Runners ONLY....

mlb929

I lost weight by changing my diet and consumption. I got fit and lost sizes with running and strength training. Running is what I love most, but I cross train in many ways and strength train. I gain weight every time I marathon train.

DCpaleochick

My SW was 153, I lost some and fell off the wagon. When I got back on MFP I was at 140 the first week of January. I've been doing C25K since then, and I'm currently at 130. 10 pounds in 7 weeks seems decent to me! I'm at the gym 6 days a week, and on the days I'm not running I'm on the elliptical.

Great job! thanks for sharing

llkilgore

I was about 12 pounds above my original goal weight when I began the C25K program and the pounds were still coming off fairly easily when I reached it, so I lost an additional 12 pounds. That was with a calorie deficit, of course.

RGv2

Honestly I do not know if there is anything more effective for cardio exercise than running. You can burn over 800 calories just running at a moderate pace for an hour. It is my MAIN form of cardio exercise, and I have lost about 60 pounds.

Plyometrics and jumping rope....and it's not even close.

donna123smile

Since starting in November, I'm down about 20 lbs. This has greatly helped me with stress!! I feel relieved and clear headed after a run...wish I discovered the runner in me years ago! I can do a 5k in 31 minutes...training for 10k now!

SmartAlec03211988

I lost 70 lbs just doing cardio. Added strength training and lost almost 10 more lbs (so far).

cayadear

30#-40#.

Add strength/lifting, and your legs start looking amazing, too.

janalear

I've only been running (jogging) for 6 weeks and I've lost 6 pounds. I've also been counting my calories and I Zumba once a week. Although I've only lost 6 pounds (10 more to go to reach my goal weight), I lost 21% of my body fat (went from 36% to 29%) in these six weeks. To me that says a lot more than just losing pounds. I always loved the idea of running but could never do it. I downloaded the C25K program on my phone and it has helped me so much!! I would recommend the program to anyone who wants to start running. Keep up the good work!

bcrivers14

I am a life long runner, been running on a regular basis for 25 years. In my 25 years, I have ran several marathons, ran in local events, and continue to run at least 5 times a week for about 40 minutes each run. It is a great way to clear the mind and relieve stress. In my two decades of running, I never noticed any weight loss. During this time I actually gained 20 lbs (10lb per decade).

My weight loss began when i logged into myfitnesspal and began to keep track of my calories. In the four months since I have joined, I have lost 15 lbs. I noticed I have more energy on my daily runs. Running is a great way to stay in shape, but I wouldn't use it for weight loss purposes, for that I think monitoring your diet is more important.

whatjesseats

I've lost 10.6 lbs since January 17th with running as my main form of exercise.

I'm training for my first 10k and run 3x/week. I cross-train 3x/week, alternating between things like Pilates, strength training, swimming, and spinning.

Duck_Puddle

Every one of the 75 I've lost. Running is what started all of this healthy life business for me. BUT, I don't know that it's the running that causes the weight loss. Running burns a *kitten* ton of calories (for me) and that allows me to eat what I consider to be a reasonable amount & type of food and still maintain the caloric deficit required to lose weight. But, even if I didn't drop another pound, I would continue running anyway because I like it and it does wonders for my stress level and my overall mood.

belgerian

Ive lost close to 100 by running as my primary starting do do some resistance. I still run 3-5 times a week depending on weather for about 1 hour each time thats about 6-8 miles depending on pace how I feel weather ect ect. Also having a caloire deficit. my intake was between 1600 to 2000 cal per day. Today I have increased to anywhere between 2000-3000. I am also fairly active at work.

RGv2

Whats a 10K marathon and 5K marathon?

Duck_Puddle

Whats a 10K marathon and 5K marathon?

5k marathon = 5k where you get lost and run an extra 23.1 miles.

10k marathon = you really, really suck at following courses, get lost again and run an extra 20 miles.

sreed016

I lost 35lbs last year and felt like I lost the most in the last few months when I really started running. Maybe it is a matter of changing up your exercise when you get rid of the last few lbs

watchhillgirl

Whats a 10K marathon and 5K marathon?

5k marathon = 5k where you get lost and run an extra 23.1 miles.

10k marathon = you really, really suck at following courses, get lost again and run an extra 20 miles.

That is toooo funny!

mrsna

I love to run but I mix in a lot of other excercise in order to keep my body strong and balanced. The strength helps improve my running tremendously. The balance helps prevent injury. For example, as runners our hamstrings and glutes can be weaker than our quads as the constant forward motion tends to over-strenthen them. Yoga and kettlebell workouts are two great workouts to strengthen the core and chain of muscles on the back side in order to improve running and help prevent injury. Keep up the great work and you will achieve your goals!

justjenny

bumping because I would like to start running

Bxgell2

This is what running did for me... along with better eating habits:





The top photo was in August, when I was only walking to stay in shape. The same week this photo was taken, I started a running regiment, 3 times a week, for 30 minutes, slowly building up to a distance of 10 miles on my long run on the weekend. Not only have I lost just about 20lbs, but my entire body has morphed. My legs are smaller but more muscular, my side abs are starting to show and my arms got much, much smaller.

Three weeks ago I started lifting and pilates, which have made a TREMENDOUS difference in my endurance...

Edited to add - one major downside though. My boobs are gone. I mean, seriously... GONE.

kkramey1970

I lost about 35 pounds pretty quick when I first started running. Since then I still run a lot but haven't really taken nutrituion seriously so I've only lost about 5-10 more pounds over the past year.

RonandDi

Running (or any exercise) won't make you lose weight. It will however burn calories, and that will result in weight loss as long as you take in less than you burn.

That being said, I have been using running as my main form of exercise. Between that and cutting back on my calories, I have lost 25 pounds since 10/12. So far all my running has been on the treadmill (with the exception of 1 day) and I can't wait to get outside once it warms up. My lungs cant take the cold air.

meredith1123

My first jog was out of anger (issues at work) - went for 1.8 miles non stop after work one day. that was four years ago. I needed to lose weight anyway so i never stopped bc i loved the way it relieved my stress plus I knew I needed to burn off 35-40 pounds.
burned off 40 pounds in less than 4 months jogging 2 to 4 miles a day - about four days a week. Plus I did a biggest loser work out video twice a week.
Now i still jog..... sometimes i'll run a hard fast mile..... sometimes ill run 4 to 6 slow miles. depends on my day, my mood, my time and how I feel.
good luck with your running AND your weight loss!

DCpaleochick

This is what running did for me... along with better eating habits:





The top photo was in August, when I was only walking to stay in shape. The same week this photo was taken, I started a running regiment, 3 times a week, for 30 minutes, slowly building up to a distance of 10 miles on my long run on the weekend. Not only have I lost just about 20lbs, but my entire body has morphed. My legs are smaller but more muscular, my side abs are starting to show and my arms got much, much smaller.

Three weeks ago I started lifting and pilates, which have made a TREMENDOUS difference in my endurance...

Edited to add - one major downside though. My boobs are gone. I mean, seriously... GONE.

Nice now this is what I am talking about! Well done and you look HOT!!!! thanks for responding.

tjmist

When I started running it was something new to my body and so I lost weight like crazy. Now, since I run regularly my weight has definitely plateaued, so I understand what a lot of people are saying on here.

But... while my weight stopped going down, I still continue to get smaller and tighter with running more so than any other exercise I've done. Now when I try to do another exercise that's not as strenuous it barely gets my heart rate going! Your weight loss might slow, but that doesn't mean you're not making progress! Keep on running!

Oh! Be careful and stretch before AND after otherwise you will develop ITBS and it sucks. Best of luck!

NoXQuse

I am a runner and have lost about 37 pounds now with running being my primary form of cardio. Running has to do with your heart rate zones. Being in fat burning heart rate zone for a longer period of time is okay, though have your heart rate in to cardio zone (which is higher) for a long period of time utilizes and breaks down muscle tissue for energy. This is why most marathon runners have super lean ripped bodies. The only way to know where your heart rate is and what your zones should be is to get a heart rate monitor and track it while you are running. Regardless, there is no release like running. Keep it up.

Zangpakto

Anyone who says you cannot lose while running doesn't run properly.

I know anorexics from gym who run ONLY and yet are severely underweight. They started as fat.

I know from PERSONAL experience, you can easily lose.

Question is, are you pushing yourself? I mean, truly?

A few races are kind of a stupid thing... My goal is running 261 miles in a race. In a single race that lasts slightly more than one day for cutoff....

Your a runner when you start, but many turn into just fitness people... The mentality goes, and you run to be fit, not to be fast and to go further than thought possible.

Many studies show fat burning zone? Is actually rubbish. For me for instance. FBZ is say 200c for 30m of running? If I run hard, I'll burn almost triple that if not more, then afterwards have an afterburn effect from the intensity burning even further whilst resting.

I am running 56km in 4 weeks time. next weekend I am cycling 110km. in a few months cycling 500km over 2 days. Half marathons mean nothing to me, I wake up and run that distance or marathon distance because I get bored. I push myself because I am not lazy. The question, the real question is. Are you?

Runningnorth

I have lost all my weight by running after my two kids. I just joined mfp 2 weeks ago because my number wasn't moving fast enough and I was making some bad food choices. I ran two half marathons last year and I am signed up for on in June. Before kids I could eat what ever I wanted and stayed easily in my lower BMI of my height.

If you aren't getting results running you need to get your heart rate up more often during your run or training. Do intervals or hills. It will make you stronger and build your stamina. Even getting your heart rate up for 1 minute intervals at a higher pace and then slow back down and run a few minutes and then run a fast interval again throughout a half hour run will help you become a better runner and lose more weight.

Running is easy and cheap. You can do it privately on a quiet road or run a park trail. Good luck. When I got back into running I could only run for 5 minutes before I had to stop. Take it slow and look up a run walk program to start out.

KWake1

To the distance runners. Your weight may not have changed due to water retention etc (as many of you pointed out already), but what about inches?

I personally don't care about what the little box in the bathroom says when I step on it. It's only a tool to guage overall health. I'm interested in actually getting healthy so I try to focus on the body fat % & BMI type stuff (among other things).

How many of you lost inches, or generally toned up your body?

Duck_Puddle

To the distance runners. Your weight may not have changed due to water retention etc (as many of you pointed out already), but what about inches?

I personally don't care about what the little box in the bathroom says when I step on it. It's only a tool to guage overall health. I'm interested in actually getting healthy so I try to focus on the body fat % & BMI type stuff (among other things).

How many of you lost inches, or generally toned up your body?

I have lost mucho inches (about 15 "around" my torso at each measurement). But I'm going to defer to my previous response (not the one about the 5k marathon-the other one). I have lost weight and inches - but I maintain that those losses were due to a calorie deficit that I am able to maintain because of what I burn running. My legs appear to have muscles they didn't before, but I'm guessing that's because the fat is going away, not because my muscles are bigger (lost 3-4" per thigh).

Flagirlof3

I started the c25k at 190, I finished and ran a few 5ks and then went on to complete the c25k to 10K. I ran 3 to 4 days a week and I would put in in anywhere from 20 to 25 miles a week. I got as low as 163, my stomach got smaller and my legs shown definition. Summer started and the kids were out of school and my running went to 3 days then 2 days and then I stopped. I 'm running again and this time I'm going to stick with it!