Ask a Dietitian Forum Topic
Alice
04/28/15
Thank you for the comprehensive reply. I really appreciate that. I am a registered nurse. I am also an attorney. So I'm an overachiever you should know! I don't look obese. I am stocky-- an athletic stumpy build. Like a chubby MaryLou Rettin lol! I do strength training twice a week with a trainer. I run 10-25 miles a week. I have arthritis in my left knee. I'm signed up for a marathon in September-- I've done 3 1/2 Marathons so it's time to do the distance. As active as I am I am heavier than ever! Particularly my midriff -- I think I eat healthy but I am a snacker. I asked my trainer how to work the live handles and he said only diet will do that. In college I weighed 125-130. I want to get there.
Dietitian
04/28/15
replied to Alice
Hi Alice, you sound motivated and although you didn't share your current height and weight, my guess is that you are short (Mary Lou ref) and might benefit from a little weight loss from a performance perspective. Again, only a guess based upon what I read from your post.
Some things to check:
Settings - use sedentary overall activity level
Plan or My Plan - enter the weekly Exercise Plan. This will bump up your target calories to account for expected calories burned from exercise so you don't go too low. The actual calories burned from exercise will adjust the target calories for the day in Analysis (app) or Details tab (web).
Log exercise daily but not activities of daily living such as cooking, shopping, etc. You'll use "Daily Analysis" row in your app or Details tab on the web to see your bottom line for calories each day.
IMPORTANT: because you are training for an aerobic enduarance event, do not go too low in calories, carbs, or protein. Fat and alcohol calories can drop to meet caloric requirements.
Next, if your training starts to suffer, you have to troubleshoot. Are you hydrating before, during, and after trainings? When you weigh yourself (dry) before and after training runs, are you losing a lot of weight? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you feeling wonky during your runs? If you go too low in calories and carbs, you'll start to feel yucky when you push those long distances. You are probably already aware of many issues due to being an RN.
And don't forget to account for water/electrolyte/glucose replacement drinks you consume for trainings. Just budget for them in your log.
Okay, having said all of that, be sure to read these articles and let me know how you are doing:
1. Calories http://www.mynetdiary.com/customizing-calorie-goals.html
2. Nutrition & Athletic Performance position statement since you like detail: http://www.eatrightpro.org/resource/practice/position-and-practice-papers/position-papers/nutrition-and-athletic-performance (scroll down to the PDF link and view that - it is a great summary of issues).
3. RELAX your rate of weight loss if you are struggling with your training with the lower intake. Check your calories intake goal (Analysis) against your BMI calories (you can see this in My Plan or Plan). Also, try not to go too low in carbs - you'll miss out on maximizing muscle glycogen deposition at rest if you go too low.
Let me know how it goes!
Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD, CDE
Alice
04/29/15
5'1 and now 149 pounds. Clearly need 20-25 pounds off.
Justjennie
04/29/15
replied to Dietitian
I actually have a question about this. I actually put in my own daily calorie goal for the simple reason that the goals MyNetDiary comes up with are so incredibly low. Even if I put in I want to lose 1/4 lb a week and it sets the goal date as January of 2016 -- 8 months away -- the daily calorie goal I am given is a little over 1200. There is no way I can eat that little an amount. Is it because I don't have a lot to lose? Right now I'm around 119lbs and I am looking to lose around 5-10 more
Dietitian
04/29/15
replied to Alice
Hi Alice, okay, thanks for your ht and wt. Your current BMI is 28.2 so I agree with you, losing a little weight would be a good idea for both long term health as well as athletic performance. If you use 130 lb as your goal for Sept, then that would mean losing 19 lbs in about 16 wks (give or take, I'm not sure when in Sept your marathon takes place). That would mean an average loss of just over 1 lb/week. Reaching 130 lb would also put you in the lowest BMI risk category (BMI < 25). You could consider 130 lb as your back up goal if your training and energy seems to be decreasing with your original weight loss goal to reach 125 lbs (which requires closer to an average of about 1.5 lbs/week weight loss). This might not seem like a big difference, but you don't have that much extra weight and you'll find that losing gets a little bit harder as time marches on. Just keep it in mind.
Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD, CDE
Dietitian
04/29/15
replied to Justjennie
Hi Justjennie, yes, that is correct. I had the same problem when I used MND for my last 10 lbs. I added my expected Exercise Plan in Plan tab (or My Plan in apps) so that the target calories increased by the expected avg daily calories burn from exercise. But the nice thing is, once you enter your ACTUAL exercise in the the daily log, the system adjusts the calories to reflect your actual burn, and still keeps you on track to meet your weight goal by the target date. This is reflected in the Analysis row in apps or Details tab in web program.
This article explains the basics on what affects the target calories and how to adjust: http://www.mynetdiary.com/customizing-calorie-goals.html
I think athletes or anyone who sees a target calories below 1200 kcal should consider this tactic. But it is also okay to simply use the Analysis/Details tab for the running net calories too.
Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD, CDE
Nanimal
05/04/15
Wheat query: I've mentioned about diet to a trainer at the gym & running school coach and both have said about Paelo, although running coach is a bit more flexible with the main thing being to give up wheat. However I'm a little confused as it's quite a major thing to give up and a good source of carbohydrate and fibre. Is this something you'd recommend?
Dietitian
05/04/15
replied to Nanimal
Hi Nanimal, I don't agree with the idea that all people need to give up wheat or go Paleo. The research shows that Mediterranean style eating appears to be healthiest in the western world. So, unless you have a wheat allergy, Celiac disease, or your gastroenterologist suspects you have some form of gluten sensitivity, I would not feel obligated to remove wheat or gluten from your diet.
Now, having said that, there are great whole food sources of carbs. We don't have to eat refined white flour products. Those you can ditch in favor of whole grain sources.
If you are a runner, check out Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guideline - she is on the 5th edition. She has lots of great tips for runners & nutrition.
This is an older article but it still has good info: http://isacksrd.com/?p=523
Let me know if you need more assistance.
Best,
Kathy Isacks, MPS, RD, CDE
Walker
05/06/15
I hear a lot about Quest protein bars. Any thoughts in these?
Mel
05/06/15
Is coconut oil good for you?
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