when i first started running four years ago i was 215 pounds at 5ft10. my diet, unintentionally, was very high in protien and my caloric intake was high as well. but as my running became more consistant- 3 times a week- so did my diet, and in turn so did my weight loss. i am not a dietician or nutritionalist but i found that with all of my running i began to crave carbs. carbs have now become my prime source of fuel. also, i found that if i ran first thing in the morning then ate soon after i wouldn't get that 'low-blood-sugar' feeling later in the afternoon and i was generally less hungry. i guess the way i see it is: the more i ran, the more carbs i ate, but i ate less overall. i am now 170 pounds and compete regularly in many local races.

Your situation is not uncommon. A lot of people actually gain weight when embarking on an endurance training program. In my experience, the main reason for this is that people overload on carbs. Simply stated, people gain weight because the excess fuel(carbs) is not used and they are storing this extra fuel as fat....Practice good nutrition throughout the day.

I am in no way advocating a low carb diet, but try and limit the carbs you take in. Tell yourself to get your carbs from vegetable sources(30-40 calories per serving) and fruit sources(60 - 80 cal per serving) rather than grains(80 - 120 cal per serving). You dont have to cut grains out of your diet, but understand that they do carry more cal. per serving and it is really easy to overeat when it comes to grains. Also , look at serving sizes. We often eat 2-3 times the normal serving size. It may help to keep a food journal.

This is just my take on the whole thing. I hope it helps.

Joby Gutierrez
USAT Level 1 Coach