After Becki Ledford entered college in 2005, her relationship with food spiraled out of control. Living in the dorms and having access to food all the time caused her to gain weight rapidly. At her heaviest, she weighed 240 pounds.
Immediately after graduation, Ledford decided that she would take renewed control of her weight and started dieting – not knowing that her method of maintaining her weight wasn’t healthy or sustainable.
The following year, Ledford became inspired by some of her coworkers who were training for a half marathon. That was when Ledford decided that she would become a runner herself.
Ledford’s first half marathon was a struggle. She knew she still loathed running with a passion, but was determined to change that.
Over the next few years, Ledford continued to sign up for marathons and run – for herself. From 2009 to 2012, her passion for running even allowed her to lose 90 pounds.
Beginning in 2013, however, Ledford suddenly began to gain weight again.
It wasn’t abrupt, but a slow process that happened gradually. By the end of the weight gain, Ledford had gained back 25 pounds.
Ledford didn’t think much of the weight gain since she was – and is – still able to run 26.2-mile marathons without problem and deadlift 225 pounds, but she was determined to figure out what had changed.
After careful thought, Ledford realized that she’d completely restructured her eating and fitness habits. Her long training runs were causing her to become hungrier, more often throughout the day, so she was consuming more food as a result.
Occasionally, she acknowledges that she may have underestimated calorie counts, overestimated how many calories she burned, failed to account for the power drinks and snacks she consumed, or forgot that her increased running efficiency may have been decreasing the number of calories she burned each run.
Ledford also recalls, “I was also strength training at the time. …during half marathons I hadn’t used gels, but in the marathons I did…when I started training for my first marathon, I was just coming off of a very large weight loss and my eating changed completely when I started training.”
Everything you do – even if it’s healthy and for fitness purposes – may lead to weight gain. The important thing, however, is to remember, as Ledford often reminds herself, that your “weight does not define [you] and shame on a society that tries to make [people] feel like it does.”
