Successful weight loss doesn't involve get-thin-quick solutions, but rather, a sustained, complete lifestyle change. Two months of running isn't necessarily enough time to notice results, especially if you haven't embraced a holistic approach to weight loss. Persistence and tweaks to your current routine may be all you need to see that scale needle move a notch in the right direction.
Calories In, Calories Out
Despite the complexities of some exercise and diet plans, losing weight boils down to one simple formula. The number of calories you expend has to exceed the number of calories you take in. Specifically, to shed 1 lb. of fat, you have to eat 3,500 fewer calories than you burn. How long it takes you to build up that deficit depends how long you're exercising and what you're eating. According to an MSNBC article, an 150-lb. woman burns 250 calories during a 30-minute jog. If you jog three times per week, that's 750 calories burned. Assuming no other lifestyle changes, you'd lose a pound and bit if you followed this regime for two months. If your scale's not very sensitive, it's possible that it might not even register this small difference.
Watch Your Eating
To lose weight more quickly and keep it off long-term, you need to go beyond exercise alone. If you haven't changed your diet since beginning your workout plan, that fact may explain why you're not seeing results. Avoid fad diets that you can't sustain in the long run, otherwise you'll just pile the pounds back on when you go back to eating normally. Instead, focus on eating a healthy, balanced diet. Cut back on processed foods and sweets, allowing yourself a single, once-a-week indulgence to keep temptation from rearing its ugly head.
Change Your Exercise
Another way to see results faster: change up your exercise routine. If you're not sticking to your running regimen because you dread your exercise sessions, it's time to find something you can commit to, whether its swimming or a Zumba class. Adding weight training also helps to facilitate weight loss, since building muscle counteracts the metabolism-lowering effects of dieting. Add resistance training to your workout schedule at least three days a week to increase your body's calorie-burning potential.
Don't Overdo It
Although eating less and exercising more will help you see results sooner, it's important not to overdo it in either area. Extreme dieting and exercising aren't sustainable long-term, and can even be dangerous. If you don't eat enough, you won't meet your body's nutritional needs for the day. If you're a woman, the American Council on Exercise recommends a daily intake of at least 1,200 calories. Meanwhile, men need a minimum of 1,500 calories every day. If you push yourself too hard during your workouts, stress injuries could force you out of the gym and derail your plans to get healthy.
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