will running boost weight loss?

Supadoopafly
Supadoopafly Posts: 248 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Tomorrow I start week 2 of C25k. I currently run/walk a circuit of 2.66 miles in about 47 minutes.

Ideally I intend on being able to run the whole 3.2 miles in 45 mins (or less).

I'm 323lbs. Will running aid weight loss? In the past my weight has been stubborn at removing itself from my true bikini body as is proving the case at the moment.

Thanks for reading.

Replies

  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    Running - like all exercise - burns calories, so yes, it can help with losing fat.

    Careful with running at your weight, because the risk of injuries is higher. Take any pain as a possible sign to reduce or stop the running.
  • JourneyingJessica
    JourneyingJessica Posts: 261 Member
    Running does burn more calories than just walking yes. Be careful while doing C25k, don't forget you can repeat weeks if you need to. At your weight, walking alone will burn significant calories without as much stress on your joints. I started at 278 and going 2.6 miles in 45 minutes is amazing!!!


    If you really want to go for calorie loss go for distance verses speed. I have an article somewhere I'll look for but you can enter the numbers in MFP and see what I mean.

    Let's say you walk 4 miles total.

    The calorie burn by walking 2mph for 2 hours = 3mph for 1 hr & 20 mins = 4mph for 1 hour. All the same distance and all similar calorie burn even though speed & time is different. Just something to think about.
  • Blue801
    Blue801 Posts: 442
    Hey! That's my starting weight... and I'm just finishing week two of c25k. :tongue:
    Exercise helps for sure, and running flat out rocks. I'm sure people will suggest you add some strength training in order to maintain muscle as you lose. I do You Are Your Own Gym on the days between my runs. :drinker:
  • Supadoopafly
    Supadoopafly Posts: 248 Member
    Must confess I find walking really boring. My body frustrates me, I can do so much more than it will let me.

    I run very slowly. I tend to one run per eeek outdoors and the rest on tbe treadmill.

    My fat is sooooo stubborn. My resting heart rate is 69bpm, I work hard at the gym. The weight isn't shifting.
  • Supadoopafly
    Supadoopafly Posts: 248 Member
    Hey! That's my starting weight... and I'm just finishing week two of c25k. :tongue:
    Exercise helps for sure, and running flat out rocks. I'm sure people will suggest you add some strength training in order to maintain muscle as you lose. I do You Are Your Own Gym on the days between my runs. :drinker:

    hey, youve done well to lose 25 pounds. Can we be friends so I can see what you're eating?

    I love the Mark Lauren book, I need to revisit it, ive neglected it for many months.
  • boatsie77
    boatsie77 Posts: 480 Member
    At your weight, I would opt to go slower (to minimize chances of injury) and a longer duration...the more you move, the more calories you burn. Trying to increase your speed too quickly is risking injury and injured feet, ankles, shins, knees or hips can set you back to doing zero exercise.
  • Of_Monsters_and_Meat
    Of_Monsters_and_Meat Posts: 1,022 Member
    You will be much better off separating your workout routine and eating.

    What is eat is going to be the primary factor in weight loss.

    Working out is going to make you a bad *kitten*.
  • Fit4Yah
    Fit4Yah Posts: 39 Member
    Honestly I think it depends on the body. I too did the C25K. The first few weeks I started to lose but once I got to the longer runs, my body seems to hold on to the weight. My body seems to go into "stress" mode I guess. Once I went back to the shorter runs and eventually cutting running out then I started losing weight again. I lift weights too so I know it wasn't a "building muscle" thing as to why I wasn't losing. I don't like running at ALL so maybe even that in and of itself put my body into too much stress. IDK but anyway give it a try and see how it goes for you personally.
  • Supadoopafly
    Supadoopafly Posts: 248 Member
    You will be much better off separating your workout routine and eating.

    What is eat is going to be the primary factor in weight loss.

    Working out is going to make you a bad *kitten*.

    I wish I could, but exercise inspires me to eat better.
  • Supadoopafly
    Supadoopafly Posts: 248 Member
    At your weight, I would opt to go slower (to minimize chances of injury) and a longer duration...the more you move, the more calories you burn. Trying to increase your speed too quickly is risking injury and injured feet, ankles, shins, knees or hips can set you back to doing zero exercise.

    not too bothered about speed right now. My goal is to do that 45 min/3.2 mile thing eventually. I can help the speed I do at the moment, it's my natural slow pace, I can run faster, but don't. However i dont think i can run any slower. I was really concerned with weight loss and running.
  • Of_Monsters_and_Meat
    Of_Monsters_and_Meat Posts: 1,022 Member
    You will be much better off separating your workout routine and eating.

    What is eat is going to be the primary factor in weight loss.

    Working out is going to make you a bad *kitten*.

    I wish I could, but exercise inspires me to eat better.

    That's cool, its just a slippery slope. As others have said running eventually will even out and you won't be losing much weight from it alone. Although running gets you more calories, so bonus!

    Personally I am training so for me food, running, lifting is all just a means to an end.
  • kattygirl0499
    kattygirl0499 Posts: 41 Member
    Hey all - I have a similar question. I've been doing C25K for 2 full weeks, going into week 3. Up until I started that, I was walking 3 miles or more a day at a rate of 3.5-4 mph. Started this journey right about 200 lbs...lost 12 lbs in 6 weeks with walking. In the last two weeks, I've lost NOTHING. I'm not gaining, really either, so that is good. Haven't changed eating habits or anything, so not sure what is going on. I am trying to figure out if maybe I'm gaining muscle or if my body is hanging on to fluid or what. I'm stumped.....
  • Blue801
    Blue801 Posts: 442
    Hey! That's my starting weight... and I'm just finishing week two of c25k. :tongue:
    Exercise helps for sure, and running flat out rocks. I'm sure people will suggest you add some strength training in order to maintain muscle as you lose. I do You Are Your Own Gym on the days between my runs. :drinker:

    hey, youve done well to lose 25 pounds. Can we be friends so I can see what you're eating?

    I love the Mark Lauren book, I need to revisit it, ive neglected it for many months.

    My diary isnt open because I honestly don't want my parents seeing that I drink Scotch and eat pot pies regularly. They are on my friends list.

    I know a lot of people will discourage running at 300ish pounds, but I'm like you and find walking super boring. It also feels more uncomfortable than slow running to me. If you don't have any health problems to prevent you from running, why not run, right? I avoid heel striking and go slowly so my form doesn't get sloppy.

    If the weight isn't shifting you are eating too much. :bigsmile:
    I suggest weighing food or not eating back all the exercise calories which are often overestimates.
  • Steffani911
    Steffani911 Posts: 196 Member
    For me, it doubled my weight loss efforts. When I started a couple of years ago, I could walk but could barely run two blocks. It was so incredibly hard at first, but my strength and endurance came so fast even though at the time it felt like forever. Go slower or run less if you need to. Repeat weeks if you need to as long as you just keep going. Good luck!
  • Supadoopafly
    Supadoopafly Posts: 248 Member
    Hey! That's my starting weight... and I'm just finishing week two of c25k. :tongue:
    Exercise helps for sure, and running flat out rocks. I'm sure people will suggest you add some strength training in order to maintain muscle as you lose. I do You Are Your Own Gym on the days between my runs. :drinker:

    hey, youve done well to lose 25 pounds. Can we be friends so I can see what you're eating?

    I love the Mark Lauren book, I need to revisit it, ive neglected it for many months.

    My diary isnt open because I honestly don't want my parents seeing that I drink Scotch and eat pot pies regularly. They are on my friends list.

    I know a lot of people will discourage running at 300ish pounds, but I'm like you and find walking super boring. It also feels more uncomfortable than slow running to me. If you don't have any health problems to prevent you from running, why not run, right? I avoid heel striking and go slowly so my form doesn't get sloppy.

    If the weight isn't shifting you are eating too much. :bigsmile:
    I suggest weighing food or not eating back all the exercise calories which are often overestimates.

    I eat back the calories my (chest strap) heart rate monitor says I've burned, I dont follow MFP.
    I weigh everything.
  • Supadoopafly
    Supadoopafly Posts: 248 Member
    For me, it doubled my weight loss efforts. When I started a couple of years ago, I could walk but could barely run two blocks. It was so incredibly hard at first, but my strength and endurance came so fast even though at the time it felt like forever. Go slower or run less if you need to. Repeat weeks if you need to as long as you just keep going. Good luck!

    thank you!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Hey all - I have a similar question. I've been doing C25K for 2 full weeks, going into week 3. Up until I started that, I was walking 3 miles or more a day at a rate of 3.5-4 mph. Started this journey right about 200 lbs...lost 12 lbs in 6 weeks with walking. In the last two weeks, I've lost NOTHING. I'm not gaining, really either, so that is good. Haven't changed eating habits or anything, so not sure what is going on. I am trying to figure out if maybe I'm gaining muscle or if my body is hanging on to fluid or what. I'm stumped.....

    So 2-4 lbs was easily just water weight lost, probably from change of sodium in diet, and storing less carbs with attached water.

    But now you are running and asking the body to store more carbs than it did previously, because you are using more of them.
    So more carbs more water weight.

    You should see inches dropping still, eventually you can only store so much extra carbs and you'll see the weight drop again with the fat.

    But I hope your diet changes since you are burning more now. If you aren't going to fuel your workout to gain benefit from it - why waste time doing it?
    If it's merely to burn more calories, it's easier to drop 200 from the diet than to try to exercise 200 more.
  • Blue801
    Blue801 Posts: 442
    Hey! That's my starting weight... and I'm just finishing week two of c25k. :tongue:
    Exercise helps for sure, and running flat out rocks. I'm sure people will suggest you add some strength training in order to maintain muscle as you lose. I do You Are Your Own Gym on the days between my runs. :drinker:

    hey, youve done well to lose 25 pounds. Can we be friends so I can see what you're eating?

    I love the Mark Lauren book, I need to revisit it, ive neglected it for many months.

    My diary isnt open because I honestly don't want my parents seeing that I drink Scotch and eat pot pies regularly. They are on my friends list.

    I know a lot of people will discourage running at 300ish pounds, but I'm like you and find walking super boring. It also feels more uncomfortable than slow running to me. If you don't have any health problems to prevent you from running, why not run, right? I avoid heel striking and go slowly so my form doesn't get sloppy.

    If the weight isn't shifting you are eating too much. :bigsmile:
    I suggest weighing food or not eating back all the exercise calories which are often overestimates.

    I eat back the calories my (chest strap) heart rate monitor says I've burned, I dont follow MFP.
    I weigh everything.

    If you are not losing at all and have already been consistent for a few weeks then you are lacking the calorie deficit that would give you weight loss. You may want to adjust you calorie goals, or the amount of you exercise calories you eat back.

    Eta... But it looks like you've already lost 6 pounds this month? So maybe just expectations need adjusting? :flowerforyou:
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    At your weight, I would opt to go slower (to minimize chances of injury) and a longer duration...the more you move, the more calories you burn. Trying to increase your speed too quickly is risking injury and injured feet, ankles, shins, knees or hips can set you back to doing zero exercise.

    not too bothered about speed right now. My goal is to do that 45 min/3.2 mile thing eventually. I can help the speed I do at the moment, it's my natural slow pace, I can run faster, but don't. However i dont think i can run any slower. I was really concerned with weight loss and running.

    For your weight...if your burn calories are accurate...you should be losing weight. Your exercise diary shows that you have already burned over 5,000 in exercise this week!

    One thing that I noticed in your food diary is that you are waaaaay waaaay over in sodium some days...protein was way low.

    I assume that you are eating all your exercise calories back? If they are over inflated then that might be why you are not losing.
  • Supadoopafly
    Supadoopafly Posts: 248 Member
    At your weight, I would opt to go slower (to minimize chances of injury) and a longer duration...the more you move, the more calories you burn. Trying to increase your speed too quickly is risking injury and injured feet, ankles, shins, knees or hips can set you back to doing zero exercise.

    not too bothered about speed right now. My goal is to do that 45 min/3.2 mile thing eventually. I can help the speed I do at the moment, it's my natural slow pace, I can run faster, but don't. However i dont think i can run any slower. I was really concerned with weight loss and running.

    For your weight...if your burn calories are accurate...you should be losing weight. Your exercise diary shows that you have already burned over 5,000 in exercise this week!

    One thing that I noticed in your food diary is that you are waaaaay waaaay over in sodium some days...protein was way low.

    I assume that you are eating all your exercise calories back? If they are over inflated then that might be why you are not losing.
  • Samstan101
    Samstan101 Posts: 699 Member
    At your weight, I would opt to go slower (to minimize chances of injury) and a longer duration...the more you move, the more calories you burn. Trying to increase your speed too quickly is risking injury and injured feet, ankles, shins, knees or hips can set you back to doing zero exercise.

    I started at 300lbs last year and did just this. I did 1 or 2 sessions a week with cross training, swimming or weights on the other days.

    As for helping weight loss the answer is it depends on what you're eating. Assuming you don't have a medical problem that inhibits your weight loss then to lose weight just eat at a calorie deficit. At your weight if you're exercising regularly then a 1000 cal deficit is easily achievable and the weight should come off at around 1.5-2lbs a week. However, make sure you are weighing and logging every thing you eat & drink. Given that running for 30mins will burn somewhere in the region of 350cals for someone of your size then running on its own won't help your weight loss, only diet can do that but running will mean you can eat more and still lose weight.
  • fleetzz
    fleetzz Posts: 962 Member
    Running only helps with weight loss because it burns calories. If you are starving because of running and eat more than you burn--no.

    Calculate how many calories you burn from running --don't eat them all back--yes.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    Results of a few longitudinal studies have shown that there's no correlation between weight loss and exercise, but there is one between increasing exercise and weight loss (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21696306; the abstract is misleading, but the paper itself points out the correlation).

    I just started Couch to 5K myself a few weeks ago, but I do a lot of cycling. In 2012, I bicycled 2400 miles and gained 10 lb. In 2013, I lost about 45, not because of cycling, but because I was counting calories with MFP.

    Doing moderate to intense cardio (more intense than walking) will improve your endurance, strengthen muscles, and let you eat more than you would if you were sedentary - those are all great reasons to do it!

    A couple resources if you want motivation:
    MFP's C25K group: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/30-couch-to-5k-running-program-c25k
    C25K subreddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/C25K/

    The subreddit is a lot friendlier than much of Reddit.
  • FancyPantsFran
    FancyPantsFran Posts: 3,687 Member
    I have one more day to go and I'll be done with the c25k program. My first 5k is on March 8th- barring any more ice and snow. Since doing the program ive lost 2 inches on my stomach and 1.5 on my hips ad am down 5 pounds. Runnning helped me punch thru a plateau. I really enjoy running now...Good luck, listen to your body and do what you think is right for you and your journey

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