Can overweight middle age women actually start running?

[SweatyTulip]

Please help. I'm desperate to lose weight and get fitter. I'm 45 and a size 18. I really want to start running but I'm scared. I've never run before. I walk daily, but that's clearly not helping my weight as I haven't lost any, despite 10,000 daily steps. Can I actually do this? Has anyone else been in a similar position and successfully started running? Please send motivation and support. I've downloaded the couch to 5k app.....

You absolutely can and it will probably have an impact on fitness, weight and shape. But an even bigger impact on your health, enjoyment and sense of achievement. (Strength training helps weight and shape even more).

As others have said you definitely can start running but coupling it with a healthy eating plan would be even more effective if you want to lose weight as well.

At age 37 and a size 20 I started jeffing (essentially c25k). Two months after I started I'd dropped to a size 16 which is when I also started calorie counting, then I went from a size 16 to 6/8 in 6 months. Stayed that way for 3 years then went up to a 10/12 due to meningitis and thyroid issues. I still run and calorie counting but to maintain now, am 44.

parkrun is attended by a whole range of people, of massively varying fitness levels. I am a real advocate of it, as it got me into running and has had a huge positive impact on my life, as well as my husband's. Please don't wait until you think you can run it all to attend for the first time. There are loads of people that walk it. You could even volunteer the first time, just to see what it's all about. Do it, you won't regret it!

I started c25k in August 2020, when my "daily walks" made me realise I couldn't walk 200m up a hill without being out of breath!
I was 46.

Now I run 5k 3 times a week- I'm hundreds of times fitter. I'd probably never describe myself as a runner, but I do run!

As people say upthread- good sports bra, decent running shoes, c25k podcast, and go.

Changed my life

And there is a c25k support thread on here which is hugely helpful, very friendly, and really supportive on those tougher weeks.

The posters on there are just fab.

I wasn't overweight but I was a recovering alcoholic, still smoking a bit and extremely depressed when I decided to try running. The first day I went off in an ancient pair of trainers, completely the wrong outfit and couldn't do more than about 100 metres! 8 years on, aged nearer 60 than 50, I've persevered, done c25k at least twice and am doing my first half marathon in a couple of weeks. It's definitely more mental than physical once you've mastered the actual 'running' bit, but worth every sob once you hit a target whether it's a mile or 10 miles
Eating naturally becomes more healthy too as you want to stay feeling well. Go for it!

I think c25k is a great idea but do try to protect your joints - make sure you have good trainers, run on grass not pavements and if you feel a twinge switch to fast walking. I did c25k on very little fitness, it was great but I then did my knee in (probably because I just didn’t have the muscles to support it properly) and it took a long time to get better.

As pp have said, most of weight loss is about what you eat. Exercise is great for fitness and mood but I wouldn’t expect it to do much for weight loss by itself.

You absolutely can! I’m 49, and was just judging into a size 18 in June. Started C25k along with Michael Mosely’s F800. I ran my first 5k all the way this last Friday.

I ran early in the morning and just ran laps around the local park. Grass and trails can really help your knees. What had really surprised me is how much stronger my knees have become - on Friday I ran down a flight of steps that I’d winced myself down at the start.

You can walk parkrun. There's always a tail walker or two (often with small kids) who stay at the very back.

OP i would be a bit wary and maybe try to lose some weight first. it does put a lot of stress on joints if you're overweight. also on pelvic floor area, can weaken this significantly if you're overweight and it's not in great shape to begin with. I would do something less "load bearing" to start with to try to lose, then when you've lost a bit of weight then start to minimise injury.

Yes. I started around that age because young ds wanted to do a 7k fun run and I didn't think he should do it alone. I did couch to 5k. The first time I did parkrun I was 91st out of 91 runners. Tbh I'm still immensely slow and couldn't care less. I don't do events much and I do stick mostly to soft ground. I definitely lose more weight when I run regularly but am on a calorie counting thing so it's not the main thing.

Ooh this is the motivation I need. I'm a few years younger than you and a size 16. Did my first ever boot camp class over the weekend, and am still sore today! I haven't done any exercise since before DC (my youngest is 4 ) and I completely overdid it, but now realise I need to do something to get fitter, as my knees were creaking and I was so out of breath.

This sounds like a perfect start. I also want to break the generational cycle of carrying weight, so will be getting my DC involved in park run as well as me.

Downloading C25k app now!

You need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. The issue with relying on starting running in order to achieve this is it will have to be in addition to what you already do.
Let’s say you eat 2000 calories a day, but by walking 10k steps a day you are only using 2000 calories a day - you will stay at the same weight.
Let’s say that each C25k session uses an extra 300 calories, it’s three times a week so that’s an average of 900/7 = 129 calories per day.
If you do this ON TOP of exactly the same thing as you were doing before, then you will be eating 2000 calories but using 2129 so this deficit will allow you to lose weight.
The problem is that you may unlikely to be able to continue with walking 10K steps a day, especially as running when overweight puts a lot of extra strain on your joints and bones. Some people also eat more as they feel like they deserve it after a run. I’m sure you can see therefore that they will no longer be in the desired calorie deficit.
Controlling your diet is a more effective way of losing weight. It can be done by upping your exercise but you need to ensure that you are actually moving more.
You may really take to running, but I would suggest it would be better for both your joints and your goals if you took up some low impact weight lifting type exercise instead.

Well, thank you everyone for the encouragement. I took the bold step of telling DH I was planning this last night, and he was v proud and supportive. I got up this morning, had 2 slices of toast for breakfast (yes, I know, carbs, but I need some fuel, right?), put on my "running gear" (to be improved in due course), as sat at my desk and worked all morning! BUT - I've just got back from my first run 🤩. I did every run (8 x 1 mins) and I'm alive to tell the tale. Quick shower, bowl of muesli with a chopped up banana for lunch, and back to my desk. I'm proud of myself. Does this sound like a good start?

Sounds fab - well done!!

Well done OP hopefully it will be the first of many.
I would say though that your diet does sound massively a bit carb heavy .

Excellent start!

Don't forget to have a rest day tomorrow... you Could go for a walk etc but leave running till at least Wednesday.

You'll probably find it feels easier fairly quickly and you want to do more but while It takes around 6 weeks for your cardio system to adapt to stresses and to improve, your joints take more like 12 weeks so don't push too hard too quickly

Yes, you absolutely can start running. If you can, find a local group or club who are doing a Couch to 5K programme, or a local running coach to help you - it will be so much easier to make progress if you commit to turning up somewhere at a certain time. Get yourself a comfortable sports bra and trainers, and build up very gradually. You want to be running at a really easy effort.

On thing to bear in mind is if you are menopausal, running alone might not bring the weight loss you desire. You might want to think about doing some weights work too - that will be more effective for weight loss and will help your running too.

I think it’s definitely possible but you probably need to be careful about it - do you do any other exercise already apart from the walking? If you’re muscles aren’t particularly strong then it can potentially cause damage to your joints. If weight loss is the goal there are probably better ways to start to avoid those kinds of problems - spinning/cycling or swimming. I’m sorry to hear the walking hasn’t helped with the weight loss but I’m sure it’s still doing a world of good in other ways so I wouldn’t give that up!

Oh I missed your update, that’s amazing OP!

Sounds like you are off to a great start. Well done! I came on to suggest you try Nordic walking first to get your fitness up a bit and protect your knees but you are already off and running!

Not wanting to pinch at you because that's a great start but... toast, muesli and banana?? Would you not consider dialling up the protein and veg, at least for one of those meals?

Excellent start @SweatyTulip!

Just stick with it - go as slowly as you need but don’t stop.

Make sure you have good running shoes and a sports bra.

Well done OP - that's a great start! And yes, you can do this. I'm a member of a women's running group and we have members of all ages and all sizes and all have completed C25k and become regular runners. Follow the programme, stretch properly after you've run and believe that you can do this - because you can.