Feeling sort of upset :/: So, I always said I'd... - Couch to 5K

Couch to 5K

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Feeling sort of upset :/

Minxygirl profile image
41 Replies

So, I always said I'd wait until I'd completed week 4 before I weigh myself. Having exercised three times each week (from doing nothing before that) and watching what I eat, cutting out cakes, biscuits etc, I've lost...

Absolutely nothing. I was so sure I would. I just feel really down about this, it's not what I expected at all. I look at my body in the mirror and it doesn't look different at all. So, I've built a little stamina. In 4 weeks, that's it.

Kinda depressing :(

Sorry!!

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Minxygirl profile image
Minxygirl
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41 Replies
Realfoodieclub profile image
RealfoodieclubGraduate

Hang in there. Trust me it is one of the most common complaints I hear on here. Then week 6 and onwards comes and graduation then we get an update on the runaversary (a year on since starting) and people are saying what a difference it has made to their lives, how many clothes sizes they have dropped, how their confidence has risen and what a great thing it is. The weight loss is slow in the first six weeks, I didn't lose anything then as the distance picks up so does the weight loss, so please hang on in there and don't lose hope. 😀.

Minxygirl profile image
Minxygirl in reply to Realfoodieclub

Thank you so much, that has really encouraged me. At the start, a few people said I should notice a difference after 4 weeks, so I guess I made it this big thing in my head, so naturally was really disappointing. I'll push on through!! x

Realfoodieclub profile image
RealfoodieclubGraduate in reply to Minxygirl

Ps. It says I edited your post, I didn't, I went into it by mistake. Hehe my brains not working today. 😀

Minxygirl profile image
Minxygirl in reply to Realfoodieclub

No worries :)

Dhiny profile image
Dhiny in reply to Minxygirl

Push through if - I actually gained when so started running probably because of fluid retention following exercise. Take note of your portion sizes too - I have come unstuck in the last 2 weeks on that. You will tone up & drop sizes even if the scales don't show a loss. Look at your off scale results too - you are exercising, eating healthier & improving your health. Give yourself a pat on the back xx

Jaxdreamer profile image
JaxdreamerGraduate

I feel your pain! I have just finished week 4 and have lost diddly squat too - keep plodding on and think about what you are gaining. It will start coming off! 🏃‍♀️

misswobble profile image
misswobbleGraduate

Stick with the running and healthy eating. Just by being more mobile you will lose weight. Rome wasn't built in a day! You have to be a sticker!

I have been maintaining weight loss for 7 years in November. It doesn't just happen. You have to make it work.

So, you didn't lose this week but you know if you are eating/drinking healthily and exercising then the weight will shift. How could it not? 😃

if my weight begins to go up I change tack menu wise and eat seven days worth of different meals. That usually does the trick 🙂 It's a good way of preventing being bored with the same meals as you need to keep things interesting

Good luck 🙂

Minxygirl profile image
Minxygirl in reply to misswobble

Thank you. I wouldn't mind if it was just one week I hadn't lost any, but I haven't lost any at all, since the start, 4 weeks ago. I'll stick with it, and maybe weight myself after week 6, to see how I get on x

Millsie-J profile image
Millsie-JGraduate

I have been running since late July 2016. I have lost 5kilo. It could have been more but during winter i have not been so strict with what I eat. Plus we tend to go away quite a lot and we eat out often. I dont eat stupidly though, I steer clear of rubbish. But my good food portions are generally too big. Now the weather is better I am reigning myself in again regarding diet. Even so, i have dropped two sizes, my shape is totally different. I dont measure myself but most clothes are now far too big. I have had to buy new.

So keep running and keep eating healthily. The combination of the two means it will happen as you begin running further distances Im sure.

GoogleMe profile image
GoogleMeGraduate

I'll tell you a little story - once upon a time my husband and I decided we needed to lose some weight. He lost well over 4 weeks. I lost nothing at all.

But which one of us ended up a healthy BMI and which one gave up trying?

Think of C25K as a tool to help you in your weight loss programme... at this stage you're really not burning many calories (although may be doing something to lifestyle and metabolic rate perhaps) but you are laying a strong foundation for a sustainable weight loss - and whether you lose weight or not, a reduction in your risk of illhealth.

(I weigh myself every morning now so less hangs on it and I can see if something is a blip in either direction or sustained)

Minxygirl profile image
Minxygirl in reply to GoogleMe

I see your point. Thank you :)

50up profile image
50up

Minxygirl please don't be too despondent, it is early days. Also consider that if your main goal is weight loss, you need to restrict your calorie intake as well as exercising.

I only recently started to count my calories (NHS Calorie Checker), after deciding to lose weight and start to do regular exercise. I want to lose 2 or 3 stone to go from Obese to Healthy Weight. I must admit, I have had a few surprises on some calorie contents, and realise that my long-time persistent claim that 'I really don't eat that much' was a misguided one :o

So now I am trying to stick to around 1300 (net) calories per day (Food - Exercise Burn). I have binned consuming sugary drinks and vastly curtailed dairy and bread, which previously made up a large part of my diet.

I just completed C25K W2R1 (after repeating W1) :D

From the excellent advice on these forums, I realised that good diet and regular exercise combined give you the best chance of losing weight. I am finding that psychologically, I am much more positive since taking control and being proactive.

I have set a target of losing 1.5kg per week, and 3 weeks in it seems to be working.

At first the counting of calories was a chore, but I have noted them down and calculated values for a typical snack or meal combination, ones which I eat regularly. I just add new ones as I encounter them.

Another point to bear in mind is that as you build muscle and shed fat, your weight can stay the same! However, I think this applies to serious body builders more than to us newbie runners.

Keep at it and best wishes - you'll do it! :)

__________________________

Links:

NHS Calorie Checker: nhs.uk/Livewell/weight-loss...

Does Muscle Really Weigh More Than Fat?: prevention.com/fitness/stre...

Minxygirl profile image
Minxygirl in reply to 50up

Thank you. I only drink tea/coffee/water, so don't have sugary drinks at all. I guess I eat a bit of bread. I didn't realise dairy was a problem :/ I love cheese and yogurt. Perhaps I'll have to cut them back. Restricting myself to much makes me really unhappy :( chocolate is definitely downfall...

50up profile image
50up in reply to Minxygirl

I love cheese too, but was eating far too much of it. You don't have to cut it out, but just eat within your daily calorie target. Compare the amount of cheese (and butter) and bread you can eat compared with fruit and veg on the checker.

My favourite snack at the mo is sliced carrot and cashew nuts (10 or so, nuts not carrots :P ).

Minxygirl profile image
Minxygirl in reply to 50up

Just went to Tesco and currently eating your favorite snack! It's really good!! X

50up profile image
50up in reply to Minxygirl

Good stuff. Please let me know if you discover any other low-cal tasty snacks :)

Rignold profile image
Rignold in reply to 50up

go easy on the cashew nuts. They are definitely not low calorie.

50up profile image
50up in reply to Rignold

Granted, that's why I suggested 10 nuts with a sliced carrot. Each nut 1g: 6kCal. I wouldn't recommend eating a whole packet if counting calories.

Rignold profile image
Rignold in reply to 50up

I had a lady last year who was on a keto diet to accompany the fairly vigorous training programme we were doing. After about three weeks she complained that she had actually gained weight despite sticking to the letter of the diet. We went through her MFP with a fine toothcomb and it all looked spot on. Then I asked her if she had been meticulous in entering every last thing she ate. She insisted yes, apart from the little snacks she ate in the evening.

"little snacks?" I enquired, as that is usually a red flag.

Oh, its okay, she said. I'm not eating rubbish, only nuts.

Well, that sounds okay, I agreed. How many nuts? What kind?

It transpired she was getting through a 250g bag of macadamia nuts every evening. Whch was roughly the same number of calories as what she was eating in the whole rest of the day.

Oh how we lol'd.

but yes, in moderation nuts are great. Excellent healthy fat source and high satiety to calorie ration make them an ideal snack.

50up profile image
50up in reply to Rignold

Thanks Rignold , I really appreciate your concern and caution. I am logging every calorie these days.

Prior to doing so, I was making some poor assumptions and much like the lady in your tale, not realising the consequences.

I regularly polished off big bags of nuts.

Best wishes 8-)

Rignold profile image
Rignold in reply to 50up

well some big bags of nuts require regular polishing.

iain-strachan profile image
iain-strachanGraduate in reply to 50up

I am also on the journey from Obese to Healthy weight. Just over a stone to go! Must admit I celebrated when I crossed over from Obese to Overweight ! Quite something when you celebrate being overweight!

Some weeks are slower than others, which I put down to water retention. If you had a tough run your body retains water to repair the muscles.

I also cheat and weigh just after a run as I'll have sweated out about a pound! Then next morning feel hatred towards the scales as it all went back on once I'd dehydrated.

Am also doing the Sober September thing to see if that helps. I'm not an excessive drinker but it is just empty calories.

universa_2k profile image
universa_2kGraduate

Have you considered joining a weight loss club such as Slimming World to help with the diet and weight loss? I have lost 6 stones through Sw which I've maintained for nearly 3 yrs now. My running is to tone up a bit and get fitter. I'm sure the running will eventually help with your weight loss though, don't loose your mind over it ☺

Minxygirl profile image
Minxygirl in reply to universa_2k

I did weight watchers a few years ago and lost 2 stone. But the thought of doing that combined with running just seems like 2 much. To be fair I only want to lose a stone, so would feel a bit silly going to a club. Lol

GoogleMe profile image
GoogleMeGraduate in reply to Minxygirl

I may be an old fuss budget but I always reckon the first bit of weight loss is indeed to lose the stone... I'm in my fifties and was educated in metric from junior school... to me anyone younger than me educated in the UK still using stones (and don't they sound heavy, as do 'pounds' (usually what you do to your sense of worth?) is showing possible signs of reading too much celebrity news and diet industry stuff.... just a thought...

mixindave profile image
mixindaveGraduate

i wouldnt worry about that too much. ive only been running for 6/7 weeks. started cutting down on bad food in january and have only lost half a stone....ish

IannodaTruffe profile image
IannodaTruffeMentor

Please take all the positive advice and carry on, but to be honest twelve thirty minute exercise sessions over four weeks is not a huge impact on a previously​ sedentary lifestyle. Stick with it, there are no quick fixes, but the effort is worth it.

Doodleynoodley profile image
Doodleynoodley

Hey! I'm certain that if you keep at it you will see change real soon! Have you considered doing strength exercises on a couple of your days off from running? They'll really aid with fat burning and toning (running doesn't tone as much). This would mean you put weight on as muscle and reduce fat! If weightloss is your main goal also, there's a really good app I use to keep track of my calories called MyFitnessPal. You enter the food you've eaten by searching for the item or scanning its barcode (check the portion sizes too to make sure you're entering the right amount) and it will tell you how many calories you have left for the day! You also enter your exercise, which adjusts the amount of calories you have left ☺️ If you want to maintain weightloss though you do need to be in a deficit with your calories, but just keep it moderate, don't restrict too much! Good luck 😁

misswobble profile image
misswobbleGraduate

I try and get to my WW class every week. It's a good habit which helps me stay on it

Minimaxi profile image
MinimaxiGraduate

I would also recommend tracking your calorie intake. There are plenty of apps out there and you can even scan the bar codes which is helpful for lazy people like me :D

There's no magic to it. If you want to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you eat. Running is going to help with that but it's mainly about what (and how much) you eat.

You need to burn 7000 kcal in order to lose 1 kg.

Good luck!

wallruns profile image
wallrunsGraduate

Try the string method. Basically measure various parts of your body with pieces of string. Label them and put them away for a few weeks. Then remeasure yourself, hopefully you will see a difference.

From starting C25K to graduation I did not lose any weight, but did drop a dress size, which gave me a big confidence boost.

Remember the slower the weight comes off the more likely it is to stay off.

Rignold profile image
Rignold

It has all been said already - C25k is not a weightloss programme, it is designed to get you to a stage where you can run for 30 minutes and thereby have an ecellent tool n your fitness arsenal. The actual volume of exercise you are doing over the course of the programme is not going to make asignificant difference in itself. But if you stick with it and then stick with running 30 minutes 3 or more times a week, coupled with sensible diet, you will lose excess fat over time.

If you wnat to accelerate fatloss at this stage the best things you could do are, first, as mentioned by previous posters, track your food intakeon My Fitness Pal or similar - the actual number of calories and the carb/fat/protein ratio you intake on a daily basis is almost certain to surprise you, and just the act of having to write to all down tends to improve habits through accountability.

Secondly you can up your calorie burn. Obviously you can't do ore running at this stage, but you absolutely can go for a 60 minute walk every morning, before you eat anything, without harming your progress. Fasted cardio is excelent for fat burning and the tempo doesn't matter.

Thrdly, as Doodley mentioned, do some resistance exercise. Almost everyone would benefit from doing some strength exercise, and unlike steady state cardio, the calorie/fat burning benefits continue for some time after you have finished the actual exercise session. Stronger muscles = faster metabolism.

Millsie-J profile image
Millsie-JGraduate in reply to Rignold

You are really kind to share your knowledge like this Rig😃

doubletap profile image
doubletapGraduate

Oi oi oi . Dont feels so down , when i 1st started wk1 i was 5ft9in and 17st8lb come end of wk4 still same weight.the 1st couple weeks seem designed to just build you up for the coming weeks .its seemed to me wk4 / w5 is when you start burning weigh , t as the block runs are starting to get proper longated hence long enougb to burn. Since completing wk4 upto end of week 6 ive lost 4lb so stick it out and put in the effort you will see your desired results.

P.s im still 5ft9in though ..

suige profile image
suige

Don't be despondent you say you haven't lost any weight but you haven't gained any wither. You think about it what else have you gained. What I can see is that you have started eating better and exercising. These two things are vital for a healthy life. I bet you feel better. Hang in their the weight loss will come good luck

Carolinemcd profile image
CarolinemcdGraduate

I've not read all the replies so not sure if this has been mentioned but have you taken a before photo? If not do one now for comparison at the end of the program. You are changing shape but you probably can't see it. I'm on week 9, weight hasn't shown a big difference and I've tried not to step on the scales twice a day but I took another selfie stick photo and popped it next to my first shot and was quite surprised. In a good way! It will happen!

Chrisfitat50 profile image
Chrisfitat50

I've been there too. I've just done week 6 run 2 and have lost the grand total of 1 pound overall - not where I thought I would be. I've done the telling myself that I feel stronger (which I do), that I've changed my life for the better (which I did) and that I'm in it for good (which I am), but I also set myself a new goal which I believe is achievable. Last August I went to an annual event & wore a beautiful dress but needed the strongest, most uncomfortable underwear ever to fit into the dress! By the end of the day I felt like I was going to explode. Since then I've added a couple more pounds in weight. So my goal is to fit into that dress and even if I don't wear it to the event I will see how far I've come. It's 18 weeks away - so even half a pound a week on average (which everyone says is definitely do-able when you've been going a little longer on the program) will give me 9 pounds lost, a healthier stronger body under the dress and oh what a feeling of confidence. Every time I want to not run, overdo the chocolate etc I just picture myself in that dress!

Hope you have a motivating goal to spur you on too.

Thinking of you

Slinkymalinki profile image
SlinkymalinkiGraduate

This is a really interesting topic with such great replies & encouragement. Minxygirl, I have been pondering this too. I'm on week 8 and haven't lost a pound but my body has changed shape - flatter stomach, more toned legs etc. I hadn't thought about a calorie counting app but think I'll give it a go after reading these posts. Hope you feel motivated to keep going, your body will be appreciating your efforts. I always think that it's not the number on the scales or the clothes tag which matters, it's how you fit & healthy you feel.

Pepa36 profile image
Pepa36Graduate

I have ww scales and have been weighing myself. I'm on week 8now and haven't lost any weight but have body fat and bmi calculation on my scales. I have noticed the body fat is going down slowly as is bmi. Weight can be deceiving sometimes, I have seen a change in body shape and am now feeling fitter (not out of breath when going up the stairs for a start! 😊) Everyone here has given some great advice! Keep at it, you're doing really well and will see the visible benefits very soon x

KJO62 profile image
KJO62

Below is a post I wrote a couple of months ago (I've now lost 25 lbs and want to maintain my current weight ). The MyNetDiary app is time consuming to start with as you have to weigh most things to get the right portion sizes but it gets easier after a while as you can copy food/meals you've already entered. In conjunction with running 30 minutes 3 times a week I steadily lost a pound a week and feel fitter, less stressed ,more toned and generally better physically and mentally. I have struggled to lose weight/ do regular exercise on numerous occasions over the last few years but I've finally done it and if I can do it others could too!!! Here is what I wrote originally:-

I've lost 20lbs since last October and I'm sure that running has been part of this weight loss - partly the exercise itself but also the sense of determination and the weekly success rate Couch25k has given me. I've done it in conjunction with a free app called MyNetDiary.

SueAppleRun profile image
SueAppleRunGraduate

Just keep going, we didn’t lose much weight and have been running now for 3 months we aren’t fast but we go out 3 times a week and run for just over half an hour and since graduating we really enjoy it. Both of us have benefitted with lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol and my waist is down by 3 inches which s great.

So it will take time but the benefits are amazing

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