Reply to If you are a runner who uses running as part of weight management, what is your min weekly mileage?

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[quote=Anonymous]Most people who run fairly competitively with a goal to get faster maybe running ~50+ miles per week seem to maintain weight without worrying too much about being restrictive with calories.  However, to be able to run this much without getting injured, you typically need to approach eating more as fuelling...you can't have big caloric deficits without screwing up your hormones and risking injuries.  Additionally, some very competitive runners watch their diet super closely to lose that last little bit of weight for performance reasons, but at that level it is a really walking a fine line that might not be worth it unless you are sub-elite.

I would say that to get to the point where running is an effective weight management strategy, you need to run a lot...like getting to averaging 1 hour a day.  Most people who are doing that are doing it because they enjoy training for races and improving, not necessarily to manage their weight, although it can be a nice added bonus.

Also I've noticed in articles and on the internet and such discuss how people train for marathons and gain weight.  In my observation, this is usually people running low mileage (for marathon training anyway) plans that top off at 35-40 miles per week and average ~20 miles per week with the goal of just finishing rather than chasing a time goal.  For most people, this is just not enough exercise to make a dent in what they will compensate in eating.  Once you get up to more like 60 miles per week, the compensation effect seems to be less dramatic.

TL; DR most people need to run a lot for it to be a particularly effective weight management strategy, and need to run a lot more than the recommended 30 minutes 3x a week to stay cardiovascularly healthy.  And run enough that it is a time commitment that is really only worth it if you love running and training.  It would be easier to manage weight through diet if that is your primary concern.[/quote]

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