Running for Weight Loss

I just returned from a very good lunch with a friend of mine who is an avid runner. He is the type of person who is fascinated by the sport of running, not one of those people who hates running but does it anyways because they want to lose weight.

I have always been an advocate of the saying "You can't outrun a bad diet". Meaning, unless you are training for an Ironman triathlon, running for weight loss is actually very ineffective.

The typical twice weekly 3 mile runs are not going to make up for a week where you have overeaten by a 1,000 Calories. Especially since, an extra thousand calories over the course of a week is only an additional 150 Calories per day - fairly easy to do, even for people who are 'watching what they eat'.

However, I will admit that if you are already following a good diet like Eat Stop Eat, and are in a caloric deficit, running will help you lose weight.

I know to most trainers and weight loss experts out there running for weight loss is practically a sin, but from my experience if you are following a good diet, running can be an effective addition to a weight loss program.

So I guess what I am trying to say is "you can't outrun a bad diet, but running can accelerate the results of a good one".

BP

PS- I should state that I still prefer training programs like Turbulence Training over running when it comes to promoting time efficient ways to lose weight, however running is definitely better than doing nothing at all!

PPS- If you are interested in seeing what the combination of Turbulence Training, sensible eating and following Eat Stop Eat can do to your body, you can check out the blog of the first ever Turbulence Training Transformation Contest Winner by visiting her BLOG HERE.