to think that by week 8 of c25k I should be a slinky size 14 not a....

[bellatrixrocks]

still quite wobbly 16/18????!?!!

I'm going to have to stop eating cake aren't I ?.......

What's c25k?

It depends what size you were starting from!

Don't stop eating cake! - limit the portion and be more careful with the rest of what you eat so that it fits within a decent calorie level

Have you lost weight so far or maintaining?

also well done making it to week 8, that's fab!

couch to 5 k - sorry, it's a running thing!
I can run / jog for 30 minutes now, been working my way up from zero fitness for 8 weeks

I was a big size 18 (14 stone ish)

I am definitely much fitter but still FAT!

Are you mad?!! You are doing really really well!!

I think going down a size in 8 weeks is really good going

well, weight loss is at least 80% food and 20% exercise. In fact many argue it could be much more like 95% food and 5% exercise.
Loosing weight from exercise alone is really difficult.
You will be toning the muscles under the fat though, and getting fitter, which is a good thing. But if you want to lose weight, then you have to eat less cals than you use..

yes you have to stop eating cake. Half an hour of jogging only burns a few hundred kcal, depending on your weight. caloriecount.about.com/calories-burned-jogging-a336

You need to do a bit of both I am afraid (ie diet and exercise..) Cut down a bit and maybe add a bit of muscle toning stuff as well? This will tne muscle and hence burn more fat and calories. And well done on where you have got to say far.

ah.. you see I thought I would start running & all the fat would just melt away! (I know I'm stupid!)

It's been great - I love it!

Going to have to focus on diet now aren't I...
any tips for a cheese loving almost vegetarian?

Protein. More of it. Cut down processed carbs and stick to complex carbs. Weigh everything as portion size is key. Porridge is your friend. Stick to smaller pieces of strong flavoured cheese.

I was having almost an identical debate with myself this morning Bella - I'm going to add in swimming on 2 non-running days.

I'm eating really healthily and watching my portion sizes, drinking lots of water and have cut out booze during the week but it's just not doing anything - yes I'm fitter but I'm not losing weight, which is frustrating!

I'm doing c25k too, love it. Well done on completing it!

I 'add in' Jillian Michaels 'shred'

no sorry - there is a rule of thumb that losing weight is 20% exercise, 80% what you eat - it seems to hold true for me..

Did C25k last autumn - definitely got thinner legs. Did Weight watchers this spring (while still doing 5k 2 or 3 times a weeks) lost 1.5st in 12 weeks!!

I'm afraid 5k a few times a week isn't enough on it's own I fear (I think you would stuggle to burn even 1 glass of wine off tbh) - however, it makes losing weight when you eat a bit less that much easier!!

If you've gone from a big 18 to a 16-18 you've gone down nearly one dress size. That's doing pretty well in my book!

You're looking at a lifestyle change really, to change shape - if you keep on with the running as a way of life you will tone up and change shape but it takes time.

Make good food choices, lots of protein, not too much rubbish. Don't stop eating cake!

thanks for the replies!
I try to have porridge or wholemeal toast for breakfast so thats good.

Oh well done baroness atm I jut can't face a swimming costume but you're right swimming is good

I've got the shred, done it a couple of times so I'll dust that off & get shredding again

thats brilliant raffis! well done! I've tried ww 3 times since dd was born (she's 2 now) I've still got all the stuff so could try that again

I will get there, I'm really determined this time!
I would love to be a topshop size 14 but would settle for an m&s 14!!

I wouldn't worry re: calories; as you get fitter and do more and more exercise it starts to drop off. Sorry, I know that's not the popular view but as you're clearly losing weight already and doing exercise generally makes you want to eat healthier/less anyway (as you can't eat for awhile beforehand to avoid stitches, etc) so I think you'll probably adapt naturally. Cutting out cake might help because of the sugars but tbh I'd just make sure you're getting some protein and sod the rest.

That's really good progress on the running! It took me five months to get to running 30 minutes continuously and a month off has knocked me right back immediately. (When I read the title I thought you meant 8 weeks of running 25k a week and was thinking 'crikey, I am slacking off a lot these days.' Quite selfishly relieved it turned out to be an acronym!)

oh no osmiornica that sucks!
were you still eating lots of cake too?

life isn't really worth living if I can't have cake!

You've lost nearly a dress size in 8 weeks without dieting? That is fantastic!

You're doing brilliantly.

You have to lose a lot more weight to go down a dress size if your dress size was big to start with.

I lost 2 stone and went down on full dress size (was gutted lol) I've lost another stone and gone down a dress size, I am assuming that the next half stone will see me shed another dress size? Or thereabouts.

bella you need to give it far longer than 8 weeks, especially if this is a change forever, its a long haul process. You're doing absolutely perfectly.

Also you started at the top end of 18, so closer to a 20. You're now into 16/18. That is excellent in 8 weeks.

You've done really, really well

aim for around 1lb a week loss, just keep up the exercise and be sensible with food , it will come off eventually.

Look at it as a lifestyle change, a healthier life rather than trying to lose weight. Cake can easily be part of that - in moderation!

I have a year long plan, in which I hope my changes will become habits. I'm in it for the long haul, because if I go back to crap habits again i will be back here again next year with a few more pounds on top of what i was, and cursing myself for not keeping it up. That's a horrible feeling and I know i have to avoid that at all costs, for my health as well as self esteem.

Give yourself a big pat on the back and keep up the great work :o

Have a look at the exercise only thread on this board for some more good advice.

The problem is that you really have to go some to lose weight through exercise only. My 30 min runs burn around 400 cals. That's a flapjack. it's best to combine careful eating with exercise for good results.

a pound of fat weights same as pound of muscle (obviously) but it takes up less space in your body. so you get leaner but the scales stay the same. so diet is important but well done on the exercise - i couldnt run for a bus to save my life!

I did the C25K last year I also cut out most carbs and increased the protein for a while too, lost almost 2 stone.

I did the shred too, I didn't lose so much weight doing that, but by god it toned me up. I lost loads of inches.

1 dress size must be about a stone in weight though isn't it, that's great for 8 weeks.

Have you used My Fitness Pal to log what you eat, there's great support there. It might be useful to see if you are going over on your calories. You can eat what you like you just have to log it.

It's a marathon not a sprint :)

You put the wight on slowly, it'll come off slowly.

Think long term lifestyle changes, not crash results.

(but oh god, how nice would crash results be!)

Running alone may not lose the weight, but it certainly makes you more toned.

I did C25K last year, but combined it with low carbing, and this certainly did the trick. No cake, though (but cheese is fine).