New to this running

[Popey52]

I'm 52 , sixteen stone and just completed week six of C25k... really surprised myself that I can now run for 25 mins after suffering a minor stroke a few years ago. Will I lose much weight doing this as apart from a couple of lbs.. it doesn't seem to be shifting.. I'm eating healthier and my blood pressure has dropped to a good level... any help ???

[Buddy34 Graduate]

25 minutes is a great achievement, along with your healthy eating and when you're doing the longer runs 3 times a week you should start to see weight loss and a change in your body shape😊

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

Welcome... very well done getting to that 25... you got this now.

Grab yourself a tape measure. Measure yourself, write down the measurements and watch them over time just like the number on the scales. Now you’re seeing the whole picture. Running will, at least in the early months, slow weight loss as it builds muscle. At the same time it burns fat. Fat is less dense than muscle, so it’s possible to take the measurements now, run for a week, and be heavier next week... and it does happen to people. Unless those people have the nutrition wrong, they are also slightly smaller.

It takes 35 miles of running for the average person to burn a pound of fat in calories, slightly less distance if you’re heavier. So running isn’t a weight loss activity in the short term. Coupled with the right nutrition though it is formidable.

You’ve alluded to the really important thing though... look at that blood pressure now! Look at how hard week one was and what you’re doing now. BMI is one measure of health, but alone it’s useless... you can have perfect BMI and be unfit and unhealthy... personally I’d rather be bigger fitter and healthier. Keep doing what you’re doing, watch your body tone up and let the weight come down slowly. Check your calorie intake is not too high or too low often, and you’ll be just fine.

[Popey52 Graduate]

Thankyou for the brilliant replays, I'm really proud of my achievements so far and I am toning up a little already, it did take 52 years to put the weight on so it won't go in just six weeks I suppose... I'm healthier, happier, and determined to keep going when it would be easier to stop running.. thanks again

[Munchbunch7]

That is amazing, a drop in blood pressure is so important, people don’t realise that high blood pressure affects some many things, esp your kidneys so you are doing fab, keep going and don’t focus on weight loss but your fitness and the rest will come alongside a healthy diet.

[Kasi42 Graduate]

Well done on the blood pressure and healthy eating. Weight loss is basically about calories in versus calories out. So if you’ve started eating healthier, that should be a good start for calories in!

I’ve actually gained a few pounds since starting C25K. But my shape is slightly better. Hips and thighs are def more muscle and I feel stronger. My bmi has always been around 21 so weights never been an issue. But I have more energy and feel fitter now.