So, here I am about 6 weeks post graduation, having done my super-slower 5km at the end of May and super fast (for me) 2km the other day.
Fell off a step ladder on Friday, landed on my back on concrete and hurt my hand and wrist - nothing broken, and could have been A LOT worse... noted that "thank goodness my legs are OK" was my first reaction!
As Friday was my 'rest day', I insisted on running on Saturday (much to my husband's suprise)... but didn't want to do a 'long' one... SO I tried to up my pace and do 2km... which I did with great success...in just over 15 mins.
BUT to get to my point; - set off for my 'fast/short' run and immediately felt my 'bruise' on my back due to excess fat wobbling above my buttocks (not a pretty image)... incidentally found that the extra blood flow to my hurt arm really helped it's recovery!
I know I'm not losing any weight inspite of my efforts in running regularly, so I did a search and found this:
It makes a lot of sense, most of which I know already, and I'm well aware that I need to log everything that goes into my mouth... BUT I just don't want to obsess about food too much. (And I'm not ready to run 60 minutes per day 6 times a week!)
But simple steps like having nuts to snack on rather than chocolate; avoiding nice pastries as a 'treat' post run and drinking lots of water (yuck)... would be a good place to start!
Need to lose 20kg... but first I have start with the first ONE!
PB.
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primaballerina
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Good luck with your weight loss journey. And glad to hear your recovering well after your fall. I’ve been running for 2 years since doing C25k, and I was 2.5 stone overweight. Running alone won’t shift any weight unfortunately. In the last 6 months I made a very conscious decision to lose the weight. And I did thankfully. The secret is a simple one. Eat less and exercise more. 90% of weight-loss is food related. I cut out all snacking between meals. And I also stopped eating bread. Breakfast was fruit, or one weetabix with milk. Lunch was a healthy omelette or salad etc and dinner in the evening. Dinner was half the portion I would have eat in the past. And nothing between meals. No snacks. Cut out all pastries, biscuits and sweet treats.
It’s hard at the start but after a month you get used to it. We eat too much. Drink loads of water.
When your really hungry and if you absolutely crave a snack between meals grab a raw carrot, peel it and cut it up and have it as a snack with 2 glasses of water. After a while you’ll get to a point where you can’t be bothered to peel a carrot. Then you’ll know your just not that hungry.
Damien
PS as the weight falls off running gets much easier and way more enjoyable. You run more and eat less and you get into a nicer healthier circle.
Ouch - hope you are feeling better and the bruise comes out. Arnica to help?
I second the water drinking - I am way less hungry since I started drinking 3l of water a day. It seems that sometimes thirst manifests itself as hunger (from my reading). It also helped me have tons more energy. The first 2 weeks were horrible, I hated drinking that much (I didn't drink enough water) but from week 3 it was like having a big burst of energy and combined with the running has helped tremendously. I did 1 month when I drank ONLY water - nothing else, no tea or coffee or soft drinks. Now I have gradually allowed for the odd diet coke or a glass of wine.
Sounds horrendous but it is only 1 litre every 6 hours or so (I am awake for 18 hours a day roughly).
Ouch bless! Hope you make a full recovery soon! It sounds like your determined to get back on track so all I’d suggest is be mindful of your bruises etc and take your time x I’ve recently discovered MyFitnessPal also, at the mo I’m just logging everything I consume to see what changes I can make! (I feel the free version is quite extensive for food and drink (the subscription provides more analysis details/options) - not sure if that helps you in anyway? x
I use my fitness pal too..... I hate it because it lies to me, it says “if you do this for 5 weeks you will weigh xxx” and that never comes true, it is very overly optimistic. BUT by logging everything and weighing things to log them honestly it has given me a much better understanding of how much I used to eat, and how much of that I don’t need. I still use it to help me regulate what I eat, but don’t pay any attention to how much it says I will weigh in 5 weeks time.
yes - once in the habbit of putting things into MFP it really does help - perhaps I'm in denial and think I'm eating heathily while ignoring the 'naughty' things...
Ouch, you poor thing and yes, thank goodness that your running legs were not injured! 😂 I always recommend Dr Michael Mosley's 8 Week Blood Sugar Diet - it gets really fast results which is very motivating and you can eat some really nice food (low carb, Mediterranean style). I lost 2 stone since January doing this, must admit that I have slightly fallen off the low carb wagon and need to get back on it. Bread and wine are my weaknesses but I know I will be very happy in the summer if I can shed a few more pounds before the temperatures get too much warmer...
Oh yes Debston - I discovered his BSD some time back and did it for a full month and lost 4kg (i think) - this was possibly a year or two ago (can't remember)... but I agree - although very low cal, it was nice food... I have lots of recipes for this diet - I must look them up.
So glad you're ok and nothing is broken after your fall.
You're doing brilliantly with your running & I'm sure your desired weight loss will follow. I'm not a great water drinker unless its chilled, elderflower cordial helps m drink more 😉👍
Me too - I have elderflower cordial in mine too (or ribena equivalent) it does help alot (just hope there isn't too much sugar in it!)... luckily in Portugal it's got really hot recently (over 30 deg) so I have no choice but to drink lots and I'm way more inclined to do so in this heat! (I run in the evenings - which is blissful)... one day I'll do some morning ones.
Try checking your macros on my fitness pal as well as calories. Try to balance out carbs, fats and proteins. You might have to play around because it depends a few factors but I follow 30% carb 30%fat and 40% protein and it does make a difference
I have found that the mental discipline I’ve gained during the C25K programme has been paramount to my success… during the 9 weeks I did every other day unless I had a cold or achilles issue… post grad I would possibly give myself up to 2 rest days, with I think one exception of 3 (can’t remember why)….
So falling off a step ladder and NOT hurting my legs was not a good enough excuse!
Oh no! Poor you. Hopefully no lasting damage and you can go on running pain-free.
Having just read the article you linked to, I have to say that all that is very much my experience. I made quite a lot of changes all in one go at the new year. Completely the wrong time to start, really, but it all seems to have stuck and this week I celebrated hitting the 3-stone loss mark.
It's a few things combined that have done it for me:
- I log everything I eat in MyFitnessPal. I also track my activity, initially with the very cheapest Fitbit and now with a lovely Garmin watch. I do allow myself the occasional cheat evening, though and I don't beat myself up about it. I just make sure I'm on track the rest of the time.
- I radically changed my diet. I stopped eating any starchy carbs for several weeks... no bread, rice, pasta, potatoes or cereal. I pretty much stick to fairly lean protein and salad or steamed veggies. The weight just dropped off me. I've started to put a little carbs back now as I'm struggling to eat as many calories as I think I should. And, boy, do I enjoy bread on the odd occasions I have it!
- I run 3 times a week and I walk nearly everywhere... if it's under 2 miles, I'm walking. If it's between 2 and 5 miles, it depends on how much time I have. I get off the train 2 stops early so I can walk the rest. And I've increased my walking speed... I used to bimble along quite sedately and now I barge around as if I'm late for a meeting.
- I track my weight loss on a spreadsheet. My goal was to lose 1.5 lbs per week for 6 months and then 1 lb per week for the following 6 months. Given that I always lose loads in the first 3 weeks that takes me to a total of about 75lbs to lose in total. I'm now 4 weeks ahead of schedule and so I know if I have a disaster and put weight on I've still got some leeway. However, I find actually having a plan and tracking myself against it is tremendously motivating.
All the very best with your weight loss... the first few weeks can feel a bit restrictive but, just like the running, once you turn it into a habit, it becomes the norm. And once people start to comment and you have to go and buy smaller clothes it gets quite addictive!
Thanks Pianism - you are so inspiring! I'm looking forward to your lycra pictures! ... 4 weeks ahead of schedule (grin).
I guess I'm going to have to bite the bullet and start logging on myfitnesspal again.... but both you and Damienair have some great eating tips here... AND I may pick some recipes from the blood-sugar-diet which fit in with the low-carb focus.
I've eaten well today - so I must focus on: just one day, one week, one month - at a time ... and as you say the weight should start falling off.
(I did a fab run today)... I will write about it separately!
Are you sure? Showing off all those toned lean muscles - surely it might be worth it one day?
(I'm sick of my outfits showing off my spare tyre and cellulite - if I get lean toned muscles, boy am I showing them off - might even buy myself a tutu!) LOL
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good luck!
Think this running malarkey is paying off!!
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