To fat to run?

When I lost my first batch of weight, I was 265 at 5'7" (healthy weight should be ~163).
I've always been athletic but not fast or a runner do to my weight.
I had a trainer and he told me to do:
half mile warm up
and stretches
Before my mile jog
and end with stretches and half mile cool down.
{four times a week}

My jog was so slow, a fast walker could pass me.
But he told me not to stop to walk unless I was in really bad pain.
My mile was about 18-20 minutes.

I got a lot better at my mile but it took a while.
When my mile became "easy," we added a few sprints and abs.

I'm doing elliptical work outs now so I can watch TV.
And I live in Texas so the weather is a bit much for me right now.

Just know your body but try to challenge yourself.

If I were you, I'd get a quick physical to ensure you're heart is in good shape. If so, I'd start walking every day for 30 (2 miles each day) days and "change" your diet to only include natural foods. Fresh fruits and veggies, chicken, tuna, etc... Stay away from fast food and processed junk. Quit "any and all" drinks that have sugar, high fructose, or fake sweeteners. You'll lose 4-5 lbs at least just doing the above. If you want to then start adding segments of jogging the 2nd month, do it, but start out slow and maybe a couple of blocks each time and build up as you feel good until you can jog the full 2 miles. May take a month or two. At the end of 3 months, you'll have lost 15-20 lbs if you follow the above. Keep this up and add a 1/2 mile each month. Keep it up. Even when you don't want to, keep it up! Don't quit. Did I say don't quit? Don't quit. At the end of a year, all things above followed, you'll have lost that 50lbs.

Totally your choice. Add me as a friend and I'll periodically check your food diary and offer encouragement and advise.

Nope, you are not too fat to run! Unless you have some joint or heart issues, you will be just fine! :-) I am happy to hear that you are starting a Couch to 5K program - they are awesome! I recently had surgery so I had to stop my progress. I am going to restart my 5K training on Monday. I will be running in a 5K event in late July and I'm currently about 40 pounds overweight. For me, running (and cardio, in general) allows me to lose the extra weight. Good luck in your training! Take it easy at first and you'll be running 5K in no time! :-)

i love run/walking! Google "Jeff Galloway" - he's a former Olympic runner who developed run/walk as a running technique in the 70's to prevent injuries. There are programs all over the place (in the US mostly). Not sure where you live, but if it's near a larger metropolitan area, there may be a program to hook up with. Beginners are always welcome and the eight week program ends with some sort of race 5K, 10K, half marathon or marathon. You choose your goal, but the race fee is usually included with the program. Anyway, I started with them, went through 3-4 programs until I'm at a "running" pace that suits me. The camaraderie is great! And since you're a former athlete, you might enjoy the friendly competition within the group. Check it out anyway - lots of resources on the website and an alternative to couch to 5K - it's a sensible approach to "running" and will keep you out of the doctor's office.

OMG Get out there and run as much as you can! Don't injure yourself..but the more you run, the better you will feel Happy Running!

work on muscle strength and balance BEFORE you start trying to run.

Huh? Since when do you need to work on those before starting to run? Do you work on them before walking? If you don't have balance then walking or even working on strength is going to be tough.


Never known of anyone to have to work on muscle strength & balance before taking up running.

I'd work on building strength, flexibility, and general fitness before running. I think of running as being pretty demanding in terms of strength and ability to withstand impact, and I don't believe it's exceptionally great as far as calorie burning exercise goes.

Here's an article by Rachel Cosgrove that I found interesting:

http://members.rachelcosgrove.com/public/180.cfm

Really? not that great as far as calories go? oh my. it takes me 1.5 hours of walk at home, with weights....to burn the same amount of calories running that I can get in 50 mins. SO if I ran for the same amount of time as the walk at home then I'd burn almost 2 time as much than the walk at home........


and to you that's not goo as far as calorie burning goes?

You won't be able to run fast or far, but if you can start with a light jog that will help to raise your heart rate and increase your cardiovascular fitness.

I find that it's really easy to sprint and jog at 100 pounds. It's not hard on my body anymore, I don't get sore, my legs feel airy and light. It's a weird feeling.

When I was 140 pounds I'd feel more of the weight on my knees, if that makes sense. At 118 pounds I noticed jogging was getting easier. But not as easy as it is now.

Pick up two 25-pound dumbbells sometime and try walking with them for a couple of steps. That's the additional strain that is being placed on your knees. Same goes for weight training. When I see heavy women lifting smaller weights, I remember that they are probably lifting heavier than I am because they have a lot of extra pounds that add resistance. I also think that's why I don't see a lot of heavier, muscly guys jogging. They go slower and look like they're uncomfortable - even the super fit ones. Most runners are at the lower end of the healthy weight scale because it's hard to lug around more pounds than absolutely necessary.

My advice would be to do some light jogging interspersed with power walking, and then supplement with something low impact like a stationary bike or the elliptical (resistance is key).

Also, a trick for fast fat loss with less running is to try HIIT. Run as fast as you can for 30 seconds or one minute, then recover for two. Repeat until you're exhausted. Your total number of minutes running is less, but you've gotten a calorie torching workout that's better than a steady state jog.

Best wishes

Hi. I'm 50lbs overweight. Should I lose the pounds before starting jogging or jump right in? Thank you for any advice.

My husband jogs short distances. He has over 100 pounds to lose.