One of the big misconceptions about long-distance running is that you lose a lot of weight quickly. Sure, you can burn 500 calories in 45 minutes, but the calorie-in versus calorie-out calculation usually only works out in the short term. In addition to hereditary and lifestyle factors, our weight is primarily controlled by a sensitive choreography of hormones, which is known to be particularly complex in women. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of sport science studies focus on male athletes.

Two relatively unknown hormones play the leading roles in nutrition: ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and leptin, the satiety hormone. Ideally, the two work together…