Is this effective for weight loss?

[Anonymous]

Instead of running straight 7 miles, after each mile, I paused for 1 minute and drank water. Then continued running. I was able to keep up higher speed this way too. I'm trying to lose 5 pounds. I do strength training as well but I'm so sore from yesterday. I'm lifting heavier

But after having a big breakfast, I feel like its necessary to do cardio. I had two peices of whole wheat toast with half an avocado and two egg whites. Plain almond milk and a banana.

I eat less later in the day. I'll probably have whey protein in water following my run, kale/arugula/spinach, snack on some baby carrots and a little bit of hummus, have a small chicken breast and call it a day.

Updates

+1 y

actually maybe not the chicken.

[dogbert444]

Yes, the pause is the best way to achieve weight loss. Your body will learn to burn calories at the same rate as if it was still running. Eventually, it will learn to keep burning for up to half hour after you have finished, just in case you're going to run again.

I'm not convinced you're eating well. You're not having 3 equally spaced, balanced meals each day. There's an art in eating to lose weight. I've done it, and now maintain a 30-35lb loss over the last 18 months.

[ichot]

What is your pace?

Running a single mile at 7min pace and faster is better than running seven individual mile runs at a 10min pace..

I'd recommend you to focus less on distance/time spent running but rather on the effort/pace.

[ichot]

Okay, better yet. Drop the seven individual miles and just do five or six 100m sprints. SPRINTS not a run. SPRINT.

[Asker]

I really enjoy running long distance though! Sprinting on treadmills is kinda scary. But when it gets nicer I will outside

[ichot]

What is your goal... to lose 5 pounds or training for distance running? These goals aren't mutually exclusive but what you describe doing isn't long distance training... Just interval mile runs. By no means is a mile a 'long distance'. Relative to the average person these days a mile may be significant but that is not the case to an actual long distance runner.

And running on the treadmill is considerably easier than actually running outside... I think you should make a distinction. When the weather permits, go outside and run.

Again, what is your pace?

[ichot]

Okay, you probably aren't trying to become a racer.

Either way the point I was getting at is you need to be exercising with enough intensity to metabolize more of what your body digests. Running at a slow pace is a sure-fire way of wasting your time.

[MaiNameIsSunshine]

It sounds like an efficient technique however you are definitely not eating well, the breakfast is good and nutritious but then eating some vegetables and maybe not a chicken breast sounds like bad news. You can't just starve yourself after that you need three nutritious meals not one and then some veggie snacks.

[SunsetRose]

It's very hard to run and lose weight. A lot of people say you can focus on dieting and put a hold on running or you can run and eat clean but you'll have a hard time with weight loss.

[Asker]

I lost a lot of weight a couple years ago and I think it was because I would run this route outside that I loved in the summer. It was around 8 miles. I also ate very little tho too

[SunsetRose]

Make sure you're getting the proper amount of calories and drinking lots of water :)

[ichot]

"It's very hard to run and lose weight."
Of course, when your typical person's "running" is actually just a jog for a distance or time.

Weight loss isn't difficult when people actually run...