I was talking to someone about the run I had earlier in the day when they said, “Oh, that’s how you stay so thin.” Well two things: First, I’m not thin (yet) and second, no, it’s not how I stay so ‘thin.’ I do that be eating good food.

Let there be no mistake: I am a runner. I do not run fast, nor do I run super long distances, but I do run regularly, and I do enjoy it. However, I do not run to lose weight. That’s not how this works.

I know there are those who exercise huge amounts for long periods of time. These people try to burn enough calories to create a deficit that causes them to lose weight. They think that by burning calories, they’re burning fat. That’s not how it works, either. But I digress. These people spend 2 or even 3 hours (and some even more!) in the gym sweating and being miserable to lose weight. In the end, if they are eating sensibly and burning through calories like that, then sure; they will lose weight. However, it’s easier (at least it was to me) to just eat normally and let your body lose the weight naturally.

I run because I want to be fit. I want to be more active, and I want to be able to run, climb, hike, jump, etc without causing injury or without getting winded. I’m also preparing for a return to military service (reserves) and I need to be in top shape physically. I also run because I enjoy feeling fit, I enjoy running, and I enjoy how I feel the rest of the day after a run.

And now, the twist: A 4 mile run for me burns around 550 calories. That’s equivalent to more than one regular meal for me. To put that into perspective, that’s the same amount of calories as a Big Mac. I eat two eggs and two/three slices of bacon for breakfast which comes to 275 calories. So basically, I’m wiping out the calories I take in for breakfast and about 2/3 of lunch. So, that logic says it should help me lose weight, right? Well sure; very simply, calories in minus calories out/used. If the calories in are fewer than used, then we lose weight. So exercise helps. But it’s not an end-all to lose weight.

Can you lose weight through exercise and eating like crap? Sure, if you exercise enough (and by enough, I mean A LOT). Can you lose weight by eating well without exercise? Absolutely, and in my opinion, it’s MUCH easier this way. The best is to use both; diet and exercise.

To assume that I have lost weight because I run is erroneous. It’s an easy trap for people to fall into based on the bad information we’ve been fed for the past 30 years by our government. The new research over the past 5 years or so has solidly shown that diet is more important, and that the food we eat is directly responsible for our obesity epidemic, and the cure is to eat well. Exercise helps get you fit, but won’t necessarily make you lose weight.