6 week training plan and helpful tips

Want to shed a few stubborn pounds before summer but don't know how? Then try jogging. Running is a very effective method of losing weight.

Besides, jogging is also one of the cheapest sports for fat loss. All you need is you, sensible running shoes, and some motivation. This comes naturally after the first few runs.

In this article, you'll learn exactly why jogging weight loss works so well. In addition, you will receive a 6-week training plan at the start, which will optimally support you in building up your condition so that you can achieve the best possible results.

How does jogging lose weight?

One thing to keep in mind when losing weight is this: Losing weight works through a calorie deficit. Quite simply, this means that you need to use more energy than you consume. So either you save calories while eating or you move more and thus increase your energy consumption.

This is exactly where jogging comes in, because it offers you a very good opportunity to increase your calorie consumption. When losing weight, it is definitely cheaper to achieve a deficit through increased exercise. Finally, you should be eating a certain number of calories to provide your body with enough nutrients to keep you fit and healthy.

A high deficit, which enables you to lose weight more quickly, can best be achieved through exercise or sport. Jogging is particularly good for this.

Tip: If you're just getting started with running, check out our comprehensive guide with tips for beginners.

How jogging helps you lose weight

Now let's take a closer look at why jogging is so great for losing weight. In addition to the calorie deficit, which makes it easier for you to reach, there are a few other reasons that we will now examine in detail.

Jogging uses more calories than most other sports

We have already discussed that jogging mainly helps to reach the calorie deficit. In fact, jogging uses up more calories than many other sports.

One of the main reasons for this is that many different muscle groups are used simultaneously when running. ( 1 ) If you do longer runs in which you use your muscles more, you consume an enormous amount of calories.

For example, a person weighing 70 kilograms consumes around 700 calories when jogging at 10 km / h for one hour. ( 2 ) That's quite a lot, especially when you consider that it takes around 7,000 calories to burn to lose 1 pound of body fat. So running can really help you lose weight relatively quickly.

Fast runs dampen the appetite

Losing weight is often made difficult by stubborn appetite. Sometimes you have the feeling that you can only eat all the time. Running can help here.

Appetite, hunger, and satiety also have something to do with the hormones ghrelin and PYY (peptide hormone YY). An increased release of ghrelin leads to increased hunger and appetite, while PYY has a satiating effect. These two hormones can be positively influenced by jogging. ( 3 )

It is not entirely clear how this mechanism works. However, it has been found in scientific studies that endurance sports such as running can lower the ghrelin levels in the blood and raise the PYY levels. This means that by running you may feel less hungry. This effect occurs especially during intensive training, i.e. when you run fast and really work out. ( 4 )

However, more research needs to be done to identify a clear link between exercise and lowering the feeling of hunger. It must also be said that this effect is not the same for everyone. Some even feel more hungry after exercising.

But if it works for you, so much the better. With less appetite, you will find it much easier to reach your target calorie deficit.

Tip: Take a look at our list of food against cravings that will make it easier for you to lose weight without being hungry.

Even after jogging, the calorie consumption remains increased

Running consumes some calories during the activity, as you saw earlier. Another positive effect is that calorie consumption remains increased for a while even afterward. This also occurs mainly in more intensive runs such as sprints, interval training, or mountain runs.

This is because the muscles have to work hard and, to put it simply, continue to need the energy to recover after the exercise.

Maybe you know the term afterburn effect. This is exactly that phenomenon. It has already been proven in several studies that this effect actually exists and that you consume more energy hours later after such stress. ( 5 )

Challenging runs pay off twice. Of course, they are only suitable for advanced users. At the same time, however, you have to consider that even easy jogging is an unfamiliar burden for beginners and therefore stresses the body very well.

Jogging helps in getting rid of belly fat

The belly fat is often particularly stubborn and doesn't really want to go away. Jogging can help with this too.

There are already a number of studies that have found a connection between the loss of belly fat with regular moderate to intensive endurance training such as running. ( 6, 7 )

In these studies, a reduction in abdominal girth was found purely through regular endurance sports without changing eating habits. So if you want to lose waist size, jogging can be very helpful.

Tip: Our comprehensive guide shows you how to get rid of belly fat.