I'm new here.. Looking for some advice with couch to 5k.
My diet hasn't been great for a while and I am pretty much inactive. I'm making changes to the way I eat by choosing healthier options and trying to get over my greediness!!
I want to start couch to 5k but I am embarrassed to even get out the door to run. I know people probably wouldn't pay much attention but that's one of my biggest fears... (people looking at me struggling and out of breath!!)
I am 25, very overweight and need to stop making excuses. I need to lose weight - any tips/ advice would be very appreciated!!
Thanks
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GabySando25
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Please read the posted link. I wish I had before I started. When you get going it will hopefully boost your confidence as you make all those positive changes.
Hey GabySando25 ...good for you on wanting to do something amazing that will change your life for the better.....I know you might not want to get out there where others might see you but I honestly think people would only have good thoughts...and you will probably inspire someone to make changes to their life too...and what’s better than that???
My advice to you is just get your trainers on, some good tunes in your ears and get out of that door...don’t worry about anything but yourself xx
I'm 46 and was officially obese (BMI said so) when I began c25k. I was self conscious and I went early in the morning just as soon as it was light enough to see if a pavement was uneven. Nobody ever pointed and laughed, except my grown up children who are little gits and don't count. Other runners either ignored me or smiled and said hi as we passed. I went very slowly, but that's neither here nor there. Now I am a moderately experienced runner and can run much faster, I still do a run each week where I'm deliberately going at a pace even slower than what I did on c25k. Other proper runners do slow runs too, nobody will judge you or make assumptions.
Running has helped me lose loads of weight, but at first it wasn't the running itself, it was the motivation of wanting to be lighter so I'd find the running easier and that made me eat less and better. Once I was doing longer runs, and walking on my rest days, I started getting to the point where I was burning enough calories from exercise to make a difference too.
I hated starting as I felt everyone would stare at me. What actually happened was no one really blinked an eye and a lot of older people actually gave smiles and some words of encouragement
I chose to run early in the morning when it was quieter and not near the main road so it was a bit more private.
You need to just focus on you which is easier said then done but I just listened to my music and concentrated on the fact that doing any exercise was better than no exercise.
Hello and welcome! I've just gone back to C25K and I can tell you it feels so good to complete each run and, subsequently, each week.
It is tough to get over thinking everyone will stare but honestly no one cares. I tend to go out between 6 and 6:30am and there are rarely any folk around. Sometimes even 5am if I can't get back to sleep so that is one option, if you feel safe in your area
Go at a pace that is comfortable for you. If you go too fast or too hard, it will hurt or you will injure yourself and not want to continue.
Good music does help. I listen to focus music from the Headspace app (my course has provided access to it and is super useful) and I find it helps me zone out and keep a good pace!
You sound exactly like me when I started. I spoke to a few people about why I was running so early in a morning so I wouldn’t be seen and the reply was “ I would think better of you for getting out their and exercising I certainly wouldn’t laugh” but I get where your coming from I go early mornings about 6ish and I always run a route that is away from main roads. Is there anything like that near you? I started slimming world at the same time as C25K and I’m nearly 3 stone lighter since June. This is a fantastic program and something you definitely won’t regret. The key is to go at your own pace (it’s all about building stamina, not speed) and drink plenty of water. If you need any extra advice or motivation this is the forum for you! Good luck on your journey
Great advice thank you! I want to start tomorrow morning but then I'm worried that because my diet hasn't been great perhaps I should get my eating on track first? Or can I start it all at once, so as of tomorrow.. Morning walk / jog and eat healthy? I probably sound a bit stupid lol.
I think you will find that the activity will help you to make more of an effort with the food you are eating. Those endorphins after a run are enough to keep you keep you feeling good and keep you on the straight and narrow.
I used to feel hugely self conscious going swimming. Hated myself in a swimsuit... But after a bit I relaxed into it and realise that people are seriously not looking at me. Same thing with running...
Agree with as others have said, do some walk/run sessions and build your stamina up. Having your pulse raised for 20 or 30 mins is excellent... you don't have to run and keep running. Push it when you feel ready
You may find that when you start exercising (and I’d recommend going for a brisk walk on the days you’re not running, for 30mins to an hour) you naturally start to crave and pick healthier food. My brain started saying ‘I don’t want to undo all the good I’ve done by exercising, I’ll have a piece of fruit instead of crisps’.
You do need to commit to changing your eating habits for life (not ‘going on a diet’) but you absolutely can do it!
I lost 3.5 stone a couple of years ago through a combination of C25k and my own version of Slimming World which works for me. I hadn’t done any exercise other than walking for decades. I’ve kept the weight off and run for 30 mins 3 times a week.
You just need to tell yourself to do it and stick with it - you can do it!
Come back after your first run and tell us how you got on. Everyone here is so supportive and wants others to succeed - there’s no nastiness or sarcasm.
I started both at the same time if not I would have done a run in the morning and then justified to myself why I was having a takeaway for tea. Plus if your ultimate goal is to lose weight exercise alone won’t work. For me personally I wanted to lose weight and get fitter. I never thought I’d say it but I actually enjoy running and miss it if I have to miss a day.
Since the lockdown, my area has been full of people doing early morning exercises, outside in the park. They aren't all running, but a mixture of exercise types. They are all ages, shapes and sizes. I think the pandemic has highlighted the importance of fitness and people have taken need. Running will make you confident and proud of what your body can do.
You can do week 1 or even run 1 on repeat until you feel confident to progress onwards. Baby steps. Just posting on this forum means that you have taken the first steps already so as Sarah Millican keeps telling me... "you have totally got this flower!" Go for it!
I was very self-conscious at the start as well, and, as a result, ran too fast for what my muscles were capable of, after years of inactivity, which resulted in injury.
Now I go really really slowly, and I’m also repeating lots of weeks, so I’m still on week 3 even though I’ve been doing it for months, which means I spend a lot of time just walking! But I have quickly got to the point that I just don’t care what people might think and I don’t feel self-conscious any more. It happens quicker than you think. You feel so exposed at first but soon you start to not care as much, and then pretty soon you couldn’t give a monkeys.
And, for what it’s worth, even before I started on this programme, if I ever saw an overweight person out power-walking or running, or anyone struggling and out if breath etc, I would think ‘good for them!’ and be FILLED with ADMIRATION much more so than seeing fast runners powering by with ease. And everybody else I know thinks the same.
You could try seeing if either of these two tactics help you
1) diffusing your unhelpful self-conscious/ self-critical thoughts by replacing “I look X” with “I’m having the thought that I look X” or just noting “There’s that old self-critical thought again”, or saying the thought to the tune of happy birthday or jingle bells. These methods diffuse the thought and take the power out of it because by viewing the thought in this way you haven’t engaged with it. The idea is: don’t try to NOT have the thought, just kind of let the thought come but don’t engage with it. You achieve this by viewing it in a more detached way by using the methods I described. This is based on empirically validated Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) (See the book “The Happiness Trap” which explains it very simply but effectively)
2) You could try replacing the self-critical thought with a positive one. Think of all the people, like myself. who are filled with admiration for your courage and commitment and motivation. Replace your self-critical unhelpful thought with this new positive helpful thought. This is based on empirically validated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT).
They are very different approaches. I would suggest, if you have tried the second tactic, (I suspect you already have) and it hasn’t worked, then definitely try the first tactic. It is very effective. I’d recommend the book.
And whatever you do - don’t stop with working on the programme- it will be the very BEST thing for mental health! and then, in turn, you will probably find your eating normalises because you are feeling better mentally.
It’s a challenging thing to start something and stick at it so be proud of yourself for doing so. Ignore all the people on this forum who seem to sail through the programme week by week without having to repeat weeks. There are JUST as many people like myself that are repeating weeks multiple times to build up their muscles and fitness before they are ready to progress. We, too, will ‘graduate’ at some point and be fit runners, but it will just take us a lot longer. That’s absolutely fine. What’s the rush? There’s no rush, no rush at all. Any exercise you do is better than stopping and doing none at all. So keep at it! The biggest step by far is starting and you’ve achieved that. Well done. Good for you!! 😊👏
You have been given some great advice here. The only person that matters in all of this is you. You have decided to take back control of your life which is the biggest step. You are doing this for you. The only people who will give you any negative thoughts are those s who haven’t got the bottle to do what you are doing. Not one runner will look at you in a negative way. Here’s a challenge for you. Look up your local park run. Join their Facebook group (if they have one) and introduce yourself. Once park runs are back go. Even if you walk it it doesn’t matter the support you will get will be amazing. Good luck on your new amazing journey. This and other running groups will only support you. Go get them!!!
A lot of great advice given above already, the key thing is to always remember that you are doing this for yourself and not for the benefit of anyone else.
If you have a local park, you could try running round it, the ones around me tend to be virtually empty before 8am. When I started off I was running round the park, now I have moved on to the roads but still try and plan my route so I either end up with the final part of a run or the cool down walk in the park.
Shut everything around you out, find some music or a podcast you enjoy listening to, plug in your headphones and go for it.
And this forum is great for encouragement, support, advice and a good place to sometimes just have a rant, so keep on coming back here as you go along.
Hi gsandonato - I found the first run really hard to psyche myself up for - I wore a really baggy shirt and baggy gilet over that to cover my tum and bum etc etc. I'm 66, not very overweight but I was very unfit and felt really self-conscious lumbering around in public in lyrca. It didn't take me long to realize that I am the only person so keenly focused on ME! Starting with 5 mins warm-up walking means you kind of sneak up on the running bit anyway ... and if you're running alone, you can really get into a zone where you don't give a flying 🦊what anyone else thinks ... in short, GO FOR IT - it's FOR YOU!!
I asked myself when I started this program having "let myself go", "do I judge others who exercise?" and the answer is no, I admire them, particularly the ones that are older or bigger than me. Put a smile on your face and be proud
I went down the route of getting a treadmill, so I can run whenever I want. This along with the loseit app & my Apple watch I can constantly monitor my food intake & exercise. With the treadmill I am finding that I can jump onto it whenever I like for a sneaky 30-min power walk to burn extra calories.
Im 46 & overweight & start week 9 in a few days, now that is something I never thought I'd be doing.
Hi, I too am obese and old and bosomy and started getting up early, tethering my bosom and just used to head to local sports ground, my main fear apart from dying was getting jeered at. No one has jeered yet. Week 1 run 1 is etched in my mind as to how hard it was but stick with it and it does work. Everyone has given great links and advice. Still can’t do 5k in 30 mins but still running and so glad i stuck to it.
We have no power over what others think or think of us so do it for you and don’t wait until your 50s like I did.
Im going to keep this post short. When I’m looking out my car.... I think good on yer, for having the courage to get out and try. Good luck on your journey 👍🏻
Well done for even thinking about doing C25k 👍 loads of good advice already given...I defo recommend the Japanese slow jogging video!
If it does all seem a bit overwhelming, then just get out and get into the habit of regular walks.
I started walking back in February...you can go out in non running gear and no one is any the wiser! Only you know when you feel ready to start jogging.
There are other forums here too...
Health Walk, Strength & Flex, Active10 (get the app on your phone and it will tell you how many minutes you have walked at a brisk pace!)
You may have already found the healthy eating ones...
Weight Loss NHS, Daily Diary, and a Weigh In Day. If not...please look them out, they are all brilliantly supportive like here!
Gaby, make a plan of what/when to eat. Example:breakfast(Weetabix), lunch (2 poached eggs on brown toast with baked beans (reduced sugar tin), afternoon youghurt with a banana, evening normal cooked dinner (ditch mayo/ketchep...). Have a bottle of water in the day you can sip on. Start C25K, nobody looks, nobody cares. Have a 30min playlist ready (spotify or other), and just go out. Drive somewhere quiet if you can and start from there..... i can assure you that runners/joggers are invisible. Nobody takes any notice of them. Remember, youre doing it for your son and YOURSELF, you shouldnt care about what anyone else thinks. Put yourself first! Nobody else matters Gaby. Give it a go and i found that getting some running gear helped my motivation too! Decathlon has some good affordable stuff! Let me know how you get on! In the evening, snack on plums, Apricots.... 😉
Hey there 😊
I was and still am very overweight when I started C25K, I was painfully self conscious and a bit of that still exists. I still run with a cardi tied round my waist to hide my fat ass...however, Ive just finished wk 6 and every runner I meet is so kind and lovely, they all smile, wave and encourage me no end, as does this group. I've now reached the stage where I don't give a fiddlers what people think because I'm getting fitter and healthier and the weight is coming off slowly but surely. The kind of people who are rude enough to comment or say anything are the sorts that don't matter anyway. The right people will be supporting you every step of the way. As will everybody here. You get out there and be a warrior not a worrier. Show the world who's in charge xx
Thanks everyone for your encouraging and positive comments. I'm going to wake up early and get out there tomorrow morning - very excited!! I'll let you all know how I get on! x
When I see someone who is overweight out running, it always makes me smile, in a positive way. I think it's great to have the guts to get out there and do something about it . I really hope you enjoy it and feel amazing
Everybody has given you great advice. Quite a lot of us felt self conscious to start off with. I started at the end of January this year and was even known to go out during a hail storm on one occasion as I thought there would be less people out and about at that time!! That seems totally ridiculous now thinking back to it!! I also wouldn’t wear shorts for months even when it was really hot as I thought I was too big to wear running shorts but I’m beginning to realise the people I pass are normally too wrapped up in their own selves to care about what we are doing. If this pandemic had taught me one thing it’s possibly I need to live my life and not wait until x,y or z (whether that’s waiting until I’ve lost weight, until ..........) life is for living
My fitbit really helped me I walked 10k steps per day minimum and longer on weekends for 8 weeks prior to starting and was a stone lighter at the end of Wk1 Run3. Repeat any weeks you need to as its not a race. It matters not how long you take to get through it as long as you do. Just remember as you go, the best project you'll ever work on is yourself! Keep positive and look to long term goals.
Just wanted to wish you luck on your journey. I'm on week 7 currently and double your age. I am completing each session and although not "easy" I take comfort from realising that I can do it, and you will too.
What has helped me is to find as flat a route as possible to get your confidence up and keep at a slow steady pace.
I'm trying to give up my love of Crunchies but you have to have some pleasures in life don't you 😂
Update for all.... I got out at 6:45 this morn. I gave up after the 3rd 'run' … so almost half way through it. My chest was tight I think I left the house too soon after waking. Will try again Monday. A little disappointed in myself for not getting through the very first day of week 1. But I'm sure if I persevere it'll get easier. Thanks for the encouragement
Consider running on grass or a treadmill to start off with. Any extra pounds will put more strain on your knees so a soft surface will definitely reduce the risk of injury.
As far as embarrassment is concerned there's a sign at my gym that says "no matter how slow you start, you're still lapping everbody on the couch". You're taking a positive step and if people can't see that then that's their problem.
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Couch to 5k 
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