running to lose weight

[Anonymous]

Apologies, I know this has been discussed here before.

I have a significant amount of weight to lose by June of next year (I have about 60 pounds to lose in total and I would like to lose half by June). I've joined Weight Watchers and now need to figure out the exercise component. A friend suggested I begin to train for a 5K. It's tempting because I have always dreamed of running and being a runner. But I want to make this decision carefully because I'd have to rearrange my family's schedule to accommodate the new routine. Is training for a 5K a good idea in terms of weight loss?

Thank you for your help and insight!

[Anonymous]

I think it's a great place to start. Plus the couch to 5k programs seem to work really well for a lot of people. I started running three months after my baby was born (started running in June) and I'm doing a half marathon in two weeks. I hadn't run since high school, really, and now I look forward to my runs.

In terms of your family, I hope they are accommodating - it's a great stress burner, and you will want to eat better when you work out. Overall, I think it's a great idea.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Unless you are incredibly overscheduled, I don't think that 5K training should be really time-consuming. And I say this as someone who has been racing for 20+ years, including marathoning at my peak.

Yes, running can be a good way to lose weight. Some people do really well with a race as a motivator. That said, some people lose less than they expect because running makes you hungry. (I find myself very hungry the day after a long run.) I lost weight during my first marathon, didn't lose weight during my second, despite running up to 56 miles per week. It just depends. (I started and ended at a normal weight; a person with actual weight to lose might have very different results.)

How much time can you set aside per day? If you can set aside 1 hour daily (which can include clothes change and shower), I'd run every other day and lift weights plus non-running cardio on the off days. Lifting weights will boost your metabolism during and after the workout. Build in a rest day on days when you just can't make the time, or take a weekly yoga class to stretch your muscles.

If the 5K goes well, consider training for a 10K. It's not too much of a time commitment beyond the 5K once you're in the habit.

[Freeman]

I'll add my recommendation for running as well. I started with the Couch to 5K program back in May, and even though I had never been a runner before, I am now. My success with the running prompted me to add other exercises(On days when I wasn't running), and it also helped motivate me to stick to other diet changes. Like others said, don't expect rapid weight loss at first. You may be losing weight, but you are also building up muscle at the same time. Eventually, the weight loss will speed up, but you'll feel the effects of the exercise long before that happens. Good effects, I mean

[Anonymous]

I know that some people say they're hungry after running and tend to eat a lot. But for me, running is the ONLY thing that keeps me thin. I eat less when I run because I feel good about myself and I'm more aware of food and calories. But I never run more than five miles. I like to run 3 miles every other day, and I mix it up with other exercise.

Also, I agree that you won't first notice changes on the scale, but your thighs and butt will get smaller. And so will your waist! (That's my problem area.) Later on, all in a sudden, the weight comes off for me.

[Anonymous]

I started running after I lost 45 pounds. Running did not help me lose weight, but it did help me maintain my weight.

Moreover, regular exercise has a ton of health benefits.

[Anonymous]

Go for it! Running's a wonderful sport, and a simple, efficient way to exercise. I'd say to really see weight loss you'd need to exercise 5-6 days/week. Start out with the Couch to 5K and go from there. It's a great idea to throw in some weight lifting and/or yoga, depending on what you can swing, time-wise. I feel the best when I run six days/week and do yoga twice/week. You'll figure out what the best balance is for you as you go. And I agree with 16:15: training for a 5K shouldn't be too time-consuming at all.

It will be a change in routine, too, but hugely worth it. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I lost a good amount of weight eating clean and doing Couch to 5K, then moving up in mileage as I felt comfortable. One thing I noticed about running was that my shape changed - in a good way.

[Anonymous]

I'm thin and cannot eat without running. Running allows me to enjoy the foods I like in moderation. Without running, in order to stay thin I can hardly eat.

[Anonymous]

Any exercise is better than no exercise but you have to understand how your body works. You want to get rid of fat but you can't. nobody can, you can only reduce the size of the fat cells. to do that you need to burn fat. you need to exercise longer than it takes to run a 5 k to get the fat burning. It is a good start but your body is barely getting warmed up to burn fat after 30 minutes.

Start slow but your goal should be to increase the time, distance, and intensity to get yoru hear rate up to burn the fat.

first step is go get fitted for the proper shoes.

[Anonymous]

Running is a great place to start, especially something very moderate like a 5k/3.2 mile race. I lost about 60 lbs through running. While I was losing weight, my runs were never longer than 5 miles. If you were training for a half marathon or a marathon, then you might worry about it making you too hungry to be able to lose weight, but at the 5k level you should be just fine. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Is running a good idea for someone who is significantly overweight? Isn't it rather hard on the joints? The advice I heard was drop a few pounds first (through diet and low impact exercise like swimming and walking).

[Anonymous]

Running has never helped me lose much weight. Too much cardio just makes me more hungry. I find that lifting heavy weights and interval training works better for me. Weight training also helps build muscle and increases your metabolism more than cardio. After weight training you will continue to burn calories after the workout where with cardio the minute you stop doing it you stop burning calories. I also believe that running is something you should do when you are in shape, not to get into shape. Out of shape people running are just increasing their chances of getting injured and further derailing their fitness. Obviously different things work for different people but this has been my experience.

I will also add that I am a firm believer that weight loss is 80% Diet and 20% exercise. It won't matter what you do for exercise if you eat too much. It is nearly impossible to out exercise a poor diet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Running has never helped me lose much weight. Too much cardio just makes me more hungry. I find that lifting heavy weights and interval training works better for me. Weight training also helps build muscle and increases your metabolism more than cardio. After weight training you will continue to burn calories after the workout where with cardio the minute you stop doing it you stop burning calories. I also believe that running is something you should do when you are in shape, not to get into shape. Out of shape people running are just increasing their chances of getting injured and further derailing their fitness. Obviously different things work for different people but this has been my experience.

I will also add that I am a firm believer that weight loss is 80% Diet and 20% exercise. It won't matter what you do for exercise if you eat too much. It is nearly impossible to out exercise a poor diet.

Ditto, ditto, ditto!!! interval training will be much more effective than just slogging through miles. Try intervals on the treadmill or outside, and make sure to do some weight lifting as well. And don't tell yourself you can eat whatever you want just b/c you ran three miles that morning. I'm not saying you will do that, I'm basically just projecting what I used to do, when I first started running to compliment my own weight watchers efforts. I would run 3 ten minute miles and then eat a big egg and cheese bagel afterward, which obviously negated the effects. I think running is a great form of exercise (although now I'm addicted to spinning, and only run when I'm doing intervals on the TM), but make sure you do lots of advance meal planning with healthy foods to fill you up, because you will definitely find yourself being hungrier than usual from the running.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Running has never helped me lose much weight. Too much cardio just makes me more hungry. I find that lifting heavy weights and interval training works better for me. Weight training also helps build muscle and increases your metabolism more than cardio. After weight training you will continue to burn calories after the workout where with cardio the minute you stop doing it you stop burning calories. I also believe that running is something you should do when you are in shape, not to get into shape. Out of shape people running are just increasing their chances of getting injured and further derailing their fitness. Obviously different things work for different people but this has been my experience.

I will also add that I am a firm believer that weight loss is 80% Diet and 20% exercise. It won't matter what you do for exercise if you eat too much. It is nearly impossible to out exercise a poor diet.

I will also add that i use to be someone who had the mentality that "cardio burns fat. you have to do a lot of cardio to get in the fat burning zone. once i lose the weight then I will lift weights to get tone." Many miles later, hiring a trainer and reading "The Female Body breakthrough" I learned just how amazing weight training is not only for losing weight but for increasing metabolism and changing your body.