Marathon Training

Hello, I am joining a team that will do a walking marathon.  I am wondering if anyone can help with nutrition during endurance events. How can I do the nutrition correctly given the requirements of WLS?  Does anyone have any experience with this? Thank you,

Hello Rashmi, Weight Loss Surgery certainly presents some complications when trying to prepare nutritionally for a marathon. I have a suggestion for a member you should contact. Her name is Lynn and has a good bit of experience preparing for marathons post op. You will find the link to her profile below and you can private message or email her from there. http://obesityhelp.com/member/292309/ If you can't get a hold of Lynn, please let me know and I will assist you.

Thanks Jeremy for remembering me.

Thanks Jeremy! Well, most of the food requirements are the same although we need to watch protein and sugars. The suggestion from my Coach and other friends that are RNY marathoners are that you try any Gu or other gels at home and find out if you dump. Most find Gu to be the best choice providing no dumping. You must keep eating small amounts throughout the run/walk. On long distances you need to bring tums (for calcium) and other nutritional treats. We use beef jerky, trail mix (with M & Ms check to see you will not dump on them just a small amount). pretzels, pickles, and protein bars to eat along the route. TRY EVERYTHING before and at home in case you dump. You are training through TNT? that is an awesome group I have a friend that is a WLS DS patient that trained and ran the marathon through them. WEIGH to go! All the best to you, Lynn

Thanks Lynn and congratulations on completing your marathon. You are a great inspiration.  I had the VSG which doesn't have a dumping component.  Can you tell me how often you ate and how much of each item you ate at a time? Yes, I am training through TNT. I am hoping to walk the marathon in Anchorage in June. 

Hey there. I just finished Disney in Jan and am running Hyannis, MA next week.  As far as proper nutrition and WLS, you are going to have to get in your carbs.  There is just no way around it.  As a side note, many people report that they do NOT lose weight while training for their first marathon.  You may find that you start eating more to compensate for the all the calories you are burning.     For my typical long run, I would star****er and carb loading about two days before and some people have said that is not long enough.  I have heard of loading on water and carbs a week in advance of the race.  I have trouble with pasta so I will eat a million Quaker Oat Meal Bars between now and the marathon.  I will also do some whole grain breads or maybe a begal.  As Lynn said, you are going to have to eat during the race also.  Try to see what works before the race.  I use Power Gel and they do bother my stomach a bit but not bad enough to alter my using them.  I will also use gatorade and often take oatmeal cookies with me. With all this being said, you are going to need carbs and try everything in training first.  Heck, you can get a gel and try it at your house to see how you react to it. When you finish the marathon, you will be a different person. 

Hi,  Thank you for your reply and congratulations on your successful marathon run.  Can I ask you some specifics?  My surgery is the VSG. I don't get dumping with the VSG since it is only a restrictive surgery without a malabsorptive component. Also, I am doing a walking marathon with TNT, not a running one. In a marathon do you snack on protein as well as carbs?  Our TNT coach said to eat every 40 minutes or so. Does this sound correct? How do you decide what to snack on during the walk, protein or carbs.  Can you give me some idea of what carbs you snacked on and how much you ate of each one? Also, if you snacked on protein what and how much did you eat? I am concerned  because I haven't eaten many carbs since surgery.  Thanks for all your help.

By the way, if you care there is a link to my Disney Marathon report with a bunch of pictures.  Here it is. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1303681 Scott