Running for weight loss: how to start safely when you are heavier

Is running good for weight loss? An honest answer

Yes, running can be good for weight loss, because a few minutes of jogging use far more energy than the same minutes of walking. But it works best as part of a wider plan with good food, and it is a later step for most people who start at a higher weight.

A large review of trials in inactive adults found that after a year of regular running, people weighed about 3.3 kg less than people who did not run. Their body fat fell by about 2.7 % and their resting heart rate dropped by almost 7 beats a minute.

That is a real effect, but not a dramatic one. A running habit alone rarely melts away tens of kilos. It does make your heart and lungs much fitter, and that helps with almost everything else you do.

Food made the difference in a Danish study of more than 500 people who took up running. Among those who started running to lose weight, people who ran over 5 km a week and also changed their diet lost about 3.8 kg more fat in a year than people who ran as much without diet changes.

More energy per minute, a smaller gap per kilometre

Jogging burns more energy per minute because you move faster and push your body off the ground with every stride. Over the same distance the gap is smaller, since you finish the kilometre sooner.

So jogging saves time rather than doing magic. If you have 30 minutes, a run-walk session covers more ground and uses more energy than a walk. If you have a free hour, a long walk can match a short jog.

Our page on walking for weight loss compares the two activities in detail, including the large studies of walkers and runners. Here we focus on the next question: if you would like to run, how do you begin safely?

Benefits beyond the scale

A review of six large groups of people, more than 230,000 adults in total, found that runners had about a 27 % lower risk of dying from any cause during follow-up than people who did not run. Even small amounts, such as running just once a week, were linked with benefit.

Those were observational studies, so they show a link, not proof. Still, they suggest you do not need long runs to gain something. A short, gentle jog counts.

These numbers are estimates for an average body and include the energy you would use sitting still. Your own figure may be lower or higher. For a personal estimate with your weight and minutes, use our calories burned calculator.

Keep the scale of these numbers in mind. Swapping a walk for a run-walk session adds roughly 100 to 200 kcal, which a snack can easily cancel. That is why food and movement work as a team.

Are you ready to run? A checklist, and talk to your doctor first

You are probably ready to try short jogs when you can walk briskly for 30 minutes without pain, and when you have no warning signs from your heart, lungs or joints. If you are not there yet, walking is the right exercise for now, not a second-best one.

Talk to your doctor first before you start this or any new exercise plan. That is extra important if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease, because jogging is harder work than walking.

The American College of Sports Medicine advises that inactive people with known heart, metabolic or kidney disease get medical clearance before they start exercise. It also stresses that anyone with warning signs should stop and see a doctor, whatever their fitness.

Walking is a low-risk activity for most people. Jogging is a clear step up in effort, so a short talk with your doctor makes sense, even if you feel well.

If knee pain is the main thing holding you back, our guide to exercise with bad knees explains which kinds of cardio put the least load on your joints. If running is simply not for you, low impact cardio at home works your heart without the jolts.

How to start running when you are overweight: the run-walk method

The run-walk method means you switch between short, slow jogs and walking breaks, so your body gets used to running a little at a time. It is the gentlest way to start running at a higher weight, and plenty of experienced runners still use it.

You begin with jogs of about one minute and walk for two or three minutes between them. Over weeks, the jogs get a little longer and the walks a little shorter. The walking breaks are part of the plan, not a sign of failure.

Why the first weeks matter so much

Danish researchers followed 749 people who were new to running. Those with a BMI over 30 who jogged 3 km or more in their first week had clearly more injuries in the first three weeks than lighter runners who started with less.

The same team then ran a small trial in novice runners with a BMI of 30 to 35. People who started with 1 km per session, three times a week, had fewer injuries than people who started with 2 km per session, among those who stuck to their programme.

The message is simple: start smaller than you think you need to. One kilometre of slow jogging spread over a whole session is already a good first week.

How a run-walk session looks

1. Walk for 5 minutes at an easy pace to warm up. Our page on warm-up and stretching adds a few gentle moves for before and after.
2. Jog slowly for the set time, with short steps and relaxed shoulders. Your feet should land under your body, not far in front of it.
3. Walk briskly for the set break. Let your breathing settle before the next jog.
4. Repeat the jog and walk for the number of rounds in the plan.
5. Walk for 5 minutes at an easy pace to cool down.

Use a watch, a phone timer or simply lamp posts. Jog to the third lamp post, walk to the sixth, and so on. Any simple marker works.

Choose a flat, even route for the first weeks, such as a park path or a track. Hills and uneven ground can wait until your legs are used to the impact.

A 12-week run-walk plan that starts after your walking base

This 12-week plan takes you from one-minute jogs to five-minute jogs, three times a week. Start it only once you can walk briskly for 30 minutes, and talk to your doctor first.

If you are not there yet, follow the 12-week walking plan first. Many people find that this walking base takes a few months, and that is completely normal.

Every session starts and ends with 5 minutes of easy walking, which are included in the session time. Leave at least one day between run-walk days. On the other days you can walk as usual.

In week 1 you jog for six minutes per session. At a slow jog that is well under one kilometre, which keeps you below the 3 km a week that the Danish research linked with more injuries.

The jogging minutes rise gently, and weeks 4 and 8 step back on purpose. Those easier weeks give tendons, bones and joints time to catch up with your heart and lungs, which get fitter faster.

Repeat weeks whenever you need to

The plan is a guide, not a race. If a week felt hard, or something aches the next morning, repeat that week or go back one.

A Dutch trial in more than 500 novice runners tested a slower, 13-week build-up based on the 10 % rule against a standard 8-week programme. About one in five runners got injured in both groups, so a slow schedule alone did not prevent injuries.

That is why the plan also asks you to listen to your body. Big jumps from one week to the next are best avoided, but how your legs feel the morning after a session is just as useful a guide.

After week 12

By week 12 you jog for 20 minutes per session in five-minute blocks. From there you can make the blocks a little longer, or simply keep this routine for months. That already adds up to an hour of jogging a week.

You do not have to aim for 30 minutes without stopping, or a race. If you would like a goal, a local 5 km fun run where walking is welcome can be a friendly one.

Keep one or two strength sessions a week alongside your runs. Stronger thigh, hip and calf muscles take load off your joints, as our page on strength training for weight loss explains, and the Build and Strong workout videos cover these muscles at home.

Running at a higher weight: knees, shins and injury risk

Running does carry a higher risk of injury than walking, and the risk is highest for beginners, especially at a higher weight. Most of these injuries are overuse problems that come from doing too much, too soon, and a slow start lowers the risk.

A review that pooled 13 studies found about 18 running injuries per 1,000 hours of running in novice runners, against about 8 in more experienced recreational runners. Beginners carry most of the risk, because their tissues are not yet used to the impact.

So aches and small injuries are common in the first year of running, and they are not a sign that running is not for you. Treat them early, step back for a week or two, and they usually settle.

Does running damage your knees?

Running at a sensible amount does not seem to wear out healthy knees. A review of 25 studies found hip or knee osteoarthritis in about 3.5 % of recreational runners, compared with about 10 % of people who did not run and about 13 % of competitive runners.

These studies cannot prove cause and effect, and people with painful knees may have avoided running to begin with. If you already have osteoarthritis or regular knee pain, see a physiotherapist before you start jogging.

Common aches and what they mean

• Muscle soreness in the thighs or calves for a day or two after a session is normal, especially in the first weeks. It fades as your legs adapt.
• Pain at the front of the shin that builds while you jog can be an early overuse sign. Step back to an easier week and give it time.
• Pain around or behind the kneecap that gets worse on stairs or after sitting usually means your knee needs less load for a while.
• Heel or arch pain, often worst with your first steps in the morning, is a sign to cut back and check your shoes.
• Sharp pain, swelling or limping means stop jogging. Rest, walk only if it is comfortable, and see a doctor or physiotherapist if it does not improve within a few days.

A simple rule is to look at how you feel the next morning. If an ache is worse than the day before, the last session was too much and you should go back a week.

How fast and how far? Easy pace, the talk test and why slow jogging counts

As a beginner you should jog slowly enough to speak in full sentences. For many heavier runners, that pace is not much faster than brisk walking, and that is perfectly fine.

This is called the talk test. Studies of exercise testing show that the point where talking stops being comfortable lines up well with the change from moderate to harder effort. If you can only manage a few words, slow down or switch to walking early.

Your heart rate will rise faster when jogging than when walking. If you like numbers, our heart rate zones calculator shows an easy range for your age, but the talk test works without any device.

How much running do you need?

The World Health Organization advises adults to do 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, or a mix of both. For most beginners at a higher weight, jogging counts as vigorous effort.

That means each minute of jogging counts roughly double towards that weekly target. The 20 minutes of jogging in week 12, three times a week, plus your daily walks, already gets you well past the minimum.

For weight loss, more total movement tends to help, but more running is not the only way to get there. Our guide to cardio for weight loss explains how much activity the research links with weight loss and how to mix different types.

Distance, speed and the treadmill

Measure your progress in minutes rather than kilometres. Time is easier to control on a bad day, and you will not feel pushed to go faster to reach a distance.

Speed comes by itself as you get fitter. Many runners find that after a few months their easy pace is quicker, even though it feels just as calm.

A treadmill can be a good place to practise run-walk intervals, because the surface is even and you control the speed exactly. Check the weight limit first. Our gym workout for weight loss page explains how to use the machine safely.

Can you outrun your plate? Running, hunger and food

No, running cannot cancel out any amount of food, but it does help you lose weight when you also eat a little less. Most of the energy difference still comes from the kitchen.

A slow 30-minute run-walk session might use a few hundred kilocalories, depending on your weight. A large takeaway meal or a sugary drink with a snack can easily add that back.

The good news is that a single exercise session does not usually make people eat more afterwards. A review of appetite studies found that, on average, exercise creates a short-term energy gap without a matching rise in hunger, and that body size and sex do not change this much.

The same review noted large differences between people. Some feel hungrier after running, others less. Watch your own pattern for a few weeks.

Food tips for beginner runners who want to lose weight

• You do not need sports drinks, gels or bars for sessions of under an hour. Water is enough.
• A normal meal one to three hours before usually works best. Our page on the pre-workout meal explains what to eat and when.
• Plan your next meal so you do not arrive home starving. A meal with protein and vegetables fills you up and helps your muscles recover.
• Do not reward a run with extra food. If you notice this habit, try a different reward, such as a shower, music or a call with a friend.
• Track for a while if your weight stays the same. Our guide to calorie counting shows a simple way to find hidden extras.

Aim for steady, gentle progress rather than fast results. A loss of around half a kilo to one kilo a week is a pace most people can keep for months.

Does running burn belly fat?

Running can help reduce belly fat, but it cannot target your belly on its own. Your body decides where it takes fat from, and the belly is often among the last places to shrink for some people.

A review of 15 studies in people with overweight found that aerobic exercise, such as running, reduced the deep fat around the organs, even without a diet. Moderate and higher-intensity aerobic exercise showed the largest effect.

That deep fat matters for health, even when the change is hard to see in the mirror. Your waist may get smaller before the scale moves much.

For what really helps reduce your waist, see our guide to belly fat. Our page on fat loss vs weight loss explains why the scale and your body shape do not always change together.

Shoes, chafing, support and running comfortably in a larger body

You do not need expensive kit to start running. What matters most is a pair of comfortable running shoes, clothes that do not rub, and good support where your body moves.

Shoes

Choose shoes that feel comfortable from the first steps in the shop. Try them on in the afternoon, when feet are slightly bigger, and wear the socks you will run in.

Many shops sell shoes to correct the way your foot rolls inwards. A Danish study of more than 900 novice runners in neutral shoes found that feet that rolled inwards moderately were not at a higher risk of injury. So comfort is a better guide than foot type.

Look for a shoe with enough room for your toes and a firm, stable feel. Replace shoes when the soles are worn or the cushioning feels flat.

Chafing and skin

• Wear fabrics that dry quickly, not cotton, which stays wet and rubs.
• Choose longer shorts or leggings if your thighs rub together. Cycling shorts under a skirt or loose shorts also work.
• Use an anti-chafing balm or petroleum jelly on areas that rub, such as inner thighs, under the arms and under the breasts.
• Wash and dry your skin soon after a run, especially in skin folds, to prevent soreness and infection.

Support

A well-fitting sports bra with high support makes jogging much more comfortable for many women. Many shops offer a free fitting, so ask for help with sizing.

Some men also like a supportive running top or compression shirt to reduce movement in the chest. Wear what makes you feel comfortable, not what you think runners should look like.

Feeling at ease

Many people worry about being seen when they start running in a bigger body. Going early in the morning, choosing a quiet park or running with a friend can help in the first weeks.

Remember that most people you pass are thinking about their own day. You belong on that path as much as anyone else.

Free help to move from walking to running

Obesity Foundation helps people lose weight and feel better with good food, suitable exercise and walking. If running becomes part of your plan, we help you get there step by step, for free.

• A free eating plan with everyday food that fills you up, so your runs and your meals work together. Request your free eating plan.
• Free workout videos in three levels, Start, Build and Strong, with strength work that prepares your legs for running. Get the free workout videos.
• A free video meeting (in English) with one of our volunteers, to talk through when and how to add running to your plan. Book a free video meeting.
• A free Club account to log your walks, run-walk sessions and workouts and see your progress over the weeks. Join the Obesity Foundation Club.

Your first step does not have to be a run. Build your walking, talk to your doctor first, and try your first one-minute jog when your body is ready.