So today I did w1r1, and feel really positive for it. I used to run a lot as a kid (cross country) so I keep telling myself it will be ok, although I’m 46 now and haven’t run since I was 16.
Anyway my question for the group is this. How likely are you to loose weight on this programme. My weight is quite steady at the moment around 95kilos, and has generally been around that the past 10 years, so I am hoping that now I am introducing exercise then this will help me loose weight. I am also hoping that it will help my blood pressure.
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mwoody46
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Firstly, congratulations on that first run and making a great choice to start couch to 5k. Exercise can definitely lower your blood pressure. You’ll be generally fitter and stronger. You’ll have a massive reason to feel good about yourself. What’s not to love about all that?
Unfortunately weight loss is mainly about what we’re eating. As Hidden has explained so nicely, the length of run you’re doing in c25k doesn’t burn loads of calories so you’ll need to look at changing your diet alongside running to see the scales move. I’ve always found when I’m exercising regularly, that gives me loads more motivation to eat well to support that. Positive changes in one area of life can more easily lead to positive changes in others. It’s a slow process but you’re doing the right thing in looking out for your health. Plus, running is a lot of fun!
There’s a brilliant little guide to the programme here with lots of helpful hints and tips. Well worth a read. Most important is keeping it slow and steady at a pace where you can talk in full sentences without gasping. Most of us go too fast! Recovery days between runs are absolutely essential too.
Really good luck to you. Many of our members have been in exactly the same place as you and had loads of things to celebrate. We’re all here to cheer you on! 🏃♀️💪🏃♀️
Re: weight loss and running, various studies have shown that running at a 'moderate pace' (whatever that is) burns ...
- 1 calories, per 1 kg bodyweight, per 1 kilometer.
Your're 95 kg.
That means that if, in Week 9, during 30 mins, you run a distance of say, 4km, then you'll have burned (95 x 4) ... 380 cals. And doing that 3 times in the week will mean a burn of 1140 cals. But that's at the end of the 9 weeks. Your calories burn leading up to that will be more modest.
(and that equation means that as you lose weight, you need to run greater distances to burn the same number of cals - so the heavier you are, the more gains you can make).
This is why the likes of Prof Tim Spector and others state that exercising is generally* and has been been shown in many studies, to not be a sustainable way to lose weight. That's not demotivate you. It's because people generally don't make sustainable changes in their lifestyle to keep the weight off in the long term. I'm afraid it's 80-90% nutrition related. Making some small sustainable changes in your diet will have a more significant effect . If you can eventually build up your running to a duration of 60 mins each time and do that 3 times a week, then that will be a real help too.
(* there are always exceptions of course)
Also, weight loss from cardio means having to do an awful lot of it (as per the equation above!) - whether that's running, swimming, rowing, cycling, dancing, elliptical etc. There's a reason why marathon runners and Grand Tour cyclists are so skinny ... they do elite levels of hours every week burning thousands and thousands of cals.
From a C25K perspective, think of it as a potential 'gateway' to a healthier lifestyle, in which you find yourself in a new virtuous circle, e.g. you find yourself enjoying it and want to 'improve' and you become more aware of what you're eating and drinking and start to make changes as a result.
John, thank you for your detailed response. As you and others have pointed out, I will need to change my diet too. One thing I know I can improve upon is the habit of snacking late into the evening. I do plan to keep up the running though and hope to be able to increase my distance over time, but one step at a time as I am only on run 2 of week 1, so appreciate I have a very long way to go. Run 2 today was actually harder than run 1.
Well done! One step at a time... first of all, get into the habit (whether motivation is there or not) of getting out and getting your run done. If giving up that late night snacking is hard, perhaps change the snack to a healthier one ... maybe a yoghurt with berries or nuts. That type of thing.
You are only at the very start of what is hopefully and a very long and enjoyable running journey. Exiting times for you.
Thank you very much for your response, it seems like I need to tweak my diet too.
I'll keep an eye on my BP whilst running to make sure it doesn't go too high, but I am under the GP for it and on medication, and it's not dangerously high at the moment. The GP in fact suggested that I needed to exercise.
Well done for starting, it's got to be good, you've had lots of advice about weight loss and running. I didn't lose any weight during C25K but. I lost 3 inches off my waist and an inch off my hips, I'm not big to start with but the toning up was amazing, I work on the equation of around 100 calories per mile which is 1.6 kilometres, and find when I run longer it's easier not to gain weight and to even lose a little but it'll take you time to build up to long runs,
Good luck and most of all have fun, enjoy your running journey and you may find you cut out the snacks easily
I started during lockdown. I put on a bit of pudge in the year leading up to that: mostly guzzling biscuits, etc.
When I started C25K properly (on the third attempt) I cut most of that out. In about six months I'd lost about 5kg and was back to my pre-lockdown weight. The most noticeable first difference was in my face and neck: I lost the heavy jowls that were starting to develop. Because of that change in the face, people started to remark how well I looked.
I continued running. What I found is that when I started to do longer runs (over an hour) my weight dropped again by a further 5kg, and I was back to the sort of weight I was at when I was in my twenties. My trousers became tight in the thighs but loose in the waist, and I needed to go down several notches on my belt.
You're most likely not to lose weight in the initial stages, but you are likely to change shape due to replacing fat with muscle. The best measure is not your bathroom scales but the fit of your waistband.
And if you want to lose weight through running the only sure way is to do a lot of running. But that's a long way off: first you have to safely get through C25K!
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