Running is vigorous exercise that burns calories rapidly and can be used to lose weight fast. According to MayoClinic.com, a 200-lb. person running at 8 mph for 1 hour, burns 1,229 calories. For effective weight loss, your running program should be accompanied by an appropriate nutrition plan. If you are new to exercise, seek the advice of your doctor before starting an exercise program.
Beginner
Running is an intense high-impact exercise. It elevates your heart rate rapidly and places considerable strain on your lower back, hips, knees, ankles and leg muscles. Ease your way into your running program if you are a beginner: Warm up with a 5-minute walk, stretch your hamstrings, quadriceps and calf muscles. Brisk walk for 5 minutes and ease into a gentle jog for 3 minutes. Repeat this brisk walk, jog sequence five times for a 40-minute workout. Increase your jogging time as you get fitter until you are able to jog continuously for 30 to 40 minutes.
Routine
You have the option of running outdoors or use a treadmill in a gym. Fast weight loss necessitates that you run frequently -- a minimum of four times a week. Aim to run for 40 minutes to 1 hour. If you run outdoors, use a pedometer and a stop watch to monitor distance and time. Gradually increase your workload by running a set distance in less time, or increase the distance you run to create a training effect that helps you lose weight fast.
Increase Intensity
Increase the intensity of your running to elevate your heart rate and burn more calories. Increase the incline of your treadmill, or if you run outdoors incorporate a hill, slope, or rough terrain into your route. The uneven surfaces you have to navigate in cross-country running increases your energy expenditure and quickens weight loss. Another option is interval training. For example, do intervals of short 1-minute sprints between your normal cadence. The increased intensity might make you reduce your running time, but you will burn more calories and blast your metabolism into a post exercise fat-burning mode.
Nutrition
Your fast weight-loss running program should be accompanied by a fat-burning nutrition plan. Eliminate all refined carbohydrates from your diet and limit complex carbohydrates such as oat meal, whole potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams and whole grain rice to twice daily. You need complex carbohydrates to provide energy for running. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Eat lean cuts of poultry, meat, fish, whole eggs, legumes and lentils for protein to help maintain lean muscle tissue, which elevates your metabolism. Eat less fat, but ensure you eat omega-3 fats from flaxseed oil, hemp and pumpkin seed oil. Omega-3 fats help your body metabolize fat.
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