Lack of Nutrition = Good?

Diet and Nutrition
1

Hey everybody, I’ve used this site basically as a bible for nutrition, training, supplementation, etc. I’ve dabbled with some powerlifting, sprinting, but my main potential currently in athletics is distance/middle distance running.
One thing I have noticed when I’m in racing season is the way my diet affects me (in a weird way).

Originally, this year, I was eating 6 to 8 meals a day, nutrient timing and grouping with the P/F and P/C meals, the exception, of course, was post workout shake and meal. During this time I felt okay, not myself during workouts or runs (I weighed about 180 or so being 6’2"). Last year I felt a lot better, but I wasn’t really eating too healthy overall so I decided to try it again.

A sample day for me is roughly 2 1/2 3 meals and goes as follows:

Breakfast 9:30 am
1 cup oats
1 pear
1 apple
5 egg whites

Lunch (sparingly do i eat this) 12pm
balance bar or an apple

Running (8+ miles w/ or w/o workout)
Ab circuit
Lifting (only fairly intense for legs, bodyweight for everything else)
Post workout shake 4:45 pm
65 g CHO/ 25g PRO

Dinner (6:45 pm)
4 oz chicken breast
3 cups broccoli
1 cup oatmeal

Snack (10 pm)
Celery w/ PB

I know I’ll get some posts saying about how poorly I’m eating and I should maybe intake more calories running about 60 to 70 miles a week on top of competing; however, when I eat like this, I race substantially faster (1:56 as opposed to 1:59 for a half mile and 4:25 as opposed to a 4:35 for the mile).

Doing this last year, I didn’t get burnt out and I made great progress compared to previous years intaking proper amounts of protein (~2 g per lb of BW) and sufficient macronutrient profile 40/30/30 at the correct times.

Did anybody else have such experience before?

I know this isn’t an endurance/running site, but I think it’s a lot better than the running forums that exist.

I know there is history of olympians doing the same, but I’m just wondering if there’s an explanation.

Thanks

2

You don’t need a lot of mass for middle distance running, nor much protein; you are not a bodybuilder. If I were you I would eat a lot of carbohydrates, with something like a 60:20:20 carb:protein:fat breakdown.

3

Thanks for the reassurance on that. That is the typical day for me and usually I calculate my total protein for the day to be well under 100 g. But a lot of times, even my carbs are low, as seen in my typical diet.

Come on 175 posts, I know the topic headline piqued a lot of interest, thus so many views, but no more replies than 1?

4

Not everybody is the same nor do they respond the same way. The golden rule is try everything that is suggested (and sensible), and if it works, use it. If it doesn’t work, reject it.

And if it does work for you, don’t go shoving it down everyone else’s throats saying it is the be all end all. (that is not aimed at you specifically)

5

Dude, Im looking at your diet, and its so low fat its almost ridiculous. No wonder you feel like crap.

First, eat the yolks with your eggs. there good for you.

Second, some fish oil(Flameout) is in order.

3rd, dump some olive oil in that diet. 3 tablespoons a day.

4th, go with lean beef over chicken.

6

[quote]Velvet Revolver wrote:
Dude, Im looking at your diet, and its so low fat its almost ridiculous. No wonder you feel like crap.

First, eat the yolks with your eggs. there good for you.

Second, some fish oil(Flameout) is in order.

3rd, dump some olive oil in that diet. 3 tablespoons a day.

4th, go with lean beef over chicken.[/quote]

No, the diet I outlined I feel a lot better on than a diet with sufficient protein and fat (40/30/30 basically or even 50/25/25).