I'm Running, Why the heck am I gaining weight and not loosing?!

My friend, who shall remain nameless since we are talking about weight, has started seriously running.  She has been freaking out lately because instead of loosing some weight, which she really couldn't afford to loose anyways, she has gained.  She is devestated and is trying to figure out what she is doing wrong.  While I have not experienced this problem, I have heard this complaint many times.  So why, oh why does this happen?!
   After listening to an interview with Ben Greenfield on the Marathon Training Academy podcast, which everyone should check out, I started to realize some important things about nutrition in the running world.  First we need to dismiss the myth that Aerobic training makes you loose weight.  This is false, it can help you loose weight when paired with a change in your nutrition and diet but alone, no study shows that it helps you loose weight by itself. 
   So with that being said, here are some tips that Ben Greenfield discussed to help you loose that weight, through running: 
       1. Do Higher Intensity intervals - At higher intensity, hormones are realeased that are crucial to fat burning.  When you are huffing and puffing you are also increasing your post workout metabolic calorie burning aka burning calories when you go back and rest on the couch, etc.
       2. Base your body fueling, aka food consumption around a workout.  This way you are fueling your body for the work out and you will burn the calories you consumed, rather than letting them sit in your body and slowly be used.  DO NOT work out to eat, obviously you won't loose weight because you won't be eating the items that your body truly needs to maintain that level of fitness.
      3.  Another way is to have an easy workout in the early morning, when you have slept for the last 8 hrs or so and your body has depleted most of its energy stores through the night.  By going on a brisk walk, etc, you are burning the fat stores in your body and loosing weight.  Paired with a high intensity workout later in the day, will surely lead to weight loss.

Lesson: Just remember, even if you aren't loosing weight in the sense of the numbers on the scale, realize that you are building muscle and working towards a healthier you, which is the main objective anyway! GOOD LUCK!

Rocking out to: Airplanes by B.O.B.