Does running actually work ?

HonkyTonks

Running burns calories. Calorie deficits are what result in weight loss.

However, strength training helps you retain muscle mass whilst losing fat, so your metabolism doesn't slow down as much

andforpoise

YES YES YES!! It works! I actually find if I have weeks where I don't run as much as I do other weeks, then I don't tend to lose! I ran all summer and also played ultimate frisbee (which involves a lot of running) and since May I've lost 43 lbs and still losing!

nikkibyrdRN

I lost 40lbs with running and diet! I've just started adding in strength training to access different muscle groups!

DaniellePF

For me, it has worked better than anything else.:happy:

shellie1206

It does but you need to change up your exercise routines to actually lose weight cause if you do the same thing everyday your body is going to stay that way at least that is what I am told and heard

willidewbaby

get a gps watch or a heart rate monitor to make sure you are not overeating your calories burned. Also do weight training it helps

aymetcalf

As long as you don't use it as license to eat, then you can lose weight. Then again, I managed to gain weight while running 50+ miles per week. It is just math, burn more than you eat and you will drop pounds.

Totally agree - I lost my weight from running - but I had to watch the diet b/c the extra activity can make you *really* hungry. Just try to eat clean and you should be ok! :flowerforyou:

daisydieter

Sorry if someone already said this but running does work but you need to keep in mind if you're new to it, prone to injury and/or have joint/shin problems historically, don't run EVERY day but every other day.

Also, in regards to accurately keeping track of calories burned... keep in mind that a 6 MPH run a burns up significantly more calories in same amount of time as a 4MPH jog. If you have a smart phone, a great app is mapmyrun.com. You plug in your basic stats... then turn the thing on when you go for your run. Using the GPS in your phone, it tracks, speed, distance and incline to give you an accurate calorie rate. That's the number I enter here on MFP.

thankyou4thevenom

From what previous trainers told me:
Too much cardio will burn muscle.
Limit to 20 minutes of running.
Once it burns your fat, if you do too much cardio, and no strength training it will burn your muscle.
More muscle burns fat.
Therefore, strength training is ultimately important.
Regular combination of both will assist in appropriate weight loss.
Such as warm up, strength training, then cool down.
Even up to 40 minutes of cardio per day with strength training, is good.
When I was an athlete, we ran for warm up only.
I remember the long distance runners had a hard time putting on muscle and weight, so they burned a lot of
fat, and were forced to do strength building ,but were not as strong as the short distance 100 m runners, who
did more strength training than running.
If that makes sense, when you think of body physique.

I was coming in here to say something of the sort.
I'm also going to add, that running is an endurance exercise. That means the more you do it the better your muscles get at it. That means they don't have to work as hard and you burn less calories. You then have to work harder to burn the same amount of calories.
Please add some form of strength training into your routine.

aippolito1

It definitely helps me! I've just added high intensity interval training into my routine. Instead of running fast for as long as I can, then walking... I run at a comfortable pace for a minute, sprint for 30 seconds, then go back down to my comfy running pace for a minute, then walk for 2 minutes, and repeat. I do this for about 30-35 minutes, and I burn a lot more than I was before, and it's helped my weight loss!

TrailRunner61

You burn about 100 calories per mile if you walk it too. It takes a bit more time but it's easier on your body (joints) and you burn more fat. I've walked around 100 miles since Christmas and have lost 8lbs. I'd love to run but a knee problem keeps me from doing it.

astrampe

Yes, it works. It is the best calorie burner of any exercise. If you run a lot you can eat a lot and still lose weight. Get fit, lose weight, and eat.

/quote]
Yes it does - I lost 50 lbs by doing WW and running - and the moment I would stop running for a week or so, so would the weightloss...Just ran a slow 8km this morning and earned myself an extra 680 cals according to my hrm! :bigsmile:

eversits

If you really want to lose weight, do SPRINTS! They are amazing. Do 10 sets of sprints and walk back to your original starting point. Make sure that you also combine this with long distance running as well!!! Running is great!!!

astrampe

You burn about 100 calories per mile if you walk it too. It takes a bit more time but it's easier on your body (joints) and you burn more fat. I've walked around 100 miles since Christmas and have lost 8lbs. I'd love to run but a knee problem keeps me from doing it.

You do not burn more fat - you can burn the same amount of cals and fat if you walk, but it takes a lot longer....

RoosterB

Interesting topic, but does anybody know what the impact is doing to your hips & knees in the long term. I've worked in the past with guys who played fairly high level soccer when they were younger. They were almost crippled in their mid to late 50's.

little_sally1

running is good - any cardio is good but you need to mix it up with strength training

firesoforion

I sincerely hope so! Bumping this thread for future reference, great information here.

aweightymatter

Yes, it works. It is the best calorie burner of any exercise. If you run a lot you can eat a lot and still lose weight. Get fit, lose weight, and eat.

As evidence, I lost around 30 pounds in the last year from running and diet alone. Now I have around 11% bodyfat and continue to lose weight slowly while eating close to 3000 calories per day.

Yup, this!! Once you get your miles way up you can eat so much and still have a deficit. Last week I had a 2600+ day and still had a deficit Running has also given me the best legs of my life!!! (Of course I still strength train, but running got them most of the way there without really trying.)

967_1111

My wife is living proof that running can aid in a weight loss program. She started out and was winded after running around the block. Now she puts in an 8 to 10 mile run, 3 times a week. Her weight went from 175 to 140, and she looks amazing.

Just move it!

Huffdogg

It's an incredibly good calorie burn. I would contest claims that is is the "best," but it's pretty damned good.

Danpellizzari

Running does wonders mentally and physically. The key to running is duration and monitoring your heart rate. Maintaining a training heart rate zone is key.

heybales

Walking or running burns about the same number of calories per mile.

If you only have so much time for the workout, like most people, you'll get more miles running into your allotted time, so more calories burned.

As to the biggest calorie burner claim - not hardly, there are cardio workouts that engage more muscle and burn more per hour.

As to workout that really lets you rack up the calories, I'm going to disagree with running though.

Not that it can't work, it obviously can. But it can be very prone to injury depending on how you approach it, and once your initial aerobic system improvements come quickly, you may think you can go higher intensity and discover the body really can't keep up.

The pace I must do to keep my heart rate and effort for what I can reach while riding my bike, could NOT be maintained for the same period of time running.
I can easily avg a 160 bpm HR (800 cal/hr) for even 3 hrs on the bike. To obtain that same HR and burn while running would require a pace faster than what could be maintained for 60 min. And I was runner first, did marathons at 8:30 min/mile pace, I know how to run. But doing about 7:30 pace for an hour can't happen right now. The bike can.

So at start of weight loss, I think there are better options to cross train with to prevent injury, and keep the running to low quantities until you get into safer weight range.

On avg, you can get your most bang for your buck and hopefully avoid injury with 30 min 3 times a week. Add bike or elliptical to that time if you have an hour to spend.
http://www.exrx.net/Aerobic/RunningInjuryVO2.html

Make the other days weight lifting as many have suggested.

Shoot, even the spin bike classes I do during the winter I can avg that 160 HR easy, and most 1st and 2nd timers are commenting on how easy it is to keep their HR high and not feel like they are pounding themselves.

lipglossjunky73

Yes. Anything "works" if you aren't eating more than you burn. That being said, I find running is one of the best workouts!

heybales

From what previous trainers told me:
Too much cardio will burn muscle.
Limit to 20 minutes of running.
Once it burns your fat, if you do too much cardio, and no strength training it will burn your muscle.
More muscle burns fat.
Therefore, strength training is ultimately important.
Regular combination of both will assist in appropriate weight loss.
Such as warm up, strength training, then cool down.
Even up to 40 minutes of cardio per day with strength training, is good.
When I was an athlete, we ran for warm up only.
I remember the long distance runners had a hard time putting on muscle and weight, so they burned a lot of
fat, and were forced to do strength building ,but were not as strong as the short distance 100 m runners, who
did more strength training than running.
If that makes sense, when you think of body physique.

There are some good points in here - combination cardio, weights, more muscle burns fat.

But couple points that are wayyy to generalized or wrong concepts.

The amount of time you'd have to keep doing cardio for it to start getting into muscle breakdown, depends on the pace and fitness level and training for event.
You have to be running low on your limited glucose stores first, and for recreational marathoners that is the dreaded "wall" at about mile 20 that many talk about. So 3-4 hrs for many people that didn't do the pace correctly.
But even there, as soon as you eat back some carbs to top the tanks, you could do it the next day.
If you continually do NOT refill the tank, say day after day at high pace for 60 min, you could indeed reach the same "wall" state and the amount of protein supplied for energy goes up to 15-25% to keep burning the fat.

The other wrong concept, once it burns your fat.
I'd love to see someone try running so long that you burn through the fat first. 3500 calories per pound of fat, even if you kept your pace low so about 50% came from fat, and say 700 cal/hr used, that's 10 hrs for a lb of fat. Nope, you're glucose stores would be long gone.

Lisa__Michelle

From what previous trainers told me:
Too much cardio will burn muscle.
Limit to 20 minutes of running.
Once it burns your fat, if you do too much cardio, and no strength training it will burn your muscle.
More muscle burns fat.
Therefore, strength training is ultimately important.
Regular combination of both will assist in appropriate weight loss.
Such as warm up, strength training, then cool down.
Even up to 40 minutes of cardio per day with strength training, is good.
When I was an athlete, we ran for warm up only.
I remember the long distance runners had a hard time putting on muscle and weight, so they burned a lot of
fat, and were forced to do strength building ,but were not as strong as the short distance 100 m runners, who
did more strength training than running.
If that makes sense, when you think of body physique.

I have heard the same thing. I am doing cardio and strength. I am building the muscle to support the cardio.

Luthorcrow

The truth is it doesn't really matter what you do as you long as you get moving. 90% of any weight loss battle is won or lost at the dinner table not at the gym.

That said, running is fine, not necessarily the best and definitely can become boring really fast. For folks that are carrying a lot of weight it might not be the best for your joints. I also think anything that is involves highly repetitive motions done in excess is asking for joint issues regardless of weight.

But at the end of the day what really matters is do you enjoy doing it because if you don't like what you are doing you are not going to keep it up over the long haul.

midgemunch

I worked for two years on losing my pregnancy weight to no avail. I started running and woosh, it melted off in the next 5 months.
Crazy.

arrich02

bump

allisshiney

You bet ya!

determinedbutlazy

I started the Couch to 5k program 3 weeks ago and I am already seeing a half inch loss around my hips, almost a whole inch off each thigh and MASSIVELY increased cardio fitness.
I'm doing C25K three times a week on the treadmil along with circuit weights. I love it love it love it.

I have NEVER in my life been a runner.