March 28, 2024
losing weight by running.

losing weight by running.

Well I have written quite a few articles on losing weight.  This article differs from my other articles because its focus is on losing weight by running.  It’s weight management and exercise specific!

Now if you’ve been following my posts and reviews you’ll know that I hate running but that’s me.  Running is a big hobby for many people and therefore it’s worth my time.  My aim is to provide you with the reasons why losing weight by running is a good idea and how you may benefit from this form of exercise.

Losing weight by running.

<img src = "black female running.jpg" alt ="losing weight by running"/>

I’m going to start by saying this is one of a few exercises that are free and can be done from almost anywhere. I suppose that’s probably why it’s so popular with most sporting communities.

Well let’s explore the whole topic of losing weight by running.  Everyone can do it, unless you have a physical problem that stops you from exercising.  Your reason for not running could be a variety of things, like weak or painful joints, medical reasons. It could even be that you are slightly overweight or being overweight as created the problem!

This doesn’t mean you can’t and shouldn’t take part in running to lose weight.  It just means that you can’t run, until you have lost some weight by other means.  Which could mean a lifestyle change or less intensive exercise program, combined with a healthy diet plan.

The benefits of running.

Running is an aerobic exercise, which means that this type of exercise will benefit your respiratory system.  Running can help you lose up to 100 calories per mile that you run.  Some sports, literally are based on running, for example 100 meter sprint, 200 meters and 800 meters to name but a few.

Boxers all embrace running as a part of their training regime, as a stamina builder and a good way to lose weight.  So, as you can see losing weight by running is very popular and in some sports a necessity!

The amount of weight you can lose is an approximate calculation, wearing a smartwatch would give you a more accurate report, specific to your weight, height, sleep and eating habits.  My advice would be to wear a fitness watch or chest monitor to count your heart rate and calories burnt.

Losing weight correctly.

I have used a fitness tracker and found it to be quite useful for tracking a variety of things for instance:

  • Heart rate.
  • Sleep, when worn overnight.
  • Steps made per hour and day.
  • Calories burned.
  • Heart rate during exercise.

When we eat, we take on a lot of calories, this will come in the form of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and proteins. Our food provides our body with energy and calories.  Over consumption of calories, which is unused by our daily routine, will be stored as fat. The opposite of this statement is if we burn more calories than we eat then naturally, over time we will lose weight.

Losing weight by counting your calories sounds pretty fool proof but it’s not that easy!  The diagram below shows different types of foods and drinks and how much fat per gram is contained in every calorie we eat.

<img src = "calories from different sources.jpg" alt ="losing weight by running"/>

You have calories to burn.

You truly are what you eat, every morsel of food we eat, will give our bodies calories and unused calories will be stored as fat, which will be used for energy at a later date. Regular exercise burns calories and will promote weight loss.

Losing weight by running is a big part of the equation but having a structured diet in place is also key.  Let’s take a quick look at the basics, it’s recommended that men should consume 2500 and women 2000 calories.

If we are expected to eat 2500 calories and we burn more than we eat, we create what’s known as a deficit.  A deficit is the difference between what your body needs to function properly on daily basis.

Your aim should be to burn a weekly deficit of 3500+ calories.

Weight loss calculator.

The best way to make sure you are on the right track to losing weight.  Is to make sure you know how much you are eating in relation to your body type and age.  This calculator will give you the vital information you will need.

 

If you’re serious about losing weight and staying healthy, which should be your ultimate goal.  You’ll find this calorie calculator an invaluable tool.

The pitfalls of dieting.

This part of dieting is crucial to your success.  It’s important to eat a well-balanced meal to assist in your weight loss.  Have regular intakes of water, to keep your body hydrated. This will also help with keeping your water system flushed and aids in the removal of toxins too.

Never exercise and eat more food than normal, to compensate for your expenditure. Eating is a normal part of life and when we exercise we burn calories.  This is all good and no thoughts should be in your mind about replacing the burnt calories.  This is how the process of losing weight goes, embrace it.

No flashy sugar drinks are required or needed, keep it simple and cost effective. Why ruin a good thing!  Running is a totally free exercise and as you can see, so is the other elements around it.

Here comes the BIG ONE!  Anyone who wants to lose weight, should start with cutting back on their carbohydrate intake. The plan is to reduce, not remove.  But we can manage how much we consume.  Not only that, carbs (Carbohydrates) is a partner of protein. These two elements require a chemical fusion to burn each other efficiently.

Government recommendations suggests, that a third of our daily intake of food, should be carbohydrates!

<img src = "legs running on road.jpg" alt ="losing weight by running"/>

My conclusion to losing weight by running.

If you’re interested in losing weight and keeping that weight off, then running could be the best method for the job, depending on your body type.  Keep focused on all the other elements that also surrounds you,  eat healthy meals which contain vitamins, minerals, protein and carbohydrates.

Get regular amounts of sleep, this will vary for everyone but the guideline specifies 5 – 8 hours per night.  Some people need more and some people might need less.  The amount your body needs will take a little research on your part, to get it right for you.

Take regular sips of water during your day.  The recommended intake is 2 litres per day. Again, this will be different for everyone.  My golden rule is to drink when you feel thirsty and not just drink because you are told you should!

I hope you find this post useful and beneficial in helping you lose weight by running. If you have any question or comments please leave them below.  I will answer them as soon as possible.

 

To better health.

13 thoughts on “Losing Weight By Running

  1. Hahaha .. I also hate running but have to lose 20 pounds. Now I’m in the process of doing everything and even running to burn calories. I found a lot of helpful tips in this post, and I was particularly interested in the information (as well as the calculator) how much I need to burn calories a week to lose weight.

  2. Running is often underrated. I prefer running to any other form of losing weight. I will keep in shape and also do what I like. Running is just almost perfect for all situations because it is what I love doing a lot. Thanks so much for sharing this out here. Personally, I feel that we should all encourage ourselves to meet our set goal as that would make us go for the better. Thanks

  3. I love running, it’s a fun sport that helps me be fit, trim, and have more adventure. I love your article. Running is free, that’s one of my favorite statements. Personally, the last thing I want is to pay for a gym membership, when I can pick up my feet and get to wonderful places. One of my favorite places to run is in the mountains. The funny thing, as you mentioned about losing weight, when I gain weight, the first thing that works, running. I do have to start slowly at first, I made that mistake in the past, and ended up with a stress fracture. But when I do it right, I tend to lose fat fast. 

  4. I love the calorie counter that you have in your article!  It really did make me realize that I need to exercise a lot more to lose weight or else eat almost nothing – which isn’t going to happen and isn’t very healthy!  I live in the rurals and have a large dog so I may start by walking and then move it on up to running.  Thank you for the motivation!

  5. Your post here about losing weight by running is a painful reminder that I’ve been intending to take up running myself. I have been procrastinating…alot. So thank you for the nudge. I like the fact that you.point out it is a free exercise. Including the calorie information was a helpful bit of info as well. Thank you

  6. I do like running as I used to be a cross country runner in high school. Needless to say, I’ve gained weight since then and would like to get on a healthy diet as well as get back into running. I’ve always heard mixed things with regard to running and losing weight, but you break it down in a very understandable way of properly losing weight by running. I see that diet is an important factor when it comes to losing weight by running. What is a good amount of time to run each day or whenever you’re available to do it? Is 30 minutes to an hour good enough?

    1. Hi Brian, thank you for your comment.  Running for 30 minutes is a good amount of time but more importantly, it depends on your pace.  Take it slow and work within your limits!

  7. Many thanks to you for sharing such an excellent article with us .I’ve been waiting for a long time to review the weight loss.I think running can reduce body weight by a lot.Besides, running not only helps reduce body weight, but also helps keep the body healthy.As a result of running, breathing exercises and calories are reduced.And our daily sleep is better than the amount of calories consumed by running daily.From now on, I would wake up every morning and run and try to practice.Will share be a new experiences.

  8. Many thanks to you  from the bottom of my heart for giving the opportunity to ask some questions about it.

    I know running is a good habit. It makes us fit for walk. Healthy body is a needed thing for good life. For peaceful and harmonious life we need good fitness.

      Is running on the treadmill good for the body? I have not much time to go outside. At weekend I go to park for jogging or running. How much or long I have to run?  

    I also do other exercise like push up, sit up etc. Are they good for my health?

    thank you again for the nice post. I hope you will answer them quickly.

    1. Running out doors is good but when that’s not possible so is running on a treadmill.  All of what you have mentioned is good for your body but in different ways.  Running will improve your cardiovascular system and press ups and sit ups will strengthen and tone your body.  I’d advise you to run for approx 15 minutes and slowly build from there.   

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