If losing weight were ridiculously easy, we would all do it – and the weight-loss industry would be bankrupt.  But, it isn’t, which is why millions struggle with it every year .

Fortunately, this is not a foregone conclusion.  While losing weight isn’t absurdly easy, it doesn’t have to be absurdly difficult either.  In fact, you can lose weight at a reasonable pace without any really complicated plans or routines. All you need to do is learn the basic fundamentals of running for weight loss and you’re on your way.

Here are the keys to losing weight with treadmill workouts . 

Your body needs energy – but too much is a bad thing.

Energy powers your body, but if your body takes in too much energy – calories – then it will store it as fat.  This happens either through overeating or not exercising.  That is why running is important – it burns calories. 

You must create a caloric deficit in order to shed pounds.

When your body has enough calories to run itself, then you will likely maintain your weight.  If you are overweight, your body has a lot of excess energy stored as fat.  Think of fat as a savings account (except a bad one).  You need to take out more fat than you put in – which means burning more calories than you consume.  That is a caloric deficit. 

Running for weight loss is all about numbers.

First off, you need to know a little about target heart rates in order to effectively lose weight on the treadmill .  Most treadmills come with a built-in heart rate analyzer.  If you input your age and weight, and also run long enough for the machine to evaluate your heart beat, then the machine can determine your most effective range for your heart rate to be at while you run.  

For example, a 23-year-old female needs to run so that her target heart rate is somewhere between 160 and 178 beats per minute to lose weight.  The easiest way to figure this up is to let the machine do it for you. That is a wonderful thing about treadmills. 

Don’t overdo it – or not do it enough.

Do you have to run six days a week in order to lose weight? No, but you can’t get by just twice a week either.  You will need to run at least three days.  I recommend running four if you want to shed pounds – with five days not out of the question for faster results .