The further people progress with their running the more they tend to eat, so they struggle to lose weight. Find out if you are eating more than you think.

This video is a follow up to my first ever video which I did last year on 4th February. It shows how I’ve overcome my resistance to change and how you can too. It’s time to break through your barriers and get even better running and weight loss results.

By the way, you can click here to see my first ever video.

Quite often I receive comments and emails from frustrated people which go along the lines of…

"I started running and have been doing it for several months. I enjoy running and my health and fitness is improving, but I just haven’t lost much weight which is really disappointing."

So let’s take a look at some reasons why your weight loss may be slower than what you hoped, and just as importantly, what you can do about it.

To do this I’ve explained 3 important factors to help you understand more about the process of losing weight with running…

1. Muscle v’s fat

During your early running progress it’s likely that you’ll gain some slight muscle due to challenging your body more, while at the same time losing weight from fat.

The weight gain from muscle can often slow down your weight loss results at the start even though you’re losing weight from fat. However, remember that this is temporary.

Your muscles may grow slightly but they won’t keep growing. On the other hand, you can keep losing weight from fat which results in faster weight loss.

Also remember that even if your weight isn’t shifting much you can still be making great progress. You can still be making great improvements to your health and fitness, and body shape.

One thing you can do to see these improvements is to measure your body fat percentage so that you can identify the exact transformation that’s going on inside your body.

You can also take some body measurements and you may find that you’re getting smaller and more toned. This is because muscle is denser than fat and therefore takes up less space for the same amount of weight.

To explain this, imagine that fat is like a ball of feathers and muscle is like a ball of steel. If you had 1kg of feathers it would take up much more space than 1kg of steel.

Now imagine that you took 1kg of fat (feathers) from your body and replaced it with 1kg of muscle (steel). You would weigh exactly the same but your body would be smaller.

2. Low calorie burning ability

When most people start running they struggle to run for any great length of time or distance. That’s why the number of calories they are able to burn is limited.

However, the fitter you become the longer distance you can run, the longer time you can run, and the quicker you can run.

So as a beginner runner you may burn 150 calories with 15 minutes running mixed with walking, but then you progress to burning 400 calories with 30 minutes running.

Remember that the better you become at running, and the fitter you become, the more calories you can burn which makes it easier to lose weight.

3. No longer improving

A major problem that many people have when trying to lose weight with running is that they stop improving their running ability.

The main reasons behind this are that they’re either using the wrong type of running methods in relation to their fitness and running ability, or they get stuck in a rut because they feel comfortable doing the same old runs every week.

When your fitness and running ability stops improving, then the number of calories that you burn from running also stays the same.

So you may lose weight for a while, but as your body gets smaller you’ll eventually reach a stage where the number of calories that you burn equals the number of calories that you consume. Therefore, you stop losing weight.

By always improving your fitness and running ability, you can keep increasing the number of calories you burn which gives you the best chance of keeping your weight loss going.

Here are the key points to remember…

• Muscle gain and fat loss can offset each other, especially at the start of your running journey. However, even if your weight isn’t shifting much you can still be making great improvements to your health and fitness, and body shape

• Be persistent with running and stick at it. The better you become at running, and the fitter you become, the more calories you can burn which makes it easier to lose weight

• Always aim to improve your fitness and running ability. By doing this you increase the amount of calories you burn which makes it easier to keep your weight loss going

If you’ve been struggling to lose weight with running then I hope this blog post has given you hope and encouragement to keep going and keep improving.

You are on a journey, and each step you take moves you one step closer to the weight, health, fitness, and body that you want. Keep going!

James

The reason I ask this question is because most people think or say that they want to be fit and healthy but don’t do enough or anything about it.

For example, if you asked your family and friends if they want to be fit and healthy most of them are likely to say "Yes". Now look at what they are doing about it and you may find a completely different story.

So what about you…

Do you really want to be fit and healthy, or is just talk?

Is it just something that you think or talk about but don’t back up with enough action?

To help you appreciate whether you’re doing enough to get the health and fitness that you want, here are some questions to think about…

1. How often do you exercise? Do you exercise twice a week when you can fit in? Or do you exercise 4 times a week, every single week?

2. How hard do you exercise? Do you take it easy, do what’s comfortable, and just go through the motions? Or do you push yourself and try to get the best of your time?

3. How much time do you commit to exercise? Do you commit the least time possible and cut your session short when you feel like it? Or do you exercise for as long as it takes to get the results you want?

4. What type of exercise do you do? Do you concentrate mainly on exercises that give you the most benefits like running? Or do you waste time doing other exercises because they feel easier?

5. How much do you eat? Do you eat as much as you want, anytime you want it? Or can you control how much you eat?

6. What type of foods do you eat? Do you eat whatever you want because it tastes nice and you just can’t help it? Or do you make sure that you have a balanced and healthy diet?

7. Are you prepared to improve both your diet and exercise? Or do you only want to focus on one area because you don’t want anything to change in the other area?

8. How much do you learn about exercise? Do you spend little time reading or learning because it feels like hard work? Or do you learn as much as you can because it will help you get fitter and healthier and make a great difference to your life?

9. Do you try to piece together free bits of information without spending a penny? Or do you invest in your health and fitness because you want the information that you need now and you want to get quicker and better results sooner?

10. Do you fumble along while guessing and hoping that you’re doing the right things? Or do you save yourself wasted time and frustration by learning as much as you can from people that already have the answers?

By answering these questions you’ll find it easier to see whether you really are doing enough to get the health and fitness that you want. Plus you’ll find areas where you can improve which will help you get better results.

Your fitness and your physical and mental health are very important. They determine your quality of life, and that’s why I really believe that everyone would greatly benefit by improving in these areas.

The disappointing thing is that most people say that they want to be fit and healthy but they don’t live like it. In fact most people live in a way that guarantees the exact opposite.

A big reason why this happens is that people don’t want it enough. So they are not willing to put in the required time and effort to get what they want.

Therefore, they never get what they want and spend their lives dreaming about being fit and healthy rather than doing it. So they miss out on all the great benefits and end up living a lower quality life.

So ask yourself the question… "Do I want to be fit and healthy?"

Then take a look at what you’re doing about it, and if you’re not doing enough why not?

James

This makes many people think there must something be wrong somewhere else, and one of the main conclusions they come to is that they have a slow metabolism and that’s the reason why they’re struggling to lose weight.

So let’s take a look at whether your metabolism is affecting your weight loss…

First of all, studies have shown that people at the same weight with the same body composition in terms of fat and muscle have a similar metabolism. The difference in genetics is not enough for one person to have a significant advantage over another.

Your metabolism is mainly determined by these two things…

• Your body size
• Your level of activity

Your body size

The bigger you are and the more you weigh, the more calories your body burns, both at rest and during exercise.

You burn more calories at rest mainly because you have more muscle to support this extra weight, and muscle burns plenty of calories. 

You burn more calories during exercise because it takes a lot more energy expenditure to exercise with a heavier body.

So if there are two people that don’t exercise, where one person is overweight and the other person is a healthy weight, then the overweight person will have the fastest metabolism…

The overweight person has a body that will be burning more calories throughout the day.

Your level of activity

Your metabolism is also determined by your level of activity….

This includes your normal everyday activities like walking but also how much exercise you do and how you perform that exercise.

The more active you are, and the more effective your exercise is, the more calories your body burns.

So overall if you’re struggling to lose weight, or you’re not losing as much weight as you’d like, then it’s NOT because of your metabolism…

Because you’re very likely to have a faster metabolism than people of a lower weight, especially people who don’t exercise.

It’s calories that matter

The key area that matters when you want to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume.

Many people see someone who’s thin and they’re eating unhealthy food and they think "They must have a fast metabolism because if I ate the same I would put on loads of weight"…

But it’s the number of calories consumed overall that matters. If someone eats unhealthy foods but has small portion sizes, or they don’t eat as much food for the rest of the day, then they can still maintain a healthy body weight.

They might not have a healthy body inside, but from the outside they can look slim and healthy.

So the reason why most people struggle to lose weight is because of their lifestyle in terms of how many calories they consume and how many calories they burn, which includes how much exercise they do and the quality of their exercise.

Also remember that most people significantly underestimate how many calories they consume. So the reason a lot of people struggle to lose weight is not because they have a slow metabolism but because they are consuming too many calories without realising.

This can be because they don’t keep track of the calories they consume, or they don’t record everything they eat and drink if they have a food diary.

Summary

So overall if you are overweight then you have a faster metabolism than smaller and lighter people both at rest and during exercise. Your body burns more calories each day.

The important area to focus on is burning more calories than you consume so that you create a calorie deficit that helps you lose weight…

That means improving your quality of exercise, as well as knowing the right amount of calories you should consume based on your body size, gender, and activity levels. If you would like to learn more about these areas take a look at my running programs.

James

Nearly any run that can be completed outside can also be done on a treadmill and therefore the same running methods and strategies can be used.

One of the main aims when using a treadmill should be to run freely and use your natural running style, just as you would if you were running outside. While this sounds simple it’s something that many people just don’t do.

They either alter their running style or don’t concentrate on how they are running, or both. This affects their weight loss success because they end up burning fewer calories and losing weight much slower than what they could.

With this in mind here are 3 tips explaining what you should avoid when using a treadmill to lose weight…

1. Don’t hold onto the rail

Most treadmills have a rail at the front that you can hold onto while you walk or run.

If you’re new to treadmill running or have very poor balance then it’s perfectly fine to use the rail. However, try to reach the point where you don’t have to use the rail because it’s just not a natural way to run.

Many people use the rail for the wrong purpose. They’re perfectly capable of running without it but they use the rail to try and make running easier. They even put weight on their arms to take more weight off their legs.

While it may seem that the rail will help you run longer, burn more calories, and lose more weight, it actually slows you down and does the opposite.

How many people have you seen running outdoors with their arms extended in front of their body?

The simple reason why nobody runs like this is because it’s an unnatural and slower way to run which is why using the rail affects your running performance and therefore your ability to burn calories and lose weight.

By holding onto the rail you’re teaching yourself to run with your arms extended in front of your body which means that you’re learning how to use a very poor running style.

Your running improvement will be slower than if you just ran naturally and therefore every time you run on a treadmill you’ll be burning fewer calories than what you could be.

So the solution is simple: If you don’t need the rail for safety reasons then don’t use it.

2. Don’t get distracted

Some people try to do anything they can on a treadmill except run and this mainly involves sending text messages to their family and friends, or even trying to read books or magazines.

This actually takes a bit of skill and usually involves holding onto the rail with one hand to make sure they don’t fall off.

This is where you need to decide what your main priority is…

Do you want to use a treadmill to send text messages or read a book? Or do you want to use a treadmill to lose weight and make significant improvements to your life?

If you are willing to run with so little effort and concentration that you’re able to send text messages or read a book then you need to seriously think about how much you really want to lose weight.

By sending text messages or reading on a treadmill you can only run very slowly and your running style will be very poor. Your running improvement will be slow and therefore you’ll burn fewer calories and find it harder to lose weight.

3. Don’t take it too easy

When using a treadmill there’s nothing wrong with distracting yourself from running by watching television or listening to music or the radio.

This can make running seem easier which can help you run longer or faster and therefore burn more calories, but it can also have the opposite effect. It’s easy to become too distracted and slack off during the run.

You may end up really enjoying your television programme and feel quite good about running and watching television at the same time. However, in reality you may have had a poor quality run and done very little to help you lose weight.

The key here is to take running seriously. If it’s just an afterthought or a sideshow while your main priority is watching television then you’re likely to struggle to lose weight and you’ll be wasting your time.

Just to summarise

Always use your natural running style when using a treadmill. This allows you to improve your running ability at the quickest rate and means that you’ll find it easier to burn calories and lose weight.

Also, don’t go into running half hearted. If you’re going to use running to lose weight then give it a proper chance and the respect it deserves…

Running has made a huge difference to thousands upon thousands of people’s lives and it can just as easily do the same for you.

James

In today’s video I ask if it’s good or bad to run in bad weather. I talk about the pluses and minuses as well as asking some important questions that will help you to run in any weather conditions.

So what I’m going to do here is give a good overview of the importance of exercise when losing weight to encourage these people to get started. It will also help to remind all of you who are already exercising to keep going because exercise is very important.

Firstly, I’ll say that a lot of people will try anything they can to lose weight… except exercise.

After all, exercise can feel hard, uncomfortable, and it takes up time that some people just don’t want to commit.

However, if you want to lose weight and you want to get good results with your health, fitness, and body, then exercise is a CRUCIAL part of this.

Remember that there are 2 parts to the weight loss equation which are diet and exercise. If you miss the exercise part then you’re severely limiting the weight loss results you can get.

When losing weight without exercise you also don’t get anywhere near the health and fitness benefits…

Plus you’re very likely to still have a poor body shape rather than a fit and toned looking body. That’s because dieting alone reduces both fat and muscle whereas exercise helps to lose fat while maintaining your muscle.

Another thing to consider is that studies show that people who exercise are more successful at losing weight and keeping it off over the long term. They make exercise part of their life and use it to lose weight as well as making it a lot easier to maintain their weight.

So if you want to get the best from your weight loss, and you want to keep the weight off over the long term, then regular exercise is VERY important.

But you should also remember this…

You still need to do the right type of exercise

There are thousands of different exercises you could do and any exercise is better than no exercise at all. However, the results that you get from these exercises vary significantly.

When choosing an exercise many people try whatever feels the easiest or the most comfortable. So they choose exercises like walking, yoga, and pilates.

While these exercises have their place in an overall fitness plan they are nowhere near as effective for losing weight as other exercises like running, circuit training, and swimming.

So firstly you need to choose an exercise that will help you get good weight loss results…

Then you need to exercise in the right way

In the same way that different exercises have different effects on your weight loss, how you use an exercise has a huge impact on how successful you are.

Some important factors that determine your level of success are…

• How hard you push yourself
• How long you exercise for
• How you put together each training session – For example, one continuous effort, or varying speeds, distances, or repetitions
• How you put everything together as part of a training plan for different days of the week

When you choose the right exercise, and you exercise in the most effective ways, you have a great opportunity to lose weight and keep it off over the long term.

Plus you get to increase your health and fitness the most…

And you get the best looking body that you can due to losing more fat and maintaining your muscle. This muscle also allows you to burn more calories which makes it easier to keep the weight off.

So with all this being said, if you haven’t started running, or doing any exercise yet, then now is the time to start.

Why try to lose weight through diet but miss out on an exercise like running?

Running will not only help you to lose weight but it also provides you with many more benefits that can make a great difference to your life.

For all of you who are already running, if you would like to help encourage people to get started with running or exercise in general, please add your comments below.

James

Here’s where I’ll give you some tips to help you improve your running style and I’ll also show you a video that you may find interesting…

But the first thing I want to say is "Don’t worry too much about your running style".

The reason why I say this is because if your goal is to use running to lose weight then your running style shouldn’t be at the top of your list of priorities.

Other factors will help you much more like being consistent with your running, using the right running methods in the right way, and putting the right amount of time and effort in.

Rather than trying to perfect your running style you’re better off running naturally and focussing on how best you can use running to lose weight. Your running style will improve anyway as you get more practice and lose more weight.

The main time that you need to worry about your running style is when you have some major flaws that are either slowing you down or making it more likely that you’ll become injured.

To make sure that you’re on the right track here are some simple tips to explain what you should be doing…

1. Keep your head up and looking forward

Often people run with their head down while looking only a few metres ahead. This makes it harder to breathe (obviously not good for running), and it tends to pull your upper body forward.

2. Keep your upper body upright

A lot of people wanting to lose weight, hunch over when they run. This again makes it harder to breathe because it constricts your chest. It also places you in an unnatural running position that puts more strain on your back.

3. Let your arms and shoulders relax

Your arms and shoulders should feel loose and relaxed. If your arms are too high up and you have stiff shoulders then you’ll tend to sway your upper body from side to side rather than moving your arms.

The tension in the shoulders not only makes you slower but you’re also more likely to feel aches in your back.

4. Land with your feet underneath your body

If your feet land in front of your body they tend to act more like a brake which slows you down. This also puts more strain on your legs which makes injury more likely to occur.

You don’t need to be perfect

I hope you can see that this isn’t hard or complicated at all. You don’t need to have anywhere near a perfect running style to lose weight and do well with your running.

While good running style can help, even some of the greatest runners of all time have had major flaws in their running style which shows that it’s not essential by any means.

Let’s look at an example….

Paula Radcliffe is the fastest women ever over a marathon.

The video below is from the 10000m final at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. Although she was running with an injury, I’ve seen her run many times and this is her normal running style.

Notice how her head moves up and down and side to side. Also notice how all the other athletes in the race have better running styles, yet it’s Paula who has the fastest marathon time.

This is also quite an emotional video, and although you should never run with an injury I hope it inspires you to keep going and always give running your best.

If some of the greatest runners ever have flaws in their running style then why should you, me, or anybody else in the world be fixated about perfecting our running style?

Yes a good running style can help but your running style is not as important as other factors when helping you lose weight. You can even become an outstanding runner with a very average running style.

Make sure you have the basic running style in place, like I’ve described above…

And then concentrate on improving other areas of your running, enjoying running, and losing weight.

James

Many people that want to lose weight somehow don’t see themselves as being overweight. In other words, they are in denial.

What I talk about in this video is an important step you need to lose the weight that you want, rather than fumbling along for months and years being unhappy about your weight.