Runners: what's the best distance for fat loss?

torsaer
torsaer Posts: 211 Member
edited October 7 in Fitness and Exercise
For all the runners out there - I'm curious to know how long runs have to be before they make a noticeable impact on fat loss. I regularly run 5k, and sometimes more, but wonder if I have to do much longer (or faster?) runs to have an effect on weight/fat loss.

I remember when my husband trained for the marathon, the weight fell off his already quite lean frame - when he started doing the longer distances (ie over 10 miles). I don't think I'm a marathoner, so is there hope for me?

I know that speed work is important and some say the only way to have any kind of impact on fat loss, but I wondered if there was a 'magic' distance or time (say, over 45mins?) when you really start to see the body releasing some of the stored fat?

Thanks!

Replies

  • Hollie_downunder
    Hollie_downunder Posts: 192
    I've heard between 30-45mins for fat loss

    i'd be interested to hear the answers myself! :)
  • laddyboy
    laddyboy Posts: 1,565 Member
    Well for the 1st 20 minutes you burn glycogens (stored energy). But looking at your pictues you don't need to lose fat, you need to build muscle. You do that and you will burn fat in the process. You want skinny (er) or fit?

    And somewhere around an hour you start to burn muscle with lowers metabolism and that's the wrong direction.
  • Nikstergirl
    Nikstergirl Posts: 1,549 Member
    Just run. There's no magic distance. It takes time for the body to lose fat and you need to be eating at a calorie deficit while doing some strength and cardio if you want a lean toned body. No magic pill or formula... just hard work! That said... I do think adding some speed work 1-2 days a week helps since it burns more calories and I like to go for one longer run (depending on your goals) on the weekend. If you can already run a 5k, try working up to a 10k (slowly). Don't just jump into that longer distance, work up to it. Try adding 5 minutes per week on your long run, or even 10 minutes if possible.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    It has to do with a few variables but mainly what your heart rate is. Here is a calculator to determine what you need to get your heart rate up to and maintain for around 30 minutes to accelerate fat loss.

    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/target_heart_rate.htm

    You also can determine how long you should be running by your exercise goal vs how long it takes you to achieve how many calories it tells you that you need to burn per day.

    Good luck.

    PS:BTW, I do not think it is fair at all that men seem to lose weight faster than women.
  • lisabstrong
    lisabstrong Posts: 165 Member
    the point at which the fat starts bouncing when you run...
  • Li_Willi
    Li_Willi Posts: 96 Member
    the point at which the fat starts bouncing when you run...


    That sounds like immediately then - :laugh:
  • sammibob
    sammibob Posts: 47


    PS:BTW, I do not think it is fair at all that men seem to lose weight faster than women.


    I've noticed this too.... no fair! :/
  • Li_Willi
    Li_Willi Posts: 96 Member


    PS:BTW, I do not think it is fair at all that men seem to lose weight faster than women.


    I've noticed this too.... no fair! :/

    That's because we're designed to carry babies so we have more necessary fat stores than men do. Maybe some men think it's not fair that WE get to have babies and they don't....and THAT, my friends, was a joke in case you weren't sure - :laugh: :laugh:
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member


    PS:BTW, I do not think it is fair at all that men seem to lose weight faster than women.


    I've noticed this too.... no fair! :/

    That's because we're designed to carry babies so we have more necessary fat stores than men do. Maybe some men think it's not fair that WE get to have babies and they don't....and THAT, my friends, was a joke in case you weren't sure - :laugh: :laugh:

    LOL, well, since I suffer from infertility and was never able to have a baby, that seems doubly not far to me! ;)
  • torsaer
    torsaer Posts: 211 Member
    Well for the 1st 20 minutes you burn glycogens (stored energy). But looking at your pictues you don't need to lose fat, you need to build muscle. You do that and you will burn fat in the process. You want skinny (er) or fit?


    Oh I must update my pictures; they were taken when I was at my skinniest last summer.. have piled on about 10lbs since since then. (but of course who wants to update pictures when they're not so flattering)!

    Thank you for your answer, though. I did a bit of strength training at the gym as well as Jillian Michael's dvds, so I guess what I'm looking for is most efficient way to burn flab... !
  • sammibob
    sammibob Posts: 47

    That's because we're designed to carry babies so we have more necessary fat stores than men do. Maybe some men think it's not fair that WE get to have babies and they don't....and THAT, my friends, was a joke in case you weren't sure - :laugh: :laugh:

    But I look like i'm still carrying my baby... seriously 10mths preg at least lol
  • julieinomaha
    julieinomaha Posts: 38
    I actually did the Cardiofit test and dialed in my heart rate zones on my heart rate monitor to get an accurate calorie burned number. I found out my heart rate zones are much higher than typical for my age and so those averages overcalculated by a dramatic amount.

    Anyway with that I think that my calorie burned numbers are pretty accurate. I have been training for my first 10k and whether I am working on intervals or hills or just LSD (long slow day) for the week, I was surprised to notice that speed doesn't play that much into it. The effort feels so much more, but at the end of the day, a person burns about 100 calories a mile and if you go faster it doesn't seem to burn that much more so pace yourself and go longer and farther. If you listen to the trainers the faster paces are all about training the body to use different types of fuel and get the best endurance performance but their goal is not pure weight loss. I have done all sorts of different diets and exercise in phases throughout the years and the running seems to really burn off fat on the thighs better than anything I have ever tried.



    good luck,
  • furman5985
    furman5985 Posts: 10 Member
    I've always heard that sprint work is the best way to lean out your body. Not only do you burn calories while you're doing it, but you continue to burn for quite a while after you're done. I think you can Google some spring interval training routines.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    This column originally appeared in Running Times Magazine:

    The Fat Burning Zone Myth

    So far, we have seen how the body uses fat for fuel. Now let’s take a look at the myth of the “fat burning zone.” During the 1980’s, the notion spread that in order to lose fat you must exercise at low intensity. Unfortunately, this misunderstanding of the scientific literature is still widely preached in health clubs. Many aerobic instructors have their clients exercise gently to stay in their “fat burning zone.” Some runners even run slowly in the belief that low intensity exercise is the most effective way to reduce their body fat levels.

    The myth developed from the fact we already discussed that when you exercise harder, you use relatively less fat and more carbohydrate. This led to the belief that to lose fat you need to exercise gently. Using this logic, since approximately 80% of the calories you use while sitting are supplied by fat (see table below), then couch potatoes would have very low body fat levels. The missing ingredient is that fat loss is determined by the balance between calories consumed and calories burned over time. The source of the calories burned during a specific workout is not as important as the number of calories burned.

    Calories and Fat Burned

    Activity Calories used per minute % Calories from Fat Fat Calories used per minute Total Calories used in 30 minutes
    Sitting 1.5 80 1.2 45
    Walking 5 60 3 150
    Recovery run 12 35 4.2 360
    Lactate threshold pace 18 15 2.7 540

    Higher-intensity exercise is better for losing fat because it uses more calories per minute. Put in a 30 minute recovery run and you may use 360 calories. Spend the same amount of time at a faster pace and you may burn 540 calories. If you burn more calories, you will lose more fat than if you burn fewer calories. Lower intensity exercise, therefore, is only better for fat loss if you exercise long enough to make up for the lower number of calories used per minute. The key to losing fat (and if you are reading this you probably don’t need to), therefore, is to find the balance of intensity and duration that burns the most calories.
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