running while fat?? I so want to do this ya'll. Possible?

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  • melizerd
    melizerd Posts: 870 Member
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    First off, GOOD FOR YOU! But know you don't have to run to be in shape you CAN be in shape "just" walking, Run because you want to not because you think you have too.

    I started at about 242lbs, I'm 5'7" and could NOT run to begin with, it was too hard on my knees and they hurt, even with great running shoes. So I walked off about 50lbs (along with diet of course) and just started the C25K program in June.
  • KeriA
    KeriA Posts: 3,275 Member
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    Oh one more thing. I have found these jogs are easier on me than trying to walk fast. I have gotten injured trying to walk faster but haven't had a problem with my runs.
  • tammykoon
    tammykoon Posts: 303 Member
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    Big people run too! I'm proof of that. I don't run very fast, even when being chased, but I do run. It's already been suggested but I'll reitarate: C25K is awesome!


    This cracked me up!! :laugh:

    I ran in public for the first time this week. Not very long and not very fast but I DID IT!! And if I can so can you! Watch out world the chubbies are running!!!!
  • beautybrainsbooty
    beautybrainsbooty Posts: 122 Member
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    This is such good info guys and so motivating! Thank you!!! :wink:
  • Solat37_Neil
    Solat37_Neil Posts: 379 Member
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    I've just finished week 2 of C25K at 300lbs.. I don't think I'll be able to do week 3 just yet tho, the thought of 3 mins running fills me with complete dread, so I may repeat week 2 until I feel ready for it.. but it's a fantastic workout and you should just give it a try and see how you go (Treadmill is a load easier than road running)
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
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    Best inspiration for running while fat. Hell, this guy should inspire EVERYONE on their weight loss goals:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SbXgQqbOoU
  • csch79
    csch79 Posts: 37 Member
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    The best advice I was given before I started running was to visit a real running store and get a new pair of shoes. Only use these shoes for running.

    They will watch you walk, jog, run, etc on a treadmill. You will most likely do this barefoot. The place I go video tapes it and then plays it for you. They are able to determine what type of shoe you need. There are specific shoes for heavier runners that provide a lot more support. You may or may not need them. I probably spent an hour and a half in the store trying different shoes and running on the treadmill until we found the pair that worked best.

    I was having some shin and knee pain when I started. That went away once I bought the right shoes.

    I also recommend the Couch 2 5k program.
  • jessikas5
    jessikas5 Posts: 28 Member
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    I also do the C25K and love it . If you have a track ( like a school track around the football field) in your area that is really nice because it is very cushioned and seems to be make the running easier, for me anyway.
  • KeriA
    KeriA Posts: 3,275 Member
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    Big people run too! I'm proof of that. I don't run very fast, even when being chased, but I do run. It's already been suggested but I'll reitarate: C25K is awesome!


    This cracked me up!! :laugh:

    I ran in public for the first time this week. Not very long and not very fast but I DID IT!! And if I can so can you! Watch out world the chubbies are running!!!!
    I run on a trail in a park that is popular with walkers and runners. So I have done it all in "public" . It was where I walk.
  • wjewell
    wjewell Posts: 282 Member
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    When I started I was 286.. and I just started jogging at a 3.5. Very slow pace, but it's a start... I'm not 259 and run at a 5.0-6.0 (not very often at a 6.0 lol) but I've improved a lot. I went from jogging 30 seconds and thinking i was dying to jogging a mile without stopping in 19 minutes and now I can run a mile in just over 12 minutes! : ) Just START. Thats what it takes : ) And mind over matter!

    p.s. don't forget to stretch! :) hhaha
  • marquesajen
    marquesajen Posts: 641
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    I don't have to lose as much as you, I have to lose 40, my husband is aiming at 50, and our friend was around 310 when he started running. He is now all muscle, runs marathons. and this is what he told us to do. Start small. Even if you can only make it one block, then run one block, then run back. Do the same thing the next day, maybe go a little further. Just do what you can and each day do a tiny bit more. If you like to walk then do bursts of running while you go for a walk. He also lifted weights and other exercises, but running is his thing. He taught me that there is no shame in running for a couple blocks, because you'll feel joy when you can run 3, then 4, then a mile.
  • SmartFunGorgeous
    SmartFunGorgeous Posts: 699 Member
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    I started at 280, and have been doing it for two weeks. I thought the C25K program would fit well. It does. Like you, I walked a lot, and the first week wasn't hard at all. This week was also surprisingly easy, though I'm nervous about next week, and may repeat this week if the first day I run next week is too much. You can TOTALLY do this. Go to Runner's World and read some articles on beginners and educate yourself on stride, breathing, form, shoes, etc. I'm addicted! AND I do it on the local college campus and everyone is so supportive. People like to see others challenging themselves, I've found. Friend me if you want. I love to talk about it now! :-)
  • Nikki_GodzPrincess
    Nikki_GodzPrincess Posts: 138
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    I'm DEFINITELY a hefty chick but I still get out there and run. Well jog. I do intervals slowly. I jog 30 seconds then walk, jog 60 seconds then walk etc. I love it. I hope to one day be amazing and run for a good 10 minutes without feeling like I am going to keel over though lol but I know that is coming. Keep at it. I have never used it but I hear AMAZING things about C25K. Try it and I too concur make sure you strap it all down lol Good Luck
  • gatorgirl7
    gatorgirl7 Posts: 103 Member
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    i started running w/ intervals: 2 min walk/2 min run on the treadmill for 30 minutes and then when that got easy, i did 3:1, and then 4:1, then 5:1 and then i figured that was dumb and i might as well as run the whole thing ;-) i was def not a runner when i started...3 yrs later, i'll be running my 5th half marathon in oct! i would also recommend picking a 5K to train for and sign up--that'll give you a goal too, so you don't lose focus. also, i haven't done it but there is a couch 2 5K program (i think it's called c25K or c2K something like that that has a plan on there which may help too.) also--make sure to stretch (and hydrate)...also, i'm not a dr, but maybe you want to check w/ yours to see if there is anything you should be careful of? it's the worst to get hurt right when you first start something!!
  • rodneyderrick
    rodneyderrick Posts: 483 Member
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    Honestly, I wouldn't consider running if you're more than thirty pounds overweight, and have never done any sustain running. The extra weight and pavement pounding puts a lot of strain on your joints, especially your knees, and many new runners crack a hip. Even so, if you really feel the need to run, start slow and listen to your body. Nevertheless, as you continue to run, remember this: your weight-loss comes from burning more calories than you take into your body. Don't try to compensate a bad diet with exercise. It doesn't work. Never tell yourself you can splurge just because you did a little run, because you'll find yourself tired without losing a pound. Lastly, you will at some point injure yourself running. We all do.It's like catching the sniffles in the winter time. I've had ankle problems, hip problems, shin problems, and knee pains that have sidelined me throughout my years of running. I rested for weeks at a time, but I never stopped running once my body healed. And when you have to take a break from running, it's important to continue with burning more calories than you take into your body, or at least eating to maintain your weight. If you gain weight because you didn't exercise, you never learned how to eat within your calorie limit. Your weight-loss came from exercising when it should have come from diet.
  • watergirl626
    watergirl626 Posts: 249 Member
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    I put my goal on here as 64 to lose, but in reality it should be 84 (I'm just scared I can't get there), so I have a lot to lose too. I started running in June, at my heaviest, because the C25K intrigued me. I ran the first week with old craptastic shoes and then had to rest a week and start over with real shoes from a running store. I started out on the treadmill so I had a timer, and eventually I got a HRM and then began running outside (in public). I just finished W5D2 on C25K. I love it. And when I run outside, I notice that 20% of people are real runners, going fast, good posture, etc, but the other 80% looks like their dying just as much as me. :-) Oh, and even though it has been hot this summer, I run in capris, and haven't once wished they were shorts. My thighs already touch, I don't like the idea of more stuff trying to bunch up there. :-P

    So I started at 224#, dying trying to run 60s intervals (I was ready to quit halfway through the first workout, but managed to push through), and now I am 198.6 and just ran/walked 2.98 miles during 46 minutes which included two 8-min. runs.

    You can totally do it if you want to. If you try and and decide you don't like it, that's okay too. The trick is finding exercise you like, right? Good luck!

    www.c25k.com
  • northernlights907
    northernlights907 Posts: 150
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    I think is possible but listen to your body....Im 5'4" and 215 and could only complete the first week of C25K because my knees started hurting really bad...then again, I wasnt using running shoes...just my adidas shoes Ive worn almost every day for the last year and a half.. Sooo with that being said, get good shoes.
  • knowmydestiny
    knowmydestiny Posts: 104 Member
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    bump
  • mancunianpoodle
    mancunianpoodle Posts: 17 Member
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    Wow - this thread is inspiring! I downloaded C25K over a month ago and then talked myself out of it - but am gonna definitely give it a go after reading that running while being quite a bit overweight is a real possiblity.

    I used to weigh 19 stone (am in the UK, 14lbs to a stone) - dropped 4 stone through changning eating habits. Need to tone up and use exercise to drop further to my ideal weight - probably about another 4 stone. I am hoping running will help me tone up and shed the weight.
  • MiloBloom83
    MiloBloom83 Posts: 2,723 Member
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    I started running at around 215 pounds. It sucked, but i persisted, because i wanted to join my friends at races instead of watching from the sidelines. 3 years later(11 months on MFP) and i weigh 175 and run a mile 3 minutes faster than i used to. My wife has dropped 36 pounds and attributes almost all of that to running and counting calories. If you start running at any weight, and stick with it, you will lose weight. I'm the proof.

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