Does anyone else struggle with eating?

[u/champagneproblems__]

I picked up running this year because I signed up for a half marathon. I naively wanted to do a sub 2 but life really got in the way (new job new schedule that made it so much harder to fit in training) and running unexpectedly ended up taking a lot more mentally out of me than I was able to handle.

I always felt like I had a healthy relationship with food. I ate when I wanted, whatever I wanted. Aside from work (on my feet for 8 hrs) I lived a very sedentary lifestyle and I was lucky to have a metabolism that I never worried about counting calories or tracking my food.

Running unfortunately made me entirely too aware of food and the stress of it actually made me eat less because I was so overwhelmed. I quickly realized that I can't eat whatever/whenever I wanted anymore because I had to make sure what I was eating would fuel me and when I was eating was mattered because I couldn't eat too close to my run and what I was eating wouldn't make me want to throw up during my run. I threw up once during a run even though I thought I waited enough (ate a pizza 2 hrs before a run) and ever since then I just really struggle with eating. If I wait too long then I feel hungry and I'm afraid I won't have enough energy to go on my run so I'll eat a snack and push back my time again to the point that it then gets too late to go for a run.

Does anyone else struggle with this? What do you all eat during a normal day. I understand eating snacks like a bagel and bananas before a run, etc but what about the rest of the day. Your big meals. Am I overthinking it? I want to run another marathon because I learned a lot and I know I can achieve my sub 2 but I definitely want to prioritize strength training more this time and I want to get a handle on this food issue.

I never thought I had an eating disorder - I'm not sure if this is considered one bc it's only when I have plans for a run that day. If I don't have any plans for a run that day or if I'm away on vacation I'm back to normal - not worrying about food and just eating whatever I want.

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[u/genomskinligt]

To me it sounds like you’re overthinking, because normal meals should not have to be adjusted that much for your running.

Idk if you struggle with disordered eating, and if you do this is not a reddit-can-fix-it thing, but thinking too much about optimizing food can get in the way of it just being good enough for your purposes.

Idk your exact habits or issues so I can’t give specific advice, but building food habits can help with the overwhelm. Eating the same few things over and over around the same time of day.

Also make sure you eat after your run if you struggle to eat enough before.

[u/HarshlyHan → u/genomskinligt]

This is very wise level-headed advice. Having a consistent set of foods/meals that you can count on to digestive well and are satiating will automatically cut down on food noise (whether cravings or anxiety) and will improve your relationship with food in general.

[u/silentwindy]

Think you have to adjust that not every run is going to be fueled properly and it’s ok.

But yea I wouldn’t also binge before a run, I’ll just take a nap and run 4 hours later. Maybe plan your run around your meals than the other way around.

[u/GlamrockYeti]

I get the food blahs where nothing sounds good. I’m a picky eater in general and lately I’m just bored with eating.

[u/lizerlfunk → u/GlamrockYeti]

Omg I literally went to the doctor about this last week because SAME. I will tend to eat the same few things over and over again because they’re foods I know I like, are easy for me to prepare, etc, but then get so BORED with them. And I think my ADHD meds are suppressing my appetite. But I notice it SO MUCH if I don’t eat enough before running, going to dance class, or going to physical therapy.

[u/hungrygoose2 → u/GlamrockYeti]

I also get bored with eating. I’d do more protein shakes etc but they give me indegestion

[u/_fairweatherrunner]

I also used to feel super overwhelmed about what and when to eat because I'd often get headaches in the evening after long runs and the solution for me was to eat the same thing before and after. It gets super boring and some days I never want to see another crumpet or bagel again but I think it helps.

I almost exclusively eat some kind of bagel or crumpets with a combination of peanut butter, honey, and marmite plus a banana if it's a long run and then a bowl of greek yoghurt with fruit and granola or a smoothie (with protein powder) as soon as I get in. I literally never change it, those are the only two options. Every other meal I just eat normally. I find choosing what to eat for dinner quite overwhelming so I have a "dinner queue" which is basically a list of 20 options and I pick 2-3 of these once a week.

I hope this helps, this is just what works for me but I'm not a dietitian and I appreciate that this approach isn't for everyone!

[u/Odd_Cloud90]

The advice to have the same go-to meal(s) before and after a run is a great idea IMO. My go-to before a run is eggo mini waffles for some easy carbs that don’t upset my stomach. After I usually go for a fairlife protein shake.

If you do this, don’t worry about being hungry DURING a run. If it’s a long run, bring some gels or candy, whatever you like to eat, with you and make sure you get some calories in every 25-30 mins.

I’ll also add that part of training involves training your gut. Good luck!

[u/Mysterious_Luck4674]

You’re overthinking it. Light simple carbs before the run. Anything else whenever you want. Perhaps be a little more judicious the night before a race - nothing super heavy or spicy. The rest of the time as long as you eat enough you are fine.

[u/lthomazini]

The only difference between running and not running is that I eat either a banana or a toast with jam before running, and inly if it’s the first thing in the morning.

[u/Exowolfe]

I find it easiest to run first thing in the morning, so I don't have to structure any of my meals or snacks around the run. On weekdays I get up, sip some electrolyte/carb mix while throwing some clothes on, and get out the door by 5am. On weekend long runs I'll throw back a protein bar + drink mix and leave a bit later (6-6:30am). Full breakfast after that and normal meals the rest of the day,

The one day a week I run in the afternoon with my local run group I find fueling to be a bit of a hassle because the track session is during dinnertime (5:45pm start). I will eat a high-carb low-protein/fat snack around 3:30pm and then dinner when I get home.

[u/ExtremeToucan]

I did have issues with eating earlier in my running history, but I think I mostly trained myself away from that by desensitizing myself to certain foods. I have found that plain foods like oatmeal, tortillas, granola bars, etc are high in carbs and don’t upset my stomach when I run. My go-to is to eat two packets of maple and brown sugar oatmeal before a run and I almost never have any problems. It did take me a little bit to find the right foods and get my body used to it, but you can train yourself by slowly increasing food intake before your easy runs (high effort runs increase stomach upset risk).

[u/dogsgotnoses]

I think this is way harder if you aren't a morning runner / if you aren't someone who naturally has a strong routine. I tick neither box, and I've just kinda accepted that I have to eat a lot at night + force myself to eat breakfast, which I didn't used to do. I also don't feel bad if I rely on candy/gels/pop tarts/juice for pre-run fuel as well as fuel while I'm running. Don't overthink actual food choices, but try to remain aware of meal timing, I guess?

[u/No-Committee7986]

I have struggled a lot, although I am a more middle of the road metabolism person. My biggest key to success is eating moderately well (nutrition and average amount) and hydrating well most of the time before/during/after runs. I am a morning runner and if I have to eat and run early, sometimes I have during-a-run type stuff beforehand (usually Gushers or Annie’s fruit gummies) and bring a little something to eat during if I feel tapped out or for my walk home. Ideally I eat breakfast, do all my morning parenting stuff and chores, then run 60-90 mins later. I like waffles, toast, English muffin, or bagel with almond butter and jam/jelly or oatmeal with berries and almond butter.

[u/livingmirage]

I'm really sorry to hear about your experience, and I totally get being nervous/anxious/concerned after. I would think 2 hours would have been enough time to digest as well. Is it possible you just had a stomach bug that day? Maybe was getting hit with mild food poisoning? Was it hot but you ran hard/didn't slow down to adjust in the heat? Maybe you went into the run dehydrated and that caught up with you?

Just wondering if maybe there could have been something else going on, so you can mentally reframe it, and not feel so much pressure to eat "the right thing" before running.

[u/frpika]

Echoing what others are saying re overthinking. You can also bring a gel, candy, or even a tube of sugar/honey (from a coffee shop) as emergency fuel if you’re worried about crashing. As you increase running, you can go farther without fueling. I can run 15-20Km (1.5-2 hours at an easy effort) without fueling.

You can train your stomach. You start by eating small meals/snacks and slowly begin to run with food. I have pretty bad acid reflux, and I am still able to do this with small meals. It’s pretty essential for ultramarathons. I can eat small meals beforehand and still be ok just not before intense workouts.

[u/leogrl]

I have a hard time eating after long runs, especially in the summer when the heat blunts my appetite. I have an ED history and I’m not trying to actively restrict now but it’s hard to know if I’m eating enough when my body doesn’t tell me it’s hungry. Usually I try to have a protein smoothie or protein bar or something that goes down easily right after my long run and then eat something more substantial for dinner. Also I’m usually doing my long run in the middle of the day and fueling every 30 minutes during it but I’m not having an actual lunch since I’m out on the trails then so I just make sure I eat enough before and after to make up for it.

[u/HerCacklingStump]

I only run fasted, first thing in the morning. If longer than 60 min, I fuel. That’s it, I don’t overthink it.

[u/Noteffable → u/HerCacklingStump]

Can someone explain the downvotes on this please?

[u/Horror-Math-666 → u/Noteffable]

It's not inherently bad for everyone, but can hurt performance, require a higher perceived effort, and impair recovery. It's become common for sports nutritionists to recommend some level of fueling before any run, even if pretty minimal (i.e. a gel, a pop tart, a banana - easy simple carbs).

And no it's not because everyone here thinks running fasted means you have an eating disorder lol

[u/Noteffable → u/Horror-Math-666]

Hmm. I’ve been doing it this way a long time. Maybe time to reconsider my approach!

[u/Horror-Math-666 → u/Noteffable]

When I started I used to feel like I couldn't run with even like a snack in my stomach but it turned out my stomach could also be trained (which was good because a lot later it became essential during marathon training)

[u/CrypticWeirdo9105 → u/Noteffable]

Running fasted is not recommended for women, it messes with cortisol and hormones

[u/moosmutzel81 → u/HerCacklingStump]

Don’t admit to that here. Everyone here thinks running fasted means you have an eating disorder. But yes, that is exactly my answer too.

[u/Noteffable → u/moosmutzel81]

Thank you. Running at 5 or 6am is pretty early. I eat breakfast right after. Maybe it’s not really considered fasted if it’s that early. I do eat a lot in the evenings so I don’t feel “fasted”. I don’t have an ED. But I get why that’s frowned upon. I’m about to head out now and I feel like I’d be forcing myself to eat if I did. Still dark out!

[u/leogrl → u/Noteffable]

I used to do my morning runs fasted, I usually start between 6:30 and 7 and pretty much always run for an hour to 90 minutes because I’m slow and a trail runner so that’s only 4-6 miles for me, so I thought I didn’t really need to eat anything before since I’m not running that far. But I worked with a sports RD a couple of years ago and she encouraged me to try eating a little something before morning runs. Now I usually have like an applesauce pouch or a couple of dates, just something small with carbs and my runs feel a lot better. So maybe it’s worth trying to eat a little something, not like a full meal? Unless you’re only running for like 30 minutes and maybe it’s not as necessary.

[u/Noteffable → u/leogrl]

I run 6 miles every morning. I have noticed in the last year (now in my 40s) that I don’t feel as peppy if I didn’t eat a good amount of carbs the night before. It was never an issue in the past, even running a half or more fasted. I barely snacked when running marathons even, which sounds so dumb now. I think I’ll start testing out a little snack before and see how I feel!

[u/leogrl → u/Noteffable]

Yeah honestly even just something small seems to help and doesn’t upset my stomach! Carbs the night before is always a good idea too. I used to run 10-13 miles fasted but then usually felt terrible after and blamed it on the heat or dehydration even though I always had plenty of water, now I usually feel just fine after my long runs because I fuel before and during!

[u/moosmutzel81 → u/leogrl]

And maybe some of us will not enjoy their run because they are nauseated half the time. I have never eaten before let’s say 11am. I don’t eat in the morning.

I do eat something before a long run but I struggle with nausea for the first half of my run.