THE RUN-TO- LOSE PROBLEM

Trying to shed a few pounds? You’ll want to avoid these common dieting traps, so you can run healthy – and happy

AMONG NEW RUNNERS, weight loss is second only to exercise as a motivator for lacing up. But dieting doesn’t always make the best running buddy. ‘People think they need to restrict a large number of calories to lose weight, but if you’re doing that while running, you’re burning the candle at both ends,’ says sports dietitian Tavierney Rogan. Possible fallout includes injury, burnout and bingeing. Here’s how to sidestep the biggest fuelling mistakes and use healthier strategies to run and lose weight.

Skipping refuelling

When you cut carbs or skip meals in an effort to drop pounds, you’re not giving your body what it needs to avoid muscle breakdown. When you run, you use the glycogen in your muscles. So, after a workout, you need 40-50g of carbohydrate to

replenish glycogen stores – that’s two to four servings of fruit or complex carbs such as porridge or brown rice. The food isn’t going to your gut, either. ‘The carbs you eat after a workout are used by your muscles, not stored as fat,’ says Rogan. You’ll want to also supplement that with a little protein for muscle recovery.

Cutting too many calories

Let’s say your body needs 2,000kcals to maintain your weight but demands 2,500kcals when you’re logging extra miles. If you’re eating less than that and your weight drops below a certain point, your metabolism will slow down to compensate for the lack of fuel, which means you enter what is known as ‘starvation mode’. Your body holds on to everything it can, making it nearly impossible to maintain weight loss. Instead of slashing calories, aim for a smaller reduction of 250kcals a day, says nutrition consultant Leslie Bonci. That should result in a loss of half to three-quarters of a pound (225340g) each week, which won’t flip the starvation switch.

Losing the joy of running

‘Dieting is about deprivation. Telling yourself, “I can’t eat this,” over and over again sucks,’ says dietitian Rebecca Scritchfield. It also doesn’t work: everyone has a weight set point – a range of 10-15lbs (4.5-7kg) that your body settles into. Once you dip below that range, your brain starts to protect you against any further weight loss by cranking out hungerinducing hormones. ‘In a war of brain chemistry against willpower, your brain will always win,’ says Scritchfield.

Instead, she urges runners to ditch the thou-shall-not-eat lists and run for other benefits, such as improved sleep and boosted energy. Eating and sleeping well and exercising can contribute to weight loss on their own, too. Finally, ‘It doesn’t matter what size your are – you’re a runner just by getting out there and running,’ says Scritchfield. ‘Your weight has nothing to do with it.’