I started running regularly in March 2017, about 10 months into my weight loss journey. Up to that point, I had already lost about 75 pounds, mostly through changing my diet and partly by going to the gym regularly (stationary bikes ftw). But I was always afraid of running, in part because it puts a lot of stress on your joints (especially if you're carrying excess weight), but mostly because I was afraid of being judged or sneered at while running around the streets of my city.
I did my first 5K that March after using the Couch to 5K app (cannot recommend highly enough for first-time runners!) That first spring/summer, I did maybe 5 or 6 more 5K/10K races, and began training for my first half marathon, which I ran in October 2017. Since then, I've done two more half marathons (March and September of 2018) and last week I ran my first-ever full marathon!
I'm not here to dispute the science, which clearly shows that dieting is far more important for statistical weight loss than exercise. But I will say, finding a regular exercise routine that challenges you and allows you to measure your progress is just as important to the psychology behind weight loss as what you eat. During weeks when the scale wasn't moving at all, I could still see my mile times slowly tick down as I ran more and more. That little added metric helped keep me motivated. Plus, yes, as exercise goes, running is one of the best ways to burn calories! Nothing like being able to honestly justify an extra slice of pizza or a few scoops of ice cream after a 10-mile training run.
tl;dr: I started running about 18 months ago to compliment my weight loss journey, and last weekend I ran my first full marathon!
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