Week 2 smashed! 👟💪(but it's made me put on weight?!)

[Elceee]

Finished all my runs for week 2! Got to say- I'm absolutely loving it! It's been a hectic week, but so glad I made time to complete my runs. I've been walking or gentle cycling on the exercise bike on my rest days and have started to make time for doing some planking after each run too which I've always loved to do in the past- something so simple but it works wonders for my muscle strength and well-being. The only thing which has depressed me a bit is since I've started running again, I've put on weight! My diet is still ok and I had been losing weight up until starting the c25k. Is this a normal thing? I seem to remember putting a little weight on when I started running before, but I don't recall how I dealt with it! Any tips would be much appreciated as I've been working so hard to reduce my weight for my health. Hope everyone else is enjoying their running (or resting) this weekend! x

[Annieapple Administrator Graduate]

Glad you finished W2 so successfully Elcee. Well done 👏🎈🌟

Not sure why you are gaining weight?? Are you drinking enough fluids especially water!! Usually key to successful running, weight loss & general well being.

[Elceee in reply to Annieapple]

Now you mention it, I'm not sure I am drinking enough water. I used to drink loads, but haven't been doing so lately! Will try upping my drinks this week and see if that helps, thank you 😁

[abitwobbly Graduate]

Maybe all the extra exercise is making you a little hungrier, but you will burn off more as the runs get more demanding. Plus you will become more toned as you progress and remember muscle weighs more than fat. It's as much about the loss of inches as it is the weight 😊 Keep going - you're doing really well ⭐

[tiggs1 Graduate]

I attend a weight loss group and noticed when I started C25K that for the first few weeks I gained a lb each week but then by week 4 I lost all of it. From what I have been advised in the first few weeks of running it is common to retain additional water as your body repairs itself, especially if you have aches in your muscles.

Also, I had my healthcheck the other week and the health professional carrying it out said that she went down 2 dress sizes after starting running however she never lost any weight (she wasn't trying to lose weight btw)...

[Livealifeyourproudof]

I put on weight in the first 2 weeks... I was NOT a happy bunny. My husband soothed me by saying muscle weighs more than fat... turns out he was right because when we did my measurements at the end of week 2, I had lost 3cm from my chest, 2cm from my waist and each arm- winner winner x

[Elceee]

Thank you, hopefully the weight gain will right itself soon then. I might not get weighed for a couple of weeks and see how I am after that! I just feel really bloated so maybe it is water retention as suggested above. Bodies are so hard to figure out 😭

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

Well done on the running. Are you also taking measurements? It’s possible during this plan to eat perfectly, run, cross train, hydrate well and get in the scales to see 0 loss or a small gain. A tape measure will show you more than the one vital statistic. Many people run this plan and end the same weight as they started... but they’re generally more toned and so smaller.

I note in the replies above that you haven’t been on the hydration... water helps both the running and the weight loss, so try to drink 2-3 litres a day, sipping it, all day every day.

You’re fitter than you started... and running at the recommended conversational pace aids fat burning (fast running doesn’t do this) so will make a formidable partner to good nutrition in the long term. The muscle build is responsible for the gain if diet is right, and that doesn’t last forever.

[Elceee in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Hi, thank you so much for the advice! No, I'm not taking measurements as I've always just got weighed, but I'm having a break from the scales for the next few weeks as don't want it to put me off running as I enjoy it . I hadn't thought much about my water intake until today, but I definitely have been drinking less than I should so that is up as a priority from now on 😀

[ArthurJG Graduate]

Do you want to lose weight or lose fat? That sounds daft but it isn't, because when you run you do lose fat, though not much at this early stage because you're not running very far. But you gain muscle. Muscle is heavier than fat but it's better for you. That's why others above are talking about measurements and how your clothes fit rather than a number on a scale. Running distances up to 5k won't necessarily make you lose weight but it will make you healthier and fitter which is what matters.

[Imdaewen]

Are you weighing yourself at the same time? It's natural to have a fluctuation throughout the day and being female we have fluctuations throughout our cycles. I find that I will put on weight and then drop below it. (If that makes sense). My diet is based upon Low Carb, High fat but I am not strict with it. I do HI IT with Joe Wicks twice a week and parkrun. I might do yoga when I can.

Do NOT go by weight alone. Waist measurement is more valuable. If it is same, good, if it is smaller, great. Going by a single measurement of weight is more likely to demotivate you. Our bodies are quite complicated.

My understanding is that when we start our weight loss and healthier journeys we tend to lose a lot at the start as this is a shock to our bodies, but we soon adapt. Maybe try something different in your diet (increase protein? Reduce carb/sugar.) or try a different exercise for a week.

Slowly and steady wins the race.

[Elceee]

Hi, thanks again for the advice. I think the issue I have is I'm being monitored by the doctors for my pcos and the GP does not take into account any measurements, only what the scales say. I'm doing this to continue becoming healthier and to deal with health conditions. So it's all pretty complicated 😭 Unfortunately I do have to pay attention to what the scales say as this is what the NHS monitors in my circumstances. But, for myself I want to continue the running because it makes me feel healthier and I enjoy it. I'm hoping that the weight gain is just a short term issue that will right itself! Feels like I'm fighting a losing battle, but I keep trying to concentrate on how far I've come.