Weight loss?

[40something]

I am interested to find out if anyone has lost weight whilst doing C25K. I am doing the programme to become fit, but can anyone spur me on with weight loss stories? most grateful!

[Malcy Graduate]

Hi. I started this time last year and have both become fit and lost 1/3 of my body weight - see my story and lots of comments from others at couchto5k.healthunlocked.co...

BUT in my experience, the running didn't directly affect my weight. As a bit of a nerd I keep stats on everything so can tell you how many calories I had for lunch on any day of the last year, or how far I walked or ran, at what speed, and calories burned. The simple fact is that I expected that I would lose more weight when burning lots of calories and restricting calorie intake than I would by restricting calorie intake alone. But the evidence tells me that the exercise made no difference to my weight. Now that goes against all logic but I do read others in the community saying that they get frustrated by not losing as much weight as they expected.

The latest research into High Intensive Interval Training (HIIT) includes evidence that it has a lot to do with your genes - some people lose loads of weight while others lose little or none.

Sorry if this sounds negative, but be reassured that you CAN lose weight - I've done it and so can you. But the only reliable way of doing so is to cut back on your calory intake. Whether or not you lose extra weight as a result of exercise seems to be a matter of pot luck. Don't let it put you off though - the one thing that's sure is that exercise won't result in you putting weight on!

[LifeCoach in reply to Malcy]

Keeping track of personal stats is not a nerd at all. It's one of the best way to get highly motivated and achieve your goals. I do keep stats as well to stay in shape. If you have a mobile device, iPhone for instance, you can easily track your activities and stats with an app like iKeepStats for example ) Keep on going to win!

[sverre in reply to LifeCoach]

just started it, thanks, actually was looking for something like an app supporting my new "life style"

[Saruma Graduate]

As Malcy says, the running alone will not aid weight loss. What it will do is compliment any weight loss programme. My experience is that I have not lost a single lb (but neither have I gained weight, even over Christmas). What the programme has done is tone me up - I have definitely lost cellulite from the top of my thighs and my bum no longer wobbles when I run. I now have some definition to my calves and my tummy is noticeably flatter. I am very pleased with the results!

[GoogleMe Graduate]

It depends on your motivation for losing weight but it is worth remembering that being active and overweight reduces the health risks of being overweight.

[MaryDerry Graduate]

I am at week 9 of the programme and started it to get fit. Now losing weight would be nice but that wasn't my motivation. However, I have found that I have lost about one pound a week! No, nine weeks, nine pounds gone! A bonus! I too have found that my shape is also different. Things are firming up.

[BettyJane Graduate]

I lost three and a half stone before I started the C25K programme. I lost the weight through Tesco Online diets. When I started C25K my weight stayed the same for the first 4 weeks, even though I was trying to lose. But I did lose inches, my jeans were looser.

My advice would be to follow a weight loss program, but also measure yourself, because sometimes the scales are not moving but the inches are shifting.

A few people have said that once they get up to the longer runs (week6 onwards) then the weight loss speeds up.

Such a shame that I managed to lose the plot over Christmas and gain 5lb, but I've given myself a stern talking to and am quite glad to be back to healthy eating again.

[deviate66]

I think if you are overweight like myself, the first thing you body does when faced with repeated exercise requests is to use the bodies surplus store of fat supplied to help build muscle tissue and make your body better able to undertake the new exercise it is repeatedly being asked to do. This might explain why some people here are suggesting that wobbly bits are less wobbly after a few weeks/months. Your weight might stay the same, but it'll be move of lean muscle than latent fat store. If you combine this exercise with control of calorie intake, your body can do nothing other than rob your fat cells for the energy it requires to keep you a) alive and b) able to do what the brain asks of it. For thin people however, starting running might actually lead to a weight gain! as your bodies builds new muscle tissue. At least this is my theory. As I have a good supply of latent fat reserves, I am going for the move more and eat less/better approach. Time will tell of course.

[lazyrio Graduate]

I started the program at the start of August and despite being quite careful what I was eating didn't lose any weight for the first 4 weeks or so which was pretty depressing, but as others have said I did lose inches. However, since then I have lost a stone and dropped 2 dress sizes. I have not been able to run regularly since the middle of November due to family pressures (and the bloomin cold wet weather put me off a bit!) but I have not put any weight back on in this time so I'm sure the running has kick started my metabolism. I intend to get running 3 times a week again very soon and feel very confident that I will be able to shift another stone over a 6-8 week period

[alliec Graduate]

I have to say i've not lost any weight doing c25k . I lost 2stone before hand with Slimming World then plataued. I start running in september and although i am more or less exactly the same weight as i was back then I'm much more toned and have lost another dress size so I am now 5ft 8, size 12-14, 11st 4

Hope that helps, Allie

[alliec Graduate in reply to alliec]

I forgot to add that excercise (although i did do some before) has had a dramatic affect on my blood pressure. It was the high side of normal last time i had it checked it's now 120/60

[katywoo Graduate]

I have no evidence to support this but I was chatting to a physio about the annoying fact that I was doing weightwatchers, and c25k and not really loosing weight (although I did notice I was more toned and my clothes were much looser). Anyway he said that when you start exercising and you aren't used to it, your muscles and body need more fluid than normal so it holds on to all the fluid, which sort of balances your weight out, and it takes a good few months for your body to get used to the exercising and not cling on to that fluid. This also explains why when I had two weeks off c25k due to a bad cough, i lost about 6 pounds!

Like I said, I don't know if its true but it makes sense! X

[pingle Graduate in reply to katywoo]

Alaiyo did a great post about not losing weight a while back couchto5k.healthunlocked.co... . As for me I did C25K to get fitter but have lost about half a stone without doing anything about the diet at all. I have also toned up a lot so other people think I have lost more weight than that. I also didn't put on any over Christmas which was an enormous bonus and a change from other years!

[Cazvs Graduate]

I've not lost a single pound but I have gone down a size. That was my aim, to tone up a bit and get fit. I'd rather look like Jessica Ennis than Kate Moss anyway