It might give you a thrilling excitement when you think of getting into your pair of shoes and running to save your life from that pesky extra few pounds. Running for weight loss may sound simple in terms, but can you lose weight just by running? That’s where the controversy begins.
You can obviously lose weight just by running if your ordinary regime increases its liveliness level, unlike before. Thus, this is the fact that we will hope to elaborate on from this article. Dive in to learn the truth about running and its influence on weight reduction.
Running And Weight Loss – Science-Backed Truth Unveiled
Let’s be clear with the fact we talk here. It is about ‘losing weight’ but not about ‘maintaining weight’. A person who intends to lose weight here is certainly someone who is overweight, who is not satisfied with their current weight, or may suffer from body fat. Therefore, in order to reduce weight, you need to find a balance with the activities of your life. And, you will necessarily have to boost the scope of your physical activities and do some lifestyle modifications.
According to university studies, it has been proven that if you need to lose weight, you will require to consume fewer calories than you burn from exercise. This means you need to be on a calorie deficit but not on a calorie surplus. For example, 3500 calories are stored in a pound of body fat of a person. With this amount, you can count up how much weight you can drop through boosting activity, cutting calories, or both.
- Jogging or walking expends about 100 calories per mile. And, exactly how many calories you will torch depends on several things, like your weight, intensity, and pace. Consequently, you would shed around one pound for every extra 35 miles you walk- given when you don’t alter anything about your prevailing food consumption or other activities.
- If you walk briskly (at a speed of 4 miles per hour) for 30 minutes for five days per week, you will tally 10 miles a week. That indicates it would demand three-and-a-half weeks to expend one pound if the number of calories you take remains as it is.
- If you change your diet and cut back by 250 calories a day, you will shed a pound in two weeks.
- If you take 250 fewer calories a day and walk for 30 minutes a day, dropping one pound would need just more than a week.
So, regarding everything, you see that reducing calorie consumption even more and working out more would unquestionably speed the process. A huge misconception that most people who run to lose weight make is to think that they would eat as much as they want just because they run. But, in reality, this will end up giving you more weight to lose, which will ultimately leave you with complaints that you cannot shed as much as the weight you expected that it would. What we talk about here is the right amount of calories that you should take in a day. That is why we mentioned a balance of things is needed earlier in this section. In a nutshell, being in a calorie deficit and running by involving high-intensity interval runs, hill repeats, steady-state running, and incorporating other forms of exercises like cross-training could assuredly give the results you need from running.
How To Optimize Results From Running For Weight Loss?
As mentioned in the earlier section, running is an excellent aerobic activity in losing weight and burning fat, mainly when it is consolidated with several optimizing constituents.
#01- Nutrition
Healthy changes in your regular nutrition will never be a waste if you intend to run to reduce weight. In fact, overloading calories will do you no good except give you more calories to burn. Therefore, consume the right amount of calories- not too much or not too low. Try to cut down on sugar, high-carbs, processed or junk food. Instead, fill your plates and munch on snacks that are rich in nutrition value. A well-balanced diet will pave the way to a safe weight loss while you run and be watchful on your diet on non-running days.
#02- Including Other Forms Of Exercises
If you are a routine runner, there’s a higher scope of getting bored with things. So try to mix things up. Trying both indoor and outdoor running, joining a yoga or a dance class, biking, or trying other forms of cardiovascular and cross-training exercises would be a great choice. Moreover, activities like weight lifting can encourage calorie burn even at rest. You could even change the terrains or run with a friend occasionally. In the long run, your satisfaction is paramount when running if your goal is to lose weight without giving up halfway.
#03- Incorporating High-intensity
We have discussed this over several articles we published before, but it still felt worth mentioning. High-intensity interval training can be practiced whether you run outside or indoors on a treadmill. Therefore, you can add promising results to your weight loss goal when HIIT is trained with steady-state running and also by including hill repeats. Some studies have even shown that high-intensity training would suppress appetite, which will also help you take fewer calories.
#04- Be Smart With Running Gear
Running gear may sound insignificant to you, but they have a notable role to play with your run. Choosing what you need and what is best for you is your sole preference. But, picking them wisely will help you engage in running more comfortably and efficiently. For example, getting yourself a good pair of running shoes and running clothing would be more helpful. In addition, running trackers and fitness Apps will come in handy to track the route using GPS and monitor your pace while running. Some trackers could even trace your heart rate.
So, here are the best three running trackers that you would like to give a try with your run.
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Apple Watch Series 7
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Fitbit Charge 5
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Garmin Forerunner 945
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#05- Listen To your Body
Last but obviously not least, listening to your body closely is what matters the most. Actually speaking, you should first realize what your body wants and how it reacts with everything you do. Understand how you like running, and do not compare other people’s results with yours. Find ways to stay motivated with what you do and reminisce about the benefits you get and how healthy you will be.
Conclusion
Running is one of the top-ranked aerobic activities that provide maximum calorie burning. So, as you read in this article, to get the most and actual results of weight loss out of running, you need to consume fewer calories and burn more, according to the data backed by science. Additionally, you could include all those methods we have discussed on top to optimize your fat burn through this exercise. However, with whatever sport you engage in, the most important fact is that you stick with it until you reach your goals. Thus, drop us your feedback by commenting and letting us know how helpful our feature is with your journey with running for weight loss.