Why have i gained weight!!!

[FirstTimeMama]

Feeling very deflated today. Finished my 2nd week of the c25k plan. Feeling pretty good and Eating pretty well too staying under my recommends calorie intake. Stepped on the scales and weigh even heavier than when I started! Being pure cardio I would've thought that I would shed pounds instead of gain like you would if doing weight training. 😢

[pinkaardvark Graduate]

It is recognised by most not to offer much in the way of weight loss. This seems to be the general experience until at least your doing the much longer runs at the end of the program. 10 mins is about 100calories depending on your weight so when your not event doing that much in wk2 you can see how it won't have much effect. If you do want to up your calorie burn try going for a 1 hour walk, at least 5k where you do the run at the start and then the tail end is just a nice long walk. Plus that way your scoping out the route you will eventually run in it's entirety.

[MarkyD Graduate]

Early weeks of C25K are mostly walking with short bursts of jogging, and about 35 minutes in total. These will burn about 200 calories per outing. So after 2 weeks, you've burned a total of 1200 calories.

C25K is never promoted as a weight-loss program. It's not until you're running one hour at a time that you might consider running for weight-loss. that said, may folks on here (me included) have lost weight doing C25K, but normally when combined with a more sensible diet, and paying attention to living more healthily.

I'm not sure what kind of weight loss you were expecting, but 2 weeks is a very short time scale to expect much... 'shed pounds'. Stick at it... even if you do not lose much, I'm sure that you will be more toned, trimmer and your family and friends will think you've lost weight (even if the scales don't agree).

[misswobble Graduate]

Week 2 is not very long is it! Weight loss takes time. Your body needs to adjust. Keep exercising and eating healthily and the weight will shift. How could it do otherwise. C25k does not burn many calories as you're not jogging very far at first. It will ramp up but meanwhile keep walking as much as possible. Be more mobile generally while eating a healthy diet. Good luck!

[FirstTimeMama]

Thank you all. I'm doing lots of walking in between aswell, it's just very disheartening! Bit thank you all for your advice x

[ChrisAllen1 Graduate]

I didn't start to lose a bit of weight until about week 7 but more specifically when I started hitting the exercise bike on non run days.

[TMH86 in reply to ChrisAllen1]

Does that not cause an issue if your meant to be resting?

[Hidden]

I have given up on diets & scales...i just eat sensibly now(most people know whats good for them & whats not really)& stopped weighing myself...& just go by how my body feels & how my clothes fit & i feel so much happier.give it a go...also use a tape measure...its a really good way of doing it.lets not forget that scales are very fickle & you can gain a pound just by having a drink of water!!!

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate]

Well done for starting the program and about to start week 3!😊

Once you get further into the program, you should start to see a difference as you tone up. I like to believe that muscle weighs more than fat and having more muscle burns more calories...😄 don't eat more to compensate for the exercise though...

Keep going...you are doing yourself good and getting fitter. The program works and you will be running for 30 mins by the end. Now, thats something to aim for...😊xxx

[CAWF]

I haven’t lost any weight since starting the programme and I’ve just finished week six. I do feel leaner though and more toned. A friend also said she hasn’t lost weight either. But mentally and physically we feel a lot fitter and healthier. Don’t give up.

[MickGJ Graduate]

Running is not a great way to lose weight because it's what we are designed to do. Otherwise we'd never have been able to catch enough food to make up for all the calories burned catching it.

The main benefit I'm looking for is to get my body functioning as it should. I recommend the 5:2 diet for weight loss which you can do on rest days.

It also means you can sum up your life very succinctly when people ask why you are looking so well: "C25K52"

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

As someone who has never been overweight, I am somewhat mystified by the obsession with the scales. I do know my weight now, because I have been weighed frequently at hospital visits, but first time there, I could only give an approximation, because I rarely weigh myself. They can tell, as can I, that I am in a healthy BMI range, just by my appearance. As a consequence of my current treatment, I am liable to put on weight, but I have preempted that by reducing my portion sizes.

The multi billion pound slimming industry is to blame. I am staggered that people pay to have themselves weighed in public, although I do understand the whole camaraderie of facing a challenge with others.

Eat a good broad diet of non processed food and exercise frequently and everything takes care of itself, for most people.

Measure yourself to see what the exercise is doing to you. Over the weeks you will almost definitely see a tightening up of your body as fat converts to muscle. You may decide that to maximise your running, you want to further cut empty calories from your diet.