So for reasons of my own I'm on a VLCD and I'm finding I can't cope with the runs, especially in this cold weather. I've completely depleted myself and made myself ill... I'm going to scale back the runs to walks for a few weeks to recuperate.
Should I go right back to the beginning when I start again? I'm hoping not to lose too much fitness by walking but I'll have to see how it goes.
Does VLCD mean "very low calorie diet"? If so, please be careful and take care to feed your body the nutrients it needs. Think of your body like a really nice sports car. In order for it to run efficiently and get you where you want to go, you need to change the oil, fill it with higher grade gasoline, make sure the tires are good, etc.
I know cold weather is murder on the knees and other joints - do you have an option to run or walk indoors?
As for going back to the beginning, listen to your body. Do a week 1 run to start, see how you feel - if you're acing it, go to week 2 runs. If not, stick with week 1 - doing what is necessary is never a defeat or failure.
Chin up! We're all right behind you!
The diet is working well, but I can't seem to manage serious exercise! I did for a while but I think I've run down all my reserves; some people can, looks like I can't. I do run indoors mostly, especially at the moment but after pulling some muscles trying to lift a motorbike I didn't heal properly, and then I started failing runs which I've never done. Then I had a cold and couldn't breathe properly which didn't help. I'm too stubborn and it's time to hibernate a little - we have a vicious cold snap right now (well as vicious as it gets on our damp little island). I'm just worried about restarting!
Check this out...
"Many come to C25k as part of a weight loss journey. C25k will make you lose inches…...measure yourself before you start and then again half way through the programme…….but it is, by itself, unlikely to make you lose weight, simply because a 30 minute workout does not burn a significant amount of calories. However, as you tone up, feel fitter and feel better about yourself, you may, like many before you, find that you don’t crave rubbish food and want to eat to maximise your running efficiency. If you are already eating a good varied diet, there is no need to change it for running C25k workouts. If you move onto marathons, that is a different matter.
You want to eat a good nutritious diet as a runner. Eat a broad range of things, including plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Cut out processed foods, biscuits, cakes and sweets from your daily diet and reduce alcohol, keeping them all for special occasions. Do not be tempted to reward yourself for your exertions with that “naughty” treat. Counting your calories may be helpful and many regulars here have had great success with My Fitness Pal, either online or as an app, used alongside C25k.
Whatever time of day you run, it is best not to do it on a full stomach. While one man’s large meal is another man’s snack, the general guidance is that you should wait two to four hours after a large meal, before you run, and thirty minutes to two hours after a snack. My favourite running time is first thing in the morning, with half a banana for 5k and a whole banana for 10k run and a pint of very diluted 1:6 apple juice immediately before I go out of the door. It doesn’t work for everybody, so experiment, but if you ate normally the previous day, you don’t need to fuel up specially for C25k workouts.
Hydration, or fluid intake, is crucial to being an effective runner. When you run, your heart pumps blood to supply muscles with the oxygen, essential to the rapid contractions being demanded of them. If you are not fully hydrated, your blood will be thicker and transport of oxygen will be impeded, leading to heavy legs and tired muscles, as well as stitches and headaches.
The NHS recommends different amounts of fluids in different places, anything from a minimum of 1.2 litres to a minimum of 2 litres per day, both of which seem extremely low amounts for someone who is partaking of physical exercise. I drink between 2.5 and 3 litres per day, whether I am running or not, and this coincides with the information in this article runnersworld.co.uk/nutritio...
The important thing is to drink often, like frequent showers, rather than drought and flood. This way the body can utilise the fluids most efficiently. Hydrate today for tomorrow’s run. If well hydrated, there should be no need to carry fluids with you on any run under an hour duration, unless it is extremely hot or you have a specific medical condition. It is important to replace the fluids lost while running, soon after you stop."
This is taken from the great linked post...
healthunlocked.com/couchto5...
You do have to make sure you are getting enough fuel into your tank
Reducing your calorie intake to the level where you can not function is not a wise approach. Please get some advice from a qualified medical professional otherwise you are putting yourself at risk of permanent physical damage.
Furthermore your diet is inevitably going to be unsustainable and you would be far better off developing long term sustainable dietary habits rather than this drastic all or nothing approach.
Take care.
I did a VLCD last year and exercised as normal - the body will burn fats to produce carbohydrates. Only when doing high exercise - running in a very high temperature and a 12 mile hill climb did I suffer 'weakness' - this was caused by very low blood glucose and was easily treated.
I really need to do that diet again!!!!
Clothes size verses weighing scales
Feeling frustrated with the scales
Progress on a micro scale 
Yayyy 6.6 on the sugar scale!!
Back again, a year later!
