Running

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  • ms_leanne
    ms_leanne Posts: 523 Member
    Hi Schann,

    I'm currently running 5k twice a week and its amazing how quickly you can build up. Last night I actually did the whole 5K running where as I had spits and spats of walking initially.

    In the last 4 weeks, I haven't lost weight but then that's to do with my calorie adjustments and hitting a plateau, I have however noticed my bodyshape changing. My upper body looks leaner and my weight has become more prominent and I've lost a few cm here and there.

    I think you will notice the weightloss though.
  • Rgtjax85
    Rgtjax85 Posts: 99 Member
    Wow! Thank you everyone for your great responses! :happy: I really appreciate it! Congrats to everyone who has suceeded so far with running! I hope to be there one day too :smile:

    It sounds like striving to improve is the key to running, so now I just have to find my starting point I guess! I llive in a very hilly area with great footpaths, but I'm also a short driving distance to a pretty flat bike track (maybe a slight slant here and there). Which would be better to start with?

    Start in the flats as a beginner but you should take on those hills. Running hills allowed me to become so much stronger in my running goals and strength. I was 190ish and dropped to between 165-170 over about 6 months of only running. I now incorporate more weights than running but maintain between 165 -175. Get some friends to join and set a goal of running your first 5 K. Check out runningintheusa.com. Find a 5K that is set a few weeks are months for now and say to yourself, "I am training to complete this race without stopping and have fun." Before you know it you will say , I am training to destroy my personal record at this distance." You will do great. One step at a time. ( I need to get back into so I can do another half marathon)
  • EmilyGMcK
    EmilyGMcK Posts: 37 Member
    Started running last year and have kept on, absolutely love running and spinning (cardio freak but i am making a concerted effort to train other parts of my body). i read various running mags/articles and that coupled with my own experience i can say the following:

    Running alone will not make you lose weight as with anything else, DIET is 60-70% of the battle ...
    Nutrition is key to improving your running goals
    ***Interval training as well as ***hill training will strengthen your running as well as aid weight loss (need to get that heart rate up)
    Musts for runners:
    1. Cross training
    2. Core training
    3. Stretching
    4. Down time
    Dont overtrain as running is joint intensive so injuries occur easily.
    Increase your training in 10% increments weekly

    Running is AWESOME, never thought i would get into it but now that i enjoy it, i want to improve upon it and if you improve your running i guarantee your health and weight will improve but thats a loaded statement as per above.

    I'm from South Africa and the popular and goal race for many is a 89km race called gthe Comrades marathon. One of the winners and a running guru in South Africa (Bruce Fordyce) said that improvement must be noted not in running better times in marathons but the 5km and 10km races (ties to why interval training is so important).

    Also finally to demonstrate my points above i will give an example of my running and a friends running (he actually got me into running - lets call him Bob). Last year April (weighing in around 90kgs) i attempted a 21km after like a month or 2 months training (if you can even call it training) - I did 2hrs53mins and Bob did 2hr20mins ...... 10km around that time i did 1hr20mins, Bob was averaging an hour then for a 10km. I Continued training (running and spinning mainly) and by June (weighing in around 88/87kgs) I started seeing some improvements, my 10km time dropped to 1hr01min and Bob came in on that particular race at 59mins .... remember Bob is a runner who ran 3 or 4 of those 89km marathons. All the while upping my hill training and interval training - i attempted another 21km end July .... i improved to run a 2hr19min race and Bob came in at 2hr16 .... injury hit me thereafter (ITBS), Saw a biokinetist, could not run for like 3 or 4 months but went hardcore into stretching, leg excercises and core conditioning as well as a much bigger focus on my diet .... End October or November i started slowly getting into my running (was stronger and lighter as weight decreased to 82/83kgs mainly with diet as could not run remember) .... so one fine evening at a friends birthday, took a bet with Bob that said he can choose a race this year february (bet taken in November 12 - gave me almost 3 months to improve further), 10km race, winner is the person finishing ahead of the other. Low and behold, weighing in at 80 odd kgs on race day i did my best 10km time of 54mins and Bob did 55mins .... just bear in mind that Bob is a marathon runner. So i hope you can draw the conclusions i stated initially from my lil story. Running alone does NOTHING .... you gotta keep pushing yourself and therein lies the difference.

    So - my goal now is to complete a 21km in sub 2hrs around mid year this year and then im moving on to compete with Bobs brother who is quite a strong runner :):)

    Keep re-inventing yourself and your goals! If you want it bad enough, you will get it ... whose to stop yolu but yourself!

    Oh and btw .... running with headphones outdoors is not a good thing and frowned upon by the running fraternity/purists lol (this i picked up after a few months), its fine on the treadmill though :)

    Happy running if you made it to the end of this and dont forget to enjoy yourself

    amazing! What a great story and really good advice! I hope I can do the 10k in a hour this year so you have given me motivation!
  • JoshuaL86
    JoshuaL86 Posts: 403 Member
    I lost 120 pounds by running and watching my food intake. I love it, and it gave me the endurance of a 14 year old!
  • RunnerElizabeth
    RunnerElizabeth Posts: 1,091 Member
    Running is great for weight loss. I didn't really see results until I started running 20 miles a week with a healthy diet , but I'm done 8lbs since I went back to half marathon training in February.
  • BflSaberfan
    BflSaberfan Posts: 1,272
    I just started the couch 2 5k program app on my phone, I do really like it, it starts at a very nice easy pace, you really cant do it wrong.
  • MissMormie
    MissMormie Posts: 359 Member
    Yes. I lost weight just by running, or at least toned up, I didn't pay special attention to my diet.

    At the time I wasn't trying to lose weight, I was in a healthy BMI range, maybe a bit of the mushy side. I never used to weigh myself so I don't know how much I lost. But after doing a C25K variant friends started to comment about how I looked better and if I lost weight.

    So yes, absolutely running can make you lose weight.

    ----
    Edit: I'm subscribed to the runners world magazine and they regularly have articles about weight loss. One important thing they mention is that a lot of people do NOT lose weight when they take up running because they automatically start to eat more to compensate for the energy used. So, monitoring your diet is very important to get results.
  • thump418
    thump418 Posts: 251 Member
    I lost the majority of my weight doing this. Went from 261 to 180. Once I lost the weight that is when I went to the toning phase by doing the P90X and insanity workout.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    Eating at a calorie deficit is the only thing that has caused me to lose weight. Running has just made me awesome.

    I did C25K about 3 years ago. I lost some weight, honestly I don't even care so much about the weight anymore. I just want to improve my times, and increase distance.

    3 months ago, I started lifting heavy, and this has had the effect of starting to make me look goood without a shirt on.

    My opinion:
    Calories - weight
    Running/cardio - endurance/runners high/feel great/less binge eating
    Lifting - look great/short burst of strength/insane libido.
  • momofJandA
    momofJandA Posts: 1,035 Member
    When I started running it was to lose weight . . . but it quickly became more than that. In order to lose weight you must create a calorie deficit so make sure you are tracking your calories as running will make you hungry. Start with something like the couch to 5K program and then see where you go from there.
    If you "catch the bug" as they say you will find yourself running longer and longer. Pretty soon a 5K won't be enough and it will be a 10K, and then a half, and then a full. I started running 2 miles 3 times a week and now run 7-15 miles 6 times a week- it's my time. I look forward to the "zone" I get in when it's just me, my music, the road, and listening to my body.
  • blobby10
    blobby10 Posts: 357 Member
    I have tried several times to lose weight through running and not achieved this aim. Even when I was running over 20 miles a week I didnt lose. But I did get great legs!

    When I re-started I used the C25K programme along with other exercise and STILl didn't lose weight.

    This year I only run on a Saturday morning as I go to the gym Monday - Friday. I run around 5 miles cross country with the dogs and am a better runner than I have ever been! And no, I haven't lost any weight,.

    My sister trained for 2 half marathons and didn't lsoe weight from running!
  • momofJandA
    momofJandA Posts: 1,035 Member
    Running has just made me awesome.

    :flowerforyou: Best quote EVER!!!!!
  • LoosingMyLast15
    LoosingMyLast15 Posts: 1,457 Member
    Has anyone lost weight through just running and watching their diet?

    I am thinking about taking up jogging/running with my sister. She started a couple of weeks ago, and lost a couple of kgs already. I would like to lose 5kgs, and I just want to be fitter and have more energy! I also like the idea of running with headphones for a bit of "me time".

    How far did you run and how often to see results (weightloss)?
    What has running done for you? eg, changed your body in what way, improved your endurance? etc...

    Thanks :drinker:

    yes

    i run anywhere from 3-7 miles, 4-5 days a week

    it's given me more energy. i no longer have a coffee table butt; ie it's so high you could rest a coffee cup on the top of it and not have it fall off (as my mother called it - yes i know cruel whatever she was right). my legs are thinner/more tone. i have defined calf muscles (never had that before - i had cankles).

    i feel like i'm a better person because my running time is my time to de stress/decompress.

    i went from running at around 13 mile/min to 11:30/11:45
  • FUELERDUDE
    FUELERDUDE Posts: 150 Member
    When I started doing this seriously, it was with diet and running. I lost my first 20 lbs (A little too quickly, I may add) by running/walking 5 days a week and tracking everything that I ate (It does no good not to be honest with tracking as it defeats the purpose. It has also allowed me to realize you can have some not so healthy food, just in moderation and dependent on other/meals or activities for the day.).

    I started out a little too robust. I made it a goal to hit 6 miles every day (total of combined running and walking). I was loosing weight, but I was also setting myself up for injury. I mean 30 miles a week is what a lot of people do in training for half a marathon ( I was running until I couldn't run anymore), I was just wanting to do a 5k. If you do this, start out slowly and with resonable distances (3 or 4 days a week, rest day between runs/walks, start out with say (Day 1: 1 Mile, Day 2: 1.5 miles, Day 3: 4 miles). Each week up each of those distances up .25-.5 mile. You can also do a c25k program, but the key (for me was to slow down) in that is to not run all out while doing the run sections, but run at a pace where you could reasonably still talk to someone. Do some research on proper running form as well. This has made running much more enjoyable and I am not nearly as sore as what I was prior to doing such (I am reading Chi-Running right now).

    I am currently running a schedule like this (after 2 months) Day 1: 2 miles, Day 2: 3.1 miles, Day 3 3.1 miles, Day 4: 4 miles. I am still throwing in some walking as well on most of these days.

    Since becoming smarter about running, I am more energetic, I sleep much better, I don't snore as badly, I feel as if I am more alert (not lethargic), I have lost 7 or so inches off of my waist, my man boobs are almost gone, I have increased stamina, and I am happier in work and every day life. It's awesome, it's just not so awesome doing the running at times (Think of the goals and rewards when you get to these points).

    I hope this helps. I'm a newbie at running and wish I would've known some of this before I started.
  • abbyrae1
    abbyrae1 Posts: 265 Member
    I have a friend that would watch what she ate, kept it pretty low carb, and would run 5-6 days a week, she lost about 30lbs in about 6 months, about 5 months later, its still off
  • bluflu2003
    bluflu2003 Posts: 12
    Running has helped me lose a bit of weight (7-8 lbs). I initially started for that reason, but now I continue to run because I feel great about the shape I'm in. I run 6.5 miles 5x week (if I miss a day, I run longer the rest of the days so my weekly mileage average doesn't vary too much) . Weightloss was slow when I wasn't tracking my calories. Once I started tracking and was in a consistant deficit I dropped 5lbs rather quickly (a bit too quick). However, I had to find the right balance in calorie deficit because too little effected my run significantly. Adding just an addition 200 calories back made a big difference.

    Good luck to you and happy running!
  • Schann7
    Schann7 Posts: 218
    Everyone seems to be going so well with running! Great advice from everyone :smile:
  • Ericav05
    Ericav05 Posts: 17 Member
    The first month after I started running, I lost 20 pounds... I was walking 3 miles a day before hand and continued to after I started running. After the first month I continued to lose weight at about 5-10 pounds a month for the next few months with a calorie "allowance" of anywhere between 1200-1500 calories.
  • Schann7
    Schann7 Posts: 218
    The first month after I started running, I lost 20 pounds... I was walking 3 miles a day before hand and continued to after I started running. After the first month I continued to lose weight at about 5-10 pounds a month for the next few months with a calorie "allowance" of anywhere between 1200-1500 calories.

    Wow! What a great loss you've had! :)
  • Ericav05
    Ericav05 Posts: 17 Member
    Thanks! :)
  • Schann7
    Schann7 Posts: 218
    Well I finally worked up the courage to go for my first run yesterday! I did a jog/walk combo, and only managed to do about 3km in 30 minutes, I did take it very easy though, since it was my first time and I did it straight after my usual workout. I'm still feeling it in my legs today, though!

    Do you base your run on time or distance? I'm thinking distance would be right? I would like to go further next time, and then work on how long it takes me after a few weeks. Is time or distance a better judge for running? I'm just confused because I don't know whether to think of it as "I'm going for a 5km run, no matter how long it takes" or "I'm going to run for 40 mins, then stop".


    Also, how long does it take you to run however far you run?

    Thanks!
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    Sounds about typical for a first run. Well done for getting out there.

    Try c25k, or the zombies run 5k trainer. This will give a bit of structure to your early runs and take the uncertainty out of things.

    I wouldn't worry about speed or distance for the first six weeks or so. Once you're running more steadily download something like endomondo or mapmyrun on your phone and use that to keep track of speed and distance.

    Above all, enjoy it.
  • cburky911
    cburky911 Posts: 89 Member
    Congratulations on getting out there. I purely love running. I got back in to running last year and have done that and calorie counting through MFP to lose the weight I've lost. Sounds like you did well on your first run. As for time vs. distance...I do both now, but do what works for you. I like your idea of using distance and going a little further each time you get out there.
  • Schann7
    Schann7 Posts: 218
    Thank you :)

    Another question! How long was anyone sore for when you started running? Usually with a new workout I am sore for a couple of days, and then I never get sore.. until I try something new! My legs hurt a lot more than I expected, I think I may need to do a lot more stretches before and after next time. I couldn't workout today because they hurt so bad! This is embarassing, but heck , to be completely honest... I can hardly walk today! I wouldn't consider myself to be "unfit" either, so I'm surprised! At least I know I'm working muscles I haven't used for a while!
  • Schann7
    Schann7 Posts: 218
    Ugh, still sore today! Good or bad idea to go for another run?

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