The diversity of nutrition-focused strategies to boost performance and help with weight loss can be dizzying. Tracking macros, clean eating, the keto diet versus the Mediterranean diet, carb cycling, and intermittent fasting are just some of the more popular options.

For some of us, the desire to get lighter becomes a driving motivation, with the belief that more weight equals slower speed. But while aiming for healthy body composition is important, we might find ourselves heading into dangerous territory: At what point does managing macros and calories veer toward unhealthy preoccupation?

…so that daily consumption feels more like nourishment and a balanced diet rather than restriction.

The answer is different for everyone, but some general strategies can help reframe your approach to eating so that daily consumption feels more like nourishment and a balanced diet rather than restriction. 

Experts share their insights on what to consider when it comes to nurturing a healthy relationship with food, including five strategies to implement in your daily life.

1. Rethink Weight Goals
A mistake some runners make is aiming for the lowest body fat percentage possible through food tweaks, and then finding themselves actually slowing down – even if they’re on track toward their weight goals, explains Mike Matthews, CPT, author of Bigger Leaner Stronger.

“There’s a point of diminishing returns,” Matthews tells Runner’s World. “You want to be lean enough that you aren’t carrying too much extra bodyweight, but not so lean that you can’t stay healthy, feel good, and train hard.”

Part of the difficulty is that it’s tough to know where that point might be on an individual level. That’s when you might rely on perceptions of what you “should” weigh, says Matthews.

A better form of goal setting? Performance. See fat loss as a potential side effect of your training, not as the end goal in itself. Then, supplement your training by eating in a way that fuels those running goals, Matthews suggests.

2. Focus on All Food Groups Equally
When it comes to macros – carbs, protein, and fat – many endurance athletes prioritise only the first one on that list, and tend to obsess over hitting a specific number, says Matthews.

“There’s no question carbs are important for athletes, but this single-minded focus can sometimes cause them to neglect other vital aspects of their nutrition,” he states.

For example, studies have suggested that endurance athletes need to consume around two to three times more protein than the recommended dietary intake as a way to support performance, recovery, and muscle mass. Matthews adds that this is particularly important when trying to lose weight so you’re not shedding muscle.

3. Pay Attention to Your Thoughts Surrounding Food
One sign that your eating may be a point of contention is that you often think about what you’re eating – as well as what you have eaten, what you’re going to eat, what you should be eating, and so on.

“Increased thoughts about food and planning your days around food are red flags when it comes to a potentially problematic relationship with eating,” Amy Gooding, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at the Eating Recovery Centre, tells Runner’s World. “From there, it might progress to avoiding social situations because the ‘right’ foods aren’t available.”

In her work, Gooding has seen many athletes start new eating plans with good intentions, but then become consumed by compulsive thoughts around food. Even if they’re eating the way they think they should, they might implement even more restrictions or rules.

“This makes it very difficult to resume normal eating because they’re not satisfied, they keep pushing it,” she says. At that point, repetitive thoughts and negative eating behaviours can lead to injuries like stress fractures, chronic wounds, joint inflammation, poor muscle recovery, and other problems. Fatigue is also rampant, Gooding adds.

“If you’re not fueling yourself in a balanced, healthy way, it’s going to show up eventually,” she says.

A good first step is to simply start noticing your thoughts about food, Gooding suggests. If these thoughts take up most of your mental energy, you may want to consult with a dietitian who specialises in helping athletes to get a plan that suits you better, for example.

Matthews suggests gently pivoting your thoughts toward what you enjoy instead. Think of it as the Marie Kondo style of mindfulness: Try to identify what sparks joy, which could be anything from visualising your last amazing run to replaying a movie scene you love. Like your body, your brain can be trained with practice, he explains.

4. Avoid Labelling Foods as “Good” and “Bad”
Many dietitians suggest you shouldn’t label any foods as “good” or “bad” because that makes eating a moral issue and also tends to drive cravings. That said, it’s worth taking a closer look at your relationship with ultraprocessed food, says Joan Ifland, PhD, nutrition researcher and editor of the textbook Processed Food Addiction.

“We are living in a culture saturated with messages about ultraprocessed food, tying consumption to rewarding yourself, seeing these foods as a treat, a comfort, or an indulgence,” Ifland tells Runner’s World. “We’re told that it’s okay, because of the ‘everything in moderation’ message. But these foods are wearing us out. They increase adrenaline, and then we crash afterwards.”

A beneficial approach instead is thinking about addition rather than subtraction. That means rather than focusing on banning ultraprocessed options altogether, lean into adding healthier choices—fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, fish—so that there simply isn’t room for all the ultras, suggests dietitian Kara Hoerr, RDN.

“Restriction will almost always create the opposite effect of what you want,” she tells Runner’s World. “Once you give yourself unconditional permission to have all foods, and you load up on healthy choices, it tends to take the power out of those ultraprocessed choices. You may even find that when you do eat them, they’re not as good as you remember.”

5. Don’t Compare Yourself to Anyone Else
Maybe most of the people in your running group swear by plant-based eating, but going days without animal protein is sapping your energy. Or you’ve heard intermittent fasting has tons of benefits, but having dinner at 4:30pm has you making fridge raids in the wee hours of the morning.

What’s wrong with you? Absolutely nothing, says regenerative and sports medicine specialist Rand McClain, DO. Nutrition needs are highly personalised, particularly when your running schedule is thrown into the mix, McClain explains. For example, some people love fasted training while others try it and feel lightheaded and nauseated.

“We have a tendency to try different strategies based on what we think most people are doing, especially our belief about what the average runner does,” McClain tells Runner’s World. “But there really is no average runner. So, it doesn’t make sense to force yourself into doing something that’s obviously not working for you just because you believe it’s the norm.”

Instead, keep a food log, but expand it way beyond what you eat, McClain suggests. Track other factors, such as energy levels, sleep, stress, mood, running performance, and motivation. You can also record even stronger potential effects, such as a sense of purpose and sociability. Play around with different eating strategies to see what changes, McClain recommends.

“Look, we all have an Aunt Jenny in our family somewhere who lived to be 100 even though she smoked a pack of cigarettes and ate a pint of ice cream every day,” says McClain. “You’re not making your health choices based on that example. Similarly, don’t make your choices based on anyone else either, even the people you hold up as examples of perfect habits. Experiment, be open-minded, stay aware, and see it as an ongoing adventure.”

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