Can you lose weight running?

[christinew]

Will running help you lose weight or just tone you up? I am looking to lose about 20 pounds. Any of you have any great success stories for me?

I know this question is ridiculous but I need to hear any success stories there are!

:D Thanks, Christine

[emilycat]

Besides the fact that RW touts running as the best weight-loss activity there is, it's a given that any activity that burns calories will help you lose weight, provided you don't eat a lot more to make up for it.
Running is one of the highest calorie-burning activities, when you look at how many you burn per unit of time, so YES!, it will definitely help you to lose weight -- and improve your mood, clear your mind..... :)
If you want more info, check out www.runnersworld.com and click on the weight loss bar.

[tracey67]

Related question here...

I KNOW that running definitely helps you lose weight (lost some myself through this method), but my question is -- do you think there's some sort of a break point?

Here's why I'm asking: I have a friend who is very fit. She runs almost every day and generally for 3-5 miles each time. Last year she trained for a marathon. I know she bought a book about training for marathons (maybe by Bill Rodgers?) and followed it pretty precisely. She finally ran the marathon and finished in (I think) a little under 4 hours. However, later when we were talking about her training (during the training she was generally running at least 8 miles a day and had 1-2 days a week where she would run 10 or more miles) she mentioned that she didn't actually lose any weight during the time. I'm sure she ate a little more than usual, but probably not much. Anyone have any idea why running so much more wouldn't cause you to lose weight?

TIA
tracey

[emilycat]

The bottom line is that in order to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume. Marathon training also requires a lot of energy, so in order to fuel her workouts, your friend was likely consuming as many calories as she was burning. You're not going to quit burning as many calories the more you run -- that's a constant. But you have to eat less than you're burning off to continue losing weight.

[Mbart]

Emilycat hit the nail on the head...running is a great way to burn calories, but you have to burn more than you consume. I am a case in point.
I've been running for about 2 years now. Up until last March, I was running 3-4 days/week, 3.5 miles per session. But, I was also eating alot because, "Hey, I'm running." The majority of the time it was healthy food, but...calories are calories! Then, last March I determined I needed to lose about 15 pounds. I bumped up my running to 6 day/week, 4 miles/day and counted calories for about 3 months. I was amazed at how much I was actually eating! When I got the eating under control, I lost the weight. So...running is great for losing weight, but the formula is still simple - calories in vs. calories burned.

That said, I hope you pursue running...as Emily said, there are so many benefits in addition to losing weight. You can be healthier, stronger, happier, you can meet people, get outdoors, travel, PLUS, you can tell us all about your ups and downs right here on this board! I LOVE to hear what everyone else is doing!

[NydiaC]

Another thing you have to remember is that you'll probably be building muscle. Muscle is heavier that fat. So at times, the scale may not show a loss, but you'll actually be getting trimer and you'll be able to see this in your clothes. As you build more muscle, you'll actually be burning more calories, even at rest. It's a pretty cool process.

I actually took up running at the first of this year because I wanted to find the most efficient form of exercise for weight loss (that's also easy and affordable). I've lost 20 pounds so far.

[christinew]

20 pounds since start of the year!?

That is great! I am also weight training. I just want to feel better in my clothes.

[SusanMac]

My husband also lost 20 pounds when we were in marathon training. It just fell right off. I was impressed. I only lost a few pounds, but I'm pretty much at my "ideal weight" and don't change much in either direction. At first, I was a bit bummed that I wasn't losing, but there was a BIG difference in my muscle tone and shape (flatter buns! yea! flatter tummy! yea!) so that was good enough for me. Clothes fit better and I just felt great. I have also resolved that I will always have flabbier upper thighs than I want, no matter what :-)

Good luck with your weight loss plan! Running should do the trick, but what's most important is to do an activity that you love. There are other sports that burn lots and lots of calories, so if running isn't doing it for you after a while, there are definitely other things you can do.