Runner/Figure competitor- diet????

[meg]

Okay..here is the deal...I am a runner..love to run races. I also periodically stay lean all year round and don't have to really diet to do figure comps. However..that being said..the girls in figure comps are getting leaner..and I'm not. I am 5'5" and weigh 110. I looked great at 109..but muscle was small..now I look bigger..but seem to have some extra fat too somehow..
My question is this..if I want to lean of like 2 lbs..what is the best way to eat for like 2 weeks and how much should I run? I feel like I run too much sometimes and hold in extra fat. I run about 26 mile per week.
I pretty much know how much to eat etc..I just don't know how to adjust carbs for all the running or how much to lessen my running if I eat really strict. Help!

[Ross86]

Could you tell us a little about your diet right now? It's hard to say how much you'll have to change the diet without a benchmark. Also, what style runs are you doing? Do you do any fartlek runs? I suppose those would be similar to HIIT. HIIT would be another thing to consider depending on what distance races you do. It's a great way to add speed work to your routine. Also, taking one of your running days (or two) and changing it to a different style of cardio would help. This would keep your body from becoming too well adapted to running.. Variation in your running would help also.

I'm not super clear on this, so hopefully someone else can tell you if this is viable. Running fasted or semi-fasted will help you to burn fat. But! That means that post workout nutrition will be SUPER important because you're doing so many miles each week. And like I said, I'm not sure if this is good for a runner or not. When I used to run, I couldn't spell the word 'nutrition'.

Hopefully some of the other guys (and IK) will pitch in some more specific info. Glad to see that you posted.

[meg]

I eat 4 egg whites and 1/2 cup oatmeal every morning.
a protein only bar or pack of tuna
a turkey burger with 2 pieces of low carb bread and a veggie
dinner of a protein, carb and veggie
air popped popcorn at night with pam spray..sometimes something fatfree with sugar..ie blowpops etc. but I think I crave sugar cuz I'm not eating enough carbs..

I run everyday..usually pushing a double baby jogger and I teach a boot camp class 3 times a week with hills/sprints/stairs etc.

I'm lean compared to most people...I just want that edge when I compete of being leaner or getting leaner for me at times.
I pretty much know how to eat..it's the how many carbs when I run deal so I don't store them if I don't get enough...

[Ross86]

Ok...so I've been reading a LOT and I think it's something that you are going to have to experiment with yourself. Because people are so different, it's going to be a trial and error thing.

when you combine Pro with Carbs, (low in fiber), and no fat you will have an insulin spike. This is something you don't want. I don't see the problem with having all in one meal. Fat slows down the digestion and doesn't give insulin spikes. But, what would you consider a Pro/Carb meal and a Pro/Fat meal? Would you consider less than 10 grams of carbs in a meal a Pro/Fat meal?

My meals have 45 grams Pro, 15-20 grams Carbs, and 15-20 grams of Fat, and that is cutting.

If you are an athlete then you would definitely need a Pro/Carb meal before/during/after working out or training in what you do so you can keep sharp. -Dave

That quote was in reference to cutting. Make sure you're getting enough EFAs...they're essential for fat loss. You do want an insulin spike to replace glycogen stores post workout, but not any other time. Run fasted. Try to keep your carbs around your workout/run.

Pre & Post workout nutrition
http://www.bodybuilding.net/nutritio...tion-1442.html

I'm not sure if you're familiar with carb rotation, but this is a good nutritional method for cutting. Here is a link referencing that:
http://www.sixpacknow.com/carbprinciple.html
This is what Kisha did when she was getting ready for her last competition by the way. I don't think she did any cardio before competition except for walking.

If you don't know exactly how many calories you burn, then figure it out using a calorie calculator. 40/30/30 is a pretty widely accepted ratio for bulking (P/C/F). For cutting...60/20/20 is okay or 50/25/25 or 50/20/30. You'll have to adjust the ratio through trial and error. If you're going to keep the same diet, then slowly decrease carbs.

Just out of curiosity, what is your pre/post workout nutrition like when you go to the gym? And when you run?