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jnamcelwain
Posts: 42 Member
Wanting to start jogging/running. How helpful was it for quicker weight loss?
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weight loss is about taking in fewer calories than your body uses, over time. Running or any exercise can be helpful for fitness and allow you to eat a bit more (eating your exercise calories) but doesn't specifically help with weight loss.
Run if you enjoy it or want to try it. I highly recommend something like a couch to 5km and go slow. I was a runner but injured myself doing too much too fast (despite having run many years). But it's been three months and I still am 1pd away from goal. I lost even that most difficult "last 10" while not running or going to the gym.
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It depends - it definitely increases hunger, so for some people it's a zero sum game - they eat as much extra as the calories they earn by running. For me it helped me break through a plateau and I lost steadily until I reached my goal. But quick weight loss should not be a goal - what's important is sustainable weight loss. And running (or any activity which makes you happy enough to do it all the time for the rest of your life) is great for sustainable weight loss.
The non-weight loss benefits were incredible, though. My resting heart rate is 48 now. It was over 100 when I was obese and sedentary, and about 72 when I was overweight but walked all the time. I just finished a half marathon. I couldn't imagine not running now.10 -
Exercise of any sort, whether running or something else, is not intended to make you lose weight faster. It builds fitness, allows you to eat more, and may help you accomplish other health related goals. You should be eating back exercise calories if you are following MFP's calorie goal.3
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I started running last March to help lose weigh and be more active. Like the above poster said it doesn’t help lose weigh on it’s on but it does burn calories. It all about the intake vs the output. For me, it allows me to burn some calories so I can eat more. For years I would diet by eating 1200 calories a day and a little exercise. It left me feeling pretty crappy. Since running I’ve been taking in more calories, especially protien and I feel better. I also try to do some cross training to supplement running.
For me running didn’t seem to come natural. I started only able to run .10 mile without stopping. I downloaded an app called interval timer and ran 1 minute/walked 3. Then I slowly increased the amount of running. I am proud to say I can now run a whole 5k, albeit slowly. Mostly importantly, I have come to like running. It feels like “me time”. I listen to inspiring pod cast, relaxing music or just be alone with nature and my thoughts. Best of luck!3 -
Get on a C25K program. I highly recommend the podcast/recordings by Robert Ullery. It's a 9 week program that takes you from couch potato to running 20 mins non-stop (usually around 5km).
Do this program with the goal of getting healthier and fitter. Eat back your exercise calories (or a portion of them) so that you can fuel your fitness gains and still maintain a reasonable calorie deficit to continue to lose weight at a healthy reasonable rate.1 -
Reading the responses It seems everyone is a bit different. You asked if running would speed up weight loss. For me the answer was yes - but not because of the calorie burn. It seems for some people running increases their appetite. For me it was the opposite. I started the C25K program. I’m a stress eater. Beginning to exercise was good for my stress. Also, I would make better choices because I’d think, “I worked so hard to burn those 100 calories - I’m not wasting them by eating _____.”
So - running accelerated my weight loss because it moderated my appetite and made it easier to make good choices. YMMV7 -
Even assuming that the C25K run burned twice the 100 calories you mentioned. Would you really consider 8 pound over the course of a year sped up weight loss? I mean are you really going to notice the extra 1/5th of a pound lost per week and think woah! this running is really helping me make progress? I highly doubt it.
This is the problem. People will run 3 nights a week and expect it to have a significant and noticeable impact and it just wont. 700 calories burned over those 3 running sessions is 1/5th of a pound assuming that the additional energy expenditure results in zero additional calories eaten. Add a slightly larger serving of veggies with dinner because your a little bit hungry and you're looking at 1/10th of a pound per week or less.
In your case, you said yourself that running was a good stress reliever which helped you moderate your calorie intake by not stress eating. It was managing your stress and thereby managing your calories in that helped you lose weight not the running in and of itself (beyond the negligible fraction of a pound). I mean if you found that playing video games was a stress reliever and helped you stop stress eating would you really recommend playing video games as a way to speed weight loss?7 -
Steady state cardio was the fastest route to a higher calorie deficit for me, and the workouts did not increase the hunger in an even exchange, I generally came out on top. For me it was running, elliptical, stairmaster, rower. Make sure to sprinkle in some resistance training though, even if just light weights/effort a couple times a week, the muscle can disappear fast and that's not really what we're after.0
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jnamcelwain wrote: »Wanting to start jogging/running. How helpful was it for quicker weight loss?
Yes it will help, by creating a larger deficit if you don't eat back your exercise calories, but then you may well find you're extra hungry (the runger is real).
Stop thinking quicker weight loss, start thinking sustainable lifestyle changes5 -
jnamcelwain wrote: »Wanting to start jogging/running. How helpful was it for quicker weight loss?
So far ... not helpful at all.0 -
jnamcelwain wrote: »Wanting to start jogging/running. How helpful was it for quicker weight loss?
The net effect is highly individual. Yes it burns calories, and more calories burned puts you in a better position to lose weight. But if it also causes you to eat more, then it may not be helpful.0 -
I mean if you found that playing video games was a stress reliever and helped you stop stress eating would you really recommend playing video games as a way to speed weight loss?
If playing the video game relieves stress that would normally lead to eating, and the act of playing the game and having their hands occupied keeps the person from doing something else like, I don't know, stress eating or mindless eating, then yes, it could be helpful to someone in losing weight because it would allow them to maintain or slightly increase their calorie deficit more easily.
OP, I found that I did lose weight a little faster when I incorporated running into my routine, but it was only up to about a 5k distance. I could easily run that that and maintain my predetermined eating calorie deficit with no issues, because I was less hungry on days I ran that distance. When my mileage increased, I lost initially at first, but then my body adjusted and I ended up eating back more calories, particularly for double digit distance runs. I don't think there is a clear answer, it's going to be highly individual as to how much you burn and how your hunger is influenced by exercise.
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Running always helps me lose weight. When I was losing weight the fastest I was running about 35 miles a week.0
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When I run around 20 miles a week, I find that running is generally helpful for my weight loss because it increases the number of calories my body is using without causing additional hunger. When I run more than 20 miles a week, it becomes more challenging because hunger becomes more of an issue.
Whatever you decide, weight loss will be determined by a calorie deficit. If running makes it easier for you to create a calorie deficit, then you'll see a difference. But if you aren't monitoring how many calories you consume, some runners find that they'll eat more than they need and even gain weight.1 -
I’ve been running for about 3 months now. While I have lost weight (24 lbs) that’s really been all about the diet. Yes, I can eat a bit more on my run days but I’m hungrier on those days because of the run. Running (for me) is more about overall health and being more active than it is about my weight loss.4
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Being "rungry" is real, lol.3
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Interesting conversation. I think the one takeaway for the OP (and me) should be that running won't remove the need to accurately track what you eat. I know, for me, tracking is key. I can create my deficit through a combination of exercise and eating less than I would like, but running of an itself may not help with weight loss.
As to how to start. If you have issues walking for 30 mins to an hour now, start there before starting something like C25K. As much as the program starts at "couch", it really is better to have a bit of a foundation first. So if you can't do that yet, then start by walking 3 times a week. When I was 300+ lbs, there is no way I could have started the plan. When that is easy (or at least possible), then pick one of the C25K programs (I used the Zenn Labs app).
Make sure you get fitted for proper shoes, one's that work with you gait. Go to a real running store and ask for advice. Having the wrong shoes will lead to pain.
Be warned. I started C25K in Jan 2017. Since then I've done a couple of half marathon races, 50+ parkruns many 5K & 10K races and plan to do a marathon in 2019. I've also spent hundreds on running clothes, headphones, watches, shoes and just stuff. Plus I got my wife into it as well and she's done the same. Yeah, put on a pair of shoes and run they said. Sheesh.4 -
Even assuming that the C25K run burned twice the 100 calories you mentioned. Would you really consider 8 pound over the course of a year sped up weight loss? I mean are you really going to notice the extra 1/5th of a pound lost per week and think woah! this running is really helping me make progress? I highly doubt it.
This is the problem. People will run 3 nights a week and expect it to have a significant and noticeable impact and it just wont. 700 calories burned over those 3 running sessions is 1/5th of a pound assuming that the additional energy expenditure results in zero additional calories eaten. Add a slightly larger serving of veggies with dinner because your a little bit hungry and you're looking at 1/10th of a pound per week or less.
In your case, you said yourself that running was a good stress reliever which helped you moderate your calorie intake by not stress eating. It was managing your stress and thereby managing your calories in that helped you lose weight not the running in and of itself (beyond the negligible fraction of a pound). I mean if you found that playing video games was a stress reliever and helped you stop stress eating would you really recommend playing video games as a way to speed weight loss?
I see your point. I think it depends on a few factors. It depends if you want to eat less calories or burn more. I choose somewhere in the middle. It also depends how much you run and how much you want to lose. 8lbs in a year would be a significant amount of weight for me to lose so I am happy with a number like that. For me I burn about 300 calories everyday I run which is normally 5 days weekly. Which means I can splurge on a dessert once a week or holidays and eat a bit more protien daily.
There are so many different ways to lose weight so long as calories in are less than out but I think it’s important to remember overall health as well. Cardio, like running, is recommended American Heart Association to help improve health including anxiety, diabetes, hypertension and even things like dementia. So while some may say you can simply eat less, I personally feel being active is a great addition to watching what we eat, so long as physically able.0 -
I think running can go hand in hand with weight loss but in ways that are not obvious. I can remember getting up to the distance where my app would say into my ear buds the distance and "you have burned 1000 calories. That day for lunch I went to McDonald's and was being tempted by a large big mac and fries combo meal, it was over 1000 calories. I got the chicken wrap instead with water. I also haven't been back since and it was all because of running. I also tend to eat better foods and limit portion size after I put that much time into running.0
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Weight loss is a simple math equation. If the number if calories you eat us fewer than you burn, then you will lose weight. Since running burns calories, it is helpful, though not necessary, for weight loss.0
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