Losing Weight Knee Pain Runners
Will my knees stop hurting if I lose weight?
If you’re a runner and have knee pain, you may have heard from your doctor that weight loss is a good thing. Your doctor (and many others) will tell you the best way to help reduce knee pain and get rid of it is by losing weight. But is that really the answer?
Will your knees stop hurting if you lose weight… maybe!
But also… maybe not.
Of course weight loss is one of the first things your doctor will recommend when you say you have knee pain… especially if you’re overweight.
They will also recommend diet and exercise.
So will losing weight help your knee pain?
Hmm maybe.
Is it the weight loss that helps you feel better?
Probably somewhat.
But then why do skinny people have knee pain?
They don’t have weight to lose… so if it was just the weightloss to help them get pain free then they’re SOL right?
Not so fast.
Instead of the weightloss it’s more likely the other change that’s happening inside that’s getting rid of the knee pain.
The reduction in inflammation.
It’s less likely the weight loss that made their knees stop hurting.
But, it’s kinda hard to tell.
Because when you start on an exercise and diet routine or even just the diet the thing you notice is the weight loss… nobody’s taking measurements of their inflammation in their blood and joints while it’s happening… it’s just not easily possible.
So then you think it’s the weight loss.
But really the change that’s most effective for you is to change the way you eat so you have less inflammation in your body (and knees) and you overall feel better.
Then you are able to exercise more and you start seeing muscles getting stronger, you move easier overall so not only do you have less inflammation making you feel better you’re physically better so that makes you feel better, too.
So will weight loss make your knees stop hurting?
Sure… a little bit.
But the thing that’s really going to do it is to eat fewer inflammatory foods and drinks which will not only make you lose weight but also make you feel better.
What to do instead of losing weight for knee pain?
If that’s what you want to know… Keep reading…
Eat right to make your knees stop hurting
Eating right for knee arthritis pain includes eating a balance of protein, fats and carbohydrates from whole foods with less processed foods and less refined sugar.
How much protein do you need to eat for runners with arthritis?
Aim to eat about 1g of protein per pound of body weight… but that could be a lot so to make it simpler to start eat 30g of protein at every meal.
Fill your plate with lean protein first. Then add in fats and carbs.
Adding in fats for runners with knee arthritis
Fats will help fill you up and make the food taste good, especially when you are eating fewer processed foods and less refined sugar. Ya have to get some flavor in, right?
Some good fat choices are
Salmon
Raw nuts & seeds
Avocado
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
Nut butters that don’t have added sugar
Skip the low fat labels if you have knee arthritis
“Low-fat” is screaming “added sugar”. You don’t want added sugar…
Added sugar will
a) give you too many empty calories,
b) not keep you full so you’ll be looking for more food sooner than you should and
c) make you crave more sugar so it’ll be an endless cycle of adding sugar to your diet
Carbohydrates for runners with knee arthritis
Carbs are important for runners with knee arthritis, well runners in general, because carbs give you the quick energy your body grabs when you’re exercising.
Be careful though, carbs are sugar so choose wisely.
Choose carbs that come from whole foods, not processed and without refined sugars.
Choose carb options like
Fruits
Berries are a great option
Vegetables
Carrots
Squash
Sweet potato
Leafy greens
Peas
Whole grains
Be careful reading food labels, always check how much “added sugar” is in something, or how many ingredients it has.
Added sugar usually isn’t your knees friend, and too many ingredients increases the likelihood of overly processed foods.
Is eating salads good for runners with knee arthritis?
Hmm probably not… but maybe.
If you really like salads, keep eating salads. But if you don’t, forcing yourself to eat a salad isn’t going to do your knees any good.
If you’re eating salads because you think that’s healthy that’s fine just make sure your salad checks the following boxes
30g of lean protein
Salmon
Grilled chicken
Includes good fats
Salmon
Avocado
Raw nuts & seeds
EVOO based dressing
Is colorful with its vegetables
Carrots
Purple leaves
Green leaves
Others
Doesn’t have added sugar
Many nuts in salads are candied which is lots of sugar
Many dressings include lots of added sugar
Isn’t just leaves
A salad of romaine or iceberg lettuce covered with dressing isn’t a salad
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