full you are before eating too much.

I guess I'm looking for tips like these that have worked for you as a runner. How do you make sure you are eating enough to fuel your training but still put yourself in a position to lose weight (or maintain your weight)?

[April G]

I'm glad you brought this up, as I've often had the same struggle.  I also struggle to maintain/lose weight and after several years of wrestling with it and trying to be at a good "race" weight it has ultimately boiled down to calories.  Of course, I also like to eat as nutritiously as possible, but eliminating certain foods or following a diet just makes me crave whatever I eliminated and eat too much of what I am allowed to eat.  So, I get back to calories, and it's been as simple as that.  I eat 1500 a day--a random number I made for myself. after looking at a calculator saying that at 5'1" I would maintain at 1200 calories, I figured 1500 was reasonable since I am running 60ish miles a week.  I have lost 10 pounds in 5 weeks and feel great.  If I ate until a felt full I would(and have) eat too much.  I now eat until I am just "not hungry".  It has taken some adjustment.  I've also had to, well, be a little hungry sometimes in the evening.  I drink water and tea to help with that.  I crave food the most in the early afternoon, so that is when I go ahead and eat the most.  I eat a little bit for breakfast, and try not to eat after 6:00.  I don't have a formula but am bumbling along with trial and error.  I think I will eventually increase my calories if the weight loss continues and I find that point where I need to maintain weight and not lose any more in order to be healthy and run well.  Out of everything I've tried--high protein, whole foods only, gluten-free, starch and grain-free, low carb, low sugar, low fat, only good 'ol calorie limits has worked. Go figure.  Honestly, it's probably because of some lack of self-control on my part that I over-eat and require a limit to follow.  This works for me though--I'm not craving stuff because if I want the brownie or whatever, I can have it, but it takes a chunk out of my calorie allowance for the day and I know that's a consequence and I might go to bed hungry.  I've actually pretty much stopped craving sweets, and by default seem to be craving and making better food choices.  I think I am a food addict, emotional eater, whatever, and the discipline of a calorie limit is a requirement. 

[James Moore]

How people regulate their bodyweight is fascinating to me.

I've counted the number of calories that I eat a couple of times and it always seems to come out to about 2500 to 3500 when training twice a day. I'm pretty consistent with how much I eat because I am used to feeling a certain amount of hunger and a certain amount of fullness throughout the day.

I think that people are meant to feel hungry occasionally so that your body can really tell you how much it needs. It is very pseudo scientific, but I think that periodic starvation can help you establish a connection between how hungry you are and how much you need to eat.

I also think that if you eat foods that are high in fiber then you will get full faster.

As for the 80% fullness thing. Allie can attest that on some days it might take me a very long time to eat dinner as I will make myself a small plate and eat it. Then I will decide if I am still hungry before having any more. I think this allows my body time to send some fullness signals to my brain.

[Joe]

My rule of thumb is that I will eat as fast as possible until it is a struggle to eat more.  If you don't have to loosen your belt at least 1 notch, you wasted your time.

[Dan]

I have been reading these posts and seeing what I can learn. The problem is, the more I read, the more I get confused (what one person says is often contradicted elsewhere- I can find 10 sites that say east oatmeal before a race and 10 more that say don't... oatmeal works great for me).
Problem or not- I eat a LOT of food. I may not be the best runner, but I can cook with the best of them. I try to vary my diet as much as possible to see what has the most positive effect on my running. Things like using Rice noodles instead of egg ones were great or risotto instead of noodles seem to agree better with me.

What have I learned? Similar to what James said, I will eat from 2500-4000 calories, but realized counting them was not helping me and if I watched too close I ended up shorting myself when I was still hungry (thus the 80% full sounded good, but did not work for me). All that did was make me feel tired when running. What else have I learned? Other than I still subscribe to the (almost) everything in moderation, I learned that I still have a lot to learn.

[Kam]

For men, calories burned by normal metabolic processes is between 2000-2500 per day.  Every mile covered burns 100 more calories.  So depending on your weekly mileage, your recommended caloric intake to MAINTAIN your current week could range from 2500-4000 calories per day.  If you are way under on your fueling, your workouts are going to be a lot more difficult. 
For runners training hard, I think focusing on quality is far more important than quantity.  Eating less crap is always good.  Eating smaller portions more often is a good idea.  Eating meals more slowly so you can recognize satiety will prevent overeating.

[Chelsi]

I never wanted to count calories, but I started using a mobile app during marathon training when I felt like I wasn't keeping up with my calorie burn because I felt wiped out all the time. It is a calorie counter, but it gives me a daily calorie budget based on my age & weight. I input what I eat and how much I exercise, and it calculates everything else. It's been a great way to help me make up for what I'm burning. And, it's helped me make some wiser food choices because of the empty calories a lot of foods have. It wouldn't work for everyone, but it's been great for me and others.