Does Running Melt Off the Pounds?
 

I found this great article in the magazine, 'Runner's World.' I thought I'd share and get your opinions and thoughts to see if any of you have lost weight when you started running? Even if you have been running for awhile fee free to comment. As for me, I notice that running doesn't burn as many calories as the epiliptical does, but I also feel like I am working harder when I run. I don't see why I wouldn't burn more calories while running. I also think it depends on how long or fast you run.

http://peakperformance.runnersworld....-often-no.html

With the right food(diet) running and any exercise will melt off pounds. You have to do what you like best otherwise you will quit or not meet your s goals.

it also makes a big difference if you are running on a trampoline or in place(less calories) or outside, hills, in the cold, which could be more cal. than a treadmill inside.
i used to run often. inside, in place. i got really really sweaty. still do. i knew it was a good workout, no matter what the calorie calculator said.

just do what you enjoy. jumping rope and boxing also burn a ton of calories.

building muscle burns more calories than anything. your metabolism is going all the time, even when you are sleeping. or watching TV. but we only exercise for short periods.

I wouldn't say running "melts off the pounds" (but I run like...2-3 times a week which isn't a whole lot) but it has completely transformed my legs from " thunder thighs with some muscle in there somewhere" to "gap between my thighs and nothing jiggles."

And if you're a slave to the scale, nothing guarantees a great weigh-in the next morning like going for a tiring long run and then eating a healthy low-carb dinner.

IMHO, running melts fat rapidly...hasn't done too bad on the lbs for me as well!;)

Running also makes everything else much easier. I run about an hour 3-4 times/week and now when i do recumbent bike or elipticle, i'm on levels 10 and 11 and while i break a sweat, it is sooooooo much easier than what it used to be.

I also don't follow monitors for calories burned...my body lets me know where I get the most bang for my buck...and it's definitely RUNNING (as identified by the pool of sweat I leave behind):)

I have been running on and off for years (cause I love it, but I'm lazy!), but in March or so this year I decided to stop with the sweets, cookies etc that I always over indulge on. I also started training for a 10k run that was to take place in August.
During this time, with on average 2-3 5k runs a week, I lost 7kg (about 15lbs?) going from 89kg to 82kg in June. I didn't count calories, but ate 3 meals per day of "real food" only.

Then in August I hurt my knee (not running, but doing squats) and had to stop running. My race was pretty much the last run I did. I fell off the wagon with my eating shortly after that, and the scale crept back up to 87kg. I decided to stop faffing about and I once again went back to the exact same eating plan. Nothing what so ever happened on the scale.
Without the running my "healthy, intuitive" eating kept me maintaining, but not losing.
My knee is still not 100% so I'm doing other lower impact workouts just now, and I have also started to mind my calories by logging them daily.

I can't wait to get back to running to start shift this weight at a faster pace again!

The above quote sums it up for me. Running is a great cardio workout for me. So is Spin class and the elliptical. But it isn't about the exercise. It's about the diet.

Running hasn't changed weight loss for me at all, though I know a lot of people who say it does.

I use to think the same as you Jojo but then in the past two months I decided to change my workout and start running 3 miles twice a week. I've noticed that my stomach muscles reacted more to the running then to the eliptical. My waist size is going down but my weight is stubbornly remaining the same I figure that means I'm gaining muscle.

You know...I was just thinking about this post again and reflected on my past weight losses. This is the conclusion I came up with:

1. I've lost 50+ lbs dieting (atkins) and doing only elipticle (45 min 5 days/wk);

2. I've lost approx 30 lbs dieting (calorie counting) and running 45 min-1hr, 4-5 days/wk);

What's the difference?

While I lost weight doing both forms of cardio...I lost more FAT running than elipticle...and my muscles got waaaaaaayy more toned/developed running than doing elipticle.

Conclusion: Proper diet and exercise will lose weight for you, but nothing beats running for FAT BURNING and leaving you with a nice "toned" body:)

^That is encouraging. :)

Thanks for the responses. I found the article quite interesting, and thought I'd ask all of you runners, if you have indeed lost weight running now or in the past.

I agree that diet plays a big part because if you aren't eating right, you won't lose much weight even if you are doing cardio. I enjoy running, and am building up to the 5k. I like to cross train and do running three times a week, and do other cardio the other days either on epiliptical or bike. I noticed that I burned more calories on the epilitical than running, but right now I am only doing 3 min intervals and 90sec walking. I figure the longer and more intense I run, the more calories I'll burn.

I always feel amazing after I run (runners high), and I do feel like my legs getting toned and smaller. I look at marathon runners and not many of them have extra fat on them eh. :)

Jojo, I don't trust the calorie counts on the machines. ;) It tells me I burn the same calories at 2.5 on a 0% incline as 2.5 on a 10% incline. My lungs tell me otherwise! ;) Not to mention they're just plain inaccurate as we are all different and most machines are calibrated to your AVERAGE athlete.

Also this makes me think of Darius from last season's Biggest Loser. After running the marathon with a really commendable time, he came back to the ranch having gained weight, like four pounds I think. Everyone was stunned. But he was eating to train and running puts a lot of stress on the body. The body doesn't like stress.

I haven't gained weight, but my pants have started fitting tighter since I've been running more. I also burn fewer calories than when I do just the elliptical. I've started varying my workouts some, with elliptical, lower body strength training and abs on Tuesdays and Thursdays and a combo of the elliptical, bike and treadmill with upper body strength training Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.

Should this be 'pants are fitting looser'? Hoping that this was a typo error since I have recently picked up running :)

See, the machines always tell me I burn more when I'm running and I'm not even inputting my weight, which I know I actually burn more because I'm still larger.

Yes, my husband lost 100lbs real quickly from running- much faster that I did thats for sure, of course we know men are so different. But I've really accounted my great loss so far from just loving the cardio routine from running! Especially the more you run- the longer you run - the more you burn.

Yesterday I ran for 40 minutes and burned 600 calories- I could NEVER get that kind of a burn on an elliptical.

Yes I'm completely bias, I LUV running, hahahahaha!:devil:

As a runner and watching that episode I was SO UPSET! What a bad representation of what running will do to a body. He ate and binged and he admitted it. Running didnt cause his weight gain, his binging in the middle of the night did. He didnt fuel properly and so he was ravenous with his caloric intake. Sad really that he made amercia feel that way. But i totally agree with you, it can take a toll on the body and the first day or two post major runs it's common to have a small rebound of weight because your body is protecting itself.

When I started running I lost weight rapidly and steadily. Before that, I had been using the elliptical for a few months and even at a very high intensity, I didn't feel the same exertion as when I was running - and I didn't lose any weight! Of course everyone's body is different, but for me running was much more effective despite the elliptical saying that I had burned 600 calories or something crazy in a workout.

Weight loss begins in the kitchen. When my mileage went up, so did my appetite, it is *so* easy to eat back what you've burned. The weight didn't drop off until I was tight again about my food. The good news is that even though the scale didn't move much, the inches have.

A very good point. I noticed that even when I stopped for a few seconds on the epiliptical that the calories were still going. I also feel like I am working harder on the treadmill running than on the epiliptical trainer. It is hard to gauge on these machines. Is there something I can wear (monitor) to know how many I actually burned?

I agree with you that varying your cardio helps tremendously. It challenges the body and we use different muscles with different exercises. I love the bike, and epiliptical.

Inches as others mentioned is a good indication. I used to never weigh myself and just go by how my pants fit. I definitely notice that weight training combined with the cardio makes a huge difference in inches. Although, diet is key. I always feel it when I eat wrong. I think the more weight I lose the more I notice when I gain easier..if that makes any sense.

I hate hearing that diet is key. It's the hardest part.

I have to say that running basically did not a whole lot for me, weight wise. It helped me maintain and fit in a smaller size jeans, but my weight stayed the same.

I found WAY more benefits body-shape and weight-wise from hot yoga. But I think every body is completely different so.........

~BreathingSpace~

I def gotta get back to running! It's just a snowy cold mess outside and treadmill running gets old quick....gotta load up the good old ipod and just suck it up. ;)

and jojo- a bodybugg or gowearfit will monitor accurately how many calories u burned.

^It is hard to run in the cold for sure! Best of luck! Thanks for the information. Do you have either of those? I was just checking online about the bodybugg. It looks like you have to get it online.


BreathingSpace, I've heard hot yoga is a great workout and sweat out! I'll have to try it sometime.



Yes, indeed. ;)

I've lost 45 lbs this year with diet and running AND strength training. My weight loss did seem to slow down when I was training for my half marathon. But nothing has transformed my body the running has.

I have to agree that Running really does melt off the pounds. I gained some weight as a teenager after being put on some medication. I decided to start running on my parents treadmill. The weight melted off quite fast and I didn't change my diet a whole lot either. Given at 16 I am sure my metabolism was pretty good. But, I felt better everywhere. My body looked the best when I ran everyday for an hour.
My goal is to do that again. One step at a time..

I hope y'all will forgive me for dredging up this thread from the depths of last month, but I found it very interesting to read the varying ideas here... I'm almost a total beginner when it comes to running (I've done other cardio for about a year, but no running, although I used to run a little when I was in my 30s).. anyway, I've just joined the local running club & want to start training for a 5K on April 23... is my goal reasonable, going from zero to 5K in 3 months?.. my motivation is the accomplishment of the goal, but I'll also be glad for any fat loss... thanks for your input!..

hugs :hug:

Totally doable! try the "couch to 5k” program to ease you in to running: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

careful w your knees and hips, and stretch a lot!

Thanks shasha12!.. I had already checked the C-to-5K site, but glad to have your recommendation... & thanks for the reminder about knees & hips & stretching...

hugs :hug:

P.S. I forgot to mention, I already do yoga & kettlebells... I've been getting my cardio on my old NordicTrack ski machine, but it's agonizingly boring!.. I'm ready to get outside, even if it's still cold out there...

:o I’m 27 and have knee/hip problems and have to stretch constantly to be able to run. It’s second nature for me to advise ppl to stretch lol! C25K is a good program. It should be easy for ya if you’ve been doing cardio for a year now. Good luck! :hug:

Well, kiddo, I'm considerably older than you -- 61... I've been semi-athletic off & on throughout my life, but until a year ago, hadn't really been listening to my body to know what it really needs... I'm gonna see if it likes running!.. I already know it likes to move more...

hugs :hug:

I think it takes some time to build up endurance in order to run the speed and distances that really burn a lot of calories. That being said, I burned far more calories playing DDR in college than I did when I started running.

Hot yoga has completely transformed my body! In one hour you can burn about 500-600 calories. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

~BreathingSpace~