I don't buy the idea that exercise has nothing to do with weight. Just the opposite. But, if exercising is just an excuse to eat more, well, clearly it will have little or no effect. But, if you eat the same amount today as you did yesterday and let's say that is 2000 calories, and then you burn 500 calories, you only got 1500 calories that day, as opposed to 2000. That may or may not be enough to make somebody lose weight, but exercising several times per week can certainly make you more toned and it does have the added benefit of releasing endorphin that might make you feel more positive about yourself and things in general. After all, for centuries only richest were fat, what we call exercise here, today, people used to call life. Imagine having to cut wheat with a scythe all day long?Haul and make bales of hay? How many hours a day would you have to run to burn off the same amount of calories as that farmer that worked dawn to dusk? I know just raking leaves in my huge backyard causes me incredibly sore arms, even though I do exercise. I also wanted to add that I know many women who are overweight and beautiful.

Anonymous wrote:Solidly overweight (5'4 and 150) morning/noon/evening runner. Just finished my third marathon. I will say it is MUCH easier to maintain my weight during high mileage weeks... a bottle of wine and pizza party with friends doesn't do the damage it does in the off season. But yeah, I've never really been thin (an 8-10 my whole life) and exercising for hours a day doesn't do much. Neither did tracking every single calorie. About 3 years ago (after my 3rd baby), I had my aha moment. The day I magically became thin enough, my problems weren't going to disappear. There will always be people like the above poster who think I'm gross and lazy because I'm not a size 2. Because of all of the exercise, my health is good. My children are healthy. I'm in a happy marriage. I have a career that I enjoy. And that's when I let those extra pounds go. I like to run. I like to eat cake. End of story.

Our culture does not have nearly enough of you.

Anonymous wrote:Runners are often naturally thin. It's a body type that succeeds at running vs other sports.

This!

It's a which came first the chicken or the egg question.

Do runners have a runner's body because they run or did they fall into running because they have a certain body type? Same can be said for ballerinas, wrestlers and so on.

now I am parts of a running group and can tell you that runners come in all shapes and sizes, but the fastest ones tend to be naturally pretty thin. yes, they run and train a lot but even if they didn't they would lean more on the side of naturally thin.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Solidly overweight (5'4 and 150) morning/noon/evening runner. Just finished my third marathon. I will say it is MUCH easier to maintain my weight during high mileage weeks... a bottle of wine and pizza party with friends doesn't do the damage it does in the off season. But yeah, I've never really been thin (an 8-10 my whole life) and exercising for hours a day doesn't do much. Neither did tracking every single calorie. About 3 years ago (after my 3rd baby), I had my aha moment. The day I magically became thin enough, my problems weren't going to disappear. There will always be people like the above poster who think I'm gross and lazy because I'm not a size 2. Because of all of the exercise, my health is good. My children are healthy. I'm in a happy marriage. I have a career that I enjoy. And that's when I let those extra pounds go. I like to run. I like to eat cake. End of story.

I like you.

I like you too!

Anonymous wrote:Solidly overweight (5'4 and 150) morning/noon/evening runner. Just finished my third marathon. I will say it is MUCH easier to maintain my weight during high mileage weeks... a bottle of wine and pizza party with friends doesn't do the damage it does in the off season. But yeah, I've never really been thin (an 8-10 my whole life) and exercising for hours a day doesn't do much. Neither did tracking every single calorie. About 3 years ago (after my 3rd baby), I had my aha moment. The day I magically became thin enough, my problems weren't going to disappear. There will always be people like the above poster who think I'm gross and lazy because I'm not a size 2. Because of all of the exercise, my health is good. My children are healthy. I'm in a happy marriage. I have a career that I enjoy. And that's when I let those extra pounds go. I like to run. I like to eat cake. End of story.

I like you.

Solidly overweight (5'4 and 150) morning/noon/evening runner. Just finished my third marathon. I will say it is MUCH easier to maintain my weight during high mileage weeks... a bottle of wine and pizza party with friends doesn't do the damage it does in the off season. But yeah, I've never really been thin (an 8-10 my whole life) and exercising for hours a day doesn't do much. Neither did tracking every single calorie. About 3 years ago (after my 3rd baby), I had my aha moment. The day I magically became thin enough, my problems weren't going to disappear. There will always be people like the above poster who think I'm gross and lazy because I'm not a size 2. Because of all of the exercise, my health is good. My children are healthy. I'm in a happy marriage. I have a career that I enjoy. And that's when I let those extra pounds go. I like to run. I like to eat cake. End of story.

Anonymous wrote:All the thin runners I know, eat a healthy diet. Rarely eat fast food, drink tons of water, fruit/veggies every meal, etc.

Sometimes.
I wouldn't say I rarely eat junk food and greasy McD food, but it is in moderation and my daily runs are hard enough to work off the calories and keep metabolism up especially since I've been running for years (decades actually).

OP, does your theory apply to afternoon and evening runners as well? Or are only morning runners skinny?

Anonymous wrote:Maybe they run more than you?

Yup.

They could be lifelong runners you see so they've had years to develope their slim physique and muscle tone.

Anonymous wrote:I am a runner. One thing that all serious runners have in common is self-discipline. The same self-discipline that motivates you to run 26.3 miles spills over into other areas of your life, including diet. Being overweight would represent failure to me. I don't like to fail.

So....I take it you have a lot of overweight friends then? You don't sound judgmental at all.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a runner. One thing that all serious runners have in common is self-discipline. The same self-discipline that motivates you to run 26.3 miles spills over into other areas of your life, including diet. Being overweight would represent failure to me. I don't like to fail.

Eh. Maybe. Maybe not. My Ironman training was fueled by mostly quesadillas, excessive guacamole, salads with lots of dressing, and bacon cheese fries.

My kind of training, PP!

Can't speak to running, I bike, but most cyclists I know (most, not all) are pretty fit.

I have seen the research saying that exercise doesn't help - the reason seems to be that people reward themselves for exercise with food, and either don't know how little they have burned, or don't care.

My sense with biking is that its so fun, it doesn't need a "reward" - it is its own reward most of the time. So when I ride I eat just about the same as when I don't. It may be the same with runners, at least with frequent runners.

Because running with big boobies hurts.

All the thin runners I know, eat a healthy diet. Rarely eat fast food, drink tons of water, fruit/veggies every meal, etc.

Anonymous wrote:I am a runner. One thing that all serious runners have in common is self-discipline. The same self-discipline that motivates you to run 26.3 miles spills over into other areas of your life, including diet. Being overweight would represent failure to me. I don't like to fail.

Eh. Maybe. Maybe not. My Ironman training was fueled by mostly quesadillas, excessive guacamole, salads with lots of dressing, and bacon cheese fries.