Weight Loss Tips

10 Habits For Weight Loss That Lasts

Everything you need to know to lose weight for your race and for your life
By The Editors of Runner's World runnersworld
 

Eat To Run...And To Lose

10 Habits For Weight Loss That Lasts // Weight loss tips for runners © Thinkstock

Image: Thinkstock

It's doubtful that anyone ever said that they started training for a marathon so that they could eat more fruits and vegetables. In fact, most people joke that the sole reason to run long distances is to burn off a double-cheese pizza or earn the right to spend quality time with Ben & Jerry.

But every runner learns it one way or another: When you're prepping for a marathon or half-marathon, you can't run to eat, you gotta eat to run.

When you're in training, food becomes fuel. It will energize your run and help repair muscle tissue after a hard workout so that you can bounce back quickly for your next run.

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Try to fuel up on Krispy Kreme or down a five-course meal before you go out and you could hit the wall halfway through or end up spending most of your run crouching in the bushes. Have a big meal the night before a long run and you could wake up with a food hangover: You still feel full and have the aftertaste of last night's meal, yet you're slightly hungry at the same time.

You can do all the training you want, but if you don't eat and drink the right things and get to know your own gut, it doesn't matter if you've got the leg and lung power of an Olympian: Your stomach will take you down every time.

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Here are some principles to keep in mind. (Not sure what foods you should be eating for weight loss? Follow our ultimate Supermarket Shopping Guide for the healthiest picks!)

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