Cant run miles because pain : (

mark_needs_2_lose_weight
edited September 21 in Fitness and Exercise
Can't exercise very long without being in pain.

i weigh about 240 and when i use my treadmill to run miles about half way through the 1st mile my knees and feet ache bad. i finish the mile but thats it, my goal is 5 miles a day but i cant do that with all that pain. I know the big issue is weight but thats exactly what im trying to do, lose weight! what can i do to meet my goal?

another question: I bought a scale but its always different by like 1-5 lbs what can i do or which 1;s work the best?

Replies

  • savagedaisy
    savagedaisy Posts: 9 Member
    Maybe you should jog? I do it best w/ socks on and no shoes on a treadmill. Shoes give me blisters!
  • Punktorian
    Punktorian Posts: 224 Member
    I have the same problem. When my feet start to hurt I back off a bit and really focus on low impact even if that is just walking around. Invest in a solid pair of shoes. My left knee can be pretty bad at times so I just use a very light knee wrap and that seems to be helping. I only wrap for plyo or running on a hard surface. It does get better though so keep at it. There are also heavily padded socks that I used back when I played football, I might look into those again.
  • nikki91950
    nikki91950 Posts: 647
    don't focus so much on running so much just yet. you're just starting out and you're running a mile at 240 pounds! i can't even run a mile yet and i'm in the 120s. lol. you need to be careful, because the more pain you're in, the more of a chance you have of getting seriously injured. your body's telling you that you're working it too hard! do you like to lift weights?!? doing that will help you lose weight. just walking on a treadmill or outdoors somewhere will help you lose weight. anything that requires movement from your body will help you lose weight :) if you want something good for cardio, get on the elliptical. it really does work wonders!
  • BOGmama2010
    BOGmama2010 Posts: 599 Member
    How does it feel when you are just walking on it? Do you still get the pain as bad? I don't know what speed you are trying to run at, but maybe you could speedwalk instead. Also, maybe it is your body telling you that you need to ease into it. I know how it is in the beginning when your mind is ready and you just want to jump in and go - but your body is behind your brain when you have been inactive for a long time. Even doing a mile is awesome. Don't forget to incorporate some strength training into your schedule too, as that will build fat-burning muscle.

    How often are you weighing yourself? This comes from a scale addict. I have been known to stand on the scale 5 different times a day, which really does nothing. :o) Even if you feel you must weigh yourself everyday, try to only pay attention to what you see on the scale say every Sunday morning at 9 am. Then you know that it is a consistent time of the day (our weight changes throughout the day) and weekly should give you a better idea of how you are doing regarding your fitness.

    Last, your weight is a number. It is not who you are. You are taking the steps to better yourself and sometimes it's not reflected on the scale right away. Keep doing what you are doing. Exercising (should be 5-6 times a week) and tracking your calories.

    Best of luck!
  • Jenks
    Jenks Posts: 349
    Have you tried the elliptical....less impact on your knees. I started at 225, and didn't have any problem with the elliptical.

    Good Luck :flowerforyou:
  • DeeJayTJ
    DeeJayTJ Posts: 355 Member
    Have you tried the elliptical....less impact on your knees. I started at 225, and didn't have any problem with the elliptical.

    Good Luck :flowerforyou:

    i agree!! elliptical all the way!

    i started running at 205lbs, lost 20lbs from jogging, then started having knee pain. so i switched to the elliptical, lost 15 more lbs and have plenty more fat to lose.

    elliptical is an awesome machine!
  • I have problems with my knees and I have a lot of weight to loose. My husband and I walk for about an hour everyday. Just keeping our calories down to what MFP suggests and walking is working very well for us. I may never be able to run because of my knees but I know I can still loose weight as long as I am taking in less calories than I am burning. I think sometimes you have to loose weight first and then work on the toning and higher level cardio stuff. Hope that helps. Stick with MFP and keep tracking your calories your doing great things for yourself.
  • I do lift weights... and i think im gonna start walking 5 miles daily. I run a 5.2 mph. as for the elliptical i dont have any money to buy 1 of those.
  • mrsyatesy
    mrsyatesy Posts: 173
    A good way to build up to running is to walk and jog in intervals - so you walk, on an incline of 1.0 for example for 3 mins, then jog for 1 min, then walk for 3 etc. etc. It keeps your heart rate nice and hard working without putting so much pressure on your body constantly. I would suggest making sure that you are doing what is right for your specific body condition by talking to your doctor or a trainer (a properly qualified one!) who can actually see you and assess what is OK for your body to do - everyone is different.
    I would imagine that if you manage your calorie intake through MFP and you walk / jog for 3 miles a day you will see a really big improvement, The exercise is good because it helps burn off the fat, but also it gives you the energy and the stimulation you and your mind need to keep going.
    Good luck on your journey,
  • hkystar
    hkystar Posts: 1,290 Member
    I was going to suggest the same thing as mrsyatesy. I started at the 240 and was just walking for my 30 mins. I have slowly added periods of jogging in for short intervals. Check out the c25k program. I am doing it x2 some days.
  • I would suggest checking out the Couch to 5 K (C25K) program online. You can just google it and it will pop up. It's a series of about 9 weeks of walking/jogging intervals to get you to running a 5K...and then add onto your mileage from there.

    I would also recommend getting yourself some GOOD running shoes! Go to a reputable running store, get fitted (based on how your foot pronates, etc) and get some good moisture wicking socks!
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