Why can't I Run? What to do ?

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AamirKhan2016
AamirKhan2016 Posts: 91 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I walk daily 12+ miles at 3.7mph.
Current Weight: 249 lb

But i can't run my legs hurt my whole body hurts while running? So i walk for losing weight

Is walking this enough for me to lose weight?
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Replies

  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    it all takes time, do a bit a day and every day or weekly, or monthly upit, start slow then get fast, sure took me a while to get at it.
  • Rhayahana
    Rhayahana Posts: 57 Member
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    Losing weight comes from a calorie deficit. You can create that by reducing intake (eat less calories) or increasing the burn (working out).

    Running, walking, lifting, jumping around like a lunatic, it all burns calories, running does it a little faster than walking but exercise = exercise.

    Good luck on your journey! Just keep at it and you'll get there :smile:
  • Br3ntG
    Br3ntG Posts: 29 Member
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    No, walking isn't enough to lose weight. You need to eat at a calorie deficit and even better, don't eat back the calories you burn through exercise. What has worked for me is finding out my BMR and eating 250-500 cal under that.
  • J_1905
    J_1905 Posts: 1 Member
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    Don't worry too much, walk if you can't run and maybe start doing a slow jog in a few weeks time.

    When I started I couldn't run either and just went really slow ( people walking their dogs would over take me sometimes!). A good few months later and I could easily do 1.5hrs of running.

    You could get a heart rate monitor and make sure you stay within your limits?
  • punkrockgoth
    punkrockgoth Posts: 534 Member
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    I personally find that I can't run with enough intensity or for long enough to lose weight. I love running, so I still do it, but I need to do lots of cross training.
  • jacquifrench304
    jacquifrench304 Posts: 131 Member
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    Start with walking for at least 5k at least 4 days a week , when that feels easy and you are getting the distance done faster try out a program like c25k.
    Follow the program , only run 3 days in 7 you can redo weeks or days if you like even if you are retrying a run still only run 3 days a week.
    Run SLOW , really slow, this will take a lot of the hell out of the learning for your body & you will enjoy it not dread it speed comes with distance and practice.
    You don't need to run to lose weight , but your heart will thank you if you do run.
    Your body needs to remember and build the strength to run again if you are to hard on yourself and push too much too soon you will have a much higher risk of injury.
    So go slow to go fast
  • Poods71
    Poods71 Posts: 502 Member
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    Walking and calorie control will do it no problem. That's how I lost all of my weight as I have knee problems and can't run.
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
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    I am a walker, not a runner. I walk or hike, dance & lift a little. I am losing weight. You may find running gets easier as you slim down. It is true that all the walking in the world can't necessarily get you to a deficit if you are overeating. Follow MFP's recommendation for that, or Fitbits (or equivalent) if you wear a tracker. Forget the BMR advice above. That's just silly. BMR is what your body would use in a climate controlled clinical setting in a near coma. More useful is to figure out your TDEE. There are algorhythms for this if you google it. If you are afraid of overestimating your activity chose sedentary as your norm. Don't be afraid to eat back some of your workout calories if you go that route.
    The 'best' workout is the one you can and will complete consistently; the 'best' deficit is the one you can meet consistently. If you find you are losing slowly but steadily, maybe it's just your attitude that needs adjustment. None of this is to diss running. I live in a family of runners! But it's not for everyone, certainly not for me.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Br3ntG wrote: »
    No, walking isn't enough to lose weight. You need to eat at a calorie deficit and even better, don't eat back the calories you burn through exercise. What has worked for me is finding out my BMR and eating 250-500 cal under that.

    Bad advice
  • Saminor915
    Saminor915 Posts: 1 Member
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    I'm also a fan of the C25K app. I started using it on the elliptical (running and my body weren't just "not friends", more like "arch enemies") and just recently moved it over to the treadmill. If theres a particular workout thats hard for you on the program, repeat it after a rest day. I just finished week 2 day 2, and while it has been kicking my you know what, The fact that I can jog (4 mph, taking it slow) for 90 seconds at a time is an accomplishment. You got this. Get after it.
  • GreenIceFloes
    GreenIceFloes Posts: 1,491 Member
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    Just maintain a calorie deficit, stay active and lift. You'll be able to run as your body weight decreases and you start getting stronger.
  • Twincle1970
    Twincle1970 Posts: 45 Member
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    I once had a miserable p.e. lesson in school, I came stone last in a small cross country run some 30 years ago and hated running. Fast forward to a couple of years ago some like minded friends and I started walk/jogging. We mapped out a 5k route, stretched and jogged as far as we could (for the 1st few weeks that would be nearly the end of the road), walked until we caught our breath and then jogged a bit more. We repeated the process again and again, 3 times a week. In about 3 months we then did the whole 5k jogging (should i say looking like we were running, but going faster than walking :D ). Then, we 'failed' a couple more times, but persisted. 3-6 months later I was running in the summer and thought, if I can now do this for 30 minutes, I reckon I could do 60 minutes and ran the route again, covering 10k. I went through leg pain, back pain, lung pain, felt like I was running through waist high mud, shin splints, stitches and blisters but ........... persevere, it WILL come and one day you say to yourself "I really, really enjoyed that run" !
    Couple that up with following a diet that works for you and weight loss is in the post :)
  • Ibeachlover
    Ibeachlover Posts: 66 Member
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    The answer to why your body hurts if you run is your weight and overall muscle fitness. I use to be a long distance runner, but now, with my weight gain, I just end up hurting my body if I try to do it. Alternatives, as you said are walking, and as someone else mentioned, just any other physical activity that keeps you moving so that you tax your cardiovascular system to some extent. If you go to the gym, elliptical machines, stationary bikes, and stair-steppers are good alternatives to mix things up. Obviously, diet is also key to losing weight. I hope that some day over next 6 months or so, I'll lose enough weight that I can start running again without tearing up my knees and back...but I have to be smart about it as I don't want to create permanent problems...there are good alternatives.
  • tinawyatt1979
    tinawyatt1979 Posts: 1 Member
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    Why don't you try running by lampposts? I started of walking a few and jogging for one and gradually built up from there after a year of doing that I can now run for 8 miles non stop and even done 2 marathons! When I started I felt like I was dying running 1 lamppost but I stuck with it and with a healthy diet I lost 28 llbs
  • pzarnosky
    pzarnosky Posts: 256 Member
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    Twincle1970 wrote: »
    I once had a miserable p.e. lesson in school, I came stone last in a small cross country run some 30 years ago and hated running. Fast forward to a couple of years ago some like minded friends and I started walk/jogging. We mapped out a 5k route, stretched and jogged as far as we could (for the 1st few weeks that would be nearly the end of the road), walked until we caught our breath and then jogged a bit more. We repeated the process again and again, 3 times a week. In about 3 months we then did the whole 5k jogging (should i say looking like we were running, but going faster than walking :D ). Then, we 'failed' a couple more times, but persisted. 3-6 months later I was running in the summer and thought, if I can now do this for 30 minutes, I reckon I could do 60 minutes and ran the route again, covering 10k. I went through leg pain, back pain, lung pain, felt like I was running through waist high mud, shin splints, stitches and blisters but ........... persevere, it WILL come and one day you say to yourself "I really, really enjoyed that run" !
    Couple that up with following a diet that works for you and weight loss is in the post :)

    This. You don't train for a marathon over night. The cardiovascular strength and endurance (along with the leg strength and endurance) takes time to build. I always thought I couldn't run. Then I started to set small goals for myself which led to small victories. If you told me 5 years ago that i'd run 7.4 miles at a consistent 9:12 pace I would have died laughing at you.

    Start small, try running for a minute and then walking for a minute, repeat that for 20 minutes or however long you want. Build from there. As you lose weight and keep going it will get better. My biggest thing was embracing how much running sucks when you first start.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Br3ntG wrote: »
    No, walking isn't enough to lose weight. You need to eat at a calorie deficit and even better, don't eat back the calories you burn through exercise. What has worked for me is finding out my BMR and eating 250-500 cal under that.

    No need to eat under your BMR, you will lose wight eating at BMR or even above. BMR is what you would burn if you slept 24/7, the moment you wake up you burn more and if you eat BMR cals you will lose weight, even with no exercise.
  • UG77
    UG77 Posts: 206 Member
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    I'm a big guy. Even when I'm fit, I'm still a big guy, much larger than most "distance" runners. I'm 6'4", currently 330ish, but most comfortable around 220lbs. That's still a lot of weight to haul around running distance.

    I don't know what is wrong with me but I really enjoy running.

    One of the things you need to keep in mind when you're attempting to transition from walking to running is the surface you're on. Don't run on concrete. Asphalt is meh, okay, but if you can, find a track that has one of those nice soft surfaces. I know it sucks, and it is incredibly boring but you have to build up your body to handle the stress it is going to be subjected to when you run. Everything from your muscles, tendons, ligaments, to bone density.

    You're going to burn a lot more calories on one of your long walks than you will on a short run. What I recommend you do is start with intervals. Pick a short, manageable distance. Quarter mile, half mile. Run that, then walk for a set interval. It doesn't have to be the same.

    Listen to your body but at the same time you need to learn the difference between pain and injury and know in your heart that your body is a lying *kitten*. It is going to do whatever it can to get you to stop running at the beginning of a run.
  • PlantBasedRnr
    PlantBasedRnr Posts: 129 Member
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    Here is some real world advice - from me, who experienced the exact same problem... 6 months ago I couldn't walk to the end of my driveway without being winded... two days ago I ran a half marathon. I was overweight and have lost 70 pounds in 6 months and I did it through a change in diet and walking and running. Most people don't have the discipline I do but I completely changed my lifestyle for health reasons, I changed everything I was eating from junk and processed food to almost completely natural, I started walking a mile, then 2 and eventually 8 and 10... then as I saw the pounds dropping I got more motivated and started running while I was walking, first for a minute or two then 10 then 20 then an hour... your body needs to learn to run, you don't just walk out the door one day and start running you have to build up to it, your body has to adapt. My best advice is stick with it, it may not happen today or tomorrow but you can run, slowly at first and then regularly... it takes time. In the meantime keep doing what you are doing, you WILL see results. Best of luck my friend, you got this.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    if you want to run, which you don't have to, try run walk intervals. many people started with the c25k or b210k. or like someone said lamp post to lamp post. tree to tree.
    but walking can help you lose weight. all you need is a calorie deficit and walking will help with that
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
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    I lost 60+ pounds between April 2011 and May 2012. All I did was cut my calories by 250 and walk for 60-90 minutes a day. I never had the desire to 'move up' to running. I have never gained any weight back. To increase the intensity of my workouts, I walk farther, I climb more hills, and I walk faster than I did at the beginning. Last fall, I hiked 20 miles in 6 hours, carrying a 25lb backpack -- that was 'just walking'! In fact, my rigorous walking program has made me fit enough that I can easily participate in 5K runs. And yes, I can run the whole thing and finish in about 25-28 minutes with no problem. So, I can run, I just prefer not to.

    You can ABSOLUTELY get great results from 'just' walking!

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