Hi All. I want to ask if anyone has actually lost weight through running? I need to lose about 4 stones and hoped that running would help. Im about to do Wk 5 on Friday so im chuffed as anything, but im sure the extra weight makes it harder than it needs to be.
Question is: Do i hate exercise more than i love eating?
Answers on a postcard!! (do they still have postcards? 😂).
Since I graduated the weight has started coming off a bit easier. Today while I was running I was actually thinking to myself that I do this so that I can eat a bit of chocolates or the whatever. Without the running I would need to cut even more calories to lose the weight. One and a half stone down since November. It’s slow but it’s happening. Another two and a half to go!!
Thats good to know. Well done!
Hi, I’ve lost nearly 2 and a half stone since starting but that’s doing Slimming world aswell as running xx
Well done 👍
Hi...I am similar. I have lost 23lbs since Christmas following slimming world and running. The big one I believe is kicking the alcohol apart from special occasions. Good luck.x
It will help. But you will still really need to watch what your eating. 80% is food, 20% exercise. I’ve lost 10 kg in weight since January, all due to healthy food choices. If I even look at an eclair I will put on a stone. So I really need to be very careful.
Don’t feel like you can reward yourself with food after a run. Otherwise you’ll gain weight.
The big benefit of weight loss is that it makes running easier. The more weight I lost the faster I got. I’ve just 10 pounds to go now to hit goal. I’ve lost just 0.5 pounds in the last week, so I imagine the last bit of weight loss will be slow.
Damien
That's a good weight loss, Damien. I've got to lose about 10kg too, but I struggle to shift a few kilos every month. What method/technique have you used? I'd love to lose it overnight 
Losing weight is harder than running. I have tried so many times in the past to both lose weight and get fit. It is so hard to do. This time I decided to set a date, and to be realistic. So I’m 45 on the 16th of May and decided that this year I was going to make 2 New Year resolutions and this time stick to it.
Resolution 1 was to train hard so as to run a Parkrun in under 28 mins. I’ve achieved that one and I’m now working towards a sub 27.
Resolution 2 was to lose weight and reach a health BMI of 25 by my 45th Birthday. I had 2 and a half stone to lose in January. I managed to lose 20 pounds so far and have kind of plateaued now. I need to lose another 9-10 pounds.
It’s all been about being prepared for me. I’ve basically given up bread and all sweet treats. I also no longer eat breakfast cereals. I snack on fruit for breakfast. I make my lunch and bring it with me for work. I would have a small pita pocket with tuna salad or ham salad etc. And for Dinner I have cut my portion sizes in half. Sometimes I make up a few batches of cauliflower rice and freeze it and use it with a curry instead of regular brown or white rice.
Giving up bread and all sweet things was the key for me. I lost 6 pounds in my first week.
Best of luck.
Damien
As I understand it, you have to run a REALLY long way to make much weight loss difference just by running, but the toning effect is obvious with all of us. I didn’t need to lose weight but have defo been reshaped (in a good way). And running seems to combine well with various weight loss programmes. They work together.
Thank you. I think i need to get a plan together
Well you’re already doing part of it! Well done so far. 👏🏼
I’m sticking to my motto that ‘I started this to get fit not slim’! I think I’ve stepped up my eating in line with my exercise 🙈 so have lost inches but not weight. I do think I’ll lose some eventually but I have completed altered my mindset to focus on fitness not weight. It’s helped me as I normally give up if I don’t see immediate results, I graduated a few weeks ago and ran my first 8k this week...I’m sure my weight will change at some point! Persevere and you’ll see the weight loss, I’m totally convinced I will eventually and the fact I haven’t yet isn’t stressing me for once. Good luck on your journey 😁
For me the running is to get my lazy butt off the couch and improve my stamina for ordinary daily life. Eg work, shopping, walking the dogs etc. But i do need to lose weight. I just cant get my head into it whilst im trying to finish my degree.
I’ve found not setting too many goals is the best thing for me, maybe focus on your fitness and try to be ‘healthier’ with food as opposed to dieting. I usually try to do everything and fail, C25K educated me to manage my expectations, set realistic goals etc, if you have lots on then just try to set small goals. Good luck
Good advice Chester. Thank you 👋
I have have done the same as Chester01 (focus on fitness not weight) whilst using a free calorie counting app (my fitness pal) to log everything I consume (& that means everything). I am aiming for a 1200 calorie count for my sex, age (47) height & lifestyle, which increases by the amount of calories burnt through exercise so I don't go into starvation mode. Some days I go over a bit too & I am just not worrying about it as long as its not too much. The app is making me so much more conscious of what I eat, when and why (tired & thirsty are 2 reasons I hadn't really counted for before). I am losing weight now the runs have got longer and feel great. It is slow progress, 3.5 kgs this year, but it feels sustainable because its not a stupid diet. Its for life. The one absolute killer though is realising how many calories are in a glass of wine 😥. But alcohol free beer -who knew how little is in that!
Well done. I bet you haven't gained any weight eirher. My skinny friend runs a lot. Marathons. She says without it she's very overnight.
You'll burn 200 calories maximum per run for the first few weeks of C25K. So don't expect to lose weight just by doing C25K. You'll need a balanced, calorie controlled diet suitable for your general level of activity. Whether that is a 'formal' plan like WW or Cambridge Diet, or an app on your phone like MyFitnessPal, or just 'old-fashioned' planning ahead and portion control, it's up to you.
Did you run on a treadmill when you did C25K or was it outdoors
I run outdoors, but also exercise on a cross-trainer on non-running days. I have a very sedentary job (either sitting at a desk or driving to client meetings) and so have a low 8000 step target for non-running days. I got injured last year and did not run. In that time I gained weight, but this year (since January) I've lost 4.5kg. I'm not dieting exactly, but have cut out anything containing fats and sugar - cakes, puddings, biscuits, sweets. even jam etc on toast. Apart from some headaches and occasional almost-unbearable sugar cravings, it is going well.
According to Edmondo I always burn over 300 calories during the podcast. 3 times a week is 900. Actually I walk dog as well on non run days and also burn about 250 calories each day. That's a lot over a week/ month/ year. NHS/Public Health England and everyone else advise is at least 30 mins exercise at least 5 times weekky. The benefits are amazing.
You can’t outrun a bad diet sadly! Another slimming world fan here, I lost 4.5 stone with the plan so do recommend it. Best thing is you can have serious carbs on it so good alongside the running.
👍
I haven't lost much weight - but that's not my goal just now, in fact I know I am eating more than I should!!! However I am currently wearing a pair of ski trousers bought when I was almost a stone lighter than I am now (i was rather underweight at the time) - it's the first time I've been able to wear them in avout 7 or 8 years. Running has clearly made a difference. With good, sensible eating I am sute I could be losing weight too.
Yes I have lost 8lb..still eating more or less the same diet but using calories jogging. Plan is to reduce chocolate now that’s a challenge 😀
I've been doing this for 6 weeks now and following slimming world and not lost a pound, however I have lost inches. Not the same I know but I need to lose around 4 stone. For now I'm happy just getting fit again and hope that overnight my weight will drop off 😂😂
That's actually a good investment in your future weight loss as you have converted fat to muscle and that muscle is using up calories for you all the time. So once you start to lose you should find it easier to keep losing. Good luck. 
Well done on the running. It's very very beneficial. With all due respect, if you follow slimming world, you lose loads of weight. I suspect you are not being totally honest with yourself about the food you are consuming. Try also walking 2 miles on the non C25k days. Good luck
Oh I am being totally honest with slimming world, my husband is following it too, so I'm preparing all meals for both of us. He's losing 2lbs or more a week, and lost a stone in the last 6 weeks.
Hi
every run i burn off about 500 cals. I read somewhere that it only takes eating an extra 11 cals per day to put on half a stone a year. With these thoughts in mind you can burn off nearly a days calorie intake with 3 x 40 minute runs per week. That is food for thought. 🍪
My biggest problem is that I have a voracious appetite afterwards!
Yes I have 2 stone I am now on week 8 run 2 on couch to 5k
I was in pain and easily tired and with all sorts of aches and just feeling to heavy to run or exercise when l started.
Then l did a months detox and l am as light and full of energy .
During C25k you will likely lose a little fat but not weight, because what you lose in fat you will gain in muscle. Hence the observation by others above that the scale readings didn’t change but their clothes fitted better. What you may find though is that when you are running regularly you naturally want to eat healthier as well: somehow stodge becomes less appealing At least that’s what I found: I wasn’t eating less (though I should!) but I was eating better. I’m still two stone overweight, same as when I started, but my resting heart rate is ten points lower and is now better than average for my age. So running, unless you run a lot further than 5k, won’t by itself make you lighter but it will make you healthier (physically and mentally).
Head over to weightloss forum, you have to run a marathon to burn a pound of fat!
That's rather a negative comment. I usually walk dogs 30 mins daily. On the weeks partner walks them instead, I gain weight. It's not just running its walking too, regularly.
It was not meant to be negative, any exercise is a positive however If you are trying to lose weight - results will be slow if you rely on exersise - you can't outrun a bad diet 😜
Couldn't agree more, sadly.
As i said, my friend says she runs so she can still eat chocolate. She runs marathons. However, I suspect she doesn't really eat badly anyway.
Studies show that the perception that there are those that eat anything they like nor do any exercise, are actually unfounded as over a week they don't take in more calories (even though they think they do) than they have expended.
Since I started running in January have lost nearly a stone, have cut down on calories, and find the two work well together. It does get easier the more you lose , not so many wobbly bits😂, just keep going , I did come to a bit of a standstill, but hope that was muscle building up as could see the shape in my body change, have started to lose again now, take measurements as the scales don’t always reflect your progress. Good luck I am sure you will do it
Well done
Yes, I've lost 23lbs in 9 weeks, but as everyone has said, it's not just the running.
I've made a few small switches to my lifestyle that have meant I walk a lot more (I.e. getting off the train 3 stops earlier and walking the rest, which I find is an amazing energiser in the morning). I'm not on a diet, but I have cut out foods that don't agree with me weight-wise (I have very little potato, rice, bread or pasta now).
I track my calories with MyFitnessPal and I track my exercise and steps. I definitely do often eat the calories I earn through exercise, and I find that I earn enough to be able to eat well and not be hungry at all. I've found that focusing on what I do want (to get better at running, to drop that pound of weight each week) is much more motivating to me than thinking about what I'm trying to stop.
All the very best of good fortune. Hope you find a path that suits you.
Well done
Thank you so much. These tips are so welcome
I have lost 6 pounds and am on W6. But I have combined this programme with reducing calories - so together that has helped. More importantly my shape is changing 😊 my hips and thighs are slimmer. So it will help if you reduce calories too. Good luck x
I am on Week 9 run 3 and will finish the app today. I have lost no weight at all nor have i put any on. I need to lose weight also so may have to diet as well as exercise. Like you i think my weight makes it harder to run . Getting fit though was my initial aim to start with and it feels good to have achieved that. Good luck and well done so far x
Thank you
Well done getting to graduation. I bet you'd have gained weight instead without the exercise. I always do.
Since I started running last November, my wife says my face looks slimmer. I don't see it myself 🤣
You need to burn approx 3500 calories to lose 1lb. I’m week 9 and burn around 500 calories each run so best I could hope for is 1/2lb loss per week without changing diet. I just think 1 task at a time. Get the running established then I can think about dieting.
But those 1/2lbs add up. I just had a week without exercise and gained 3lbs! Shocking.
I have. 1.5 stone lost in a relatively short space of time, thanks to C25K. Further still to go but it works!
My advice would be, just do it but follow the plan and take on the support and advice provided on this site. Go at your pace, stay on plan and these are the positive steps towards your own goals.
I did get a GP check before starting out but everyone is different. Even so, worth being sure if you feel your current numbers may be a problem.
All the best and please come back to tell us how you are getting on.
I’ve lost 4 stone, running and diet I did 6 weeks on USN diet Fuel
One for breakfast and one for lunch then sensible high protein lots of veg evening meal and then 5k 3 times a week
Now I watch what I eat and weigh and maintain with running and counting my calories I adjust every few days so if I have a treat or meal out I go low for a few days to compensate
I’ve managed to maintain for 18months now
Well done. What's HGV diet fuel? Greasy spoons used to be a magnet for lorry drivers. Red Lodge was always busy.
Well done
Lost 7kg (around a stone) since November, but did make some changes to my diet too, I don’t think the weight would’ve come off without improving my diet and I think it’s true that maintaining a healthy weight is 80% about what you put into your body and 20% about exercise. The running is now so important to me though, the weight loss seems to have stopped now and I think that’s my body saying ‘no more is coming off now’ you’re at the best point you can be now- and my running now allows me the odd chocolate bar treat or an occasional pink G&T - can’t resist for ever!!! 😉😉😉
And giving up potatoes, rice and pasta has been part of my plan, don’t miss them at all, but I couldn’t give up bread as I love toast so much - so bread is only a treat now and then and only a seedy, sourdough or rye variety😉😉👍🏻👍🏻
Same. I can’t let bread go. Especially since it’s been ingrained in me since I was a kid that 100% whole wheat is heart healthy and contains good fiber.
I went from bread to wraps
I have lost 7 kilos, not sure what that is in lbs, over a year. But it doesn't happen easy. You burn maybe 200-250 extra calories on your running days, so as long as you don't eat more to compensate (ha!) you must lose weight. However, in the early days you are replacing fat with muscles, and muscle weighs more than fat.
To really lose weight by running you need to run for longer than about 30 minutes, that way the glycogen stores in your muscles are exhausted, and your body has no choice but to burn fat. If you run for an hour, then that will probably burn 500 calories - mostly fat, and as long as you keep your diet, the weight will fall off.
The good news is that you don't have to run fast, in fact slow is better.
Exactly the opposite in my case.
About seven years ago, having gradually put on weight after moving to a job where I was driving much more than previously, I "ate less/walked more" and lost 33kg over the course of about 18 months. My weight stayed about the same (+/- a couple of kg) up to the time I started C25K last summer. Since graduating I've piled on the pounds - I've run 5k three times a week most weeks for the last six months, and have gained 6.5 kg. I'm not aware of eating any differently but there's no other explanation, I must be having larger portions or something ...
I'm actually considering stopping running until I get back to "normal" so I have less weight to drag around when I run as I can definitely feel how much harder it is.
I probably have as I've gone from a wobbly 10 to a 8. Only changes are running and a lot less alcohol (which I kind of went of when I started running)
Don't weigh myself I just go with how I feel and how my clothes fit 
I've just done my graduation weigh and measure and I've lost 9lbs and 2 inches off my waist and hips. I have been much more conscious of my diet though, mainly reducing portion sizes.
I graduated about two weeks ago and haven’t lost any weight. I’ve also been tracking my calories the whole time through my fitness pal and eating very healthy. Since graduating I’ve continued running 5K 3x week and have recently started extending my run time to 35-37 minutes the past couple runs. I have noticed toning and that my body “looks” better but the scale has not budged. I just signed up with a gym for three months of personal training to add strength training to my off run days. Now I’ll be exercising 6x week with one day of rest. If this doesn’t work than I don’t know what will!
Welcome Jasminflower
Yes I lost weight. I was also 4 stones overweight. My friend who is stick thin runs marathons. She says she hates running but she can eat chocolate. Told me the more miles I clock up the more weight I lose. However, brisk walking, and I mean brisk, is good too. I notice that when I've been lazy in the post and not walked the dogs (partner has instead) I gain weight. Exercise definately beneficial. Diet is too of course. Diet and exercise is winning formula. All diet programs advocate walking 2 miles everyday and that is sound advise. C25K covers that in early weeks. Good luck. Don't give up. Stick music in ears and focus on a topic.
It’s hardly anything to shout about but I’ve lost 2lb in the 1st week of running😄 I’ve also overhauled my calorie intake paying more attention to fats protein and carbs I log all my food on my Fitbit so I can track how many calories I have left (or gone over by!) .Not sure which is having the biggest impact the running or the diet but it’s all moving in the right direction. I want to get some scales that will measure my body fat % then if I start to plateau or gain I’ll know if it’s muscle or fat
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