Running and Losing Weight

From WebMD~ Muscle burns more calories/fat.

-Do Strength Training to Build Muscle

When you exercise, you use muscle. This helps build muscle mass, and muscle tissue burns more calories -- even when you're at rest -- than body fat. According to Wharton, 10 pounds of muscle would burn 50 calories in a day spent at rest, while 10 pounds of fat would burn 20 calories.

"The most effective way to increase metabolism and burn more calories is by aerobic exercise and strength training. Both are important," School of Nutrition and Exercise Science at Bastyr University, says in an email interview.-

I am also curious about what others say, but offer this anecdotal evidence to the pool:

I started running this January and by February was running 4-5 times a week with 3-4 miles in each run. That lasted until it started getting hot here in April. (I get heat induced migraines.) During that time I went from 286 pounds to 250/255 pounds for a loss of about 1.5 pounds/week. Then there was a 6 week hiatus in there before I got the gumption to join a gym and run on the treadmill. During that time I was doing Slim in 6 and 30DS as well as watching calories. I lost 28 pounds during that 6 weeks which is about 4.5 pounds/week.

So basically if you're building more muscle, your body has started burning more off

Running a regular schedule has never been my problem when it comes to the scale not moving, but you are right, there is a need for some balance between the cardio and strength training. Running makes me feel like Superman, weight training does not so I have a hard time sticking with it but I'm working hard on that.

I think what might be happening is that your body is reacting to you mixing things up. You would be shocked at how easily our bodies get used to doing a specific activity day after day, over time you might notice that you burn fewer and fewer calories doing the same workout. Partly this is due to a lower weight, but partly it is simply that your muscles are doing tat one thing you've asked of them more efficiently so they don't need to work as hard. I have also noticed that there is a tendency to eat more than you've really earned on a run....just because you feel shredded after a run (and might feel like Superman) doesn't mean that you really deserve that Klondike bar, or extra helping at dinner. (Do you use a HRM or let MFP calculate calorie burns for you? )

You could also play with the types of runs you do during the week; I often have one long, slow run each week, one really easy run and one with faster and slower intervals...I'm trying to convince myself to start working on hills but I'm still hunting for the right hill in our area.

I've found over the years that I get the best results when I keep my body guessing by changing up at least part of my fitness routine every month or so.

It depends on how much you run and how close you watch the diet.

I am having no trouble losing fat by just running but I am now running for 8 to 10 hours a week and burning 6000 to 7000 calories while maintaining a daily calorie deficit,

Bodyfat is down to around 10 or 11% according to the calipers and weight is lowest it has been since 1986. That is with eating around 2800 to 3000 calories a day.

So running a lot without lifting weights does not prevent weight loss, nor does it cause skinny fat, unless you simply continue to eat more than you burn.

Part of it is in how fast you run as well. It is all about the heart rate! What most people would consider HIIT training is my normal pace (7.5 to 8.5 minute miles). In running at this speed I maintain my HR between 160 and 175 @ 38 years old. I do lift as well and am not saying not to do both, but you still have alot you can gain with cardio. You just have to get out of your comfort zone with it. Your body is used to what you have been doing for the last year plus.

The biggest factor is settling into a moderate-effort steady state cardio routine. It's not the running per se, but I would suspect more the steady-state routine you were in.

Plenty of people see an immediate and dramatic effect when they take up running. Why? Because running is a high-intensity activity and they were probably working at a much lower level.

Many people can get a similar effect from just adding more higher-intensity intervals.

In this case the higher-intensity work is likely what got you going and the fact that it represented a change from your routine.

I've personally always seen better results when I strength train vs. just cardio. And I've always heard the more muscle, the more fat you burn and the more muscle you have the faster your metabolism.

Last fall I decided to take up running seriously and train for a half marathon with the "side benefit" of losing weight. I'd ran 5Ks in the past, so why not right? This worked out for a while, but...

My issue, over time, with training for a half marathon program earlier this year was the increased appetite. I couldn't create a deficit without feeling like I was going to go into a hunger rage. I was running about 32 miles per week at my peak. I was eating at maintenance level and above (compensating for the increase in activity over a normal strength training routine as I'd been used to). There was no balance the more I trained; longer I ran. I lost a good deal of the muscle definition in my arms that I was previously quite proud of. I went from being able to easily complete 30 push-ups to struggling with 10. In the weeks leading up to the half, my form started to suffer and I was feeling pretty crappy. Ran the half anyway, got 12 miles thru, had SERIOUS pain in my heel and IT band and had to hobble the last mile to finish. I ended up gaining weight on the program and having recurring bouts of plantar fasciitis. Lesson learned, I guess.

The nice thing about having varied workouts is you may not get that same effect. Strength training and intervals do not cause me to have the hunger monster that distance running did. The workouts are efficient, build strength, and take FAR less time than running. I can stay within a sensible caloric deficit and feel satisfied. I've also had fewer injuries giving up on the distance running....but...that's just my own experience.

So yeah...balance is good.