Snack Ideas before Running?

[Miss31]

Hi there,
I'm training for a 10k to be run in July, with only afew weeks to go we have began some fairly long runs, I am at a loss at what to eat to fuel me for my runs, yesterday we ran 8km and I gotta tell you, I was a mess, shaking and no energy I nearly stopped running altogether, any ideas? Everytime I ask someone they say the same thing... Oatmeal!! Any other ideas?

[Moochiecat]

I moved this to the Exercise forum...ttdriver should have some advice on this!!

[ttdriver]

1. SF peanut butter -- an excellent source of protein and fat.

2. Full fat yogurt -- yes, it will help fuel your run

3. 2 eggs, bacon & OJ -- I have this alot before running.

Wait at least 2 hours after eating before taking on the exercise. Give your body a chance to digest its food, then go all out!

Betty

[Moochiecat]

Oops...I should mention that she posted this originally in the 14 Day Induction Forum!

[Iapetus999]

Did you just start Atkins? That would explain why it's hard for you to run right now. It also may be that your pace is way too high.

I eat boiled eggs, a little cheese and a soy latte a couple hours before a race.
I would disrecommend the bacon unless it's like turkey bacon (sorry tt) and not too salty.
I do have yogurt sometimes.
OJ???:confused I avoid OJ like the plague.

I've been fairly active on http://coolrunning.com and there's tons of good advice over there.:wave
Just be careful...some of the people there are carb nazis so I try to avoid the whole lo-carb issue. (it's like talking about how kewl guys are on a lesbian forum...yes I've done that :no )

[Miss31]

I just started Atkins a week ago I'm still in induction, do I eat the full fat yogurt and run the risk of not losing asmany pounds? or does it really matter when you do an 8k run? Do I just burn it off during my run anyways? What to do? Can I eat flavoured yogurt or does it need to be plain? What about a shake?

[Iapetus999]

This explains a lot. :nod

On your first couple weeks of Atkins you will not be able to perform like you usually do. Basically just stick with induction-friendly foods for now...which I don't believe includes yogurt.

You can still work out during Induction but you need to take it easy. Your body is used to burning carbs. It takes a while to convert to fat burning. The more carbs you eat the longer it takes.

What's your weekly mileage right now? If it's fairly high you should be able to move right on to OWL after your 14 day Induction.

If you stick with the program you should be seeing some dramatic results fairly shortly.

[ttdriver]

I would disrecommend the bacon unless it's like turkey bacon (sorry tt) and not too salty.

Why? I always eat bacon without any problem. If you're running in the heat like I am, extra salt comes in handy since you're sweating alot.

Betty

[Miss31]

What about 3 slices of melba toast with some cream cheese? We're at 8k and tonight is hills, I cannot have another run like I did on Monday night, I don't understand last Monday was my first day on Atkins and I had a great run, now this Monday when I've been on it for a week and I'm dying!! This is a tough one. Thaks for all the suggestions!!
What do you mean by dramatic results? As in better fat burning or what?

[Iapetus999]

I just mean some steady weight loss & more energy.
You should feel better soon.

[Tommy]

Hello:

Are you in ketosis?

As already mentioned, with the begining of the diet it feels like an energy drain till you get into ketosis. Running usually requires carbs but you also feel drained once the carbs are burned out during the running. Runners call it "hitting the wall".

I've expermented with running in ketosis and also doing a carb-load before long runs. I'll have to say that while the carbs may give the initial burst of extra energy, I've also felt like crap 15-20 minutes into the run when they burn out. I felt I can run longer being in ketosis.

As far as burning calories through exercise. Running on an empty stomach such as first thing in the morning or waiting about 3 hours after eating produces the best results.

However for those of us that need to eat something first. Eating just protein will help. Eating carbs or fat before exercising has shown to reduce fat oxidation during the exercise period.

[Miss31]

I have no idea if I'm still in Ketosis or not, I don't have those little strips so I'm not really sure, the 1st 3 days of Atkins I felt awful and I was going to the bathroom a lot so I assumed that was water weight and I was in ketosis but to be honest I'm not really sure if I am in ketosis or not, where can I get those little strips that tell me? Yesterday's run was awful, I nearly started to cry but snapped out of it at the last minute, I feel like I have no energy and no muscle in my legs, my coach demanded I eat a bowl of oatmeal before our 12 k on Sunday,any thoughts?

[2big4mysize]

if you are low carbing then stay low carb! your body is in the process every time you work out of building new powerhouses in your muscle cells to burn more and more fats. You are creating more carrier molecules for moving those fats around and your muscles are beginning to store more fatty acids to burn when you place loads on them.

Unless you are sprinting or very very lean you have neough fat stored on you to run your 12K without any added fueling. You need to win the mental game your body and mind are playing now. you think you need carbs as fuel which you don't. Human body are designed to quickly use up the carbs stored on board and switch to fats as fuel when douing endurance running. you just need to get your bodies fat burning chemical supply up to speed and you will be wondering why you ever did carb loading.

happy low carbing

[Iapetus999]

Hey 2big! :wave

I hate to say "don't listen to your coach" but the first 2 weeks on lo-carb are really really tough. Your body is doing something it probably has never done before unless you were really sick once and didn't eat for days.
It will get better....make sure you are eating plenty of fats because that will really kick-start the process. :nod