Long-time lurker making myself known here! I've currently just finished Week 3 Day 2 of C25K - how easy/difficult I find each run seems to vary wildly as I found W3D1 very easy at the weekend and then found W3D2 very difficult this morning! Despite definitely having been a reluctant runner I'm starting to enjoy myself more, but think I may need the motivation of external people to keep me pushing on...
I'm running with an aim to lose weight and increase fitness, and although I seem fitter and people have commented that I've lost weight I've gained a few pounds over the last few weeks... I'm eating less, and more healthily, so don't think that I'm overeating to compensate for the exercise, so just not sure what that means!
Any thoughts/tips/motivation much appreciated!
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abigettinghealthy
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I am only a couple of runs ahead of you and completely agree about sometimes finding one run easy and then the same run hard a few days later. I have no idea if there is any rhyme or reason to this. It was a nice surprise that I W4R1 just now seemed much easier than I expected it to be!
Others here might know more but I would imagine the weight gain would be down to gaining muscle which weighs more than fat? Other posts have suggested measuring waist, hips, etc to see loss there rather than relying on weight. I feel quite different in my clothes already and definitely feel different in my clothes, even though my eating habits haven't been great.
Glad you're enjoying it and well done for getting this far! Great sense of achievement, isn't it?!
Hi Abi, Yes it's strange how some days are so much easier than others. Sometimes you can figure out why, did you get enough sleep, are you eating healthy, have you drunk enough water, do you feel rested, are you in the right frame of mind etc etc. but some days it's just the way it goes. Mark each run up as an achievement, you got out the door and moved. We don't use the "f" word here, every run is a bonus, even if it's just to learn from.
I agree with Melly regarding weight. I've lost 12lb since November doing C25K which sounds disappointing, but my body shape has changed and I feel so much better in myself. Ignore the scales, use a tape measure and see how you feel.
As for keeping motivated, once you realise how much better you feel and see the progress you're making, motivation shouldn't be a problem. Stick with the program and keep posting, we're all here for each other and this is a fantastic forum, make the most of it.
1.) you do not build muscle by doing cardio exercise. You build muscle by doing reistance exercise and tons of it over a really long time, and
2.) it is more or less impossible to burn fat and build muscle at the same time. It just doesn't happen.
If you want to understand what is going on with your food/weight/exercise, then the best thing is to use a food diary such as My Fitness Pal for a month or so. It is always an eye-opening experience and a great motivator.
To be honest though, if you are looking and feeling better, what does your scale weight matter?
Hi I think it was on the strength of this forum I felt I had to complete w3r1 yesterday and pleased I did. I am leaving 2 days between each run where I can but its taking will power to do that. I have had a few back issues and spooked myself by getting bad back over bank holiday with too much walking hot on the heels of the first w2 run. I scoured this forum and so many people have got there with repeats or life in general tripping them up that I think I will maybe,probably,hopefully (!) get there eventually. Don't think I'm going to weigh or measure just try to get fitter. I bet your extra pounds is muscle as melly4012 and Slowstart say. Good luck xx
If I continue with it at the pace I have been so far and don't need to repeat too many I should graduate near the beginning of July and am signed up for a Race for Life on 31 July so am hoping that will give me the push I need to stick at it! I'm enjoying it, so it's not that I don't want to do it, but just helpful sometimes to have additional goals to aim towards
1.5 stone since January is amazing, well done! I need to get better at resisting crap sugary foods, I very rarely buy them but work in an office where people constantly bring us cake etc. and it's much more difficult to ignore when it's sitting on the communal fridge! x
So it was going well and then I accidentally selected W4R3 today instead of W3R3, ended up doing a weird self-timed hybrid of the two and felt exhausted by the end. New route which ended up being mostly uphill as well, so all in all not a successful run! Still pleased with myself for doing it though, trying to stay positive and will attempt to actually to W3R3 on Friday...!
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