Will I Lose Weight Running 3 Miles a Week?

Will I Lose Weight Running 3 Miles a Week?
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To shed pounds and manage your weight, you must alter your diet and increase your weekly exercise. Exercising is a key component to losing significant weight because you can burn a large number of calories. Running is a great calorie-burning exercise and, done habitually, can lead to successful weight loss.

Running Three Miles

To lose weight, you must burn significantly more calories than you eat daily. Exercising routinely is the best way to achieve this. A 180-lb. person running at the pace of a 10-minute mile for 30 minutes would burn around 409 calories, running three miles.

Daily Caloric Intake

Balancing your caloric intake is the key to losing weight. One pound of excess fat is equal to roughly 3,500 calories. To lose 1 lb., you need to burn an average of 500 extra calories daily for a week. Running only three miles a week, therefore, would not result in significant weight loss.

Burning More Calories

You can burn a more useful number of calories by running longer or at a faster pace. A 160-lb. person running at the pace of an eight-minute mile for an hour would burn about 986 calories. At that same pace, a 200-lb. person would burn around 1,229 calories.

Food Choices

Exercise alone will not cause significant weight loss. You must make permanent changes to your diet. Eat foods that are low in energy density, meaning they contain fewer calories but provide the same feeling of fullness. Fruits and vegetables which contain water are excellent choices. Avoid processed foods that contain high amounts of calories and little nutrients.

References

Article reviewed by Helen Covington Last updated on: Jun 14, 2011

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