Don’t we all wish there was one ‘magic bullet’ we could all take advantage of to reach our ideal weight and stay there? I know firsthand, the struggle is real. As a running coach, If I had a dollar for each person who has come to me wanting to be trained for a marathon to lose weight, I’d be off blogging from my tiki hut in Bali. I’ve had a few even worry that marathon training would cause them to become too thin and ‘wither away’. The truth is, long distance running is probably not the ‘magic bullet’ you might think it is for weightloss. Like anything else, it has its pros and cons.
Intensity is your friend. Think tempo runs, speedwork and HIIT intervals. When you pick up the pace, you spike your metabolic rate and get a calorie ‘afterburn’ that lasts hours after your workout is complete. This is not the case when you always run a steady state pace.
Distance may not be your friend. For our discussion, distance running = running longer than an hour. Distance running has many benefits, most of them mental and having to do with confidence, discipline, tenacity, etc. But face it, one need not run longer than an hour to derive health benefits, including weightloss.
You still have to eat right. Calories add up fast. Really fast. Yes, running more burns more calories, but most likely not as many as we think. While a splurge meal or treat is fine occasionally, they can get out of hand quickly. The longer you run, the more attention you have to pay to proper fueling i.e.: ratios of protein, fat and carbs. Eating the right foods at the right time post-run are crucial for recovery too. We all know how easy it is to overeat carbs. It’s a slippery slope for sure.
Variety is the spice of life. Change up your running workouts. Run different distances and different paces. Throw in some hillwork and plyometrics. As long as you keep your body guessing it’ll keep stepping up to meet the challenges you put before it. That’s when the weightloss happens.
Thou shalt not live on miles alone. Mix it up. Strength training builds muscle. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, a pound of resting muscle burns 3x the calories of a pound of fat. Switching it up is key for injury prevention too. Crosstraining gives overused running muscles a rest while engaging other, less-used muscle groups for overall balance.
My personal experience: 17+ years ago, I lost 30 lbs doing strength training. I lost an additional 12 pounds when I added in running up to 10k. Since I started running long distance in 2007, (blame middle age here too) some of that final 12 pounds of weightloss comes and goes.
Let’s be clear, I’m not saying you should never take on a half or full marathon or longer. They’re just not necessarily your best bet if weightloss is your primary goal. Running can certainly be part of a more complete weightloss plan that includes a balanced, nutrient-dense diet and other forms of exercise.
What are your thoughts on running as a tool for weightloss?
A great post and a great way to show why endurance running isn’t necessarily the way to go if you are trying to lose weight! What I mean in saying that is thus–those of us who run long and far are doing it for the challenge and the love. If we were running to lose weight? We’d spend a helluva lot less time running!
I am right in the middle of training for Boston and I have a minor injury that has go me on rest. Day 7 with no running and guess what? No appetite! Running has never allowed me to loose weight, because generally speaking I eat a lot more calories to be able to have the energy to put in the miles. Nothing you’re not familiar with, but it always surprises me how little I eat when I’m not running.
I seem to just stay in place with my weight. I never really thought that long distance would not make a real difference. The metab has slowed down for me at this age and drives me nuts. I know my number one huge issue with the weight loss is the sugar. I really need to get that under control. Thanks for the post Marcia:)
this is a post that a lot of folks need to read. people say to me all the time “oh you run marathons, you can eat whatever you want.” i’m so tired of saying “you can’t out run a bad diet!” thanks for sharing this!
Great tips! I think a lot of people forget that the more you workout, the more you have to eat – but you have to eat correctly to lose weight, no matter what fitness program you’re on. Also, a tiki hutt in Bali – let’s go!
I agree with all of this! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve actually gained weight w/ marathon training (just did, thank you very much). The one time I DO lose weight w/ running is when I am MAF training. It literally falls off. I should go back to it! ; )
Weight Loss and running a long distance race are both great goals, but two things I’ve found that are hard to work on at the same time. Great post!
That iceberg pic is so true! People seriously underestimate diet as a factor in all of this.
This is great information! I found that with my half marathon training this time around, I have gained 1 or 2 lbs. It also might be because I have been stuck at home inside all winter. Hoping to get more active all around once it warms up!
I definitely agree! I feel like my weight is best when I am doing a variety of workouts- running definitely helps to keep my weight down, but it also really depends on how I am eating.
You definitely can’t eat whatever you want when you’re running, especially when you’re running to loose weight. Nutritious, whole, foods are super important, and will fill you up more quickly.
This is so true. I’d always thought that if I ran a heap then the weight would just fall off me and I could eat what I wanted. Pity that it doesn’t work that way. We’ll always have to be careful about what we put in our mouths.
Yep, I’m good up to about a half marathon, but as soon as I start training for back to back races or a marathon (or God forbid back to back marathons, gah), I eat all the things. And my 44 year old body has gotten way too efficient and does not need all the things. I’m staying on top of it fairly well this time, but I imagine I’ll be starving all weekend with 18 on Friday and a half marathon on Saturday LOL.
Great post! I definitely did not shed as much baby weight as I would have liked while marathon training, but now that I’ve consistently been doing HIIT and barre workouts, I have noticed such a difference.
The more I run, the hungrier I get. And I have blood sugar issues so I feel like I eat all the time! I have to be very careful so the pounds don’t creep on.
I love your approach to this! And that iceberg graphic is so true! I’m planning to spend the spring and summer focusing on speed work, shorter distances, strength training and eating well. Hopefully that will bust me through my 40-year-old weight struggle! Thanks for linking up with us today!
Great tips. I find I drop weight fast with speed work. Sometimes I feel like I gain weight with long and slow lol. Thanks!
I’m one of those people who runs long and then am like “ok I can eat those cookies today.” Aaaandddd that’s how I gained 15 lbs throughout the past 2 years of endurance training lol which I’m now trying to lose and it has been so hard. Thanks for the tips!
Great, great post. I feel like since I’ve added CF to my regimen, with the weights and the intervals, I haven’t had to even think twice about what I eat. Variety is the spice of life.
My coach tells us to lose the fat we have to crank up the speed and incorporate more sprint intervals to really burn that extra fat. We also have to switch it up and confuse our body so it burns more calories. Steady state has its place and great for cardio conditioning but to really get that fat gone……sprint. It doesn’t necessarily feel great during the time but afterwards…..calories are still a’burning. I’ve read about several runners who said they didn’t slim down until they picked up the pace.
You have hit all of the nails on the head. I tend to gain w/marathon training because I get lazy about my diet and hungry and I convince myself that I need/deserve more. Totally agree on HIIT and mixing it up. At the end of the day, the cleaner I eat, the thinner I am. Period.
I agree- I gained a few lbs since I started running longer distances again. I think eating healthy, clean foods is key, but also no overdoing it. I won’t lie when I run longer distances I feel hungrier than I actually am!!
Yes, I totally agree with the “keeping your calories in check” part. It’s SO easy to slip into that “I ran 15 miles this morning, I deserve ____” mentality!
Great points! Let me know if you ever do find the magic bullet.
I have never have used running for weight loss. It used to work to maintain and then I hit 35!! That is when I really got serious about weights and for the most part the combination of strength work and running works.
Awesome post Marcia! I have a few people I need to share this with 🙂
You still have to eat right shocks a lot of non-runners. You run for hours so you can eat anything you want, right? So not the case.
When I first started my running I quit the gym and got outside. I lost about 10-12 pounds and have kept it off, I really have to watch the snacks though because I am hungry all the time! Great information!
agree-100% diet. i think my body is used to the half distance but i still struggle with the runger with marathons and over eating. i used to eat whatever i wanted when i first started running bc “i was running and burning so much” but calories DEFINITELY add up fast. once i started paying attention, the weight fell off.
So I am behind & just saw this & you know I agree since I have been writing about this! 🙂
So true! I gained 10 lbs when I trained for and ran my first (and only so far) marathon! Ugh! I learned a lot though. All those gels and sports drinks along the way were replacing the calories I was burning and then I would go out and enjoy pizza buffet thinking “Oh, I ran 13 miles today, I can eat what I want.” Wrong. I will do it all much wiser next time! Running for me helps change my shape for the better. I look smaller than I actually weigh. So I do it for that reason (and the love) more than to actually lose pounds.