A Guide for Runners: The 3 Ws
Three important questions for runners to ask themselves are why (do you eat), when (should you eat), and what (should you eat).
Why
Considering why you eat is a big part of controlling your intake. The reason we should eat is to live. If you eat just because there is food, you may eat twice, or more, what you actually need to consume. Eat to run, don't run in order to eat. Food is fuel. You've probably heard it before, but it is the way we were built. We were built to take in food in order to provide our bodies energy and we need to realize this and allow it to take part in how we look at food. No, you don't have to stop enjoying food or eating, but you do need to see food for what it is: fuel for your body. (If emotional eating or other eating disorders are a problem for you, please seek help. Millions of Americans have untreated eating disorders that harm them more and more everyday. Even if you feel your problem is not serious, you may find that researching eating disorders will give you a new perspective on your own problems.) Without proper fuel your body does not function at its best. The better your body is fuelled, the better it feels and works. But just controlling how much you eat is not enough, you also need to think about when your body needs refuelling.
When
Once you get a handle on some of your bad eating habits, like emotional eating, and you see that food is fuel for your body, you can start to see how important it is to eat when you need it most. It is unlikely that you would get very far in a car that had no gas and the same goes for your body. Of course, we have a second tank on us, our fat stores, so it is unlikely that you would not be able to run at all if you haven't eaten. However, your performance will not be the same because your body is having to work overtime to find fuel and is, thus, not running or burning fat efficiently.
Our food also provides other needed nutrients (like oil and coolant to a car) so even if you are still able to fuel yourself you may be missing important nutrients that help your body work well. The moral here is that if you are very active during the morning and afternoon and not very active in the evening, you need to eat more in the morning and afternoon (to keep you fueled and healthy while you are active) and then eat less at night (when you are less active). Of course, what you eat is equally important.
What
The keys to what to eat are moderation, balance, and variety.
Skip any diet that is no-fat, super-low-carb, and/or high-whatever. The idea of these diets is correcting your eating habits. If you eat 85% carbs and feel it is normal, then telling you to go on a low-carb diet would make sense. You might see low-carb as eating 8 servings of carbs a day (which is a healthy amount). However, for people who generally have a good idea what healthy eating is like, low-whatever or high-whatever diets are a bad idea because you already have the knowledge you need to have a good diet. Moderation is the key. If you crave sugar, fine, but just have a little. One small piece of chocolate every day or two is not likely to be a problem.
Balance is very closely related to moderation. The same idea applies that you should eat a healthy amount of protein, fat, carbs, even sweets. A healthy balance of dairy, meat, veggies, fruits, grains, and treats is much easier to continue eating than a diet that is keeping you away from certain types of food. Any diet that suggest you eat a tiny amount (or none at all) of a food group is unlikely to be healthy for your body (or your mind). Going cold turkey on sodas (if you are a soda addict) is not going to be very good for your mental health even though it may be very good for your body. So, if you do have a bad habit, cut down slowly. Know, also, that not all bad habits need to be completely annihilated. Sometimes the bad part of the habit is how often you do it. (Remember, moderation.)
Variety is also a key because the more types of foods (especially fruits and vegetables) you eat the more likely you are to get all the nutrients you need. Variety will also help you stick to eating healthy because you are less likely to get bored with your choices. Even if you just try one new recipe (that includes something you don't eat much) every week or two, at least you are getting a few extra nutrients and keeping yourself from burning out on your diet.
You may notice that diet foods are not on any of these lists. Many diet foods are not as good for you as they seem. If you want to reduce your carbs, low-carb bread is not what you should eat. You should eat regular bread, but just eat less of it. Many diet foods have added saturated fat or other chemicals that are bad for your body. Keep it real, ok?
For more information on why, when, and what, check out these nutritional guidelines. By using these guidelines, and your new calorie range, weight loss should be very attainable.
