A Good Balance
Before starting a weight loss journey, I must remind you that losing weight isn't always beneficial. Whether you want to lose weight for health, aesthetic, or performance reasons, remember that weight loss can also be unhealthy.
If you're unsure about your relationship with weight loss, seek personal advice from an expert – the advice here is general, and it's crucial to consider your own situation.
Performance-wise, many runners find that a lighter runner is a faster runner – which is likely why, unfortunately, there are more cases of eating disorders among elite runners.
Nevertheless, it's a fact that if you weigh more, you'll need more energy to run at the same speed, so weight loss is a parameter you can adjust to run faster. Additionally, a large part of the population is overweight, and in these cases, losing weight is a huge advantage, as overweight is linked to many life problems – including lifestyle diseases and, to put it bluntly; more life with illness.
How Fast Can You Lose Weight?
Can you lose weight too quickly? – The short answer is yes! The longer answer is that it depends on the person. Someone with a high body fat percentage can afford to lose weight faster than someone with a lower percentage.
If you lose weight too quickly, you risk losing more muscle than fat. As a rule of thumb, it's recommended not to lose more than 0.5 kg per week unless you're very overweight. For those of normal weight who just want to “trim,” it might even be beneficial to go down to 0.25 kg per week to avoid too much muscle loss.
Can You Run Yourself Slim?
In essence, weight loss is simple – not necessarily easy, but simple!
If you want to lose weight, it's about being in a calorie deficit – in other words, having a negative calorie balance. A calorie deficit means your calorie intake is less than your calorie expenditure, or you have a negative calorie balance.
Calorie Balance = Calorie Intake – Calorie Expenditure
If you achieve a calorie deficit of 500 kcal per day, you'll generally lose about 0.5 kg per week.
In other words, you can lose weight by either:
- Continuing to eat the same but running more - thus increasing calorie expenditure while maintaining intake.
- Running as usual but eating less: reducing intake while maintaining expenditure
- Running more and eating a bit less: Simultaneously increasing expenditure and reducing intake
Below, I discuss the pros and cons of these three approaches.
Strategy 1: Increase Running Volume
If you currently consume the same amount of calories as you burn, you'll lose weight if you continue eating the same but increase your training volume. Your calorie deficit will equal the calories burned from extra training.
Choosing this strategy, it's worth noting that you need to train quite a lot to achieve a significant calorie deficit. Roughly, a 70 kg person needs to run about 7 km to burn 500 kcal – meaning you'd have to run 7 km more each day than you currently do to lose about 0.5 kg per week!
Strategy 2: Eat Less
This strategy might be easier for many than strategy 1 – but there are pitfalls. Generally, larger people burn more calories than smaller ones. With a lower energy intake, there's a greater risk of missing something – like essential fatty acids, vitamins, and/or minerals.
With this strategy, it's a good idea to be extra mindful of eating healthily and variedly to get what your body needs.
Worth mentioning with this strategy is that some studies show more effective weight loss if you train while in a calorie deficit. Overall, there's a link between physical inactivity and overweight.
Strategy 3: Eat a Little Less and Train a Little More
You might have guessed it, but strategy 3 is likely the best approach. You can train a bit more than usual and eat a bit less than usual – making it significantly easier to implement in practice.
According to a 2021 overview study, this strategy is not only easier to implement but also offers the best chances of maintaining weight loss long-term.
Should You Train in a Specific Way to Lose Weight?
There are several studies on different training approaches for weight loss – broadly divided into:
- Running at low intensity
- Running at moderate intensity
- Running at high intensity (Interval training – also called “HIIT” training)
Some studies show better results with HIIT training, but overall, there's not enough difference between approaches to recommend one specifically. You can likely get similar results from all three approaches regarding weight loss.
The advantage of low intensity is primarily a lower injury risk, increasing the chance of sustaining more training.
High-intensity training burns many calories quickly. If you're short on time, this approach might be a good idea.
Moderate training is a middle ground between the two, with benefits and drawbacks in between. Calorie burn is higher (per minute) compared to lower intensity, but the strain is also higher, so you can't sustain the same volume as with low-intensity training.
If you also aim to become a better runner, it's recommended to plan your training more – read more in this article.
Has Your Weight Loss Stalled?
By nature, the body is designed to ensure survival. As a result, it also reacts to weight loss. One reaction is that the body tries to reduce metabolism to save calories (and thus avoid further weight loss).
If your weight loss has stalled despite maintaining the same training and calorie intake, it might be due to this metabolic adjustment. The solution is straightforward; to continue losing weight, you'll need to train more or eat less (or a combination).
This reaction is good to keep in mind – even when you've reached your weight goal. It's not helpful to return to “old eating habits” right after a calorie deficit period, as your metabolism will be adjusted down. You should gradually increase calorie intake to “normal levels” to avoid regaining weight.
Summary – How to Lose Weight
The answer is straightforward; if you're currently weight-stable, you can lose weight by eating a bit less and training a bit more than usual. It doesn't matter much for weight loss how you train, so start with what suits you best.
When reducing calorie intake, ensure you eat healthily and variedly so your body gets what it needs.
Be aware that you might need to adjust both calorie intake and training volume if your weight loss starts to plateau.
Reference
- Johnson NA, Sultana RN, Brown WJ, Bauman AE, Gill T., Physical activity in the management of obesity in adults: A position statement from Exercise and Sport Science Australia (2021)
