Relatively new runner

ljbj12

Hi. . . I joined mfp a month or so ago. I have tried other online places to keep track of exercise and food. . . and have never stuck with it. I have so far stuck with this one in that I have been faithfully recording my exercise. . . and well exceeding my weekly calorie-burn goals, etc. I just can't get myself to actually keep track of food. (And I should be keeping a food diary anyway, because we're trying to figure out if there are any additional foods I am allergic to, particularly gluten.) My eating is wild. Some days I tend not to eat a great deal and other days, I binge big time. My weights swings between 159 and 169 right now. MFP tells me my ideal weight should be between 120 and 157. Wii Fit tells me my ideal weight should be 137.5. I can't seem to get out of the 160 range . . . my body seems to like it here.

Besides a multitude of allergies, I also have asthma (which is triggered by multiple things as well . . . allergies to various air-borne things, cold air, exercise), hypothyroidism, and a history of various feet issues. Running has always been a big challenge to me. A little over a year ago, I declared that I would run (no walking at all, because I was made to feel bad for walking by my gym teachers in high school, and given low grades) a 5k sometime in 2011. Well, in December 2010, I slid and fell down the stairs and ended up fracturing and bruising my left medial sesamoid. I was warned that it could take up to a year for the bone to heal because it is such a weight-bearing bone (and having to run after a toddler). It took 10 months to heal.

So now I am basically working on c25k right now. . . I am two weeks in. And very proud of myself so far. I have to remember to take allergy medication beforehand, otherwise I get exercise-induced hives, as usual. I wear a hip pack with my albuterol inhaler, epipen (just in case), cell phone, etc, especially when I am out on a trail by myself. I need to get new running shoes, that either have good arch supports or can fit the arch supports I already have (I have almost flat feet, too.) I am not sure what to get, and within a reasonable price range. I want to run in a real race in February and/or March.

I have also been riding my bike a lot more lately, and pulling a trailer with my 27 lb toddler in it. He loves it, so we go out several times a week now.

Five years ago, when I got married, I weighed 146 lbs. I would love to get back down to that. This past spring I got down to 156 briefly, but now I realize that I did not take allergy medication regularly then. Once I had to go back on again, it was an instant 8 lbs. So it's either medication and exercise, or little exercise and no medicaiton. It's frustrating.

clh126

Welcome to mfp! That's awesome that you're doing c25k! Stick with it:) That was how I first got into running - from being totally sedentary. I actually just posted in a thread about people who finished the program http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/405657-c25k-graduates

It sounds like you have a lot to deal with, but slow and steady will get you there. I hear you about tracking food. I can't seem to find the motivation to track my calories either. I cook a lot and I think that's what gets me because it's annoying to try to break everything down. Gluten-free is tough to do, but I'm trying to go for it too so maybe we can attempt it together if you think it might be causing you problems. I have psoriasis and I think gluten makes it worse just based on prior trial and error, but omg, gluten is so hard to avoid!! Wheat is ubiquitous! I just read a book called Wheat Belly, which made a pretty strong case against wheat and was really motivating (even though the guy was kind of a sensationalist), but I think it would actually be easier to be a vegan, lol. Whew, one step at a time.

ljbj12

I think I will have to see if I can get a hold of that book to read! I am curious as to what it has to say. I had a blood test a couple of years ago that said I was mildly allergic to wheat, but my allergist doesn't believe it! I did go gluten free for about a year, and my ibs was much better. . . in the last few months, I have been letting myself eat wheat and gluten occaisonally. I don't think that has really been a good idea. Maybe I should ask my doctor for an actual celiac test.

kevin3344

You can get back to 146 very easily! All you have to do is track your food and plan ahead. By just cutting your calories by 100 per day (basically a can of soda), you can lose 10-12 lbs a year! Of course it can happen a lot quicker by using MFP.

My sister-in-law has lost 17lbs in just about 3 months, all by getting serious about tracking. Before, dessert or something else might put her over her calories for the day. You need to track religiously so you can know when you are getting close to your daily calorie limit. Believe me it's easier than you think.

You also may want to try something like 30 Day Shred. Search for it on MFP and you'll see lots of threads.