Exercise, specifically running while low cal

[Whoopstheregomyinsides]

I did first day today and was thinking I’ll have to do it as 2 fast days not the full on BSd as I need to train for half marathon and I’ll be knackered. Or will I? I’m overweight by a good stone and half so can I train and ask body to use my big fat belly?!
Any experience please people or tips?
Was thinking 1000-1209 tomorrow then evening run then back to 600/800 on Thursday then same Friday as I do long run Friday

Anyone?

I run on fast days (and sometimes expend 1000 cals in Bikram Yoga) having eaten nothing in 20 hours and have no problems at all. In fact I feel lighter and have more energy on those days.

Oh and I'm 3 stone overweight (was 4 and a half!)

That’s encouraging thanks. I have plenty of belly fat to feed my legs. Just haven’t tried it yet! On s long run I usually need gels but will try a 4 miles tonight and see how I go thanks
I’m slow and seem to make a meal of running but feel so lethargic and heavy I need to lose weight !

I’m off out shortly. Wish me luck! All new to me this low carb! Gulp

Good luck! You'll be fine.

Did two miles then felt empty so had an energy gel then trotted home fine. Was planning a mixed tomato and spinach and Halloumi Salad with sweet potato as post run treat but wasn’t that hungry so just had the tomatoes and Halloumi
I’m slowly getting back into more runs per week so I might just be knackered anyway but as I set off I felt much lighter - felt good!

It'll be hard to start off based on not having enough ready sugar to immediately and quickly burn. Once your body has switched to fat burning for energy you'll have a huge uptick in energy and you can go forever.

Also, gels aren't low carb! Try some nuts before a run. Handful of brazils and almonds or a teaspoon of peanut butter!

I know the gel isn’t low carb. Ideally I’d not be training (as I am for s half) to a strict target and could ply about with what does/ doesn’t work but I can live with slower loss/ stop if I need the gel to get through runs
I only had about 300kcal before last nights run so was v empty
I’m not disheartened at needing a gel. I’ll get nuts in to try next week. 8 miles tomorrow which I HAVE to achieve so will be on a porridge breakfast which isn’t really allowed but no time to rest anything else. Race in 5 weeks. And my focus is not collapsing - I’m overweight and slow but have my pride and do want to run it. Once it’s done I’ll try low carb running in earnest when it’s not as important - how long did you run on low carbs? You mentioned 15km. That’s amazing!!

Just found an article on low carb running too. Had a magazine with it in but totally dismissed it at the time as impossible but I’m open to trying now and gutted I recycled it

Any other runners?

I think it's possible that your need for the gels may be partly psychological and you will surprise yourself at how you can cope without them if you give it a go. Clearly everyone's bodies are different but I personally hate having anything to eat during exercise as I worry about getting a stitch. I've done half marathon distance before and didn't eat anything and was fine- and I'm definitely not any kind of elite athlete- just wanted to show myself I could do it. I was similar with water/ worried that if I didn't have access to water every waking minute through exercise I would collapse. Then one day I forgot my bottle- and I was fine. I would really focus on what is happening when you are craving those gels. Can you really not go any further? Or is it just a sugar craving because last time you were tired in a run your body was rewarded with the same thing. Remember if your body is really protesting and saying 'I can't do this', that means you're making a fitness gain and increasing your capability for next time. Agree that if you absolutely need something go for something protein based. Good luck with the training! You can do this!

Why don’t you do your run first thing in the morning on a fast day having had a normal dinner the night before?
I don’t think anyone (sensible) would advocate low carbing and distance running-you need carbs just not too many cals.

I just did 8 miles and it was horrible
I know I’m building miles so it’s not meant to be easy but I felt awful. Think I may need carbs day before. Mind you I recovered pretty fast and I still did it. So not all bad!

I do BSD and have just trained and raced a half marathon.

I always run fasted, but I do alternate days fasting and run on fast days (does that make sense?) as it seems to fuel me better if I've eaten more the day before.

On race week I ate some carbs, and more calories generally. On race day, I used 3 gels during the race. I managed 1hr57 so was pretty pleased with that!

Be mindful of protein, I wasn't getting enough and I noticed it in my training. Also, I think it does make a difference when your % body fat drops below a certain level. For me, once my bmi became 'normal' not 'overweight' I definitely began to notice that I needed more fuel, and that if I wasn't well nourished I would be ravenously hungry. I think it's more to do with nutrition than calories, my race only used 1300 cals.

Also, I really notice that in the week before my period I am particularly tired when running and use soluble sugar free electrolytes which seem to help.

I’m back! I gave up on low carb while finishing training and was happy with my 2:28 time. I’m slow anyway but ran it all. Now I’m ready to try again now pressure of race is off. I think maybe short runs at first
Wish me luck. Again

Is anyone still doing this ? Running and fasting ? I'm thinking about starting it and wouldn't mind sharing experiences with someone...

I'm interested in this too. I did 5:2 for a while successfully while running short distances. I gave it up when training for a half marathon once I got to the longer distances as I was absolutely starving and felt quite depleted unless I was eating much more. I still lost weight while running and eating lots.

Trouble is, the race is done and I've carried on eating as if training! So am about to get back into 5:2 WOE again.

I think the point above about protein is interesting as I suspect I wasn't getting enough. On fast days I tended to eat vegetables. That may be something I need to look at.

I'm interested in what other runners do.

And @Whoopstheregomyinsides . Well done on your half!

Running is a separate issue to weight loss - in serious training you need to eat more, and plenty of carbs.

I would say that 'serious' kicks in for elite ('good for age' or better) for any distance, or for longer distances of Half Marathon or longer.

There are lots of diet plans online for runners, but they are not low carb. They do however include fasting runs (that is a known technique)

Protein is required after runs, especially longer or more intense runs.

As you're back in training after your first event, Whoops perhaps you might like to wander over to the Exercise topic and join one of the running chat threads there?

I like to do my long run at the crack of dawn on a Sunday. I always have a substantial meal the evening before and I feel absolutely fine.

Have a coffee before your workout and you'll be fine!!!

Look up Maffetone training. You train to a lower heart rate at which it is more optimal to burn fat. Great for fat adaptation. There are plenty of ultra runner bloggers that do this. Fat is the ideal fuel for endurance running.

I have recently started running again, I've found running fasted varies. Some days it feels like I'm running in mud (If I go in the am) other days it's like I've been given a surge of super energy. Sorry if that's not that helpful!

I have noticed some days my appetite is massively revved post a fasting run. It's taken me by surprise and I've wanted to eat the house. So be prepared.

Did anyone see that programe whereby runners who rinsed (not swalllowed!) their mouth out with sugary liquid were able to run for longer?

Really interesting exchanges here. Thanks. I'm going to be combining running long distances and fasting Stella. So, I'm going to disagree that there's no link between serious running and losing weight. I'm hoping to do both.
All the best Woops.