Running after surgery....caloric intake???

Questions for the runners in this group.

What do you use for electrolytes?

Does anyone use NUUN?

What are your eating habits while training?

I am startung to struggle with caloric intake versus caloric burn while on my long runs. I am fine of short run days, but anything over 6k and I seem to struggle with energy.

I will be 1 year post op on April 17th.

I am a regular runner and have been since before surgery, so running isnt new to me....just looking for suggestions to help me out

Thanks for your input!

The exercise forum may be a good place to post this question, if you haven't already.

I'm a runner, doing about 20 miles a week currently. I don't feel like my running is so significant where I need to modify my diet in any super special fashion. I aim for my calories to be around 1050 daily, but will intentionally go over on my longer run days (anything over 5 miles for me is "long"). I don't subscribe to a certain # of carbs, or even a specific # of extra calories- cause I know me...I'd 'overspend' on my allowance.

I use cliff bloks energy chew when I do a long run, every two miles. I drink powerade zero to manage leg cramps. Otherwise I do not do anything else, and I feel perfectly fine- with a good amount of enegry.

I'm not a runner, but I do some distance cycling and find there's a bit of overlap!

For electrolytes, I usually take mine in pill form (I use these) and drink plain water while I ride. I tried Nuun and didn't particularly like the flavor, but I do often use the blue Mio sport, which is almost-zero-calorie if memory serves.

Before I reached my weight goal, or now that I'm working on losing regain, I did not eat back my exercise calories. I would have a small, complex-carb meal before going out on a ride-- whole-grain with peanut butter, or steel-cut oatmeal with PB2. I'd make an exception to my carb limits those days, but make sure to eat lots of protein when I finished up. I usually do a protein bar for a mid-ride snack if I'll be going out for two hours or more; the Clif brand tend to be a bit higher in carbs, so an OK choice for exercising. Banana chips are also a good mid-training snack thanks to the sugar and potassium.

I'm currently running 15-20 miles per week, so not a ton but enough. I eat 2,200-2,500 calories per day but don't actively track them often (I'm 2 1/4 years out). I eat everything under the sun, but my carbs mostly come from sweet potato and small portions of "side dishes" (rice or potatoes mostly, occasionally a piece of bread with breakfast). I also eat an apple pretty much every day. That calorie amount falls in line with what most online trackers say an "active" person of my size (140lbs, 5'7") should eat and also in line with my tested BMR. I did not eat additional calories while I was losing in order to "make up" for exercise.

I struggle a LOT to eat while I'm running (and even to drink), so I use gels if I do a run over 5-6 miles. I'm a diabetic so I never eat a whole packet at once, but will take a little at a time as I need it. I have a run coach who is an exercise physiologist and she doesn't recommend the need for nutrition during runs until you're in the 7-8+ mile range, so mostly I've just been practicing keeping it down. I do try to have some form of carbs before I leave the house (about an hour pre-run) if I'm going to do a long run. For most of my shorter runs I run fasted, because it feels better on my sleeve.

If I feel like I need to replace electrolytes I'll use Powerade Zero or Gatorade G2. I don't tend to like Mio or Nuun and I don't like that a lot of the other offerings have caffeine.

I use the following products for electrolytes, but I use them as part of my standard all the time liquid, not just when I run.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OEJU8P0/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003IMPIEA/

I haven't found any NUUN that I like the taste of.

I eat like I normally eat on running days. I prefer to run in the morning, fasted. If I'm planning to run longer than an hour, I eat a Clif Blok every 30 minutes or so, and one prior to the start of my run. For races, I get a banana (or two!) at the end. Those are the only bananas I eat, so they're a lovely treat :)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007X5BNFQ/