Running for weight loss?
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shaynataggart wrote: »I was just thrown off by how many articles there are saying how running is bad for weight loss.
Maybe there is an abundance of bad information out there?
Running and cycling at an intense effort level a few times a week with a couple days of lifting as a fitness plan works great
Get a good understanding of nutrition, as in how to fuel your body for your activities, not just blind intake of all calories as if they are all nutritionally equal.
You are solidly on the way to success!
Running is great for weight loss. Cycling too.
Check out the participants in the next local triathlon. People that do a good bit of both cycling and running just naturally tend to burn off body fat.
Good luck on reaching your goal!
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Diet is 80 percent, exercising is the other 20 percent with weight training more beneficial than running.0
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MoiAussi93 wrote: »shaynataggart wrote: »I was just thrown off by how many articles there are saying how running is bad for weight loss.
It's not bad, it's just too easy to eat the burned cals back with a Starbucks frappe or a milkshake. Running is one of the more effective things to do in terms of cals/time assuming you don't hurt yourself.
True story....I ran a 5k...a turkey trot, so it wasn't super competitive... with a big group of friends. One of the women was not a runner and planned to walk the whole thing, which is fine. But when we all met up at the finish line, she told us she actually stopped at the Starbucks we passed on the route to get a Mocha. I'm sure she consumed more calories during that 5k than she burned.
During a craft show my wife and I attended, I stopped at a Starbucks for their pumpkin latte. Over 330 calories for a drink. I can't afford Starbucks anymore. ;-)0 -
MoiAussi93 wrote: »shaynataggart wrote: »I was just thrown off by how many articles there are saying how running is bad for weight loss.
It's not bad, it's just too easy to eat the burned cals back with a Starbucks frappe or a milkshake. Running is one of the more effective things to do in terms of cals/time assuming you don't hurt yourself.
True story....I ran a 5k...a turkey trot, so it wasn't super competitive... with a big group of friends. One of the women was not a runner and planned to walk the whole thing, which is fine. But when we all met up at the finish line, she told us she actually stopped at the Starbucks we passed on the route to get a Mocha. I'm sure she consumed more calories during that 5k than she burned.
Years ago I ran the Corporate Challenge (basically a 5K) with some people from work, and one of my co-workers (and a good friend) decided to detour through White Castle to be funny (and because he wasn't that into running). He now runs marathons--it always amuses me to remember back then.0 -
MoiAussi93 wrote: »I lost a lot of weight...100 pounds so far, another 5 or 10 to go. I started running at my heaviest (not very far at first), and think it really helped with the weight loss. It burns a lot of calories, and I think just being active helps the mental part of it...if I go through all the effort of running, I don't want to then eat a bunch of junk. It helps me stick to a healthy diet. Two good habits that seem to reinforce each other.
This was basically my experience, and I've always found running quite helpful in maintenance too (like basically I maintain when I have an active lifestyle which for me usually includes running, when I gained in the first place and then regained it was related to becoming sedentary for various reasons).
What I also have found -- for me, but I think it's not uncommon -- is that really hard training, like for an event that requires some really heavy/lengthy days, can be counterproductive to weight loss, as you start feeling like you need more calories and get confused about the right amount to eat. And for me eating more on or around a long run day tends to mess me up on other days. (I'm talking about marathon training in particular, and the half ironman I did -- I actually lost quite a bit of weight when training for a half marathon and staying in condition for roughly a 10-12 mile long run.)
The thing is that you do have to pay attention to calories, since people have different reactions to running more in terms of how much they want to eat.0 -
MoiAussi93 wrote: »shaynataggart wrote: »I was just thrown off by how many articles there are saying how running is bad for weight loss.
It's not bad, it's just too easy to eat the burned cals back with a Starbucks frappe or a milkshake. Running is one of the more effective things to do in terms of cals/time assuming you don't hurt yourself.
True story....I ran a 5k...a turkey trot, so it wasn't super competitive... with a big group of friends. One of the women was not a runner and planned to walk the whole thing, which is fine. But when we all met up at the finish line, she told us she actually stopped at the Starbucks we passed on the route to get a Mocha. I'm sure she consumed more calories during that 5k than she burned.
During a craft show my wife and I attended, I stopped at a Starbucks for their pumpkin latte. Over 330 calories for a drink. I can't afford Starbucks anymore. ;-)
It's shocking how many calories are in some of those drinks! I just go once in a while now socially with friends, and when I do I just get a plain latte...those are reasonable. But they aren't nearly as interesting/tasty as the stuff I used to get!0 -
shaynataggart wrote: »I was just thrown off by how many articles there are saying how running is bad for weight loss.
It's running without watching calories, typically, unless it's by one of the anti cardio types who will say running burns muscle (don't worry about that).
In Diet Cults, Matt Fitzgerald talks about (and debunks) the studies that suggest that cardio doesn't help with weight loss, if you are interested.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »MoiAussi93 wrote: »I lost a lot of weight...100 pounds so far, another 5 or 10 to go. I started running at my heaviest (not very far at first), and think it really helped with the weight loss. It burns a lot of calories, and I think just being active helps the mental part of it...if I go through all the effort of running, I don't want to then eat a bunch of junk. It helps me stick to a healthy diet. Two good habits that seem to reinforce each other.
This was basically my experience, and I've always found running quite helpful in maintenance too (like basically I maintain when I have an active lifestyle which for me usually includes running, when I gained in the first place and then regained it was related to becoming sedentary for various reasons).
What I also have found -- for me, but I think it's not uncommon -- is that really hard training, like for an event that requires some really heavy/lengthy days, can be counterproductive to weight loss, as you start feeling like you need more calories and get confused about the right amount to eat. And for me eating more on or around a long run day tends to mess me up on other days. (I'm talking about marathon training in particular, and the half ironman I did -- I actually lost quite a bit of weight when training for a half marathon and staying in condition for roughly a 10-12 mile long run.)
The thing is that you do have to pay attention to calories, since people have different reactions to running more in terms of how much they want to eat.
Paying attention to the calories is key. I think a lot of people who don't focus on this assume they burn more than they do while running, and then think they can eat a lot more.0 -
I don't run, I walk and its been melting very well combined with dieting.0
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Its great cardio..besides weight lose it will help build some nice muscles in your legs and especially your calves. The only thing you need to be careful not to eat back all the calories you burn. Eat some good lean protien but like mentioned above dont indulge on a mocha at Starbucks because you ran off calories ;-)0
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My shocker was shakes. You can eat at McDonalds for 900 cals (nuggets fries 0cal drink) - but a single medium shake by itself is over 1000. I had no idea - I didn't have them very often but assumed 400-500. At least lattes are like 110-250.
For comparison, 11km in 55 mins with 6k of intervals only knocks off 650.0 -
on the topic of eating back the calories you burn, is there a way to stop the post run munchies?0
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Matt Fitzgerald's "Racing Weight" is a great book which can help you balance your running goals with moderate weight loss at the same time. If you love to run and want to lose weight without burning out - and you can if running creates too great a calorie deficit and you feel tired all the time - I highly recommend the book.0
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queenofpuppies wrote: »on the topic of eating back the calories you burn, is there a way to stop the post run munchies?
For me, about 20 - 25 grams of protein right after my run kills the munchies.0 -
queenofpuppies wrote: »on the topic of eating back the calories you burn, is there a way to stop the post run munchies?
i usually drink some milk0 -
Running has made losing weight a LOT easier for me. Since I started running in May I've lost 27 pounds. I have a difficult time eating at a deficit on the days I don't run.0
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skysiebaby wrote: »it worked for me, but all you're ultimately doing is creating a larger deficit which you can also do by eating less.
Emphasis mine - while true, for some folks that's a big challenge with calorie restriction alone.
Of course running is doing more than that - it's creating significant fitness gains.
In addition to losing 80 pounds over 10 months, the running I was doing made me fit long before those 10 months were over. I went from pre-diabetic, border line hypertensive on the verge of needing medication, blood lipids and other measures out of whack to... perfect health with blood work on the damn healthy side of normal and BP like I was 20 again. Again you can find many stories like mine here on MFP and one doesn't have to be a distance running addict like me to get those gains. A modest, regular, program will do the job.
Some of those gains would come through diet alone although likely not to the same degree and within as short a time span. Running - any vigorous cardio activity - certainly gets some credit for health and fitness improvements.
Agreed. I honestly don't need a big deficit but eating less for me isn't much of an option when I can run 3 miles around the block, earn 300 calories, and that's more than enough for me to feel satisfied. I probably could run more but I don't want to use exercise as a crutch for more eating. I just need enough to feel like I am not starving myself and continue to improve my health markers.0 -
shaynataggart wrote: »I was just thrown off by how many articles there are saying how running is bad for weight loss.
Just think about it. It defies basic common sense.0 -
From what I've read, the only form of cardio more effective at creating a solid caloric deficit than running is cross-country skiing.0
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From what I've read, the only form of cardio more effective at creating a solid caloric deficit than running is cross-country skiing.
I can create the same burn running as I do on an elliptical, bike, or even rowing. The benefit of running is that you just need a good pair of shoes, the right kind of socks, tops, and shorts (no equipment necessary). My first long run ever (over 3 miles) was running to mcdonalds to get breakfast. On my way back I decided to make a few left turns, a few right turns, and I ended up running 25K that day.0 -
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what do you guys find is the best method of eating when on a running routine. They say abs are made in the kitchen and I find my diet is the missing link for me (not in diary, I haven't logged consistently in awhile).0
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for me abs were made by monitoring my intake/outgo, being in the right calorie deficit to lose fat, and mostly in someone else's kitchen
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If you were shopping for makeup or clothes, would you reject all offerings that weren't the best at making you look good? Or would you pick a variety based on what pleases you? Sometimes one outfit is better than another depending on the occasion.
I think many lose our way when we try and incorporate the best exercise and the best foods for losing weight, forgetting that the ultimate goal is a rich life. Running has improved my cardiovascular health more than anything, but I am also stronger, faster, more flexible, and mobile. When I started running seriously my weight loss slowed down. I was eating more. But I had a good think about it, and I enjoyed running more than losing weight. Rich life.
All you need for a running routine is maybe 200 more calories a day. One cookie. To know what you are really eating you need to log your meals. That will tell you what is going on for calories-in, calories-out.0
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