I’d like to welcome someone just as race crazy as me. This lady is always running races and keeps me informed on what’s happening down in Southern California. Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s my pleasure to introduce our guest blogger today, Tiffany from RunningHutch.com
It might be a risk sharing my wifely fail of the year with a new audience, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take. Food predates running in my relationship with my husband (Jason or J). We started cooking and planning meals together the moment we started dating. Running came about 3 months later. It seemed only naturally that when we would cook and eat together, that we would plate our dinners and split the leftovers evenly. One piece of fish for you and one piece of fish for me. Two scoops of veggies for you, two scoops for me. Seems fair, right?
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, now married and starting Crossfit together. Trying out Paleo has forced us to cook more and rely on leftovers for lunches. So, while J used to be able to help himself to seconds at dinner, those extra bites are now spoken for by future Jason and Tiffany.
Last Saturday it became clear that my “one for you, one for me” system isn’t going to work anymore. J and I split a grapefruit for breakfast, as we didn’t have much time before our 9:00 am Crossfit class. We huffed through an endurance AMRAP WOD and then came home and downed a Premier Protein shake (lots of protein and minimal carbs in 160 calories). Then, J decided to head to the library before lunch and I stayed home. About 15 minutes after he left I got this text message (unedited):
“I broke out in cold sweat, am shaking, and seeing spots. Went to coffee cart and bought vitamin water. Going to sit for a bit. Typing is hard with shaking hands and sots make it difficult to see typed words. Let you know when better.”
WHAT THE HECK?! Clearly he had some kind of hypoglycemic episode from not properly refueling after our morning workout. But I felt fine! I should point out that this kind of thing never happens. However, it was a useful reminder to us that we were forgetting some obvious rules about nutrition.
You’re probably already thinking this, but yes, men and women have different fueling needs. This is one area where anyone can agree men and women are not equal. I’m no nutrition expert, but according to my research:
A higher percentage of lean muscle, heavier bones, and less body fat all play into men burning calories a little bit faster than women, in general. Men burn more energy even when sleeping!
Because of this, men require more calories to maintain, and even more if they’re doing moderate to vigorous exercise (Crossfit?). And so, the recommended daily calories for guys is higher than for gals.
Huge DUH, right? And the lame thing is, we knew all this. Technically. But we just didn’t connect that with how we were plating our food! So, basically I’ve been slowly starving my husband by ‘being even’. Over the past year (so, even before we started Crossfit) I think he’s lost about 11lbs – which he did not need to lose.
You’ll be glad to know, however, that I’ve been trying to correct this. I made beef ribs this week (one of my favorite things) and not only gave him more but let him take all the leftovers. (Awww).
As half of a running/athletic duo, I think and blog a lot about what Andrew and Sue O’Brien call Partnerunning. In general, Jason and I are better and stronger together. But sometimes we forget we have different needs. Whether you train with a friend or a loved one, remember to look out for your partner and consider what’s best for him/her.
You can find me here:
Blog: RunningHutch.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/RunningHutch
Twitter: @Running_Hutch
* * * *
Yikes. Please take note everyone. We all need various levels of nutrition. I’m glad everyone is ok and leave it to a Southern California couple to make us all hungry with a photo shout out of In-N-Out… you are lucky we have some up here in the Bay Area, otherwise you might get a knock on your door at 2 am to make sure the hubs isn’t hungry for a double-double with cheese.
How do you make sure your daily nutrition is sufficient?
Have you ever had a “scary” moment on the run like this?
Advertisement:
Awesome post and a great reminder to us all. Even though I can get a little jealous that the men in our lives can eat more than us women, it’s because it’s what they’re body needs. So glad your guys realized this and I’ll remember this whenever the day comes that I’m happily cooking for the man in my life.
I can totally relate to this. When my boyfriend used to stay at my apartment a few days in row he said he always lost weight. He liked having “portion control” at my place because I did the cooking but it wasn’t enough! It’s a situation I don’t think many people really consider. Great post :)
I TOTALLY know what you mean by “one for you one for me” and unfortunately I experienced the OPPOSITE EFFECT. My boyfriend is an awesome cook so he frequently makes me meals and gives us the same portion size…. well, I should definitely NOT be eating the same amount as my 6’2″ workout-everyday-with-a-super-high-metabolism boyfriend. But hey, if its on the plate I will eat it especially since it’s SO GOOD. It’s something I need to constantly remind myself – I should not be eating as much as him! I think the best thing to do is just communicate, that way you are both knowing each other’s needs and helping eachother! Awesome post!
So very true– my husband sounds a lot like yours, he has no concept of overall calories or how much he is eating, and when we first started eating much less eat, he lost a bit of weight as well (that he didn’t need to lose). I think he’s more laid back with food and doesn’t think about snacking nearly as often as I do. :) Thanks for sharing- and it’s fun to “meet” you- heading over to check out your blog!