While losing weight may require some effort, the math behind it is pretty easy. In order to shed pounds, you need to burn more calories—or take in fewer calories—than your body uses in a day. Your goal is to create a calorie deficit.
There are three ways to go about creating this deficit:
1. You can eat less.
2. You can exercise more.
3. You can do both at the same time: Eat less and exercise more.
RYBO is focused on weight-loss strategy number three: Eat less while you exercise more.
But the workouts to get you to your weight-loss goals aren't supposed to be grueling—far from it. RYBO's plan, developed by Runner's World coach Budd Coates and tested by hundreds of beginning runners over the years, uses a gentle buildup. It starts with walking only, building up to 30 minutes at a time.
The plan then includes some running. One minute at first. When you're ready, two minutes. Then three, five, seven minutes. At a rate you determine, those 30 minutes of walking morph into 30 minutes of nonstop running.
The plan is presented in 12 stages. And with each stage of running, RYBO offers a nutrition lesson so you can educate yourself about the calories you're taking in and change your unhealthy habits. By doing some analysis of what you eat, when you eat, and how fast you gulp it down, you can pinpoint your dietary pitfalls—and learn to avoid them. Leslie Bonci, a renowned sports dietician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, takes you through this self-guided study of your diet. As you learn, you'll eat healthier, without a constant, nagging, negative sense of denial.
So that's the strategy: Walk. Run a little. Then run a little more. Eat better. On this site you'll find the stories of other people who are doing the same thing—learning to run and shedding pounds. You'll find calculators that will help educate you about the calories your body needs in a day and how much you burn with your running. We'll list races that are beginner-friendly and healthy recipe suggestions. And we'll answer the common questions that crop up among beginners, so you won't feel alone as you get started.
Visit us often, and happy running!