Is jogging the best exercise for fat loss?

Simonepeco
Simonepeco Posts: 6
in Getting Started
I have been trying to lose weight for a while. I tried different workout options: spinning, strength, interval, Pilates. But what really helped me was jogging. Always combined with diet.
I notice a big difference specially on the belly. It is like the fat is melting out of my body. I jog at a slow pace, and I think keep my heart rate between 142 and 150 made a big difference.

Anyone else had experienced the same? I lost 15 lbs in 60 weeks.

Thanks
«1

Replies

  • Kaiminator
    Kaiminator Posts: 5 Member
    Jogging definitely works for me. I don't monitor my heart rate but run for 30 minutes at a pace of 12km/hr (7.4565mph). It's helped me loose 8kg (17.637lbs) in about 6 weeks (6 lunar orbiting periods).
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    the best exercise is creating a calorie deficit
    exercise should be regarded more for fitness because consistent exercise is in no way a guarantee that you will lose weight if you arent creating a deficit
  • stevenlcopeland
    stevenlcopeland Posts: 57 Member
    142 to 150 hr will definitely burn calories and if that works for you that ifs great. I'm 53 and I maintain 165 to 170 hr for an hour except on Saturdays then I go 3.5 hours at a 160 to 165 pace. I know what the book's say. I'm suppose to be at 150 hr. Too boring for me. I do all this doing HIIT and Spin. I do not jog. My knees are in excellent shape and have seen way too many people tear their knees up jogging. They are now in my Spin classes and yes spinning in pain.
  • harmar21
    harmar21 Posts: 215 Member
    I hate boring activities. Instead of jogging consider going on a hike. Hiking through woods is so much more fun,peaceful, and relaxing. According to this site it also almost burns as much as jogging. Although I guess the downside is if you don't live near the woods you would have to go out of your way.
  • Simonepeco
    Simonepeco Posts: 6
    I live on a flat Caribbean Island. We have very few options. No mountains.
  • mandimahoney5
    mandimahoney5 Posts: 93
    I like water jogging. Less stress on your knees. I do about 45 minutes a few times a week
  • hearthwood
    hearthwood Posts: 794 Member
    Jogging is definitely a high cardio activity, but I think most people can get great results also from lower impact cardio activities also.
  • tiggerGlasgow
    tiggerGlasgow Posts: 12 Member
    I'm going to upset dome people here, cardio is not the best exercise for fat loss.

    Shockingly it is strength training (either with heavy weights or bodyweight). Cardio has its place, but it doesn't need to be running or jogging. As you lose weight you also lose muscle mass, great on the scale but not so great for your metabolism. Muscle is more expensive to run than fat and requires more calories to maintain it. therefore if you can preserve (or even increase) the amount of muscle that you have, you will be able to continue losing weight on a larger number of calories than if you continue to lose muscle mass as well as fat.

    The type of cardio you do matters for fat loss HITT (high intensity interval training) is optimal, but at the end of the day, the best exercise for fat loss is the type you enjoy and can sustain.
  • GBrady43068
    GBrady43068 Posts: 1,256 Member
    at the end of the day, the best exercise for fat loss is the type you enjoy and can sustain.
    ^ This
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    honestly I think anything that gets you sweating and your heart rate up is the "best exercise for fat loss" What works and what is appealing to one is not going to be for another person. The end results are the same so just do it like nike says and enjoy it whatever you choose to do.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    Any exercise you do will increase your calorie deficit, but losing fat starts with an appropriate diet.
  • datguy2011
    datguy2011 Posts: 477 Member
    Funny you should mention that... I did the same thing with jogging. I changed my diet and lost the first few pounds... then lost even more when I started to jog.
  • dwozniak16
    dwozniak16 Posts: 146 Member
    I'm not a big fan of weight training, and everyone says that I really need to get a jump on that and be more serious about it.
    But I enjoy cardio and jogging way more. I jog usually 5x a week for 30 minutes to an hour at a time. That in combination with a calorie deficit I've managed to lose 33 pounds in 51 days. So if you enjoy it, keep at it. I'm going to try slowly getting into the weight training to tone up though, maybe 2-3x a week.
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
    jogging got me to my BMI and now just working on toning

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  • UmmSqueaky
    UmmSqueaky Posts: 715 Member
    at the end of the day, the best exercise for fat loss is the type you enjoy and can sustain.
    ^ This

    Yup. Even if there was one exercise that was the best, if you can't get yourself to do it regularly, what's the point? I personally bike and take a few classes at the gym. I'd like to run, but I just can't motivate myself to go out and do it. So I don't.
  • Unknown
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  • kshadows
    kshadows Posts: 1,315 Member
    Calorie deficit is best for weight loss.

    Jogging will increase your caloric expenditure so yes, it's great for losing. No one exercise is the BEST.
  • jnord8729
    jnord8729 Posts: 234 Member
    at the end of the day, the best exercise for fat loss is the type you enjoy and can sustain.
    ^ This

    Yup. Even if there was one exercise that was the best, if you can't get yourself to do it regularly, what's the point? I personally bike and take a few classes at the gym. I'd like to run, but I just can't motivate myself to go out and do it. So I don't.

    All this is 100% true, but I think that's why running is considered such a good one. Once you break through that "OMG THIS HURTS" barrier and you start getting the runner's high, it becomes very peaceful and relaxing. Plus a nice run lets you just enjoy the scenery and sort of go into your own little world.

    Of course it takes a good month or two to get to where it doesn't just plain suck
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I live on a flat Caribbean Island. We have very few options. No mountains.

    Oh, I bet jogging around the island is not boring at all. It sounds pretty awesome.
  • dj1skywalker
    dj1skywalker Posts: 86
    Jogging definitely works for me. I don't monitor my heart rate but run for 30 minutes at a pace of 12km/hr (7.4565mph). It's helped me loose 8kg (17.637lbs) in about 6 weeks (6 lunar orbiting periods).

    Cute! :laugh:
  • elektrolization
    elektrolization Posts: 40
    I loved jogging, when I was 165 lbs. It helped me lose about 15 lbs pretty quickly. Also, my friend has lost around 80 lbs just from jogging. I think she started around 230. Which brings me to this.... I am 204 lbs, tried to get back into jogging and it is SO hard on my body! I almost hate it because my legs and feet hurt so much after. So I'm not doing it, for now. I am going to try and strengthen my legs and use the Arc Trainers at my gym until I feel comfortable jogging again. But I agree, it is a great way to lose weight :)
  • MaddyT122
    MaddyT122 Posts: 152 Member

    Of course it takes a good month or two to get to where it doesn't just plain suck

    I'm still trying to get to that point! I'm going to keep trying though. :)

    But, I agree with posters above. There is no one best exercise but rather do what you enjoy and what you can do consistently.
  • divediva2
    divediva2 Posts: 297 Member
    I'm going to upset dome people here, cardio is not the best exercise for fat loss.

    Shockingly it is strength training (either with heavy weights or bodyweight). Cardio has its place, but it doesn't need to be running or jogging. As you lose weight you also lose muscle mass, great on the scale but not so great for your metabolism. Muscle is more expensive to run than fat and requires more calories to maintain it. therefore if you can preserve (or even increase) the amount of muscle that you have, you will be able to continue losing weight on a larger number of calories than if you continue to lose muscle mass as well as fat.

    The type of cardio you do matters for fat loss HITT (high intensity interval training) is optimal, but at the end of the day, the best exercise for fat loss is the type you enjoy and can sustain.

    ^^Exactly how my trainer is training me, 4 weeks in I have lost 4.3lbs, and 5% Body Fat. I do a combination of strength training, HIIT sessions and one day of active recovery. In two of the weeks we upped my calorie intake from 1350 to avg of 1800 per day. Needless to say this is working. The past 8 months doing my old calorie intake I was losing and gaining the same 5lbs, I love the way I am eating and exercising, I feel so much stronger, happier and sleeping like a baby!
  • Lettierey
    Lettierey Posts: 1
    I just don't like working out by my self.
  • NoMoreBlameGame
    NoMoreBlameGame Posts: 236 Member
    It is my opinion that squats are *awesome* for fat loss...because they hurt like hell, they talk back to you, they burn like mad, and they're evil. Why does that equal great fat loss? Because it makes me want to stay as far away from the fridge as humanly possible so there's not as much weight to squat the following week.

    (this post was written in jest, and I agree with those who said to eat a deficit for fat loss and exercise for fitness)
  • gdreeves71
    gdreeves71 Posts: 29
    I have gotten the best results by mixing weight training and running and elliptical. I also do a lot of home workouts while watching TV instead of sitting on couch. Squats, crunches, planks, etc.
  • soonrryan
    soonrryan Posts: 5 Member
    As a runner, the fact that anyone calls it jogging drives me nuts. Anyway, like other have said, do the exercises you like. Running is a good way to burn a few hundred calories in a short amount of time.
  • jnord8729
    jnord8729 Posts: 234 Member
    I have gotten the best results by mixing weight training and running and elliptical. I also do a lot of home workouts while watching TV instead of sitting on couch. Squats, crunches, planks, etc.

    100% true! Doing both cardio and weights. Weights because they build muscle and more muscle means higher metabolism, and cardio because well, it gives you more endurance and you can't match how much it burns in one session.
  • fanceegirl75
    fanceegirl75 Posts: 620 Member
    When I first joined MFP in 2011 running proved to be the best at leaning me out. For me I think it was because of the amount of time my heart rate was at a consistent high rate. 160-170. I would run 3 miles 2-3 times a week. I fell off the wagon hard last year due to a sciatic nerve issue and now I feel so outta shape when running. Going to try the C25K app starting tonight. I want to get back to running my personal 5ks a couple times a week again.
  • Sewilban
    Sewilban Posts: 43 Member
    As a runner, I'd like to weigh in here. I agree with what most people have said - that losing weight primarily starts and ends with healthy eating habits and creating a calorie defecit; and that the best workout for losing weight is the workout that you actually do.

    But what's important to remember is the one downfall that is most typical in running for weight loss, which is overeating to compensate for calories burned. I personally know a few people who actually gained weight while training for half-marathons because they would go on say, a 4-mile run (which by the way only burns 400 calories [good rule of thumb: 1 mile = 100 calories], the equivalent of a 16-oz Starbucks frappuccino in terms of calories) and drink their weight in high-sugar, high-calorie sports drinks; or they would burn 800 calories on an 8-mile run and justify eating the 800 calories they just burned via three slices of Papa John's pizza.

    My main point is this: if you're running for weight loss, just make sure to keep your nutrition in check. Eat more carbs than protein (carbs are a runner's main source of fuel and without them, your body will start to mistakenly break down muscle glycogen to compensate -- I cannot stress how important carbs are; the Atkins diet ruined this message for so many people), eat more protein than fat (but still eat fat - again very important), keep the sugar and sodium contents low, and the fiber high.

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