Running to Lose Weight Can Make You Hungrier

Many people start running to lose weight and end up hungrier than before. Mark Sisson, a former endurance athlete who says he damaged his heart by overtraining, rates distance running a two out of 10 and says runners trying to shed pounds will nearly always come up short unless they are very aggressive about diet, such as following a ketogenic diet, or struggle and suffer more than they have to.

The problem is the heart rate most people run at. They head out and run at the same steady pace for 45 minutes or more, with hearts working fast. At that effort, the body does not burn much fat. It burns glycogen, a quick energy starch stored inside muscles for fast use.

When that stored fuel runs low, the brain signals that the body must eat more to replace the lost glycogen. So you can finish a run, eat back the calories, and wonder why the scale never moves.

Hard running adds other costs. Sisson says most people were not built to run that way every day, and the repeated pounding stresses joints and raises cortisol, the stress hormone that in high amounts can suppress immunity and cause other problems.

He makes a separate point about food. He says 80 percent of body composition is shaped by dietary choices. His takeaway is to take many walks, do weight training two times per week, sprint one time per week, and use food choices and timing, including lower carb eating or periods without food, to help the body burn stored fat instead of demanding more quick fuel.