Running for weight loss
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sara_alexandra
Posts: 65 Member
I tried searching the boards first but couldn't find a similar thread. I've been running for several years on and off now. I'm currently trying to lose around 15-20 lbs and run 3-4x/week anywhere between 2-4 miles. Will this help my weight loss cause or no? I also do spinning classes and try and get strength in there through free home workouts I find online.
Any advice would be helpful.
Any advice would be helpful.
0
Replies
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Being a deficit will cause weight loss.
If running helps you create a deficit, then yes. If you run but eat at maintenance or a surplus, then no.
Exercise all you want it will always come down to calories in/calories out.8 -
You weightloss is going to be determined by your diet, in particular, eating at a deficit. Exercise can supplement your diet but not vice versa. Please keep in mind though, the smaller you get, the harder you have to push whether increasing distance and/or speed, along with diet. Is this the best method? Well, it all depends on whether you can keep up with it long term.3
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Any exercise will burn calories. It also will allow you to eat a bit more, which can make weight loss a little easier. Just be careful not to eat too much to make up for the exercise. At the moment, you are only burning about 200-400 calories per run, so a post-workout snack could end up countering the calories burned. If you enter your exercise and log all your food, you'll have a good idea of how much you can eat. Some people only eat back some of their exercise calories. I walk and run and I eat back all of mine, because the numbers in the data base are pretty accurate for me. If you want to burn more calories, then I would increase my exercise. Instead of 2 miles, do a minimum of 3-4. Maybe increase your 4 mile run to 6+. Some people say that more cardio makes them hungrier. I find that I get used to a certain level of exercise after a while and don't get more hungry unless I do a lot more miles.1
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I also hear that running the same distances/routes won't help to make a change in body weight after a while bc you get used to it. How much truth is there in this??8
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Exercise does nothing for weight loss unless it creates a caloric deficit. You can run 10 miles a day and not lose weight if you eat more calories than you burn. Use the logging features of MFP and stay in a deficit and you'll lose weight. The running is a bonus to keep you in shape or help you earn more calories to eat.2
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sara_alexandra wrote: »I also hear that running the same distances/routes won't help to make a change in body weight after a while bc you get used to it. How much truth is there in this??
Nope. You burn the same calories for the same distance no matter how many times you run it. That only changes when your weight changes (weigh less, burn less). What is true is you won't get faster doing this. But that doesn't seem to be your goal.4 -
sara_alexandra wrote: »I also hear that running the same distances/routes won't help to make a change in body weight after a while bc you get used to it. How much truth is there in this??
Yes, this is true for me. If you're running the same speed, distance, and route then over time you're body adjust and the calories you burn is less. I also tested this with a heart rate monitor but you can also feel it (heart rate is lowered, breathing is more natural, etc). I loss 10 lbs relatively easy when I started running but the last 5-8 lbs were pretty stubborn and I had to increase my distance by an extra mile or two while still eating at a deficit. Btw, my starting weight was 130 and I got down to 120 but currently 115 after starting strength training. If you don't challenge your body, you won't see much change. This challenge can come in the form of speed, resistance/hills, and/or distance. Again, I encourage you to cross train if you're looking for an overall package.4 -
tomorrowistoday0000 wrote: »sara_alexandra wrote: »I also hear that running the same distances/routes won't help to make a change in body weight after a while bc you get used to it. How much truth is there in this??
Yes, this is true for me. If you're running the same speed, distance, and route then over time you're body adjust and the calories you burn is less. I also tested this with a heart rate monitor but you can also feel it (heart rate is lowered, breathing is more natural, etc). I loss 10 lbs relatively easy when I started running but the last 5-8 lbs were pretty stubborn and I had to increase my distance by an extra mile or two while still eating at a deficit. Btw, my starting weight was 130 and I got down to 120 but currently 115 after starting strength training. If you don't challenge your body, you won't see much change. This challenge can come in the form of speed, resistance/hills, and/or distance. Again, I encourage you to cross train if you're looking for an overall package.
Even if one burns fewer calories running the same speed, distance, and route, the running is never going to burn *no* calories, it is always going to increase the amount of energy your body uses (as opposed to using the same time to sit on the couch, for example). Running can always be used to create or help create a deficit, because our bodies are never going to do it for "free."
This doesn't mean that challenging oneself isn't an important part of training for events or improving performance (this is a separate issue, IMO). Using energy always has the potential to impact our body weight (assuming we aren't cancelling it out by eating more or moving less at other times).6 -
sara_alexandra wrote: »I also hear that running the same distances/routes won't help to make a change in body weight after a while bc you get used to it. How much truth is there in this??
No...energy expenditure is a matter of moving mass over distance plus intensity...your body doesn't stop expending energy just because you're accustomed to doing it. I've been cycling for years and I'm just fine...tomorrowistoday0000 wrote: »sara_alexandra wrote: »I also hear that running the same distances/routes won't help to make a change in body weight after a while bc you get used to it. How much truth is there in this??
Yes, this is true for me. If you're running the same speed, distance, and route then over time you're body adjust and the calories you burn is less. I also tested this with a heart rate monitor but you can also feel it (heart rate is lowered, breathing is more natural, etc). I loss 10 lbs relatively easy when I started running but the last 5-8 lbs were pretty stubborn and I had to increase my distance by an extra mile or two while still eating at a deficit. Btw, my starting weight was 130 and I got down to 120 but currently 115 after starting strength training. If you don't challenge your body, you won't see much change. This challenge can come in the form of speed, resistance/hills, and/or distance. Again, I encourage you to cross train if you're looking for an overall package.
Your HR doesn't determine your calorie (energy) expenditure...there is only a very loose correlation.
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janejellyroll wrote: »tomorrowistoday0000 wrote: »sara_alexandra wrote: »I also hear that running the same distances/routes won't help to make a change in body weight after a while bc you get used to it. How much truth is there in this??
Yes, this is true for me. If you're running the same speed, distance, and route then over time you're body adjust and the calories you burn is less. I also tested this with a heart rate monitor but you can also feel it (heart rate is lowered, breathing is more natural, etc). I loss 10 lbs relatively easy when I started running but the last 5-8 lbs were pretty stubborn and I had to increase my distance by an extra mile or two while still eating at a deficit. Btw, my starting weight was 130 and I got down to 120 but currently 115 after starting strength training. If you don't challenge your body, you won't see much change. This challenge can come in the form of speed, resistance/hills, and/or distance. Again, I encourage you to cross train if you're looking for an overall package.
Even if one burns fewer calories running the same speed, distance, and route, the running is never going to burn *no* calories, it is always going to increase the amount of energy your body uses (as opposed to using the same time to sit on the couch, for example). Running can always be used to create or help create a deficit, because our bodies are never going to do it for "free."
This doesn't mean that challenging oneself isn't an important part of training for events or improving performance (this is a separate issue, IMO). Using energy always has the potential to impact our body weight (assuming we aren't cancelling it out by eating more or moving less at other times).
I agree that it will help create a deficit but at a smaller weight it's a lot harder to push pass that plateau doing the same thing. Calories in and out is a simple equation that works well at a higher weight but not so perfectly at a smaller weight. Yes, performing any exercise is better than no exercise. I never disagree to this just pointing out the barrier she will face down the road doing the same exact routine.4 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »sara_alexandra wrote: »I also hear that running the same distances/routes won't help to make a change in body weight after a while bc you get used to it. How much truth is there in this??
No...energy expenditure is a matter of moving mass over distance plus intensity...your body doesn't stop expending energy just because you're accustomed to doing it. I've been cycling for years and I'm just fine...tomorrowistoday0000 wrote: »sara_alexandra wrote: »I also hear that running the same distances/routes won't help to make a change in body weight after a while bc you get used to it. How much truth is there in this??
Yes, this is true for me. If you're running the same speed, distance, and route then over time you're body adjust and the calories you burn is less. I also tested this with a heart rate monitor but you can also feel it (heart rate is lowered, breathing is more natural, etc). I loss 10 lbs relatively easy when I started running but the last 5-8 lbs were pretty stubborn and I had to increase my distance by an extra mile or two while still eating at a deficit. Btw, my starting weight was 130 and I got down to 120 but currently 115 after starting strength training. If you don't challenge your body, you won't see much change. This challenge can come in the form of speed, resistance/hills, and/or distance. Again, I encourage you to cross train if you're looking for an overall package.
Your HR doesn't determine your calorie (energy) expenditure...there is only a very loose correlation.
Again, I never said you will stop burning calories. That will never be the case, just not as much as when you first started doing the same thing but still burning. Also, you're are probably not trying to lose weight as OP is trying to do. It will be harder for her to lose as she "approach" her weight goal doing the same thing.4 -
tomorrowistoday0000 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »tomorrowistoday0000 wrote: »sara_alexandra wrote: »I also hear that running the same distances/routes won't help to make a change in body weight after a while bc you get used to it. How much truth is there in this??
Yes, this is true for me. If you're running the same speed, distance, and route then over time you're body adjust and the calories you burn is less. I also tested this with a heart rate monitor but you can also feel it (heart rate is lowered, breathing is more natural, etc). I loss 10 lbs relatively easy when I started running but the last 5-8 lbs were pretty stubborn and I had to increase my distance by an extra mile or two while still eating at a deficit. Btw, my starting weight was 130 and I got down to 120 but currently 115 after starting strength training. If you don't challenge your body, you won't see much change. This challenge can come in the form of speed, resistance/hills, and/or distance. Again, I encourage you to cross train if you're looking for an overall package.
Even if one burns fewer calories running the same speed, distance, and route, the running is never going to burn *no* calories, it is always going to increase the amount of energy your body uses (as opposed to using the same time to sit on the couch, for example). Running can always be used to create or help create a deficit, because our bodies are never going to do it for "free."
This doesn't mean that challenging oneself isn't an important part of training for events or improving performance (this is a separate issue, IMO). Using energy always has the potential to impact our body weight (assuming we aren't cancelling it out by eating more or moving less at other times).
I agree that it will help create a deficit but at a smaller weight it's a lot harder to push pass that plateau doing the same thing. Calories in and out is a simple equation that works well at a higher weight but not so perfectly at a smaller weight. Yes, performing any exercise is better than no exercise. I never disagree to this just pointing out the barrier she will face down the road doing the same exact routine.
Calories in/Calories out works just the same at any weight. You might lose slower once you get closer to your goal weight, but it's still calories in<calories out.
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tomorrowistoday0000 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »tomorrowistoday0000 wrote: »sara_alexandra wrote: »I also hear that running the same distances/routes won't help to make a change in body weight after a while bc you get used to it. How much truth is there in this??
Yes, this is true for me. If you're running the same speed, distance, and route then over time you're body adjust and the calories you burn is less. I also tested this with a heart rate monitor but you can also feel it (heart rate is lowered, breathing is more natural, etc). I loss 10 lbs relatively easy when I started running but the last 5-8 lbs were pretty stubborn and I had to increase my distance by an extra mile or two while still eating at a deficit. Btw, my starting weight was 130 and I got down to 120 but currently 115 after starting strength training. If you don't challenge your body, you won't see much change. This challenge can come in the form of speed, resistance/hills, and/or distance. Again, I encourage you to cross train if you're looking for an overall package.
Even if one burns fewer calories running the same speed, distance, and route, the running is never going to burn *no* calories, it is always going to increase the amount of energy your body uses (as opposed to using the same time to sit on the couch, for example). Running can always be used to create or help create a deficit, because our bodies are never going to do it for "free."
This doesn't mean that challenging oneself isn't an important part of training for events or improving performance (this is a separate issue, IMO). Using energy always has the potential to impact our body weight (assuming we aren't cancelling it out by eating more or moving less at other times).
I agree that it will help create a deficit but at a smaller weight it's a lot harder to push pass that plateau doing the same thing. Calories in and out is a simple equation that works well at a higher weight but not so perfectly at a smaller weight. Yes, performing any exercise is better than no exercise. I never disagree to this just pointing out the barrier she will face down the road doing the same exact routine.
The equation works just as well for smaller people, it's just that accuracy becomes more important (because a smaller person has a smaller margin for their calorie deficit, the estimations that may have worked well with a larger deficit may not work as well).
OP said that "running the same distances/routes won't help to make a change in body weight after a while" and you responded that this was true for you. But the truth is that expending energy always has the potential to create a change in body weight even if one is used to expending energy in a certain way. If you didn't mean that running will eventually burn no calories (which is what it would mean if it couldn't potentially impact our body weight), then I apologize for misunderstanding you.
For context, I'm at a lower weight (108) and I usually burn around 200-1,000 calories a day due to running. This absolutely counts and if my goal was to be at a deficit (I'm currently maintaining), it could play a role in my deficit even though I run regularly and I frequently repeat the same routes. It wouldn't be a barrier to my weight loss -- it could potentially be a key component.2 -
tomorrowistoday0000 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »tomorrowistoday0000 wrote: »sara_alexandra wrote: »I also hear that running the same distances/routes won't help to make a change in body weight after a while bc you get used to it. How much truth is there in this??
Yes, this is true for me. If you're running the same speed, distance, and route then over time you're body adjust and the calories you burn is less. I also tested this with a heart rate monitor but you can also feel it (heart rate is lowered, breathing is more natural, etc). I loss 10 lbs relatively easy when I started running but the last 5-8 lbs were pretty stubborn and I had to increase my distance by an extra mile or two while still eating at a deficit. Btw, my starting weight was 130 and I got down to 120 but currently 115 after starting strength training. If you don't challenge your body, you won't see much change. This challenge can come in the form of speed, resistance/hills, and/or distance. Again, I encourage you to cross train if you're looking for an overall package.
Even if one burns fewer calories running the same speed, distance, and route, the running is never going to burn *no* calories, it is always going to increase the amount of energy your body uses (as opposed to using the same time to sit on the couch, for example). Running can always be used to create or help create a deficit, because our bodies are never going to do it for "free."
This doesn't mean that challenging oneself isn't an important part of training for events or improving performance (this is a separate issue, IMO). Using energy always has the potential to impact our body weight (assuming we aren't cancelling it out by eating more or moving less at other times).
I agree that it will help create a deficit but at a smaller weight it's a lot harder to push pass that plateau doing the same thing. Calories in and out is a simple equation that works well at a higher weight but not so perfectly at a smaller weight. Yes, performing any exercise is better than no exercise. I never disagree to this just pointing out the barrier she will face down the road doing the same exact routine.
In what way doesn't CICO work at a smaller weight?4 -
tomorrowistoday0000 wrote: »sara_alexandra wrote: »I also hear that running the same distances/routes won't help to make a change in body weight after a while bc you get used to it. How much truth is there in this??
Yes, this is true for me. If you're running the same speed, distance, and route then over time you're body adjust and the calories you burn is less. I also tested this with a heart rate monitor but you can also feel it (heart rate is lowered, breathing is more natural, etc). I loss 10 lbs relatively easy when I started running but the last 5-8 lbs were pretty stubborn and I had to increase my distance by an extra mile or two while still eating at a deficit. Btw, my starting weight was 130 and I got down to 120 but currently 115 after starting strength training. If you don't challenge your body, you won't see much change. This challenge can come in the form of speed, resistance/hills, and/or distance. Again, I encourage you to cross train if you're looking for an overall package.
You weigh less, you burn less. That's it. Your body doesn't "adapt". How fast or hard you run is irreverent. I burned almost* the same leisurely running 7k this morning as I did busting my *kitten* during my race last week. My HR this morning never left zone 2. I was way into zone 4/5 on Thursday.
*I did burn more on Thursday but not a significant amount. Less than an Oreo cookie (regular, not double stuff).2 -
sara_alexandra wrote: »I also hear that running the same distances/routes won't help to make a change in body weight after a while bc you get used to it. How much truth is there in this??
None whatsoever. You burn the same number of calories per mile as a fit runner as an unfit runner of the same weight would (mass over distance, basic phyics)
Exercise for fitness, eat at a deficit for weight loss (you can't out run a bad diet)1 -
tomorrowistoday0000 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »sara_alexandra wrote: »I also hear that running the same distances/routes won't help to make a change in body weight after a while bc you get used to it. How much truth is there in this??
No...energy expenditure is a matter of moving mass over distance plus intensity...your body doesn't stop expending energy just because you're accustomed to doing it. I've been cycling for years and I'm just fine...tomorrowistoday0000 wrote: »sara_alexandra wrote: »I also hear that running the same distances/routes won't help to make a change in body weight after a while bc you get used to it. How much truth is there in this??
Yes, this is true for me. If you're running the same speed, distance, and route then over time you're body adjust and the calories you burn is less. I also tested this with a heart rate monitor but you can also feel it (heart rate is lowered, breathing is more natural, etc). I loss 10 lbs relatively easy when I started running but the last 5-8 lbs were pretty stubborn and I had to increase my distance by an extra mile or two while still eating at a deficit. Btw, my starting weight was 130 and I got down to 120 but currently 115 after starting strength training. If you don't challenge your body, you won't see much change. This challenge can come in the form of speed, resistance/hills, and/or distance. Again, I encourage you to cross train if you're looking for an overall package.
Your HR doesn't determine your calorie (energy) expenditure...there is only a very loose correlation.
Again, I never said you will stop burning calories. That will never be the case, just not as much as when you first started doing the same thing but still burning. Also, you're are probably not trying to lose weight as OP is trying to do. It will be harder for her to lose as she "approach" her weight goal doing the same thing.
The difference in energy expenditure is incredibly small and not worth worrying about....plus, as you gain fitness you tend to also go harder and further...the notion that you burn significantly less calories is ridiculous...we're talking really basic physics here...
I lost 40 Lbs...I didn't change any of my exercise as I approached my goal weight...I was cycling...continued to cycle...still cycling...2 -
You're all amazing. Thank you!! So helpful. I just really enjoy running this one particular 3 mile loop in my neighborhood and don't want to give it up! Still want to see progress, but there are only so many routes I can come up with. Sometimes I'll mix it up but most days it's the same.0
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sara_alexandra wrote: »I tried searching the boards first but couldn't find a similar thread. I've been running for several years on and off now. I'm currently trying to lose around 15-20 lbs and run 3-4x/week anywhere between 2-4 miles. Will this help my weight loss cause or no? I also do spinning classes and try and get strength in there through free home workouts I find online.
Any advice would be helpful.
You need to improve your overall metabolic function. No matter how much exercise you have, if your body isnt using stored fat and burning into energy (because you keep eating the wrong combination of food), you still find yourself with the same weight.6 -
sara_alexandra wrote: »I tried searching the boards first but couldn't find a similar thread. I've been running for several years on and off now. I'm currently trying to lose around 15-20 lbs and run 3-4x/week anywhere between 2-4 miles. Will this help my weight loss cause or no? I also do spinning classes and try and get strength in there through free home workouts I find online.
Any advice would be helpful.
You need to improve your overall metabolic function. No matter how much exercise you have, if your body isnt using stored fat and burning into energy (because you keep eating the wrong combination of food), you still find yourself with the same weight.
^^ Nothing to see here, folks. Keep moving.
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