Good day, dear readers! Running is a great way to lose weight. However, you need to know how much you need to run to lose weight, that is, how fast and for how long to achieve this goal. The ability to get rid of extra pounds also depends on the number of calories consumed and consumed during the run.
There is no fixed formula for calculating weight loss per kilometer, but there is some information and statistics that can help.
Running and weight loss
The weight that you can lose when doing any exercise depends on the intensity of the workout and its duration. Simply put, the more effort, the greater the result.
Running allows you to lose weight, because it involves the work of muscles of varying intensity (low, moderate and high). Obviously, the amount of calories burned can significantly depend on the intensity of running. To illustrate this, consider the differences in calorie consumption per minute for different types of exercise in people of different weights:
| Burns calories per minute | 55 kg | 64 kg | 73 kg | 82 kg |
| Jogging (low intensity) | 9.3 | 10.8 | 12.4 | 13 |
| Running (moderate and high intensity) | 11.4 | 13.2 | 15.1 | 17 |
| Passive lifestyle | 1.2 | 1,3 | 1.5 | 1.7 |
To determine the number of calories burned during a week of training, you need to:
- decide on the intensity of running with which you will train (it is recommended to use running of various intensity);
- Estimate the number of calories you burn per minute with such an intensity of running;
- multiply this number by the running time in minutes;
- multiply this number by the number of workouts per week.
The result is the total number of calories that you can burn during the week. For example, if you weigh about 82 kg and run with high intensity five days a week for 45 minutes per workout, then you burn about 3825 kilocalories (17 kcal per minute x 45 minutes x five days = 3 825 kcal). What do these calories say?
In pure form, 1 gram of fat contains 9 kcal. However, 1 gram of subcutaneous fat, which we are trying to burn while running, contains 7.7 kcal. This is due to the fact that in addition to pure fat, it contains water, connective tissues and other ballast substances that do not contain calories and thereby reduce the overall caloric content.
Thus, 3825 calories from the above example make up approximately 500 grams of subcutaneous fat (3825 kcal / 7.7 kcal = 496.75 grams). This means that during a week, while running, this person can lose half a pound of weight. However, this can occur only in the case of a balance of calories consumed and consumed, that is, when they are equal. Therefore, when planning workouts, this should be taken into account.
So what is the speed (intensity) to run to burn 0.5 kg per week? The general rule is that the average person burns 100 calories per mile (1.6 km) of running. If we translate into kilometers, then approximately 62.5 kcal (100 kcal / 1.6 km) is burned per 1 km distance.
However, you can use online calculators, which can be found on the Internet, to take into account the specific mass of a person, time and speed of run. A link to one of these calculators is given.here.
Thus, according to the following data: a person weighs 82 kg, a running speed of 12.5 km / h and 45 minutes of running, 769 kcal is burned. It means that 3845 kcal (769 kcal x 5 trainings) will burn in 5 lessons per week. This amount of calories, just corresponds to about 0.5 kilograms. To reset them, it is necessary to run about 9.4 km at a speed of 12.5 km / h per training. In total, over the week, the total length will be about 47 km (more precisely, 46.9 km).
You can use the above or another calculator and calculate the number of calories burned for your specific conditions.
Role of diet
In Russia, about 60% of adults are overweight or obese , which is a fairly serious health problem. According to this indicator, we have already reached the fourth place after the USA, China and India.
Those who wish to achieve significant weight loss should exercise and / or recreational physical activity for at least 225-420 minutes per week.
However, studies have shown that significant weight loss can rarely be achieved only through exercise. You need a combination of exercise and reduced calorie intake.
In fact, after 16 weeks of training, the likelihood of weight loss will greatly depend on your approach, as evidenced by the following results:
| Weight loss plan | Average weight loss | Probability of losing weight |
| Hiking | 0-1 kg | Unlikely |
| Power training | Not | Unlikely |
| Aerobic training only | 0-2 kg | Perhaps, but it requires great physical exertion. |
| Aerobic and strength training | 0-2 kg | Perhaps, but it requires great physical exertion. |
| Aerobic and strength training with a low-calorie diet | 9-13 kg | High |
These tables show that weight loss depends not only on the type of training, but also not to a small extent on the reduction of calories consumed. The recommended daily calorie intake can be calculated using a simple online calculator that allows you to adjust your food intake based on age, sex, height, weight, physical activity level and target weight loss date. There are many similar calculators on the Internet.
To achieve the goal of weight loss and at the same time maintain a healthy and balanced diet, it is necessary that the number of daily calories consumed is not less than 1200 kcal for women and 1500 kcal for men.
Create running habits
The key to weight loss with jogging is developing a workout habit. Some runners follow the training schedule to know exactly what they need to do every day, including rest days.
Keeping a workout journal or using fitness apps for your phone is a great way to keep track of your workout progress, keeping you motivated. Similarly, working in a group or with a partner can provide additional motivation and prevent you from missing a workout.
If your workouts are consistent with monthly goals, reward yourself with a carrot (massage, sauna, or something else). By giving yourself regular stimuli, you can focus on training and its health benefits.
In this article, we answered the question “How long should you run to lose weight?”. Dear readers, I draw your attention to the fact that jogging for weight loss, of course, is more suitable for young people. For the load on the leg joints when running is large enough. For older people, as well as for those who are overweight or obese, Nordic walking is best for weight loss. The benefits of this type of walking for weight loss can be read here.