# Losing weight through running **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 28, 2009, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-weight-through-running/504532 "2009-07-28T08:12:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2009, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-weight-through-running/504532/21 "2009-07-29T06:11:39Z")
> [@CrazyChop](#): > > What should I look out for? X-ray scans reveal, well, nothing (back then). > Thanks for the tip; I guess I would do those under supervision of a friend who knows what he’s doing or under a gym instructor. Soft tissues don’t show well on x-rays, that’s why MRIs are so popular. A sports medicine specialist should be able to give a better diagnosis. Absolutely have someone there guide you through a routine. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2009, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-weight-through-running/504532/22 "2009-07-29T06:45:47Z")
> [@CrazyChop](#): > > Before falling sick to a flu about 2 weeks ago, I was running a 3km route at least once per week There’s your problem. That’s almost nothing. A couple of hundred calories a week, tops. A small sandwich worth. A 3 _mile_ run _five_ times a week, and you should start to see the weight falling off. Basically, you need to look up the calories of the execise you’re doing. Here’s a good link to do just that: [http://www.runtheplanet.com/resources/tools/calculators/caloriecounter.asp](http://www.runtheplanet.com/resources/tools/calculators/caloriecounter.asp) 3500 calories is a pound in weight, roughly. Your run (for a 170lb person - I don’t know what you weigh) is 204 calories. So to lose about a pound a week, you need to be running about 17 times what you were. A lot of people will tell you exercise doesn’t make you lose fat. This is NOT true. But the amount of exercise you have to do to see it come off is a LOT and very time consuming, which is why it often seems not worth it. It’s certainly easier to eat 3500 calories less in a week than to do 3500 calories more exercise. And remember - it’s not WEIGHT you want to lose, it’s BODY FAT. Exercise puts on muscle, which weighs more than fat. So using your weight as a metric to determine progress is not going to work. A tape measure is a much better tool in this instance. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2009, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-weight-through-running/504532/23 "2009-07-29T06:56:25Z")
> [@CrazyChop](#): > > Well, fitness is more important than the weight, honestly (losing the belly and the love handles too). Oh, I should add to this, losing the belly and love handles, while somewhat related to fitness, is mostly a function of body fat percentage. Everybody’s body is a little different, but love handles on men start to appear at around 12% body fat. So if you want to get rid of the belly and the love handles, you’re really looking at getting rid of the fat. The current thinking (from most, but not all, of what I have read) seems to indicate that strength training and high intensity interval training (HIIT) is the most efficient way of shedding those pounds and body fat, combined with a reduced calorie diet. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2009, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-weight-through-running/504532/24 "2009-07-29T13:09:01Z")
While it’s true that moderate exercise really doesn’t help you lose weight directly, significant exercise does–people who run long distances 5 or more times a week really can, if not lose weight, eat quite a lot and maintain their current weight. And people that run that much seem to really enjoy it: once you get to the point where you find your stride and feel powerful doing it, the running often seems to become an end in itself. But to get there is a real leap of faith because you have to make a significant investment in time and frustration to get to that point. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2009, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-weight-through-running/504532/25 "2009-07-29T14:16:24Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > While it’s true that moderate exercise really doesn’t help you lose weight directly, significant exercise does–people who run long distances 5 or more times a week really can, if not lose weight, eat quite a lot and maintain their current weight. And people that run that much seem to really enjoy it: once you get to the point where you find your stride and feel powerful doing it, the running often seems to become an end in itself. But to get there is a real leap of faith because you have to make a significant investment in time and frustration to get to that point. Anecdotal evidence, but I _walk_ 3 miles every day. I’m not trying to lose weight, and have actually had to start increasing my diet. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2009, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-weight-through-running/504532/26 "2009-07-29T14:37:25Z")
> [@CrazyChop](#): > > Here’s something embarrassing about me : I can’t cycle \>.\< > > Likewise, I have little experience with gym. I had an old wrist injury so I am not really considering weights, which pretty much limits me to swimming and running. Though I would prefer swimming over running anytime, the only stroke I know is the slow-as-turtle breast stroke. Does that help? If you join a gym, fitness club, or something like the Y, they’ll have cardio equipment including stuff like stationary bikes, ellipticals, etc. They’ll also show you how to use them. And you’ll probably be able to watch tv while using them. So even if you can’t cycle, you could get the same benefit from ~30 minutes on cardio machines. Yes, swimming even slow breaststroke would help… but you need to push yourself enough to get your heartrate up. And you’d want to do it fairly frequently (3-4 times/week), for at least ~30 minutes or so. Most places that have lap pools for use, also have cardio equipment, so scheduling about an hour, half cardio, half swimming laps, would be a good start or alternate to running. Best way to keep up with it is to make it a _routine_ for you. Also easier to do if you can find a workout buddy. > [@MandaJo](#): > > While it’s true that moderate exercise really doesn’t help you lose weight directly, significant exercise does–people who run long distances 5 or more times a week really can, if not lose weight, eat quite a lot and maintain their current weight. And people that run that much seem to really enjoy it: once you get to the point where you find your stride and feel powerful doing it, the running often seems to become an end in itself. But to get there is a real leap of faith because you have to make a significant investment in time and frustration to get to that point. That was how I lost ~50-60 lbs about 13 years back, except with swimming instead of running. Once the frequent exercise got me to my target (175 lbs as a 6’ tall guy, 32" waist again), I was able to scale back the workout frequency to a maintenance schedule of 3-5 times/week, instead of 5+ times/week. At the same time I _also_ cut down to 1-2 sodas/week, and slowly stopped going out for fast food altogether. Which probably helped lots, even though I didn’t really adjust my eating habits otherwise (was never much of a junk food eater, though.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/losing-weight-through-running/504532.md?page=1)