Sometimes I hate writing about food/weight issues because the subject is so LOADED. Yet, it is such an important issue, especially for athletes. And, with the Biggest Loser starting on Monday, I’ve had weight loss and exercise on my mind.
First, let me reiterate, I am not a doctor or nutritionist, but you already knew that. I write based on research and personal experience. Take what I say with a grain of salt and go do your own research or consult your doctor. I like to bring important issues to the surface, but I don’t pretend to know it all or have all of the answers.
Many people will tell you they start running to lose weight. Running can help shed the pounds quickly because it is a lot of bang for your buck. Running = intense exercise. You burn a lot of calories in a short period of time (about 100 calories per mile depending on weight/height, etc.).
Running to lose weight is all fine and good if it is part of a sensible weight loss program that is balanced with healthy eating, rest and all of those other good things. In my opinion, it become a slippery slope when people train for marathons to lose weight. Restricting calories while putting in big time miles can be dangerous and lead to all sorts of complications, most notably that your performance will suck because you just don’t have the energy due to lack of fuel. To me, this is like being pregnant and trying to diet. Not a good idea on so many levels.
The other scenario is the runner who has a decent BMI, but has developed strict and rigid eating and exercise patterns to avoid gaining a single ounce. This runner may not have a full blown eating disorder, but may have obsessive tendencies about food and exercise which are taking them in an unhealthy direction. It is easy to disguise restricted eating under the veil of, “Oh, I am just getting healthy and making better choices.” In reality, these actions are may be promoting overall poor health.
There are usually deep seated reasons why people have disordered eating. Not feeling good enough, needing control, wanting better performance. The list goes on.
Signs of Disordered Eating (from HERE):
- You avoid multiple foods due to self-diagnosed food allergies
- You experience chronic or numerous gastrointestinal problems that interfere with pre-exercise fueling (e.g., not being able to eat breakfast before races or lunch before afternoon practice)
- You undertake long training efforts and marathons on water alone due to being unable to "tolerate" sports drinks
- You have unbalanced vegetarian eating styles—particularly among young women
- You have extensive self-imposed "food rules" or rigid categories of good and bad foods
- You eat secretively or eating differently with others (only acceptable healthy foods) than when alone
- You avoid food-related social situations such as family gatherings or team outings
Compulsive exercising can go hand in hand with disordered eating. The two make an especially dangerous combination.
Signs of Compulsive Exercising (from HERE):
- You suffer symptoms of overtraining syndrome.
- You force yourself to exercise even if you don't feel well.
- You almost never exercise for fun.
- Every time you exercise, you go as fast or hard as you can.
- You experience severe stress and anxiety if you miss a workout.
- You miss family obligations because you have to exercise.
- You calculate how much to exercise based on how much you eat.
- You would rather exercise than get together with friends.
- You can't relax because you think you're not burning calories.
- You worry that you'll gain weight if you skip exercising for one day.
- You have extensive self-imposed "food rules" or rigid categories of good and bad foods
- You avoid multiple foods due to self-diagnosed food allergies
Be honest. Do you see yourself in any of these things?
I have to look in the mirror too. People sometimes point the finger at me – you are so thin, you exercise so much. True and true. But, what needs to be looked at is a person’s relationship to food. Much in the same way you would look at an alcoholic's relationship to alcohol. Is it obsessive, unhealthy, compulsive, out of control, detrimental? Or is it balanced and life-sustaining?
Food and I are friends. I did go through a time in my 20s when food was the enemy. I was about 30 pounds heavier than I am now. I restricted what I ate and counted calories. It wasn’t until I changed my view of food (something to be enjoyed, something to nourish and fuel the body) that my relationship to food changed.
A couple of the above bullets do apply to me – I have overtrained (hence, two stress fractures). I have also been known to go as fast and hard as I can (TWSS) during my workouts. These two issues were not, however, related to my need to burn more calories or lose weight. My actions were due to lack of education about proper training (which incorporates rest/recovery) and my misguided thinking that more intense and frequent training meant better performance. WRONG.
The truth is, I usually gain weight during training and I am fine with that. It tells me my body needs the extra weight to meet the demands of my workouts. My body type is small, as is my mother’s and my aunt’s. Bottom line, I cannot perform well if I am not eating well.
I also have a ten year old daughter who desperately needs me to set a good example for her in a culture that worships skinny magazine models and a “you can a never be thin enough “ attitude. As her positive role model, I can’t afford to engage in unhealthy behavior. You will NEVER hear me say the words “diet” or “calories.” I don’t talk of pants fitting too tight or something being “too fattening.” I model moderation, balanced eating and moving one’s body in a way that makes one happy.
Only you know what is going on with you. Sometimes people are even good at lying to themselves. This is such a prevalent issue that Women’s Running Magazine reports that 60% of women will have disordered eating at some point.
How are you doing? We all have unhealthy tendencies at times. Do you have an awareness of yours?
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