to think not many people can go from 25st to running a marathon, and Im stupid to believe I might be one of them

[elisadoeslittle]

You read about these transformations, where someone has gone from say 25st down to 10st and is now running every day/swimming/eating healthily and basically looking great.

Well. I would love to be one of those people. Im 16st and have always been terrible at sports. I was always picked last on the team at school. And while I can lose weight by dieting (ive been up and down over the years) I just cant exercise without giving up.

AIBU to think that those people who do manage to go from no exercise to running marathons probably are in a very small minority? And that Weight Watcher Magazine probably exaggerates the amount of exercise they do? If anyone here has done it please chirp up because it might will me along!

Purple though I agree with much of what you say, the people in Slimming World's magazine are often those who've lost between one and two stone, they don't just put the dramatic stories in there... just had to say!

Can anyone suggest if there's anything I can do in the office.i don't share an office with anyone -in fact the building is almost empty.But I feel I'm being stagnant for 6.5 hours a day

This guy did.
As someone above pointed out, it's important to find an activity you love. Don't be afraid to try some different things out, just because you are larger than normal.

I agree that keeping the weight off is the hardest bit for most people. I think you need to look at a lifestyle change rather than following a diet.

I reckon that it's do-able. I'm in week 2 of the Couch to 5K and already managed to achieve a 5K run/walk using a podcast I downloaded from itunes. Great music and a little bleep to tell you when to walk and when to run.

I'm trying to lose the 1.5 stone I've gained since DS was born - and I did no exercise before then at all, so it's been a real mental challenge to make myself get out in the evenings when DP comes home. I've also used a run mapping website that has the option of posting on FB what you've achieved - I've signed up for a half marathon in 6 months with a group of friends, so we're using this as a tool to motivate ourselves and each other as we live in 4 corners of the country and it's a nice way to keep in touch about how our training is coming along, even though we never train together in person.

You can do it, of course you can. But you have to find something you love. That may or may not be marathon running, but your 'thing' is out there. For me it's cycling, I love being outdoors and moving fast. But I can't run to save myself.

You can do this! I am absolutely crap at sports, but I can run. I weigh about the same as you, and in the past I was running 10Ks fairly easily. That seems like a dream to me now, I fell off the wagon and am slowly climbing back on. Not sure I could ever stretch to a marathon, not due to lack of ability but due to lack of time - I just don't have the time to run for an hour or two, three times a week, for training. 5K is usually between 30-40 minutes for me, I can manage that easily three times a week. :)

Losing weight and exercising are things that you should do at the same time, IMO, and one will encourage the other. The running gets easier the less weight you have to carry around with you, and because you want the running to be easier, you tend to eat better and be motivated to lose the weight.

Couch to 5K is an excellent program. And if you can join some kind of organized group or talk someone into doing it with you, all the better. There were days I didn't want to run because it was chucking it down or -20C and blizzard-like (live in Canada) but knowing someone was waiting for me made me get out the door, and I felt so much better for it when I got home.

Good luck!

I went from being the kid who did anything to get out of PE at school to someone who has done 2 marathons and having applied for London Marathon in April. My first marathon was when I was 25 so it wasn't quick. The key for me was doing it at my own pace. I am not fast. I will never be fast but I can do distance. My proudest moment was finishing the Great North Run the first time. I honestly wasn't sure I could do 13.1 miles. Once I'd done that, I knew I could do anything so weirdly doing the marathon was straightforward after that.

The key for me is making exercise a priority and believing it is important. Once you decide it is important you will find time for it. I'm not doing great at the moment because DD2 is only 3mo so sleep is more of a priority but I'm still doing 3-4 sessions a week (swimming or running). Don't ask about the state of my house!

I'm 16st and just about to run my first 5k race. I started off at 18st+ in Jan and just dieted to start with. Then started going to the gym regularly and a few weeks ago decided to see if I could do a run and I managed 5k albeit very slowly.

I never dreamt that I would enjoy running. Didn't figure I was the body shape for it, and my knees aren't the best, but I'm finding it more fun than I thought.