Running, and Running Only

Cathage
Cathage Posts: 8
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys,

I am new to this running business, but I must say I love it!!! Who would have know, I'm usually not a fan of cardio but I moved to a beautiful new city and something about the scenery and fresh starts has got me going!

Anyway, I wanted to know if you guys think I will see much for weight loss if the only change I've made in my lifestyle is jogging. I still eat and drink the same and too be honest I have no real desire to make a huge change in that. I am going to keep running weight loss or not because its enjoyable and I've stopped huffing walking up hills but I want to know if anyone else has seen much for change in there body if exercise is the only change they made? Everything I have read about people's "weight loss success stories" and running seem to involve them completely overhauling their diet and to have a lot less to do with the actual running. If you have had this experience please tell me about it please:)

I also don't have a scale so I'm going more off inches.

So you know:
I'm 23, 5'3 and guessing around 127 lbs.
Measurements:
chest - 33"
waist - 27"
Hips - 38 3/4"
Thighs - 22 3/4


I've been doing 3 to 4 half hour work outs a week usually running/walking 4.5-5 km

Replies

  • lawlorka
    lawlorka Posts: 484 Member
    The majority of weight loss has very little to do with the exercise you are doing. In fact you don't even need to exercise at all.

    I run, but I'm losing weight despite that not because of it, because running increases my appetite immensely and if I wasn't counting calories I would be gaining weight!!! Running burns relatively few calories.

    Weight loss is about making sure you are burning more than you are eating, and if you aren't willing to monitor that, and makes some changes to how much you eat to make sure that's happening, then I can't see how you will lose any weight. This is especially true since you are a healthy weight for your height already so the margins are much smaller.
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    I believe you lose weight by eating, but gain health/strength by exercising. You may be eating the right amount of calories to maintain a healthy weight, but have been living a sedentary lifestyle.

    Logging calories in and out is a real eye opener. Give it a try - commit to say, one month of logging.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    There are lots of overweight marathoners, in fact it's not uncommon for people to gain weight while training for an endurance event. Your runs are are still relatively short but I can guarantee that you'll be rungry after a 2 hr Sunday run (one of the paradoxes of exercise - improves fitness and health but takes fuel)

    I wouldn't suggest that you need to completely overhaul your diet; just eat a healthy, well balanced diet and maintain a modest caloric deficit and you will lose fat.

    You've also correctly observed that there's much more to exercise than just weight loss. When I started running (I you could call it that back then, more like a fat old guy shuffling down the road) I could barely make it around the block without thinking death would be a blessed release......now my goals include a sub 2hr half-marathon and sub 7 minute mile....
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    As everyone else says, as long as you're in calorie deficit you'll lose weight, and running helps build a deficit.

    I started about 16 months ago trying to lose weight with running as an adjunct to that. I fairly quickly realised that I was more interested in running performance than weight loss, haven't weighed myself in a couple of months to be honest, and that's what I track now.

    My current goal is a 1hr50 half marathon.
  • litsy3
    litsy3 Posts: 783 Member
    People don't tend to lose weight with just running because even though running burns more calories than many other forms of exercise, when you're just starting out you just can't do enough of it to make a huge difference (because your lungs, or your muscles, or your joints, or all three can't handle it yet). And as others have said you'll be hungrier and might eat more without noticing.

    I ran about the same amount as you do for 2 years without losing any weight at all (not that I was trying to lose weight at that time). It's only if you're willing to track to make sure you really are eating and drinking 'the same' that you should lose weight gradually as you build up the distances you can run.

    ETA: after the two years I did decide to lose some weight, which I did separately from the running, by changing my diet. After I'd lost around 40lb I had so much more energy I ended running at least twice as much and quite a lot faster!
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    When I started this process the 300 cals from 40 minutes of run/ walk was a quarter of my daily calorie goal.

    Thats significant. But needs tracking of intake as well.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    If your weight is currently stable and you start running but continue eating exactly the same, then you'll lose weight as you will have created a calorie deficit.

    However, as stated in posts above, many people will eat more, often without knowing it, as the running requires fuel and makes them hungrier.

    Therefore it would be sensible to track your food and make sure you are not over compensating for the running by over eating.
  • hermann341
    hermann341 Posts: 443 Member
    My primary forms of exercise are running and cross country skiing on my Nordic Track. It wasn't until I started watching what I eat this past January, and logging calories in April that I managed to lose over 35 pounds. I believe the key to the weight loss is to track your input and output to make sure you're at a calorie deficit.
  • fleetzz
    fleetzz Posts: 962 Member
    If you don't pay attention to your diet and you start running, you will begin to get hungry due to running. You can pack on the pounds that way.

    You have to pay attention to your diet or how your clothes fit and/or your weight and make adjustments if the clothes get tight or the scale numbers go up.

    I am starving all the time since I started to run.
  • Cathage
    Cathage Posts: 8
    Hey guys! Thanks so much for the responses. I think that the advice to log what I eat to make sure I don't end up putting on weight is great, even though I don't think I'll make any huge changes in my diet besides keeping track! Good to know because I don't think I would done that.

    Do you think that weight aside I will see much for changes in body shape if I'm careful to not put on weight. I'm not unhappy with my size but a bit of a tone up never hurt anyone and I am a little bottom heavy (all though I do like big butts, can't lie)
  • hermann341
    hermann341 Posts: 443 Member
    You may see some shrinkage as your leg muscles get more toned, but I wouldn't expect too much.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    Do you think that weight aside I will see much for changes in body shape if I'm careful to not put on weight. I'm not unhappy with my size but a bit of a tone up never hurt anyone and I am a little bottom heavy (all though I do like big butts, can't lie)

    You'll probably see greater muscle definition in your legs, and potentially elsewhere.

    From a personal perspective, predominantly running but eating at a deficit, I've lost about 35lbs and reduced my bodyfat percentage by a third. The deficit leads to the weight loss, but it's the phys driving the bodyfat percentage reduction.
  • harpere87
    harpere87 Posts: 142 Member
    Did I read that you are 5'3" and weigh 127? I'd kill to weigh that much. That being said, I haven't noticed the number on the scale being down since I started running, but man do I have a nice *kitten* from it. lol I don't overhaul my diet, I eat what I want in moderation to fit in my calories for the day. If I want cake, damn it, I'll eat cake. The biggest problem is if you want to run any kind of distance you have to eat food- you need fuel.
  • scraver2003
    scraver2003 Posts: 526 Member
    Your runs are are still relatively short but I can guarantee that you'll be rungry after a 2 hr Sunday run (one of the paradoxes of exercise - improves fitness and health but takes fuel)

    OMG! "rungry" is now going to be my word of the day. That is great. And so true.

    I keep trianing for things to keep me motivated/commited, but then I am hungry from training.... Sooo... I am fit but fat. I am focusing on eating more protein. I have always been bad with that. Hoping it will keep my fuller and for longer. But JUST running to lose weight... ehhhh. I am significantly overweight and running helped me for about 5 of the 15 lbs I am currently down. The other 80 I need to lose are going to take serious commitment to tracking my food.
  • JupeJones
    JupeJones Posts: 107 Member
    Don't get me wrong--I'm a big fan of running in general.

    But the problem with only running solely to lose weight is that we humans are super-efficient machines. Our "miles-per-gallon" is very impressive! So it takes quite a bit of running to burn calories (even if the running doesn't cause you to take in more calories).

    So let's say you want a 100-calorie deficit. You could go change into your running clothes, lace up your running shoes, go run a mile, change out of your running clothes, take a shower, put your regular clothes back on. Well that's 20-30 minutes down the drain, easy.

    Or instead, you could just take 100 calories that you were going to eat... and not eat them. Takes less than a second and you don't get all sweaty. :happy:

    So I say run because you enjoy it and it makes you fit and healthy. If you happen to lose a few pounds in the process, that's just a nice bonus. If you run mainly as a weight-loss technique, you probably wont' be too satisfied with it.
  • Cathage
    Cathage Posts: 8
    Obviously my favourite post. Damn it, I'll eat that pie! (Pie person - me)

    haha. I don't know if you are less or more than 127 but who really cares if your *kitten* is on point!
  • Cathage
    Cathage Posts: 8
    ^^^
    Did I read that you are 5'3" and weigh 127? I'd kill to weigh that much. That being said, I haven't noticed the number on the scale being down since I started running, but man do I have a nice *kitten* from it. lol I don't overhaul my diet, I eat what I want in moderation to fit in my calories for the day. If I want cake, damn it, I'll eat cake. The biggest problem is if you want to run any kind of distance you have to eat food- you need fuel.
  • bidimus
    bidimus Posts: 95 Member
    I was pretty over weight when I started running. Long story short, I wasn't attempting to lose weight when I started running. I started running in spite of my weight because it looked fun and I wanted to be one of those people. In the first 6 months I lost 50 lbs. My eating didn't change at first either but in time I learned that eating certain things had a negative impact on my running and those things naturally changed in time as my real love was running and not cake.

    Without any dietary monitoring, eventually my weight leveled out and I wasn't losing any more. At the time that was ok for me as I didn't really have any weight goals back then. Now that I do, I'm focused on the balance between the calorie burn from my running and the calorie intake. There appears to be a sweet spot between adequate fueling and the performance impact body weight has on running that I'm looking for.

    The flip side of that coin is you have to be careful. I found my appetite did increase as a runner and when I was injured (which happens) it's too easy to find yourself eating like you're burning an extra 10k calories a week when in fact you're benched and end up putting on pounds. Be watchful for that.

    At your weight/height, I suspect it would help you maintain without any lifestyle change but I don't think you'd lose weight.

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