losing weight while training for a 1/2 marathon

Question
Hi Phil!
I'm 21 years old, 5'2" and have gained weight over the past year, from 112 to 118.  I know it isn't much weight, and as my measurements have not changed I am suspecting it may even be muscle gain.

My diet is a bit messed up.  As the Subject explains, I'm training for a half marathon in September (using Hal Higgin's program) and I actually just completed the Broad Street Run in Philadelphia (in 1:27:33 - my first race!).  I have some issues with eating to fuel workouts and training... and am unsure how many calories I should be consuming.  Right now I eat around 1600-1800 calories a day, but it's usually mostly in the evening.  Breakfast is usually 1 egg and 1 egg white with sprouted grain toast and coffee (unless I'm going on a short run; then I skip breakfast).  Then I usually only have time for a granola bar for lunch and then maybe a piece of fruit and some almonds around 3.  By dinner, I'm starving... and I eat healthy foods such as salmon, tilapia, chicken, salads, sweet potatoes once in a while, broccoli, spinach, whole grain breads... I eat a "normal" dinner, but then I am ravnous until I go to bed.  Sometimes I even wake up in the middle of the night and eat... leading me to restrict calories the next day. On nights when I wake up and eat, my daily calories can get up to like 3000. It's no good.

I feel like I wouldn't be waking up and eating if I knew how to eat better throughout the day.  I'm scared to start eating more during the day, however, because what if I still wake up and eat at night?? Then it will be even MORE calories..

Here is the thing with the half marathon training - I don't want to be gaining weight, because it is harder for me to run when I have more weight on me.  My measurments are 31"-23.5"-35.5", so I know I am in no way "over weight."  I'm not really concerned with LOSING weight, I just don't want to keep gaining; and ultimately, I need to know how to eat to better fuel my running and prevent me from binging in the middle of the night! (it's not emotional eating either... I am sure I am simply HUNGRY.  I crave things like peanut butter and whole grain toast.. sometimes I'll have Tastykake cupcakes, but it's usually healthy food instead - just too much of it)

Well, sorry that was like a novel! I really want to be feeling my best for the half marathon.  Any advice you can offer would be amazing!

Thank you! :)

Answer
Shannon,

Your starving your self, you not even giving your self enough fuel to do your workouts and perform at atop level. As an endurance athlete you should be packing in the food you wont get FAT due to the fact your active and the fuel will aid in your performance which in turn burns more fuel, and if you get a bit heavier you have more muscle which again in turn improves performance and burns more fuel.

The reason you go to bed hungry and go to sleep hungry is your eating what most athletes eat by accident while cooking their real food. You are training on an empty stomach which kills body composition and is horrible for performance, you have a very low carb intake for your sport, and your fat intake is super low as well which ruins general health or body, skin, brain and hormone function.

You likely should be gaining, should be eating and worried NOT about your body scale weight your an athlete who really cares what a scale says. it doesn't matter unless you were in some scale weight contest. You need to concentrate on performance and health. So what if you gain even 15 lbs, if you run faster and feel better thats what matters

EAT!! wake up eat, make time to eat a real lunch, make time to have real food snacks, eat the biggest meal at the beginning of the day and smaller as you go unless you have training then eat after. If your starving at night when you wake up EAT your body wants fuel to recover and get better, perform better.

You need to get athlete relationship with fueling your body the machine you use to do your sport.

For more info you should join our free discussion forum, you will get lots of great advice and discussion there www.teamstaley.com start a training log. We can help with training, diet and then give advice on supplementation

Phil
www.staleytraining.com

I also ask you to take a look at my charity strength event with proceeds going to support Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Look at the online raffle make a donation no matter how small they all help the cause and give you a chance of winning some great prizes at the same time
http://www.lift4hope.org  

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