New Study: Running and Weight Loss

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GiddyupTim
GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
Hey, did anyone else see the New York Times Wellness blog today? It has a post about whether walking or running is better for you healthwise. Research says it depends -- of course.
But, here is what is interesting to me: It mentions that a study published last year reported that running not only tends to burn more calories than walking, it also results in less hunger. Seems runners experience elevated levels of the hormone peptide YY, which controls appetite. Higher levels results in less appetite.
Peptide YY is, maybe, partly, why runners had much better weight control than walkers in the recent study, both at the start and during the six years follow-up.
The reason this is interesting to me is that I have a pet-peeve about the weight lifters on this site. Seems they are always bashing running in order to laud the benefits of weight lifting. And, one 'major' benefit of weight lifting they continually tout is that lifting raises your metabolism for about 24 hours following a session. They say that means you are going to burn a lot more calories than it might seem.
Wrong! It turns out the amount of extra calories you burn with your temporarily ramped-up metabolism is negligible.
Now they are going to have a much harder time saying running is not the way to go for weight loss.
Course, once you start running, weight loss is not really the reason you keep doing it, is it?
Here is the link.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/29/is-it-better-to-walk-or-run/?smid=fb-share

Replies

  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    I totally agree with you but I have banged my head on the concrete post of the "running makes you fat" posts too many times to know better than to think that the opinions of people on MFP will be swayed by facts and logic.
  • ColorfulWeirdo
    ColorfulWeirdo Posts: 113 Member
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    I am impressed either of you try to show logic with the "weight lifters are the only way crowd." I was darn near run out of this site when I mentioned that I did both weight training and running and both were crucial to my weight loss.

    For anyone else that stumbles on this thread, here is the link to the (very good) article:

    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/29/is-it-better-to-walk-or-run/
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Yeah, I still fight with them. I must admit, I find it is kinda fun. But, I intentionally posted this here -- in the runners group -- so I wouldn't have to go there today.
  • DavidMartinez2
    DavidMartinez2 Posts: 840 Member
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    I am a little skeptical of the results of their study. We as runners may experience an increase in peptide YY but I do not think our appetites are particularly repressed. I can point you toward a whole slew of runners who have difficulty keeping their weight in check because of their eating. Almost every group long run I have done has included lenghty discussions on what was for breakfast afterwards. Heck, Shalane Flanagan list "Being hungry all the time" as one of the things she hates about running.
  • aj445
    aj445 Posts: 183 Member
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    Short runs make me hungry. Long runs not at all. I ran the marathon on Sunday and didn't eat until dinner after I just had no appetite, and felt like it'd make me sick if I did. Weird. But if I do only an hour then I'm starving within an hour after.
  • watermstry
    watermstry Posts: 41 Member
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    Well, our personal experience doesn't mean that their research came to an incorrect conclusion. But I have to say, personally, running decreases my appetite.
  • DavidMartinez2
    DavidMartinez2 Posts: 840 Member
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    Based on their sample size of 19 I'll go with my own observations.
  • phooey43
    phooey43 Posts: 27 Member
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    While not being one to poo poo anyone's route to wellness but it does seem there is an obvious disdain by those that weightlift to those that run. I can only go by my own experiences where I've come to love running and have lost 85lbs doing so in 4 years. Yes there may be runners that have trouble maintaining their weight but I've also seen guys with giant arms with huge beer bellies as well it goes both ways. While overall this site has maintained a very positive direction of acceptance of everyone's choices I do sometimes think those that primarily weightlft and poo poo running should exercise the muscle between their ears a bit more before some of the posts they've made
  • TheBrolympus
    TheBrolympus Posts: 586 Member
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    I started weight loss journey (65lbs lost) with lifting and finished and maintain with running.

    Both work but I get medals for running. :)