How to Lose Weight While Running a Lot (hint: it's not by dieting)There’s no escaping the truth: the more you run, the more you have to eat. A difficult reality for those of us who want to lose weight. After a long run or hard workout, you may feel like you could literally eat everything in the fridge. The ravenous hunger that accompanies strenuous running makes weight loss seem impossible when you’re training – even though it seems counter- intuitive. But it’s not: Matt Fitzgerald calls this phenomenon the “compensation effect” in his book The New Rules of Marathon and Half- Marathon Nutrition. ![]() Count how many times you can run up and down the stairs in 60 seconds. Use a stopwatch to accurately time the 60 seconds. Try to keep beating your score. For example, if you can run up the stairs 10 times in 1 minute, shoot for 11 times the next round. How Long Should I Run a Day if I Need to Lose 10 Pounds? Related Searches Popular Articles How Much Should I Be Able to Bench Press if I. But, your weight lifting program will cause you to gain more mass than is lost and you WILL get stronger. So there are basically two categories for this topic. As running volume and intensity increase, your appetite triggers will become more sensitive because of hormonal changes in the body. In other words, exercise makes you feel hungrier and want to eat more. ![]() So if that’s what happens when you run a lot, how can you accomplish both your weight loss and running goals? Admittedly, it can be difficult for some runners. Especially because the compensation effect is stronger for some, actually causing weight gain during periods of heavy training. But there are ways to control your Cookie Monster cravings, get all the nutrition and fuel you need to run well, and lose weight. Get a jump- start with our free Nutrition Course – delivered straight to your inbox with tips on training, nutrition, weight loss, and more. Why It’s Hard to Lose Weight While Running. Recently Anne emailed me an excellent question: “How can I lose weight and run a lot at the same time? I have 9 months before my marathon and I’m scared that I won’t be able to make it because of my weight. I don’t want to stop running to go on a strict diet but I’m unclear as to how I can lose weight and run at the same time.”Anne’s question echoes many sentiments that I’ve heard from runners who struggle with weight loss and running. Have you ever wondered how you can keep losing weight while eating all of the carbs necessary for running? Or how to control your appetite after a long run? ![]() These are all great questions. And to answer them, we have to stop thinking about “diets” and cutting calories because those strategies simply don’t work for runners. If you cut calories or carbs while running a lot (like during marathon training), you’ll feel sluggish, have poor post- workout recovery, and may not be able to finish your most challenging workouts. 8 Weight Loss Tips for Runners Share Pin Email Running Weight Loss Beginner FAQs Training Injury Prevention Shoes, Apparel and Gear How to Start Running. Run three to four times a week to see consistent healthy weight loss. I try to run three times a week, and I do another activity on one or two other days. I like to run every other day, and in between I might go biking, swimming, or lift weights. Change your old diet for a healthier one, and don't skip meals. Be sure to eat fewer calories than you burn. After you exercise, drink a lot of water. This will make you go to the. ![]() Your ability to tolerate high training levels will be dramatically reduced. So you can’t “diet” by cutting calories if you’re training because you’ll run poorly. And to lose weight (and keep it off), you have to run smart. Train Smart to Lose More Weight. There’s comforting news for competitive runners: smart training can help you lose more weight than “just” running. When your training is designed properly with a time goal in mind, you’ll shed pounds faster than if you were just running for fun. I’ve asked a lot of runners “what fast workouts have you done recently?” And the responses are often a variation of the same answer: “4. None. Their training isn’t structured to promote weight loss. And it’s not just fast workouts, either. The progression of workouts, “extras,” long runs, and even frequency of running all work together to help you lose weight. So when you see many of my runners posting dramatic personal bests, being at their personal goal weight is a big part of that. Smart training helps get them there and is what I help runners with every day. Ongoing exercise is also critical for weight management. People who have successfully lost weight and kept it off almost always exercise regularly. ![]() That’s why smart training is an integral piece to permanent weight loss. To see how you can train smarter, check out the PR Race Plan or the full Injury Prevention for Runners program. But in addition to training correctly, your food choices make a vital contribution to your weight loss goals as well. Curb Your Appetite and Lose Weight (No Dieting Required)I despise diets. They’re unsustainable and gimmicky – whether you’re following Zone, Jenny Craig, or Atkins, you’re ultimately doing one thing: eating a low- calorie diet. And we’ve learned that low- calorie diets won’t allow you to run to your full potential. But with better food choices, we can control weight gain and prevent it from coming back once it’s (finally) lost. ![]() While I’m not a nutritionist – nor do I play one on the internet – there are several tried and true methods of controlling your hunger and shedding unwanted pounds. Eat extra protein in the morning. ![]() This weight loss strategy was first introduced to me by Tim Ferriss in his outstanding book The 4- Hour Body. The premise is simple: eat 3. ![]() In fact, Ferriss’ credits this one simple ritual as the catalyst for his father losing 9. The fastest digesting form of protein is whey, derived from milk and widely available as a powder that you can mix with water or milk. I’m often asked what supplements I take and my answer is “virtually none.” But the one supplement that I regularly use is a protein shake using whey powder. Specifically, I use Optimum Nutrition 1. Whey Gold Standard because it’s the most affordable, trusted, and best- tasting product available. And in case you’re hesitant: a daily protein shake will not cause you to gain weight or “bulk up.” There’s not enough calories and you’re not doing the weight workouts necessary to gain muscle mass. Besides, if you’re running a few times per week it’s incredibly difficult to gain muscle mass. Too many of us “reward” ourselves after a good run with bagels, cupcakes, or cookies. And before you complain that I’m being a stick in the mud, know that I’ve out- eaten guys 1. I can eat! But that doesn’t change the truth that if you’re trying to lose weight, nutrient dense and low caloric density foods need to form the corner stones of your diet. Here are a few examples of nutrient dense foods: Vegetables (low calorie)Fruit (moderate number of calories)Legumes (moderate number of calories but high satiety)Grains (moderate number of calories but high satiety)Satiety is critical here because these foods keep you full and satisfied for longer without a lot of calories. For more recipe ideas than you can shake a stick at, check out this list of healthy recipes by Registered Dietitian (and runner!) Anne Mauney. Make Grocery Shopping Easier. Surrounding yourself with whole, clean, and “real” food is one of the best ways to force yourself to eat nutrient dense and healthy food. That’s not a diet – it’s just enabling yourself to make better food choices. The first step is to clean out your kitchen and remove most processed foods that are calorically dense but nutrient poor. Either have one last eating bender, donate those items to a food pantry, or simply throw them out. Now it’s time to go shopping! Instead of worrying about eating the same 1. I put together a free resource to help you eat more real foods. The Master Shopping List has nearly 9. Everything here (well, almost everything) is what I consider a “real food” – so stick with these foods to feel great. You can sign up here and I’ll send it to you. Use it to get new ideas for dinner when you’re feeling stuck. As my Italian Grandmother would say, mangia! Reasons Running May Not Help You Lose Weight Fast. Sounding frustrated and hopeless on the other end of the line, my client Sarah continued. You'd know I wasn't making excuses. I asked her to keep an open mind and walk me through everything she'd been doing in terms of diet and exercise. The problem was immediately clear: Sarah was putting in effort, but the type of effort. Your Workout Is Always the Same. Your body is an amazing machine. It's designed for efficiency, meaning if you do the same thing over and over again, the process becomes easier. This applies to your running workouts too. Not only will they start to feel more effortless (even if you're still sweating and pumping your legs), but your metabolism literally learns and reacts so that fewer calories are burned with the same exercise output. This is where traditional . Research conducted at the University of Tampa found that doing steady state cardio. Subjects lost a few pounds during the first week and then kaput! Within one week, their metabolism had adjusted and now didn't need to work as hard to burn off the fat. One of the biggest problems with running at a steady, moderate- intensity pace, is that the calories you burn are limited to the time you spend sweating. So once your body adapts, the benefit is limited. That's why weight training is oftentimes viewed as better than . Lifting weights impacts your metabolism by causing mini- micro tears that need to be repaired. That healing process requires energy, which means you're burning more calories. With weight training (or as you'll soon find out. The calories you burn are not limited to what you do in the gym. So while a little variety might not seem like a big change to your routine, it will have a dramatic impact on transforming your body. Running for Weight Loss Mistake No. You Go Longer, But Not Faster. One of the most important variables with any type of exercise. If you look at the average person who runs, they pick a pace that they can maintain for a long duration. Think about it: When you jump on a treadmill, elliptical, or bike, you're starting with the intent to be on there for a while. Whether it's 3. 0 minutes or an hour, your goal is to push at a pace you can sustain, work hard, feel tired, and then go home. While this is great for endurance, it's not so great for fat loss. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association followed the exercise habits of more than 3. Notice, that's not weight loss. And three miles per hour is not very fast. Now imagine if instead of arbitrarily picking an amount of time to exercise, you focused on pushing yourself to certain level of difficulty. If the 3. 0 on a treadmill would be a . Researchers at the University of Western Ontario compared short but intense exercise to long, less- intense cardio. One group performed four to six 3. The results were nothing short of amazing. Despite exercising for a fraction of the time, those in the sprint category burned more than twice as much body fat. That's because the process of sprinting causes similar internal changes to your body as those that occur during weight training. Your body needs to replenish it's ATP (energy), convert lactic acid that's produced during exercise into glucose, and restore your blood hormone levels after an intense workout. All of those processes mean your body works harder and burns more fat. You Focus too Much on Calories Burned. One of the most common weight- loss mistakes is believing that the majority of the calories you burn results from exercise. This is a dangerous misunderstanding. The number of calories you burn at the gym actually pales in comparison to normal functioning and your daily activities that are not exercise based. Does that mean there's no need to hit the gym? Exercise has many health benefits, but the type of exercise you perform in the gym will influence how many calories you burn outside of it. Running will burn calories, but sprinting or lifting weights will result in more muscle. And the more muscle you have on your body (no. You Don't Try Other Forms of Cardio. Now that you know muscle is important to your overall weight- loss goals, it only makes sense that you would want to do the type of training that helps this happen in the least amount of time. So if you're a lover of slower, longer duration cardio, I have some bad news: . What's more, even if you increase the intensity and run on an incline, cycling is still better for gaining muscle and burning fat, researchers found. Again, the point here is not that . However, if you're looking for the most efficient weight loss strategy and are short on. You Run Too Much (Yes, Too Much!)This might sound crazy, but just hang with me: The number on the scale might not be changing because you're running too much. While this isn't a problem for the majority of people struggling to drop a few pounds, I've worked with more than a few people. And the demands of that stress impact your hormones, which also control your ability to lose fat. More specifically, the hormone cortisol is released when you exercise. All cortisol is not bad (despite what late- night TV and supplement ads might have you believe), but chronic stress and chronic cortisol can lead to insulin resistance which forces you to store belly fat against your best- laid plans. Research published in the journal Hormone Research found that long distance running. And this increase in cortisol for long period of times can lead to more inflammation, slower recovery, breaking down your muscle tissue, building up fat, and even harm your immune functioning. Just as bad, if you're suffering from too much stress. Odds are, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
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