Overweight smokers and running?

mrslondon

Ok so I need to lose about 50lbs, I am also a smoker which i know is bad. I have my quit date set for february 15th and im nervous as hell, ive been dieting for 3 weeks now and im just trying to get used to the food change before i try and quit smoking too. Ive never been able to run, ever. even as a kid i couldnt really run, and i wasnt overweight as a child. i have tried running and all it does is make me cry, i can run maybe 10ft-15ft and i cant run anymore, i cant breathe, my legs burn so bad it literally feels like they are on fire. i want to run so bad, i see all these shows where people alot more overweight than i am, run for ages, why cant i run? it really gets me down, i cant seem to do any exercise, why am i so unfit

1113cw

I've been a smoker on and off (currently on) and a runner (ok jogger really) and my biggest struggle is breathing. A direct result of the smoking I know. One of my goals is to go full on back to jogging and then eventually running. It's actually the reason I picked my profile pic.. it represents the goal I'm working towards.

I'm hoping that once I finally kick the smoking I'll be able to gradually get back into running. In the meantime, I'm building up by walking. Have you tried brisk walking? Maybe start there and gradually build up. I know from past experience that trying to go from doing virtually nothing to full on running will through my body into a tizzy and my lungs and muscles will all be screaming at me, lol.

Good luck and keep it up!

HW2Hottie

Ok so I need to lose about 50lbs, I am also a smoker which i know is bad. I have my quit date set for february 15th and im nervous as hell, ive been dieting for 3 weeks now and im just trying to get used to the food change before i try and quit smoking too. Ive never been able to run, ever. even as a kid i couldnt really run, and i wasnt overweight as a child. i have tried running and all it does is make me cry, i can run maybe 10ft-15ft and i cant run anymore, i cant breathe, my legs burn so bad it literally feels like they are on fire. i want to run so bad, i see all these shows where people alot more overweight than i am, run for ages, why cant i run? it really gets me down, i cant seem to do any exercise, why am i so unfit

I am in the same boat! It will suck until you quit, I won't lie, it is painful to run and smoke. I could literally do both at 17, not anymore! My advice would be to look up couchto5k and try it out that way. It is basically interval training to build up to running. Good Luck!

Shannon023

First of all, good for you giving up smoking! :drinker:

When I first started running, I couldn't run farther than 5 houses. :embarassed: But I mapped out a course and stuck to it. 5 houses one day, then I'd walk. Then I'd run to a lampost/house/whatever and then I'd walk.

Eventually, you'll be able to run 7 houses and then walk. My suggestion is to just push yourself a little farther every week and eventually you'll be able to run the full distance.

Just don't get discouraged & keep it up! :drinker:

spacecase76

I quit smoking January 5, 2010. I just hit my 1 year anniversary. I just put them down, quit cold-turkey. The 3rd day is the worse! But, it gets better!

And then I gained 20 pounds.

And here I am. I want to run. I run on my Wii fit. I started out doing the 3 minute run. Then I did it some more. Then I did the 6 minute run. Then I did the 'Island-viewer' run. Now I do the free-run for 30 minutes, and if I am feeling spunky, I will do the 'island viewer' run afterwards for fun.

One day I will be inspired to get out of the house to run, but I am not there yet. I can't just get out and run on my street because it is dangerous b/c of traffic and no sidewalks, so I will have to go to the park. There will be people there. I will be embarrassed. BUT...for years I have said "Today would be a nice day to get out for a run" and I haven't been a runner, and I was a smoker, so I didn't do it. Now, I am a runner-in-practice, so when that mood hits again, I will get out, and I will run. In public. But, I have had to work up to it.

Good luck when your quit date comes around. You can do it!

babygurl1

I hear ya...I smoked when I was younger but haven't in sometime. My father smoked three packs a day until the day he died. Watching him waste away was enough for me!! I stopped soon after his death! As of a couple of months ago I couldn't run either. I was so out of breath and it made my head hurt so bad (due to my blood pressure going through the roof) the key for me was lots and lots of cardio. Get your cardio together and you will find that running will come much easier to you!! I did turbo jam. I am now training for the mini marathon in my town...13.1 miles...good luck and feel free to add me:flowerforyou:

EKarma

there is definitely a process to starting to run. I always thought I couldn't be a runner because my knees would hurt so bad.. about 3/4 into my weight loss I decided I wanted to run after doing a low-impact aerobics DVD and the Biggest Loser Cardio Max DVD for a couple of months . One morning I started a morning walk and I just started to run.. I told myself to run to the stop sign, but when I got there I just kept running. I went one mile! I decided it was my goal to run 4 miles by the end of my Spring Term. I did it! It's important to watch your posture when you run. You wanna keep your head aligned with your back (no hunching over!!) Keep your shoulders relaxed and make sure that you keep your hands loose. People clench there fists and it tenses up their whole arms and into the shoulders and neck (no good!)Get a good rythm with your breathing. It's okay to run-->walk-->run-->walk..

Most importantly, Keep going.. Put it in your head.. Keep going.. That's what I did.. I got to the stop sign and told myself to keep going.. Then I got to the stop light and kept going, til I got to Main Street... Then I kept walking.. It's more affective to tell yourself to keep going than to tell yourself DON'T STOP.. When you start thinking don't stop, you're literally thinking about stopping.. But when you think KEEP GOING, your literally thinking about going.. Plus, Don't stop is a negative statement.. It tends to get us down. Keep going is a positive, it registers in your brain different.. (a little mental trick I read about).. So remember.. Keep going.. except with that smoking.. You need to throw that S#!t in the garbage!!

Good luck. xo

bsh81

ugh, it is SO HARD TO START lady, i truly empathize with you! my suggestion, and by no means am i an expert, is to pick something else!!

i started my exercise routine by running too. you always see people who run and run and look fantastic, and it seems to just translate into the "correct solution." well, i did that for about a month, and realized it just wasn't working for me. actually, go ahead and start laughing, because i would just run laps around my bed in my room!!! ....i work abroad and therefore live in a house with lots of men

anyway, it sounds like you really don't like to run. is there anything else convenient for you? i've started jillian michael's 30 day shred now instead, and i prefer it so much more. it still kicks my butt, but it's at least not as monotonous. but that's just me. i think you need to find something that is inspiring and enjoyable for you - swimming, biking, people watching / exercising at the gym...the list goes on and on. don't run just because you think it will melt you away. if you're ever going to be able to stick with a healthier lifestyle in the long run, you're going to need to enjoy it.

and keep in mind that it will get easier with time, whatever you decide to do! you'll get stronger and healthier day by day...and in turn you will learn to enjoy it more and more! hope this helps! good luck to you on your journey.

ps, i'm a smoker too. horrible habit yes, but one thing at a time for me!!

smilingeyes228

:sad: I understand what you guys are going through on the no smoking thing! I myself was a smoker!! I just recently quit with the help of Chantrix! I am serverly obese and am desperate to lose weight. I am currently working with a professional weight loss clinic and looking at my options for gastric bypass! So in order to have this done I have to quit smoking before any surgery! It's a crapper, cause I will admitt I enjoyed smoking at times. But I know that it's killing me and I am just a walking time bomb getting ready to blow if I do not make changes! I thought OMG how in the world am I gonna be able to quit smoking and give up food all at the same time without killing someone!!! Well somehow, someway I am doing it! I have been focusing on going to the gym, writing in a journal, keeping food records, chewing gum, and when I feel I need to snack I make it a healthier one! I wish you all good luck and hang in there we all can do it!!! :flowerforyou:

mrslondon

Thanks everyone, Im really glad to see that im not the only one here. I really think that i will try out walking, then running. Where I walk usually, it is in the community I work in, Im a nanny so I take the baby out with me in the stroller. he is 19months so he is a 30lb baby, and they live in a very hilly community, the whole place is either 45 degree up or down hills. So I guess while Im at work, i can carry on walking. I will go to the park or somewhere this weekend and try and run, taking you guys advice and walking and then running in intervals. I feel there is alot of pressure from my husband who is telling me that I need to run because walking isnt enough. I had a post the other day where I had just come in from walking and I had tried to make it a speed walk, probably at about 3mph and I felt like I was dying, my heart rate was up to 190bpm. I see these women running like its nothing and i always feel like they are looking at me like im a loser because i cant do it. i need to stop worrying about what other people think and in the mean time tell my husband to back off

Randee75

I just hit my 1 year anniversary (1/14/11)of being smoke free. As a smoker we all know 10000+reasons why we should quit. Quitting sucks and it hard on you mentally and physically. Withdrawal sucks.....Not smoking and breathing better feels so good. I stopped cold turkey because I want instant gratification......I don't like steps and I didn't want replacement nicotine. I used sunflower seeds to keep my hands busy and played mental games with myself it worked!! Good luck stopping smoking you can do it!!! As far as the running goes if you don't like it don't do it. I try to make my workout as fun as possible......who wants to dread doing something. I used to run cross country not I can't run 1 mile straight. I also start small...........start out walking to warm up then jog to a stop sign, linear pole etc then run to a mailbox stop sign etc.........,...If you want to run definetly don't go balls to wall. Start slow and do intervals and its fun passing up goals by running or jogging a little farther each time.