(Just to give you an idea about my background, I have been doing weight training from the age of 14 but i did it for 20 days then went on lay off for 2 month so on and same goes for running...without any supplement)

At that time i didn't have any idea about correct eating and lifting

Now, i learnt about lifting, I did gym for 4 months but couldn't continue because my parent force me to do without protein supplement and i can't complete my daily protein ( i have lots of mik at home but fat coming with the milk is a problem for me). Without adequate protein my body sufferes from soreness as hel*.

I read multiple books on weight training, correct forms and on diet.

But at the end, problem is protein.

So, my question is

Can running help into fat loss ? And please recommend me some books to learn about running from beginner to advanced.

I'm asking this because i learnt from the books and other sources that running alone can't help you in fat loss because it destroy your muscles also along with fat and also, it makes you hungry and you end up eating more calories than you are expected to eat.

My age 19 Weight 73kg Height 166cm

  • 3
    Soreness is unrelated to protein intake. And all foods have some protein, you need to account for all of it not just meat/dairy. – JohnP Aug 21 at 15:58
  • Any source to back your statement? – Aashish Aug 27 at 16:51
  • Yes. High quality and consistent data demonstrated there is no apparent relationship between recovery of muscle function and ratings of muscle soreness and surrogate markers of muscle damage when protein supplements are consumed prior to, during or after a bout of endurance or resistance exercise – JohnP Aug 27 at 17:09

Fat Loss starts in the kitchen, because fat loss is a result of caloric deficit: you need to burn more calories than you eat. Any physical exercise, running included, helps you increasing the amount of calories burnt, but also makes you hungrier.

To reliably lose fat, you need to a) track the calories that you consume via food and drink, b) track the calories you burn via basal metabolic rate and physical exertion, c) make sure that (b) consistently is a larger number than (a). You probably don't know your basal metabolic rate, though. Just take a generic value (2000 kcal/day seems to be appropriate for your body composition), keep track how your weight changes over time and adjust accordingly. This article provides a good guideline on how to do that - and how much fat loss per week is appropriate.

Running is an easy way to increase your caloric expenditure, to stay healthy in general and has a low entry level. This Book is a good introduction to the topic. It helps you laying out a training routine, explains basic technique, helps you choosing the right running shoes for you etc...

(Aerobic) running and weight training are two fundamentally different biochemical processes. The former doesn't itself 'destroy' muscles, but doing one particularly intense session in one discipline will hurt your performance in the other if done in short succession, i.e. you shouldn't do a 1RM Deadlift on the same day or the day after you just did a high-intensity interval run, and vice versa. If you're interested in how endurance and strength sports go together, I can recommend the book The Hybrid Athlete.

Finally, I think you believe you need way more protein than you actually do. While research suggests an amount of 1.3g-1.8g/day/kg of body weight for optimal results, you should consider this an upper boundary; exceeding it doesn't further increase your performance or muscle gains (Here's a discussion of the latest protein intake research). On the other hand, even if you are below this number, you will still reap the benefit of workouts. A balanced vegetarian diet should easily provide enough protein to overcompensate your training without the need for supplements. If not, ask your parents to get a pound of Skyr everyday, and eat it - done. If you feel sore after 4 months of weight training, that suggests poor form, poor programming or malnutrition. Consider getting a personal trainer and make sure your average caloric deficit isn't too high.

  • Sorry i forget to add i eat vegetarian diet and i have to eat what is made at home for everyone. So, i'm also not allowed to buy high protein and low fat food like tofu,low fat milk etc. That's why i'm unable to hit the protein needs ( i consider .8g to 1g of protein per pound of the body weight this is what i got from everybook i read on weightlifting and from other sources too). – Aashish Aug 21 at 15:54
  • Calculator suggests 1750 for the poster (assuming male and lightly active, 1-3 days a week) – JohnP Aug 21 at 16:00
  • Not allowed to buy Due to financial conditons – Aashish Aug 22 at 2:42
  • I deleted my last comment as I lowballed science's take on optimal protein consumption. Will edit my answer accordingly. – UnbescholtenerBuerger Aug 22 at 6:24
  • I went through your answer and links. So, if someone with same height/weight/age as of mine is training with weights or running in 300-400 calorie deficite how much protein intake would you recommend to avoid muscle loss? – Aashish Aug 22 at 10:37

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