Honestly, running/jogging/etc by itself isn't necessarily going to cause a major weight loss, regardless of how you do it unless you're going from doing absolutely nothing to doing a lot of activity. In which case, you'll probably drop some to start off with and then plateau. If you're looking for weight loss, the biggest thing is to start doing some activity (ANY activity) and do that in conjunction with some sort of nutritional change. Not necessarily a diet, unless you need one, but eating better/more healthily. A few years ago, I started running with a friend but was never able to lose any weight. Last year, I started running again, but also changed my diet significantly and the weight melted off. The problem with running to lose weight is that as your mileage creeps up, you start getting hungry and it's really easy to end up eating more than you burned off! It seems like the latest research is showing that a combination program that includes both cardio (so, running) AND some sort of strength training/weight lifting gives you the biggest improvement in health along with weight loss.
That said, the other benefits of running are fantastic. The cardiovascular workout is great, and I always feel good for the rest of the day after I run. If you improve your overall health, regardless of whether or not you're losing weight, that's a good thing, right?!
