Can running alone help me lose weight here, here and there?

H

hatcht9x

0
So I am 19 years old 5'11" and I weigh 260-270lbs (last time I weighed myself 3 weeks ago) Whats interesting is nobody, myself included, thinks I look as big as I weigh. My problem areas include my stomach and butt with thighs and pecs close behind!

3 weeks ago I started 'running' 2 miles each night. My routine consisted of jogging a lap (1/4 mile track), walking a lap, jogging a lap, walking a lap etc. then i would do 200 crunches..

however, My back started hurting so I stoped doing crunches.

MY QUESTION FINALLY!! do you think my stomach and ass will go away without targeting those areas in particular? I am going to start doing my routine twice a day (4 miles total, 2 jogging, 2 walking) and I am slowly switching out some of the walking for extra jogging.

Sorry this was so long, but please let me know what you think!
 
First. make sure you have clearance from your doctor.
Second. just keep moving. it will get better, you will run longer and walk less. just keep moving.
Third. probably the most important. watch your diet. there many here that are so well researched and versed on the subject of nutrition that continues to amaze me. look for Chillen's stickies they will motivate and keep you on the track to achieve your goals and make new ones.
Keep moving Hatch

Rich
 
rjajr57 said:
First. make sure you have clearance from your doctor.
Second. just keep moving. it will get better, you will run longer and walk less. just keep moving.
Third. probably the most important. watch your diet. there many here that are so well researched and versed on the subject of nutrition that continues to amaze me. look for Chillen's stickies they will motivate and keep you on the track to achieve your goals and make new ones.
Keep moving Hatch

Rich
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thanks for the feed back / motivation rjajr..

for me the diet is the hard part. I cut out sweets and snacks / extras but food is such a comfort for me. I usually eat some sort of sandwich for lunch and whatever my mom cooks for dinner.. last night it was chilli, tonight it was burgers on the grill, not the healthiest but im not overdoing it with all sorts of sides and fried foods.. and I do eat veggies by the way haha.. the last two nights night not have been the best examples haha. she often cooks chicken, pastas, and soups.

I just dont know how easy it would be for me to go into a full blown diet. I see other people on here who eat like eggs and NO bacon. a plain ham sandwich on rye for lunch and salad for dinner.

being a full time college student and a part time worker Im up real early and out all day so I kindof eat when I can.. but Im getting my exercise in! :action8:
 
I eat turkey bacon and i love it.

if your back is hurting during crunches im guessing you might be doing them incorrectly, but they arent going to cause a big loss of weight anyway so thats really not too important at this point.

If i was you i would do 2 or 3 days of strength training and 3 days of cardio. Too much running too soon can cause knee problems. Things like push ups, squats, military press etc will help get you moving, build some strength and help you burn calories.
 
wesrman said:
I eat turkey bacon and i love it.

if your back is hurting during crunches im guessing you might be doing them incorrectly, but they arent going to cause a big loss of weight anyway so thats really not too important at this point.

If i was you i would do 2 or 3 days of strength training and 3 days of cardio. Too much running too soon can cause knee problems. Things like push ups, squats, military press etc will help get you moving, build some strength and help you burn calories.
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cool cool thanks for the info.. Im really not interested in building muscle, and it seems like running would be the best calorie burner no? but if it is going to take a toll on my knees I will try to work an alterate workout in.

thanks again for the info
 
Running is a good fat burner. For instance I spend 45 minutes in the gym but when I am running I can do it for 2 hours. I am not kidding and it feels great.
 
You will not be able to spot reduce. If you maintain a proper diet and a calorie deficit while adding exercise into your routine you will lose weight.

You can run, and you are doing exactly the right thing with the run/walk/run/walk method. Don't overdo it or you'll be back sitting on the couch with an injury.

If you're back is hurting then stretch it. It might not be from the crunches but could be from poor posture from the extra weight you are carrying while you run. Concentrate on maintaining a decent posture during your run/walk.

You should also consider doing a weight session to help mimnize muscle cannibalization as you lose weight if you have trouble maintaining your diet.

Number 1 thing that is going to help you drop pounds is your diet. Get yourself into a habit of eating properly and you will find things become much easier. That should be your first priority. Don't say you can't eat healthy because of this or that. Just do it.

and eat veggies! christ...parents are teh worst sometimes. they are the bigegst influence on us for our early lives...you'd think they'd put it together and realize if they ate healthy and promoted healthy living in general that their kids would do the same. Ask you mom to start picking you up some fruits and veggies and other healthy items. if she won't then do it yourself.
 
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firefreak said:
I second that. Go to your local running store (not footlocker or any other national sneaker retail chain) but a bonafide running shop. AKA a store thats named something like The Runners Edge or Super Runner.
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thanks the info guys! and yea I will work out a diet plan.. and in my post I was trying to stress that i DO eat vegies!!! so my examples werent the most accurate. Ill run to the store and pick up some fruits for snacks though!

as far as the shoes go .. a few weeks back I found a running store and bought a pair of brooks. they are great! they are so light and they coushin my heel which was my main concern..

well I will definately keep up my running routine and tweak my diet quite a bit more! I will let you guys know how it goes! I told myself I would only step on the scale once a month so Next week I will have a number.. Im not expecting alot of change (if any) but I am looking forward to the months to come!
 
alright fellas. so today marks my 1 month mark of the routine I started and I am happy to share some excellent results!

I started eating lots of fruits for snacks / breakfast and the like and I also started drinking alot of water! Combined with my 2 miles each night I have the following results. 4 weeks ago I was between260-270 and this morning I was at 250 on the dot! I have noticed my clothes fitting alot better and even some slight change while looking in the mirror!

I wanted to thank you guys for all the help / motivation and I am definately going to continue untill it is all gone!! Ill post up my results for next month once I get there!

-Chris
 
Add some weight training and your fat loss will occur exponentially faster. You're on your way though. Nice job.
 
Today marks Month 2 and I have more excellent results!

I kept up my 2 - 2.5 miles each night (usually excluding wed. for studying/rest) and I kept eating my fruits and drinking water.

this morning I steped on the scale and I'm at 240 on the dot! another 10 pounds!!!!

I really hope this stays constant.. Im scared my body is going to like.. 'catch on' or something haha

Up for feedback!

thanks guys,

-Chris
 
hatcht9x said:
Today marks Month 2 and I have more excellent results!

I kept up my 2 - 2.5 miles each night (usually excluding wed. for studying/rest) and I kept eating my fruits and drinking water.

this morning I steped on the scale and I'm at 240 on the dot! another 10 pounds!!!!

I really hope this stays constant.. Im scared my body is going to like.. 'catch on' or something haha

Up for feedback!

thanks guys,

-Chris
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This trend will keep up if you keep doing what you're doing, but it will begin to slow down as you approach your weight set point. 10lbs a month is incredible.

As you trim down, you can keep up the running, but to be in 'good' overall shape you should include some weight training. Also, as you increase your lean body mass, you're body will naturally use more calories through the day to feed the muscle. You don't have to become a gym rat, but a couple nights lifting some weights will really help, especially as your weight loss begins to slow down.

Good job thus fare tho.

oh and learn from my mistakes. start taking pictures of yourself now if you haven't already. Not flexing, front, side, and back shots. Preferably in the morning on the days you step on the scale. If you lose 50 pounds it's nice to have proof of how hard you've worked.
 
it seems interesting that My body would use more calories when I weigh less.. sems like it would need less because it is easier to move around..

great advice though, thanks!

as far as weight trainging goes.. I ride BMX which involves alot of upper body strength.. so hopefully I can keep up my riding as a way of weight training.

thanks again!

-Chris
 
You could lose weight a lot faster if you:

-perform strength training 2-3 times per week on non-consecutive days
crank up the intensity without going overboard. And NO you won't get "too bulky".

-make sure you are eating enough nutritious foods to promote recovery from training.

-use cardio 3 times per week on off days to help burn additional calories and fat. If you need to lose the bellie fat - crunches aren't going to do a damn thing.

Good luck!
 
thanks for the info waitwhat? .. so whats the deal with the whole weight trainignt thing? I am seeing this all over the place.. but what does it do that cardio doesnt?

thanks guys!
 
hatcht9x said:
thanks for the info waitwhat? .. so whats the deal with the whole weight trainignt thing? I am seeing this all over the place.. but what does it do that cardio doesnt?

thanks guys!
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It's not one or the either. You'll want to do both if you want to lose body fat. When you incorporate weight training into your program it builds muscle. Your muscles burn fat and therefore the more lean muscle you have the more fat you burn and the more toned you look.

I personally believe that cardio should only be used as an additive to strength training program and not the other way around. Look at all the cardioholics at your gym. Have any of them significantly gotten a leaner, tightly toned body with well-defined muscular definition doing all that cardio?
 
well folks, today marks 'month three' (week 12) and I was excited to find that another 12 pounds have left the building.. or body i guess..

a recap.. 12 weeks ago I was between 260-270 this morning im at 228

thanks for all the help guys/gals

more results to come =]

-Chris
 
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