Advice needed - running, weight loss and diet

[pipkin35]

Am a new runner. Run 3x a week 3-5 miles each time. Hoping to enter first 10K in April, maybe.

I've lost 2.5 stone, mainly by running but also by cutting back on carbs.

Am getting to the point where I know I need to eat more food, especially carbs, cos I don't really have the energy to run as well as I'd like. Also, people are starting to say 'Ooh, don't lose any more' etc...
I don't want to lose any more but I am nervous about suddenly scoffing plate fulls of pasta and then putting the weight back on?
My diet at the mo must be under 2000 cal a day I'd guess.

Anyone got any advice from experience? Examples of your daily diet? if you eat before or after a run etc...

Wow well done !! How long have you been running ?? I think you can get back on the carb but just have to control portion yourself !

I did the couch to 5K which was really good, though it took me longer than it said - started it in October. Before that i did no exercise since school. I had a reunion at Xmas that I wanted to lose weight for. Of course, I turned up there expecting people to gush: 'You look great!' but cos noone had seen me for 20 years, to them I looked the same as I did then - doh!

Am just a bit 'nervous' about adding back in pasta and rice and baked potatoes which I'd been avoiding...is it a deck of cards that supopsed to be a 'portion'?!

I am in a similar position, Pipkin. I started running in August, and with some improvements in diet, the weight just fell off. DH got quite upset about it, as it has connotations with an illness I had.

Since Xmas, I have just been a bit more relaxed about having a dessert or other treat if everyone else is having one. - you can keep your pasta. I have an extra spoonful of cereal in the morning, and two slices of bread and two poached eggs for lunch instead of one. If I want a snack, I have a handful of mixed nuts and raisins.

My weight seems to have stabilised, but I am still keeping a check on it every week.

You definitely need your carbs to exercise properly - how about just not eating them after 4pm? Also, some carbs are better than others, as a general guide, "real" foods, ie in their basic state, not processed with other ingredients are usually better - so choose potatoes, porridge, rice rather than bread or pasta - low gi stuff is what you should go for and it should make up about a quarter of your meal - the rest should be protein, one quarter, and veg the other half. Butterbur sounds like she has a good approach imo...

And you probably need to take in around 2000 cals a day to keep weight stable. I am basing this on you probably needing around 1800 cals a day if you are lightly active rather than sedentary (other than running) and weigh approx 9.5st - there are online calculators to work it out properly. Running 4m in about 35-40 mins (again, my guess at what you might be doing) will burn approx 400 cals so 3x per week this gives you an extra 1200 cals to spread over 7 days.

just an idea but you probably need to take in more protein rather than more carb.
also have do you take any supplements like iron etc?