Running and weight loss have a challenging relationship. Some people lose weight easily when they start running or when they push the intensity and volume of their runs. While some put on weight when they develop a running habit, it’s only normal to hear a marathoner who visits the pizza or donut shop after every run and ends up gaining a few pounds.
To lose weight, you will need to burn more calories than you consume. Sound simple right? If 0.5kg of body weight is equal to about 3,500 calories, much research has shown that it is recommended to lose around 0.5kg per week. Of course, it is not as simple to maintain losing 0.5 kg weekly purely from calories.
Thus, in this article, you will find everything you should know about running for weight loss effectively and healthily.
1. Pay attention to diet
Running is one of the best exercises to lose weight, but it isn’t a reason to ignore your diet if your goal is to lose weight. In fact, many runners find themselves gaining weight when they over-fuel their runs.
Let’s talk about calories, you will burn about 200 to 300 calories if you run two to three miles. The problem is a lot of people consume a 400 calories brownie or a slice of pizza to their diet because they ‘earned it’. Hence, to lose weight effectively, you’ll need to be mindful of your intake and maintain a calorie deficit.
Essentially, eat fewer calories than the calories you burn and you will shed fat away.
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2. Strength training
Weight training is important to losing weight. Firstly, it makes you a much stronger runner and reduces the risk of injury. Lifting regularly will help to shed that excess weight and tone up your body. The lean muscle mass you have, the more calories you’ll burn at rest.
That’s right. That’s one weight loss tip that’s often overlooked, so don’t ignore the dumbbells, getting stronger doesn’t mean getting heavier.
3. Stay hydrated
It is common that many confuse the feeling of thirst with feelings of hunger. So, when you return from your run, drink up! Start with a big glass of water to help you rehydrate and take up that stomach space, which helps you avoid inhaling everything in the kitchen.
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4. Running before breakfast
There’s some research suggesting that running before breakfast, known as fasted running can help to increase fat burn. In a recent study, researchers show those who exercise before food burn double the amount of fat compare to those who exercise after breakfast.
However, fasted running can only be performed at an easy pace or a shorter amount of time.
To summarize, running to lose weight may be hard at the beginning and you might not see the results as quickly as you want. But don’t give up, keep running, increase that intensity, and add new challenges, and you will become a fat-burning machine in a few months.
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