Hello I am new here 💞

[Stellabbz]

I am new here , complete day 1 today . I loved the technique and the " you doing amazing I believe in you " words .

Can someone tell me about the losing weight progress ? How long and how much have anyone lose within this training?

[nowster Graduate]

First things first... Couch to 5K is not a weight loss programme. You may lose weight or you may not.

If you combine it with a sensible change in diet (not a crash starvation fad diet) you will probably lose weight eventually.

What often happens is that fat is replaced with a similar weight of muscle. This can mean your weight doesn't change, but your figure does. The best measure for this is a tape measure.

People have lost weight, myself included. I cut down on sweet treats (eg. biscuits).

In the first six months of running, I lost about 5kg. In the following 12 months (and a huge increase in the amount of total running) about another 5kg, and I'm now trying to stabilise at that weight (about 70kg). My trouser waist size (I'm a guy) has gone from straining to fit in 32" jeans to being comfortable in 30" trousers.

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

As above… and another vote for the tape measure! When it comes to life expectancy vO2max is a bigger indicator than BMI and as it is a measure of cardiovascular fitness, this plan will have it raising nicely and also very soon. Weight loss is best done slowly, so the above tips from Nowster there will see you on the right path. If you do need extra help with weight loss, there’s a forum on here where they have forgotten more than I’ll ever know about it!

Welcome, well done getting started, and enjoy your journey.

[Instructor57 Graduate]

Hello and welcome to the forum and the program and congratulations on making a start.Please have a good read through this program guide , it's packed with crucial information to help steer you successfully through the program with advice on stretching , hydration and much much more .

healthunlocked.com/couchto5....

And as already mentioned by nowster and UnfitNoMore , this is not a weight loss program.

On average a 5K run will burn between 300 and 400 calories (around 100 calories per mile), but if you are looking to work out the rate that you personally burn calories when running a 5K, you will need to take a few factors into consideration. Eg your starting weight, and running speed !

And this program is not about speed

And as there are around 235 calories in one slice of chocolate cake with frosting that's around 2 and a half miles running ! per slice ! See the problem ? 😁

However, you will be fitter !

Initially you may even gain weight as you start to build muscle (it's heavier than fat)

You will likely begin to change shape !

So again, as mentioned , the tape measure is a better indicator than the scales .

However, if you stick to the running and eat a sensible diet then the chances are the weight will come off .

So just enjoy the process 😁👍

[nowster Graduate in reply to Instructor57]

We tend to call it "icing" on a cake in Britain. Frosting is the equivalent term in the USA.

My usual measure is the digestive biscuit but I don't have any in the house at the moment.

I do have some Morrisons own brand ready salted crisps. They're 133 Calories (kcal) per 25g bag.

I also have some own brand Ginger Nut biscuits. They're 46 Calories per biscuit.

My most recent 10 km run (according to my watch) burned about 0.6 bags of crisps per km or 1.7 Ginger Nut biscuits per km.

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to nowster]

"We tend to call it "icing" on a cake in Britain. Frosting is the equivalent term in the USA."

Thank you ...... But

The term "Frosting" is also frequently used here in bakeries to describe a fluffier topping usually made with a butter base "Buttercream"

Attached is a picture of a Coffee & Walnut cake I made some time ago with a Coffee "Frosting" on top

"Icing" is generally thinner and made with confectioners sugar and is generally used as a thinner galze.

However, as much as I'd love to, this is not really the place to discuss the finer points of baking, just pass me another slice ! 😁

Coffe & Walnut Cake

[nowster Graduate in reply to Instructor57]

How many km to work off that cake, I wonder? 🤣

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to nowster]

I know, scary ! 😱

[Bluefly Graduate]

Fantastic that you have started the programme - it really works! Like everyone else states, it is not a weight loss programme but has definitely helped me to kickstart a healthier lifestyle.

I started in February this year but started making some healthy changes to my diet about a month before (no alcohol, more fruit/veg, less rubbish in general). I have lost around 4kg and legs definitely more toned. I don't expect to lose much more unless I make some more tweaks to my diet though.

The support on this forum has been invaluable, good luck!

[Chris--B Graduate]

I found that rather than trying to lose weight through running, I just worked out how long it would take to run off the calories in something. That made me think twice before eating it and so it helped me lose weight that way. So rather than burn calories through running, it just helped me avoid eating them in the first place.