One of the questions I hear all the time as a running coach is: “How much should I run if I want to drop weight?”
I get it.
I was that guy in his early 20s pushing 200 pounds, wheezing through short jogs, and hoping running would be the magic fix.
Back then, I had no clue what I was doing. Just tied my shoes and hoped for the best.
But here’s what I learned: running can absolutely help you lose weight, but it’s not just about piling on the miles. It’s about being consistent, eating smart, and trusting the process.
Fast-forward 14+ years, and I’ve lost over 50 pounds.
It didn’t happen overnight, but I picked up a lot of hard-earned lessons along the way. If you want to lose weight through running, I’ll walk (or run) you through what actually works—without the BS.
Why Running Helps With Weight Loss
Let’s break it down: You lose weight when you burn more calories than you eat.
Simple.
That’s called a calorie deficit.
Running just happens to be a great way to create one.
On average, you burn around 100 calories per mile if you’re a mid-weight person (shoutout to VeryWellFit).
So a 3-mile run? That’s 300 calories down.
If you weigh more, like I did when I started at around 200 lbs, you’ll burn even more. Your body’s working harder to move the extra weight. Built-in bonus.
But here’s the catch: you might also get extra hungry. That muffin you eat post-run might cancel out the calories you just burned.
I’ve seen it happen. Hell, I’ve done it.
I believe that it takes an hour to burn what takes two minutes to eat.
Truth bomb.
A lot of folks actually gain weight when they start running because they overcompensate with food.
Bottom line?
Running can burn fat, but it won’t fix your diet. You gotta do both. Think of running as your fat-burning engine and food as your fuel. The right mix matters.
So, How Much Should You Run?
Let’s be real: it depends.
But if you’re new and want a starting point, go for 3 days a week.
That’s what worked for me early on. It gave my body time to rest, recover, and still burn a decent amount of calories.
Even 2 days is fine to start.
Just build the habit.
Each session?
Shoot for 20–30 minutes.
Walk/run intervals totally count.
I used to do 3 minutes jogging, 2 minutes walking, and repeat.
That added up to 2 or 3 miles. And yeah, I took breaks.
Nobody cares how fast you go.
What matters is you showed up.
Once you’re consistent, you can add more time or days.
A good long-term target is 150–250 minutes of moderate cardio each week. That might look like 4 or 5 days of 30 to 50 minutes.
The American College of Sports Medicine even says more than 250 minutes a week can lead to bigger weight loss.
But don’t get overwhelmed. That includes everything—running, walking, biking, even dancing around your kitchen.
Mix it up.
In terms of mileage?
15–20 miles a week is a solid range for fat loss.
Just don’t jump into that right away. Add a mile or two per week, max.
Time or Distance—Which One Should You Track?
Both work.
Early on, I say go by time.
It feels less intimidating.
Promise yourself 20 minutes of movement. Doesn’t matter how far you go. Later, you can aim for distances.
Calories burned = time spent being active. That’s what matters. Over time, your pace will naturally get faster, and you’ll go farther in the same amount of time.
Consistency Wins
You want results?
Run consistently.
Running for 30 minutes, 3–4 times a week beats a single monster run every Sunday.
Your body adapts to repetition so please build the habit first. Run short, run easy, but run often. That’s how you avoid injuries and stay in the game.
Eventually, you’ll stack those runs into real mileage. And that’s when the magic starts to happen.
A Realistic Running Plan for Weight Loss
So what does a smart plan look like?
Start small:
Run 2–3 times a week, even if it’s just 15–20 minutes of run/walk intervals.
That’s how I started, wheezing through jogs and catching my breath on lamp posts.
The trick is to build the habit, not win a medal on Day One.
Once you feel comfortable, bump it up to 3–4 runs per week, around 20–30 minutes each.
That’s when momentum kicks in. You’ll start seeing changes in your endurance, your mood, and the scale—slowly but surely.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 150–250 minutes of moderate activity per week to help with modest weight loss. That might sound like a lot, but it adds up quick—like 4 runs a week plus a long weekend walk.
In terms of mileage, a good target is 15–20 miles per week once you’re fully rolling. That might take a couple of months to build toward—and that’s okay.
I still remember the first time I hit 15 miles in a week. I was gassed, my legs were toast, but I felt unstoppable. That week lit a fire under me.
Minutes or Miles?
This one’s common: Should you focus on time or distance?
Honestly, both work.
Early on, I suggest going by minutes—say, a 20-minute jog. T
hat way, you’re not stressing about pace. You just show up, move, and put in the time. As your fitness improves, distance naturally increases.
Eventually, you’ll start caring about miles too—but don’t obsess. Whether you run 1 mile or 3 miles in 30 minutes, you’re building momentum. And that’s what matters.
Build the Habit First
Don’t overdo it.
Don’t aim for 10 miles a day right out of the gate.
That’s how you burn out or get injured. Instead, build consistency.
One runner on Reddit nailed it: “Run 4–5 times a week, even if it’s short and easy. Just show up.” And that’s what I tell my athletes too. It’s not about perfection—it’s about getting your feet moving again and again.
Walk when you need to. Breathe. Build slowly. The results will come.
Training Smart
Running is simple: one foot in front of the other.
But if you want to lose weight and stay injury-free, there are a few smart moves that can make a huge difference.
These are the same strategies I used when I started from zero.
Trust me, I made all the rookie mistakes so you don’t have to.
Start Slow with Run/Walk
If you’re just getting into running (or coming back after a long break), start with a run/walk combo. I used to think walk breaks were cheating.
Now? I swear by them.
Back when I was starting out, I’d jog for 1 minute and walk for 1 minute.
That was it. No shame in that.
Over time, I built it up to 2 minutes running, then 5, then 10. Eventually, I could run 30 minutes straight—something that once felt impossible.
Run/walk training helps you go longer, stay injury-free, and actually enjoy the process. More time on your feet usually means more calories burned. Doesn’t matter if you walk some of it.
You can also check out my couch to 5K plan for more details.
Build Mileage Gradually
The temptation to go all in is real.
I once jumped from 0 to running 6 days a week and ended up sidelined with shin splints. Learn from my mistake.
Stick to the 10% rule: don’t increase your weekly mileage by more than 10%. If you ran 10 miles last week, do 11 next week—not 15.
Soreness is normal at first, but if it turns into sharp pain, back off. Rest, cross-train, or just take the day off.
So please don’t get injured chasing progress. You can’t burn calories if you’re stuck on the couch nursing an overuse injury.
Mix Up Your Intensity
Once you’ve got a few weeks of consistent running under your belt, it’s time to spice things up. Intervals and hill runs are calorie-burning gold.
A simple interval workout: run hard for 30 seconds, jog or walk for 1 minute.
Do that 8 times. Done right, this will skyrocket your heart rate and keep your body burning calories even after you stop.
Hill sprints? Brutal. But effective.
Find a hill, charge up it, walk back down, and repeat. These workouts build strength and torch calories. I used to dread them, but they made me a better runner, no question.
Studies back this up: short bursts of intense effort improve metabolism and break plateaus.
Limit these hard sessions to once or twice a week max. Too many and you’ll burn out or get hurt. Easy runs still matter.
Add Strength Training and Cross-Training
This one changed everything for me.
I used to only run. But once I added two 20-minute strength sessions per week—squats, lunges, push-ups, that sort of thing—I noticed big changes.
More muscle = more calories burned at rest.
Plus, strength training helped fix my form and ease joint pain. Some experts even argue that strength workouts and HIIT can be more effective for fat loss than running alone.
Cross-training counts too.
I’d go for long walks, bike rides, even jump rope sessions on my off days. It’s all about staying active without constantly pounding your joints.
Respect Rest Days and Sleep
I used to feel guilty about rest days.
Now, I treat them like gold.
You don’t get fitter while running. You get fitter while recovering.
At least 1–2 full rest days per week, no exceptions.
And sleep? If you’re skimping on it, your body pays the price. I noticed that when I slept poorly, I craved junk and my runs felt like crap.
Getting 7–8 hours of sleep a night helped me train harder, eat better, and lose weight steadily. Don’t skip this part.
Hydrate and Cut the Liquid Calories
Water matters more than you think. I used to crush sugary drinks all day. Once I cut those and stuck with water, tea, and black coffee, the scale started moving.
Hydration keeps your energy up and your performance steady. And it keeps you from mistaking thirst for hunger. That alone can save you hundreds of calories a day.
Final Thoughts
Weight loss through running isn’t about smashing every workout.
It’s about stacking wins over time. I dropped 1–2 pounds per week by sticking to the basics: run/walk, strength train, rest smart, eat right. A few months later and you already lost 25 pounds or even more.
And don’t do it alone.
In my early days, I had a friend who ran with me twice a week. We were both beginners, but we kept each other going. Accountability changes everything.
So… what’s your goal?
What’s your current mile time?
What’s your next step?
Drop it in the comments or tell a friend. This journey’s better when we do it together.