C25K Results?

the goal of the program is to be able to run a 5K. weight loss is more related to your eating habits.

This.
C25K is a wonderful program. I wouldn't be running without it. However, it's for running; not weight loss. You'll notice your body toning up and your cardiovascular system getting stronger but the weight loss will come mainly from a calorie deficit.

I have a problem understanding some of the arguments above: weightloss comes from a calorie deficit that one can achieve either by eating less, exercising more and therefore burning more calories or by a combination of both.

So why does exercising not help to lose weight? I exercise a lot and this allows me to eat a bit more (I don't eat all of my exercise calories back) which makes losing weight so much easier than having to stick to 1200 calories.

Btw I have just finished week three of the C25K and so far it goes very well.

Stef.

I have a problem understanding some of the arguments above: weightloss comes from a calorie deficit that one can achieve either by eating less, exercising more and therefore burning more calories or by a combination of both.

So why does exercising not help to lose weight? I exercise a lot and this allows me to eat a bit more (I don't eat all of my exercise calories back) which makes losing weight so much easier than having to stick to 1200 calories.

Btw I have just finished week three of the C25K and so far it goes very well.

Stef.

It's because even with a high intensity exercise like running, it really doesn't burn that many calories and it is extraordinarily easily to negate that burn by going over on your calories for the day. This is especially true for the many folks who get hungrier after working out. You could run a 5K, but grab a post-race banana and bagel and you have probably eaten in excess of what you just "earned" during the race.

It's much easier to create a deficit through your eating habits rather than the exercise - for example, to create a 500 calorie deficit per day with running alone (at my current weight), I would need to run 5 miles each and every day.

ETA: This is not meant to discourage people or to say that exercise is useless in creating a deficit, but rather to point out that by itself it's unlikely to be enough to create a meaningful deficit and be sustainable. Exercise still provides numerous health benefits, and the small amount of extra calorie burn can indeed help people stay on track.

I finished the C25k and kept right on going toward 10k. I love this program, and I feel awesome when I finish an hour of running. I already knew I enjoyed running, but by sticking to this program I didn't overdo it early and give up.

I second the idea of picking a 5k to run in for about the time you "should" finish the program. It really helped me focus and not slack off on those days I didn't feel like running.

As for weight loss, mine actually slowed down about three weeks into the program. On the other hand, I feel my fitness level is much higher. AND, I feel more like becoming a better runner rather than just losing weight. Losing weight is pretty boring after awhile, but not running. I still track all my food, but now I do it for a different reason.

So why does exercising not help to lose weight? I exercise a lot and this allows me to eat a bit more (I don't eat all of my exercise calories back) which makes losing weight so much easier than having to stick to 1200 calories.

If you're counting calories, and estimate exercise calories with reasonable accuracy, exercise can help you to lose weight, for the reason you say: it lets you eat more without messing with your deficit. I burn 500 calories a day exercising (on average), and I really like eating those calories!

But if you don't count calories and maintain a deficit, exercise won't necessarily help. A review article in the NEJM in 2011 found that increased physical activity was correlated with weight loss/reduced weight gain, but you can only increase your physical activity so much! Despite what the carelessly written abstract claims, the article text indicates that there was no correlation between absolute levels of activity and weight loss: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1014296#t=abstract

The reason is that exercise makes you hungrier in the long run. In 2012, I bicycled over 2500 miles and gained 10 lb. In 2013 I biked 3500 miles and lost 45 lb., but only because I was counting calories.

There's some research suggesting that high-intensity intervals don't produce the same hunger response; Gretchen Reynolds summarized it in her book "The First Twenty Minutes." I'm sure a Pubmed search would turn it up.

Are you doing the timed part or the distance?

I'm on week 2 at the moment and loving it.... I tried to start it I-don't-know-how-many times and never thought I would get past week one. I was pretty disgusted with myself that I couldn't even manage running for 60 seconds!

Pretty much what everyone else says re: calories/ weight loss, however if you're like me, someone who HATES exercise and the idea of it, being motivated enough to get out there and keep at it will make you feel heaps better about yourself and your ability to commit to this, which in turn will help you to commit to eating well. While exercise alone is not enough to help you lose weight on biological terms, I think psychologically it can be very beneficial, get you into the right mindset and fill you with lots of lovely happy-brain chemicals

or if it would be a good idea to add in some other forms of exercise during the week.

OK, that's a slightly different question, but as you shouldn't be running every day it is useful to have something to complement it. When I was doing C25K I tended to swim or cycle on my non-running days.

Nowadays I'm trying to improve my half marathon time so my cross training tends to be cycling or bodyweight resistance training. With respect to the latter, it's certainly worth including some resistance training, in part because it helps reduce injury risk but in the long term it also helps running performance.

It's great for getting you running. I started with this in April and I can now run continuously for 45 minutes. Doesn't make you lose weight but definitely improves your fitness and tones your body x