I propose that you start a marathon training program to get down to your ideal weight.  Before you flinch and dismiss the idea as far to difficult or time consuming realize that if you stick to the program you are guaranteed to loose weight and do something you thought impossible and with the right program it isn’t even all that difficult.  Just like Ray Crock has a formula for the perfect hamburger made perfectly every time all across the country if you follow a simple formula you can have results as predictable as Mcdonalds.

The program consist of 3 to 4 days a week of running.  This program also assumes that you are relatively healthy and can run 5 miles.  If you meet the requirements read on.

You will start with an easy 3-5 mile run at a pace a one minute per mile slower than you plan to run the marathon.  If you don’t know this don’t worry you will be able to work this out during your program as you develop a feel for different paces.  The next day will consist of hills or sprints on alternating weeks.  If you do hills one week do sprints the next.  Vary your intensity and distance of both the hills and sprints and be sure not to overdo it.  This needs to be hard but not damagingly so.  Take the next day off, then on the 4th day of the program do another 3-5 mile run at the same pace as the other easy run.  These easy runs should be enjoyable and pain free and run at a pace that is at first difficult to keep yourself at because it feels unnaturally slow.

Skip a day and then on day 6 do your long run.  Start out with an 8 mile run and weekly increase this long run by about 10% until you reach 20 miles.  At which point you will only increase by 10% every 2 weeks, with an off week long run of half the distance.  Work up to as long as 30 miles and you will be ensured not to hit the wall during a marathon.  Do these runs at a pace :30 per mile slower than your other slow runs.  Plan on a long enjoyable day and look forward to the opportunity to get outside and enjoy your body.

These long slow runs will strip fat off of your body at an alarming rate because you are not operating at an intensity high enough to signal any type of cortisol release and you are putting your body in a fasted state because of the high calorie burn.  On these long runs eat if necessary but realize that eating can be difficult and counterproductive for fat burning.

Good luck at achieving the goal of fat loss and finishing a marathon, these tips should make both easy and achievable.