Running to Lose Weight

It seems that with all of the books, videos, and products promoted over the years for losing weight, Americans should be the most slender people on the planet; instead we are a progressively more obese population. Part of the problem is that those who create the books, videos, and weight loss products want to make money and the easier they make it look to lose weight the more likely it is that their product will sell, but with that, the more likely their product will be unsatisfactory.

I live in the running capital (Boulder) of the thinnest state (Colorado) of the United States where slender folks can be seen running on the bike paths, mountain trails, and road sides day and night all year long. It might be an easy conclusion to draw that running is a good way to lose weight and keep it off. I’m one of those runners. I’ve run over 4000 miles in the past three and a half years. A rough calculation would show that I’ve run enough to lose or keep off about 115 pounds. Have I lost 115 pounds? No, I weigh about 10 pounds less than I did three and a half years ago. Does that mean I would weigh 115 pounds more if I hadn’t run those miles? I hope not, although I do see lots of shoppers at Costco and Walmart who could stand to lose a hundred pounds or so.

My experience and observation is that it comes down to some simple math. It takes energy for the human body to function and move around. That energy comes from the food and drinks we consume. If we take in more than required, the energy is stored as fat, and if we take in less than is required we burn some of the fat we have stored. My wife and I have lost about 20 pounds combined in the past three months by obeying the simple rule that is suggested here. She has lost more than I have and she has not run, while I have run a few hundred miles during that time. How does this work?

You can do a web search for a Basal Metabolic Rate calculator. You will need to input your weight, height, age, and gender. This will tell you how many calories you need to maintain your weight if you were to just stay in bed or lounge on the couch for 24 hours a day. Most people are a bit more active than this so you will need to multiply your BMR by a factor based on how active you are. The website that has the calculator should also suggest the factors based on your level of activity. I chose a factor for a relatively sedentary lifestyle for my wife and me. If we had physically demanding jobs such as landscaping or construction work we would be able to multiply by a larger factor allowing us a higher calorie intake, but we’re teachers so we’re sedentary. So let’s say your BMR is 1750 and you have a relatively sedentary life, you multiply 1750 times 1.2 and get 2100. That would be the number of calories you could eat in a day and not gain or lose weight.

We found that it’s hard to stay motivated to lose weight if you can’t see some measurable progress in a reasonable amount of time, but it’s also difficult to function well if you limit yourself too much. A pound of fat contains about 3500 calories. If you can eat 500 calories a day less than the calories you need those 500 calories will come from the fat you have stored on your body. If you do that for a week you will lose a pound. We found that this is a reasonable balance. How much food is 1600 calories? It’s not a lot, but if you choose your foods wisely, it is enough. You will not want to waste those calories on a bag of potato chips or a soda. You will want foods that satisfy hunger, provide energy, and provide your nutritional needs. You will find it very difficult to eat at restaurants and meet your target; I would suggest preparing all your own food. Two of the hardest, but necessary, parts to losing weight are changing behavior and keeping track of everything you consume. You will need to keep track of everything you eat and add it up so you can see for yourself what you can eat. Fortunately products are labeled with the necessary information. Often the best foods to eat aren’t labeled, such as fresh vegetables, fruits, and grains, but you can easily look this information up on the Internet.

 Where does running fit in? Moving your weight over some distance that is outside of what would be considered normal in a sedentary life will require additional calories. Since 1600 calories is about as low as a person should go, you will need to eat more (a good thing) if you walk or run any significant distance. Moving your weight over a distance will require additional calories. Doing it faster will take less time and require more calories but not a lot more. To determine how much extra you can eat because you’ve run or walked a given distance, do the following calculation. For walking, multiple your weight times .57 times the distance in miles. If you weigh 170 pounds you would burn 170 x .57 x 3 = 290 calories. If you run, you should use .72 as your factor: 170 x .72 x 3 = 367 calories. The difference is not great, so it is not critical to run. The plus with running is that you cover the distance in less time and your body benefits from an elevated calorie burn even after you have stopped. If you want to make the math easy and be on the safe side, just use 100 calories per mile and use that as how much extra you can eat.

The reason I didn’t lose 115 pounds is because I ate to fuel my body to run all those miles, and if I had lost 115 pounds I would now only weigh 65 pounds, not a healthy weight for a 6 ft. tall human male. The point here is that running will not magically make you lose weight; in fact, running can cause weight gain if the person doesn’t pay attention to total calories consumed. Exercise can increase your appetite to the point that you eat more than you should.

What should you eat? How should you proceed? I think it is best if you take control of things yourself. Be in charge; don’t depend on a product or prepackaged meals that do it all for you. As I mentioned, find foods that are satisfying. Legumes, such as bean and lentils are filling, provide protein and other good things without being high in calories. My wife starts almost every day with a couple of eggs which she finds satisfying and are very nutritious. It is amazing how few calories are in vegetables; you could almost eat as much as you want of vegetables. They are great sources for necessary vitamin, minerals, and other nutrients. I avoid cheese, butter, and most oils. Their calories add up quickly. The calories from breads, pastas, potatoes, and rice can add up quickly. I try not to eat them unless I run the miles to burn them off. Juices typically have lots of calories; it is better to eat the fruit and drink lots of water. Meat, poultry, and fish are satisfying and are good sources of protein and other nutrients. I rarely eat meat or poultry; I prefer textured soy products such as Gimme Lean or Tofurky products. For so many of us, food is a reward or a source of daily pleasure. It can still be a pleasure, but not such a decadent one. A small piece of dark chocolate can be a nice daily treat. You may even want to choose one day a week to break from your new regular eating routine.

So, eat 500 calories a day less than you need to support a sedentary lifestyle and add 100 calories per mile that you walk or run. Don’t count the walking you do shopping at the mall or around the office; you should just count what you do that is specifically extra to burn calories. If you are not ready for running, just walk. At some point you may want to add in a one minute jog here and there. If you more than 20 pounds overweight, running can put a lot of stress on your feet. Walking fast can almost burn as much as a slow run. Running mountain trails, I often come across hikers that are difficult to catch up to or pass. If you eventually do start running, keep it slow. Run a pace that you can maintain, one that you can talk with someone without having to take breaths between each word.