Ask the Penguin: Eat, Run, and Be Merry

Dear Penguin,

Here’s my question … I would like to lose weight while I train, but seem to be stuck in the mindset of “I’m training so I can eat whatever I want”. I am prone to indulgences (former smoker, like to eat (I’m a vegetarian), like to drink 2 glasses of wine when kids go to bed) and also a lifelong yo-yo dieter.

Do you have any advice as to how to eat properly while I train so that I can lose weight and get out of this mindset?

Thanks, Ellen

Thanks for writing. As a former smoker, life long over-eater, and one who has had more than his fair share of alcohol, I understand. You are NOT alone.

The good news is that living and healthy, active, lifestyle has many, many rewards. You feel better, you can do more, your more stable emotionally, and – I would suggest – you get closer to the “true you” the longer you stay with it. That’s the GOOD news.

The BAD news is that, as you’ve discovered, running and walking are NOT a weight-loss program. Everyone burns about 100 calories per mile whether you run or walk. If you run at a 6 minute pace you burn it in 6 minutes. If you walk at an 18 minute pace you burn it in 18 minutes. But, the amount of calories is the same. [don’t get confused by the metabolism-burning nonsense]

You burn 400 calories in 4 miles. And that takes, say, nearly an hour. But you can EAT 400 calories in about a minute. See the problem??

There’s only one way to truly get to and maintain your ideal weight. It’s calories in – calories out. That’s it. You can search and search for a secret, but in the end it will still come down to calories in – calories out.

So, my advice is to separate your activity from your weight management. Learn to enjoy the movement for it’s own sake. And learn to REALLY monitor [not control, monitor] what you’re putting into your body.

All the best,

Waddle on, John

John “the Penguin” Bingham, Competitor Magazine columnist Author, The Courage to Start, No Need for Speed, Marathoning for Mortals and Running for Mortals.

Have a question for John? E-mail it to thepenguin@johnbingham.com.