Running to Lose Weight

If your not losing weight by running. You don't have enough deficit. Check your calorie goals. If you eat your exercise calories back make sure your not over estimation the amount of calories burnt.

If you're not losing weight you're not in a deficit. A calorie deficit causes weight loss, not exercise (though exercise can contribute to a calorie deficit).

I was just like you until very recently. When I was younger I did marathons and triathlons and never gave a thought to controlling my food intake. For every year over thirty I have gain almost a kg and a couple of months ago I decided to take back control and get back to my original weight and fitness level. Well..... I ran and I ran and I ran and became so depressed that I was not losing any weight or cms, and was even gaining weight.

As brilliant as I am it "only" took me about a year (and tracking calories on MFP) to get that if I didn't reduce my calories in I would never see any results in the weight department. I started tracking calories, which I think is really fun, and if I see that I am close to my target calories I put my shoes on and go for a 5K run.

For the past week I have been consistently about 300-400 calories below target but I can tell you that I am eating everything I want (maybe not as much as I would want but I haven't excluded anything - pizza, bagels, candy, pasta...anything goes). A year of running my butt off and not losing any fat....a week of tracking calories and running every day -7 pounds! I know that I am going to hear all sorts of criticism that I am not eating back my exercise calories, but I just don't buy the argument. I feel better, fitter, happier than I ever have, my skin looks better, eyes brighter, more energy. Often I will run in the morning and then around 8 pm run again because I don't know what to do with the extra energy. I simply don't believe that I am ruining my metabolism and destroying lean muscle. I think that my body would give me some signs such as fatigue or general crabbiness before it started cannibalizing itself.

Anyways, long rant but I wanted to express an alternative opinion to never eating under BMR. I am very sure that this is true and is the case for many, but I don't think it applies to all.

I have a question on the same topic. Those of you who are successful with running to lose weight, do you also do strength training? Have you lost weight with much more cardio than strength?
I have an extremely limited schedule with working full time and taking college classes every night, so I am trying the best way to do my exercises. Do I run every morning (pushing myself to go farther/faster) Or do runs 2-3 days a week and strength the other days? Isn't my calorie burn less on days I don't run? I don't have much in the way of strength training other than doing body weight and some dumbells. I do want to get stronger and I know that muscle boosts metabolism...I just don't know what to do!

I know that I am going to hear all sorts of criticism that I am not eating back my exercise calories, but I just don't buy the argument. I feel better, fitter, happier than I ever have, my skin looks better, eyes brighter, more energy.

I think every bit of advice and criticism you get on this site needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Some people can eat back every lick of their exercise calories, some people don't. Both may lose weight. It all really depends on the person. I personally go here and there. I'm set as sedentary, so seeing as days when I'm active, especially when I put in 2+ hours exercising, I'm definitely NOT being sedentary, I tend to eat back my calories. If I only fit in 30 mins to an hour, maybe not as much. Also, some people that have more accurate ways of tracking their calories than just guestimating using MFP find it easier to eat back their calories and still lose. Personally, I do sometimes, and I don't sometimes. If I know for a fact that I'm having a big calorie packed meal, I'll usually work extra hard at the gym to make sure there's room for that meal. If I'm having a day where I can't eat enough, I'll usually eat some of my workout calories back (usually not all, as, even with a HRM, I'm still not 100% positive on my calories burned), and then there's days where I force myself to eat enough to get to 1200. It all really depends on person to person I find. Don't let the b*st*rds get you down. Who cares if they criticize? You're happy and getting healthy!

I don't do any regular strength training. When I'm feeling ambitious I will throw in some sit ups and push ups at the end of a run but like you I have a very busy work and family schedule and don't have time to fit in visits to the gym. So far only running is working for me and I am noticing results. I will probably change my running to interval training when I stop seeing results or when I want to start working on getting stronger and faster.

I don't agree with posters who say you don't build muscle running. How is using my body weight and pushing myself up hills any different than doing leg presses? For now I am sticking with what works for me and that is just running 30 minutes per day, sometimes 2x30 minutes if I have the time and inclination. I live in Sweden and summer means that it is light until midnight. I can't imagine that this winter when it's -20 dark and icy that I will continue running as now. May have to rurn to gym visits :-(

Do what you feel is working for you and what fits with your schedule. Would love to hear more about your progress!

I agree. That has to be building up leg muscles! I run up some pretty good hills too and can feel my quads working hard to push me up them. Thanks for the advice!

Personally, 1,200 cals a day only got me so far, then I had to go lower to see further progress. Calories in - calories out equaling a calorie deficit is the true way to see progress but I find running does help me loose belly fat quicker for some reason. Unfortunately, now I have manly looking calves from all the running You win some, you loose some I guess...

I don't do any regular strength training. When I'm feeling ambitious I will throw in some sit ups and push ups at the end of a run but like you I have a very busy work and family schedule and don't have time to fit in visits to the gym. So far only running is working for me and I am noticing results. I will probably change my running to interval training when I stop seeing results or when I want to start working on getting stronger and faster.

I don't agree with posters who say you don't build muscle running. How is using my body weight and pushing myself up hills any different than doing leg presses? For now I am sticking with what works for me and that is just running 30 minutes per day, sometimes 2x30 minutes if I have the time and inclination. I live in Sweden and summer means that it is light until midnight. I can't imagine that this winter when it's -20 dark and icy that I will continue running as now. May have to rurn to gym visits :-(

Do what you feel is working for you and what fits with your schedule. Would love to hear more about your progress!

I agree. That has to be building up leg muscles! I run up some pretty good hills too and can feel my quads working hard to push me up them. Thanks for the advice!

Your legs are the not the only parts of your body that have muscles. I used to run A LOT (60-70mpw, marathons, ultras) but it wasn't until I started lifting weights that I saw my body transform into everything I wanted it to be. Of course, while I was heavily into running I wouldn't listen to those who suggested I weight train and I wish I had....hindsight is 20/20.

they say stick to at least 1200 dont they or your body goes into starvation?
my first week i lost 5lb, minimal exercise good diet, this week ive been eating well still and running and only 1lb dropped... any tips?

Your first weeks loss would have been down to water weight, I'm going to guess only 1- maybe 2 pounds of that was actual fat loss. What's wrong with a one pound loss? That's a fantastic loss, keep that up steady on a week by week basis and you'll be well on your way towards your goals.

By all means, extend your runs, but make sure you fuel yourself appropriately for a longer run. You may be fine now eating very little and running, but take it from me you will end up crashing/not running as well if you don't eat properly and intend to be active. I've been there, stupidly tried to eat very little (aka not eat any of my exercise cals back as well as a 1200 heavy deficit dit): by the end of the week I could barely complete a 5k.