Morbidly obese. Couch to 5k. Healthy eating. 10 pounds off. HELP!

[KeepCalmClarissa]

I am 5’2 and 17 stone. I was 1710 in June but somehow with the hot weather I lost 10 pounds without trying (naturally eating less etc).

The last few weeks I have tried to acivetly start looking after myself, eating better (huuuge lifestyle change) and has started couch to 5k.

I need help, advice, encouragement for the following please!

1/ Couch to 5k. Please say it gets easier! I’ve done 4 runs now (doing week one again) all with my husband but I just find it so hard! I found that the 4th run it wasn’t so much that I was out of breath, but my knees hurt. Is it because I’m so overweight?

2/ despite eating healthily and starting the couch to 5k I haven’t lost any more weight. I thought I would have lost a few more pounds by now but nothing! Why?! Shall I post a food diary for u all to critique?

Sorry if this is long and rambly, but I’ve really got the motivation atm and want it all to work, but what’s the point if I’m not even losing. I thought with all the changes I hve made that I would be at my stone lost by now.

Hope you can all give me some wise words!

I also obviously find the runs hard in themselves as well, I can’t believe I’m so unfit that running a minute each time makes me feel so rubbish. I can’t believe I’m so unfit and how huge I’ve let myself become

Weight loss is much more to do with diet than exercise. So my guess is that what you call eating healthily might need looking at - portion sizes, carbs etc.

I'm overweight, and running really hurts my knees, they swell up to 3 times their size. So I need to find a way to strengthen them before trying running again.
Could you afford to get your gait checked and buy shoes suitable for the way you currently run? I guess you'll have to get it checked fairly often as you lose weight, but it would help against injuries.

Good luck!
I need to get my diet under control, it's been appalling for the past few years, and my body is suffering from it.

Your knee pain will be to do with your weight, it puts a huge strain on them despite your best intentions (I'm 5' 4" and was nearly 17 stones last year, currently 15 so in the same boat).

I would suggest that for starting out, focus more on walking or swimming. Walking needs to be fast enough that you cant easily talk while doing it - you need to be a little out-of-breath to know you're hitting a fast enough speed. Swimming is even better for not putting strain on your knees, but requires a little more planning to do.

Once you're finding walking fast fairly easy, the next step up in speed will be jogging and that's when couch to 5k is probably a better idea.

The advice for shoes is good: running can put a force equivalent to 3x your body weight through your knees (at 17stone that’s nearly a third of a ton). You can reduce the impact by running uphill, running on softer surfaces like mud/grass (sand is meant to be amazing but is bloody impossible and always messes up my Achilles’ tendons), getting shoes that suit your gate, and working on your technique so you’re not overstriding (lots of quick, short steps are basically what you’re aiming for).

I wouldn’t ignore serious knee pain; maybe try lower impact cardio until you’re lighter and then introduce running gradually - could you cycle 2 of your ‘runs’, still using c25k to guide your efforts, then run the other so you’re only running once a week? I’ve been rehabbing from pelvic floor damage and returned to running by spinning/cycling, then 2 cycles and 1 run a week, and am now doing couch to 5k all running, but it’s taken a long time for my body to be up to the impact.

Anyway, good luck!

*gait! Your gate is irrelevant (unless you plan to start your run by vaulting over it)

Come on over to the c25k thread ...lots of brilliant advice there - most important bit I got was slow down. No, slower. No, even slower! My current pace is walking speed but running motion. I have had horrid knee issues from running in the past - no problems now. Also look for the Niko Niko thread...

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/exercise/3210164-C25K

I have a certain speed that I'm comfortable running at. But I'm asthmatic, so in the summer I struggle with hayfever (I live quite rurally), in winter I struggle with the cold air! I decided to run a bit slower, but that wrecks my knees (god, I sound an awkward bugger). I went to a specialist running shop, they obviously recommended trainers and advised to do exercises to improve my core. They also recommended Pilates or Yoga classes but I'm not one for exercising with others. Things like squats and planking have really helped me.

I agree with comment on slowing down/walking. Basically you need to set your own pace if you want to create a habit with running. Alarm bells rang for me when you said you ran with DH. Preferably run with no-one but if that's not possible (a buddy an be essential motivation!)then make sure they are well matched or will match you. Really fantastic work on making these changes! Best of luck

I started c25k at 18 stone and a year later ran two (slow!) half marathons. It is tough at first and I thought I'd never run for more than a minute!

There's one week (I think week 8) where you run for 8 minutes and that's when for me it clicked - remember to take it slow and repeat weeks if you need to.

Also get good shoes, I spend £80 on a pair of trainers but my shin pain stopped immediately. The weight also came off easier and the inches fell off, and it got easier each week.

I lost 3 stone in a year, but then stopped running and gained it back so be careful to adjust your calorie intake as appropriate!

Good luck :)

I would shelve the running for now, you’re going to be putting a huge amount of pressure on your body and don’t need to. Get a Fitbit and focus on getting at least 10,000 steps a day and track your calories (you can do this in the Fitbit app) diet is much more important than exercise but you do need to move and burn some calories. Focus on eating mostly filling, low calorie density plant foods and keeping to 500kcal less than you’re burning in a day.

Good luck! You can do this.

If your knees are hurting, ease off a little or you could hurt yourself. Make sure you have decent supportive running shoes, not just casual trainers.
On food, the biggest things I found helped are to avoid processed stuff, so rather than pasta, eat a jacket potato. Cut out really sweet things, cheese and alcohol.

Eat lots of veg with your meat/fish because they make you feel full for longer. I work on 70% of my food being veg.

If you are a biscuit freak like me and think you might waver, bake a batch of homemade biscuits on a Sunday, that have half the sugar in.
And walk - every day. It counts as exercise, is much easier on your knees and if you walk for an hour every day, you’ll do about 7,000 steps just in that hour..

Well done for losing 10lb

Thanks for all your great advice.

I think I do need to get better trainers, mine are just sketchers. I run with my dh because of the moral support, but I really try to go to my own pace and he matches me. Even when he speeds up I don’t. He’s done it before so he has some residual fitness left that I definitely don’t have!

I just think it’s a shame now I’ve done 4 runs to go back to walking, but I totally take everyone’s point about the pressure on my knees. I will definitely give it some good thought. I don’t want to do myself any damage by running.

I think I might put a sample meal day down here so you guys can see.

I will check out those other threads, thank you.

Did you watch Fighting fat: back to basics on ITV last night? If not, definitely worth a watch.

I've lost a stone and a half over the last few months by having a calorie deficit most days through watching what I eat + exercise. I eat fairly high carbs but nutritious ones like oats. This article is worth a read too:

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jun/04/are-you-eating-too-much-protein

I am a similar weight and height and did c25k earlier this year, I buggered my knee, probably due to my weight. I have started walking as fast as possible for 30 mins every evening whilst listening to an audio book. I get properly hot and sweaty.

I have lost a further 1/2 stone in the last few weeks and my fitness has improved massively. I am also eating healthily. Good luck, I can't recommend walking enough. I walk every night no matter what.

I tried C25K and my knees really didn’t like it. Even with decent trainers. I would definitely put that off for a while. I’m currently walking. Did 9.3 km ths morning. I’ve built up gradually. I walk quite fast. Def couldn’t chat!

I read somewhere that for weight loss you should walk for two hours a day. Obv it’s a huge time commitment but I’m aiming for it anyway.

Diet wise I’m using My Fitness Pal and tracking calories. I’m down over a stone. It’s been slow as I had a few holidays where I regained almost four pounds each time but it’s coming off.

Come and join the Slenderistas thread. We all aim for 7 pounds a month. Lovely friendly support.

KeepCalmClarissa - why don't you set yourself a different exercise challenge before starting C25K? For example:

September Challenge (from tomorrow anyway):
A Proper Walk Every Day.

The challenge here is to go out every single day, even when you don't feel like it or are busy, still find the time to fit it in. Aim for a 30-60 minute walk every single day.

October Challenge
Walk 100 Miles in a Month

This follows on from your last challenge., but adds in milage. So 31 days in October and walking every single day means doing about 3.5 miles each walk. That's about 5km (what you're aiming for in C25K) a day. Some days you could do more, or go out twice. Then you have miles "in the bank" incase that other days you cannot do a long walk.

Then think about C25K...

Oh, and for what it's worth, my BMI was 35 (down from 43) when I started C25K.

Keep- how are you getting on with your walking? I have upped my walk to 45 mins a day and am feeling fitter already. I can now walk up my big hill without feeling like I will keel over.