Are you a Victim of "Runner Rationalized Eating?"

I have alway struggled with healthy eating. What to eat, when to eat, how much to eat.  When I started running and training for marathons, I often fell victim to a syndrom I like to call "Runner Rationalized Eating" or RRE.  

You've been there. 

You just finished that 10 mile run. Wow. Pancakes sound great right about now. Drinks with the fellas? Sure, why not? You can down a Guiness or two since you did your fartlek workout today. Well, hold on, Sir Chugsalot. Lets remember the golden rule of weight maintanance. Calories in must equal calories out. Of course, you're burning a 1600 calories on that 2 hour Sunday long run. It is easy, however, to negate the positive fat burning effects of that run with a mind set of rationalization and not realizing the true accounting of the calories that you are taking in AFTER that run. 

Therefore, I recommend the following: 

Track your calories in for a week. Just a week  Use an online calorie counter like Fit Day or some other online tracker. It will be easier to calculate than the pen and pencil method. 

Next, calculate your calories output. Let's take me, for example. I'm about 5'9" and 178 pounds of unadulterated running stud. (okay, there's some Amstel Light buried onto my girth) 

According to most sources, I will burn about 2650 calories just by being moderately active and continuing to breath, eat, sleep, and watch "LOST" re-runs. 

To lose a pound a week, I would need to burn 3500 calories (about equal to a pound of body fat) MORE than I take in. Therefore, if my calorie output is 500 more per day than my intake, in theory, I would drop a pound a week. 

Do you need to burn 500 calories more a day to lose a pound? Yes and no. If you plan to eat the same as your estimated average or as you have been, then yes. If you can find ways to cut a few hundred calories, then this effect is cumulative and will allow you to burn the fat as long as you are in surplus of "calories out." Make sense? 

I'm not a registered dietician or anything, but over the years I've definitely found this to be true for me. If you ARE a dietician or athlete, feel free to leave your tips under comments.  

Also, try to remember that foods like Beer, Fig Newtons, Ice Cream are treats not staples for the runners diet.  Feel free to remind ME of that. They're oh so good. 

In the meantime, Runningly, 

Duffrunner