How To Find A Balance While Running And Trying To Lose Weight?
I don’t want to go crazy trying to lose weight and running more than I should ,and eating nothing. etc etc.
Don’t get me wrong, I really want to change my life style of eating/ exercising healthy. But i don’t want to go overboard and result in plateauing and burning-out .
How do I accomplish this?
I get what you’re saying completely.> I’m the same way.
I believe the way to do it is the slow approach an finding a balance of what you put into your body (food wise) and what you take out (running wise).
I don’t deny myself anything, if I want Ice cream I have it, or chips but what I do is have that smaller portion than I used to. At one point I could eat a bag of doritos to myself (the big bag) now it’s just a small bowl and gee who knew it shared out with the whole family aswell!!
You will reach a plateau level tho, and that’s where you want to decide if you’re content with how you look and keep your miles stagnant or you increase your miles (or decrease your food intake).
Just exeriment with the balance that works for you.
if you have experience as a runner ignore this first part, otherwise, if you are a first time runner or have not ran in more than a year, you should probably begin by either walking or jogging to prevent injury. walk for 2 weeks, increasing your distance every 3 days, and then begin to jog, increasing the distance every 4-5 days. after 4 weeks of jogging, your body should be adjusted (somewhat) to the stress that running will take.
the best way to manage your diet and exercise is to find a balance that fits for you, whether it be running 5-8 miles a day and not decreasing your caloric intake or running 2-5 miles a day and slightly decreasing your caloric intake. its a big puzzle, and to eat healthy, you have to learn to eat smart. cutting down on pre-packaged foods and consuming fresh meat/vegetables/etc is the best way to eat healthy. eating junk food is o.k. as long as it is done in moderation. and pay attention to your portion sizes, and get in the habit of reading nutrition labels and start counting carbs, calories, fat, saturated fat, trans fat, and protein. a healthy diet is a mix of those 6 plus an assortment of vitamins and minerals that are essential to promote your planned exercise regimen. i hope you enjoy every run you have. and good luck getting into your new habit!
IF you are an inactive person exercising for the first time in a long time, I wouldn’t change your diet. You will be burning calories and increasing your metabolism so your weight and more importantly, your waist will come off. At the point where your weight loss plateaus, then adjust you caloric intake.
Remember to drink PLENTY of water otherwise you will cramp upo and that is no picnic.
Good luck!