Have you ever heard that you can't out train a bad diet?

The people that say this basically mean that no matter how hard you work out, if your diet sucks, you won't lose weight

Well guess what?

That's not true.

At least it's not completely true.

If you eat like an absolute idiot every weekend then you'll for sure gain weight.

But for those that know at least some form of moderation, this might surprise you.

I'm training for a 100 mile race that's coming up in about 4 weeks.

First off, pray for me.

I've never ran more than 5 miles before training for this race.

And I've only been running for about 2-3 months now.

We'll see how well my base of strength training and fitness will prepare me for uncharted territory that I'm about to step into.

Second, my diet has NOT been on point through this process.

At least not as it relates to my standards and typical way of eating.

I'm not eating junk by any means - but I'm sure not eating well either

I don't currently have any goals to lose weight, and my goal is simply to keep my performance and recovery up with the additional long runs I'm doing throughout the week on top of my lifting program

I'm not currently doing any type of calorie tracking.

I've dropped intermittent fasting to make sure I'm eating enough.

I'm hungry way more than I usually am, and I'm not saying no to extra calories or foods I want to have.

And while I haven't been tracking my weight, I'm guessing I'm not down at all, but I'm also not up at all either

If I had to guess, I'm probably averaging close to 4,000 calories a day.

Maybe more than that on my weekend long runs.

I'm basically eating anything I want, and maintaining my body composition and weight.

Ask a high school or college athlete if they can out train a bad diet.

Yes. They kind of can.

How many guys do you know who could eat and drink whatever they want, and still look shredded?

So yes - I do think it's possible.

But that doesn't mean it's something everyone should strive for.

If you're an 18 year old with a raging metabolism, practicing and working out 2x/daily

Then sure, go ahead and eat what you want.

In fact, you probably have to.

If you're training for 100 mile race, and logging a bunch of miles, while also hitting a few days in the gym

You can probably get away with it.

But before you go and add a bunch of cardio in, extra workout days, and high intensity training...

You need to ask yourself:

Is it worth the cost?

It's kind of fun being able to eat everything you want.

But is it worth an extra 6, 8, or 10+ hours every week?

That's about the additional time I'm spending running at the moment.

And for me - it's definitely not worth the cost in the long run.

If I could get almost the same results in my weight and body composition by working out 3 hours a week, why would I want to do it in 10 hours a week?

I'd rather be spending time with family or building a relationship with a friend.

I'd rather be writing or reading.

I'd rather just go for a walk or connect with God in nature.

There's a cost to be paid if you want to eat all that you want, while still reaching your health and fitness goals.

There's also a cost to only working out 3x/week and maintaining a great physique

Both require discipline.

And for some reason everyone looking to achieve a certain weight or physique wants to workout more to get there

I honestly think that's because that's an easier discipline than just saying no to some extra food and getting a little more dialed in on nutrition.

I've found working out more actually requires less discipline (even if it's more hours per week)

It is a way many men use as an escape from real responsibilities, and real discipline to address the real reason you don't think you can stick to a nutrition plan and get healthy in a healthy way.

The metabolism equation can't get tipped very favorably by exercise alone.

It's possible to out train a bad diet, I just don't believe it's sustainable.

The good news is your metabolism can be tipped in your favor by improving your lean body mass.

The best way to do that?

1. Strength train 3x/week with some moderately heavy weights
2. Eat a lot of protein
3. Move more (don't exercise more). 8-10k steps per day

Don't overcomplicate it.

And don't get caught in the vicious cycle of working out more so that you can eat more.

1 Corinthians 10:23 says:

You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial.

Just because you can out train a bad diet doesn't mean that you should.

It doesn't make you healthier, and actually leads to being less healthy in the long-run.

Instead of running from the problem and pretending you're more disciplined than you are - try getting to the real root of the problem and identify why you haven't been able to maintain the body you desire.

It takes a real man to confront that, but that's a battle that's worth fighting.

So keep fighting.