Has running helped you lose weight? I need to hear from you!! :)

I've always been the typical yo-yo dieter/exerciser. One month Im health conscious and a gym rat, the next I'm eating whoppers for dinner and wondering why I pay for a gym membership. After recently gaining 10 pounds on vacation.. blah (darn you Disney dining plan for including dessert with every meal!) I've finally decided that I've had enough.

My roommate gets runners world magazine and I was flipping through it and found an article for beginners wanting to begin a running program. This really inspired me to start and think that running may be a consistent exercise/hobby that will help me lose the weight.

So, on that note, if anyone has lost weight by running, especially beginners like me, please tell me about it! I'm really pumped about this! :)

EDITED to add:

So I'm just about finished with week 3 and I never thought I'd be running like I am! I've already lost about 6 pounds, but I did begin watching the calories pretty strictly too. I can already tell my thighs and abs are tighter and I can feel my endurance getting better with each run.

Any other success stories out there with running as your main exercise?

yes. running has really helped me! i had always been non athletic growing up. at 16 i worked in a library and it was a BORING job... so one day i browsed the "running" section and picked up a runner's world book in which they had a beginner's running program. Mind you, i remember having to struggle to run 1 mile under 12 minutes in gym class. Well I decided to try this program and every week you increased the amount of time you ran (ex- first week you would run 2 minutes, walk 4 minutes for a half hour) and in time it got you to run 30 minutes w/o stopping. With the introduction of running it helped in my weight loss and over time i have even completed a half marathon. if you would have asked me way back when to run a half marathon i probably would have laughed. so yes def take it up!! :)

Not me personally - but a friend of mine moved a few years ago and started running and when he returned for a visit we were all in shock at the amount of weight that he lost.  He said that when he started running the weight just melted off him.

Ive just recently began running, so I don't have the numbers for proof yet, but I am feeling awesome. Plus, I'm still considered obese (5ft7in, 208 lb) and I really thought I'd have to be a lot thinner to run - but no, on my walks every day I just run as much of it as I can, and I'm already up to being able to run 12 minutes! I love the concentration, the accomplishment, the sweat! You should totally do it!

Yes walken running defently helps.


Ive noticed a difference in weight loss.


With out running walking in a week i lose close to 2 pounds.


With the running and walking i lose about 4 pounds a week.


By the way i do it atleast 3 times a week maybe 4 on some.About a hour each time.


3 to 4 hours a week is worth the extra 2 pounds to me.

yep, running has helped me.  but only as one piece of the puzzle; if i use running as an excuse to eat junk food and drink beer, it doesn't help at all .

the primary benefit of running, for me, has been fitness, not weight loss.  and it's just so convenient. 

Jenny, I think the beginners program is the one I'm doing from Runners World.. 8 weeks to running 30 mins. Sounds like the same one. Good to know that it can be done because I'm only on week 1 and it's pretty difficult, so i'm excited to know it does get easier like sadinplaid said!

And pgeorgian, I've noticed that even though I've only been doing this for a week, it definitely keeps me motivated not to cheat on my diet because I know how hard I worked to burn them!

I just completed week 1 (run 1 min/walk 2) and I felt like I was dying during some of those one minute stretches of running. It's good to know it does get easier! I'd love to eventually celebrate my accomplishments by running a 5k or even a half marathon!

Anyone else see results? :)

It was January 1st 08 when I decided to give running a go. I ran for 2 minutes. I walked home.  I felt....good, but waaay out fo shape, but I decided my goal for Jan 2 would be 3 minutes.  I was 165 lbs. 

 By that June I was ready for my first 5k. I ran it in 29:50...I was so thrilled. I kept running, every week adding a little more. I started trying more hills, trails, parks, sprints, I was lovinggg reading about it, and doing it, I was so hooked. September of 08-ran my first 10k in 54:30...wow!!! Weight: 135 lbs.

Kept running, more and more. Joined a local running club. Started training for a half marathon, which turned into training for a full marathon.  Nashville Country Music marathon completed April 25, 2009- 4:19.  Weight: 133 lbs.

Running helped me drop a BUTTLOAD of weight and gain so much confidence at the same time.  I always had low self esteem and running was the one thing that INTERNALLY made me feel good about myself. It is so empowering, so freeing, so BAH i love it. You'll be hooked, just make sure to push through times you want to give up and you'll get that runners high in now time-with the added benefit of shed lbs!

Distance running is not ideal for weight loss. It will hurt lower-body strength over time when done on a reduced calorie diet. Generally you should look to a bit lower intensity and lower impact exercise that will be fueled as much by fat as possible, and do it for 30 minutes to an hour.

If you want intensity there's also HIIT which does not last so long as to become catabolic, and still burns the calories from fat over the next 24 hours or so through EPOC.

Thanks Sealion! You sound just like me right now... in your first sentence. lol. It's awesome to know that one day if I keep it up I'll see results. I love that this is a hobby/sport as well as a consistent exercise to do, and gaining confidence is definitely a plus too since mine has gone down considerably since gaining this weight.  You've definitely inspired me! :)

I started one of these programs, too, after reading a little about them on these very forums! Those early stages felt difficult, as I'd been basically stuck at a desk for a few years, but in retrospect I can see what was happening with those first walk/run/walk spurts: that was the time during which pace gets figured out, and during which you start to learn how to push while still conserving. By the time I got past the fifteen minute mark, it was pretty easy to tell the difference between "needing" to stop, and just "wanting" to stop, and the habit of sticking with the program made it easier to just ignore the latter. I would never have believed that I would ever like running, but I do!

As I've been doing it (I now run 30 minutes or so regularly, 3 or 4 times a week), I haven't seen a huge jump in weightloss. It's stayed pretty consistent at 1 or 2 pounds per week, but that's because I've been consciously trying to keep it there so that I don't run out of gas, so to speak, while I'm running. I've gotten to the point where I enjoy the run so much that it dictates my eating patterns, and I'm wary of undereating and accidentally robbing my body of the energy it needs to get through the workout efficiently.

So nothing has magically melted away because of the running--BUT! It's been three months and I have noticeably more energy throughout the day, which I think has helped with staying on track in terms of being careful about my snacking, and with being consistent about my running schedule, too. It's just generally given me a boost in willpower.

I hope you get a kick out of it, too!

I began a similar program in mid-March of this year.  I couldn’t run 2 blocks then, now I’m running 3 miles, 3 times a week.  I’ve lost 19.6 pounds (as of today) and really love the sense of accomplishment I feel each week when I break a new personal record.  I’ve begun to like it so much, I’ve signed up to begin training with a group in mid-July for a 10-mile race in October!

I’m still about 50 pounds overweight (so still obese), but I’ve no doubt that with both the running and keeping my calories counted here, that weight will come off steadily over the coming months.

70 pounds gone as of this morning, ta da!  I run six days a week anywhere from 2.5 - 4 miles.  The best part of running is the mental part.  All my stress just melts away when I put on my running shoes.  Good luck!

Original Post by tciherr:

70 pounds gone as of this morning, ta da!  I run six days a week anywhere from 2.5 - 4 miles.  The best part of running is the mental part.  All my stress just melts away when I put on my running shoes.  Good luck!

 Awesome! That's really inspiring! I too love where my head goes when I run. 

My weight has fluctuated for years, and I used to solely use an elipticle at the gym. What changes I have seen since I started using the treadmill 6 months ago! Not just in weight reduction, but in toning as well.

I was AMAZED at the difference in my arms (one of my personal problem areas), after only about 3 weeks of using the treadmill. Of course, you have to really swing your arms and get the most of the workout to see this. I really can't get over the people who get on the treadmill at the gym, and then hold onto the handles for dear lilfe... kind of defeats the purpose!

So swing those arms for even better results :)

I ran 3-4 times a week for 4-5 weeks and actually saw no results on the scale. All my friends told me that cardio alone wouldn't help me. The following week I started Jillian Michaels 30 day shred (I can't bare to do it every day, so I average 3x a week) - a few days later I FINALLY started losing weight!!!

I enjoy running much much more than strength training, and haven't ran in 4 weeks now since I've been doing strength training because my muscles get too sore - however - this week I plan to incorporate running back into the system and I can only imagine I will lose even more!

The point to my rambling is that, for me, running alone hasn't been enough for me to lose lbs. I felt great doing it, and my family told me my body looked like it was "shifting", but I believe that strength training is integral to weight loss. The end. :)

Hi there!

For the past 3 weeks or so, I've been running for 30-45 minutes every day (with occasional rests by power walking in between) and have seen great results. Combined with a lower calorie diet than I'm used to and some home workout (leg/ab workouts) I've lost 6.5 pounds. The number on the scale is not as impressive as the way my body has transformed. Just from that 6.5 pounds, my collar bones are more defined, my hip bones stick out a bit, and I've noticed some slimming of my arms and legs as well as some loss in the love handle area. Running is definitely beneficial. If you have trouble running at first and feel "out of shape," just slowly work your way up to your ideal running time and intensity.

You will notice a difference in a matter of days!

YES!  I have lost 30 pounds since I started running in March.  I started out slow with walking 30 seconds and jogging 30 seconds. Each week I would jog a little more and walk a little less.  Now I can run 2 miles without stopping.  I am working towards 3 miles so that I can run 5K's.  But each day I mix it up.  Some times I run 5 minutes and then walk 5 minutes for a total of 60 minutes.  Other days I just run my 2 miles and get it over with.  Most days I walk for 5 minutes, run for 15, walk for 1 minute and then run til I get home which is about another 10 minutes or so.  I do want to try HIIT though.  Unfortunately I don't think I can sprint.  I don't have "fast" in me.  But I will try it someday! 

OMG! We have so much in common! I'm a yo-yo dieter as well. One week I'm super health-concsious, and the next I'm watching tv and eating tv dinners. However, right now I'm trying to combat this vicious circle by being consisten in my weight loss. Running, jogging, and walking are my favorite exercises. You will definately lose weight by doing these exercises. Cardio helps you burn fat, so you will shed the pounds. However, what I think is helpful as well is to combine jogging with ab workouts to tone the midsection and weights to tone arms... Good luck:) Feel free to talk to me anytime you need motivation!

Another supporter here!

I was never a runner at any point in my life, but when I decided to start losing weight in January, the treadmill was my only form of exercise that I had available in my house.  I hated it, I still fight to find motivation to get on some days, but I put it in front of a TV and watch movies while I go.  I jog as long as I can, then I walk.  Sometimes I can jog for 15 minutes straight, sometimes its still only 3 minutes, depends on the day.  I recently ran a mile straight in a little under 12 minutes and, when I sprint and walk in between, I got a mile done in under 10 minutes.  "Runner" is not a lable that one can really put on me, but between calorie counting and the treadmill, I have lost 34lbs since Jan from 212 to 178. 

It does get easier, just not overnight, and you will be amazed at how good you feel after you are done.  Glad I gave it a shot in life and I'm hoping to enter a 5K this summer.

Just one cautionary word -- I started running two years ago, and completed my first half-marathon last January.  I love running.  BUT, you still have to watch what you eat (and eat appropriately for an athlete) because if you don't you will lose weight, but not as much as you think you might.  I lost 8 pounds over two years.  AND that guy is right about the long distance running -- it wreaks havoc on your body if you're not used to it.  I don't run anymore because I have knee/shoulder/ankle problems from it.  And I did a very gradual program.  I have weak joints to begin with (whole family does) so I think it's just genetic.

I walk now -- 8 miles a day.  I've lost more this way than running!

Despite all that, running is a wonderful activity!  Just take it slow and if you hurt, get braces/supports and talk to your doctor.  Read Hal Higgins' book, and really watch what you eat (and try to avoid the Whoppers, which'll slow you down).  :)