Is running responsible for your weight loss?

kalcide
kalcide Posts: 120 Member
edited October 4 in Fitness and Exercise
I started the C25k plan in June, and now probably run about twice a week up to 45 mins. running between 2-3.5 miles.

ive got a 5k race tommorow, and am excited and nervous about it to be honest.

anyhow, my weightloss has slowed down the last 5 weeks. ive staye the same!! now if i upped my running say to 3 times. i also swim once a week. and was doing a boxerciise class, but money is an issue at the mo.

what im asking i guess is how much do you think running has contributed to your journey?

Replies

  • Ebbykins
    Ebbykins Posts: 420 Member
    80% nutrition, 10% exercise, 10% genetics. Cals in > cals out. But yes, running helps make the deficit. :)
  • scubaangel
    scubaangel Posts: 41 Member
    I initially started off just eating better, when I came home from my holiday in September I started running again in total I've lost 17lb since April, 9lb of that since I started running again - I don't run alot, 1.5 mile 4 times a week but it's definitely kick started the loss again.
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
    80% nutrition, 10% exercise, 10% genetics. Cals in > cals out. But yes, running helps make the deficit. :)

    ^^ this ^^
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    Running or any other cardiovascular exercise is reponsible for improving endurance, cardiovascular health, and burning calories. However if your diet is not 110% in check, you can run a 20k race or whatever and you will not lose weight.
  • kalcide
    kalcide Posts: 120 Member
    so do you guys just run? or do other stuff?
  • CindiBryce
    CindiBryce Posts: 438
    No. Maintaining a caloric deficit is responsible for your weight loss. Eat less calories than you burn.
  • falsecho
    falsecho Posts: 81 Member
    It has helped me because I have created a habit. When I eat horribly, I feel it on the next running. So it also helps me focus on what I eat and dont eat.
  • AnneGenevieveS
    AnneGenevieveS Posts: 441 Member
    It burns tons of calories, which has saved me many days from going over. I love it and don't think I could have lost the weight I have lost without it. Spinning is my second favorite, and if you push yourself hard enough, you can burn tons of calories with that too.

    but yes, you have to be aware of your eating habits too or you won't lose weight
  • woou
    woou Posts: 668 Member
    Running or any other cardiovascular exercise is reponsible for improving endurance, cardiovascular health, and burning calories. However if your diet is not 110% in check, you can run a 20k race or whatever and you will not lose weight.

    :drinker:

    Personally, running isn't for me. I've done it for about 2 yrs.+. Kind of monotonous and doesn't give me the kind of results that other cardio exercises + weight-training does for me given the same time I put into them.
  • KeepOnMoving
    KeepOnMoving Posts: 383 Member
    I used to think if I ran, I could eat anything I want. I gained muscle, endurance and stamina, but my weight stayed the same. Then when I joined MFP, I really was losing weight! But then I got injured and couldn't run so I kept my eating in control with MFP and still exercised. I lost more weight but it was slower as I reached my initial goal weights. I kept it off since December! Now I am starting to run again, hoping it will trim the flab behind my thighs and buns, but I want keep up all the other exercises that pull all my muscles in functional form too.

    Good luck! :wink:
  • gashinshotan
    gashinshotan Posts: 749 Member
    Yeah its all calories - I tried running in February for three weeks and lost.... 5 lbs.... thats without watching calories. I was so discouraged I stopped running and started smoking/taking stimulants/fasting and lost another 13 lbs that came back on in a couple weeks! Then I gained even more weight :(.

    So far with running and restricting calories over the past week and a half I've lost 7 lbs and I know that it's not gonna come on as fast :).
  • rodneyderrick
    rodneyderrick Posts: 483 Member
    When I'm running, I'm not trying to lose weight. That's why I have so much fun with it. You will lose weight running as long as you maintain a calorie deficit. For example, if you go for a run, and burn 600 calories, as long as you don't eat those calories and more, you should lose some weight. Now, MFP gives you a calorie deficit depending on how much weight you're trying to lose. For example, if you're losing 2 pounds a week, you have a calorie deficit of 1000, as long as you're not going into the red. Therefore, if you burn 600 calories running, you can eat back those calories because you already have a calorie deficit of 1000.

    Now, you've said that your weight-loss has slowed. That's because as you become smaller, your basal metabolic rate (BMR) shrinks too. This is actually a good thing, because if this didn't happen, some of us would actually die. The more you lose the harder it gets, is a good thing. It's all fun and games until you look into the mirror, and actually see a skeleton.

    So, say for instance you see somebody that's been running for awhile, and they look pretty big to be a runner. If they don't have some kind of medical condition, they are probably eating more food than they need. Just because you run doesn't mean you get to eat 5,000 calories a day.
  • albinogorilla
    albinogorilla Posts: 1,056 Member
    NONE
    I have not run a single time
  • kmc0129
    kmc0129 Posts: 15 Member
    You can lose weight with or without running. 80% of weight loss is done in the kitchen. What I find is that it improves my mood enough most days to have the motivation I need to eat healthy.
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
    Running has not helped my weight loss one single bit. In fact, I have gained weight. However, I just bought jeans today and I have gone down ANOTHER size. So, there you go. :happy:
  • ilookthetype
    ilookthetype Posts: 3,021 Member
    When I'm running a lot I eat better. I straight up make better food choices because I think about how the food I eat will effect my run (will it make me tired, will it make me feel a bit sick, ect...)
  • MsAmulet
    MsAmulet Posts: 36
    The c25k has given me a strong goal (5K) and a timeline (9w) to work on it. I do other exercises and I am focused on weight loss, but I can't WAIT to do a 5K before my 36th bday (Feb). I finished w4d2 today and it's fantastic to be able to run for 5 minutes now. I remember when the 60 seconds was too difficult. It burns good calories (~200) for me, but Zumba actually burns more (600+). On days that I run I usually swim laps for 15-20 minutes as well. On off days I do bike (6-8 miles), elliptical (not much, this thing kills me. I can do 15 minutes), or classes. I almost always swim after every workout.

    I loathe walking for exercise. It's boring to me, but I'm loving the challenge of the c25k and figure when I can do the 5K then the next challenge is time. And I've always envied runners so that's another reason why the running is my #1 fitness focus.. but having to take those days off in between get me doing other things at the gym.

    I lose the most weight when I cut calories and do NO exercise, I know because a lot is muscle. I lose in a stupid erratic fashion when I exercise and diet, but I've lost 5" off my waist since August, I can see a big change in my outline, and I've dropped at least a size since resuming exercise. I weigh daily because I like seeing the graph and how I lose overall -- but if I didn't KNOW I was losing inches the scale would be a major bummer.

    Following the keto diet is the main thing responsible for my weight loss. (reddit.com/r/keto)
  • KimertRuns13_1
    KimertRuns13_1 Posts: 702 Member
    Running has definitely helped!!
    2+ years and almost 70 lbs later I went from C25K to half marathoner.
    I have also changed my eating habits and do other exercise but my entire journey started with a 5k.
  • bmqbonnie
    bmqbonnie Posts: 836 Member
    I like to run because it's an exercise I can quickly do anytime anywhere. If I'm on the road all I need is a pair of shoes and my mp3 player. I can squeeze a run into my lunch break. It helps with my defecit.

    But as far as weight loss goes, well running alone won't give dramatic results. Like someone else said, nutrition is very important and I feel that for weight loss purposes, weight training is at least as important if not more so than cardio.

    BUT. It burns cals and for me getting ready for a race is great motivation to exercise. In that respect it's helped me a lot. But I also do some light weight training and watch what I eat.
  • bjbixler
    bjbixler Posts: 253 Member
    Is running responsible for my weight loss?

    Not completely, no. But it did give me the kick in the butt I needed. I lost about 13 lbs doing c25k without changing my diet AT ALL, but I was very sedentary before I started c25k. I really started liking to run, but realized I wasn't going to get better at it unless I lost weight, so when I changed my diet, started counting calories, and kept running, the weight just came off.

    So like others have posted, yes, the majority of weight loss is in the diet, but you have to exercise too.
    Almost a year after starting C25K, I'll be running my first half marathon. I'm not sure my body would've let me do that without shedding the extra weight I've been carrying for so many years.
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