loosing weight through running
Question:
I’ve been running about 3 years now and can say that running is definitely part of my weight loss routine. I am 5′ 10 1/2" and weighed 283 lbs 3 years ago. I started running with some encouragement from some runner friends of mine and could only run about 200 yards before I was red faced and out of breath. I ran my 1st 5K 2 months later in a blistering 32:58. I kept training and modified my diet to reduce fat calories ( I still eat lots of food, just healthier things like salad and grilled chicken) and I am down to 224 lbs. When I stop running my weight goes up. When I increase my running my weight goes down. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – running itself is not a great way of losing weight. or let me put it this way. if a sedentary person started running a half hour a day, s/he would barely need 5% more calories to maintain his weight. you’d be surprised to know that 90%+ of our calories get burnt in activities like breathing, sleeping and just plain old going through life. running is great for cardio fitness improvement but don’t expect it to make you skinny. so you may ask, how come i never see a chubby marathon runner? the answer is complicated. while, certainly, the milage marathon runners need to put in helps lose calories, there is a lot of self-selection going on. skinny individuals tend to gravitate towards running. once serious runners, they tend to choose their diet carefully. however, i stand by my basic point: that running in general, and increased milage too, is a notoriously ineffective, time-consuming way of losing weight. i love to run, and so i do it that is all. At the elite level, perhaps, running is ineffective for weight loss. For a beginner/intermediate, it is usually very effective, since much of that weight is sitting around due to underdeveloped, unused muscles, and insufficient activity in general. I lift weights all winter, but put on about 10 pounds of flab (from 195 to 205 pounds). When spring arrives, I run two 4-mile sessions each week,~8 min/mile, in addition to lifting weights (and eat more), and lose the waistline in a month (and I don’t lose any strength in my weight training). lynx25
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: I’ve already replied to this thread but after reading a few other : replies have to admit that I’m starting to get a little confused. Or : maybe other people are just wrong!!?? Everything I have read points out : that running is one of the most effective ways of burning calories. : Compared to most other sports you burn more calories per hour than most : anything else. On top of that you increase your metabolism for part of : the day you ran and also slowly but surely increase your base : metabolism. So why are there a number of people in this thread saying : that running isn’t a good way to lose weight? Am I missing something : here? : Heather Heather, The key is running alone doesn’t help you lose weight. You need to have a proper diet to go with your exercise. I never met a runner who ate some of the god awful things my non-runner friends eat. I noticed I became alot more conscious of what was going down my gullet when I started running. Dan — danshea
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That’s an interesting thought, Miles, that running for even 30 minutes a day speeds up the metabolism process for the other 23.5 hours, and thus burns up calories even when not running. How is one to reconcile this with the theory that running makes the body more efficient i.e. we need (and therefore burn?) fewer calories to do the same output as before? Could running cut weight, not by itself, but by making you feel springier? Thus runners are more likely to walk up stairs, etc. than non-runners? Thus runners’ non-running time is more calorie-intensive? And this makes up and more, for the calorie-EXTENSIVE effect of running-induced body efficiency?
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – running itself is not a great way of losing weight. or let me put it this way. if a sedentary person started running a half hour a day, s/he would barely need 5% more calories to maintain his weight. you’d be surprised to know that 90%+ of our calories get burnt in activities like breathing, sleeping and just plain old going through life. running is great for cardio fitness improvement but don’t expect it to make you skinny. so you may ask, how come i never see a chubby marathon runner? the answer is complicated. while, certainly, the milage marathon runners need to put in helps lose calories, there is a lot of self-selection going on. skinny individuals tend to gravitate towards running. once serious runners, they tend to choose their diet carefully. however, i stand by my basic point: that running in general, and increased milage too, is a notoriously ineffective, time-consuming way of losing weight. i love to run, and so i do it that is all.
– Seems someone is trying to refute the basic principle of physics re Energy Conservation. In this scenario it takes the form: Energy in – Energy out = Flab. If *Energy out* is greater than *Energy in* , Flab will turn negative i.e. loss of flab will occur. It stands to reason that a sedentary person expends 90%+ of his/her total energy requirements just staying alive. He/She ain’t doing much else that requires energy expenditure. If they eat normally then *Energy out* may be less than *Energy in* and increase in flab will occur as I’ve unscientifically observed at work. I’ve worked at this place for 10 years now. Every year we get a fresh crop of college graduates majority of them skinny in body. In the space of 5 years most of them carry a big tire around their waists. Active people including RUNNERS expend energy well beyond the base amount required for survival. As a result the ’survival’ portion of the total may well drop to 50% of the total energy expended. I’ve never seen skinny (and inactive) people gorge on food, but every fatso I’ve known consumed enormous amounts of it. / / | oo oo |/ || ||| || Pete, || || | === | //|
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running itself is not a great way of losing weight. or let me put it this way. if a sedentary person started running a half hour a day, s/he would barely need 5% more calories to maintain his weight. you’d be surprised to know that 90%+ of our calories get burnt in activities like breathing, sleeping and just plain old going through life. running is great for cardio fitness improvement but don’t expect it to make you skinny.
That’s interesting Abhay. See your point about the 90%+ calories during ’sedentary’ part of the daily routine. I’ve no doubt you are correct. But moving on to the idea of chubby marathoners, I’m not entirely convinced by ‘natural selection’ being the whole explanation. here’s my experience for an N=1 experiment. I was always ’skinny’ so never had to worry about what I ate with regard to excess weight. I was always 5′10" and around 150-154 lb. Since my teens I took no breakfast, a small sandwich at lunchtime, and a moderate meal in the evening. But since starting to run regularly 3 yrs ago my weight has come down significantly. I was down to 138 lb for my medical checkup last October. And this comes with a significant INCREASE in the amount I eat. I now need two *full* meals a day (i.e. the plate is ‘heavy’ when ladden with food) plus breakfast. And that still isn’t enough. I have also taken to Brie sandwiches or a bar of chocalate at midnight. And this is with running just 25-30 miles pw. I reckon I’d fade away if I scaled up to a marathoner’s 50-60 mpw!!! So, finally, is this due to ‘afterburn’ that I’ve read about on r.r. I put in 2 vigorous track sessions pw (love the adrenalin surge 
. Just seems, that some people can ‘run’ off weight. Despite the simple calorific formulae. Could there be another mechanism at work here?? Miles — Cut the 0_fin~SPAM_ to email back to me
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You don’t go to enough marathons, or you don’t hang around to watch the 4-5 hour runners come in. -Ray
… so you may ask, how come i never see a chubby marathon runner?
…
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – running itself is not a great way of losing weight. or let me put it this way. if a sedentary person started running a half hour a day, s/he would barely need 5% more calories to maintain his weight. you’d be surprised to know that 90%+ of our calories get burnt in activities like breathing, sleeping and just plain old going through life. running is great for cardio fitness improvement but don’t expect it to make you skinny. so you may ask, how come i never see a chubby marathon runner? the answer is complicated. while, certainly, the milage marathon runners need to put in helps lose calories, there is a lot of self-selection going on. skinny individuals tend to gravitate towards running. once serious runners, they tend to choose their diet carefully. however, i stand by my basic point: that running in general, and increased milage too, is a notoriously ineffective, time-consuming way of losing weight. i love to run, and so i do it that is all.
At the elite level, perhaps, running is ineffective for weight loss. For a beginner/intermediate, it is usually very effective, since much of that weight is sitting around due to underdeveloped, unused muscles, and insufficient activity in general. I lift weights all winter, but put on about 10 pounds of flab (from 195 to 205 pounds). When spring arrives, I run two 4-mile sessions each week,~8 min/mile, in addition to lifting weights (and eat more), and lose the waistline in a month (and I don’t lose any strength in my weight training). lynx25
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running itself is not a great way of losing weight. or let me put it this way. if a sedentary person started running a half hour a day, s/he would barely need 5% more calories to maintain his weight. you’d be surprised to know that 90%+ of our calories get burnt in activities like breathing, sleeping and just plain old going through life. running is great for cardio fitness improvement but don’t expect it to make you skinny. so you may ask, how come i never see a chubby marathon runner? the answer is complicated. while, certainly, the milage marathon runners need to put in helps lose calories, there is a lot of self-selection going on. skinny individuals tend to gravitate towards running. once serious runners, they tend to choose their diet carefully. however, i stand by my basic point: that running in general, and increased milage too, is a notoriously ineffective, time-consuming way of losing weight. i love to run, and so i do it that is all.
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I’ve already replied to this thread but after reading a few other replies have to admit that I’m starting to get a little confused. Or maybe other people are just wrong!!?? Everything I have read points out that running is one of the most effective ways of burning calories. Compared to most other sports you burn more calories per hour than most anything else. On top of that you increase your metabolism for part of the day you ran and also slowly but surely increase your base metabolism. So why are there a number of people in this thread saying that running isn’t a good way to lose weight? Am I missing something here? Heather
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I’ve lost 25 pounds in the past from running — though also cutting calories to about 2200. So, the combo of running and calorie counting certainly facilitated weight loss for me! Molly – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ve already replied to this thread but after reading a few other replies have to admit that I’m starting to get a little confused. Or maybe other people are just wrong!!?? Everything I have read points out that running is one of the most effective ways of burning calories. Compared to most other sports you burn more calories per hour than most anything else. On top of that you increase your metabolism for part of the day you ran and also slowly but surely increase your base metabolism. So why are there a number of people in this thread saying that running isn’t a good way to lose weight? Am I missing something here? Heather
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(Kieran Snyder) writes: When you say that "the pounds haven’t melted away," do you mean that you’ve lost no weight, or that you’ve lost a few pounds but not as much as you’d like? Thanxs for your comments! I haven’t really changed my eating habits yet. So far, it has been easier for me to get out there and trod than cutting back on my calorie intake. That’s the next thing to "tackle". See, I thought that the pounds would just evaporate easily once starting to jog. But, I guess that’s biologically impossible and one has to exert some patience. Thanks for your great comments!
Let me give a couple of thoughts on the calorie thang. I found that counting calories worked very well for me – but I am obsessive enough to go and count the things. Did so from September to January, at which point I had a good idea of how many calories and how much fat were in my common foods and could ballpark the daily numbers in my head. Counting is handy because, to lose a pound a week, you want to exert about 500 calories than you consume. This is, I should add, about the maximum rate of weight loss you should be doing without at least a medical checkup first. You might want to just count what you eat for a week and see what you are eating. Then trim it down a little, run a little, and you should be at a diet and exercise level that are comfortable and sustainable. I am now maintaining at about 150 lbs (my wife threatened to beat me if I got any skinnier) which means eating about 2150 calories a day plus 100 per mile that I ran. Most people have a maintenance level of calories, i.e. the diet that will hold their weight stable, that is equal to their weight multiplied by between 15 and 20. The multiplier varies based on your activity level, body fat percentage, and base metabolism, so don’t be surprised if it (very slowly) changes over the next year or so. What works for me is to use the 15 multiplier, but count my workouts separately. (I run about 40 miles/week, half of them on Sunday, so I eat a lot more on the weekends) On the other hand, my wife absolutely hates calorie counting – it makes her feel guilty and obsessive. So she does not do it. I liked it because I am also (on doctor’s orders) on a very low saturated fat diet, and counting everything meant that I could knowingly trim part of my diet that day in order to use a dab of real butter on the scallions & mushrooms for dinner, and still keep my saturated fat consumption under 3% to 5% of calories for the day. If you are not doing this kind of maximization exercise, it might well be too much effort as a long-run thing. The other thing to do, if you are serious about firming up the midriff, is some weight training. Muscles may weight more than fat, but they burn more energy and can be useful or playful at times. For now, though, keep running at a comfortable level and listen to your body. The first sign of over-training is dead legs and a massive lack of energy when you run, and remember to alternate hard and easy days, hard and easy weeks. Also, if you are running only a few days a week, watch out for the three or four day breaks. As a rule of thumb you lose little fitness the first day you take off, but about two days of fitness for each day after that. So, if you run two days a week you won’t see much gain, while running four or five days will be more impressive. But – make some of those runs easy one mile jogs so your body can rest. I like the shoes you bought, and found Brooks shoes very comfortable, especially the Addiction. I ran through my pair very quickly, but I also have perhaps the world’s worst foot-strike and run through all my shoes very quickly. Good luck and keep running. — Edward J. Kilsdonk Look, ytte is written in Olde. It muste Graduate Student, History bee fromme before they invented fpelling. Univerfity of Virginia
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Dear Dan, Kieran, Emanuel, Jamie, Heather, Matt, Madeleine, Abhay, Thank you all for this great discussion. I appreciate you giving me all those tips and opinions on this matter. I’ll definately be able to utilize a good many of them. I’m glad I’ve come across this newsgroup. Great that people are open to "take care" of ignorant beginners. In my enthusiasm for this newly acquired hobby I’ve gone to a local running store and bought a new pair of shoes. The salesperson suggested Brooks’ "Addiction II" due to my ‘low arch’. Bought it and went for a 3-mile trod already. They felt pretty good. Compared to my ‘old’ Reebok "Aztrek", which I had bought from my homecountry Germany, the Brooks give quite a bit more support. Has anyone had any experiences with this brand/model? (This might kick off a heated ideology discussion…) Did I do OK with going along with the salesperson’s suggestion? Steve
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… Fat is not and was not a problem, but I was consuming way (or weigh!) too many cals per day. Now I keep track and try never to go over 1600, run approx. 30 minutes per day (walk 2x per week instead of run)and have lost 6 lbs in the past 2.5 weeks. " —– You might want to eat a few more calories. I’ve heard you should not exceed losing more than 2 lbs per week. You might be pushing it, and that might (or might not) be why you are sick [On the other hand, I've found that a good bought of the flu is a great way to lose weight 
]. You might want to think about eating a few more calories a day (maybe 200) to make up for the running. On the other hand, it’s not too unusual for people to lose the most weight in their first week or two. If you lose 5 more pounds over the next 2 weeks, I would seriously consider eating a little more. -Matt
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: (CoffeeBean) writes:
: I : used to have serious overtraining issues. Mainly because I had a poor : self image. Just remember why you’re running. You’re running to lose : weight ***gradually*** OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. : Dan, : Thanks a lot for your long, encouraging letter. I appreciate your advice and : warning words. I guess one does try too much at first. Now, how do I know I’m : doing too much? What are possible signs of me being ‘overtrained’? Will I have : to be semi-dead, or are there smaller signals that tell me to slow down? What Generally, overtraining leads to a general desire to avoid running. Your body refuses to perform. This is characterized by fatigue, depression, sleep disturbances (insomnia, or the opposite). You will also most likely experience a loss of appetite and sometimes decrease immune system response, which leads to more colds and illnesses. : are the more advanced training methods that you were talking about? What’s a Advanced training methods consist of mixing up plain running with fartlek, or interval training, hillwork, track workouts coupled with sets of stadiums. Basically these exercises are used primarily to improve performance. You want to be able to perform adequately before attempting any of these exercises. They oftentimes can lead to severe injury for inexperienced runners. The best thing to do when you’re starting out is just to run at a steady even pace and begin to build up your aerobic capacity and endurance. : reasonable time per day for a beginner? Well, I have jogged for close to a This depends on you. I preferred to run late at night when I started out, because I was in high school and morning runs were not possible. Many people prefer to run early on an empty stomach. I have found running on an empty stomach helps prevent cramping and discomfort during a run. : month already with an average of about 4 times per week (20 minutes each : session). Thus far, though, the pounds haven’t melted away yet. Should I : increase the time per run, or rather the amount during the week? Sorry, I’m I think that you might want to increase in one dimension. Namely the length of time you run each day. Push yourself to run 30 minutes a day 4 times a week. Increasing the time will help you more than increasing the number of days you run. It has been shown time and time again that 3 times a week of 30 mintues a day is the minimum amount of aerobic activity required to maintain aerobic fitness. As you want to push harder and increase you should first increase the base and since you already have a schedule of four days a week you should maintain it. Just increase the length of your workouts. : bombarding you with questions… But, I’m glad there’s someone who is/used to : be in the same situation. Maybe I can avoid some grave mistakes.I’m intending No problem. I wish I had this group when I started running. I could have avoided some very grave errors early on instead of going through the school of trial and error running. : to loose about 30 lbs. My age 27, male, height: 186cm. (Sorry, don’t know the : American foot system too well; am from Germany). If loosing 30 lbs is your goal you will definitely have to combine a properly balanced diet with your workouts. Fortunately, as the weight does come off and you run more, your metabolism speeds up to match the increased load you place on your body. I don’t count calories anymore because I’ve grown accustomed to my diet. I don’t really eat sweets like chocolate and ice cream, I don’t drink milk, I do eat alot of sugar though. =) And I indulge in one Guinness with dinner on Saturday evenings. *gasp* Fortunately eating healthy tastes good. I cut out meat, pork and milk form my diet and have been running alot better. I used to think not eating that steak would kill me, now I realize I don’t miss it at all. It takes some adjustment to go from one diet to another, but once you slip into your new diet it becomes second nature. : I’m wondering about overweight joggers too. How harmful is it to my joints : during the first year or so. (while still weighing too much)?? Well, if you stretch and warm up properly before each and every run you signifigantly decrease your risk of injury. I would recommend a good 10 minutes of stretching *before* you run and ***after*** you run. Stretching after a run is more important, because it helps cool down the exerted muscles. You decrease your risk of injuring yourself after the run. Case in point, I once seriously pulled a hamstring after a run because I didn’t cool down properly. Also, when you start the run after stretching, you want to start at an easy pace and allow those muscles and joints time to warm up. If you follow the standard operating procedure of: 1. Stretch 5-10 minutes prior to run 2. Start the run at a slow pace, warming up 3. After the run, do a recovery walk, don’t just go lay down 4. Then spend another 5-10 minutes stretching after the walk You will signifigantly decrease your risk of injury and incrase the effectiveness of the workout. If you mix this in with proper nutrition and dieting, you will not only be healthier, you’ll feel healthier. And for me, feeling great is what it’s all about. : Steve Good luck Steve and let us know how your progress is coming along! Nothing more enjoyable than reading success stories. Dan — danshea
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Well, I have jogged for close to a month already with an average of about 4 times per week (20 minutes ch session). Thus far, though, the pounds haven’t melted away yet. Should i increase the time per run, or rather the amount during the week?
One thing that may help is doing your 20 minute runs the first thing in the morning, before you eat any breakfast. This should maximize the use of fat for fuel. Jamie
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I haven’t really changed my eating habits yet. So far, it has been easier for me to get out there and trod than cutting back on my calorie intake. That’s the next thing to "tackle". See, I thought that the pounds would just evaporate easily once starting to jog. But, I guess that’s biologically impossible and one has to exert some patience. Thanks for your great comments!
Well, your expectations stand a better chance if you extend you running time. You need at least 30 minutes of continuous aerobic activity to start seeing results. If you can run that long, do a combination of running and walking, but keep moving for 30 minutes minimum. As for diet, as someone who’s spent the last five years on a weight-gaining program, I can’t really help with the weight-loss issues. epbrown Stop by the Portable Computing Center for reviews, editorials, and the FAQ on laptop computers. http://www.enteract.com/~epbrown
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When I started running it was primarily to lose weight and also to try another fitness regimen. Previously I had been a walker and had no trouble maintaining my weight, but it wasn’t the weight I wanted to be… I did not lose any weight when I first began running. After about 2 months, I decided to really monitor my food, writing down(in my own compulsive style) everything I ate in a little notebook. Started to get a feel for when and why I was eating. Then decided to monitor exact calorie and fat intake. Fat is not and was not a problem, but I was consuming way (or weigh!) too many cals per day. Now I keep track and try never to go over 1600, run approx. 30 minutes per day (walk 2x per week instead of run)and have lost 6 lbs in the past 2.5 weeks. I think what people have said is absolutely true – just exercise or just calorie counting won’t work. It’s gotta be a combination of both – that’s healthiest for you and it is also a program to carry throughout your life. One of the interesting things I’ve found is that by watching what I eat and keeping calorie counts (works for me, maybe not for everyone) I can still eat what I like, just not so much. The first week I was hungrier than usual, but after that no problemo! Now I will insert the disclaimer that I’ve been sick the past 4 days, haven’t run and fell off the calorie counting wagon, but I’ll be back on it tomorrow. Hang in there – it’s SO frustrating not to have the ability to eat anything you want, but I always figure that since I’ve always had to watch what I eat, I’ll be much healthier in my 90’s than the people who ate whatever the heck they wanted to… see you can rationalize anything! Good luck – feel free to chat and let me know how things are going for you! Heather
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: What’s a reasonable time per day for a beginner? Well, I have jogged for : close to a month already with an average of about 4 times per week (20 : minutes each session). Thus far, though, the pounds haven’t melted away : yet. Should I increase the time per run, or rather the amount during the : week? : Four times/wk at 20 min each is a good : start. But if your body has acclimated to that maybe you should up the : ante — five times a week at roughly 25 minutes per outing? In other : words, increase the time along both dimensions. A note of caution here. "Some is good, therefore more is better" is not *necessarily* a great motto when you start running. Listen to your body for grumbles about increasing the pace, the distance or the time. Find out what those grumble mean — incipient problems that could become major? a tired body that’s getting a bit over done, and needs a couple of days off? or just a case of low motivation? Only you will know. My own conservative belief is that one should increase one dimension at a time: the distance, the pace or the time spent running. But then I’m middle aged and injury-prone. YMMV. Madeleine "trying to run steady; no choice about running slow" Page
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Since there are roughly 3500 calories to a pound, you are losing weight (from running only) at a rate of .274 pounds (.124 kilos) per week. At that rate, it should take you 109 weeks to lose those 30 pounds from running alone. I’m sure that is a lot less than you were hoping for! To lose a pound a week, you would have to run 29 miles a week…
I don’t think that’s necessarily the case. I agree with your comments with respect to eating habits (though I’m not convinced that calorie counting is the way to go, see below), but you also have to take into account the fact that being physically active has an effect on metabolic speed. That is, the weight loss benefits from running result from more than simply the calories you burn while you’re running. The formula which has worked best for people I know who have grapppled with losing extra poundage: (at least) moderate physical exercise, plus eating when you’re hungry. Not eating for social reasons, out of boredom, or depression, but eating out of real, honest-to-goodness physical hunger. If you eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full, and you try to eat a variety of fiber-rich, relatively low-fat foods, you’re probably going to lose weight without counting calories — especially if you combine this with a good running regimen, as he proposes to. The key rests with really listening to your bodily cues — am I really hungry? am I satiated yet? A lot of weight-loss programs counsel calorie counting precisely because people generally aren’t good at paying attention to the messages their bodies are giving them after years of ignoring those messages and eating for lots of reasons other than hunger. I’m not saying that the occasional splurge — either in the form of chocolate cake or in the form of eating for social reasons, say — is bad. Food is important in our lives in many ways. But if you’re really serious about weight loss, one approach might be to generally limit yourself to eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re full, and eating a variety of fiber-rich, low-fat foods. And of course, keep on running. Kieran ps disclaimer: I am not a doctor. I’m just relating what seems to have worked for long-term weight loss and lifestyle change for many, many people I know.
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…Well, I have jogged for close to a month already with an average of about 4 times per week (20 minutes each session). Thus far, though, the pounds haven’t melted away yet. Should I increase the time per run, or rather the amount during the week? Sorry, I’m bombarding you with questions… But, I’m glad there’s someone who is/used to be in the same situation. Maybe I can avoid some grave mistakes. I’m intending to loose about 30 lbs. My age 27, male, height: 186cm. (Sorry, don’t know the American foot system too well; am from Germany). I’m wondering about overweight joggers too. How harmful is it to my joints during the first year or so. (while still weighing too much)?? Steve" I hate to break it to you, but the news isn’t good: running is not the quickest way to lose weight. For the sake of calculations, let’s assume you run at a rate of 10 minutes per mile and burn 120 calories per mile. So, 4 (times per week) x 2 miles (20 minutes) x 120 = 960 calories Since there are roughly 3500 calories to a pound, you are losing weight (from running only) at a rate of .274 pounds (.124 kilos) per week. At that rate, it should take you 109 weeks to lose those 30 pounds from running alone. I’m sure that is a lot less than you were hoping for! To lose a pound a week, you would have to run 29 miles a week. Since you are a beginner, that is not feasible (I’ve been running for 6 years, and I rarely put in more than 20 miles a week, so don’t feel bad!). Also, you need to keep in mind that running will build up your leg muscles. That means that at the same time you are losing fat weight, you are gaining muscle weight. Therefore, keep in mind that the bathroom scale might not be the best measure of "weight" loss. The diminishing size of your waist is a much better measure. For a beginner to lose weight at a reasonable rate, you need to cut your caloric intake. At the same time, don’t give up on your running: it will burn a few extra calories and make you more physically fit. -Matt
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(Kieran Snyder) writes: When you say that "the pounds haven’t melted away," do you mean that you’ve lost no weight, or that you’ve lost a few pounds but not as much as you’d like?
Thanxs for your comments! I haven’t really changed my eating habits yet. So far, it has been easier for me to get out there and trod than cutting back on my calorie intake. That’s the next thing to "tackle". See, I thought that the pounds would just evaporate easily once starting to jog. But, I guess that’s biologically impossible and one has to exert some patience. Thanks for your great comments!
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What’s a reasonable time per day for a beginner? Well, I have jogged for close to a month already with an average of about 4 times per week (20 minutes each session). Thus far, though, the pounds haven’t melted away yet. Should I increase the time per run, or rather the amount during the week?
When you say that "the pounds haven’t melted away," do you mean that you’ve lost no weight, or that you’ve lost a few pounds but not as much as you’d like? Because if it’s the latter, don’t get discouraged because you’re off to a good beginning. Four times/wk at 20 min each is a good start. But if your body has acclimated to that maybe you should up the ante — five times a week at roughly 25 minutes per outing? In other words, increase the time along both dimensions. Also, though it seems obvious, remember that diet plays some role in weight loss too. Running more, though certainly great for you, isn’t going to be as effective as it could w.r.t. weight loss if it’s not accompanied by certain changes in eating habits. Good luck! Kieran
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(CoffeeBean) writes: I used to have serious overtraining issues. Mainly because I had a poor self image. Just remember why you’re running. You’re running to lose weight ***gradually*** OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
Dan, Thanks a lot for your long, encouraging letter. I appreciate your advice and warning words. I guess one does try too much at first. Now, how do I know I’m doing too much? What are possible signs of me being ‘overtrained’? Will I have to be semi-dead, or are there smaller signals that tell me to slow down? What are the more advanced training methods that you were talking about? What’s a reasonable time per day for a beginner? Well, I have jogged for close to a month already with an average of about 4 times per week (20 minutes each session). Thus far, though, the pounds haven’t melted away yet. Should I increase the time per run, or rather the amount during the week? Sorry, I’m bombarding you with questions… But, I’m glad there’s someone who is/used to be in the same situation. Maybe I can avoid some grave mistakes. I’m intending to loose about 30 lbs. My age 27, male, height: 186cm. (Sorry, don’t know the American foot system too well; am from Germany). I’m wondering about overweight joggers too. How harmful is it to my joints during the first year or so. (while still weighing too much)?? Steve
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I’m trying to loose some weight through running. Who’s got similar goals; who could give me helpful hints?
Response:
: I’m trying to loose some weight through running. Who’s got similar goals; who : could give me helpful hints? That’s why I started running. I didn’t have any advice, or medical help. No books or guides to show me the way. I just went to the track in my high tops and ran/walk 3 miles. Woke up the next day sore as shit. As my running progressed, my form improved and my training methods started to become more scientific. Not that I realized this however. It is only now that I actually read up on these methods do I realized I often figured out alot of this stuff on my own. I didn’t have any scientific reasoning behind my observations, I just "knew" they worked better than what I was previously doing. Well as the weight melts away you realize the running is actually enjoyable and you don’t want to stop running. Sure, you have layoffs and slumps, injuries and ailments, but the running is always in that devious little brain of ours patiently waiting for the day we get back up off the couch and put some miles in that log book. Running is best taken slowly and methodically at first. Experimentation and fun stuff comes only after some hard earnest miles have been put in and your body is ready for experimentation. Don’t come out of the gate too fast or you’ll seriously injure yourself. I used to have serious overtraining issues. Mainly because I had a poor self image. Just remember why you’re running. You’re running to lose weight ***gradually*** OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. You won’t wake up and be in olympic condition overnight. Stick with it and you’ll see the benefits are infinite. Best of luck! Dan — danshea
