GAINING GROUND

TRAINING FOR A MARATHON AND THINKING YOU’LL NEED TO EAT TWICE AS MUCH? CHRISTINA MACDONALD SUGGESTS YOU THINK AGAIN BEFORE POUNDING OUT MILES BECOMES PILING ON POUNDS

MARATHON WEIGHT GAIN

Many women take up running to lose weight and, for most of us, it works in the beginning. Running is one of the best ways to boost weight loss – it can burn anywhere from 10 to 15 calories per minute, depending on your age, weight, fitness level and how fast and how long you run. As a new runner, you’re creating a different stimulus to which your body must adapt, so the body finds it challenging at first, resulting in more energy expenditure. However, once your body gets used to it, weight loss can plateau, especially if you stick to the same type of runs.

You might think that running longer distances like a marathon is the best way to keep losing weight. But simply clocking up more miles is not the answer and if you think that doing a marathon is an invitation to eat what you want, then you may be in for a shock!

RACING WEIGHT

I gained half a stone during my training for the Brighton Marathon in 2011, despite training properly and eating a relatively healthy diet. Admittedly, though, my attitude to food was more relaxed than usual.

I wasn’t an isolated case. Many female runners I’ve spoken to were shocked to gain weight while marathon training. “I gained weight during my first marathon,” says 28-year-old running blogger Charlie Watson (therunnerbeans.com). “Mostly because I would get back from an 18-mile run and think I could eat whatever I wanted. I gained about half a stone and I was outraged! I couldn’t believe I’d run a marathon and not only had I not lost weight but I had put it on. I felt conned!”