Are Insulin Spikes Halting My Fat Loss?

Diet and Nutrition
1

I am a 21 year old, 128 lb female at 5â??7. Iâ??m actually a runner, but this seems to be the best place to ask my current nutritional question and expect a more accurate answer than running or weight loss forum, where I receive a less scientific answer.

Here is my situation:

I was training for a marathon and started experiencing fatigue and ended up being injured. During this training period, fat was pouring off my body and I was in the best shape of my life. However, after much research and advice, I determined that the reason for my fatigue and injury was that my diet was not keeping up with the training. Now I have altered my diet to better prevent injury, but my body composition seems to be changing a lot. I have started to become very muscular on my upper body, and either developing or just not losing fat from my waist and lower body. My diet was as follows:

Breakfast:
1 piece of squirrely bread
2 eggs
latte (half a cup of steamed skim milk and espresso)

Lunch:
2 cups of carrot or turkey soup
10 premium plus crackers

Pre-Workout:
Piece of squirrely bread with peanut butter or a banana with peanut butter

Immediately Post-Workout:
nothing

Dinner (about an hour to an hour and a half after my workout):
spinach salad with chicken or cottage cheese or grilled chicken and veggies

Snacks (consumed before lunch and after lunch):
Raspberries and non-fat yogurt, rice cakes, crackers with peanut butter, other carbs

Before Bed:
nothing

I have now changed my diet to this:

Breakfast:
Protein shake with:
1 scoop whey protein
1 banana
100 grams blueberries/raspberries (about 1 cup)
½ cup skim milk
1 scoop veggegreens (green food concentrate)
2 tsp. fish oil
Lunch:
1 piece of squirrely bread
2 eggs
or
2 cups soup
7 premium plus crackers

Immediately Post-Workout:
chocolate milk or granola bar (both with 4:1 carb to protein ratio)

Dinner:
1 serving Smart Pasta (same nutritional content as whole wheat pasta)
½ cup tomato sauce
broccoli or half a bell pepper
4 cups spinach

Before Bed:
¾ cup 1% cottage cheese

Things to note:
-my calorie deficit is now GREATER than it was before because of eating fewer snacks before and after lunch â?? this should be resulting in greater weight loss but is not
-before I changed my diet, my cardio consisted of only running. Now, I cross train and the amount of time I spend doing cardio is the same, except much of it is now spent biking instead of running

MY QUESTION:

What is the most likely reason for the change in weight loss? How can I alter my diet to ensure recovery and prevent injuries without sacrificing fat loss?

The possible reasons I have come up with for this change is:

-the amount of carbs/sugar in my morning shake is causing an insulin spike, which is halting fat loss during the day
-the amount of carbs Iâ??m eating for dinner is doing the same thing I suspect my morning shake of doing
-eating cottage cheese before bed is preventing my body from burning fat while sleeping
-biking is burning less fat than I did while only running

The changes Iâ??ve made have helped SO much with recovery but halted fat loss. Iâ??m worried that if I cut carbs, I will be injured again.

2

It looks like you took your protein intake from unacceptably low to just low. I would recommend shooting for closer to 1g per pound BW. If I had to make a guess, this is likely what was hurting your recovery before.

The insulin spikes COULD be slowing your fat loss- they are not the only factor in your current plan that could be doing it though. You could also be undereating in general based on your work output, and this can also lead to greater levels of fat/water retention in the midsection.

If you can give a better idea of your overall caloric intake, daily macronutrient totals, and some more specific information regarding your workouts (what you’re doing/how long/intensity), then it will be easier to evaluate your plan and find what the issue is.

3

[quote]bigmac73nh wrote:
It looks like you took your protein intake from unacceptably low to just low. I would recommend shooting for closer to 1g per pound BW. If I had to make a guess, this is likely what was hurting your recovery before.

The insulin spikes COULD be slowing your fat loss- they are not the only factor in your current plan that could be doing it though. You could also be undereating in general based on your work output, and this can also lead to greater levels of fat/water retention in the midsection.

If you can give a better idea of your overall caloric intake, daily macronutrient totals, and some more specific information regarding your workouts (what you’re doing/how long/intensity), then it will be easier to evaluate your plan and find what the issue is.[/quote]

Thanks for the reply.

Overall caloric intake on average is about 1750
Carbs: 225 g Protein: 100 g Fat: 30 g

an average day would consist of 45 minutes running (far less than what I was doing before), 25 minutes of biking, and 20 or so minutes weight lifting

before my injury, workout times varied more depending on how many miles i had to run for my training program. sundays would include a long run of 2 hours or so.

my average caloric deficit works out to be about 850 calories a day (I keep a food and exercise log), whereas before it was around 600

so, you believe that by increasing my protein intake (and decreasing carbs), this will continue to prevent injury/fatigue?

i know that to avoid injuries from running, replenishing glycogen stores is important. but, wouldn’t this halt fat burning?

4

[quote]aajd91 wrote:

[quote]bigmac73nh wrote:
It looks like you took your protein intake from unacceptably low to just low. I would recommend shooting for closer to 1g per pound BW. If I had to make a guess, this is likely what was hurting your recovery before.

The insulin spikes COULD be slowing your fat loss- they are not the only factor in your current plan that could be doing it though. You could also be undereating in general based on your work output, and this can also lead to greater levels of fat/water retention in the midsection.

If you can give a better idea of your overall caloric intake, daily macronutrient totals, and some more specific information regarding your workouts (what you’re doing/how long/intensity), then it will be easier to evaluate your plan and find what the issue is.[/quote]

Thanks for the reply.

Overall caloric intake on average is about 1750
Carbs: 225 g Protein: 100 g Fat: 30 g

an average day would consist of 45 minutes running (far less than what I was doing before), 25 minutes of biking, and 20 or so minutes weight lifting

before my injury, workout times varied more depending on how many miles i had to run for my training program. sundays would include a long run of 2 hours or so.

my average caloric deficit works out to be about 850 calories a day (I keep a food and exercise log), whereas before it was around 600

so, you believe that by increasing my protein intake (and decreasing carbs), this will continue to prevent injury/fatigue?

i know that to avoid injuries from running, replenishing glycogen stores is important. but, wouldn’t this halt fat burning?
[/quote]

Ok, good info. Protein is a bit higher than I thought (was estimating 75g or so). I think that an extra 25g of protein from whey or lean meat would be a good addition, since you are working out for 90 minutes a day and that is a good amount of time to be continuously working.

If you want to test if the frequent insulin spikes are holding you back, I would recommend limiting carbs to only pre and post workout. To my knowledge, insulin is an indiscriminately anabolic hormone and will affect both fat and muscle gains. Spiking insulin 4x per day as you are now could potentially be causing the fat gain. Switching to only twice around workouts might help.

Overall, I think the bigger problem with your plan is that you are undereating relative to your work volume. 90 minutes of working out per day is pretty substantial for someone who is running at a caloric deficit of 850 cals per day. Believe it or not, it’s very possible to retain water and fat simply due to being undernourished.

I would recommend maintaining overall caloric intake at first, but limiting your carbohydrate intake to the times that I mentioned before- maybe have your current postworkout meal 40 minutes prior to your workout, then eat the rest of your carbs in your postworkout meal. Adding an additional 25g or so of protein to the preworkout meal would probably be good as well.

If spiking insulin less frequently and at more opportune times like that doesn’t seem to help, I would recommend eating more each day and seeing what happens. If it’s not the frequent insulin spikes that are hurting your progress, I’d guess it’s overtraining relative to your nutrient intake.

Hope this helps.

5

It is quite possible the the insulin spikes are what is halting your fat loss, you appear to be eating starchy carbs, wheat based at that, with every meal. Wheat being constructed of carbohydrate type amylopectin A results in a higher insulin response relative to the amount of carbs ingested, and as such remains elevated for longer. Periods of low insulin levels are needed for optimal fat burning, and you would likely do well to switch from wheat based carb sources, or less ideally but what could also be effective would be to have 1 or 2 completely carb free meals in your plan. Other potential issues could come in the form of dairy, which can slow fat loss in alot of people, or that alot of your carbohydrates, particularly in the morning, come in the form of fructose which is preferentially stored as liver glycogen, rather than muscle glycogen, meaning you have a lower storage capacity before it ‘spills’ into adipose tissue storage. Hope this helps

6

GOOGLE “John Keifer Women running into trouble” and Youtube “Scott Abel Metabolic Damage”

read/watch these

7

Thanks guys!

Does this seem more appropriate:

Breakfast:
1 scoop whey protein powder
1 scoop vege greens
fish oil
2 eggs

314 calories - carbs: 4 grams, protein: 40 grams, fat: 10 grams

Lunch:
4 cups spinach
1 chicken breast
an eighth a cup of raw almonds

300 calories - carbs: 6 grams, protein: 42 grams, fat: 5 grams

Pre-Workout:
whole grain toast with peanut butter

180 calories - carbs 23 grams, protein: 7 grams, fat: 5 grams

Post-workout:
Almond Kashi Bar

140 calories - carbs 23 grams, protein: 6 grams, fat: 10 grams

Dinner:
brocolli
pasta
tomato sauce

391 calories - carbs 70 grams, protein: 18 grams, fat: 4 grams

Before Bed:
three quarters of a cup of 1% cottage cheese

135 calories - carbs 6 grams, protein: 24 grams, fat: 2 grams

TOTAL:

1431 calories - carbs: 128 grams, protein: 134 grams, fat: 28 grams

(obviously a little tweaking to ensure sufficient caloric intake etc.)

8

[quote]Gl;itch.e wrote:
GOOGLE “John Keifer Women running into trouble” and Youtube “Scott Abel Metabolic Damage”

read/watch these
[/quote]

that’s operating on the assumption that i run specifically to lose weight. just like some athletes enjoy playing soccer, snowboarding, hiking, or whatever else…i enjoy running and that’s the main reason that i do it. i was training for a marathon for the same reason that competitive athletes compete…because they love the sport and want to be their best. reaching my goal and staying uninjured are paramount over losing weight. actually, losing weight isn’t even the issue. ideal BODY COMPOSITION would just be a plus, which is why i wrote this post…for advice to change body composition without sacrificing my health and becoming injured. i’m 5 foot 7 at 128 lbs…that’s almost at the lowest healthy point on the BMI scale. yes, i run obsessively. just like other athletes training for their preferred sport.

9

That doesn’t look too bad, assuming the calories don’t end up being too low. One suggestion though- I really think you should get more of your daily protein in with your preworkout and postworkout meal/snacks. At the very least I’d suggest shifting the scoop of whey to your preworkout meal.

In general, it looks like you’re counting some incomplete proteins into your daily protein total. I would recommend against that- obviously those grams of protein factor into the daily caloric intake, but anything that isn’t meat/fish/eggs/a milk product is a bit iffy as a protein source because of its amino acid profile.

10

[quote]aajd91 wrote:

[quote]Gl;itch.e wrote:
GOOGLE “John Keifer Women running into trouble” and Youtube “Scott Abel Metabolic Damage”

read/watch these
[/quote]

that’s operating on the assumption that i run specifically to lose weight. just like some athletes enjoy playing soccer, snowboarding, hiking, or whatever else…i enjoy running and that’s the main reason that i do it. i was training for a marathon for the same reason that competitive athletes compete…because they love the sport and want to be their best. reaching my goal and staying uninjured are paramount over losing weight. actually, losing weight isn’t even the issue. ideal BODY COMPOSITION would just be a plus, which is why i wrote this post…for advice to change body composition without sacrificing my health and becoming injured. i’m 5 foot 7 at 128 lbs…that’s almost at the lowest healthy point on the BMI scale. yes, i run obsessively. just like other athletes training for their preferred sport.[/quote]

If youve read and understood those articles then theres not much else we can do for you. You are operating under the assumption that you can undo the damage you are causing through restrictive dieting. If you enjoy running thats fine. But understand that you are prioritising it over both health and body composition.

11

[quote]aajd91 wrote:

[quote]Gl;itch.e wrote:
GOOGLE “John Keifer Women running into trouble” and Youtube “Scott Abel Metabolic Damage”

read/watch these
[/quote]

that’s operating on the assumption that i run specifically to lose weight. just like some athletes enjoy playing soccer, snowboarding, hiking, or whatever else…i enjoy running and that’s the main reason that i do it. i was training for a marathon for the same reason that competitive athletes compete…because they love the sport and want to be their best. reaching my goal and staying uninjured are paramount over losing weight. actually, losing weight isn’t even the issue. ideal BODY COMPOSITION would just be a plus, which is why i wrote this post…for advice to change body composition without sacrificing my health and becoming injured. i’m 5 foot 7 at 128 lbs…that’s almost at the lowest healthy point on the BMI scale. yes, i run obsessively. just like other athletes training for their preferred sport.[/quote]

Didn’t see this post before. If you are prioritizing performance on running/general enjoyment above body composition, I definitely recommend that you monitor your fat/water retention carefully and take in more food if it persists in spite of the diet changes.

You are certainly running the risk of overtraining and need to tread carefully. Less cals in not necessarily better for gaining/maintaining leanness. How much water and fat you are holding while cutting can be a very good indicator of whether or not you’re eating enough.

If your new plan doesn’t show any improvement after a couple of weeks, I would bet money that your intake is too low for your level of activity. Just something to keep an eye on, good luck!

12

[quote]bigmac73nh wrote:

[quote]aajd91 wrote:

[quote]Gl;itch.e wrote:
GOOGLE “John Keifer Women running into trouble” and Youtube “Scott Abel Metabolic Damage”

read/watch these
[/quote]

that’s operating on the assumption that i run specifically to lose weight. just like some athletes enjoy playing soccer, snowboarding, hiking, or whatever else…i enjoy running and that’s the main reason that i do it. i was training for a marathon for the same reason that competitive athletes compete…because they love the sport and want to be their best. reaching my goal and staying uninjured are paramount over losing weight. actually, losing weight isn’t even the issue. ideal BODY COMPOSITION would just be a plus, which is why i wrote this post…for advice to change body composition without sacrificing my health and becoming injured. i’m 5 foot 7 at 128 lbs…that’s almost at the lowest healthy point on the BMI scale. yes, i run obsessively. just like other athletes training for their preferred sport.[/quote]

Didn’t see this post before. If you are prioritizing performance on running/general enjoyment above body composition, I definitely recommend that you monitor your fat/water retention carefully and take in more food if it persists in spite of the diet changes.

You are certainly running the risk of overtraining and need to tread carefully. Less cals in not necessarily better for gaining/maintaining leanness. How much water and fat you are holding while cutting can be a very good indicator of whether or not you’re eating enough.

If your new plan doesn’t show any improvement after a couple of weeks, I would bet money that your intake is too low for your level of activity. Just something to keep an eye on, good luck![/quote]

OP has already stated that inspite of extra cardio (edit: sorry other way round, bigger caloric deficit) she is not losing weight. This is metabolic shutdown/damage/starvation mode kicking in. More than anything she needs to up her calories to PREVENT weightloss unless she is happy to suffer with the consequences which may compound and become a lifelong battle with her weight.

13

[quote]Gl;itch.e wrote:

[quote]bigmac73nh wrote:

[quote]aajd91 wrote:

[quote]Gl;itch.e wrote:
GOOGLE “John Keifer Women running into trouble” and Youtube “Scott Abel Metabolic Damage”

read/watch these
[/quote]

that’s operating on the assumption that i run specifically to lose weight. just like some athletes enjoy playing soccer, snowboarding, hiking, or whatever else…i enjoy running and that’s the main reason that i do it. i was training for a marathon for the same reason that competitive athletes compete…because they love the sport and want to be their best. reaching my goal and staying uninjured are paramount over losing weight. actually, losing weight isn’t even the issue. ideal BODY COMPOSITION would just be a plus, which is why i wrote this post…for advice to change body composition without sacrificing my health and becoming injured. i’m 5 foot 7 at 128 lbs…that’s almost at the lowest healthy point on the BMI scale. yes, i run obsessively. just like other athletes training for their preferred sport.[/quote]

Didn’t see this post before. If you are prioritizing performance on running/general enjoyment above body composition, I definitely recommend that you monitor your fat/water retention carefully and take in more food if it persists in spite of the diet changes.

You are certainly running the risk of overtraining and need to tread carefully. Less cals in not necessarily better for gaining/maintaining leanness. How much water and fat you are holding while cutting can be a very good indicator of whether or not you’re eating enough.

If your new plan doesn’t show any improvement after a couple of weeks, I would bet money that your intake is too low for your level of activity. Just something to keep an eye on, good luck![/quote]
OP has already stated that inspite of extra cardio (edit: sorry other way round, bigger caloric deficit) she is not losing weight. This is metabolic shutdown/damage/starvation mode kicking in. More than anything she needs to up her calories to PREVENT weightloss unless she is happy to suffer with the consequences which may compound and become a lifelong battle with her weight.[/quote]

I agree. She seems to be committed to trying to maintain the low calories though, so I’m suggesting that she eat more if/when that doesn’t work.

I think water/fat retention are obvious physical signs of work output being too much for nutrient intake, so I’m hoping that OP will at least monitor her physical condition and start to eat more if conditioning improvements continue to stall.

14

ok, here is my $0.02 cents worth. I work one on one with Meb Keflezighi the 2009 NYC Marathon winner and recently the Olympic Marathon Trials winner (London Calling!). Anyway I have watched his diet ebb and flow over the last four years and here is what I have noticed.

  1. He gets VERY serious about his diet about 6 weeks out from a marathon. He will train in a fasted state even for his long 20-27 mile runs on sunday then come home and EAT alot of protein, fats and carbs. Dinner will be even a little larger and he will eat right before bed as well.

2 On tempo and interval days after his cool down, he will down his post workout shake and stretch. After that lunch will be a high protein/ high fat lunch and lower carbs.

  1. During other training periods he is still conscious of his diet BUT he will fluctuate between a race weight of 117-119 and a down period of around 126-128 on a 5’6" frame.

  2. Make sure you are getting enough protein for muscular recovery, enough sleep to help as well. Fish oils and a vitamin and mineral supplement are your friends.

DO NOT pay attention to the BMI scale. It just does not work for athletes !

Any further questions feel free to PM me ! Good luck and lite speed : )

15

[quote]killerDIRK wrote:

  1. During other training periods he is still conscious of his diet BUT he will fluctuate between a race weight of 117-119 and a down period of around 126-128 on a 5’6" frame.

[/quote]

This sounds very unhealthy for an adult male.

16

[quote]killerDIRK wrote:
ok, here is my $0.02 cents worth. I work one on one with Meb Keflezighi the 2009 NYC Marathon winner and recently the Olympic Marathon Trials winner (London Calling!). Anyway I have watched his diet ebb and flow over the last four years and here is what I have noticed.

  1. He gets VERY serious about his diet about 6 weeks out from a marathon. He will train in a fasted state even for his long 20-27 mile runs on sunday then come home and EAT alot of protein, fats and carbs. Dinner will be even a little larger and he will eat right before bed as well.

2 On tempo and interval days after his cool down, he will down his post workout shake and stretch. After that lunch will be a high protein/ high fat lunch and lower carbs.

  1. During other training periods he is still conscious of his diet BUT he will fluctuate between a race weight of 117-119 and a down period of around 126-128 on a 5’6" frame.

  2. Make sure you are getting enough protein for muscular recovery, enough sleep to help as well. Fish oils and a vitamin and mineral supplement are your friends.

DO NOT pay attention to the BMI scale. It just does not work for athletes !

Any further questions feel free to PM me ! Good luck and lite speed : )[/quote]

Thanks for the input. What’s the reason for #2, eating high protein/high fat with lower carbs? isn’t this the time to be eating carbs?

17

[quote]bigmac73nh wrote:

[quote]Gl;itch.e wrote:

[quote]bigmac73nh wrote:

[quote]aajd91 wrote:

[quote]Gl;itch.e wrote:
GOOGLE “John Keifer Women running into trouble” and Youtube “Scott Abel Metabolic Damage”

read/watch these
[/quote]

that’s operating on the assumption that i run specifically to lose weight. just like some athletes enjoy playing soccer, snowboarding, hiking, or whatever else…i enjoy running and that’s the main reason that i do it. i was training for a marathon for the same reason that competitive athletes compete…because they love the sport and want to be their best. reaching my goal and staying uninjured are paramount over losing weight. actually, losing weight isn’t even the issue. ideal BODY COMPOSITION would just be a plus, which is why i wrote this post…for advice to change body composition without sacrificing my health and becoming injured. i’m 5 foot 7 at 128 lbs…that’s almost at the lowest healthy point on the BMI scale. yes, i run obsessively. just like other athletes training for their preferred sport.[/quote]

Didn’t see this post before. If you are prioritizing performance on running/general enjoyment above body composition, I definitely recommend that you monitor your fat/water retention carefully and take in more food if it persists in spite of the diet changes.

You are certainly running the risk of overtraining and need to tread carefully. Less cals in not necessarily better for gaining/maintaining leanness. How much water and fat you are holding while cutting can be a very good indicator of whether or not you’re eating enough.

If your new plan doesn’t show any improvement after a couple of weeks, I would bet money that your intake is too low for your level of activity. Just something to keep an eye on, good luck![/quote]
OP has already stated that inspite of extra cardio (edit: sorry other way round, bigger caloric deficit) she is not losing weight. This is metabolic shutdown/damage/starvation mode kicking in. More than anything she needs to up her calories to PREVENT weightloss unless she is happy to suffer with the consequences which may compound and become a lifelong battle with her weight.[/quote]

I agree. She seems to be committed to trying to maintain the low calories though, so I’m suggesting that she eat more if/when that doesn’t work.

I think water/fat retention are obvious physical signs of work output being too much for nutrient intake, so I’m hoping that OP will at least monitor her physical condition and start to eat more if conditioning improvements continue to stall.
[/quote]

I’m definitely NOT committed to maintaing low calories if that will not help body composition. Before writing this post, I wasn’t aware that too much of a calorie deficit could be the problem. i love food…and if eating more of it will HELP, then that’s the best answer I could hope for. The sample diet didn’t include everything I would be eating that day, it was just an outline of the main things to get the right macronutrient ratio.

I will definitely up the calorie intake and protein intake pre/post workout.

I’ve already eaten much more today… haha

18

[quote]Gl;itch.e wrote:

[quote]aajd91 wrote:

[quote]Gl;itch.e wrote:
GOOGLE “John Keifer Women running into trouble” and Youtube “Scott Abel Metabolic Damage”

read/watch these
[/quote]

that’s operating on the assumption that i run specifically to lose weight. just like some athletes enjoy playing soccer, snowboarding, hiking, or whatever else…i enjoy running and that’s the main reason that i do it. i was training for a marathon for the same reason that competitive athletes compete…because they love the sport and want to be their best. reaching my goal and staying uninjured are paramount over losing weight. actually, losing weight isn’t even the issue. ideal BODY COMPOSITION would just be a plus, which is why i wrote this post…for advice to change body composition without sacrificing my health and becoming injured. i’m 5 foot 7 at 128 lbs…that’s almost at the lowest healthy point on the BMI scale. yes, i run obsessively. just like other athletes training for their preferred sport.[/quote]

If youve read and understood those articles then theres not much else we can do for you. You are operating under the assumption that you can undo the damage you are causing through restrictive dieting. If you enjoy running thats fine. But understand that you are prioritising it over both health and body composition. [/quote]

I feel as though I’m missing something…where did you get the impression that I am unwiling to increase calories if necessary? i did read/watch those articles and understand them fully. i asked for advice on changing body composition and staying healthy without being aware that such a calorie deficit was causing this problem. you skipped the giving advice part and jumped to the conclusion that i am a girl that goes on a treadmill for hours a day expecting to get a perfect body and that i would be unwilling to take your advice…if you had actually given any. specifically, what is Kiefer’s article supposed to be advising me to do? stop doing steady state cardio? that is my sport. and combining it with hill running, HIIT, regular intervals, weight training and now cross training on a bike is definitely not an hour of steady state cardio daily.

19

[quote]aajd91 wrote:
Thanks guys!

Does this seem more appropriate:

Breakfast:
1 scoop whey protein powder
1 scoop vege greens
fish oil
2 eggs

314 calories - carbs: 4 grams, protein: 40 grams, fat: 10 grams

Lunch:
4 cups spinach
1 chicken breast
an eighth a cup of raw almonds

300 calories - carbs: 6 grams, protein: 42 grams, fat: 5 grams

Pre-Workout:
whole grain toast with peanut butter

180 calories - carbs 23 grams, protein: 7 grams, fat: 5 grams

Post-workout:
Almond Kashi Bar

140 calories - carbs 23 grams, protein: 6 grams, fat: 10 grams

Dinner:
brocolli
pasta
tomato sauce

391 calories - carbs 70 grams, protein: 18 grams, fat: 4 grams

Before Bed:
three quarters of a cup of 1% cottage cheese

135 calories - carbs 6 grams, protein: 24 grams, fat: 2 grams

TOTAL:

1431 calories - carbs: 128 grams, protein: 134 grams, fat: 28 grams

(obviously a little tweaking to ensure sufficient caloric intake etc.)
[/quote]

This looks alot better, like someone else mentioned i would also add or shift some of your daily protein take to pre/post workout, other than that you look in a good position. Best of luck with your body comp goals, and ignore the ‘your running so you’re doomed’ trolls. While it may not be ideal for body comp, do what you enjoy, aslong as you understand you arent doing it for body composition.

20

[quote]aajd91 wrote:

[quote]Gl;itch.e wrote:

[quote]aajd91 wrote:

[quote]Gl;itch.e wrote:
GOOGLE “John Keifer Women running into trouble” and Youtube “Scott Abel Metabolic Damage”

read/watch these
[/quote]

that’s operating on the assumption that i run specifically to lose weight. just like some athletes enjoy playing soccer, snowboarding, hiking, or whatever else…i enjoy running and that’s the main reason that i do it. i was training for a marathon for the same reason that competitive athletes compete…because they love the sport and want to be their best. reaching my goal and staying uninjured are paramount over losing weight. actually, losing weight isn’t even the issue. ideal BODY COMPOSITION would just be a plus, which is why i wrote this post…for advice to change body composition without sacrificing my health and becoming injured. i’m 5 foot 7 at 128 lbs…that’s almost at the lowest healthy point on the BMI scale. yes, i run obsessively. just like other athletes training for their preferred sport.[/quote]

If youve read and understood those articles then theres not much else we can do for you. You are operating under the assumption that you can undo the damage you are causing through restrictive dieting. If you enjoy running thats fine. But understand that you are prioritising it over both health and body composition. [/quote]

I feel as though I’m missing something…where did you get the impression that I am unwiling to increase calories if necessary? i did read/watch those articles and understand them fully. i asked for advice on changing body composition and staying healthy without being aware that such a calorie deficit was causing this problem. you skipped the giving advice part and jumped to the conclusion that i am a girl that goes on a treadmill for hours a day expecting to get a perfect body and that i would be unwilling to take your advice…if you had actually given any. specifically, what is Kiefer’s article supposed to be advising me to do? stop doing steady state cardio? that is my sport. and combining it with hill running, HIIT, regular intervals, weight training and now cross training on a bike is definitely not an hour of steady state cardio daily.
[/quote]
one thing you can be sure of is Insulin Spikes have very little to do with your problems. Insufficient calories and the type of training you are involved in are primarily responsible. You can do better in theory by increasing calories to a point where you perform better but its doubtful you can improve your body composition significantly with the type of training you are engaged in.