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You are queen or king in sports - but nothing happens on the scales, the weight loss attempts do not succeed. Why does it sometimes work this way?

We have published a text on this topic at SPIEGEL, which we want to take up in our new issue of the running newsletter.

My colleagues Benjamin Knaack and Nina Golombek write that the scope of sports would have to be large in order to lose weight. In order for a kilogram of body fat to melt away, a normally built man needs to walk for half a day, the text says. And: A jog in the pouring rain? Consumes just as much as a large bar of chocolate or a plate of pasta brings in energy.

When I started running more intensively in 2015, I had two cruciate ligament tears behind me. Due to the sports breaks I had accumulated a few kilos too much, at least that was my personal impression. So my plan was also to lose weight with running. Today I am much lighter, seven to eight kilos are down, the muscles are stronger.

My impression is that especially regularity in sports combined with a training goal can bring the desired changes on the scales. For example, when I'm preparing for a competition, I make a training plan, go running regularly and several times a week. Then I lose weight quickly, simply because it can lead to a large calorie deficit.

This is also the recommendation of experts: If you want to lose weight, you have to consume more calories than you eat. This can be achieved with sport, but not only.

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Nutrition is also a lever – there is also a danger here in connection with sport. Personally, I find it difficult to pay attention to my diet after the run. I like to reach for things that come my way between taking off my shoes and taking a shower: gummy bears, cheese bread, a sip of stuff. I call this the sponge phase (or a bad habit). In technical jargon, it's called compensatory food. Running makes me very hungry.

In the end, however, my regular, weekly running workload, which I have now kept constant for over eight years, helped me to lose weight in the long term and sustainably.

The topic is very individual, complex. Experts also advise to train at low intensity for weight loss. You should run mainly in the aerobic range (pulse of 70 to 80 percent of the maximum heart rate) so that the body draws on the body's own fat reserves for energy. For me, this pulse range is between 133 and 151 beats per minute.

Put simply, this means that it is better to run slower and spend more often than once.

And there are even more ways to optimize. The physiologist Erik Willis has therefore investigated at what time of day the body burns fat particularly effectively. Here he says why you should rather train in the morning if you want to reduce your weight with running.

My colleagues also write that slimming down should not be the only motivation for exercise, fitness is also important. "It is much more important that you exercise well several times a week," say experts. Among other things, this involves keeping the cardiovascular system healthy. Trained muscles are easy on the joints – and they consume more calories. So it's a win-win.

Which shoe should it be?

But there are also people who pursue completely different goals with running. On-Running boss Caspar Coppetti has set himself the goal of promoting an athlete who will one day win a gold medal at the Summer Olympics. On-Running? This is the manufacturer of shoes whose cushioning is more reminiscent of a mattress than a regular sole.

Here, my colleague Andreas Haslauer conducted an interview with Coppetti. In it, he also complains about the fact that on-running shoes were suddenly used in everyday life for shopping and no longer just for running.

The question of the perfect running shoe is always asked by friends. To be honest, I don't know, I answer. Body and running styles are too different, so off to the specialty store and have a gait analysis done on the treadmill.

My only recommendation is to have two pairs of shoes so that you can change from time to time to reduce the risk of foot deformities due to the repetitive movements when running in the same shoe over and over again.

Our colleague Jonas Mielke had four models tested here.

Whatever your goal in running, whether you want to reduce your weight or win an Olympic gold medal, we wish you success. And above all, fun! For me, that's the main reason why I regularly lace up my shoes and do my laps – it's just a hell of a lot of fun.

Yours, Jan Göbel , Editor SPIEGEL Sport