New to all this

Hi, I have been told that I do not need to lose any more than 25lbs however, it is the most difficult thing to do. I am usually quite a determined individual but have no idea what is wrong with me. I have been trying for a year now, with no success. In fact I put on more weight!

In an attempt to motivate myself I have decided that I will do the 5k run to support Cancer Research in June. I am also hoping that hooking up with others who share this desire will work to keep me on track.

Well it's almost 8.30pm and the end of day 1 !

[AncientMum Graduate]

Lots of people have reported good things about MyFitnessPal in combination with c25k as an aid to weight loss. Good luck

[Rob_and_his_westie Graduate]

Hi. The good news is that the theory behind sustained weight loss is pretty simple. If you use more calories than you take in, then you must lose weight. Fact. I know, because I combined Weightwatchers with C25K and lost over 50lbs. This after many years of kidding myself that I was eating reasonably. I wasn't. I'm about to test this again because I have to admit to going off the rails a bit over Christmas and the very nice choccies, the cake and all that Turkey have taken their toll.

C25K really is a good way to get exercise into your life and if you stick to the programme, it will become a habit. Everyone here will confirm that, so you've come to the right place and made a good decision there. Not only that but you will also find that we'll be cheering you on the whole way. Now, the food thing is a whole other challenge. I had to accept that I just had to change my approach to eating. It's not that you can't have a beer or some chocolate, it's just that they have to become the occaisional treat rather than a regular thing. It also makes life a lot easier if you embrace the leaf, by which I mean eat more salads. I was never a fan, but I make mine a lot more interesting by adding chilli peppers or garlic or whatever else you can think of to spice them up.

Probably not what you wanted to hear, but I finally 'got it' and im never going back. I wish you all the very best and do remember that you're not alone. We all want you to succeed.

[useitorloseit Graduate in reply to Rob_and_his_westie]

I hate salad, but love a chicken breast and the rest of my plate piled high with veg. Difficult to do meals in our house as my husband and son both hate vegetables, except carrots. So I end up doing different meals, but if that's what it takes ... I too was a WW and lost 2 stone 10 years ago and have, on the whole, kept to a decent weight. I have definitely put on a few pounds over Christmas too, so I know what to do ... Good luck. A brilliant WW tip is to be honest and WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN WHICH GOES IN YOUR MOUTH (no smirking please - you know what I mean). If you have to fess up, it makes you think twice before you open the cake tin!

[Rob_and_his_westie Graduate in reply to useitorloseit]

This:

WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN WHICH GOES IN YOUR MOUTH

Very good advice indeed.

[AngieS Graduate]

Hello blazinspear. Congratulations on day one! C25k is a great plan - just trust in Laura and she'll see you through. I definitely agree with Rob's comments - I lost 4 stone last year combining Couch 2 5k with Slimming World. I've never properly succeeded with losing weight in the past and, like Rob, was totally kidding myself about how many treats I ate. Putting my focus on being healthy and getting fit at the same time through Couch to 5k has finally worked. On the food side, I'd recommend banning the idea of being on a 'diet' and instead think of it as starting a new way of healthy eating for life.

[misswobble Graduate]

I lost my weight with WW Rob! 57 lbs! I finally "got it" too and that's when you admit defeat and give in to the whole weight loss thing. You have to commit to it completely to make it a success.

I agree with you Angie about the "diet" thing.

If you complete the programme and keep on running Blazin then you'll notice the weight falling away. You have to eat healthily though!

[Hidden in reply to misswobble]

Hi misswobble, thanks for your words of encouragement. I need it to keep me on track

Have a lovely day.

[Bazza1234 Graduate]

There is apparently a saying in the running world -- "You don't lose (much) weight out on the road , you lose most of it in the kitchen!!!!!"

I do know people who have tried to lose weight and simply can't - I believe that some need professional assistance in their quest. I have a friend like this who will not take my advice (I truly believe that this is largely because of the cost involved) - but I also truly believe that he is personally incapable of doing it on his own. Over-eating is an addiction just like over-drinking. Both are habits that are difficult to give up -- many addicts cannot accept that they indeed "have a problem" and in fact, don't really want to "give it up".

[Rob_and_his_westie Graduate in reply to Bazza1234]

Bazza, I didn't want to give it up. But I found something I wanted more - to be able to run! At a time when the budget stretched NHS is actively considering gastric band operations as an obesity cure, the crazy thing is that they have a near zero cost alternative right here.

[gingernut49 Graduate]

Once you've lost the weight you want to just try 'fasting' one day a week to maintain. That's not as bad as it sounds - up to 500 calories for women and 600 for men - I save mine up and just have an evening meal or maybe some light soup lunchtime.

I lost three stone / 42 pounds / 20 kilos on the 5:2 diet, so it's easy just to drop to one day a week. I've been the same weight since April 2013.

[Hidden in reply to gingernut49]

Hi Gingernut, how long did it take you to achieve your goal?

[gingernut49 Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Six months. The diet is based on Dr Michael Mosley's BBC Horizon programme "Eat, Fast and Live Longer" tinyurl.com/qzgo7tq

[Rob_and_his_westie Graduate in reply to gingernut49]

I lost my weight over six months too. Fasting sounds a little drastic to me (but that's just my opinion). It's worth considering that a 5k run will burn the best part of 500 calories anyway.....

[gingernut49 Graduate in reply to Rob_and_his_westie]

I never eat the exercise calories I burn as that's counterproductive. This article in today's Daily Mail explains more about fasting dailymail.co.uk/health/arti...

[Rob_and_his_westie Graduate in reply to gingernut49]

I don't eat into them either. The good news is that here we are both healthier and happier. I'll drink to that. (assuming I have enough WW points left!).

[gingernut49 Graduate in reply to Rob_and_his_westie]

Cheers Rob

[Bazza1234 Graduate in reply to Rob_and_his_westie]

Hmm -- not an expert re this - but I am thinking that you are being a bit optimistic about the number of cals lost during a 5K run . mydr.com.au/tools/calories-...

The average figures I have seen are only 300 cals for 1 hour of walking and 600 cals for 1 hour of running.

Bit pedantic - I know -- but considering there are around 500 cals in only 100Gms of chocolate, it is easy to see that running by itself does not cause a lot of weight loss unless quite a few hours are spent on the road.

I have started to log my weekly cals burnt as indicated to me by Runkeeper - over the past 3 week I have logged an average weekly burn of 1900cals per week.

[Rob_and_his_westie Graduate in reply to Bazza1234]

Gordon Garmin said 448 calories for my last (not particularly fast) 5k and if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me!

[misswobble Graduate]

Thankfully I lost my four stones without omitting any food group or fasting. I look forward to each meal and never skip them. Mind you if you're running, dog walking, gardening etc etc you need fuel to keep you sustained. When you get hungry is when you start reaching for the wrong thing. Clearing out your cupboards of things that might trip you up is a good plan so clear the decks Blazin!

If you increase the exercise and just cut out junk food then you'll notice the difference quite quickly. Once you see the weight coming off you'll be spurred on to continue. When you lose weight you can give yourself a non-food treat like a new running top or shoes. Give yourself some targets to work to. 2 lbs a week is a good start

[Hidden]

I lost 15 KGs with WW years ago too, and know many people who swear by Slimming World. I don't like the whole class scenario, so I just bought the books. WW used to have everything online too. You could use Map My Fitness with Map My Run if you have a smart phone, and like graphs and stats!