C25K, biking...results?

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aisikitaisi
aisikitaisi Posts: 20
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, I want to lose about 20 lbs. of fat. My current weight is 135 lbs. and my goal weight is 115 lbs. I am not really overweight, but at the risk of overweight. So I am anticipating that it will be a little harder for me, but the thing is that I have been at 135 lbs. for a while now and I don't think that my diet is wrong, because I haven't been gaining anything and most times I eat healthy. My problem is that exercising has never been an important part of my life, so I have been trying to make it a habit. So if I eat as healthy as I can, and I try to workout, will I eventually end up losing fat?

I am not doing this just to lose the fat and get over with, I really want to make healthy eating and fitness a regular part of my life.
I have began doing the C25k app a little bit ago, and I am doing Week 5 Day 1 today, but the thing is that I kind of struggled with Week 4. I did complete every single interval, but I am not too sure about starting Week 5. Should I keep going or repeat Week 4?

The days that I don't run, I ride a stationary bike. I don't really work hard on it, I just do a nice easy pedal for about 50 minutes, burning about 400-500 calories.

I do strength as well, but its apps that I have on my phone like pushups, situps, ab and butt workouts. I can really feel that I am getting stronger, and I am feeling the muscle building.

If I keep going on like this, will I eventually lose the weight? I don't care if it takes 2 months or 2 years, I just wanna get rid of the excess fat and be as fit as I can.

Please do make any suggestions you can :)

Replies

  • aisikitaisi
    aisikitaisi Posts: 20
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    bump
  • DownsizingAaron
    DownsizingAaron Posts: 127 Member
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    I am not looking at the c25K right now, but does it suggest activity on off days? 40-50 minutes of biking is still a lot of activity and even if it is relatively gentle, it might still be preventing you from recovering fully. I've gotten the walking bug so bad that I'm out every day and I'm finding I can't get much faster or longer, so I'm going to start taking days off and light days too. You may have the same problem, so why not try a week without the biking on the down days?
  • aisikitaisi
    aisikitaisi Posts: 20
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    ok..i will try that.. :) thanks for the suggestion..i was actually thinkin that maybe im not consuming enough?
  • betreich
    betreich Posts: 51 Member
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    I completed the C25K mid last year (at 56years old) - had never run before and had never in my wildest dreams thought I ever would. I had been doing some cycling for a while = 17km 3-4 times a week, but the C25K program had me puffing way more than cycling usually did, and I felt I was getting a more intense aerobic workout. Some days were harder than others, some days I thought I couldn't do it, but on the hard days I pushed myself to do it and stuck with the program. Here I am 7 1/2 months after starting the program, and to my complete amazement have come to like running. ( outside that is - treadmill running is mind numbingly boring!) So I would encourage you to stick with the program exactly, doing some cycling on different days wont hurt - (it uses different muscles and is low impact in comparison), make sure you warm up and cool down properly, and I found it very important to be fitted with good running shoes. It is probably not meant to be easy, but is so worth while to persist. You can do it....
    Cheers Bet
  • jmock87
    jmock87 Posts: 16 Member
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    I struggled with week 4 too! You can always try week 5 and if you are finding it a huge struggle just so week 4 until you feel you are ready to move up.
  • aisikitaisi
    aisikitaisi Posts: 20
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    @betreich Congratulations on your accomplishment! I am a non runner as well..and I felt horrible on the first day of C25K, but here I am getting better each day! Thanks for the motivation :) Yeah I run on the treadmill, and it is so boring, so I always make sure that I have good music to listen to when I run. I am definitely going outside once spring comes! How much weight did you lose since you started running?

    @jmock87 I actually did Week 5 Day 1 the other day, and surprisingly I felt fine! I guess it was all in my head :)
  • betreich
    betreich Posts: 51 Member
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    good on you! I haven't lost any weight, that is why I am here! but I am fitter. Trying to get the eating under control so I do loose weight - as I read on some one else's post -"you can't out run the fork" got into the wrong head space - thought if I ran I could get away with eating any thing - but.... NO, NO, NO! so have started logging my food and hope to start making progress. Luckily the weather here is not too severe - more a matter of getting out early for a run before it gets too hot (South Australia). All the best for your progress with the running. It's amazing what we can do ...
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
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    You're taking the right steps to get healthy and lose any extra fat. I don't see a reason to reduce your exercise. Just keep doing what you're doing and the weight will eventually follow. You need to eat at a slight deficit to lose fat. Either the extra exercise will do that for you, or adjust your calories down slightly. See what the scale shows after a month before making any adjustments.

    I did C25K a year ago and am now an avid runner...I've run up to a half marathon and run numerous times a week. Not something I thought much about until I decided to do it. If I could do it, so can you. Repeat any weeks in C25K you feel you need to. There's no hard deadline.:flowerforyou:

    Cross training on non-run days is good. Easy cycling is fine for cross training and definitely keep doing the strength training. Push-ups, etc, is strength training. You can increase the difficulty over time when your body is ready for it. I now weight lift, but did calisthenics for a long time to get my initial strength build up.
  • aisikitaisi
    aisikitaisi Posts: 20
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    @betreich - Thank you and I definitely agree, it is important to be eating healthy! A lot of people try to do "dieting" but I really don't want to be eating healthy foods just to lose the weight, and then get back to eating unhealthy. I am trying to eat as healthy as I can to make it a part of my lifestyle. I am glad to hear that you are fitter, it's great motivation for beginners like me! I am not really overweight or obese as I said before, I just never really workout and am at the risk of overweight and it feels great to be able to run with C25K! Oh my god, you are sooo lucky! I live in Northeastern US, and the weather here is just soo cold! Thank you so much again and congratulations on achieving your goals!
  • aisikitaisi
    aisikitaisi Posts: 20
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    @brandiuntz - Thank you and yes I have been a little iffy on my calories, so I want to see if any change occurs in the upcoming weeks. Riding the bike is just a fun thing I do while watching TV and I take it easy because I try really hard while running! Congratulations on becoming a runner! I think my main problem while running is breathing, because my legs or body never get sore while I run, it hurts around my lungs. I plan on doing pushups, situps, and other execises until I get a little more fit. Then when summer comes around, I am planning on joining the gym! I also do martial arts, and I am a black belt and that's one of my main reasons to get fit. I don't just wanna lose the excess fat and look good, but I also really want to be "rough and tough" as a martial artist :)
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
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    @brandiuntz - Thank you and yes I have been a little iffy on my calories, so I want to see if any change occurs in the upcoming weeks. Riding the bike is just a fun thing I do while watching TV and I take it easy because I try really hard while running! Congratulations on becoming a runner! I think my main problem while running is breathing, because my legs or body never get sore while I run, it hurts around my lungs. I plan on doing pushups, situps, and other execises until I get a little more fit. Then when summer comes around, I am planning on joining the gym! I also do martial arts, and I am a black belt and that's one of my main reasons to get fit. I don't just wanna lose the excess fat and look good, but I also really want to be "rough and tough" as a martial artist :)

    The breathing will come the more you run. It's what everyone struggles with at first. As your endurance builds, it'll get easier. You'll also learn how to run at the pace that allows you to breath for the distance you're going. C25K helps with that by making you run for a certain amount of time, so your body adjusts and builds on what you did before. :smile:
  • aisikitaisi
    aisikitaisi Posts: 20
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    @brandiuntz - Thank you and yes I have been a little iffy on my calories, so I want to see if any change occurs in the upcoming weeks. Riding the bike is just a fun thing I do while watching TV and I take it easy because I try really hard while running! Congratulations on becoming a runner! I think my main problem while running is breathing, because my legs or body never get sore while I run, it hurts around my lungs. I plan on doing pushups, situps, and other execises until I get a little more fit. Then when summer comes around, I am planning on joining the gym! I also do martial arts, and I am a black belt and that's one of my main reasons to get fit. I don't just wanna lose the excess fat and look good, but I also really want to be "rough and tough" as a martial artist :)

    The breathing will come the more you run. It's what everyone struggles with at first. As your endurance builds, it'll get easier. You'll also learn how to run at the pace that allows you to breath for the distance you're going. C25K helps with that by making you run for a certain amount of time, so your body adjusts and builds on what you did before. :smile:

    Yeah I hope so, like I really don't care about how long it takes to lose all of it, I just want it to happen eventually!
  • aisikitaisi
    aisikitaisi Posts: 20
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    I did it!! I did Week 5 Day 3, I am sooo happy! Thanks for all the motivation everybody gave me :)
  • betreich
    betreich Posts: 51 Member
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    well done! every run takes you closer to your goal - one run at a time. Fantastic.
  • aisikitaisi
    aisikitaisi Posts: 20
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    Aww, thank you so much! and i agree, it's amazing how doing a little bit each week can make a huge difference overtime!
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
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    I did it!! I did Week 5 Day 3, I am sooo happy! Thanks for all the motivation everybody gave me :)

    Congrats! Keep it up!:smile:

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