Video: “Fuel” Does a Female Runner’s Body Good

Pictured from left: Third-year medical student Mina Divan and Assistant Professor Joanne Donoghue.

“I get asked by females ‘I’m working out and I’m training for a marathon [but] I’m gaining weight’ [or] ‘I’m training for a marathon and I don’t understand why my body’s changing. I don’t know what I should be eating. What am I doing wrong?’,” said Joanne Donoghue, Ph.D., assistant professor of osteopathic manipulation at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine, during a Facebook Live session on July 19.

Donoghue and third-year medical student Mina Divan talked about Donoghue’s recent study on running and women’s bodies, which found that many female runners eat too little in the hope of maintaining a slim physique, resulting in a lower metabolism.

“I always ask people two basic questions: How many calories should you be taking in (and most people say ‘I really have no idea’) and...how many calories are you burning in a day? If I asked [how much fuel does your car burn?], you could probably answer that question,” said Donoghue. The same isn't true for food intake.

“Most people who put themselves through these long training regimens have no idea how they’re supposed to fuel their bodies,” she said.

Watch the video below for more on their discussion.